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E J H Nash, the Man who Converted Justin Welby, Nicky Gumbel, John Stott, David Watson and Michael Green

By Anita Mathias

 

Nash, wikipedia

I listened to Michael Green preach on Sunday at St. Andrew’s, Oxford. I last heard him, oh 25 years ago, as an undergraduate. I remember dropping in to St. Aldate’s when I was feeling overwhelmed because a lot of my friends went there. I wouldn’t have called myself a Christian, though his sermons did make perfect sense to me, and sort of inspired me to do the right thing.

He spoke on the next chapter in the book of the Bible we were going through, Nehemiah 2. I thought it was excellent–a combination of good vivid story telling, a magnetic personality which encourages one to pay attention, and the ability to draw practical spiritual inferences from a historic text.

What was my “take-away”? That God is sovereign even when everything seems to be against us. That an arrow prayer straight from our heart to God’s can change things at any time. That nothing is hopeless as long as God is around. That God can penetrate and change human history.

Michael Green is 81. I would love to be so fresh and green, bearing fruit at 81. And so, I guess I need to do two things–make sure I eat healthily, and exercise now. And FAR more important, I need to put my roots into the stream of God so that I will be able to draw nourishment from his living waters when I am old. (Psalm 1, Ezekiel 47).
~ ~ ~

And so, at home, I googled Michael Green as one does these days!. He was converted –along with John Stott, David Watson and Nicky Gumbel by a man I had never heard of–unlike his list of converts. Someone called EJH Nash, or Bash who ran a camp ministry at Iwerne Minster. David Watson is meant to have attended 35 camps in five years.

Nash focussed on reaching “the best boys from the best schools.” He devoted his life to preaching a simple evangelical gospel at the top 30 public schools. He also influenced the University Christian Unions   a particularly good example being the Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union “where between 1935 and 1939 all CICCU’s presidents were ‘Bash’ campers, and the union was marked by his methods: a very simple evangelical gospel; meticulous preparation; a wariness of emotions or intellect and assiduous “personal work” before and after conversion.” He was famous for his sense of humour, and his ability to create a happy atmosphere.

Wow! It strikes me that the man must have really loved Christ to devote his life not to speaking, writing and media appearances as so many of today’s Christian superstars do, but to training the next generation of Christian leaders, who in turn will influence the next generation or two.

It was a highly focussed strategy: “the best boys from the best schools.” It was not Jesus’s strategy, though. Jesus appeared to take riff-raff who had tough characters–but hey, who can argue with success.

The mystery of influence! Billy Graham was converted by a travelling preacher called Mordechai Ham. Ham was tired, and weary and almost did not want to go on. His journal shows his despairing cries to the Lord for fruit. On the next night, Billy Graham came to his tent.

Our lives belong to Christ. Whether we hold up the torch of our own work to shine brightly–or pass it
on to another–does not really matter.

And interestingly, I could not easily find a reliable image of the man. When I typed his name, I saw images of Michael Green, John Stott, and David Watson. “Bash,” with his famous sense of humour, may have enjoyed this!!

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Comments

  1. Anita Mathias says

    July 25, 2011 at 9:39 am

    Thank you. I have updated my post with the image. Good to have it, I must say!

  2. Anonymous says

    July 23, 2011 at 6:40 pm

    have added a picture on wikipedia!

    Hyper3

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anita.mathias

Writer, Blogger, Reader, Mum. Christian. Instaing Oxford, travel, gardens and healthy meals. Oxford English alum. Writing memoir. Lives in Oxford, UK

Images from walks around Oxford. #beauty #oxford # Images from walks around Oxford. #beauty #oxford #walking #tranquility #naturephotography #nature
So we had a lovely holiday in the Southwest. And h So we had a lovely holiday in the Southwest. And here we are at one of the world’s most famous and easily recognisable sites.
#stonehenge #travel #england #prehistoric England #family #druids
And I’ve blogged https://anitamathias.com/2020/09/13/on-not-wasting-a-desert-experience/
So, after Paul the Apostle's lightning bolt encounter with the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus, he went into the desert, he tells us...
And there, he received revelation, visions, and had divine encounters. The same Judean desert, where Jesus fasted for forty days before starting his active ministry. Where Moses encountered God. Where David turned from a shepherd to a leader and a King, and more, a man after God’s own heart.  Where Elijah in the throes of a nervous breakdown hears God in a gentle whisper. 
England, where I live, like most of the world is going through a desert experience of continuing partial lockdowns. Covid-19 spreads through human contact and social life, and so we must refrain from those great pleasures. We are invited to the desert, a harsh place where pruning can occur, and spiritual fruitfulness.
A plague like this has not been known for a hundred years... John Piper, after his cancer diagnosis, exhorted people, “Don’t Waste Your Cancer”—since this was the experience God permitted you to have, and He can bring gold from it. Pandemics and plagues are permitted (though not willed or desired) by a Sovereign God, and he can bring life-change out of them. 
Let us not waste this unwanted, unchosen pandemic, this opportunity for silence, solitude and reflection. Let’s not squander on endless Zoom calls—or on the internet, which, if not used wisely, will only raise anxiety levels. Let’s instead accept the invitation to increased silence and reflection
Let's use the extra free time that many of us have long coveted and which has now been given us by Covid-19 restrictions to seek the face of God. To seek revelation. To pray. 
And to work on those projects of our hearts which have been smothered by noise, busyness, and the tumult of people and parties. To nurture the fragile dreams still alive in our hearts. The long-deferred duty or vocation
So, we are about eight weeks into lockdown, and I So, we are about eight weeks into lockdown, and I have totally sunk into the rhythm of it, and have got quiet, very quiet, the quietest spell of time I have had as an adult.
I like it. I will find going back to the sometimes frenetic merry-go-round of my old life rather hard. Well, I doubt I will go back to it. I will prune some activities, and generally live more intentionally and mindfully.
I have started blocking internet of my phone and laptop for longer periods of time, and that has brought a lot of internal quiet and peace.
Some of the things I have enjoyed during lockdown have been my daily long walks, and gardening. Well, and reading and working on a longer piece of work.
Here are some images from my walks.
And if you missed it, a blog about maintaining peace in the middle of the storm of a global pandemic
https://anitamathias.com/2020/05/04/a-mind-of-life-and-peace/  #walking #contemplating #beauty #oxford #pandemic
A few walks in Oxford in the time of quarantine. A few walks in Oxford in the time of quarantine.  We can maintain a mind of life and peace during this period of lockdown by being mindful of our minds, and regulating them through meditation; being mindful of our bodies and keeping them happy by exercise and yoga; and being mindful of our emotions in this uncertain time, and trusting God who remains in charge. A new blog on maintaining a mind of life and peace during lockdown https://anitamathias.com/2020/05/04/a-mind-of-life-and-peace/
In the days when one could still travel, i.e. Janu In the days when one could still travel, i.e. January 2020, which seems like another life, all four of us spent 10 days in Malta. I unplugged, and logged off social media, so here are some belated iphone photos of a day in Valetta.
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#valleta #valletamalta #travel #travelgram #uncagedbird
Images from some recent walks in Oxford. I am copi Images from some recent walks in Oxford.
I am coping with lockdown by really, really enjoying my daily 4 mile walk. By savouring the peace of wild things. By trusting that God will bring good out of this. With a bit of yoga, and weights. And by working a fair amount in my garden. And reading.
How are you doing?
#oxford #oxfordinlockdown #lockdown #walk #lockdownwalks #peace #beauty #happiness #joy #thepeaceofwildthings
Images of walks in Oxford in this time of social d Images of walks in Oxford in this time of social distancing. The first two are my own garden.  And I’ve https://anitamathias.com/2020/03/28/silver-and-gold-linings-in-the-storm-clouds-of-coronavirus/ #corona #socialdistancing #silverlinings #silence #solitude #peace
Trust: A Message of Christmas He came to earth in Trust: A Message of Christmas  He came to earth in a  splash of energy
And gentleness and humility.
That homeless baby in the barn
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Who would have thought it?
But perhaps those attuned to God’s way of surprises would not be surprised.
He was already at the centre of all things, connecting all things. * * *
Augustus Caesar issued a decree which brought him to Bethlehem,
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For he created all things, and in him all things hold together
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And God arranges for new stars, angelic song, wise visitors with needed finances for his sustenance in the swiftly-coming exile, shepherds to underline the anointing and reassure his parents. “Trust me in your dilemmas,” the baby still says, “I will make a way. I will show it to you.” Happy Christmas everyone.  https://anitamathias.com/2019/12/24/trust-a-message-of-christmas/ #christmas #gemalderieberlin #trust #godwillmakeaway
Look, I’ve designed a journal. It’s an omnibus Look, I’ve designed a journal. It’s an omnibus Gratitude journal, habit tracker, food and exercise journal, bullet journal, with time sheets, goal sheets and a Planner. Everything you’d like to track.  Here’s a post about it with ISBNs https://anitamathias.com/2019/12/23/life-changing-journalling/. Check it out. I hope you and your kids like it!
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