Advent and muppets

So Christmas is rapidly approaching and we find ourselves nearly a week into Advent.  This is a time of preparation and anticipation as we count down the weeks to the big day.

I love the Advent period, as we retell the amazing story of Jesus' birth. The scene is set, the different characters are introduced and the familiar yet so beautiful and powerful message of love is shared again.

It's also the time of buying and then wrapping presents, sending cards and of course watching Christmas films.

One of my favourites is the classic, Muppets Christmas Carol. I particularly like the three ghosts, especially the large absent minded Ghost of Christmas Present.

He says the great line to Ebenezer Scrooge, that I think God would echo to us all this Advent - "come inside and know me better".

Have a great day and an exciting Advent.

God bless

Chris

I wish it could be Christmas everyday

To contradict myself completely - referring to the title of this post, I actually do not "Wish it could be Christmas every day". But I do think it's a shame that Christmas only happens once per year.

Last night we were involved in our first Carol Service of the year, at the Parish Hall with the Selston Ladies Section - and it was great fun.

I really do enjoy this time of year; the carols, the food, the parties, the extra services and activities, and the additional time spent with family and friends. It just seems a shame that so much of this joy and excitement only comes around every twelve months.

And for many people their annual visit to church for a special service is maybe the only time we think about this special baby in the manger as well.

The beautiful truth is, of course, that this baby became a man who was and still is God. The one who lived and died a human death, to give everyone of us a hope, a life and a future.

Don't wait till Christmas to think about Jesus and don't pack him away with the decorations in January. At the risk of sounding really cheesy - Jesus is for life, not just for Christmas.

Have a great day

God bless

Chris

Why do we text, tweet, fb and blog?

In one way or the other I presume just about everyone is aware of the impact of social media on our lives.

My mother-in-law, for example, states that along with the Internet, these are singularly responsible for the decline in moral fibre!

Many of us, however, use these social media tools on a daily basis. So we must quite like them.

Now, whilst text messaging is a communication tool, used to pass on information to one person, Facebook, Twitter and co are quite different. So why are we all so keen to share our daily news with the world.

I think the answer is simply that; we all love to share; to feel that people are interested in our stories.

This is also the reason that so many people apply to audition for Big Brother and X-Factor; so that people can see the real me and see how interesting I am!

The reason for sharing this blog message today (as well as the fact that I like to share my daily news as well) is to say how thankful I am that we have a God who is interested in us all.

Whatever you are doing,  feeling, thinking, celebrating or worrying about today - God knows,  is interested and has a plan for your liife.

Have a great day.

God bless

Chris

I'm surrounded by rainbows

Today is a day with very mixed weather - we keep moving from bright sunshine to rain showers. This has meant that every time I've been outside today, I've seen rainbows brightening up the sky.

Some of these, like early this morning, were only partially visible, others very faint in the clouds and just now one is shining bright, in a full arc of brilliant colour.

As the rainbow reminds us that God will always keep his promises; set out in Genesis just after the flood, it is a very good thing to be surrounded by them today.

Sometimes God is hard to spot, sometimes he seems obscured by events and even clouded out in the rain and storms of our lives.

But it is so comforting to remember that God is always there, always cares and faithfully will always keep his promises.

Have a great day

God bless

Chris

A very busy Sunday

So yesterday was a rather busy day to say the least. We we're involved in four services through the day. Whilst this is fairly normal for lots of people,  it was unusually busy for me.

My day began with our usual service (I resist saying the 'normal' service) at Selston.

We then walked to our local residential home,  Millington Springs, to share Communion with the residents and their families.

Next came the Anniversary celebration at our Riddings church,  just a few miles away.

And finally at six pm we joined the local Church of England,  St Helens,  for their annual Bereavement Service.

Returning home around 19:45 to my wife Debbie,  and a bowl of hot chips, was very welcome. I sat down feeling tired and drained, but also strangely energised and filled with emotion.

Looking back - every service uniquely showed God's love. In very different ways,  to very different groups of people.

The location and setting changed,  as did the style of service and the personnel involved.  But the message and display of love rang clear throughout.

Would I like to be involved in four services every Sunday?  Not really.  But would I like to witness and be a part of that level of love, service, hope,  joy and peace more often?  Definitely!

Hope you feel love,  joy and peace in your life today.

God bless.

Have a great day

Chris

Four pictures, one word

Hi - I've recently been introduced to a game on my mobile entitled as above; basically it shows four pictures that all share the same name. So maybe a piece of fruit, a Mac computer, the Beatles record label and the bulge in a mans throat would all require the answer "apple". The game is ok, but in my opinion, gets old fairly quick! But it did get me thinking about 4 in 1's.

Today over lunch a friend of mine talked about the different levels that exist in a marriage and how they are similar to our prayer life and in fact relationship with God. I am going to steel my friend's idea and expound on it a little here. All relationships, she stated, have the potential for a basic, deeper, intimate and further level of conversation, understanding and love.

Thinking about the marriage analogy - there is the basic level; which involves sharing the same home and chatting about the day to day.
The deeper level; this involves time spent sat around a table discussing hopes, dreams and challenges; when we make plans together.
The intimate level is when we are closest together physically and emotionally; literally sharing of ourselves.
Then the further level is the understanding and love that passes every other; the way that we can know another's thoughts with a look, and things are said without words; this goes beyond and lasts through all else.

This is where it gets a little deep, so hold on tight

The same levels of understanding and relationship are available between you and God.

You can know him on a basic level; acknowledging his existence and calling in for the occasional chat.
You can know him on a deeper level; where you truly know and share your hopes and dreams, entrusting them to him.
You can have an more intimate relationship with God; not in the physical, but in a sense of complete trust and acceptance, knowing each other and being in harmony.
Then there is available a deeper level; with too passes all understanding, and is available for eternity.

I wonder what level you are at today. And ask what level you want to feel.

If you're not living on the level you want to, please talk to someone (even me) and find out how to move forward and closer to God today.

Have a great day

God bless

Chris

Consider the lilies

Today is amazingly the 19th April 2013! I appreciate, at first glance that is not such an amazing date. But, bear with me dear reader, and I will expound upon this claim.

In what seems like only the blink of an eye, a quarter of the year has already flown by. It only seems like two minutes ago we were planning for Christmas, and now suddenly Easter is only a memory.

Add onto that, the simple note that it is actually 2013, a year which seemed impossibly futuristic when I was growing up. For anyone who's watched the Back to the Future trilogy (who hasn't?) we are only two years away from the future that Marty McFly visited in the second film.

Now whilst this is not a post asking why we don't yet have hover boards and self drying clothes (although that are worth questioning) it is about how time is rushing by.

On top of all this amazement that it is 2013, my niece just got engaged; this may not strike you as too amazing, except that she is suddenly 19 and growing up, which makes me wonder where those years went? I'm sure her mum and dad are asking themselves the very same question. Congratulations to the happy couple, should they stumble across these words.

So, all in all, lots of amazing things are happening! Which all make the title of this post so very important.

The Bible encourages us to consider the lilies; this is similar to the modern phrase to smell the roses; to stop and take a moment, away from all the rush.

So, no preachy words today - just a few thoughts:

If time is rushing by, what are we missing? What's too important to miss? And what's really worth spending our time on?

Work? Stuff? Sports? Hobbies? Holiday planning? Family? Friends? Relationships?

Have a great day - in which you take a moment.

God bless

Chris