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

Spring clean

Due to a slight technical hitch yesterday, I had to backup my emails, to avoid the risk of loosing any, should my slight hitch get any worse.

In doing this I was quite shocked to notice just how many junk emails had built up over time and what a high percentage of my daily emails I instantly delete without reading. I have therefore spent a few minutes this morning, un-subscribing from some of the many adverts and junk mail senders that have built up.

With Lent just around the corner, starting this year in mid March, this idea of cleaning things up is pretty apt. Becuase, whilst Lent is often seen as a time to give up chocolate biscuits for a few weeks, it is really a time to recognise what may be getting in the way.

In life we are constantly bombarded by so much that seeks to steal our time and divert our attention. Sitting here in my office I surrounded by distractions; the telephone, the internet, books, dvds, paperwork and my radio, all at times steal my attention. The same can be true of people, money, health issues, meetings and full diaries. Whilst all these things can be great, they can all take up time and bring distractions from what we should be really focusing on.

This Lent period, at Selston, we are going to be working through a spiritual spring clean together, when we are going to try and reduce the things in our lives that distract us from God. The first part of these teachings are on the church website here, and will complete in next months update.

I would encourage anyone reading to think about how you are trying to live and what is distracting you from being the person you want to be; then to focus on ways of reducing these distrations.

Have a great day

God bless

Chris

What's the opposite of a Bucket list?

I have recently tidied up my office and for a rare change I can actually see the carpet and have desk space, instead of working amid piles of paper. This was a long overdue job, that took a bit of effort but has great rewards - like being able to actually find things.

In my now tidy office, I can see a DVD on my newly organised shelves, entitled "The bucket list"; some of you may know the story. I have never watched the film, but I understand it's about a couple of guys coming towards the end of their lives and planning to accomplish things they've never got around to doing.

Today I am thinking in very much the opposite kind of way; not about things that I haven't yet done, but recognising what I actually have achieved.

My wife has been off work and in bed, sick, for the last two days; so being the fantastic husbands I am (it's ok, she doesn't read these articles) I have been trying to be around and look after her. This has mainly meant that I have been home for the last couple of days. As a bi-product this has meant that I have crossed quite a large number of items off my list of 'to do' jobs for this week; many of which would probably have otherwise got pushed down the list.

In the middle of shopping, helping my wife, cooking, fetching her drinks, etc I have actually achieved a lot more than I realised. And this has got me thinking; if we looked back over the day, the week, or our lives, I imagine we have all achieved a lot more than we ever expected too and definitely more than we recognise very often.

So I would encourage you, dear reader, to take a moment today, and rather than making another list of things to do and dreams which may one day happen, recognise what you have already achieved.

I would wager with you all that your opposite bucket list, is actually a lot longer and greater than you think.

Have a great day

God bless

Chris

Stir up Sunday

As you may or may not have noticed Christmas is coming rather quickly; in 33 days at the time of writing this post. And there are many preparations to be made in readiness for the big day.

This weekend is one of the milestones on the way to Christmas as it is traditionally known as Stir up Sunday. This is the day when we should all be gathering and stirring up the required ingredients to make our Christmas puddings.

This is still celebrated in churches, though not as much as it once was, as a day to think about being stirred up by God. In the book of Deuteronomy Moses uses the illustration of an eagle stirring up its nest in order to encourage the young eagle chicks (there must be a proper name for a young eagle, any answers appreciated) to leave the nest and learn to fly.

During this process the mother eagle rips up the comfortable matting of the nest to expose the thorns underneath and may even give the young eagles (missing a proper name again) out of the nest. Whilst this seems maybe a little cruel, she knows that it is essential that her young learn how to fly, and this is the only way.

In our lives we may often feel like the comfortable world we know gets stirred up and the thorns exposed, and sometimes feel like we are being nudged out of our comfort zones.

But our God knows that we all need to learn to fly and very often we only grow in this way through the most uncomfortable and painful feeling times.

The greatest part of the eagle analogy is that after the mother eagle has nudged the chicks out of the nest, she swoops down to catch them again and again until they learn to fly for themselves.

What ever you are facing today, even if it feels like you are falling from your nest, God will always swoop down and carry you on his wings that will always keep us safe.

Have a great day

God bless

Chris

Nandos

Yesterday I had a very nice lunch with a couple of friends in Nottingham. It was a great time spent catching up, sharing thoughts and ideas; encouraging each other and praying together. This took place over an hour or so spent in a Nandos restaurant.

To make myself very clear, I had a great meal, the food tasted really good and this is not an article criticizing the Nandos chain in any way. I do have, however, a small issue with a restaurant that only serves chicken. I love chicken and may well have ordered chicken anyway. I would have liked to choose from steak, lamb, pork, and vegetarian options etc as well.

And if God was designing a restaurant, I don't think he would come up with anything like Nandos. My reason is simple; I think God is all about variety and abundance and creativity. There is not a single way to live our lives in a God honoring way, in the same way that there is not one single correct way of 'doing' church.

I think that God is interested in all aspects of our lives and wants us to live for him in millions of different ways.

A simple message today with a simple prayer for anyone reading - may God bless you in every way in everything that you do.

Have a great day

Chris

Post match analysis

If you have ever watched 'Match of the Day' or a similar sports tv show, then you will be familiar with the post match analysis.

This comes, obviously, after the game has been played when a pundit, player or manager, shares their view on how the match has gone for their team.

A succesful manager may give a review along the lines of, "our training paid off, we stuck to the game plan and it was the result we deserved". On the other hand, the manager of the loosing team may say, "we didn't get the run of the ball, we didn't take our chances and the other team simply out-played us".

In 2 Timothy 4:1-8 Paul is writing a letter as he sits in jail expecting his life to come to an end at any time, and he provides us with an analysis of his life to this point.

The passage can be found here: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20tim%204:1-8&version=NIV

Paul states with assurance that he has "fought the good fight ... finished the race ... kept the faith".

When we get to the post match analysis of our lives or even looking back on what we've done so far, can we all say the same?

Have a great day

God Bless

Chris

Left a bit, right a bit ... Getting closer

Hi reader - how's your day going so far?

Mine has just begun; I've taken my wife to work, and returned to my desk with a coffee, ready to face the day.

I am leading a school assembly tomorrow, where the children have been studying a simple question with a not so simple answer; "where is God?"

The truth is that God is in so many things and demonstrates himself in and through so many ways that it is hard to simply say where God is. With the exception that I can say, God is with me and all of us, in all that we do.

It has been said before, that this is an amazing promise that can bring us great comfort; when no-one else is with us, God is. But it also brings a great challenge, that God is with us at all times, even when we would maybe rather he wasn't; like the times when we are not acting or thinking in a way we are proud of.

The fact that God is with us, and the lesson that I am going to try and share with the children tomorrow, and therefore challenge myself is this - God is with us but we need to make sure we stay with him.

This is a life long process of small adjustments, making sure that our lifestyles, our language, our relationships, and every aspect of life is being fine-tuned to move closer to God. Sometimes this can be simply listening to the whisper of guidance in our minds, sometimes its listening to other people or through reading good books. Other times it may mean making hard decisions that come at a greater cost.

The amazing reassurance behind all of this challenge is, that God will be with us throughout, no matter how often we get it perfectly right or make the odd mistake.

Have great day

God Bless

Chris.

Of multi-coloured honey

Hi reader

Sorry for going AWOL for the last few months. Life has kind of got in the way, but I am back now with an intention to stay back.

Just before retiring to my bed last night I caught a glimpse of a late night news program, that was finishing with its 'and finally' slot.

This program reported that a French factory which produces honey had noticed something very strange; their bees had begun to produce multi-coloured honey. Some of the bees produced honey in different colours; red, blue, green and purple. Some investigation followed and resulted in an unlikely explanation; the bees in question had been dining on the sticky waste produced by the local M&M sweet factory, and the colouring of the sweets had affected the honey.

The French government has, of course, stated that this honey cannot be bottled and sold as regulations state that honey has to be honey coloured - of course!

So my thought to leave with you today is - what is colouring your life?

Are your actions and is your life coloured or flavoured by your beliefs, values and hopes? Do the people that you spend time with notice the difference that sets you apart from everyone else, or do we all blend in pushing our beliefs down burying them so that no-one will ever know?

Just a though.

Have a great day

God bless

Chris

Why can't we all just be friends?

As I write this article, which is the first for some time - apologies reader -  I am preparing to speak at a school in the morning, then to visit a grieving family to arrange their mothers funeral, before speaking at two church over the weekend. At the same time I have just completed writing a devotional magazine, called the voice, that our church takes each month and have had several conversations and meetings through the week.

This is not a blog designed to tell you that I am super busy, but rather that one thought has been mind throughout all of these activities. The conversations and meetings that I have been involved in seem to all be centered around groups of people disagreeing with each other. My study and writing has been focused on people with different mind sets and their attitudes to each other as well. And all through this week I cannot shake off the story of the Good Samaritan, which keeps on popping into my mind.

Here is a link to a modern version of the story that I have put on our church website, taken from the Junior section of our Voice magazine.

www.selstonchurchofchrist.org.uk/voice.htm#Junior%20Voice


Whilst its not the most amazing piece of writing ever, I think it gets the point across fairly well.

There is an regularly used piece of advice, when wondering how to act in certain circumstances, which suggests we ask ourselves, "What would Jesus do?" When doing this I am often reminded that when Jesus was on this earth in human form, he spent his time with all sorts of people - regularly being told he shouldn't waste his time with that kind of people. And the most amazing thing to note is that he didn't ask people to change first, he accepted them just as they were.

So let's come back to the question posed in the title of this blog; why can't we call just be friends? I suppose the answer in all honesty if we think about every country, people group, race and religion, I guess there is very little chance that we are all simply going to shakehands and become friends.


But that doesn't take away from the fact that we and our world desperately need us to try. And with God's help, I believe, that when we start to accept each other as Jesus does, we can begin to move closer to becoming friends after all.

Importance of refreshment

I was driving into Mansfield Woodhouse last week, and had to stop at some traffic lights just before going under a railway bridge. The bridge in question is fairly high but not wide enough for two vehicles at once. It is an old bridge which must have been in use for many years. But what struck me was the number of scrape marks and scratches were vehicles had scored their way through the bridge.

Clearly over the years lots of people had decided to try and, unsuccessfully, drive their vans and lorries through this bridge, thinking that they could fit. There is, I believe, a natural human instinct to try and fit too much into life!

Whether it is the amount of jobs in a day, the amount of purchases on your budget or the number of tasks done at the same time, we often try to fit in too much. Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being busy and at times we can all benefit from a little pressure. Many people thrive on the feeling of having a few balls in the air at the same time; the pressure of a looming dead-line is what makes many of us tick.

But none of that takes away from the fact that, at times we all naturally need to take a break and be refreshed. We all need down-time, all need holidays and times to switch off from the nine-to-five lifestyle.

We have a God who is interested in providing refreshment for our spirits and souls - He wants to bring you refreshment if you will only give him the opportunity.

Take a moment this week to get alone, away from the pressures of daily life, for a few minutes, and ask God to bring you his unique refreshment.

Have a great day.

God bless.

Chris

God doesn't have a 'naughty step'

I was sat in church reading earlier this week whilst the 'mums and toddlers' group where using our back room. As I read the volume of a child crying grew louder and louder, until the door opened and one mother brought here child for a 'time out'. She explained to her daughter that "enough was enough" and it was time to calm down or they would go straight home. After a minute or so the child in question calmed down and they went back to enjoy playing with the other children.

My wife is a nursery nurse and because of this I have watched, in my opinion, too many programs like 'super nanny'; teaching parents how to control their children. I believe that the general rule of thumb is to have your child sit on the 'naughty step' or take a 'time out' for a duration of one minute equal to their age. So a two year old should have a 'time out' for two minutes where as a ten year old should be sent to the 'naughty step' for ten minutes.

Whilst this post is not related to parenting tips, this encounter did start me thinking about my relationship with my Heavenly father, God. I wouldn't have to think for more than a few minutes, before I could build quite a list of things over which God could have rightly sent me to the 'naughty step' for a rather long time.

But here's some great and amazing news - God doesn't have a naughty step! God gives us a beautiful promise that if we turn to him truly and honestly sorry; he will always forgive us and will never bring punishment; no 'time outs' and no 'naughty steps'!

That thought has been on my mind and stayed with me all week and I hope it continues to, and that it may bless you as well.

Have a great day

God bless

Chris

What is Heaven like?

In the last couple of months, I have been asked or told what Heaven is like, more than ever before. I have had conversations with several people who have just finished reading books written by people who have supposedly visited Heaven in dreams or due to near death experiences. And almost everyone else I have had any kind of philosophical conversation with (which happens more often than you may think) wants to know how I think it will look or have a strong opinion themselves.

More often than not, people have a preconception of what Heaven would look like; whether the Bible description is literal or symbolic. And often people wonder how time would be spent in Heaven; maybe sitting on a cloud playing a harp, or asking God a list of questions.

I have no definite picture in my mind apart from a confident belief that I stick to at all times and always share with anyone who will listen. Heaven will be perfect! And I also think that everyone's experience of Heaven may be slightly different and unique.

In one of Adrian Plass' books he expresses the prayer that when he gets to Heaven, he would like there to be a good library and coffee shop within walking distance of Lords Cricket Ground. And I like that idea. At a funeral recently I shared this theory and that for the deceased, their version of Heaven may have included an excellent bowling green, as this was their love.

God is interested in providing us perfection and that will surely include all the activities that we love, including crown green bowling, if that's what you enjoy.

The more important aspect of this conversation, than trying to work out the exact details of what Heaven will or will not look like, is making sure you are going to find out.

Have a great day

God bless

Chris

Time

I once new a very successful business man who was incredibly busy, worked far too many hours and was always rushing around but who always managed to fit everything into his day. He had a sign in his office that read something along these lines:

"We all have the same number of hours in a day, what matters is how we use them"

As I sit here in front of my computer, where I have sat pretty much the whole day, most of the week in fact, I wonder where the time goes. In a couple of weeks Debbie and I will mark two years since the church appointed me their associate minister. Thos two years have absolutely flown by, the first month of the year has disappeared and the sun is starting to set on today. I am increasing of the opinion that time is passing by far too quickly.

I had this brought home to me a few weeks ago, when I received a call from my bank. Before beginning the conversation they had to identify me so asked a few questions, such as my post code, first line of address and age at my next birthday. I answered that I would be 31 and continued with the call. At the end of the conversation the lady on the telephone said very politely "I am sorry to tell you, that on your next birthday you will actually be 32!" - See time is moving so fast that I have lost track of even how old I am!

The reason that I am maybe so conscious of time right now is that I am re-assessing how much time I do or do not spend with the important people around me and more so the time I spend focused on God.

The successful and very busy business man that I mentioned died last year. He had a lot of time to make money, enjoy fantastic holidays, raise a beautiful loving family, but had no time for God at all. To my knowledge he died without ever having time to get to know God and to guarantee his salvation.

Please don't make the same mistake - think about how you spend your time, I'm going to be thinking about how I spend mine. One of the greatest gifts God gives us is that he is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Why not have a chat with him right now, he’s always waiting.

Have a great day.

God bless

Chris

Thank you Sunday

This Sunday at church we are holing our first, hopefully annual, 'thank you Sunday'. It will be an opportunity to thank people who have helped make church possible over the last twelve months. 2011 was a busy year in the life of the church at Selston, with lots of exciting times and events. And this Sunday we will recognise that those events could not have happened without a lot of people doing a lot of hard work. It is also a great excuse to have lunch together, which is always a good thing.

In preparation for this Sunday I was thinking earlier about the importance of saying thank you; two words which are not used often enough in our modern lives. The definition of the phrase 'thank you' is a statement of appreciation - but I would suggest that it is actually so much more. When we say thank you to someone we do much more than express only our appreciation; we also show someone that they are valued, loved, cared about, important and worthy as well as appreciated.

When thinking about this topic I always think about the ten lepers whose meeting with Jesus we can read about in Luke 17. In this passage we read that Jesus healed ten lepers, but that only one came back to say thank you to Jesus. When the one leper returned Jesus commended his faith and explained that this faith had made him well. But Jesus is also quoted as asking the question"where are the other nine"?

As we go through our day, there must be dozens if not hundreds of people who help us every week; providing a service, cooking a meal, offering advice or conversation, or simply saying hello or holding open a door.

Maybe the most important one to thank is Jesus himself for giving us life and all his glorious gifts.

This week please don't forget to pass on your 'thank yous', make them genuine and ensure that

people around you know that they are appreciated. And in thanking Jesus make sure that we are not counted as one of the other nine.

Have a great day

God bless

Chris