Testimony of the Week

So I had a message of somebody on facebook this week encouraging me about this blog. He is a top guy for doing that and I asked him if he wanted to submit his testimony on here and he duly did :)

So here it is:-

I have been going to church since I was very young, when I was 3 days old in fact,

I grew up in a Christian family and so came to church really because I had to, which at the time I don’t think I really liked but there was never really a time when wanted to just stop coming.  I came to junior church and holiday club here and that provided a good foundation for me.

However looking back I would say I was a church go-er and not a committed Christian although at the time… I thought I was. I read the Bible and prayed, but it wasn’t really a personal relationship with a God.

When I was about 15 I became more involved in the youth group here at Park End and also started going to youth events such as Ignite.  At each event there was always a time towards the end when the speaker would say something like ‘if anyone here has not given their life to the Lord then I invite you to now’. But because at the time I thought I was a Christian I thought this didn’t really apply to me.

After a few of these events and from the teaching at youth, I felt God prompting me that I did need to make the decision for myself but whenever the chance came, I would always feel a bit silly when I thought about standing up in front of everyone mainly because the other youth from Park End knew I had always been to church and so I assumed that they would think I was odd going forward so publically.

So quite often the chance would just pass me by because I didn’t want to look silly.

Then I really felt God speaking to me at Soul Survivor last year.  I was really overwhelmed by the whole occasion and because of the amazing things happening around me, like people receiving the Holy Spirit, I felt overcome with the feeling that I had to give my life to Jesus and I did, all be it quietly just in my heart, not by going forward and declaring publically like a lot of people did. 

I would say that that was when I became a Christian.  Then after that I think I changed a lot, I knew I had to stop living how I was and to live a life for Christ.  At first it was something I found really hard because I still wanted to live for me.

Then at Ignite Hope this year, a Youth event, God was saying to me that I had to live for Jesus completely and do what he wants me to do not just want I want to do.  I remember hearing the words to a song, and the chorus was ‘my whole life is yours; I give it all, surrender to your name’.  It was then I realised that even though I think I know what’s best for me, the fact is that God’s way for my life is much better than anything I try to do myself. 

Since then I have been able to see God in my life, whenever I feel sad or down about something, I can feel God comforting me and bringing peace to my situation. 

I am now sure that with Him I can have a fulfilling life and that he has a plan for me.

So to anyone who is undecided or not sure if they have Christ in their lives - maybe doesn’t want to give up the things they know are wrong, I would really like to encourage you to make the decision to turn away from sin and accept Jesus into your life and live only for him.

I’ve done it and I am looking forward to living my life trusting my Lord and Saviour.

Back to me - Maybe a great News Years Resolution for us all would be to spend more time seeking out God? I have another resolution which I will post about tomorrow!

Happy New Year everyone, Have a Blessed 2011!!

What is our focus?

John 20:1
[ The Empty Tomb ] Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.
I read this verse the other day. It is one of those verses that sticks with you. Jesus had died and they didn't realise He was to rise again but, even two days later, all Mary could think about was Him and just wanted to be near where she thought He was.

So what about us? We have just celebrated Christ's birth at Christmas. In all the socialising, present enjoying and chocolate eating it is very easy to forget about Him. I know I find it easy.

God doesn't just want us to acknowledge Him at Christmas & Easter, He wants to hear from us and for us to seek Him every single day.

Colossians 3:2
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Science and Faith

For Christmas my brother got a CD by a band called 'The Script'. Obviously, he has been playing it a fair bit in the last few days and I have found their music very enjoyable. Once song has caught my eye and it is called 'Science and Faith'. It was intresting to me that someone would sing about this and I thought the lyrics were very good.

This is the chorus in that song:-

You won’t find faith or hope down a telescope
You won’t find heart and soul in the stars
You can break everything, got the chemicals
But you can’t explain a love like ours.
Its the way we feel, yeah this is real
Its the way we feel, yeah this is real


It's probably easier to listen to the song so here is a link to a youtube clip with lyrics.

1 Corinthians 13:2
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

In discussions people often ask you to prove to them God exists, as if you are supposed to rub a magic lamp and He will show Himself. The fact is God is so Holy and Perfect that we would die in His Presence in our current state. In Isaiah 6, Isaiah sees the Lord and says “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” (V5)
Immediately the Lord forgives His sin and He can live but my point is this - If you are waiting on God to appear to you as Himself then you are wasting your time.

The proof that God exists are often in the things we cannot see. Things such as morality, the Universal laws of science, maths and logic that do not change that cannot come any other way. There also things you can see, such as the many changed lives, the fulfilled prophecies in the Bible and the historical proof of Jesus.

One of my favourite ways of analysing this is that God is like the wind. You cannot see the wind but you can hear it and see it move. Likewise with God.

1 Timothy 6:20
Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge,
2 Peter 3:18
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Picture of the Day Christmas Special!

This a picture of me and my family at the restaurant we went too on Christmas Eve. We had a fantastic Christmas in Hungerford, where my Uncle & Auntie live.

A few thank you's:-

Thank you for Grandad for paying for a lovely meal!

Thank you to my parents Santa for all the fab presents!

Thank you to my Uncle & Auntie for having us!

Thank you to my brother Joel & my cousin Andrew for all the fun we had, I will fondly remember the MarioKart marathon!

Thank you to God for giving us your Son and Salvation through Him meaning we have a reason to truly celebrate! He is the Reason for the Season!

Hope you all had a wonderful CHRISTmas!

So here it is....

Wishing you the most wonderful Christmas! Thanks for reading! God Bless you all :D

My Testimony

This is my journey to Salvation in Jesus Christ.

It was always very easy for me to believe in God. My parents are both strong Christians and I was brought up in the Church when I was younger. I remember going to All Nations Church in Cardiff and then to Bethel Baptist in Pontyclun when we moved to Talbot Green.

I believed in God but saw no need to go any further than just knowing about Him. I found Church very boring and it was a chore to go on Sunday mornings. I also felt very unwelcome at Church. Admittedly I was a little bit troublesome at times, I remember letting off a fire extinguisher upstairs in Bethel once! But it was like nobody really made an effort to meet me where I was at. Having said that, I think Bethel is a wonderful Church nowadays and probably was then as well, it just didn't work out for me at the time. But as you will find out God isn't pertubed as He knows the ending to every story!

When I was about thirteen my parents let me and my brother choose whether to go or not. We both chose not too because of the above and I didn't come back for a long time. I am thankful my parents let me walk away, like the Prodigal Son, because if they had forced me to go it may have turned me off even more.

My teenage years were very unhappy. I wasn't a cool kid at school, I wanted a girlfriend but nobody seemed to want me. My best friends picked on me and made me feel as if I was nothing and below then.
These were very sad times and I remember crying myself to sleep some nights. I felt that nobody loved me (wasn't true), nobody understood me, that I was a failure & might as well just die. I was good at hiding my feelings, still am, so people may not have seen this on the outside.

Occassionally, if I was in a really bad situation, I would pray a desperation prayer to God...usually beginning with 'If you are really there..'. The strange thing is that I can only remember Him spectacularly answering these prayers! I remember seeing a sports match with someone dear to me partaking. They were losing this big game by a big margin and they were crying. I prayed that they would win and they actually came back to win! I am now amazed I didn't get it that God was someone I should take more of an interest in!

When I was seventeen, in my second year of sixth form, I began to encounter God walking home from school. He was speaking to me and it freaked me out. I began fighting Him, asking Him questions, 'If you are real then what about this?'

Around about this time I went to a party in aid of my cousin's missionary work and met some local Christians. My Dad noticed this and encouraged me to go to their youth group. I resisted at first because it was on a sunday night and there was a TV programme I really loved that was on that night. I am not very good at resisting though and I gave in one week. I was made to feel so welcome and enjoyed it so kept going.

I also remember picking up my youth Bible at this time and opening it randomly. The amazing thing was it went to the exact page that answered my doubts & questions every time! I was so stunned! I kept testing it and it kept happening. What I was learning at this youth group was also really interesting to me.

For Christmas that year, I received an autobiography by the WWE Wrestler Shawn Michaels. He spoke of how Jesus changed His life after he accepted Him into his life. His broken back was actually healed by God, he gave up drink & drugs and got a great family going. He spoke at the end of how life was so good now and I thought to myself 'I want that life'. I didn't know how to get it but I wanted it!!

In January of 2006 I met up with an old friend. This was one of my school friends whom I wasn't on the best of terms with, but had written too asking for forgiveness and giving mine to him (that also happened around about this time and I believe it was the influence of God). We went to a local pub to watch a football game and I got terribly drunk. This wasn't the first time I had done this but it was the first time I had to miss school with a hangover and maybe the first time my parents saw me in such a state. I spent the next day feeling awful in bed. But in my thoughts I asked myself 'Am I really a Christian?'. I believe God was convicting me of my sin and showing me that there was stuff I needed to do to be right with Him. I realised I wasn't and decided I wanted to become a Christian. I didn't know how but I would work it out.

My opportunity wasn't long coming. Our sunday night youth group went to an event run by Ignite, a Christian youth outreach in Cardiff, where they have a speaker and crazy worship. The speaker offered to chance to go and be prayed for if you wanted to become a Christian. I knew it was my chance, I remember it was like my stomach was on fire...I had to do it...but I was always very shy and getting up in front of a crowd wasn't my idea of something I would like to do! Thankfully, I did it and straight away I felt the Holy Spirit seep through me and I felt different that night, I felt goood! I will never forget the date, 5th February 2006 :)

I made a schoolboy error that night at Ignite. They got me to fill in a form so they could keep in touch with me, I put my Church as Ebenezer Church because that is where my parents were going. That meant the pastor got a letter about what I had done. He told my parents and my Mum asked me about it. I was mortified and didn't feel ready for that step. I went out for a walk and walked to my local park. I literally went on my knees and started crying my eyes out, I asked God 'Why?' and thought about all the bad things that had happened in my life. The great thing was that, as I cried, the pain & anger I had built up over the years went away. I always used to say to myself that if I ever got in a fight, I would kill someone because of the pent up emotion inside of me. It was so amazing for it to be gone :)

2006 was an incredible year. I grew closer to the friends I had made in the youth group and had an amazing summer with them. I also got great results in my A Levels, passed my driving test and began working for the firm I work for today. Life was good and I knew who to thank for it. One of the first things I prayed for was confidence and God blessed me so much.

2007 was much tougher for me, I got into a relationship that ended badly and it had a huge effect on me. I lost confidence in myself and felt very upset about it for sometime. Thankfully, none of my friends could be there for me because either they had problems of their own or couldn't take sides as the girl was friends with them too. I say thankfully because it meant I had to rely so much on God to get me through it. My relationship with Him grew so much stronger during this period of my life.
I also got to know an amazing friend of mine who was going through a similar thing and we are still close friends today. We met through what I could only call a complete God-incidence with my youth leader randomly being asked to stay with someone she knew and spoke at their Church. He spoke about his trip to Africa, she wanted to go there and she asked him to keep her in touch with future trips. He did and we ended up on the same trip!

These days I have a lot of things going on, University (earning my qualifications with my employers support), Work, youthwork with Pontypridd Christian Youth & my Church youth group at Ebenezer Church (who have been an amazing support and encouragement for me since I started going there after I became a Christian). I have seen God move so much in others and in my life and whilst life isn't easy, I know that what I am doing is worth it and the joy I have now is so great that my old life completely pales to nothingness. My worst day now is better than my best day before. I usually always feel really guilty after our summer Camp about my not good enough relationship with God. This year I didn't feel guilty, I am not there yet for sure but it was good to feel like I was making some progress and I do feel as if God is one of my best friends and I know His Presence so much. I have seen almost unbelievable things happen through prayer and through being in His Presence.

If life is this good I genuinely cannot wait until Heaven!

I pray that you will experience what I have experienced, that you will know the forgiveness, & love of God through Jesus Christ and that you will be partying with me in Heaven someday :)

God Bless you and Merry Christmas to you all.

What's in a Name?

I love my name. I think it is really cool. I know everyone probably thinks this but I will explain why I think the name 'Michael' is special.

In short, it is because of what the name means.

Michael is a Hebrew name and it means 'Who is like God'. Pretty awesome stuff!
Now I am certainly not crazed enough to think I anything close to who God is, but it is something I treasure because it reminds me of how God changes us to be more like Him and how He has changed me since I gave my life to Him.

You can check out what your name means here:- http://www.meaning-of-names.com/

At Christmas it is wonderful to think about what God did for us by giving us a Saviour in Jesus Christ. When Jesus was born to a poor family in a dirty manger over 2000 years ago, God knew what was to happen to this child even if the world hadn't guessed it yet.

The name Jesus means 'God Saves' or 'God is Generous'.

Hebrews 9:22In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

To be Saved, we need to be forgiven of our sins. This is not possible without the shedding of blood. Jesus did that bit for us on the cross. We couldn't do it because we are not perfect sacrifices because of all our mistakes. In the Old Testament, only the best lambs etc. were acceptable as offerings before God. So only the best was acceptable to God to forgive our sins. Jesus was the best.

If you want to be forgiven and find new life in Jesus, tell God that you want to be forgiven for your sins & accept Jesus as Saviour & Lord. I wasted too much of my life before I did this myself and I haven't regretted it once since :)

Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

There are things in my life that I want so much that it hurts. Things money cannot buy. Things that I cannot force but have to wait for and see if they happen.

I was struggling today. Sometimes your heart wants to hold onto something, anything in order to satisfy one of these wants.

I prayed to the Lord and He gave me words similar to the verse above, 'Rejoice in me and I will give you the desires of your heart'.

This Christmas we're going to receive a lot of things we want. But for those things money can't buy, trust the Lord that He will give us what we need :)

Gifts

This verse stuck out to me today in my readings:-

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

So Jesus is saying that He (God) gives differently to how the world gives. This is interesting as it is the Christmas season, the time where we all give to each other.

I was thinking, how does God give differently?

This is what I came up with, if you have any to add or debate go for it on the comments section!

1) God gives graciously

Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

We give gifts to people we think worthy of gifts. We give gifts to those who give us gifts in return. We are totally unworthy of the gift of Salvation given to us & we can never give God anything in return good enough.

2) God made a sacrifice

We give things out of our wealth. We give things we can afford to give or things that we wouldn't want ourselves. God gave His Son, one of His most precious things. He made a huge sacrifice.

3) God gives us what we need

We are sinner, we really needed Salvation otherwise we would never get to Heaven. God's Gift gets right to the point!

Matthew 7:9-11 
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

White thoughts...

This was the view from my bedroom window on saturday morning! The snow has given a lot of us in South Wales some serious fun but some serious grief as well this week.

Having made the ardous trip to Pontypridd for work, more heavy snowfall saw me crawling my way back amongst all of the snow. My driving abilities have certainly been tested the last few days, as well as my patience!

Both my youth group Christmas parties have been called off in the last week along with my long awaited trip to see a friend in Bristol & the snow was starting to annoy me greatly but a few thoughts came to me.

Maybe the snow is God's way of saying 'Stop all of your work and all of the chaos that comes with Christmas and focus on the true meaning!'. I have missed work and have needed to get stuff done, and have also filled my time with all sorts of jobs to get done for Christmas...busying presents, writing cards etc. Amongst all of this I realise I find so little time to appreciate the One whom it is all about!
Maybe God just wants us to sit down & consider what we are celebrating and the importance of it and truly give the Glory to Him. I felt a lot better about the snow after thinking that.

Also, isn't it amazing that every snowflake is UNIQUE. Together all of these snowflakes are the talking point of the whole nation. As people we are created unique by God, and maybe if we worked together a little more and loved each other more we would really change this world and maybe even get the world talking about God.

Just a few thoughts.

Pictures of the Day Birthday special!

Today my picture of the day is of a special friend of mine who is 9 today!

Her name is Sarah Kathryn and I know her as she is a relative of a dear friend I have travelled to see in South Carolina the last two years!

Happy Birthday!! Hope you are having the best day!

I can't do this post and leave out her younger brother Connor though!

Thinking of you too!!

It's all about the starting point

The last few weeks I have been ill & snowed in. This has given me the chance to do a little bit of reading and I have been reading an old book about one of my favourite Formula One drivers ever. Ayrton Senna Da Silva. I was never old enough to see him race but I have watched videos & read books that have caused me to believe that this guy was probably the greatest Formula One driver ever. 3 time World Champion, 65 pole positions, 41 wins.

I'd love to share some of his quotes as he was so deep & insightful about racing & life.

"And so you touch this limit, something happens and you suddenly can go a little bit further. With your mind power, your determination, your instinct, and the experience as well, you can fly very high."

"If you have God on your side, everything becomes clear."

"These things bring you to reality as to how fragile you are; at the same moment you are doing something that nobody else is able to do. The same moment that you are seen as the best, the fastest and somebody that cannot be touched, you are enormously fragile."

 

"Wealthy men can't live in an island that is encircled by poverty. We all breathe the same air. We must give a chance to everyone, at least a basic chance."

"And if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver because we are competing, competing to win."

I have also been thinking about the arguments over Creation or Evolution.

This is a picture of Ayrton Senna with only two seconds left of life. For whatever reason his Williams went wide on this corner and into the wall at 130mph instantly killing the Brazilian.

In the book I have, The Life of Senna by Tom Rubython, I read about a huge court case trying to work out what caused the crash. Nobody has ever worked out or declared publicly what happened but the court case was interesting. Because people had different motives & opinions, they interpreted the evidence differently. This called a presupposition.

The Williams team strongly believed they were not to blame, so blamed the track and the tyres. The track officials believed the track was fine so they blamed the Williams team. The prosecutor felt it was the Williams team fault, so tried to blame them.

It is similar with the Creation/Evolution debate. Those who believe in Evolution rashly rule out the possibility of Intelligent Design and look at everything as if Evolution is fact (for the record I am talking about the highly debatable theory of macro evolution not micro evolution..cats obviously become different kinds of cats but there is no evidence for anything specie changing form). Christians look at the evidence with a belief that God created the earth and interpret it differently. For the record, I think scientific evidence strongly points towards a Creator and doesn't point against at all.

Often people go on about 'evidence' when arguing against God when actually the evidence can work both ways. Ultimately we have to search out for ourselves what is true.

I'll leave you with this verse to encourage you that God can be found, I know it for myself :)

Jeremiah 29:13 - You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

 

The Meaning of Christmas Part Three!

This verse blessed me yesterday:-

Isaiah 9:6-7
⁶ For to us a child is born,
   to us a son is given,
   and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
   Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the greatness of his government and peace
   there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
   and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
   with justice and righteousness
   from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
   will accomplish this.

This was written 700 years before Jesus lived. 700 years! If I told you something now that would happen in 700 years time you would think I was crazy. But the writers of the Bible got it exactly right.

Psalm 22 describes Jesus death on the cross, when the cross wasn't existant as a form of punishment. Isaiah 53 describes Jesus death in incredible detail.

Christmas wasn't an accident, it was God's Plan since the beginning and it is His Plan today for you to know Him. Make this Christmas the best ever! :)

Testimonies

I've been out all night tonight so I haven't had the time to do a 'proper' post but I'll be back tomorrow!

I thought this would be a good chance to make an appeal though for something I was thinking of.

Soon I am going to post my testimony on here (how I became a Christian). I would love to make testimonies a regular feature of the blog and needs yours to make it happen!

I don't mind you being anonymous, giving a small testimony or even making a video or poem or whatever. Just give them to me how it is. E-mail me on mjw6150@hotmail.com or facebook me or post it up on here.

Thanks all! :)

The Meaning of Christmas - God Provides

Tonight I was delivering leaflets for my local churches' Christmas services and I was thinking about God being a deliverer Himself.

In Genesis 22, Abraham is asked to sacrifice his son Isaac. This is a horrific request on its own. But Isaac was also Abraham's miracle son after years of trying. Abraham figured that God was powerful enough to raise people from the dead (very wise!) and was about to go through with it.

But God stopped Abraham last minute as it was only a test of how much he feared God and God provided a lamb for him to sacrifice instead. The significant verse is this one:-

Genesis 22:14 - So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”

Why on earth is this significant at Christmas?

Well let me explain. The qualification to get into Heaven is perfection. No human being has lived a perfect live, we have all royally screwed it all up at some point. This is obviously a big problem as I imagine pretty much anyone will want to go to Heaven!?

The verse in Genesis is important as it is what is known as Biblical prophecy. This means it is something the Bible predicted would happen in the future.

On the exact same mountain (Mt Moriah in Jerusalem), 2000 years after Abraham probably let a huge sigh of relief having not have to sacrifice his son, Jesus declared 'It is Finished' (Psalm 22 is the Biblical prophecy for Jesus saying that!) as He gave up His spirit, having given up His perfect life on a bit of wood.

On the cross, Jesus offered His perfect live to anyone who would ask for it, in exchange for our imperfect lives.

Christmas was the great start of God's Salvation plan for us, for it is when Jesus came into the world through an amazing miracle virgin birth (the Biblical prophecy for this is Isaiah 7:14).

Let's remember God's Providence this Christmas =)

All Those Little Things

Sometimes our lives are so manic that we can miss so many of the little things that happen around us. This morning I was glad I didn't. I was driving to work and the lights in Talbot Green were not working. This meant that all the cars were attempting to cross at the same time. It seemed a very dangerous situation to me and I was struggling to find a chance to poke my car through the traffic. I could have been there ages or made a bad attempt and crashed my car. However a big van turned up next to me and forced through, meaning I could pull rank alongside it and go through as well! Straight away I thanked God and knew this was His Hand seeing me through a dodgy situation.

God has never stopped providing for me in my life. In every situation He has always met my needs even when I haven't had the faith I should have had.

I know I am not the only one He provides for, my mind turns to George Muller. In the 19th century he started an orphanage with no money & faith alone. God provided thousands of pounds to His cause and on his death, a newspaper acknowledged that his work was funded by faith alone as many children were provided for under his care.

Furthermore, I was reading Psalm 94 this morning and the Psalmist wrote:-

Psalm 94:22
But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.
God provided for that guy I guess too!

The last person I know God provides for is...you!

I challenge you for the next few days to keep an eye out for the little things that God does for you in your lives and thank Him for them, I know I'll be keeping a bigger eye out.

A Different Name

Last night I had the pleasure of going to see the new Narnia movie with a few close friends. I would strongly recommend this film to anyone reading. It was very, very good! Lots of actions interspersed with some amazing character development and deep spiritual truths that you would expect with a film based on a CS Lewis book. Personally, I found God speaking to me through this film. It has been a difficult week being stuck in the house ill and it was lovely to feel God reaching out to me after all of this.

One of the most memorable bits for me is something Aslan says at the end:-

Lucy asks Aslan if they'll see him again before they go back to their normal lives at the end to which Aslan replies that he is with them also in their world but he has a different name there.

Being a Christian, CS Lewis wrote the character of Aslan to represent God.

So many people are missing the presence of God in their lives today. No human being is better than another, we have all made our mistakes, had our triumphs and good times also. But how much easier would the hard times be if you knew the all powerful, omnipresent Lord God Almighty who calls Himself the 'Light of the World', 'The Holy of Holies' and 'Everlasting Father'?

Jeremiah 29:13 promises that those who seek the Father with all their hearts will find Him.

I'd like to share a well known poem to finish this blog post, Leona Lewis actually sung this poem on one of her albums.

http://www.sapphyr.net/largegems/footprints.htm

I tried to get the words up on here but for some reason it wouldn't work so follow the link to see the poem. Apologies!

The Meaning of Christmas

I am pleased to write that I am feeling much better now, just a sniffle left from what I consider the worst illness I have ever had! To be fair, it was a needed bit of time with myself to make peace with myself & God over some recent events in my life. So even in the tough times, good came out of it which remind me of this verse:-

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Tonight in PCY Alun spoke about the reason we celebrate Christmas and it reminded me of one of my favourite passages in the Bible.

Luke 2:25-40 
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required,  Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
   you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
 and the glory of your people Israel.”
 
The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
 
There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

I love these elderly people, who have lived their lives serving God, getting to see the One who was Promised to Israel since Adam & Eve and their joy at meeting Him. As an aside, I love elderly people and think they get a really raw deal and deserve so much more. They also have so much to offer us with their life experiences. If you know an elderly person, go and see them! I know I should see the ones in my life more often.

Anyhow, the names Simeon & Anna are SO significant and kind of sum up the reason for Christmas.

Simeon means "to hear" which links to the laws of Old Testament Israel -
Deuteronomy 5:1
[ The Ten Commandments ] Moses summoned all Israel and said: Hear, Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them.

When Simeon holds Jesus he declares himself ready to die. This is symbolic as Jesus brought an end to the legalism of Old Testament Israel.

Anna means 'Grace' in Hebrew. She is the very next to hold Him and it is symbolic because no longer is Salvation through obeying the law but through the gift of God's Grace, through Jesus dying on the cross for our sins, for all of those who put their trust in Him.

Whatever gifts we get for Christmas, you surely can't do any better than that!?!

 

Apologies

Illness has precluded me from updating the blog. I promise I'll be back once my health is back!!

God Bless you all :)

How lucky are we?

I have been without the central heating the last week, it has been really tough. The house has been so cold. I was in our living room and it was so cold I could see my breath.

I will never take my central heating for granted again! It's back now, I feel guilty because so many people will never have it.

When it was being fixed, our water was switched off. I couldn't shower or even wash my hands. It is back on now. I am so lucky to have water readily available practically 24/7.

I haven't been well today. My head has been hurting and I have been feeling a little sick and also have small throat irritation from the singing last night. It makes me realise how lucky I am to have my health regularly. I am rarely ill which is a real blessing. Many, through no fault of their own, suffer some terrible issues.

And yet we moan like little children when we don't get our own way. I know because I've been fighting God over something the last week. I had to make a decision I didn't want to make but it was something God was calling me to do very clearly. I have done it, I feel a bit mixed over it but I know that one day I will look back on it with happiness because of the great things God is going to do through this decision. Because let's face it, He knows better than me!

I want to leave you with a quote from one of my favourite books of the Bible, Job. Job had just lost his entire family, wealth and even his health through no fault of his own. Actually the Bible even says he was blameless.

Job's prayers could easily have been bitter & angry. I know I would have struggled immensely.
But this is what he said:-

   “Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
   and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
   may the name of the LORD be praised.”

Job 1:21

Let's all be thankful for the blessings in our lives, especially the ones we take for granted.

Christmas Night

Tonight I participated in a Christmas carol service at the Vale of Glamorgan Hotel. Our Church was tasked with singing 13 Christmas carols and performing several other items in front of the people at a Christmas Fayre the Hotel was holding. It was a lovely night and everyone sung really well and the items were fantastic.

One of the items was a reading of a short story by Max Lucado called 'Christmas Night' and I loved it so much I wanted to share it with you all :)

It’s Christmas night. The house is quiet. Even the crackle is gone from the fireplace. Warm coals issue a lighthouse glow in the darkened den. Stockings hang empty on the mantle. The tree stands naked in the corner. Christmas cards, tinsel, and memories remind Christmas night of Christmas day.


It’s Christmas night. What a day it has been! Spiced tea. Santa Claus. Cranberry sauce. “Thank you, so much.” “You shouldn’t have!” “Grandma is on the phone.” Knee-deep wrapping paper. “It just fits.” Flashing cameras. It’s Christmas night. The girls are in bed. Jenna dreams of her talking Big Bird and clutches her new purse. Andrea sleeps in her new Santa pajamas.


It’s Christmas night. The tree that only yesterday grew from soil made of gifts, again grows from the Christmas tree stand. Presents are now possessions. Wrapping paper is bagged and in the dumpsite. The dishes are washed and leftover turkey awaits next week’s sandwiches.


It’s Christmas night. The last of the carolers appeared on the ten o’clock news. The last of the apple pie was eaten by my brother-in-law. And the last of the Christmas albums have been stored away having dutifully performed their annual rendition of chestnuts, white Christmases, and red-nosed reindeer.


It’s Christmas night. The midnight hour has chimed and I should be asleep, but I’m awake. I’m kept awake by one stunning thought. The world was different this week. It was temporarily transformed. The magical dust of Christmas glittered on the cheeks of humanity ever so briefly, reminding us of what is worth having and what we were intended to be. We forgot our compulsion with winning, wooing, and warring. We put away our ladders and ledgers, we hung up our stop watches and weapons. We stepped off our racetracks and roller coasters and looked outward toward the star of Bethlehem.


It’s the season to be jolly because, more than at any other time, we think of him. More than in any other season, his name is on our lips. And the result? For a few precious hours our heavenly yearnings intermesh and we become a chorus. A ragtag chorus of longshoremen, Boston lawyers, illegal immigrants, housewives, and a thousand other peculiar persons who are banking that Bethlehem’s mystery is in reality, a reality. “Come and behold him” we sing, stirring even the sleepiest of shepherds and pointing them toward the Christ-child.
For a few precious hours, he is beheld. Christ the Lord. Those who pass the year without seeing him, suddenly see him. People who have been accustomed to using his name in vain, pause to use it in praise. Eyes, now free of the blinders of self, marvel at his majesty. All of a sudden he’s everywhere. In the grin of the policeman as he drives his paddy wagon full of presents to the orphanage.
In the twinkle in the eyes of the Taiwanese waiter as he tells of his upcoming Christmas trip to see his children. In the emotion of the father who is too thankful to finish the dinner table prayer. He’s in the tears of the mother as she welcomes home her son from overseas. He’s in the heart of the man who spent Christmas morning on skid row giving away cold baloney sandwiches and warm wishes. And he’s in the solemn silence of the crowd of shopping mall shoppers as the elementary school chorus sings “Away in a Manger.” Emmanuel. He is with us. God came near.


It’s Christmas night. In a few hours the cleanup will begin — lights will come down, trees will be thrown out. Size 36 will be exchanged for size 40, eggnog will be on sale for half-price. Soon life will be normal again. December’s generosity will become January’s payments and the magic will begin to fade. But for the moment, the magic is still in the air. Maybe that’s why I’m still awake. I want to savor the spirit just a bit more. I want to pray that those who beheld him today will look for him next August. And I can’t help but linger on one fanciful thought: if he can do so much with such timid prayers lamely offered in December, how much more could he do if we thought of him every day?


Max Lucado

Picture of the Day!

So I asked people to 'like' my facebook status if they were reading my blog and only two people have responded thus far! So either people are very shy or I am wasting my time haha.

Anyhow, one of the people who liked it gave me an idea for my 'Picture of the day' for sunday.

This is me with one of my closest friends from school almost four years ago now! His name is Ian. We decided to turn up to our PCY Bible study 'Coffee shop' in pink one week, just for a laugh!

Due to our own busy lifestyles and circumstances we haven't seen each other very often the last few years so I thought I would use this blog to say that I still miss him a lot and hope to see him very soon!

Also, congratulations on recently setting a wedding date! I promise to keep you & Gemma & Evie in prayer! :)

Proverbs 17:17
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

Is believing enough?

The 2001 census showed that 42 079 000 in Britain identified themselves as Christians. This equates to 71.6 percent of the population. 'Operation World' 2001 puts the percentage at 67.6 percent.

About 6 million of the population are regular Churchgoers. This is a massive discrepancy. Whilst not going to Church doesn't necessarily mean you are not a practising Christian I doubt anyone of any belief reading this blog would argue that 71% of Britain are practising Christians!!

So what is the difference between someone who claims to be a Christian and someone who truly is:-

I read John 3 this week and I think it is very relevant in this matter. I have picked out a few key verses and will explain them.

John 3:1-2

 ¹ Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

Nicodemus believes in God. He is a teacher of the law for one. He also can see that Jesus is a bit special and believes that He is from God.

John 3:30

³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again

So believing isn't enough?

John 3:5-8

⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit^[b] gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You^[c] must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”^[d]

We are all born of the flesh, otherwise we would not be here today! But being born of the sprit takes more than just believing. When we ask for forgiveness from God we ask Him into our lives and He enters through His presence on earth, know as the Holy Spirit. The Spirit changes us to become more like the people God created us to be, in His image.

The word Christian was an insult to the early believers meaning 'Little Christ'. Being a Christian is not just about believing in God but it is about believing in Christ which is shown by following Him and becoming 'Little Christ's' ourselves, which we cannot do without the Holy Spirit's help. Jesus promised His presence with us always in Matthew 28 and this is it.

Maybe you want to become a Christian or make your belief real in your life through the Holy Spirit. Please message me on facebook if you want to talk about it more :)

Treading Ice

I want to start by thanking you all so much for your prayers! Today was so much better and God's Hand was in it. I had a really good sleep and work was excellent today and felt much better about things as a result :)

Tonight we took both the youth groups I am involved with, the Church youth group 'Genesis' & 'Pontypridd Christian Youth (PCY)' Ice skating to the Cardiff Devils home rink in Cardiff Bay.

I cannot say I am any kind of Christopher Dean, but I thought I could get a handle on it fairly easy. I was so wrong! It was very tough! I didn't fall all night but only because I was being so careful! I found it very hard to let the leash go on myself, particularly because of the amount of people there for the disco theme on friday nights. There were many moments where I was tempted by the thought that I would never get it.

But by the end of the night I had managed to get much more of a hold on it and was starting to skate more and more confidently. It was really pleasing and I am hoping to go again soon.

But what if I had just given up?

I think there are many people interested in God, but feel they won't ever get it or don't feel good enough for it.

Let me tell you that nobody is good enough, and as imperfect humans we are all in need of God's Grace offered through Jesus paying the price for our sins on the cross.

Whilst on the cross one of the men being crucified next to Jesus, a thief, realised Jesus was someone a bit special and asked if He would remember Him in paradise. Jesus replied:-

Luke 23:43
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

It doesn't matter who you are, or what you've done but you can be forgiven & love Jesus and know Him personally.

And it doesn't matter who you are, or what you've done, but you can ice skate...if you keep at it ;)

To be honest...

I am just going to come out with it today, today has been hard!

• Still not sleeping well because of the cold, constantly cold in the house and it is making me ill!
• Gutted about England losing the World Cup bid. I didn't think I would care at all, let alone this much. I think the fact we only got two votes when we clearly had the best bid was very hard to take.
• Got my university books today - four books, four hundred pages each! Lots of work to do, it was a big shock but I know I can do it. Going to be tough though and sacrifices will have to be made.
• Not feeling right before God, just was unusually bitter over the World Cup stuff earlier and constantly feel I am not going the right way before God. Judging myself & being harsh on myself is exactly NOT what God wants me to do so I feel worse! God even spoke that to me last week!

I don't like saying stuff like this because I feel it burdens & discourages others but I am not a liar and I refuse to be a dishonest person so rather than come out and pretend everything is great I will write the truth, which is a passion of mine. I love truth, Jesus is truth and I know I have to be a genuine & honest person too if I want to be like Him.

What is good about being honest is that the Christians among you will pray for me and God always answers prayer! Maybe not always in the way we would like. But I know for sure that He listens and our sometimes inane (well mine anyway!) ramblings are important to Him :)

What is also great about being bad is that God is so good in the bad times. Looking back, one of my favourite times of my life was a time of great sadness because God revealed Himself so much to me through it. He is always there, helping us get as much good from it as possible and come through it in His time :)

It is summed up in this:-

2 Corinthians 12:10
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

One of my bestest friends loves this verse and I can definitly see why, it so true, so powerful & so comforting in our trials :)

Also (the verses are coming to me now!)

Romans 8:18 - I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

and my favourite right now:-

James 1:2-3 - Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

Tomorrow's a new day! Bring it on...

Doh!

One of my favourite TV programmes is Harry Hill's TV Burp. It is a satirical look at the week's TV and I find it very funny at times. On this program, there are several sections such as 'TV Highlight of the Week' (usually something very inane & underwhelming), 'I Beg Your Pardon of the Week' and 'Most Insincere Response of the Week', all won by characters or people on TV in the week of the programme.

Today I am going to give out my own Harry Hill-esque award. 'You Just Disproved Your Own Argument of the Week' and the winner of this award is Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society.

Today is 'Not Ashamed Day' in the UK, started this year by Christians who believe that the faith is "under attack" in Britain.

Mr Sanderson wins the award for this response to the campaign:-

'"(the initative is the) culmination of the ongoing campaign run by a handful of Christian zealots to create the impression that Christianity is somehow being deliberately undermined by the authorities.
"Apparently 'multiculturalism', 'secularism' and 'political correctness' are seen as the culprits, but in reality people are walking away from Christianity because it has become unpleasant and authoritarian.
"Nobody is forcing them not to go to church, they simply don't see its relevance."

Making such a generalising comment without any foundation whatsoever shows exactly why these Christians are rightly drawing attention to this.

Silly man!

Anyhow, I can tell you that Christianity and Church is the most relevant thing in Britain today:-

• In a Britain where suicide rates and prison numbers grow, the Bible preaches a message of love, hope & Salvation for all people
• In a Britain tainted by the greed of bankers & other powers, the Bible preaches a message of generosity and kindess to all people
• In a Britain that has been hurt by the Credit Crunch & economic depression, the Bible preaches a message of God's providence & care for all people.
• In a Britain with high unemployment levels & many uni and school drop outs, the Bible preaches a message of God's wonderful plan for our lives
• In a Britain with many broken families, the Bible speaks about a loving Father & a Church family for all people.

AND MANY MORE! Praise God :D