A to Z of Christianity : 'A'

So I haven't blogged in some time and am wanting to get back on track so my idea to keep me on track the next month or two is this, Do an A-Z of Christianity! My aim is to hopefully cover a lot of the truth of my faith and encourage readers in it and maybe give new insights as well!

Obviously the first letter of the Alphabet is 'A' so that is what I will begin with :-)

I believe I can actually sum up a lot of the Bible in this letter..like all good preachers (I joke) I have three points!

ADAM - was the first man on the entire Universe. God gave him a wife called Eve and they were the first married couple in history. To begin, them and God walked together on the earth. However this lovely arrangement ended when they decided to disobey the only thing God told them not to do. Like when you put mud in a glass of water, the entire Universe became dirty and imperfect. This was because sin had entered it.

ATONEMENT - Not the 2007 film starring James McAvoy but the answer to the problem Adam introduced to the entire world. Sin has corrupted everything and this sin was separating the world from God. God loves us, He doesn't want to be separated from us and definitely doesn't want our sin to stop us entering Heaven like it otherwise would. So He came Himself to sort the problem. Jesus of Nazareth was God come to remind the world of His Love and desire to know all humankind and pay the price for all sin on the cross. This act of sacrifice atoned for our sin so that we can be in relationship with God again.

ASK - This is how we get that relationship with God. Just ask. Ask that God would come into your life, forgive your sins and help you live the life He has planned for you through the Holy Spirit.

Mark 9:23a - 'Anything is possible for the one who believes'

Visiting a dear friend!

Had some great fun visiting my friend Matthew, who is spending the year working and learning at the Pioneer Christian Centre in Shropshire. It's amazing to see people from all over the world working together there, some Christians and others respectful to the beliefs. I always find joy in that Christianity has a following in every continent and country in the world, even the ones where it is illegal or dangerous to believe. It just shows the power of God and the truth of God, that people in all countries have come to know Him.

The Suffering and Glory of the Servant - Isaiah 52:13-15

 ¹³ See, my servant will act wisely;
   he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
¹⁴ Just as there were many who were appalled at him—
   his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being
   and his form marred beyond human likeness—
¹⁵ so he will sprinkle many nations,
   and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
   and what they have not heard, they will understand.

Praise Jesus for dying for all! Hallelujah!!!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I am not a part of the anti-Romeo group who hate Valentines Day. Often people who hate this day are people who are bitter over not being fussed over. Even though I haven't received a card or a present, I am not one of this group. I love LOVE and I rejoice that I have the Greatest Love in Jesus Christ.

John 15:13 - Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Whether you are lucky enough to get a card or not today, there is a beautiful gift for all of us from someone who loves us more than any other.

The greatest love ever shown was Jesus Christ, God Himself, on the cross paying the price for our sins so that we could go to Heaven to be with Him.

Ask Him into your life tonight and I guarantee the greatest Valentines Gift of all time, one that cannot be matched!

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

Series on friendship concludes tomorrow!

The Prodigal Son

I was really excited to read yesterday that my football team Cardiff City had signed Aaron Ramsey for one month from Arsenal. Ramsey is only 20 years old and started his career at Cardiff before signing for Arsenal for £5million in 2008. His career was progressing wonderfully, and he looked like becoming one of the top world players, before being dealt a severe blow last February sustaining a horrific broken leg.

He has had a long roads to recovery and has already had a loan spell at another club. However, Arsenal feel he needs more match experience before he can play for them again so have sent him to Cardiff, who happily receive one of their most talented youngsters ever.

When transfers like this happen with players going to their old club the English Press often call refer to the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

The Lost Son is one of my favourite passages in the Bible and Jesus told it in Luke 15.

Basically a son decides that he is fed up of waiting for his father to die, asks for his inheritance (a HUGE insult even now let alone back then) and wastes it on 'living life to the full'. When his money runs out and his 'friends' desert him he is feeding pigs and wishing he had what the pigs had for food. He then realises that his fathers servants have better than this and decides to go and ask if he could come back as a servant.

His father sees him far off and runs (an undignified thing to do in Jewish culture) to greet him and hug him and forgives him and throws a big party for him, restoring him to his old position.

The word parable sounds like the word parallel and just like parallel mean a double lines, a parable means a story with a double meaning. The first meaning is above, a nice story about the forgiveness of a father to his wayward son.

The second meaning is this. We are like the son. God is the Father. God has given us our lives and we have thrown His gift back into His face by our sin. Going our way, we can never be truly happy and always wish we could have what other people have. But when we return to God and ask for forgiveness, He embraces us! He runs to us and restores back to perfection before Him and we will have one big celebration in Heaven.

Please message me if you want to know more about this or have any questions about God.

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 ;)