A Bee in my bonnet.

I love Christmas TV but this year I have been wound up by the adverts.
Every time I switch on the TV there is a least 1 advert that is asking me to sponsor an animal of some kind - A dolphin, a panda, a dog and the list goes on and on!!!!
First off if these charities / agencies spent the money they spent on advertising on the cause then I wouldn't have to sponsor an animal and secondly (most importantly) when did we become a world which cares more about animals than about people the number of ads asking for money for humane charities appears to have decreased.

Now don't get me wrong I am not anti Animal but I am pro Human.
Look around and you will see plenty of place where the money can go.....a lot closer to home.
there's the homeless, Children, poor families, Sick and the elderly.
If i was to make a new years resoloution it would be go give more of my time to Humane issues.

Is it a surprise that humane issues continue to rise when at the same time we are being asked to give our money to look after animals......somethings not right.

Again I am NOT anti animal campaigns I would just like to see us looking out for each other more.

 I love this song and it says it all!!!

United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while we're lying in the dark
There's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night.

Casting Crowns - While you were sleeping

Christmas like A Child

"Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ" - Luke 2:11

Christmas day is fast approaching and I have to remind myself of the real reason for the season.
With so much going on around us it can be easy to forget.
You see I wanted to get my children a specific present this year, both love singing and i love to hear them singing...anyway the thing has sold out in ALL the shops except for the really really expensive ones.
So I was a little upset because I couldn't get it.
Then he heard the Third Day song Christmas like a child one of my favourite Christmas songs of all time and it hit me like never before especially the third verse and the end of the song!

Some may say that 25 December is not the day Jesus was born but who cares!!! The 25th December is the we CELEBRATE the Birth of the saviour of the world, the one who came to show us the way, the one who would Die for our sins.
Its not about the presents under the tree, although this is fun! and i love the kids faces, not about the perfect gift or the perfect tree or the perfect meal its about Jesus - His birth, His life and His Death


Christmas Like a Child - By Third Day

I want to feel Christmas, how it used to be

With all of its wonder falling on me

This season has felt so empty, oh for quite a while

I want to feel Christmas like a child

I want to see snowflakes fall to the ground

My brothers and sisters all gathered around

Singing "Away In A Manager" as we sit by the fire

I want to feel Christmas like a child

It's been so long now, I can't say

Just when I lost my way

But I'm going back to how it was

When this day meant everything

And we spent our time remembering

The baby Child born for us

It's all about Jesus, asleep in the straw

This infant, this King, this Savior for all

So I don't need bells to be ringing

'Cause I'll join with angels singing

Gloria

And I can feel Christmas like a child

I want to feel Christmas like a child.

 Oh... i still haven't got the present!! but they have plenty of others!!!

Revalation - Third Day

 

I have been listening to this album for some time now and have been trying to think of what to write, but nothing has come to mind.......... this however is not a bad thing..... because I cannot single out a single song for individual praise.. the whole album is excellent and I cant recommend it highly enough. I would recommend this to everyone especially those new to the Christian faith looking for good music.

There are not many bands either Christian or secular  (for want of a better phrase) who have produced 10 studio albums of a constant  quality for both song writing and music. Like other Third day albums this one makes me feel challenged, blessed and forgiven all in the space of 60mins!!

So once again I whole heartedly recommend this to one and all!!

Christian management

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men"

Colossians 3:23

I had this whole big blog planned out and almost ready on this subject, but just never felt comfortable with it, and I think I now know the reason why.
There is no difference between a Christian manager or a Christian labourer to think that because i am a manager that there was a difference was pompous!!

When we go out into the world we all face the same challenges and problems, even those employed in the serving Christ face the same problems.
These problem are nothing compared with the trials Jesus had to face. Jesus went about his job daily knowing that in the end it was going to cost him his life. His actions were questioned, those who followed him questioned his actions,  The authorities of the time where just waiting for him to slip up, he faced trial and tribulation.
Sounds familiar.....well if it does just remember the first part..... Jesus knew he was going to die when his job was finished. So how did Jesus carry on.
I think ( and i may be wrong!) that Jesus was in constant contact with his Father and that he would never do or say anything which would not honour him.
So if we approach our daily tasks in them same manner or even close to the same manner, everything we do will be ok!, it will bring glory to the father - as long as we don't take the credit, and we give thanks!

"Commit your work to the LORD, and then your plans will succeed"
Proverbs 16:3

Halloween

****NOTE - These are MY personal views and No offence is intended!!****

Recently I have read a lot of post's relating to the celebration of Halloween. Some totally dismissing the event others suggesting alternatives.
The question I have had to ask myself when reading these posts is "Would Jesus associate himself with the celebrating of Halloween?" in its current form I would have to say No there is no way that he would do that, I don’t even believe that he would celebrate an alternative.
Halloween celebrations are a personal choice and it does give Christians a chance to share their faith with people who they would not normally associate with, however how many of those who you have shared your faith with on this night have come to believe?
The other issue I have with Halloween is that for 364 days of the year we tell our children not to talk to strangers yet on one day per year we encourage them to knock on the doors of strangers or the doors who we share only a casual good morning too but don’t really know. To me it seems just a little daft....

Once again i think that this is totally a personal choice and would never condem anyone for chosing to celebrate Halloween.

10 things i find really really annoying

1- Unfunny comedians- I know that this is a matter of taste, however........some people are just not funny, please do not subject me to them!!!

2- adverts - every now and then a gem of and advert comes up but for every gem there are a million awful awful adverts usually involving animals, cleaning product, makeup & cheesy magazines... the world would actually be a better place without any adverts what so ever - i will not buy your product casue you tell me too!!!

3- My laptop - even as I am writing this may laptop has crashed... at times I want to throw it out the window

4- My diet - ...... have had to cut out all snack foods this is mainly annoying because when I wake up in the morning I am so hungry.

5- Getting out of bed - It doesn’t matter if it is a nice sunny day or the coldest winter's day. I am not sure if it’s the getting out of my nice warm bed or just the waking up that I don’t like

6- Home video shows - now I like slapstick humour but these show are usually the same repeated snippets of un-funny staged rubbish it started with you've been framed but now we have Oop's TV which is just not in the slightest bit funny and to make it worst has an unfunny comedian(see No 1) narrating the show!

7- Drivers who leave it to the last second to get in the correct lane! - Why why do they do that.

8- The fact that Asda don’t do free re-fills on there Coffee anymore! - Asda used to give out free re-fills now for some un known reason they have stopped it, so where 2 coffees at dinner cost me 85p they now cost me £1.70- probably not a bad thing really cause I no longer have 2 coffee's!

9- Manchester UTD - no explanation needed!

10- Soap Opera's - these for me, are TV at their lowest like adverts they make me want to throw things at the TV every channel has at least 1 and they are all the same.

Forgiveness

Recently for, for some reason every where i turn the topic of forgiveness seems to be coming up....like a wally i think i have actually figured it out.
My job entails me working directly with the directors/ owners of a large multi million pound company.....however they run the company like a little shop which can be find incredibly frustrating, my direct boss doesn't get things done and regularly changes his mind on vital issues so i regularly feel like i am working for an idiot!!!!! he is a nice guy but!!
anyway i digress slightly( this is going somewhere...Honest!!)

I realised that the problem lies with me, rather than getting frustrated at the boss i need to learn to deal with the problems and issues in a calm way.
If i remember to love my neighbour as myself then i am not going to think he is an idiot but offer the best i can give regardless!, and if he changes his mind then i just need to deal with it and get on with it.
Going to work in "the world" is a challenge and people do not always do things in the correct manner. working with a forgiving manner is not always easy, especially when you are in a position of responsibility, at times you can feel battered from all directions, for me it can be directors,colleagues, workers or even suppliers. for others it could be from many other areas, but to enter prepared with a forgiving attitude is a good start.

We should remember that the issues we face at work were nothing compared to the issues Jesus had to face, he went to work every day knowing that in the end it was going to cost him his life. through out his life the authorities were constantly looking for ways to trip him up and how did he deal with it, he offered them hope and above all forgiveness.

Now my problems are nothing compared to the issues which Jesus faced yet he still said
"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."


**** I wrote this post on Tuesday night!! went to church on Wednesday night and guess what the word was.....yep you guessed it.....Forgivness!!****

10 of the best things about being a Christian

I frequently (not Always) read about how we as Christians get things wrong and read about all the horrors of the world so I decided to write down ten reasons why I love being a Christian.

1) Jesus Love me. - I know- obvious but I regularly need to remind myself that this is true. I don’t always get thing right but at the end of the day..... I know and it’s an unconditional love.

2) The Body of Christ - being a part of the body is fantastic, here is a place where I can go, here Gods Word, be loved for who I am and can share everything!, put simply its like having 200+ best friends

3) Jesus - is there anyone better who we could have a relationship with.

4) The Bible - What a book- more than a book it’s a way of life, it has everything. I still don’t read the bible enough but as before I have pledged to read it more.

5) Prayer - my intimate and personal time with God - he knows but it's nice to get things off my chest - I don’t believe that I spend enough time in prayer and at time I feel like am coming to Him with a shopping list, when really he knows everything and probably just wants a chat!!

6) My marriage - being in a Christian marriage is fantastic we share far more than an earthly bond (???) we support one another in all things. I love my wife....with out her I Probably would not know the love of Christ.

7) My Children - my relationship with my children is very special - to watch them grow in Christ and see them learn about God is a privilege and I am thankful.

8) The earth: what a wonderful planet we inhabit, I know that not every thing is perfect but our Lord created some of the most beautiful things I have ever seen and more that I want to see.

9) Music - As a Christian Musician and a part of my churches worship team can be very difficult at time but is an absolute privilege and an honour, a responsibility I take very seriously. I also have a fantastic collection of Christian music.

10) Family- growing up in my family was never easy but we love each other and from the very first moment one of us became Christian life was never the same!!

This is not an exhaustive list but one for where i am now!!

Please feel free to leave me a comment on your best things about being a Christian!

Pasta necklaces and little red buses

Matthew 18:3

And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven".



I have two little girls of whom I am Very proud, not only do I see them as a gift from God, but I have learnt so much from them.

My youngest brought home from school this week a little red bus she had made from a cardboard box and some string. She was so proud of what she had achieved (as was I!!)And couldn't wait to show her daddy what she had done and how it worked. This got me to thinking about my relationship with our Father - strange how our children can do this!!
When I sit down to talk to God is he proud and excited about what I have achieved that day, have I served him well in all I have done, have I done my best? And am I excited to show him what I have done with what he has given me?

She also recently made a necklace from pasta which was at a later date broken. She brought this to me to fix.....and I had to explain to here that I couldn’t fix it.
This was not the first time that one of my little cherubs have brought me something to fix, it sometime seems like a daily occurrence, they Always believe 100% that their daddy can fix anything and I have previously heard my eldest child tell her friends that her daddy can indeed fix anything!!
But time and time again there are things that I can’t fix, but they are never fazed by this or do they ever lose faith that the next time I can!!

There are so many things that we can learn from our children, do I honestly believe that my father can fix anything... he can move mountains, but can he fix my stuff?
The obvious answer is yes, but do I really believe it?
There are times when I have prayed about things and seen the miraculous occur but there have also been times when I have prayed and no answer seems to be forthcoming, there are also times when I have given up.

I have to learn lessons. God puts things before us to learn, he teaches us sometimes in the strangest of ways but He also puts it before us in the simplest of ways!

Matthew 18:3

And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven".

Chris Sligh -Running Back to You (2008)

Chris Sligh

Running Back to you

Released 2008

This is the first Solo Album from one of the finalist from American Idol 2007…. (I think!)

From the opening note one has to wonder why Chris didn’t get further in the competition he has a soulful voice and you can feel every word he sings is from the heart.

I actually love this album which surprises me slightly as it was an impulse buy, the song writing is superb and the melodies memorable!! Which is what I like.

I like to be able to sing along to a tune whilst driving and this album provides plenty of opportunity.

I also am constantly on the look of for songs which could be good ministry songs, whilst this album isn’t packed with this there is one or two – Vessel being a great example.

The stand out song for me is the melodic “Empty me” the lyrics speak to the heart and I am sure that this is a prayer many of us have made over the years.

Chris sets the tone for the album from the very first song (Arise). If you listen to the lyrics he appears to battle with the same issues that bother most of us, which certainly come across in the writing. I found myself asking questions and trying to answer some of the ones Chris raises and asking myself questions.

I hope that Chris continue to release records such as this and can only see the next being better!!

If you like your Christian rock more harmonic and melodious then this is the record for you.

This is a fabulous album and I recommend it

PLEASE NOTE: these are my personal views on the record!

Somewhere in the middle

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector ( Luke 18)

9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood up and prayed about[a] himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
13"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
14"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

I was supposed to read this in church this morning, but our pastor had other ideas, however id did get me thinking a bit.
Firstly there was a period of guilt,
The Sister who tells us what scripture we are reading rand me on Friday afternoon to tell me what I was reading, I got round to reading it on Saturday night.
As I was reading I realised that this was the first time I had picked up my Bible in weeks.....not day but weeks and the more I thought about it I think the last time was probably the last time I had to do a reading!!!
If I were to go without food for the same length of time I would be sick very quickly! Recently I have felt myself drift so could this be why?
Possibly if not probably.
The Bible is the word of God and is the life blood on which we exist, to not read his word is a drastic failure on my part, if I am drifting the its no-one fault but mine, our God gives us all the tools we need to exist in his Kingdom here on earth, church being a part, The Bible is like our instruction book, it should be where we turn to in any situation, it should be our first port of call.
So from here on in I make this commitment....I WILL pick my bible on a daily basis!!
Secondly It got me thinking about which one am I- the tax collector or the Pharisee?
I believe that I am "somewhere in the middle" I am not holier than thou, thanking God that I am not like other men, but neither am I beating my breast in repentance. Sound good? It’s not a good place to be, it makes me lukewarm! and we know what the Lord says about Lukewarm!!

Rev 3:16"So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth"


It’s a frightening thought... so I know I need to get back to a place where I am on fire for the Lord!!
Step 1: read more Bible!
Step 2 : seek the Lord and Repent

The Weekend!

Ahh weekend is here, time to forget about work and spend some time with my children..................


That a nice thought however the children are 1- outside playing with friends 2- sat watching Phineas and Ferb( which i actually think is quite good!!)
later i have the joy of not 1 but 2 childrens parties to attend..
so time with the children will have to wait!!! maybe tomorrow!