Advent 2014

This year will be the first year I do advent! I have never before done an advent calendar. I have however eaten the chocolate after Christmas because they were on sale. I haven't done advent readings or anything. But this year with the kids I decided it was really important to do this. Don't ask me why but it was. 

I am prepared. I bought an advent calendar toys not chocolate... 

I wanted to make my own but time escaped me. 

I found a great reading to follow from Thriving Families...

http://www.thrivingfamily.com/Advent 

One year I might consider writing my own but this perfect takes you from garden to David to jesus. 

Problem was I found awesome worksheets. I got my Pinterest board covered with awesome Christmas ideas. However I have no printer so I had to improvise. 

I got two notebooks for my two storms. I looked at the reading and came up with the following. 

This is designed for the boys to work out how to colour and read. 

I

There is a text and then. 

Each colouring page indicates some element of the story. 

I have only managed three days so far in each book. But I am pleased with the result. 

I think the storms will enjoy covering their book with brightly coloured stickers. 

Creating a book at 3.30am might be tiring but it's worth it. 

Hope

So sometimes I choose hope. On those days I pray for inspiration while I sit silent. Today was that day and here was my passage of hope. 

Answer me when I call to you, O God who declares me innocent. Free me from my troubles. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer. How long will you people ruin my reputation? How long will you make groundless accusations? How long will you continue your lies? Interlude You can be sure of this: The LORD set apart the godly for himself. The LORD will answer when I call to him. Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent. Interlude Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust the LORD. Many people say, “Who will show us better times?” Let your face smile on us, LORD. You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe. (Psalms 4:1-8 NLT)

Dramatic Bibles

I am sitting in the library in a great deal of pain. I am here to work on my book. As I look across at the shelve something leaps out at me. The Comprehensive Dramatised Bible edited by Michael Perry. I happen to be sitting in the religion section and there is the biggest blue bible I have ever seen. 

I lift it off the shelve to discover it's secrets wondering what could it mean. Surely the bible is dramatic enough as it is. But as per usual my brain is one step behind the words. To my delight it is literally a drama bible. 

How exciting to see the bible living in word. Can you imagine the church that uses this bible on a regular basis to do their scripture reading. My brain was alive with imagining the possibilities. 

I happened upon the visit of the Queen of Sheba. As I read I imagined the finery and the beauty. I imagined her inquisitiveness and sat in awe as she quizzed Solomon. Never before had that piece of scripture held my attention so. To me it just goes to prove that it is important not to be content with the status quo. 

I think hen I read the bible I imagine all that God has in bright colours for us. But it saddens me that when we come together as a group we strip God back to grey. We box him into a corner and believe that our traditions are so important that the God of the universe who imagined everything from the ant to the beluga whale is limited by our tradition. It's sad that we don't lay aside our tradition and inagine for a second that maybe God is not as limited as we are. Maybe God doesn't need repot ion the way we do and maybe just maybe our hearts offerings in all their colours are more than enough for God. 

I am going to imagine God in colour and maybe add this bible to my collection. This enhancing my worship experience not for me but for the one I worship! 

The Blackfish

I am watching Blackfish. I have a little storm who adore Orca and all Dolphins and whales. It's a hard watch because humans take advantage at every opportunity for profit. The other side is all the many people who love these animals and where is the balance. 

Part of me thinks back to the original job we had in the bible to look after the animals. Maybe that's why we as people want to have bonds with animals because we were originally created to have that. The truth is we live in a fallen world and we have to look after animals differently than was originally intended. 

So what now for all the children who get the opportunity to see animals at zoos and aquariums? Do we close them all down? Or do we find a way of behaving responsibility where profit is not our main motivation. 

Maybe it's our motivations that are really the problem. I have visited zoos and aquariums all of the world and something is clear to me when profit and human desire is not first but the animals best interest the zoo or aquarium looks very different. Guess what that is not a bad thing. I prefer to see animals being cared for properly than people exploiting them to make money! 

So I reflect on genesis and how we were to look after the animals and I question are we really living that out. 

My favourite Psalm

The truth is I love Psalm 91. I discovered it for myself as a teenager. I was in dark places and needed refuge. God became my refuge. 

When I went to university and overstretched myself and I was isolated. This text help me to keep God as my resting place. 

Later when I was kicked out of home and my isolation from the world grew this text gave me hope. 

Recently I have felt greater isolation than I have experienced in my life before. I seem to take this to whole new levels. But I have only just read this text again. I question whether I truly remember what it is to have God as my refuge. 

So I found this picture... 

My overwhelming feeling is that I need to live this text that I love so much. So I will read and live it again... 

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 

This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. 

He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. 

His faithful promises are your armor and protection. 

Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. 

Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished.

 If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. 

They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. 

You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet! 

The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.” 

(Psalms 91:1-16 NLT)

Knitting and rest

Is there anything better than creating something? How about creating something on sabbath? I love making things it's true. I also love rest. Today I got to combine the two. I had absolutely no company for a day. So I made a scarf. 

It got me thinking how could we incorporate knitting and sabbath? 

Well I think the best thing would be to do it together. The next thing would be to do it for others. Third thing is talk as you knit. Share jesus as you knit. Seems like that might be a worship session I want to attend. 

Have a lovely sabbath x

Apple Pie, Faith and Change.

I am sitting in Holland in a fast food establishment, eating their version of Apple pie, wishing that would come to my home town. 

Reading a book that has been my companion the last few months of some very deep pain. 

What Good is God? This book has been my inspiration to continue on my journey to helping others. At a time of great pain for myself this book has inspired me to continue to seek ways of helping others. But it hasn't been without tears. The book covers some horrendous chapters in human history and behaviour. It tells us stories that we should feel ashamed of. More than that it tells fat too many stories in which Christians should hang their head in shame. Too many times when instead of seeking the truth from Hod we go with our corrupted own interpretation and cause a lot of pain. One of those chapters touches on the segregation of the South. I must admit as Philip Yancey tells the story my heart is filled with pain and my eyes well up with tears sitting here eating my apple pie. 

I arrive at a section which makes my heart bleed more than I care to admit. 

In it a christian univeristy has to apologise for their racism as up until the year 2000 they banned interracial dating! Seriously a mere 14 years ago this was still banned. I am ready to throw in the towel a sentiment share by the author himself he meets and so do I Dr Scott Morris. This man is seeking to change the lives of those most vulnerable in his community of Memphis. As I read his story unfolding of how he decided to change the lives of the poor and abused in the community. I saw his deliberate action. So today I want to choose to do better. 

This man has chosen to dedicate his life to educating, treating, helping and inspiring others. What about me? I am sitting in a country where I don't speak the language having a genuine timeout from my life. It's not so easy to strike up a conversation with others here in this place. But surely I can use this time to do something. 

I know I need to study more because one area I want to use to help others is the creative. I believe that God creating us in his image as creative beings we find great healing and comfort when we create. Isn't that why art, dance and music have such profound effects on those people. So I would like to open a place where creativity is at the heart but more than that people can did healing as they create from the ultimate source of creation. Our God. Now how am I going to do this? There in lies the challenge. Bring it on. My prayer for this weekend is now Lord help me did a way.