Thursday 24th December

So we've made it !  Christmas is here.  Stockings will be hung, Turkeys will be stuffed, veg will be prepped and those presents which we have hidden in hiding places long forgotten will be hunted for until way past midnight.  ( Try the sock drawer.  And the back of the wardrobe)

Today in the Hamilton house we shall be making Jesus a birthday cake - a tradition I started with the boys a few years back. And then tonight for the first time I think we shall be going to the midnight service at church.   I'm not sure if it is a good idea because we wont get home till after 1am and then we shall have to get the boys to bed and wait till they are asleep before doing the Santa thing.   So I might be wrecked by about 2pm Christmas day !   But I think it will be nice to welcome in Christmas with carols and prayer and focusing on Jesus.

Whatever you are doing today I hope you will be able to find a few moments to pause and take it all in.  The fact that the gospel is playing out across the land through our radios and televisions, in shopping centres and on high streets.  The fact that more people will tune in to listen to the Queen than will see any other television programme tomorrow and that she will once again be talking about the importance of her faith.   That social media is full of bible verses and messages of hope and

advent blogs like this one.   Christmas is still an amazing opportunity in our increasingly secular society for God's people to tell it as it is.   And despite what the media tells us,  people are every bit as hungry to know the truth today as they ever were.   As the days darken so our light will shine more brightly and be seen far and wide.

Thank you for following my blog this year.  Your support is so encouraging and it always amazes me that things I write strike chords in other people and help/encourage/challenge or bless.   I write this as a way for me to try to stay focused on Jesus in the run up to Christmas - but a wonderful by product is that I also get to connect with many friends around the world too.

Praying that your Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be peaceful and contented and that you know the blessing of God in the midst of all you are doing.

Wednesday 23rd December

Ben crept into my bed yesterday morning for a snuggle and a chat.  He is ten.  And he is getting very excited about Christmas.   Or, in his words '  I've got butterflies about Christmas Mum.  I'm sort of excited and sort of scared as well'.   I asked why on earth he would be feeling scared!   He said ' In case its not as good as I want it to be and I don't get the presents I want.'    Part of me was amused by this brutal honesty, part of me was a bit miffed that he didn't trust us to provide him with a great Christmas.    And then I thought about how often I have had this very same response to God over the years.

We pray and ask for things.  Especially the big things, jobs, new homes, life partners, children  and we believe that God will answer us and give us the things we need and want.  And yet how often in
the back of our minds is there that nagging doubt that perhaps God wont answer us in the way we want?  Maybe He doesnt really love us quite as much as we hope He does.  Perhaps He isnt really able to pull it out of the bag at the crucial moment.  We try hard to believe that He is working everything together for our good and yet.... and yet....

Here's a challenging thought for you.   A friend of mine , in his mid forties, was diagnosed with MS this year.   We went to visit them at half term and took the time to pray for him, his wife an family.  Whilst we were praying I got the distinct impression that God was saying that the reason he has MS is BECAUSE God loves him.    Think about that for a minute.   That was a really tricky one for me to digest.   How can someone be afflicted with something degenerative and horrible because they are loved by God?

Well, what's the alternative?   The alternative is that either God doesnt love people who are sick.   Or that He does love them but He is not able to stop them from being sick.   Or that He loves them, and is able to stop them from being sick but chooses not to.    Now I think if you'd asked me I would have probably gone for option 3 and said that God chooses not to heal people for His own reasons which we don't understand and that if we pray sometimes we can ' change God's mind'.    But with my friend Ivan I'm pretty sure God was showing me something different.    God loves Ivan passionately.   And because He loves him Ivan has MS.     MS is going to afford Ivan opportunities with God that he would not otherwise have.   Ivan has a choice - go deeper into God.  Become a more compassionate and understanding person.  Do something of the ' sufferings of Christ' thing.  Or not.   But Im guessing that God knows which way Ivan will go and that He is taking him on a journey of discovery which will ultimately be for Ivan's good.

Now I know,  I know that some of you are yelling at me.  Yes, there's an enemy and we are in a fight. Yes sin and death have come into the world and mankind is fallen and we are all suffering the repercussions...... yes, I know , I know.    BUT  if God loves us, He loves us.  His love is pure, kind, overwhelming, generous, healing and peaceable.   If NOTHING can separate us from His love..... well that means nothing.   God loved Job and maybe BECAUSE He loved Job God allowed all sorts of horrible things to happen to him.  I don't think God used Job as a plaything to make a point and get one over on Satan.  That is not in the character of God at all.  He knows Satan's end from his beginning, He doesn't need to resort to cheap stunts.  I wonder if the only reason God allowed Satan to have free reign in Jobs life for a while was to afford Job the opportunity to have some of the most amazing and personal one-to-one God conversations recorded in the Bible.  By the end of his life Job was not only blessed materially, but surely he was blessed with a unique relationship with God.

I think God wants a deeper conversation with us.  More connectedness.  More opportunity to show His love and to receive ours.   We all know that we are so much keener to seek Him when we need Him and that it's easy to ignore Him when all is blue skies and plain sailing.   And sometimes God wrenches something from our hands because He has something much better for us round the corner or down the road.  At the time all we can see is the pain - but thats because we dont have an eternal perspective.

So are you scared this Christmas?  Frightened that God might not answer you or might ask something of you that you aren't prepared for?  As the angels said ' Do not fear'  - God loves you so much that He was born for you.

Tuesday 22nd December

I seem to have run out of things to say.  Ha ha ha

I can hear you cheering from here!  

So today I think I will spend a few moments thinking about those people for whom Christmas is going to be very difficult this year.   My Mum is one of many who lost her partner this year, and for her Christmas will be something to be endured rather than enjoyed.  I think of Pastor George who lost his wife in the autumn.  However much you try to put a brave face on things the first Christmas after a bereavement is really hard.

Then there are my friends who are sick.  Really sick.   Bill who continues to survive against the odds but with more pain and surgery and medical intervention than you would believe its possible for a human being to undergo.  He is currently on the waiting list for a kidney transplant.  Please pray that he gets one soon and that it really makes a difference.    Angie is 49 with two teenage daughters and is three and bit years into a cancer diagnosis which gave her three years to live.   She is fighting an amazing battle and despite tumours her bloods are still allowing her to undergo chemo against all odds.   For some people this Christmas might well be their last.  Let's pray that they have a fabulous time and that God extends their days.

Ivan was diagnosed with MS this year and it is taking its toll.  He is in his mid forties with three boys. He has access to treatment which should really help him - so Im praying that God adds His power to the amazing medical possibilities and brings wholeness and health again.   Kenny has ongoing serious problems with his spine and keeps being rushed to hospital to be put on morphine whenever his discs pop.    John suffers from schizophrenia.  It is well managed but it is still a crippling condition which affects every aspect of his life.  He doesnt know Jesus yet but is interested and open.  Im praying that God gets hold of him and helps and heals him.    James has developed severe allergies which are making his life a misery.   Other friends are struggling with depression.  SO many people find it difficult to receive the words  '  Happy Christmas'  because for them it won't be.  It will be a sore, difficult, sad time.

Im sure there are many people on your heart this year from whom you would like us to pray.   Why dont you put their names in the comment box under this post so that we can all join with each other to commit them to the Lord.

Lord we add our prayers to the pile and ask that Your will would be done and that Your kingdom would come in the lives of all those mentioned above and in the comments below.  Thank you that the very reason You came was to deliver us from evil, to comfort and heal us and forgive us our sins. You make all things new.  We bless the medical profession but look to You for wholeness and peace and joy.   May those who are dreading Christmas this year find hope and love in unexpected places.  Amen

Monday 21st December

I just watched Bear Grylls taking Barak Obama out into the glacial wilds for a day.   It was clearly a nicely orchestrated programme on the back of the Paris climate talks to make the President look like a mover and shaker in the whole debate.   And it did the job.  He came across as a nice and normal guy who takes his responsibilities seriously and who is proud of his record when it comes to addressing the issues which face the planet in these over carbonised days.

But none of that interested me anything like as much as the last two minutes of the programme where Bear asked if he could pray with the President.  And the President said ' Yeah sure'.  

Now there are many things about that which astound me.

1) Channel 4 showed it.

2) The President agreed not only to be prayed for but for that to be broadcast

3) The prayer was heard loud and clear and the President was clearly used to being prayed for :)

4) Bear had the wit and the guts to suggest it and then to do it.

5) What you didnt see on the show but you can see from this still picture is the camera man was praying too !!

The President of the United States  ( they call him POTUS dont they? ) is just a guy.  He is an ordinary bloke just like you and I doing an extraordinary job and Im very encouraged to know that he is open about faith being important to him.   When asked by Bear he quoted Lincoln who said that if you are an atheist when you take office you are sure to be humbled and be on your knees asking for help before you leave office.    Its encouraging to me to think that the guy responsible for the worlds biggest economy might , just might, ask for help from God in the decisions that he has to make and the direction in which he is taking the country.

But even more impressive than all that about Obama is Bear.
Bear was afforded an extraordinary opportunity.   He has had many, and Im guessing this was one of his more amazing ones.  I read his autobiography a while ago and its a good read.  He has lead a fascinating and challenging life.  Not an easy start.  Lots of struggles along the way.   But through it all he has grown and developed in his character - he appears to be a man of integrity.  What you see is what you get.  He has followed his passions and has ended up dining with presidents.  And when he gets the chance to pray with one, he takes it.   Whilst clearly impressed with Obama he was not star struck.  He knew that he had something to offer the President which the President needed more than a publicity shot and good PR.  He had the power and presence of God.  As do I.  As do you.

So, if you met a President, or a King, or a CEO or an MP would you ask if you could pray for them?
God is passionately interested in the significant people.  Those at the top need Jesus every bit as much as those in the dust.  They carry a great weight and they need Jesus to give them wisdom and discernment and strength and peace.

God has occasionally put significant people in my path.  Not Kings or Presidents yet, but leaders of all sorts.  And nearly always Ive had words of knowledge for them.   Ive delivered words to internationally known worship leaders, leaders of christian movements and organisations and many many pastors and ministers.   A couple of years ago at a Bible week a CEO of a very well known organisation was on stage giving a talk about the work he does and telling people how churches could get involved in the projects his organisation was running.   I looked at him and immediately I knew that he had a problem with his digestive system.   Very specific words - digestive system.   So after he had finished talking I went to the guy who was hosting him and said that I thought I had a word of knowledge would it be OK to give it .   I was ushered up to the speaker and told him what I felt God had said.  Without a blink he told me that his body was unable to digest fat and that it caused him hassles at work and made him very tired.  I offered to pray with him and he was more than happy for me to do that.  Then he said ' Oh, and whilst you are at it you could also pray for another issue.  Ive found a lump on my testicle and am going to get it looked at this week.  Maybe you could pray about that too.  If God is here to heal me I want everything He has got'.

What amazing humility.  Dont you think?  Not an easy thing to disclose to a complete stranger - and a woman!  But he didnt care what it looked like or being embarassed or any of that stuff.  He was just super hungry for God.  Which is why he ended up at the top of his business.  God blesses hunger and humility.

So, the moral of the story is......... well there are lots of morals arent there?    Be passionate about what you are passionate about and God will stand you before kings and presidents.    When He stands you before them remember to keep the main thing the main thing.  You might only have once chance - take it.    If you become a top dog yourself then stay on your knees and always be prepared to receive from anyone who offers you some more of God.  No matter what they look like or where they come from.  Expect God to speak to you and He will.

Sunday 20th December

Our Wifi went on the blink recently.  I have no idea why but it just kept shutting down and we ended up with no signal at odd times - usually when right in the middle of something online.  Like writing this blog.  It was very annoying.   You get used to having things on tap - power when you throw a switch, water when you turn the tap, lights , heating, energy.   When , for whatever reason, these things don't function.....  well, its very irritating.    And what makes it worse is the fact that most of us don't have a clue how these things work , so we don't know how to fix them.   If the power goes off I know how to press the button in the fuse box.  But if that doesn't work then I'm a bit stumped.  I used to have some idea as to how to fix the car if it broke down, but now that all engines are one big computer chip I am totally at a loss.

Anyhow, the internet was playing up.  So Keith phoned BT and ordered a new hub.  Which arrived fairly quickly and we all breathed a sigh of relief and looked forward to hassle -free surfing.   No such luck.  The new hub seemed to be no better than the old one.  Booooooooo.    Keith kept moving the hub round the house - wires trailing all over the place - trying to get a better signal.  In the end I went to Argos and bought a booster box.   And lo and behold! We now have a perfect signal  .  Yay!!

I have always thought that listening to God is a bit like being tuned into a radio signal.  Everyone has the ability to hear Him. It's just that not all of us are tuned in.   When we get saved God tunes us into His channel so that we can start to receive His messages of life and hope and direction.  The Bible suddenly starts to make sense to us.  We begin to recognise the Holy Spirit - what He sounds like and how He speaks to us.    But every now and again, just like my internet signal, we seem to lose the frequency.  Or we suffer from interference and we cant hear so well any more.  What is it which causes us to lose that vital connection with God?

Well the Bible tells us that sin is what separates us - so initially thats a good place to look.  Is there something in my life which is standing between me and God such that I cant hear His voice so clearly any more?   Am I being dishonest , unfaithful, jealous, proud, greedy, unkind, and all the rest.   If we confess our sins He is faithful to forgive us and wipe the slate clean again.  Retune us back into His frequency.   It's not usually the small daily sins which cause major interference - its the sin which sneaks up on us and convinces us that it's OK.  That we are right.  That there isnt a problem.   We are subtly de-tuned, just enough to lose the signal almost without our realising it.  We need to be vigilant and ruthless with ourselves if we want an open sky above us.


Sometimes I think other things can also block the channels.  Things outwith our control - external forces.   I remember spending time praying with a friend of mine who was a doctor and was suffering from some health problems.  In the course of the conversation with him it became apparent that he had many many dealings with death and the dying in the course of his hospital work.  And that this was affecting him adversely.   Death was all around him pretty much all day.  Like a dark fog it was stopping him from being able to receive all that God had for him.  We prayed protection and wisdom for him and he became aware that he had to wash himself spiritually clean at the end of every shift just to keep those channels open and flowing freely .   Sometimes its nothing like as heavy duty as that.  It's just stuff.  I remember when the game Tetris came out I got addicted to it for a while - and it most certainly de-tuned me.  My head was full of coloured cubes to the point where I could barely think of anything else.   I stopped playing.  And got my life and my hearing back  :)

God speaks.  All the time.  In many ways.  As we see in the Nativity story sometimes its through hosts of angels, sometimes its through dreams and visions.  More often than not its through the Scriptures.  But if we aren't tuned in no matter how  often we read the words we won't hear the message.    So this Christmas let's take time to listen.  And if we arent hearing anything let's ask God to tune us back in  and to deal with any interference which is blocking the signal.

Saturday 19th December

Today is the start of my holiday.  Yay!   I really need one right now.  Its been a very busy few months - not only have I been working quite a lot more hours than previously but I've also been getting up and hour and a half earlier every day because I've had to get Sam and Josh to their school bus in the mornings.  Keith used to do it but since he changed jobs that has now fallen to me.

So I'm tired.   The boys are tired too - especially this week as we have had a couple of very late nights  ( Church Christmas dinner on Wednesday and Star Wars on Thursday)  We are all looking forward to spending the weekend in our pyjamas doing nothing much.   We need a rest.

God says that we should rest.  He knows that we don't function well on non-stop activity.  Not only that, but if we don't have time to rest then we probably don't have time for Him either.  And we need that even more than we need downtime from work.  For me, one of the great things about writing this blog every day is that it makes me take time out to sit and think, to meditate if you like.  Even as I'm writing this my mind is engaged fully on what God might be saying today.  It's a time out for me - and it's really good for me.  Which is why I do it.

I remember years and years ago during a very busy time of my life when I just seemed to be going full tilt at everything seven days a week I woke up one morning and it was as though God was sitting on me.  His face right in my face.  And a very serious tone in His voice.  He just said ' If you don't stop it, you will be in serious trouble'.   I knew He was talking about my health and I knew I had just received a VERY serious warning.   From that day on I decided that I would have a day of rest every week.  Sundays were not the best days because at that time I was so involved in my church that Sunday was almost more busy than a work day.   So I made Saturday my day off from everything.  My day to walk on the beach and listen to music and chill.  Do nothing.  Sleep,  potter, rest.

In this last week before Christmas we are probably all going to be somewhat busy.  There is stuff to do.  Work to get through before Thursday afternoon.  Office parties, playgroup parties, school discos, social stuff to attend.  Then there is the day itself to prepare for.  The shopping and the last minute presents and the food prep.  Carol services and Christmas fairs and all sorts of stuff.... it can seem like a never ending list of activity.  And whilst it might be enjoyable and all part of the seasonal good cheer, it can also be exhausting.  And we crawl over the finishing line at 2am on Christmas morning just longing for a lie in and knowing that the kids will have us up at six.      Not ideal.   But pretty much how it goes for most of us.

So today I challenge you to stop.  To sit down with a cup of tea and do nothing.  To go back to bed or put your feet up with a good book or watch a Christmas film all afternoon.   Go for a long walk.  The beds can be changed another time.  The shops will still be open on Monday.  The world will not come to an end if the dishwasher isn't unstacked until later or the hoovering isn't done till tomorrow.   Cut yourself some slack.  Give yourself permission to breathe.  And take some time just to listen.  Because Jesus didn't come to be ignored.    Don't leave Him on the doorstep because you are too busy to stop and let Him in.   He wants to come in and have lunch with you today.   It's the most important date you will ever have.   Enjoy it.

Friday 18th December

Update on the Jesus stones.

You might remember that last year I posted about a little project our church decided to embark on.   We hid hundreds of painted stones all around the village and left them in workplaces , parks , schools etc for people to find.  Stones depicting the baby Jesus.   There was no message with them - nothing at all.  Just a painted stone and a sense of excitement as people we knew started to find them and talk about how they had found Jesus.  :)    I blogged about it in last year's Advent blog and that particular post was one of the most read of last year.

A friend of mine in Denmark picked up the blog post and thought it was a great idea so got painting stones.  And this year she and her church have been out hiding Jesus around the place. The church also hired a billboard with a picture of the stone and the words Have You Found Jesus?  They managed to do it anonymously , adding hugely to the mystery which is now buzzing round the town. She got in touch with me today to tell me that the local news have picked up on the story and written an article about the mystery of the Jesus stones.  http://m.dagbladetringskjern.dk/skjern-tarm/julemysterium-initiativtager-holder-sig-anonym-indtil-videre   ( you probably dont speak Danish but...... )

My friend Inge says       ' We're the talk of the town! Jesus is!!!
And the paper has really tried to find out where they come from... It's so great!
The local business-chief in town says lots of people have been calling her, telling they've found Jesus!
We're so excited! '

How cool is that?

This year Ive spent ages trying to think of something similar we could do. I did find a few ideas but nothing which seemed as simple and fun as the stones. But just the other day I saw that someone on facebook was suggesting that it would be a lovely idea to buy a bag of shopping for a family or individual that you know might be struggling this Christmas, leave a message on it and set it on the doorstep before ringing the bell and legging it down the road :) I like that idea. Might do that this year.