25 years and counting

So today is my birthday, not normally something I celebrate much or really bother with but I think adding an extra year on is a good time to take stock and look back on the last year. So here is a quick summary.

Work:
In this area of my life I have been quite successful, just less than a year ago I made the transition into working in social care from my previous life as a scientist. This went very well and the training post I was in taught me a lot in a short space of time. I met some fantastic people who began to equip me with the skills I need to follow my calling. Then in March I moved jobs and cities to begin working with a small charity that helps street addicts and street homeless which is something I feel very strongly about. In the 5 months I have been there I have grown in knowledge and understanding of the sector and also gained many skills that will be invaluable to me in the future.

Home:
This time last year I was living at home for the first time in 6 years and it was not ideal. However it did put me close to my family and allow me to spend time with them, especially my Godson. But with the new job came a move to a new city and while for a short time my housing situation was not good, i.e. technically homeless, I am now living with one of my best friends in a lovely apartment and beginning to9 settle in quite nicely.

Church:
Now this area of my life has been quite rocky. I made a commitment to God and my Church over a year ago but due to various reasons this has still to progress further than just talking about it. Because I moved cities and have had to move Churches the process of me applying to become a minister has taken about 20 steps back. However as of this week I am now officially a member of my new congregation and looking forward to things moving forward again. I miss the Church I grew up in but feel that moving to a new city and a new Church with everything tht is going on will in the long run be the best for my spiritual growth.

Spiritual life:
Now probably the most important aspect of my life. Sadly I have not taken care of this aspect of my life quite as well as I have of the others. With everything that has gone on of late setting aside time to be with God has not been easy and at times I am sad to admit not been a priority. This has had an adverse affect on some areas of my life and I have really struggled at times. There have been some dark days which would have been so much brighter if I had not been neglecting my spiritual life. I am now making an effort to change this, I have seen it as a problem and have begun to make it more of a priority.

Blog:
As many of you are likely to know I took quite a long unplanned hiatus in blogging. I did the thing I hate other people doing and just disappeared from the blogosphere with no warning. There are reasons for this, mostly to do with the stresses of moving city and starting a new job but with some extra unneeded stresses from people who were supposed to be there to help me. I am now back on track even if I am not posting with the same regularity and quantity of the past. I am still trying to work out what I want this to be going forward but after my break I have rediscovered my passion for sharing whatever is on my mind with you guys, hope someone is finding it interesting in some way.

So that is a rough summary of most of my life in the last year, there have been a few other things going on but that about covers most of it. I am now off to enjoy my birthday by relaxing and taking it easy, after 25 years of trying I might finally get the quiet and relaxing birthday I have always desired.

Last day of the holidays

Well it had to come round eventually didn't it. Today is the last day of the holidays and everyone in my house goes back to normal life tomorrow. It doesn't feel that long ago since I was writing about the Christmas period looking forward to it and thinking about its meaning. Now it has come and gone did I get anything from it except a bunch of new stuff and indigestion?

What did Christmas mean for me this year? Well the memory that will stand out the most for me for a long time is possibly that of my Godson eating his first Christmas dinner, pushing food in to his mouth as soon as there is even a tiny bit space and passing his turkey to the dog. Or the other major memory of the period of going to the cemetery and visiting the graves of my family who passed this year. Both of these are mile stones in my life this year, but are not hugely important in the scheme of what Christmas means in reality.

However Christmas did afford me some amazing opportunities for fellowship and prayer. The first came on Christmas eve while out carol singing with the young people from my Church. Many of us have had a tough year and this chance to get together and have fun while standing in public declaring our love for God and our joy at His gift was something special. Not only that the reception we received from both members of our Church and members of the public was amazing, we sang to people right across the age spectrum, from a week old baby to a couple who were in their 90's. The way these people smiled, laughed and even at one point cried(the happy sort of crying) was testament to the work God is doing even in the lives of people not currently connected to a Church.

The other was on Christmas day itself. In the past services on Christmas day at our Church were cancelled by certain ministers and as such a valuable fellowship time and worship time was lost. However in recent years our current ministers have reinstated this service, and this year was the most amazing one I have ever attended. People battled the elements and drove through the most snow we have seen in years just to make it there. People made huge efforts and postponed present opening and dinner just to attend Church on our Lords birthday. The atmosphere there, for me at least was electric, there was an expectation, a longing in the congregation I have not felt in my Church for a long time. Sitting there in the Church I felt that people were there not just because it was the day to be in Church, not just because it was expected, but they were there because they wanted to be there, they wanted to worship and thank God. During the service there was a chance to give testimony and those that did showed that the real meaning of Christmas is still alive in many people. Being in that Christmas day service was a blessing the likes of which I have not felt for many months.

I don't know how your Christmas was, I don't know how you felt this Christmas or if God was actively in Christmas for you this year. However as these holidays draw to a close for many people now may be a good time to look back and see what Christmas meant to you this year. Was it everything it should have been? Was it God filled and Christ centred?

New years and the end of the holidays gives us a prime opportunity to look back and see how things were. But use this opportunity not to feel happy with your effort or even to be disappointed with your journey last year. This is a chance to look and see how you can make this coming year the best and most God filled you have had yet. That is my prayer for myself and all of you guys reading this.

Make this year God filled and Christ centred so that through us others may see You. Give me the strength to follow Your guidance and walk Your path in all that I do. Amen.

Christmas is coming the goose is getting fat

There is an old rhyme I used to sing as a child;

Christmas is coming the goose is getting fat,
Please put a penny in the old man's hat,
If you haven't got a penny a Ha'penny will do,
If you haven't got a Ha'penny the God bless you.

It is just a silly nursery rhyme but for some reason it is one of the few I remember. I have no idea why I stuck in my mind so much, but I do have vivid memories of my Gramma singing this rhyme to my younger brother. But I do like the rhyme, even though it is a christmas rhyme which is about the trappings of Christmas with the geese and the ever present need for money to buy gifts. The best line however is the last one, it brings us back to the real reason for Christmas, God, specifically in the form of Jesus.

Last year we were blessed as a family to celebrate Christmas with a lovely 3 week old baby and a manic but memorable Christmas was had by all. This year it will all be a bit different, where as last year we had a lovely addition to the family, this year we will be missing two grand parents. Thinking about Christmas this year has been somewhat different for me in that all of the material things do not matter to me so much, and I have centred my thoughts on my family and the memories we have and of things with a sentimental value.

For me I think this is a lot closer to the real reason for Christmas. We are celebrating not just the birth of our Saviour but a family which he created. We are celebrating the fact that through Him we were all reconciled to God and that our family is now complete again with God as our Father. Although my earthly family is mourning a number of losses this year, we need to remember that they are not lost at all and that we will see them again when we reach the heavenly palace, when we are all born again through Jesus.

Christmas is a reason to celebrate, a time to realise what we have received, not just now, but also what we have received in the past too, the fact that we have been given Jesus and that it was the greatest gift of all. I have no idea what the people who read this blog will be doing for Christmas this year, but I hope that you can take a small amount of time to consider the baby who grew up and died just for you. Merry Christmas, I hope you have a God filled day.

Self reflection - Where are you at

It was my birthday last weekend and therefore this week comes one of my regular rituals. I have been looking back at my life, specifically the last year and everything that has happened. Self reflection is something I do on a regular basis but just after my birthday is the BIG one of the year where I look back at my note books, thoughts and feelings for the last year. I use this opportunity to look at which aspects of my life are causing the biggest problems in each aspect of my life and what I can do to change them. This is the first year though that I have done this as a professing Christian, and because of that it has been somewhat different to usual. Instead of the usual thoughts of what do I like about my life and how do I want to change. I have been looking at which aspects of my life do not fit with the Christian message and the quest to be Christlike. I have been looking at which areas of my life would be upsetting to God. It is not all negative though, I have also been looking at where I have been doing the right thing and how I can grow and strengthen these areas of my life. In all it has been an interesting experience compared to previous glances back at and into my life. Its interesting for me to see how certain events have helped to shape and grow my love for Jesus and the faith I have in him. My confidence in my religion has rocketed to the point where it is as much a part of who I am as anything in my life. Where in the past I would avoid speaking about my faith I do so on a regular basis now. I am not afraid to be openly Christian in a way that would have been uncomfortable for me in the past. There are other parts to this that include my relationships with friends and family and so on which I will not bore you with. I would just like to finish with a challenge to anyone reading this. How closely have you looked at your life? Is it everything you want it to be? Is it everything that it should be? If you ask yourself these questions, which isn't easy, and do not like the answers then what will you do about it? We have a guide who leads us in life and in order to ensure we do not stray we must stop, listen and take note of what He is saying to us. If we are faltering or straying we must ask ourselves why and how do we get back on track.

1 Corinthian 4:15

    There are a lot of people around who can't wait to tell you what you've done wrong, but there aren't many fathers willing to take the time and effort to help you grow up. It was as Jesus helped me proclaim God's Message to you that I became your father.