Aptiva

One post I watched, had a line "In reality, there is a lot more that makes us similar than makes us different" It's good to remember. In fact, the thing which makes us all similar is being made in the image of God. During a war, authorities are at pains to paint the enemy as something different, even to labelling the enemy with names to differentiate the people we are fighting against. If we can de-humanise the enemy we will be more effective fighters. Jesus points us in the opposite direction. He reminds us that we all are similar, and all need a way to salvation. For those who accepted this salvation, it is the first step of many, which imparts a direction to life previously not thought of! We are to see one another not in pessimism and fear but rather hope and love. For the Christ Child saw that his life was to be given to all nations and all peoples of all times. We are the same in the need to be saved, we are the same in that this salvation is universal i

A .W. Tozer said " Faith accepts quiet guidance; only unbelief demands a miracle." We look at this time of year to the miracle of Jesus birth, and we see the incredible intervention of God, into this world. We may wonder at the actions of Mary and Joseph, often considering ourselves unable to meet the trust they showed in God's promises. Before we dismiss ourselves, it's worth considering that until this point, Mary and Joseph were normal people. Righteous in their life towards God, trusting in his promises, but relying upon ordinary things to accept the guidence of God in their lives. They gathered at the correct festivals, they carried out a Jewish life of service to God! We can underplay this. For great things to be asked, we need to be faithful in the small things of life. Each one of us has an area of influnce, how we conduct ourselves in this influnce is important. It's not good to compare ourselves to others about what influnce we have, this

In the book of Daniel we read,  Daniel 1:11-14 (NLT) Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 12 “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. 13 “At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” 14 The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days. Daniel is a young man but is firm in his beliefs. The account carries on  Daniel 1:15-16 (NLT) At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. 16 So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others. We find that this believer in God makes a stand, and is put at personal risk to achieve it. Dear Reader

Donald Trump completed one of his campaign promises recently and announced the moving of the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. It's polarised a lot of people, making many very angry and others very happy. It's easy to look on, watching a situation which doesn't impact on my own life and make judgement calls, without taking the time to look deeper into the historical, theological and cultural reasons behind the issues. In the Bible, we read that we as followers of the carpenter are called, as Paul recounts in his letter to the  Ephesians 6:19-20 (NLT) "And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. 20 I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should." Asking God for the right words, even when Paul was in prison for sharing them the first time! We don't

We are approaching Christmas. Through many years in western culture, we have been conditioned to what is expected from one day with our extended family. Given the changing circumstances of people's lives, extended families now meet and celebrate at differing times throughout the month. It can make what is meant to be a blessing, difficult! Many people wish to celebrate a season and be with family but have nothing to do with the historical Jesus. For believers in the carpenter, we need to show understanding. Jesus wasn't born on the 25th of December, historically the Christian community co-opted the date because it was easier using a date already used for celebration than creating a new one. We shouldn't be surprised when the worldview alters, people will celebrate without reference to the Carpenter. What we can do is offer hope. If Jesus was about peace between humanity and God, and reconciling humanity to each other, maybe that should be the focus of what we express.