A wee break!

I am sorry that I haven't been blogging much lately but life has gotten really busy of all of a sudden. With the onset of Christmas and many issues going on around us just now, blogging has taken a backseat for the time being.

I will be back into the swing of regular posts after the New Year but think it is wise to take a break while things are so hectic.

So I wish everyone a lovely Christmas time and pray that Jesus is at the centre of it all. See you all in the New Year.

faithfulness

¹Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Hebrews 11:1

'Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.' Proverbs 3:5-8

These are just some of the encouraging verses people have been sharing over the last week. As you know our Church has a dear brother in Christ who is ill in hospital at the moment. There has been such an outpouring of love among our Church fellowship it is unbelievable. God is truly working at the moment among all of us and the family are feeling the power of everyone's prayers.

These weeks are hard for many different reasons but God is faithful and will answer prayer.

¹Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Hebrews 11:1

Prayer needed

Revelation 21:4 (New International Version)

⁴He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

At the moment there are many people suffering in our Church. One of our dear dear friends is very ill and has cancer of the liver. This news has devastated him, his family, Church family and friends.

We know that many of the people that read this blog pray and believe in the Lord. Please can I request prayer for this family. They really need it.

How we look forward to the day when God brings the promise quoted above to be.

Psalm Saturday

Psalm 148 NIV

¹ Praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD from the heavens,

praise him in the heights above.

² Praise him, all his angels,

praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

³ Praise him, sun and moon,

praise him, all you shining stars.

⁴ Praise him, you highest heavens

and you waters above the skies.

⁵ Let them praise the name of the LORD,

for he commanded and they were created.

⁶ He set them in place for ever and ever;

he gave a decree that will never pass away.

⁷ Praise the LORD from the earth,

you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

⁸ lightning and hail, snow and clouds,

stormy winds that do his bidding,

⁹ you mountains and all hills,

fruit trees and all cedars,

¹⁰ wild animals and all cattle,

small creatures and flying birds,

¹¹ kings of the earth and all nations,

you princes and all rulers on earth,

¹² young men and maidens,

old men and children.

¹³ Let them praise the name of the LORD,

for his name alone is exalted;

his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

¹⁴ He has raised up for his people a horn,

the praise of all his saints,

of Israel, the people close to his heart.

Praise the LORD.

Are we praising God this Christmas? What are we teaching our children about the meaning of Christmas? It is so so easy to get caught up in the excitement of it all and neglect to teach the real reason we celebrate this time of year. It is hard not to get carried away with the myth of Santa Claus and talk of what you are buying for the kids this year.

Each year I try to make sure the kids know exactly what it is all about but I get carried away as well! What do you do when your kids mention Santa, as they all do??? I can't help but think we are lying to our kiddos when we reinforce this. However, he is a good fun character who adds to the magic of Christmas!

I wonder what God would think about our celebration of the birth of Jesus? Of course we don't know! Christmas has just become a large worship of consumerism. Children compile lists of things they would like from Santa and set themselves up for disappointment when they don't get everything or worse still get every thing on their list!

Our children are such little consumers and it is hard not to get caught up in this aspect of Christmas. I never want to go down the road of wish lists from the kids because they will be sorely disappointed!! Also this isn't the attitude I want to instill in my kids. Christmas isn't just a time for receiving the latest toy. Of course it is nice for kids to receive gifts and we can use this as a lesson to teach them about the greatest gift of all.

I sometimes wish we could just strip Christmas down to the bare bones of what it is truly all about. Maybe then people would all be a little happier, less stressed, less financially burdened and praising the Lord that created them.

Thankful Thursday

Hi and welcome to another Thankful Thursday. I get to join with Sonya and friends at Truth 4 the Journey and list 5 things I am thankful to God for this week!

• I am thankful for all the great advice I have received from people about Emma and her sleep habits. I am unsure which approach I am going to take just yet but I appreciate all the different ideas and advice from everyone so much.

• I had a hold of a gorgeous wee new baby boy on Monday and am thankful to God for this. It did leave me feeling a little broody but the feeling wore off the next day! It was lovely to have a wee snuggle with a newborn again though.

• On Tuesday a friend at Church told me they had become a Christian. Praise God for this wonderful, amazing news!

• A great turnout at the Toddlers group on Monday. We are having our Christmas party soon and I am looking forward to a busy day that day!

• My mum's health is improving over the last few days. The doctor has prescribed her some stronger medication which appears to be working. Thank you Lord.