five things

I would like to put the record straight and point out that the 12 days of Christmas don’t actually start until the 24^th December and they finish on the 6^th January. So any gift given now would be one extra to any you may get during the 12 days.

So today is the 5^th December and I would like to give you five special gifts;

-          To sing out loud

-          To dance till you’re dizzy

-          To open your heart

-          To hold out your hands

-          To know you are a child of God

‘Be still and know that I am God...’ Psalms 46:10

4 calling birds

... or maybe just a few more, enjoy.

a pause

It's the first of December or December 1st, it's time to pause before the hussle and bussle of the Christmas season is really upon us.

Two weeks ago, or there abouts, i visited with a friend has she was adding the last bits and pieces to her Christmas decorations, i thought it was a little early and said she was a little crazy to be trimming up so early and her reply was that her Chrsitmas shopping was complete therefore Chrsitmas was on its way. Although i must say that her tree was very pretty. On the otherhand my tree is still stuffed in its box awaiting my daughters returns from their separate universities.

To me Christmas starts on the 1st December when i finally get chance to open the first little box on the advent calender, as the count down is finally on. And no, i haven't finished all my Christmas shopping such as it is, it isn't a lot. In my little box today was a little lamb and i was reminded of the shepherd boy who thought he had nothing to give but a little lamb, which was everything he had.

What would I give if i was to give you all that i had? It would not be money for i have so little -

The first Gift is a Quiet Moment to reflect upon the year that as speedily passed us all by.

the true meaning of Christmas

Lots and lots of people out there at the moment are posting about the true meaning of Christmas and i don't want to take away from that but let me share a few thoughts with you today.

- 22% of the population of the UK live in poverty every day

- 1.6 million children live in poverty in the UK

- 200 people living  on the streets of London, died last year (2010)

- 1 in 5 adults never give to charity in the UK

- if you were asked to give 10% of your income to charity would you?

"For i was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, Lord, when saw thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying Verily I say it unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me." 

Matthew 25:42-45

passions

There comes a point in life when we all have to say 'this isn't working' whatever 'this' is depends on the individual. I have been readings a number of blogs recently about finding your 'passion' and following your 'passion' and giving up the 9-5 job and breaking free of restrictions  - and all that. The other thing that seem to be repeated is that you don't have to continue to do a menial job just to pay the bills. Personally i'm really grateful for someone who does the menial jobs, thank you. 

I know a man, who is long time retired, who i think he would still say that in his time he had a powerful job but life being what it is and time bring changes that job was no longer available to him and therefore he had no job. He was not far from retirement and did not feel that retraining was what he needed to do. He got a job, a job people would see as menial and i'm sure it wasn't anything to do with 'passion'. The job? he cleaned streets for the local council but i can tell you now those street were the most cleanest streets in the whole of the area. He did best job he could under the circumstances. He made it his 'passion'.

We don't have to earn a pay packet fulfilling our passion but we do need to be passionate about what we are doing whatever it is. I'm grateful for the man that walks down every day picking up litter and for the ladies who continually clean the public toilets in the bus station and i'm really grateful for the tea-lady at work who without whom life would be even busier, who is actually known as a House keeper and does a beautiful job and we know instantly when she isn't working that day.

Yes, find your passion and enjoy it, we only have today we may not have tomorrow.

I Promise You

I didn’t really know what to write today but those three words kept coming to my mind – I Promise You – 

I began to think about the promises God has made to me, an unimportant nobody someone so small in the great scheme of things I am almost invisible, but still I am here and He sees me.

God promised me the following:-

-          I will always tell you the truth, you may not always like it but it will still be the truth

-          I will never leave you, no matter how hard you push me away I’ll never be further then you can reach

-          I will carry you, when you are no longer able to stand let alone walk

-          I will feed you daily, all you need to do is come unto me and eat and drink

-          I will not forsake you, when the days are long and the nights even longer I will always be there

-          I will always answer, all you have to do is call my name

‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matthew 11:28-30)

The Promises’ of God are sure but yet we mere mortals somehow miss these two words. Or maybe it’s just me!

Back to Basics

When my daughter asked me a year ago how to get back to God, I told her to go back to the basics. Pray, read Scriptures and go to church. I knew that if she did these three things God would tell her what to do next and I know he did. I told her that she needed milk and not meat – to paraphrase. 

The Apostle Paul first tells the Corinthians ‘I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet are ye able’ (1 Cor 3:2) and then to the Hebrews ‘For when the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat’ (Heb 5:13).  

If we were to feed a new baby with meat it would be of little or no value to the child as it would be unable to digest the meat. Sometimes even as an adult we need to partake of the milk before we can eat of the meat. 

Today I went to see the occupational health doctor and I was hoping she would say that I could go back to work in some capacity or other but she still deems me as unfit. It did not make me feel good. It made me feel useless, unnecessary or no consequence as nothing. 

I came home, ate some food and sat down to write this blog only to find the words of the scriptures above going round in my head. God was telling me that I am still not strong enough and must partake of the milk a little longer. Today I didn’t hear the words I wanted to hear from the doctor but God said be patient and trust me having faith that I will not forsake thee and never leave thee.

Monday, Monday

Well here I am. This is the day when life changes for good. But first, a little self evaluation; I am fat because I eat too much and exercise too little. Calories in – calories out = too much/too little/or just right. It is quite obvious from my scales that the first is correct in my case. It matters not what the food is, more what the food isn’t.

I think in all my rushing around over the years, working, bringing up my family, church and friends I have forgotten one important thing – ME!

In the scheme of things I can see how I could have done such a thing but now it’s time to find me and put ME back in the centre of the picture. I would like to take this opportunity to state for the record that if my picture doesn’t look the way you think it should, then it’s just tough, hard lines. My advice to you is this, draw your own picture, of yourself and concentrate on that one and not on mine. Draw the outline, fill in the contours and create the work of art God intended you to be.

One more piece of advice; change your life before you have too. I started to a few years back and made a big indentation in my shape and my life. However I fooled myself into believing that I had done enough, I had lost 8stone and that was enough, I didn’t need to lose the rest but I knew deep down that that wasn’t the case. Now i have run out of options, do it or give up on my life.

Since I have been off work I had added 21lbs to my bum, yeah I think it’s all on my bum? It’s not doing me any good there and I don’t need it for winter storage not even in the UK. Part of the problem is that most of the women in my family are good at individual food storage and that’s not a good thing.

If I quickly analyse my findings of last week’s food intake, bearing in mind I didn’t include what I had to drink, I find that I eat too much added sugar and too little fruit and vegetables. Also if I plan I eat better, If I come in ruffled and unplanned i open the fridge and pick ‘that’ and take out whatever is available instantly it’s often the wrong thing. Lunch with my friend is a good thing, twice a week providing I don’t carry on eating those same foods every day. A certain retailer contains all the things I love so I need to chose more wisely and plan what I am going to eat. 

And remember – my body is a temple and I am divine - it's my new mantra.

Do the four ...

... prayer often, read your scriptures daily, go to church and pay an honest tithe.

Maybe this blog should be do the one, but which one? 

Up until last summer my eldest daughter Grace, hadn't attended church for sometime. In fact she didn't want anything to do with church and if i happened to mention something to do with church i would get that side-ways grimace, which said 'no, don't bother'. But last year things changed, she changed, it was her decision to change but i know God helped her in her decision.

For six years i didn't, speak about church and/or God to her. Or so it seemed, but my heartfelt prayers went up every night. Some is love, some in desperation and some in anger but they went, one way or another on her behalf. So maybe i should leave prayer as number one? 

We are counselled to pray often, pray in our hearts, in our closets, in secret, with loud voices of praise but the message is the same whatever way you chose, pray, pray, pray. God is listening and if he seems a little slow to answer remember our time is not his time, but know that He is always listening and will always answer. There are times when i have prayed over and over again for the same thing and waited long for the answer and even when the answer came it wasn't the one i desired, but then comes acceptance and sometimes that's hard to do but then untold, innumerable blessings descend.

But how do i know these things? I read God's holy words day by day. You cannot teach what you do not know and you cannot know what you have not read and learnt. I will be the first to admit that finding even my favourite scripture can sometimes take a little time. However we need to know for ourselves the blessings that come through knowing God and living his commandments and we can only do that by reading scripture.

After a world-weary week i only have to spend a few hours at church with like-minded people who speak the same language to know i am loved by God. That although life may not be what i would like it to be i am not alone, i am not forgotten and i am not invisible to Him. To me church on a Sunday is my opportunity to give back, to the God's church and his people by sharing his words and the my testimony of the truthfulness of his words with others. I count myself lucky to be able to teach and humble to know that He guides my every word.

And number four, that's simple - 'Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.' (Malachi 3:8). Then come the blessings - ...prove me herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if i will not open the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it (vs 10) ... And i will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground (vs 11) ... All nations shall call you blessed (vs 12). What more do you need?

Repeat after me - God loves me - again and again until you feel it in your very core. Now live like you mean it.

A list ...

... of what i have learnt. Your list will be different. Write one, put it somewhere and read it again in a year or more and see if it's still true. A few years ago when my oldest daughter Grace was at university some 222 miles away in Bath (according to Google maps) she became very ill and spent a week in hospital. I recieved the message at 10:30 at night and i don't drive so couldn't do much at that time of night. I prayed that night that i would feel she was save and being taken care of so i could sleep because being a nurse i know when a family member is sick it takes lots of energy that people dont always have enough because they can't sleep. I also phoned the local church near where she was at that time and i know people went to see her, people who were strangers but they went anyway and reassured me that though she was sick she was in good spirit. 

While i was staying at my daughter's students lodgings i wrote a list of things that i had learnt, things i thought were of value. I don't know if she still has the list and i'm sure this new list will be different in parts if not in the whole but these are the things i feel are important today; 

1. Sleep before midnight - often
2. Sleep 8 hours a night - most of the time
3. Rise early - you will get more done
4. Get ready for the day - dress to your shoes, so if you need to you can just walk out the door
5. Eat breakfast - fruit, yoghurt, cereal, cereal bar, bread toasted or not but eat something
6. Drink water - do not buy bottled water, the water from the taps in the UK is more then adequate
7. Take lunch with you - its healthier and it's cheaper
8. Girls should smell nice - a bath or a shower every day is adequate anything else, sprays, lotions, potions and perfume is extra
9. Wash you face properly - buy a bar of oil based soap from Bodyshop, e.g coconut, olive, shea and use it every day. Use an exfoliatant once a week. Add a simple moisturiser
10. Get your hair cut and styled regularly
11. Dress appropriately - no one looks good in the wrong size or the wrong style of clothing
12. Buy and wear nice underwear - make sure it fits correctly and so what if no one else sees it, you at least know what's under your clothes
13. Take some daily exercise
14. Get your weight under control and keep it there - not everyone is supposed to be super skinny and besides it's not any healthier then being over weight, unless it's your natural size
15. Don't eat meat a couple of times a week - give your body a rest
16. Eat fruit and vegetables
17. Be honest - don't cheat you will only get found out and it may cost you more then you think, don't lie, the only person you are really lying to is yourself and don't steal, if it's not yours and you don't have permission don't take it, don't use it
18. Live with heart and hands wide open - be generous with what you have and share it whenever possible and appropriate, likewise, be grateful for the blessings that you have
19. Do the four, go to church, read your scriptures, pray, and pay your tithing
20. A word on prayer, pray openly, pray in your heart, walk with prayers under your feet, pray for a blessing over your what you eat and drink daily, be thankful in your heart at all times
21. Learn to meditate and practice daily
22. Be clean - in mind, body and soul
23. Strive to have the Holy Ghost with you all the time
24. Save - yes money - no matter how little, a little goes a long way when necessary
25. Always have enough money to get home
26. Stay out of unnecessary debt - a car is not essential unless you need it for work and not to just get to work
27. Don't gamble, not even the lottery
28. Work for what you need
29. Have a food storage - to last you at least two weeks
30. Only buy cheap if it's worth it 
31. Don't own what you don't need - someone else maybe able to use it, so share it
32. Re-cylcle - when you can, don't use plastic bottles and bags and cups
33. Read good books that have nothing to do with what you are studying
34. Laugh often
35. Be friendly
36. Say I LOVE YOU