Musings

Peeps, hopefully all your Christmas shopping is done! As we brace ourselves for Storm Barbara in the UK, it is lovely to be indoors with an abundance of Christmas cheer (anyone who’s grumpy, please leave!). Now to wrap a mound of presents and turn up the Christmas music! Will everyone like their gifts? ‘Well, it’s the thought that counts,’ we say to ourselves….. The year is sometime between 4 and 2 B.C. (thanks to the miscalculations of Dionysius Exiguus) and the Magi are arranging a trip from the East to Bethlehem to see the Promised Messiah, who has been born to Mary and Joseph. They are coming to worship the One revealed to them as the ‘King of the Jews’ and it follows they should bring gifts fit for a King.   In the ancient world, gold, frankincense and myrrh were often given as gifts to honour a deity. The Magi had not only understood that the Christ-Child was ‘King of the Jews’, but that He was to be worshipped as God ! How appropriate were the first Christmas gifts...

Freddie Mercury, who tragically died 25 years ago today from AIDS, recorded "The Show Must Go On" 6 weeks prior to his death. How sad and hopeless are the sentiments of the song: ...what are we living for? ...does anybody know what we are looking for? ...does anybody want to take it anymore? ...inside my heart is breaking ...I'll leave it all to chance Maybe some of you are asking the same questions. Is your existence hopeless? Do you know why you are here? The moment you understand the purpose of your life, you'll never be the same again. Your Creator made you for a purpose. He made you in His image to have fellowship with Him and live for eternal values, but sin has separated you from Him and that victorious life. He will never override your free will, but as you ignore Him and live in 'empty spaces', His heart is breaking! Come to Him for real life! Receive His Spirit and taste ETERNAL life on this earth and in the life to come. Read God's vers...

Recently, I stood at the open grave of a much beloved relative who had told the preacher not to pay tribute to her in his eulogy, but rather to speak much of her wonderful Saviour before his audience. How beautiful! A person who lives with the goal of glorifying Christ is indeed a precious soul on earth and is well known in the courts of Heaven. People who worship God not only in song but with their whole manner of living are people who carry His presence with them. A worshipping heart is a humble, thankful heart inspired by God’s love to put Him first in their lives and to reach out to a hurting world. A worshipping heart neither complains nor grumbles about circumstances, but brings a spirit of peace into the midst. This was evident in my relative’s life. What a great example to follow! When we are tempted to feel dismayed or overwhelmed by events, sometimes it is necessary to listen to a song and worship! When we get our eyes off the problems and focus on the a...

I faced a mountain, That I never faced before That's why I'm calling on the Lord I know it's been awhile, But Lord please hear my prayer I need you like I never have before. Chorus: Sometimes it takes a mountain Sometimes a troubled sea Sometimes it takes a desert To get a hold of me Your Love is so much stronger Than whatever troubles me Sometimes it takes a mountain To trust you and believe Forgive me, Jesus I thought I could control Whatever life would throw my way But this I will admit Has brought me to my knees I need you Lord and I'm not ashamed to say... Who ever said life would be easy? The Lord did not promise us a bed of roses, but despite the intensity of the difficulty or burden, Christ's love is stronger. The Christian has a power which can overcome any problem we have to face and leads ultimately to a life of victory. The power which raised Christ from the dead is in us! This is affirmed at least twice in the New Testament by the apost...

Many languages in the world refer to the Easter period with the proper word e.g French - Pâques, Greek - Πάσχα (Pascha), Russian - Пасха (Paska), even Esperanto - Paska! These words are derived from Aramaic פסחא , cognate to Hebrew פֶּסַח (Pesach), i.e Passover, the time when Jesus was crucified, according to the Gospel records. Our word 'Easter', German 'Ostern', is derived from Ēastre, the name of a pagan goddess associated with spring. No matter when we celebrate (according to the Gregorian or the Julian calendar or at Passover) the fact remains - the MOST IMPORTANT EVENT in history took place at the appointed time! Many of us contemplate it very often, perhaps even every day! An accurate description of what would happen at the cross is found in the Old Testament. Isaiah 53 was written over 700 years before the birth of the Lord and was fulfilled when He was crucified. Let the words speak for themselves: 1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom ...

I must admit, I love the morning. The peace, the silence, the coffee... And most importantly, the presence of God! The Psalmist loved the morning. We can catch his sense of joy as he lifted up his heart to praise Yahweh, the Keeper of his soul. It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night, On an instrument of ten strings, On the lute, And on the harp, With harmonious sound. For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands. Psalm 92:1-4 Even though I grew up in a Christian family, I did not realize the importance of having a ‘quiet time’ with God each morning until I was 18. This materialized through a challenging teaching on the subject one Saturday evening. Then began an incredible journey of discovering truth for myself. The Bible is the LIVING WORD OF GOD! How exciting to hold it in our hands and learn throu...

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.   Proverbs 3:5-6 Enjoying the truth of these verses today and have read them in many places recently. It is often pointed out that our lives are like a tapestry being woven by all the events and choices of our days.   While we often only see the underside of the intricate weaving, a beautiful picture will be the outcome if we submit our lives to the Lord!

Some time ago, I wrote a blog in Macedonian about how to obtain eternal life according to the Bible and it seems to have attracted significant attention particularly in the Ukraine. I have no idea if a Ukrainian can understand much Macedonian, but perhaps there are enough similarities in the language to grasp the gist. As I write, my thoughts will come to me in English, but I will also refer to some of the material from that previous blog. The past few weeks have witnessed the exit of several renowned 'players' who have graced this earthly stage. I am sure you have seen the famous quote of David Bowie circulating the net: I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise it won't be boring. Time and time again people claim we cannot know what is on the other side as no one has ever returned from there. That is not strictly true. The Messiah, Jesus Christ, came from there, eternity, to tell us how it is and what is required of us to enter. Yet we happ...

There's nothing more beautiful than entering God's presence in our brokenness and have the Essence of Love fill our hearts with His presence and gentleness. He is such a loving Father who embraces us through the power of His Holy Spirit in grace and truth.  Sometimes we turn away from Him and go our own way, but He's waiting to draw us back to Himself 'with cords of love.'  Listen to the Words of the Saviour, the Giver of Life: Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light .  Matthew 11:28-30 We are to come as we are because He knows everything about us anyway. If you hear Him calling today, do not harden your heart. As the song below says: Are you hurting and broken within? Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin? Jesus is calling Have you come to the end of yoursel...