Standing at the portal of the opening of the year!

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So, as we bid a final farewell to 2017 and look ahead to 2018; I thought it would be good to be reminded through the lyrics of the hymn ‘Standing at the portal‘ of God’s goodness and faithfulness. To take all of the fears, trepidations and excitement we have as we bravely face another year and hand them all up to God, knowing that He will never fail us. That He is big enough and strong enough to keep us in 2018.

I love the fact that the hymn is called ‘Standing at the portal‘, it makes me think of the 4 Pevensie children from the ‘Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe‘ as they stepped into that wondrous wardrobe which would transport them from earth to Narnia. They were standing at the portal to another realm and must have been filled with a sense of fear and wonder in that instant before they crossed the threshold. The same goes for everyone of us as we look back at 2017 and look forward to 2018.

What will 2018 hold for you? What will 2018 hold in store for Llandudno Youth for Christ?

One thing I know, the God who has faithfully held us and supported us, will still do so in 2018. The generational God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob will continue to use the work of LLYFC to reach out to young lives with the life changing gospel of Jesus. The ever present great ‘I am’ will be ever present with us through every part of 2018.

So “Onward, then, and fear not, Children of the day; For His Word shall never, Never pass away.” God will be with us as we step into 2018, He has promised to never leave us or forsake us, and when we do cross the threshold of the year, we will find ourselves at home because God is with us, and wherever God is, there our home is, there our heart is. “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:20-21.

So as we step into 2018, say prayers of thanks to our faithful God for all the ways in which He has shown His faithfulness and then pray for His wisdom, His guidance, His provision for you in 2018, and finally praise Him for His presence with you as you step into 2018, hand in hand with the Creator of the Universe –

“So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10

Be blessed and Happy New Year!

Deep Pan, Crips & Even….

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So the joke goes like this – “How does Good King Wenceslas like his pizza?” “Deep pan, crisp & even!” I can already hear the agonised groans. It’s not like everyone hasn’t had their fill of terrible jokes courtesy of Christmas crackers everywhere….

Yes today, the 26th December is St Stephen’s Day, or ‘Boxing Day‘ as it is known traditionally in the UK. The song to which the joke relates is ‘Good King Wenceslas‘, which talks about the feast of Stephen, or St Stephen’s Day. In the lyrics it talks of the snow being ‘deep and crisp and even‘; hence the pizza joke.

Now, not everyone agrees upon the reason we call the day ‘Boxing Day‘, but for me the most reasonable explanation is that it comes from an old tradition where servants, after having waited on and served their masters in the hall or great house of the estate on Christmas Day, would be allowed the following day off to visit family, and part of this day off was the receiving from their masters of a box filled with gifts, financial bonuses and sometimes leftover food.

British diarist Samuel Pepys also mentions in an entry from 19th December 1663, the custom of tradespeople, such as postmen, collecting ‘Christmas Boxes’ full of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks from their customers for their good service during the year.

Another way people have explained the name of ‘Boxing Day‘ is that in the early years of the Christian church under the Roman Empire, metal boxes were placed outside churches and they were collected in on Christmas Day and then the  monies raised were distributed to the poor during the feast of St Stephen, which is that same day as ‘Boxing Day‘: Hence the name.

Whatever the reason, behind the origin of the name; it is great to see that we have a reminder that Christmas is not about stuffing our faces with stuffing and other foods, but about God generously giving out of His richness to a world impoverished and in need.

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” – 2 Corinthinas 8:9.

Just as Jesus came down to earth as a baby, humbling himself and thinking of our need, let us this ‘Boxing Day‘ think of others in need and in some way bless those who are struggling this Christmas; maybe contact an organisation such as the Conwy Food Bank and see how you can donate food that will be a true Godsend to someone at this time, or in some other way help, volunteer, or bless those around you.

Whilst talking of blessing those around you, I want to take this time to thank all of our amazing volunteers with Llandudno Youth for Christ. Brilliant people who take time out of their lives to help us make an impact in the lives of young people in our area. We really appreciate you and all that you do, and pray that you have had a blessed Christmas, and we look forward to what God is going to do through the work of LLYFC, with you as an integral part of that work. As the apostle Paul would often call those who ministered with him, you are our fellow workers in God’s service.

So, this ‘Boxing Day‘ not only be blessed, but be a blessing!

Hail the Son of Righteousness! – Merry Christmas

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A very merry Christmas to all of our amazing supporters!

“Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris’n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King!”

It’s Christmas day and we are celebrating Jesus’ birth.

A light in our darkness.

The Saviour of the world has come, and the world would never be the same again.

So this Christmas, may Jesus, the Light of the world illuminate your life and bring you great joy and peace.

Be blessed and merry Christmas!

 

He came down…

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At Christmas time we can become too familiar with the words of the songs and carols we sing; like when we do anything many times, it becomes automatic and we don’t think about what we are doing. We drive a car or write a letter and don’t have to stop and think about every single move we make along the way; we just do it.

The same can happen as we sing songs; especially at Christmas time; with many of the carols written in forms of English that is no-longer used; we just gloss over them and enjoy the melody and the whole sentiment of enjoying singing at Christmas, but don’t engage with the amazing truths that the Christmas carols that we sing bring to us.

In the top 10 of Christmas carols, (you can comment below on what are your favourite carols and why) I’m sure the following would definitely appear – ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing‘, ‘Joy to the World‘, ‘O Come all ye Faithful‘, ‘Once in Royal David’s City‘, ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem‘, ‘Silent Night‘ and of course ‘Away in a Manger‘.

Any of those songs above in the Christmas list can be sung without us really thinking about what they mean, to us and to the world around us.

Let’s look at some of these lyrics and see how they can reveal to us the amazing wonder and good news of Christmas: ‘Joy to the World , the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room,..’ – wow! This song declares that Jesus is the King of the whole world and encourages us to let Him into our hearts; what a brilliant message at Christmas.

‘How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given! So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven. No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive him still, the dear Christ enters in.’ – I love these lines from ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem‘, they truly convey to me the wonder of Christmas, that Jesus didn’t come with pomp and ceremony, but humbly and simply and wants to be a part of our lives.

Now the impetus for this post came after watching a video by the Christian outreach ministry ‘Speak Life‘, that was titled ‘He came down’ and refers back to the line in ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ – ‘He came down to earth from heaven, who is Lord and God of all.’

That single line really impacted me, like I’d never read it before.

‘He came down…who is Lord and God of all.’ This tiny baby, God in the flesh. God with us.

The earth shakes, the heavens roar at the audacious love of our Saviour.

God become man – ‘pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel’ (from ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’). It makes me want to kneel in awe and wonder before my Creator, lying in a manger, wrapped in swaddling, small, humble, fragile, yet fully God.

Amazing.

So as you prepare to celebrate Christmas, take time to be awed and amazed by the God who came down.

Be blessed and a Merry Christmas!

(The original video that inspired this Blog post)

A long time ago in a little town far, far, away….

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Last night at our last ‘Redefine‘ of 2017, we held our amazing leaders Nativity. It was again our take on the Christmas nativity story; titled ‘Hobbit Wars‘.

We did a mash up of characters from the Lord of the Rings & Star Wars stories and had them as the characters from the nativity story.

Joseph was Bilbo Baggins, Mary was Princess Leia, the Angel Gabriel was Gandalf the Grey, The 3 Wise Men (I know the Bible doesn’t directly state there were only 3) were Han Solo, Chewbacca & BB8, The Shepherds were Dwarves from the Lonely Mountain and King Herod was Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Herod’s soldiers were Imperial Stormtroopers, plus we threw Gollum into the mix so that he could have fight with Darth Vader.

It was hilarious and a lot of fun to do. We will be posting the segments that we had pre-recorded on video to our Facebook page.

We are not the only people who have ever done alternative versions of the Nativity. Here are some examples of other versions of the Nativity.

Christmas According to Kids

Bethlehemian Rhapsody

As you can see there are many different ways that people have creatively retold the Christmas story; with 2 of them being winning entries from the Nativity Factor: A competition that ran from 2011 to 2014 for people to create videos that re-tell the Christmas story in engaging and relevant visual ways that help people to refocuss on the real meaning of Christmas – “We believe the birth of Jesus needs to be re-told in a way that engages our generation and the one to come. The Nativity Factor offers the opportunity to communicate it in a fresh way.”

The same motivation is behind the ‘Redefine‘ leaders’ Nativity. We are not trying to be irreverent, but by putting the Christmas story into a different setting, we are aiming at highlighting the amazing truth that God came to earth as a baby to live as one of us and to die for all of us. This is the amazing wonder and truth of Christmas – Emmanuel – God with us!

We also do it to have fun together as we celebrate the message of Christmas. The message of the Good News of Jesus.

“And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” – Luke 2:9-12

So this Christmas as you celebrate with friends and family, think about the amazing truth of Jesus, come as a baby to die for all of us. This truly is good news.

Have a blessed Christmas!

 

The Hunt for Red December….

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Well we’ve just had a white Christmas, so we do not need to hunt for the snow, we had a lovely disruptive drop of flakes on Sunday. My kids loved it. Catching snowflakes on their tongues and having a snowball fight with mum & dad in the garden. The title of this post hearkens back to the 1990 film ‘The Hunt for Red October’ which is based upon a Tom Clancy novel of the same name. However, instead of an elusive soviet submarine, it is ‘Santa Claus’ that we are hunting for; he is the man in ‘Red’ in December.

This is a link into one of the main events at our ‘Spark‘ Christmas Bonanza. We will be holding an epic ‘Hunt for Santa‘ game, and it is not to be missed. So please do come along to ‘Spark‘ if you are aged between 11 and 18 years of age. For more details see our ‘What a Bonanaza’ blog post.

I’m also writing the post to speak about the real ‘Santa Claus‘, not the jolly red elf of our present day traditions, but St Nicholas, the real inspiration behind the myth.

The real St Nicholas was a Christian that lived in Asia Minor during the 4th century A.D. He was also called Nicholas of Bari or Nikolaos of Myra and was in-fact the Bishop of Myra. HE was born on 15th March 270 A.D. in Patara, Lycia and died on 6th December 343 A.D. He is the patron saint of children, sailors, repentant thieves, merchants, brewers, archers, students and pawnbrokers in various cities and countries around Europe. The whole gift giving aspect surrounding this saint is from his most famous exploit of surreptitiously providing the money needed for a wedding dowry for a poor man’s 3 unmarried daughters. In all of the variations of the stories he provides in different ways 3 purses of gold that he delivers into their house under the cover of darkness, in order for his generosity to remain secret. It is from this that we get the modern day story of ‘Santa’ delivering gifts to children on Christmas Eve.

One of his most famous exploits (thought said to be possibly apocryphal) is that he was said to have been so angry with the heretical presbyter Arius for his teaching about Jesus, that he hit him in the face.

St Nicholas is also called Nicholas the wonderworker due to all of the miracles that occur throughout his life as God answers his prayers. Such as the calming of the sea during a storm whilst he was on his way to Jerusalem and the bringing back to life of a sailor that had been killed during the aforementioned storm.

As you can see St Nicholas was a dedicated, if like all of us flawed, follower of Jesus and was passionate about the gospel, not only in word, but in deed. Not the mystical and magical man in a red suit that is portrayed in films at Christmas, but a servant of God that knew he was dependant on God for provision and life. A man who knew that the true gift of Christmas is not found in shiny paper under the Christmas Tree, but in a feeding trough in Bethlehem all those many years ago; Jesus – the Saviour of the world.

So this Christmas, may you have a blessed time, and if you have not received God’s greatest gift, Jesus; I pray that you do.

Have a great week-end, and don’t forget to come to ‘Spark‘.

 

What a Bonanza

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This is a very quick blog to let everyone know about our upcoming Spark North Wales Christmas event.

On Saturday 16th December we will be holding a ‘Christmas Bonanza‘.

A bonanza is something that is very valuable, profitable or rewarding, or it can be used as a synonym for ‘extravaganza‘ – a lavish or spectacular show or event. So we are telling you that this Christmas ‘Spark‘ event is going to be a spectacular event that will be very valuable and rewarding for everyone that comes.

It is going to be held at Gloddaeth Church in Llandudno and will start at 5pm, running though till 7pm; and for those who want a little bit extra, we will be showing a Christmas Movie from 7pm, which will run till 9pm.

It’s going to be a great time; with an epic ‘Hunt for Santa‘ game, a Christingle activity, carols by candlelight and of course loads of lovely festive food.

This is all free for 11-18 years old. So if you are an 11-18 year old, or you know one who you think would enjoy coming to the ‘Spark‘ Christmas Bonanza, then do let them know.

I’ve posted the poster for the event here, so you can share with others too.

Thank you, and be blessed!

Sparkle & Shine

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This week, wherever I travel, as the sun goes down and the nights draw in; I’m seeing more and more Christmas lights appearing in the windows of houses and shops. All of the lights have been switched on in Llandudno, Rhos-on-Sea, Colwyn Bay, indeed throughout the whole of North Wales and beyond, the whole of the UK is ablaze with Christmas lights.

My children love this, and my son and I were playing a game of who can spot the Christmas lights first as we drove home last night from visiting the grandparents’ house. It so glorious to see the lights hanging from windows, trees and lamp-posts everywhere. They bring joy, light and sparkle into the darkness of winter.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16 (NKJV). Jesus instructed his disciples to be lights in the darkness of this world: to make a difference and by the light that they shine, to direct people to the source of the light within them; Jesus, the Light of the world. “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colours in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” – Matt 5:14-16 (Msg)

So in the same way that the Christmas lights sparkle and shine and bring joy to those around them; you too can sparkle and shine with God’s love to those around you.

Another place where there will be sparkle and shine this Christmas is at the ‘Spark‘ North Wales Christmas event.

On Saturday 16th December Llandudno Youth for Christ will be holding another of our ‘Spark‘ events. It will be a fantastic night.

The Spark Christmas Bonanza will feature an epic ‘Hunt for Santa‘ game, some carols by candlelight, a classic Christingle and an optional late night Christmas movie.

We are really looking forward to this night, and hope that those of you reading this blog post will share about it in your church, youth group or Christian community and let any young people you think might be interested in coming along all about it.

The event will start at 5pm and run till 7pm, with the optional Christmas movie running from 7pm until around 9pm for those want to make a real fun night of it.

It will be held at Gloddaeth Church, Llandudno, LL30 2SY.

Please do pray for the night too, that everyone that comes has a fun, safe time, and that lives will be changed by God’s love.

Be blessed, and continue to ‘Sparkle & Shine‘

Don’t vent over advent!

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This Sunday, the 3rd of December marks the start of the season of Advent. It is indeed the first Sunday of Advent. The time when we start preparing our hearts for celebrating the coming of Jesus. It is a time of joyful anticipation, however it can become a time of stress and dread for many as they head towards the season of peace and goodwill.

Instead of thinking about the amazing news of God coming to earth as a tiny baby to be the Saviour of all mankind, they are faced with shopping queues, mounting debt, fights with relatives and friends, the remembrance of lost loved ones and loneliness. It is not a time of joy, hope, peace & love.

I think that is because we lose sight of the Saviour amidst all of the tinsel, turkey & trimmings, and the season loses its meaning. Loses its reason. It just becomes something to be endured and not cherished.

There is no life to it without the life-giver.

The stress and fear that people of Israel were under when Jesus was born in Bethlehem is similar to how people feel in troubled parts of the world today; places where there is oppression and war. The Jews had been conquered, yet again, by a foreign power, this time the Romans and they were being ruled by a puppet monarchy. They were oppressed, like in the days of Moses, and were crying out to God for a deliverer. The song ‘O come, o come emmanuel’ resounds with this sentiment.

God in His goodness, mercy, faithfulness & grace heard their cries and sent Himself to be their Saviour, though he came in a way they could have never imagined.

So this advent, don’t allow the pressures to build up and lead you to ‘vent‘, but instead take time with Jesus, ‘Emmanuel – God with us’ and refocus upon the reason for the season (I know it sounds a bit trite, but it’s true) and allow his love to bring the peace to you that your heart needs.

Just like the Jewish people did all those many years ago, as you call our to God, He will be faithful to hear your cries and respond.

Let him know about your fears, your loneliness, your family troubles, your grief. He is big enough and strong enough to handle them all and bring the comfort you need.

Also if you want more information about Advent, perhaps you might like to check out a great resource from Youth for Christ – our Request website.

I’ll leave you now with a lovely song by Bebo Norman called Born to Die.

Be blessed and have a peaceful advent!

Love is in the air…

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I do love blog posts with a song lyric title don’t I?..This one is taken from John Paul Young’s song ‘Love is in the air‘ as used in the film ‘Strictly Ballroom‘.

I am titling this ‘love is in the air‘ because this week, two of our amazing volunteers at Llandudno Youth for Christ are getting married! Yay!!! So looking forward to seeing these guys tie the knot and enter the covenant of marriage.

Marriage is an amazing covenant that God has instituted that gives us a picture of Jesus and his church. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church – for we are members of his body. ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ This is a profound mystery – but I am talking about Christ and the church.” – Ephesians 5:25-32

In marriage, we see and image of Jesus as the one who loves us so much that he willingly died on the cross for us, to save and restore us. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8.

He considered us to be worth it. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” – Hebrews 12:1-2.

A Canadian worship band called The City Harmonic wrote a song that beautifully encapsulates this idea – it is called ‘Holy (Wedding Day)‘. In it we see a love story between Jesus and his bride, the church (which is made up of every believer). A love story that is still in the making as more and more people realise the truth of how much God loves us, and how much he has done to make a way for us to be restored to relationship with him.

It is a story that will culminate in a great wedding feast at the end of the age, where we can all truly sing that ‘love is in the air‘.

So this Thursday as we celebrate with two of our volunteers as they publicly declare their love for each other and enter into the sacred covenant of marriage, let us also think about how much Jesus loves us and publicly demonstrated that by dying on the cross for us, and let us look forward to that great day when we will celebrate the wedding feast of the Lamb.

Be blessed!