Earth is crammed with heaven

I made my Christmas cake this morning. Well actually, the mixture is ready to go in the oven. No greaseproof paper to line the tin....schoolgirl error! I love this time of year. I love Advent, I think even more than Christmas itself. I love the anticipation... the wonder... the excitement... In a way it's a relief for us as a family to have something normal happening in our lives for a change. The loss of Chris's parents, my Grandad, and my Dad this year has left us reeling. Nothing is as it usually is, So the normality of Advent is very welcome. Anyway, back to the Christmas cake.                                                                 My kitchen...

It's confession time! Psalm 23 was never a favourite of mine. I'd learnt it at school. Sang countless arrangements of it. Heard it read over and over again. But somehow it never really filtered through.   Until about a year ago. 'Certainties' in my life have become less and less, so I have come to cry out more and more to the shepherd who supplies all I need.   The Shepherd who Leads... Guides... Restores... Protects... Provides...   A friend shared this with me today. It spoke to my heart and brought a tear to my eye. Be blessed x   The Lord is my constant companion. There is no need that He cannot fulfill. Whether His course for me points to the mountaintops of glorious joy or to the valleys of human suffering, He is by my side. He is ever present with me, He is close beside me when I tread the dark streets of danger, and even when I flirt with death itself, ...   He will not leave me. When the pain is sev...

Today is Stir Up Sunday. The last Sunday before Advent is traditionally the day to make your Christmas Puddings. But if that idea doesn't fill you with joy, then maybe take a moment to think about this. 'Stir up O Lord, the wills of your faithful people.' It's from the Book of Common Prayer, and it's where this Sunday gets it name from. My circumstances are very different this year. I have choices about how I spend this Advent Season. What about you? Before we get caught up in the whirlwind of Christmas, how about being stirred up a bit? Not to make us more frantic, but to look at things differently. Perhaps even to really see Jesus this Christmas. 'And he shall be called Immanuel.... God with us.' Matthew 1:23 Happy Stir Up Sunday. Enjoy your pud!

I am trapped upstairs for a few hours. It's ok. In fact it's infinitely preferable to the prospect of being downstairs. Upstairs I have space, warmth, books, magazines, and a cup of tea. Downstairs there are two rooms piled high with furniture and stuff, and a floor I can't walk on until it dries. Upstairs, I am content. Downstairs, before I completed the necessary gymnastic feat to get my foot on the stairs, I was miserable. Who was it that said, "I'm in my own little world. It's ok, they know me here."? Psalm 91:4 says "He will cover you with his feathers, He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armour and protection." Under His feathers I am safe. I may be here a while.

I got a surprise in the post today. My friend Julie, who I know prays for me a lot, sent me a peace lily. The instructions made me smile Your Peace Lily will tell you when it hasn't been watered as its leaves will droop (but try to avoid it reaching that stage)! That sounds familiar.... Last week I had a line of a song going through my head. Something about a soft robe wrapping me up in his love. He gives you peace like a river, washing away all your fears. He gives you light, like a new day, glowing through all your tears. He gives you joy, like a soft robe wrapping you up in His love. He gives you strength, like an eagle, hovering high above. He came hoping to show you the way to be free. He came dying to love you, so you could see how to see. He gives you hope, like fresh laughter bubbling out of a child. He gives you life that’s unending, loving you all the while. Why not pray it for you and your family, as I pray it over mine. May the peace of God, which trans...

In some ways I feel as if I'm losing everything I once held dear at the moment. Nothing is as it was. But this is what I cling on to. God loves me. I trust Him.