Advent resources

Beginning the Jesse tree - documented on my home blog, with many other ideas for Advent study - has got me thinking of other resources, too. Pinterest is fantastic for ideas on a Jesse tree symbol exchange.

Brilliant prayer ideas from 24-7, based on Light, Peace, Love, Hope and Joy..

Something to think about - next year.

Advent. First day.

Advent begins today. I can't begin with any words of my own, because Pete Greig's beautiful, lyrical words and The Piano Guys beautiful, lyrical rendering of 'O Come O Come Emmanuel' have filled my heart:

"God of all hope and light and colour, I ask you to come again into the darkness of our world. We need you more this year than ever.

Father God, since you love the world you have made, love us again with your presence. Give us again your son, that the darkness and crying and dying, would be displaced by his unexpected light and love and life.

Immanuel, come quickly to us again. Visit the lonely elderly and those in prison. Be born again in the divided town of Bethlehem. Become a refugee again in the sprawling camps of Lebanon and Greece. Return to rule in the dark streets of Aleppo. Come again to the frightened people of Ukraine, Yemen and North Korea. And please Lord Jesus, would you see my need too? Would you visit my home, my hopes my heart again this Advent?

Spirit of God, you who moved over the primordial chaos and somehow created beauty, create peace again from the chaos of our world. Intercede and groan for us at this time. Fill us with love and joy, peace and patience, kindness and self control. Make us agents of reconciliation. Anoint us again to take Good News to the poor, to proclaim this year - even this year - as the Jubilee of God's favour.

And so we carve you a dirty manger in the darkest corners of our lives today. We prepare a place for the community of heaven at our table - the true altar of our homes. Let the smell of baking bread fill this season. Let the dead red wine begin to breathe before the feast.

I choose quite defiantly to make space in the busyness and perfectionism of this season. It's time to change the dirty sheets in the spare room. In worship we will roll out some kind of red carpet for your reign in the streets where we dwell, we'll prepare a VIP reception in the places we work. We will join with the groaning of creation, praying the oldest, most desperate, most important words the church ever prayed:

'Maranatha:
Come quickly Lord Jesus.'"

And so I pray for God to show me how, in my hectic world of school and gloomy tiredness in the dark of winter, when i find myself secretly longing to be in the clear light of New Zealand for a time, I can do something small which will fill my heart with God's purpose. 

A prayer for a sick girl.

Baking for a harried mother.

Kindness and flowers to an elderly friend. 

Pausing to take in the wonder of nature: sunrises, sunsets, birds in the garden and overhead.

Perhaps my prayer is already answered.

Wise advice and inspiration

Collecting together sohttp://proverbs31.org/devotions/devo/the-freedom-of-releasing-regrets/me life-reviving, life-saving links:

• Breaking up with perfect, Amy Carroll - releasing regrets, particularly regarding parenting.

Prayer for the nation, 24-7 prayer  and inspiration for initiatives.

Jennie Allan - drawing close to God through risk.

Tips for helping children respond to Bible stories with Flame Creative Ministries.

Giving to God, from John Piper.

Lovely Lysa Terkeust with her wisdom on rejection

God's purpose now from Oswald Chambers

and Peter Jobes of Sixty Stadia with some wise words about idols.

Little things?

Three tiny nudges today, within a few minutes of each other, which I hope to remember:

"Without a vision, the people perish." A verse from Proverbs 29 (v18) which refers to the keeping of the laws, where God blesses everyone who obeys the law and society prospers.

And, perhaps, also individually: "If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves;But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed."

And so, not wanting to lack vision, I pray for one.

Meanwhile, God reminds me of one of the ways in which to gain His vision.

Through a seminar on suffering and the experience of John Donne when he was locked in isolation while suffering from the plague, I am reminded of the need to dig deep into myself, letting God reveal insights into who I am.

Nearly five hundred years later, a young girl confesses that she avoids isolation, avoids the desert place, avoids being alone with God for fear of plunging into the depths of her own soul.

And 24-7 prayer reminds me of how wonderful it IS to be in prayer, to be in God's presence, to trust that he will reveal truth to me in and from the depth of my soul.

I am, after all, created in God's own image. Created to be in relationship, in conversation of speaking and listening; created to be whole.

Created and blessed to share His vision.
And so, not wanting to lack vision, I pray for one. Alone with God and the depths of my soul.

Names of God...

I was trying to remember the names of God the other evening, when we were taking part in the 24-7 prayer room at a neighbouring church. (A wonderful experience - so calm and peaceful, time flew by.)
So I found them here.
Jehovah - The Lord - Exodus 6:2-3
Jehovah-Adon Kal Ha'arets- Lord of All the Earth - Joshua 3:13
Jehovah-Bara - Lord Creator - Isaiah 40:28
Jehovah-Chatsahi - Lord my Strength - Psalm 27:1
Jehovah-Chereb - Lord the Sword - Deuteronomy 33:29
Jehovah-Eli - Lord my God - Psalm 18:2
Jehovah-Elyon - Lord Most High - Psalm 38:2
Jehovah-Gador Milchamah - Mighty in Battle - Ps 24:8
Jehovah-Ganan - Lord Our Defense - Psalm 89:18
Jehovah-Go'el - Lord My Redeemer - Isaiah 49:26, 60:16
Jehovah-Hamelech - Lord King - Psalm 98:6
Jehovah-Hashopet - Lord My Judge - Judges 6:27
Jehovah-Helech 'Olam - Lord King Forever - Psalm10:16
Jehovah-Hoshe'ah - Lord Saves - Psalm 20:9
Jehovah-Jireh - The Lord Will See To It - Genesis 22:14
Jehovah-Kabodhi - Lord my Glory - Psalm 3:3
Jehovah-Kanna - Lord Jealous - Exodus 34:14
Jehovah-Keren-Yish'i - Horn of Salvation - Ps 18:2
Jehovah-Machsi - Lord my Refuge - Psalm 91:9
Jehovah-Magen - Lord my Shield - Deuteronomy 33:29
Jehovah-Ma'oz - Lord my Fortress - Jeremiah 16:19
Jehovah-Mephalti - Lord my Deliverer - Psalm 18:2
Jehovah-Metshodhathi - Lord my Fortress - Psalm 18:2
Jehovah-Misqabbi - Lord my High Tower - Psalm 18:2
Jehovah-M'gaddishcem - Lord my Sanctifier - Exodus 31:13
Jehovah-Naheh - Lord who Smites - Ezekiel 7:9
Jehovah-Nissi - The Lord is My Banner - Exodus 17:15
Jehovah-Rohi - The Lord is My Shepherd - Psalm 23:1
Jehovah-Rapha - The Lord is My Healer - Isaiah 53:4,5
Jehovah-Sabaoth - Lord of Hosts - I Kingdoms (I Samuel) 1:3
Jehovah-Sel'i - Lord my Rock - Psalm 18:2
Jehovah-Shalom - The Lord is Peace - Isaiah 9:6
Jehovah-Shammah - The Lord is Present - Ezekiel 48:35
Jehovah-Tsidkenu - The Lord is Righteousness - Jeremiah 23:6
Jehovah-Tsori - Lord my Strength - Psalm 19:14
Jehovah-Yasha - Lord my Savior - Isaiah 49:26
Jehovah-'Ez-Lami - Lord my Strength - Psalm 28:7
Jehovah-'Immeku - Lord Is With You - Judges 6:12
Jehovah-'Izoa Hakaboth - Lord Strong -Mighty - Psalm 24:8
Jehovah-'Ori - Lord my Light - Psalm 27:1
Jehovah-'Uzam - Lord is My Strength When in Trouble - Isaiah 49:26

Church

I'm sure I've mentioned before about struggling, sometimes, to experience real praise and worship in church. Sometimes, I've determined to go with a correct attitude, regardless of how I feel. Sometimes, I've come away feeling even more disassociated - it's almost as if the choice of hymns and prayers have been chosen to alienate me even further!
Yet, as Lisa notes in her post 'When Church Leaves You Dry'. it IS all about our attitude. About finding Jesus in the 'whitespace' outside of the Sunday morning gathering.
It's about listening to the words in spite of the tune, listening to the spirit in spite of the words, listening to hearts in spite of prejudices...finding crumbs of community over coffee afterwards, seeking to give...  a reminder to rejoice in the 'small things', in the white spaces that 'surround the gathering'.

A lovely thought about prayer..

How about this - isn't it lovely?

1 Thessalonians 5:17  Don't let anything interfere with your prayer life. (Lovett)

Don't let ANYTHING interfere with talking to God!

Pete Greig on faith

Pete Greig, founder of the 24-7 prayer movement, is a writer who is very easy to read. I really liked this blog on faith.