Isn’t it great when you stumble upon friends blogs my accident. I’ve come across 2 blogs in the last few weeks from YFC friends: Aslan’s Attic and Johnny Bravo. I wonder how many other secret bloggers there are out there waiting to be discovered?

We had a great day out today. Had a late breakfast/lunch then drove into London, walked along the river, watch a few street entertainers in Covent Garden before having dinner and going off to watch Stomp.

It has become a ‘thing’that we do with our brother/sister-in-law and their children. There is 5 of them and 5 of us and rather than buy a ‘normal’ present we buy each other tickets to see something we can all enjoy.

This year we went to STOMP and took the grandparents along. The show was excellent – incredible how so much junk can be used to make music. The dancers were re-inventing how these things, like brooms, dustbins, buckets etc. could be used and entertaining us massively. I am sure there is a sermon in there somewhere!

You can experience a bit of stomp for yourself from a video link here.

I have just seen my first news reports on the disaster which has happened.

The dead figures are just impossible to comprehend. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to know that half of the town has been killed, or that one million are now homeless in just Sri Lanka alone. These stats are from the BBC website.

Sri Lanka: 18,706 dead

Indonesia: 27,174 dead

India: 4,371 dead

Thailand: 1,516 dead

Maldives: 52 dead

Malaysia: 44 dead

Burma: 30 dead

Bangladesh: 2 dead

Somalia: 100 dead

Kenya: 1 dead

Seychelles: 3 dead

Tanzania: 10 dead

Mass graves are being dug out of necessity to kerb disease. Muslims, Hindus and Christians are pushing aside their traditions and customs in favour of mass graves forte safety of the living.

I feel hopeless and want to do more than ‘just pray’ but prayer is what is needed most. The following agencies, though, are offering aid if you wish to support them:

Cafod

Care International

International Federation of the Red Cross

Oxfam

Save The Children

Unicef

World Vision

At most of these sites you can donate online if you would like to.

The photo shows flip flops of those that were enjoying the beach before the tsunami hit. You can find help praying with pictures here.

You can also read local updates from Messy Christian.

What a great way for the holiday to finish … Gillingham 3, Coventry 1 and Tom and I going mad as we celebrate the goals on the terraces.

Traditionally each year at Christmas people of St Mark’s go on a walk.

This year Lance planned a simple route along the river Medway path for us from Allington Lock to the Millennium Park in Maidstone, where we ate sandwiches, and then back to our starting place – where a number of us then stopped for a drink.

As well as working off some of the calories this gave us a chance to chat and pray together as we walked along the river.

Well … that was Christmas!

At times like this it is gret being a dad of young children. I’ve relived my child hood throuh space invaders and pacman on a TV console. Raced Joe around a scalexctric track and beaten Tom at pool.

We had a fantastic time at Sarah’s parents with the family all enjoying each others company. Grandparents, great grandparents and cousins and uncles were all present. We all get on so well, and the age span of the group is quite massive.

The children particularly love having uncles and aunts and grandparents around. Why do children love their grandparents so much?

On a sad note, this year I decided to annoy people by taking lots of photographs. I suddenly struck me that with very aging and frail great grandparents that this could easily be the last time we all see Christmas together. I hope not; but it will be nic to have the memento anyway.

Right now I feel incredibly blessed and thankful to God that I can enjoy times like these with those I love around me.

I love Christmas.

Christmas Eve is a particular favourite day of ours. For the last few years we have held a birthday party for Jesus. This started as we had young children as did all of our friends. It has become a bit of a tradition now that we all get together from about 5; the adults eat, drink and chat while the children have a birthday party.

After a while, and when we want the children to start thinking about bed, we visit NORAD on the web to find out where Santa is and how long it will be before he arrives. This gives the children an excuse to leave and go to sleep.

I know some will think the mixture of the fact of Jesus birth and the mixing of Santa imagery to not be good – ah well, they are kid and we enjoy the time!

I like this whole evening because the children love it. They are all getting too old to believe in Santa but they all like the event and still wish to believe. I am sure that when they are in their teens we will still hear ‘Aunty Sarah, Uncle Rob we’ve got to have the Jesus birthday party still!’

Events like this are important. It gives children things to remember and instills the specialness of the day which could easily be lost in a feasts of food and wrapping paper.

… and if it does not fall soon I lose a bet with Beth!

Christmas Eve is here and its just got to come today!

It’s a bit of a tradition in our family to all go and see a film together before in the Christmas holiday. Today we went to Bluewater to see The Incredibles.

If you have not seen it, briefly superheroes are banned and have to do something else – but then a need arises for the Incredible family to become superheroes again. The family have been re-located 4 times because dad keeps blowing is cover as he knows he has the power to help the world and can’t just sit back and let bad things happen. Each Wednesday night he and a friend listen in on the police radio and do good by rescuing people or stopping crime.

The film was excellent, as far as cartoons go, and there were some really funny but deep bits. The film says a lot about identity, accepting who we are and being ourselves by being what we are created to be.

There was one line in particular that struck me which Dash said. Dash can run incredibly fast. He is told not to do so as people would guess he was a ‘super’ and they would run them out of town again. Dash finds this hard to cope with and says:

‘I just want to show how fast I run, I want to be special!’

His mum replies, ‘Dash, we are all special’

his response: ‘which is another way of saying none of us are.’

That line really hit me as this is something I say to my children, to the young people that I work with, and is quite a central idea of my ministry. God has created us all and we are all special. Is the belief tat we are all special tantamount to saying that, actually, no one is special? If we, as Christian ministers, say everyone is special to God, are people going away thinking ‘ well, that means no one is special!’ ?

What is special?:

1. Surpassing what is common or usual; exceptional: a special occasion; a special treat.

2.

1. Distinct among others of a kind: a special type of paint; a special medication for arthritis.

2. Primary: His special satisfaction comes from volunteer work.

3. Peculiar to a specific person or thing; particular: my own special chair; the special features of a computer.

4.

1. Having a limited or specific function, application, or scope: a special role in the mission.

2. Arranged for a particular occasion or purpose: a special visit from her daughter.

5. Regarded with particular affection and admiration: a special friend.

6. Additional; extra: a special holiday flight.

I can see the logic of the statement. Surely, special means different and set apart. Can we all e different and set apart? If we are all different and set apart then we can’t all be different and set apart, so no one is special.

But, maybe God sees us all as distinct/unique with a particular role. In this way we can be seen as special.

I know I am special to God. I believe we all are. The Dash statement, however, makes me think more about how we should present this truth to young people and those outside the church. It has made me think about what I say, and what others hear. I have never though, before, about the possible negative side of our message – and maybe it’s time I should be.

but we are all still very very hopeful that it will fall before Christmas Day.