The value of family - a reflection on the Holy Family

Happy Christmas everyone!

Now before everyone goes to me and says, it's past Christmas Day... I know, but the season of Christmas runs till the end of Epiphany so I'm allowed to wish you all :)

With that out of the way, time to get into this weeks blog post.

For those who don't know, today is the feast day of the Holy Family- a celebration of the gift of Mary, Joseph and Jesus to us all and a time of thanks for the great work each of them did to ensure the faith remains alive and well in society, even in 2014.

Now I won't go into what Jesus did in this trinity - if you really want to know, go look it up in the four gospels in the Bible (for those playing at home, they're the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). Let's just say he did a whole lot to ensure we are continually saved no matter what mistakes we make and for that we should always be eternally grateful.

Mary, well it was her yes that allowed God to give us the greatest gift of all, his son on this earth to teach and to save us from sin and provide ultimate mercy. She did this despite knowing full well she could be outcast, even put to death for being seen as not following the Jewish law of marriage before children and she did this knowing that she would have the biggest pressure of all being the mother for the Saviour of the world. Along the way, as we know from the bible, it wasn't easy- from losing her son for three days after he ran away, to having to watch in agony as her son was crucified to death - not to mention all the years in-between where family and friends would've been questioning her about her sons choice of life. Yet despite all the difficulties and challenges, Mary showed immense peace and always listened to God word. In this trinity, she is the one who helps us to have an example of how God can bring peace and joy to any situation, and she is the one who we see as the carer for us all, even some 2000 years later.

And then we come to Joseph. He's the forgotten one sometimes in this family- I mean he wasn't even Jesus' Dad technically- God was. He was more the caretaker dad while Jesus was on earth. But despite being forgotten by some, he's got a very important role to play in the story.

It was Joseph who gave Mary the courage to carry the son of God into the world, even though he knew very well the consequences of his decision. He trusted God entirely and while he was hesitant at first, once he heard the angel, he didn't think twice about being ostracized by his family and community, being forced to travel hundred of kilometres to escape persecution, to protect his family at every whim and sacrifice all he had, even to the point of running to Egypt. Joseph's courage and commitment to the cause I am sure gave hope and belief to Mary that she could do this, and through Joseph's openness to God, our Lord ensured that Joseph was ready at every step of the journey. For those who want a role model of Courage in God, Joseph is your man - never giving in to the challenges and always standing
up for the truth and for what mattered to him, his family, no matter the cost.

Now these descriptions are not meant to be historically or biblically correct, but rather are just my insights into what I see in each of these members of the Holy Family. They are however meant to show just how vital each part of the Holy family is.

In the same way the family we have today, whether they are blood related, faith related or friend related are just as important and follow the same sort of structure.

Each of them has a value of some sort and without them, there would be something missing in the vital cog that makes our lives what they are today.

During this Christmas season, I invite each one of you to spend time with your family and see what gifts and talents they may have. You might not have ever thought about this area of your relationship, but it's vital as doing so will allow you to see why they are important. It's an importance that allows you to be humble in life, to love others even when they annoy you and to see them as the Children God made them to be.

I wish you and all your family (whether they are blood related or related through friendship) a wonderful Christmas season and may you continue to inspire each other (even in the challenging times) towards a deeper relationship with God.

Till next time...

The 5 reasons why persistence is the key

Persistence- it's a word we get told so often that sometimes it loses it's meaning. If you're struggling with something, the first thing someone will normally do is say... 'Oh it's ok, just keep persisting and you'll get there'.

But just why is persistence so important. Why can't we just try something, not do well at it and then move on to something else?

Well hopefully these next five points will answer the question above and also give you the will to persist in all areas of your life, no matter how challenging they may be...

1. It builds character - If we never failed at things, we wouldn't be able to know what we were truly good at, what we've been placed on this world for and how we are called to make a difference. In a similar way, if we gave up on everything we do after the first attempt, we'd never know what we're good at either. We need to persist to know who we are and what our limits are.



2. It helps change the world - If we didn't persist through things, greatness would never occur. Imagine if Martin Luther King had given up at his first attempt of trying to rally for equal rights or Steve Jobs had given up after the downturn in Apple while he was exiled from the company in the mid 90s. The reason that great things occur is because people are willing to mess up time and time again until they get it right. I always like to think of Thomas Edison for this one. 1000 attempts and he didn't get it but when he did, the light bulb change history as we know it forever- and it was all due to persistence.



3. Because the aim of life isn't to be perfect - a guy who was formerly in the Army once said to me that the people who didn't succeed in the army were normally not the ones who lacked skills on arrival, but the ones who lacked the attitude to keep going when they hit obstacles. The same is true about life. If there's one thing I've learnt this year it's that most things don't get perfectly achieved on the first turn. The key to anything becoming successful is that you keep pushing on with your passion and if you learn from the mistakes made, you will normally go far.



4. Because God calls us to do it - For those who are reading this who are filled with the faith of Christ, well this point is probably the greatest reason to be persistent. Throughout the Bible, God talks about how we will only understand the greatness he wants to give us if we are willing to be patient and open to his glory. There are so many passages about how people stumble but God uses them for greatness through their persistence and I encourage you all to read them (Galatians 6:9, Proverbs 24:16, Luke 11:5-10) for through this you will just how powerful persistence is, especially when it comes to God.
   
   



5. It inspires others to greatness - Think about all those people you look up to in life. Now think about whether or not they were first up success stories. In most cases, the answer is no. People normally look up to those who have done great things, but who they can also relate to. I know for me, those I look up to, like the late Nelson Mandela, JPII, all made mistakes, but they also persisted to do amazing things. Whenever you are feeling down and challenged, see it as a chance to overcome adversity and inspire people along the way. Your persistence drives others through their challenges and that is only a good thing.

So there you have it, five reasons why persistence is the key. I hope this inspires you all on your journeys to greatness and keeps you focused on the real prize no matter how tiring the road ahead is.

Till next time...

Be open to God's response

Hi all,

It's good to be back with you all. Been a crazy few weeks with lots of projects and no internet but I'm here now and really looking forward to writing today's piece, cause it's something that I'm really passionate about.

Yesterday I was at a wonderful advent retreat and we were asked to do some reflection on some bible passages. One of them was about how the Israelites prayed for a leader and the arrival of John the Baptist. It talks about how John is seen by all those around him as the Messiah because he seems to be a great leader, in line with the law of the time and a real man of the people. However as we find out, there's another one coming- Jesus- who is the actual Messiah, but who is completely not what the people were expecting- someone who challenges their laws, who turns the establishment upside down and who shows all what it truly means to be a man of God, more than just laws, it's about heart as well.

As I read this passage, it got me thinking about how many other times in the bible something like this happens and in the end, it happens a lot.

It seems to be God's way of working. He always answers the prayers of the bible, yet he does it in ways no one could have imagined and ways that aren't always the expected.

So the question has to be asked- if God has been like this since the early days- why is it that ten of thousands of years later (ok maybe just thousands), we still haven't got the message?

We still ask for things and then expect them to appear and get annoyed when they don't happen, meanwhile they are happening, just not in the way we expected.

We need to become a lot more aware of what is happening around us and realise that everything that happens in our lives is due to God- and sometimes, the answers to what we seek are in those things that are happening around us, if only we just took the time to look at them more closely.

Take case in point my asking God for a way to continue to minister and help people after last year. 

I thought that he'd put me in a job in Youth Ministry and I honestly thought I'd be doing stuff with young people now and that was the end of the plan, but God, as always had bigger and greater plans.

I could have never imagined I'd be part of a group that is going on the massive task of working to bring those disconnected back to their faith. Not just youth, but all people. I also didn't think I'd be using all my talents, whether they are youth, communications and marketing, video and tech, vocal or welcoming in one place. I am doing this though and that is only because I realised that while this wasn't what I asked God for in the first place, it was where he wanted me to be and that he was answering my prayer- even if the response was slightly off centre.

Whenever we ask for something from God, we need to realise that: 

1. He is always going to ensure it happens if it's in his will for us, he loves us too much not to do it
2. He is working on his time, not ours, so it may take years to happen
3. He going to do it when it will be best for our lives, not when it is quickest
4. He's not always going to do it in the way asked, but always in the way that's best for us.
   

The sooner we all become more open to God's response, the greater our lives will be, for we will be able to see around us all the amazing works God is doing, even in the smallest of things.

I say this because I know from personal knowledge that this is the case. I've always been a person who focused on what I asked for and if it didn't happen, blamed myself for not doing enough or I got frustrated.

In the last few years however and especially this year, I've become a lot more aware of things around me and I'm realising that while my prayers aren't always answered the way I hoped for, they are being answered and God's way is so much greater as I'm learning amazing lessons and growing even more in myself and who I am every single day.

It's why I encourage you all to be more open to God's response, as I want you to experience what I have been blessed to. Listen for God in every space of your life and don't restrict yourself to the requests you ask God for and the set way you think that should play out- for God's way is always so much greater.

Till next time...

Never give up, never give in, always think you CAN!

Hey everyone,

Sorry for the lack of blog posts the last month, was busy and then didn't have internet.

I'm back though and hope to have a new blog for you this weekend. In the meantime here's a video I saw last night. Hope it inspires you as much as it inspired me!