awful grammar but there we are.
Why is it at this time ofyear the news from friends and family and it seems on the local and national news is doom and gloom.
people ill,or dying,or sad,murder everywhere it seems,fires,floods and tempest.
you could say it's the time of the year,it's the weather,and no doubt many blame poor old God.
I am reminded of ecclesiastes and the famous a time for this and a time for that....................a beautiful reading.
it reminds us that for all of us there is a time for good and bad,for sad and happy,for life and death,for caring and for being cared for.............carers take note .you matter too!you need caring for too.
after the wind comes the calm ,after the rain the sun,after death is eternal life.............can't get much better than that,no pain,no gain.

ok i'll stop.................just remember if life sucks at the moment it will get better..............if it's great at the moment enjoy every minute because there will be hard times ahead but then light at the end of that particular tunnel soon comes.............ok i really will stop now
hang in there!

I hope most of you are chilling out after the Christmas build up,and girding your loins for the emotion of New Year.
It is always a time when we look back,sometimes with regret or sadness for lost opportunities,or for the loss of loved ones.
It should also be a time when we look forward to new adventures,new opportunities,new people coming into our lives,and for those of us with faith a hope that this will be the year we truly manage to follow our Lord faithfully.
maybe that is your new years resolution or maybe you have gone for something more frivilous.Is this the year you gain promotion,lose weight,find the love of your life or make more time for those who matter in your life.
maybe as yet you haven't thought about the new year and what it might bring,because the last year has been so traumatic.there is the hope that 2012 will be better but slight dread that things can get worse.
Whatever it is you want from your life,nothing can come without hope and faith,God has promised us he will provide all that we need and more,we only have to ask.To do that we need to establish a good relationship with him,like all relationships it needs time and effort,you reap what you sow.
I wish you a wonderful 2012 with your faith strengthened ,your family and friends gathering around you,good health or the patience and resilience to cope with whatever comes your way.
Most of all I wish you love,peace,hope and light and a stronger understanding of the road God wishes you to travel,and I pray he will give you all that you need to fulfill that.
Bless you all.

ok folks what to do first..........shower Mum,make her breakfast, feed dogs,feed me!,clean out fish tank so that i can see the fish!!i seem to be growing weed by the yard.............,finish writing cards OH yeh!)make house look less like the packing dept of a major store,put up decorations, and hopefully somewhere in the middle of the mayhem remember why we put ourselves through all of this every year.
yes its enjoying giving presents and recieving them,yes its about sharing time with friends and family,plus enjoying good food and wine,but most of all it's celebrating the greatest gift of all,a tiny baby in a manger stall who came to save us all,whose message was peace,hope,love and light.
Maybe at this time peace is hard to find and yet we need that moment of calm ,of reflection,of thanksgiving wich is perhaps the bit we often forget.

We had a wonderful time this morning with our Sunday Supplement Service,we talked about bonfire night and Light and how many different religions had services of light.WE talked about Hannakeh and other festivals of light and of our own Advent services.The Children were happily producing posters for our Christmas services ,some beautiful pictures they did too.
then we chatted away over the coffee and croissants while listening to music around the theme of Light.So Why don't you come and join us on the 1st sunday of every month,its worth it for the strawberry jam if nothing else!
Our December service will be carols,coffee and croissants with maybe even the odd mince pie cropping up!it's all very light hearted but with a message.