Are you happy?Pastor Lyle was preaching this morning and said something that hit me between the eyes. He asked the question "Who decides whether you are happy?" He proceeded to answer with the obvious - it is I who decide whether I shall be happy or not!
It's certainly not always easy to decide to be happy. Sometimes things happen that sadden us or cause us real pain, but it us up to us to decide how we shall respond. It's certainly difficult to be happy when your chemicals are all out of balance due to clinical depression - I know - I've been there and unless you've been there yourself you can't understand it. But most of us aren't clinically depressed, so what shall we do - decide to be miserable, or make the sacrifice to be joyful? Hmm, food for thought.
Christmas is coming!A thought to help you be happy is that Christmas is only three weeks away! Yippee. It's been a few years since I've been really excited about Christmas, but this year I can hardly wait for it. I'm so hoping for a white Christmas and I'm really excited about spending some time with the Moshers. One thing we'll be doing is taking a trip to the theatre (cinema) together to see the new Narnia movie - I think it should be awesome and is a great way to help us remember what Christmas is truly about - the fact that God sent His only Son to make a way for us to become His children. We remember that Jesus was born at Christmas - an amazing miracle, that God should become a man and restrict himself to be like us. Consider the step taken by the one who spoke the stars into being and who sustains all things by His mighty word, that He should take on human limitations so that He might be able to die for us to take away the wall that separates us from eternity with Him. Christmas is an AWEsome time, please don't forget to think upon it this Christmas and be awed by what God has done. And don't forget to thank Him amidst all the excitement!
More snow...We've had yet more snow since I last wrote and I had the honour of shovelling the snow on the sidewalk outside the church before this morning's services. If I keep this up I should develop a few muscles - I just hope they don't all grow on one arm! I do love the snow, it looks so beautiful and it just transforms a dull city into a 'winter wonderland' We were at Johan and Andrea's on Friday night as we cooked supper for them and I took the opportunity to get some photos of their snowy street at night time. I hope you like them.
This is Johan and Andrea's house...
... and this is opposite their place...
The place looks so lovely with snow and Christmas lights, just how you imagine it ought to look, but rarely see back in the UK.
Talking of decorations, this week Heather helped fetch the church Christmas tree which is now decorated and looking very attractive in the sanctuary. Back in Nottingham one of the older preachers at the Christian Centre took a teaching session on hermeneutics. All I remember was that he didn't like Christmas trees because they were not Biblical. It's a shame that's all I could remember of what he said as I'm sure hermeneutics is supposed to be interesting and exciting! As for me, I like Christmas trees, decorations, lights and the way they make a place look so much brighter. In our darkened world why shun things that bring some cheer and make at least some people think about Jesus?
Tonight we have the church Christmas concert where the kids will be cute, parents and grandparents will be proud and Pastor Shawna will, I'm sure, be glad when it's all over! After that things both quieten down and liven up. I think there will be less happening at the church to be involved in, but there are a bunch of suppers we have to go to with all sorts of nice people, what a pity :-)
Well, I'd better go attack some mince pies.
God bless you,
With love,
Steve 
