Today we put up the church Christmas decorations which was so comical, we had such a giggle and really enjoyed ourselves. It wasn't until I got home that it sank in - it is almost Christmas. Can you believe that we are already in December? Chris and I led our last youth cell till 2008 this evening and it was hilarious with the kids. They are just the greatest bunch of young people anyway, but playing games such as twister with them was just side splitting! Talking to them about Christmas and this time of year was just so thought provoking, they say what the usual teenagers say (actually what the majority of people say!) how they're looking forward to the food, presents and dressing up, on the other hand just simple comments like 'I am looking forward to the carol service', 'I am looking forward to spending time with my family' and 'I am looking forward to spending time away from the commercial Christmas' (how huge is that for a 13 year old to say!!!) Comments like that tonight were just really inspiring. It made me really think about how in all the hustle and bustle of this busy time we can all lose the sense of the real meaning of Christmas. It made me realise that in between wrapping the presents and preparing the Christmas dinner we need to remember the enormity of Jesus Christ our saviour being born so that we may have eternal life.
It's not fun to run out of gas. Have you every run out of gas? Not your car - you. I have. The gauge I was looking at in my life clearly read full, but I still found myself stranded on the side of life's road. The gauge I was using - the world - was flawed, but I didn't realize it until my tank was empty and I was going nowhere. If we judge whether or not our lives are "full" based on the world's standards, we are destined to run out of gas.... ...Just because we are busy doesn't mean that we are alive. Just because the world says are lives are full doesn't mean that our lives really are full. Our lives are not full simply because we are working hard, playing hard and living hard. When we try to fill our lives with the fuel of this world, we find ourselves running on empty. The gospel of John records that Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life and have it to the full" (John 10:10). In other words, Christ said that He wants us the h...
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Bless you Em.
Paula xx