Christmas light happiness

I don't think Christmas lights have ever made me as happy as the ones that are up in Brighton this year - looooook its like going under either a magical spiders web or a blanket of stars everytime you walk / bus pas the clock tower - makes me smile every time its great! The only problem is that the road junction that the lights span is dangerous enough to cross anyway - and now its a million times worse as everyone is looking up at the light prettiness!
There's an even better one over a fountain in the Laines but I don't have a photo of that! Very pretty :o)

God is real - no really He is!

Stuff's happened in the last week to show me again that God actually is real - and for some reason He cares quite a lot about some obsecure little church in Brighton. Last week we found out that from the end of the month, we'd no longer be able to use the church building we had been meeting in for our Sunday afternoon (newly re-named) 'Friends and Family meeting'. That meant we had 3 weeks to find an alternative and work out how would could do Christmas events in our alternative venue. Argh! However - God showed how much He was in control of the situation. At a church meeting we unanimously decided to move into a school building that had been investigated in the past but been put aside as it was too expensive. It was still too expensive for us, but we decided to go ahead anyway. By the next morning - with a combination of the school lowering its fees and money just appearing - we had more than enough for the move. Hooray for God! So in two weeks time, we're moving into Dorthody Stringer school (a place that won't even let the Gideons in) and starting the first of three 'Christmas crafts wtithe Christmas message' afternoons. I'm looking forward to seeing how God is going to use us in this new location - especially as He blatantly put us there!!

Church in a pub? Yes please!

I've loved church in a pub over the past two weeks - we've had loads of visitors and it's been fab. Last week we had about half of Korea visitng + the barman from downstairs, who, when Carl went up to take questions after his talk said something like'I don't have any questions - but I want to thank you, I felt really welcome, you've really opened my eyes...' cool! Then this week we had 8 visitors (including Christ Church people about 20 in all - that's almost more visitors than regulars!) it was great - two of my mates came, which was sooo cool. We made good use of the church in a pub catchphrase (or one of them) 'Ask what you want, say what you like, but respect each other'. I love sitting in a pub discussing the Bible openly with people who don't know God. Sitting in a place where people feel comfortable, where we can grapple with the big quesitons in life, where people can think we are crazy for believing what we do, but they are still happy to discuss it, and to hear God's word explained. I love being part of a church for people who don't go to church - its's great!

Mary

This is me and Mary. Mary was one of my favourite old people in Cambridge. She lived at Hinton Grange nursing home, and was always really appreciative of us coming in every two weeks to do a service and especially appreciative of when I'd pop in in the week to see her (even if it was ony for half an hour every few weeks). Mary used to ride ponies and was a vicars daughter and we hit it off straight away. Mary died last week - a few weeks after her 90th birthday. I hope she was trusting in Christ, I hope she is now in heaven with her Saviour where there is no more death or mourning or crying or pain - where she has escaped the intense loneliness and sorrow that surrounded her in the nursing home. I hope she is now in the arms of her loving Daddy. I hope. I'm again struck by how weird death is (see January for more death musings) - the fact I'm never going to sit on her bed and chat to her again, never going to see the delight in her eyes as she mouths along to a well known psalm or sings a good old hymn, never going to remind her of my name again by pointing to her lavetory and (more importantly) the fact I can no longer pray for her - she's entered eternity. And again musing that should drive me to my knees for those who have not yet entered eternity - those who I can pray for, those who still have time to respond to the gospel - we are all on the edge of eternity.

What Rocked and Sucked about the last week

Whats rocked
- Turning 24 - having lots of fun at the pub with lots of friends, feeling well loved
- Discovering the new Chocky-wocky-doo-dah cafe in Brighton we serve the BIGGEST pieces of amazingly yummy chocolate cake - seriously 3 of us chocolate addicts could not finish 1 piece!!
- Colossians 1:21-22: Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation - how cool is that?? and why did God do it?? Dunno but I'm very excited that He did!!
- Going to 'Mutual misunderstandings between Christians and Muslims' talk put on by Brighton CU - there being LOADS of Muslims there asking brilliant quesitons about Jesus!
- Being introduced to another lovely Korean lady who may or may not being a Christian but is well up for studying the Bible - yay!
- Watching 'Seven' and dancing to cheesy 80s films music (inc Ghost Busters hooray!) until the small hours

What sucked
- my eyes being rubbish and Ibuprofen making me sick and sleepy and the fact that that effects EVERYTHING including my thinking about God - so wrong, so pants
- the great MP3 player my brothers gave me for my birthday isn't capatable with my computer :o( (BUT I might get given a new computer by a charity wooo!)
- the fact the Muslim talk went on for 2.5 hrs and I felt like I was giong to die part way through
- Finding out I can't go to my school friends annual Christmas meal :o(
- Its FREEZING in my room! I was almost wearing gloves at tmy computer yesterday!
- Missing Cambridge lots