Life Audit

This is the sort of time when it is good to reflect on the year that has just gone and the one that is to come.

Looking back over this last year, what surprises came your way? In what way have you grown and developed as a person? What challenges did you face and overcome? What has been your 'life-story' this year?

And looking towards the new year, what drives you? What is God's vision for your life? What is your vision? What passions, dreams and goals do you want to achieve this year? How are you going to achieve them?

Finally, what do you sense the Lord saying to you for the new year? Have a little listen to the Lord and ask him what is on his heart for you.

And I wish you all the best. And I am looking forward to sharing the journey with you.

Baby Boy

Warmest congratulations to Kath & Graeme on the birth of their baby boy, Jacob William, on Monday Morning, 6lb 9oz and absolutely gorgeous.

Mother, baby, father & sister doing well.

Thanks for your prayers

Some of you may have noticed a post I wrote this morning asking for prayer for my mother who had been taken in to hospital rather suddenly yesterday morning, suffering with chest pains. She has now been discharged from hospital, having been given good medication for the pain and is feeling much better all round.

Thanks to all those who prayed about the situation.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

I want to wish all of you God's best for this Christmas time. And may God bring you into all the inheritance that is yours in Christ in the year 2006: the year of your destiny and God's plan for your life.

Watching and Praying for Iraq

Read these articles to keep yourself prayerfully informed about the Christian witness in Iraq and the latest update regarding the British hostage, Norman Kember.

Iraqi worshippers risk their lives to celebrate Christmas in church

Iraq radio plea and prayers for British hostage

It could have been so much worse

The weather could have made the disaster much worse - a strong high pressure system gave just the right conditions to keep much of the pollution high above the ground.

One Hemel Hempstead resident said: "The explosion felt like the end of the world." Emergency services said it was "miraculous" no one died. Hertfordshire Chief Constable Frank Whiteley said: "By the grace of God it was 6am on a Sunday and not 9am on a Monday."

Hans Michels, Professor of Safety Engineering at Imperial College, London, added: "It's nothing short of a miracle so few people were hurt. If it had been the middle of the day anybody outside would have been killed."

Thanksgiving Services Held

DOZENS turned out to give thanks following the Buncefield explosion at two services in Hemel Hempstead today.

The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Rev Christopher Herbert, led the services for the business community on the Maylands estate and residents at Adeyfield School.Bishop Herbert paid tribute to the emergency services, several of whom attended the business service, and led the congregations in prayers of thanksgiving.

The Rev John Hardaker, of the Adeyfield Free Church, told the congregation: "It has given us a chance to notice each other as a community and to notice that something has changed here in Hemel Hempstead. "We are all in this together and I hope this will continue."

Report from hemelhempsteadtoday.co.uk

Narnia Screening

Today a special screening of the Narnia film took place at the Odeon, Jarman Park to a packed audience of around 290 people. Andrew gave a five minute talk commending the film and encouraging people to keep their eyes on Aslan the lion.

Thanks to all those who booked this special event and made such an effort to make it such a tremendous success.

Sun Turns to Darkness in Hemel

"It's devastating; it looks like an apocalypse sometimes." Chief Fire Officer Roy Wilsher, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue.

Yesterday's massive gas explosion at the Buncefield Oil Depot was heard as far away as Guildford, Hastings, France and even Holland. But who would have thought that such a cataclysmic event would have happened right on our doorstep?

And I've been reflecting in recent days about whether I am close enough to the Lord that if necessary, he would speak prophetically to me of things to come. Am I trustworthy enough? Am I responsible enough in the area of the prophetic? Do I take time to listen? Do I adequately record what I sense the Lord saying? Would I have believed the Lord if He had whispered to me, "This time next week, the sun will be turned to darkness in Hemel Hempstead?"

One of two eye witnesses who ran straight to the oil depot early in the morning before the arrival of the fire engines and the police took amateur digital footage of the tanks on fire at close range. Due to the intensity of the heat, one of them was heard to observe, "It's like Satan has come to Hemel Hempstead."

But I sense the Lord saying that what the enemy has intended for harm, the Lord will turn to good. Just as Hemel Hempstead was seen around the world on CNN, Hemel Hempstead will be known for a fire of revival that will take hold in the town, and whose sound will be heard all around the world. The Lord himself will ignite the fires of revival that will act as a feeder to other key gateway cities around the nation and via the airports too. It will burn for days and even weeks, but will be contained and managed. The fallout will increase purity in the land and will particularly affect the cities. What Satan has counterfeited in the natural, the Lord will do in reality.

Father, let your fire fall in this town you love. Fulfill your prophetic call over this town. Purify us, Father. Set us alight, so that others will come and watch us burn with the zeal of your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Narnia books? Christian?

Well, as I have been taught for many years, when looking for the author's intent, you should always go to the author and see what they intended. (I love my expensive education. You can get a degree in it.)

.

Here is C S Lewis' view (straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak) set out in a letter recently discovered in an archive, written in 1961 from Magdalen College, Oxford to a child fan.

.

"The whole Narnian story is about Christ . . . Supposing there really was a world like Narnia . . . and supposing Christ wanted to go into that world and save it (as He did ours) what might have happened?

“The stories are my answer. Since Narnia is a world of talking beasts, I thought he would become a talking beast there as he became a man here. I pictured him becoming a lion there because a) the lion is supposed to be the king of beasts; b) Christ is called ‘the lion of Judah’ in the Bible.”

.

So that settles it? Probably not.

.

Disagreement exists concerning the art/science of literary interpretation. Can you just take anything out of it as some people are suggesting (a reader-response approach)? Or is an allegory able to contain an inherent meaning, which allows for one interpretation and excludes another? That's the question.

.

And there's a deeper question. Is there such a thing as truth? An objective, verifiable reality? The jury's out on that one and the debate is proving fierce.

.

But as for C S Lewis's intention? It would dishonour him not to allow him to speak for himself. Here we are, Jack. Here's your moment.

.

"The whole Narnian story is about Christ."

Christmas Carol Service

Join us this year for our Carols by Candlelight Service at 6.30pm on Sunday 11th December. Get there early, or there'll be no room...

Picture created by Lou Romano

Calling all Journallers

The following has been prepared for those who would like to keep a journal to help them in their devotions.

Calling all Journallers

Thanks for agreeing to keep a journal. I trust you will find it an adventure and an aid in your learning, devotions and meditation on scripture. My heart in encouraging you to begin using journals is not that you engage in a merely scholastic exercise to puff you up with knowledge, but that through the process, you will hear God speak to you prophetically through his Word and that you will grow in relational knowledge of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

With this in mind, I have prepared the following sheet to kick start you into making the most from your journal.

Questions to aid your reflection

You can use either one of the following sets of headings or questions to help you to get into a text of scripture and rummage around inside it.

Set One

Ask the questions, Who, What, Where, When, Why, How.

Set Two

Use any or all of the following headings, Initiation, Information, Intuition, Inspiration, Intention, Instruction, Incarnation, Intercession, Invitation.

Initiation - what is your first impression as you read the text?
Information - what are the key facts of the passage communicating?
Intuition - what does your heart or instinct say about this particular passage?
Inspiration - what new revelation comes to you as you read the text?
Intention - What was the author's intention in writing? Look at it carefully.
Instruction - What do you have to actually do as a result of this Word?
Incarnation - How can you make this text live through you in your faith?
Intercession - How and what does this inspire you to pray? Write it down.
Invitation - How is God - who loves you - inviting you to interact with him?

There are many other ways you can journal, including writing prayers, poems, thoughts, pictures, recording prophecies, dreams or visions that God gives.

The bottom line is to do whatever you find helpful to draw you closer to God. You can also direct some of your journal thoughts towards God and make your writing prayerful. King David was one of the first journallers. His meditations were so worshipful that people are still reading them today. Go for it!

Pray for Norman Kember

Remember to pray urgently for the release of Norman Kember, a Christian peace activist taken hostage in Iraq earlier this week. Insurgents are threatening to murder him on Thursday.

Narnia Film Opportunity

On Monday December 19th, some interested groups are booking a screen at the local Odeon for a special showing of the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. There will be a short ten-minute talk by Andrew, introducing the underlying Gospel story within the film.

Tickets for the showing will be at a special reduced price of £4.80 per person. Popcorn & a drink will be £2.49 instead of £3.99. Little posters are available at church for you to advertise the film and invite your friends. More details via Lisa.

Welcome Back

A warm welcome back to Ric & Tulin who are staying here in the UK for the next few months. It is lovely to see you both and we look forward to renewing fellowship with you.

Rowan Williams Speaks Clearly

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, spoke admirably clearly yesterday in an address to the Muslim Community at the International Islamic University in Islamabad, Pakistan, setting out a clear and concise explanation of the Christian faith.

Having spoken rather obliquely in the past, his simple and clear language has been welcomed by observers of the Anglican Archbishop.

You can read his speech at this address:

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/articles/40/75/acns4081.cfm

Church hits the Papers

The 50th Anniversary of our church is being reported in the Gazette this week in the History section under the title of Heritage Special.

Church holds 50-year bash

Buy the copy and cut it out as a reminder! It is indeed a "heritage special" for which we thank God and give him glory for all he is doing. Here is what the senior pastor, Brian, was quoted as saying,

Brian said, "The community initiatives which we are looking to improve include groups for mothers and toddlers, after-school clubs, adult learning ventures and a lunch club for the elderly.

"Throughout our work we demonstrate and communicate our Christian values by our professionalism, excellent educational standards, love, care and support for those in need."

Hear, Hear; and Amen to that.

Newspaper on sale at all good newsagents.

Christians in Parliament

I was privileged yesterday to be invited to attend an evening reception at the Speaker's State Apartments at the Palace of Westminster for Christians in Parliament. I was able to meet up and pray with our local MP, who was pleased to show us some of the more interesting historical parts of the House.

It was an honour to be able to interact and spend time with some of the most influential people in Parliament. I thank the Lord for the experience and for the key appointments of the night.

The Lord truly can open any door he chooses.