We serve an amazing Father!

Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverb 16:24

“‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.
Jeremiah 33: 6

Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;
Save me, and I shall be saved,
For you are my praise. Jeremiah 17:14

Dear friends, 
My hubby and I have been unwell for the last five days, laryngitis, coughing. We invited my brother on Christmas day but thought of cancelling. On Christmas Eve, Steven went to bed at 9 pm and trusted me to bone out the goose because he was feeling so rough.
Yesterday, I went to the GP, my appointment was at 6 30 pm she was running an hour late and the waiting room was packed with mum and tearful kids, couples, coughing, sneezing.. My friend Brigitte told me that only good teachers are ill during the holidays!..lol 

Hope you are enjoying your Christmas season. 💗💗.

Christmas carols

Last Monday, Steven and I went to a Christmas carols concert featuring the Ingestre choir directed by Roger Titley in Weston church, Mid-trent churches. It was my first time and I enjoyed it thoroughly; beautiful singing, friendly atmosphere. Here are a few photos! Have a blessed and peaceful Christmas.

Carol singing at the inn!

At 6 pm I went to Stowe carol service and it was great to resource, listen to lots of different readings from the word of the Lord and pray. 

Then, at 7.30 pm, we had a totally different carol evening at the Bank House in Hixon. The pub was packed even more than usual as so many came to sing no less than twenty different carols and praise the Lord and exalt the name of Jesus above any other names. 

There was a shortage of chairs but it didn't stop us from singing heartily and joyfully, also the musicians Maureen, John and Steven were excellent. 

Have you been carolling yet, did you enjoy it? Let me know!

For unto us, a Child is born, unto us a Son is given

Just before I am out to town for the last bits of shopping with Imo, I am enjoying a bit of classical music to the Messiah by Handel. This takes me back years ago when I used to live in Hastings where I was part of a choir. We prepared that piece of music.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
In those days, I was unaware of the link between the lyrics and Isaiah's prophecy, Isaiah 9-6.

I wish you all a blessed time at Christmas. May the Lord protect you, guide you and shine his face upon you during the festive time. In Jesus's name. Nicky

Who is this Jesus?

Jesus called God ‘Father’, but that was not unusual in itself.  All Jews rejoiced to see themselves as God’s children.  But Jesus talked about a unique relationship with God.  On one occasion in Jerusalem he declared, ‘I and the Father are one.’  The Jews were incensed by this apparent blasphemy, and would have killed him on the spot had he not been a quick thinker and a quick runner.

Jesus did not announce to people, ‘I am God.’ Instead he roused their curiosity until the point at which they were forced to think about whether he might be divine. It was contrary to Jewish thinking even to entertain that possibility. So when Jesus’ followers came to believe that Jesus was God they were thinking the unthinkable. But the evidence so overwhelmed them that they had no choice. Worshipping the risen Jesus was the only way they could make sense of what they had witnessed.

One of the accounts of Jesus’ life tells the story of a paralysed man being lowered through a ceiling to come to rest at his feet. The house was so packed with people who wanted to hear Jesus speak that it was the only way to attract his attention. The expectation was that Jesus would heal the man. Instead Jesus said to him, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’

The Jews were shocked because their belief was that only God could forgive sins. Jesus pointed out that to say those words was easy. It was working miracles that was difficult. He was implying that if he was able to heal the man in front of their eyes, they should have no difficulty believing that he was able to forgive him. At Jesus’ command, the man stood up and walked. Without saying as much, Jesus had challenged those who saw the event to believe that he was God, the only forgiver of sins.

Jesus never shied away from provocative statements. He called for absolute loyalty to him – the kind of loyalty that God demanded. ‘I am the way, the truth and the life,’ he declared. ‘No one comes to the Father except through me.’ But his call was not burdensome. He invited people to come to him for rest, and to go through their lives with him as a companion – not only in life but throughout eternity.

The claims of Jesus repeatedly pushed people to a point of decision. The Jewish leaders responded by seeking to stamp out his ideas. The followers of Jesus responded by rethinking everything they knew about the Jewish religion. When his resurrection put their beliefs beyond doubt, they became the first leaders of Christianity.
Do you want to find out more? visit this website, click here. Blessings.

3 best Christmas cards

Here is a selection of Christmas cards that I would consider the best. What about you, which cards did you buy this Christmas?

1 Tearfund Journeyingon. They have a message printed inside, Isaiah 9:6, For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Awesome!

2

2 Tearfund, a pack of 20 Color in Christmas cards, ideal for families with children, 

3 Share the story,  

Cover: Sharing the Story
Inside: May the miracle of Christmas shine in your heart all year.
Scripture: "When they saw the star they rejoiced." - Matthew 2:10

What about you, which cards did you buy this Christmas?What are your favorite?

Tonight, I went to the college MFL party and had a great time, met new people. Students and staff were sampling foods from Europe and China. Being entertained by traditional Christmas carols. Have a blessed end of week. N.

Have a blessed end of week. N.

Merry Christmas to you

Wishing you a blessed Christmas in the peace and joy of our Lord Jesus-Christ.

It's all about you Jesus

After Christmas, 

we talk about presents

 small, big, cheap or expensive! 

What did you get for Christmas? 

what did you eat? 

who was there?

eloquent answers : 

I got ... he got ...she bought....

we spent too much

had a great time

True joy forever

'cos the real reason

 for the celebration

 is you, Jesus, 

you came on earth, 

 to show us the love

You died for us

 so we could live.

Accept Jesus for your saviour

Peace to you all.

Singing carols.

It has been hectic here. Here are a few photos from the evening we spent at the Bank House pub, without exagerating, the whole village was there singing carols heartily. Most carols were on the Bethlehem Carol Sheet, produced by Biblelands, and organisation that helps fund health, education and community development projects in the lands of the Bible.

Left to right, John, Steven, Maureen and Helga

This time, Ingrid sings between Steven and Helga

The children were eager to sing and participate too. I think the one they liked the best was: Ding dong! merrily on high. I'd better give you the website of the Bibleland society: http://www.biblelands.org.uk/

A star

Artist: Scott Yardley   http://www.christart.com/

A Star

by Deborah Smith Plemmons

There appeared a star in Bethlehem,

Where born in a manger was God's Lamb.

The Angels praised God again and again,

Singing, "Glory to God...good will toward men".



The Shepherds came to see God's Son;

The Savior of mankind: the Holy One.

The wise men came the child to worship;

Although a lowly birth, they knew of His kingship.



They came when He was about two years old.

At His feet, they laid frankincense, myrrh, and gold.

Oh, worship the King of kings this day;

Give your life to Him and serve Him alway.

A Savior was born

A Savior was Born


by Casey Smith at www.christart.com

'Twas the very first Christmas, when over the earth,

The angels rejoiced at the sweet Savior's birth,

The stars filled the night in a brilliant display,

Above their Creator asleep in the hay;

The wise men laid gifts by the trough filled with straw,

Then bowing before Him, they worshiped in awe,

Joseph held Mary in a loving embrace,

As teardrops of joy trickled down her sweet face;

The glow of God's eyes shone from heaven that night,

Adorning His Son with their Glorious Light;

And Jesus, so tiny, lay peacefully still,

How blessed the promises He would fulfill,

That babe in the manger, so helpless and small,

Would lay down His life as atonement for all,

Death would be crushed and the veil, at last, torn,

For unto the world, a Savior was born.

Hope you all had a fabulous Christmas.

We did have a really good time. On Christmas Eve we went to Christingle, at church.The children read very well  We met lots of friends and we had a fantastic time singing carols, praising the Lord for Jesus-Christ,our Saviour!
My daughters Cam and Imo were there too so I was full of joy.  In the evening,  we baked the traditional family cafe buche,an old French recipe for a coffee cake in shape of a log that my mum would bake.

On Christmas day, we went to another service and we met more friends, sang different carols and it was so enjoyable. 

Somehow, opening presents took for ages. I can't help noticing the difference between the presents I used to receive when I was a child, for example, a home-made jumper and 3 classic novels compared to what is acceptable now! 

Then we had diner later on! I am so lucky, my hubby loves cooking and he prepared everything, smoked salmon, avocado and salad for starter, then turkey and goose with home-made stuffing (with sage and chestnuts), leeks, parsnips, sprouts, roasted potatoes, carrots, then the cafe buche. 

 Later on we got in touch with other family members, my auntie who lives in Nice and Steven's dad who is in Norfolk. Our sister Pauline who is a nurse and was working texted us too from Wales. Family is so important, don't you agree ?

Thoughts for Christmas

So have you finished your Christmas shopping ? This year I have spent less time going round the shops just because I consider that my time is very precious. I knew more or less what the children wanted and I had to make a wild guess for my husband as usual. Then again, his birthday is on the 31st of december and I knew what he wanted for that. I managed to go on the internet and order early. Two hiccups, the mobile I ordered never arrived on the following day as it was claimed. Apparently the transaction did not take place and I had to reorder it again ! Something else went wrong, the trousers I ordered never arrived, instead, i got an email telling me they were out of stock and my money was refunded. I was going to order some perfume on a French website but I did not in the end, just as well as the Euro has gone up so much.
At the beginning of December, I asked my students what was Christmas about ? The younger said : it's about Santa, it's about presents, lots of them.. Then I said : think again ! So the answers were wiser : it's when Jesus was born. Others remember the three wise men led by the star of David. Who knows if they are going to church on Christmas day ? A few raised their hands. I told them that millions of Christians in the world would gather in churches to celebrate Christmas. A reassuring thought.
Tonight, for the first time, we gathered at the pub and sang carols Come and Join the celebration, Light of the world, the millenium prayer, our Father, Saviour's day, Cliff Richard's song, Hosanna Rock. We didn't know how many people were going to turn up. In the end, about 80 turned up. The children enjoyed singing as well. The vicar was playing his guitar brilliantly, Maureen, superb musician, playing the violin and the keyboard. This was such a lovely evening. Praise the Lord!