You are currently browsing the monthly archive for December, 2006.
Most Christians as well as some who aren’t, know the saying about how there won’t be tears in heaven, but after years of just blindly agreeing with that viewpoint on face value, I suddenly heard the relevant scripture once again in a whole new way:
Rev 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
If you notice it doesn’t actually say as such that there are no tears in heaven at the very outset of that verse which is in the present tense- rather that comes after God has wiped them away – so my point is that there obviously must be a point at which we may well indeed be crying for Him to do that otherwise I would think it would just have stated the rest without that first conjoining statement. The other way of looking at it of course, is that there may well be weeping in heaven as we either have a capacity to watch events on earth – Paul often gave that impression – the most notable occasion being this statement:
Heb 12:1 And therefore we also having so great a cloud of witnesses over our head, laying aside every weight and sin which surrounds us, let us run by patience to the fight proposed to us: ,
or perhaps (although I would think less likely) we are in some way able to watch the judgement of the unsaved and thus grieve for those lost to salvation forever. Given the following statement concerning death, dying etc I can’t see that these are tears of joy in any sense that would fit in here.
If you’ve any views on this in agreement or to the contrary, I’d love to hear them, as I appreciate that my own perspective is very superficial and not following on any great study of the topic.
If anyone would like to see some more Christmas card designs than are shown on my website, then have a squizz here:
http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/4672483.
This is just some of this year’s crop – 35 new designs and some quite nice ones at that. If anyone wants to consider ordering a design for next year (rather well in advance admittedly , but I can keep a note and remind you nearer the time), then please visit the Kits&Cards website and contact me from there rather than putting info into comments here.
If you want to see some other older designs then head to this page:
http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/4672522
I’m sadly rather behind in keeping my K&C website updated but would suggest you keep an eye on it through the year anyhow. Hopefully next year, once I have my final CTS surgery I’ll have more opportunity to keep on top of it more, especially in the runup to next Christmas season.
I started off producing Sympathy cards primarily, initially insisting I wasn’t going to get into the all occasion type cards, but bit by bit have ended up adding more of those to my range. I would think that at least 90% of the cards have a spiritual flavour but I’m happy to make a card to order within reason (type, style, complexity etc).
Thanks to all of those who’ve bought from me and continue to give me another reason to keep on producing (psychotherapy being the primary one LOL)!! 
Unlike most sane, sensible people, I actually started listening to Christmas music way back in September – and before you denounce me as a mad child or some such thing, let me explain. I make my own Christmas cards each year (since I was 15!!), and the past few years have had various health issues that have impacted on my ability to undertake this task to the fullness I would desire. The problem is then compounded by having quite a few friends/family who think my work is good enough to desire some for themselves. Not really a problem – least not in a good year, but invariably in order to have any hope of producing enough to provide for them plus at least 50+ for myself, I end up having to start in fairly early on each year, although have to admit this was my earliest yet. Reason for that was knowing from August that I would be having my carpal tunnel surgery most likely before Christmas so knew I’d have to start in immediately just in case the appt came at a bad time. I was also working on the assumption of a difficult post op recovery given the dire warnings I got from the Registrar I spoke to in August. But I digress – this post is about Christmas music so let’s get us back to that topic.
I usually try and listen to “Christian” Christmas music where possible, and had a fair few songs to pull from that I felt would do on a repetitive basis without boring me completely, but sadly a month later and the 20 odd songs I had were well done to death, SO off I went hunting for more. But I then discovered a few things:-
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My taste in music is hugely limited when I really dislike female artists!
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Many of the so-called Christian carols were really no better in some places than secular songs e.g. Avalon’s Winter Wonderland
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There’s truly not a lot of new Christian Christmas music coming out in the UK at least.
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I quite like techno style music but that beat is ultra dangerous – gets me too excited and I can’t work properly for bopping around in my chair (you should ask Christine my stepdaughter what I’m like!!)
So, all in all I found myself very limited for new songs but thankfully did manage to locate a few to keep me sane for a bit longer. But one artist I used to listen to a lot, although who I’ve gone off for other reasons now, is Cliff Richard – one thing I admired about him was his willingness to buck the trend at this time of year, and some of his best Christmas songs have been quite overtly Christian – e.g. The Millenium Prayer and Little town of Bethlehem. However, I think he’s perhaps softened too much in the last year or two, as I remember he got so much flak over the Millenium Prayer (basically the Lord’s prayer sung to a switched tune of Auld Lang Syne (sp?) which worked superbly) when many secular radio stations refused to play it (and this was in 1999I think), that he’s now turned to churning out more secular slanted seasonal songs. The last one I remember from 2003 called Santa’s List – lovely tune, but why a Christian would want to sing about Santa is beyond me, and the song could just as easily have had slightly changed lyrics had he desired to continue to maintain a Christian stance. But sadly, like so many in the media business, I feel he’s caving in to the pressure of needing to have his music listened to in order to pay the bills, so has determined to lower his sights quite a bit to keep the PC crowd happy. So once more this Christmas we’re subjected to secular ditzy un-Christian, and in certain instances un-Christmas type songs which do nothing to promote the fact that this season is about a birthday celebration – or at least it’s supposed to be. Okay so I don’t overly subscribe to it myself given its the wrong date anyway, but point is, it’s the only one we have to hold on to, and I think it would be wise for us to continue to do so for as long as possible. Such a change from the 70s and perhaps even the 80s when most singers and bands would be outdoing each other to produce the best Christmas song whether Christian based or not – at least it kept the seasonal influence going. Now that’s being subtlely and slowly removed too – give it a decade or so, and Christmas in its (even) current form may be no more. For me – I think I’m going to start celebrating Hannukkah instead!!
Ok slight variant on the spelling, but to my knowledge it can be spelt either way (it’s the Hebrew word for “hope”) – bit like my own name which has two options (spelling with an “i” or a “y”). Anyway – the more amazing thing is that this namesake is actually a remote cousin of his, and far better looking into the bargain 
) – that’s him in the bottom corner.
And what do you make of those cubs – adorable aren’t they?? Takes me right back to when I was in S. Africa doing my pilot training a couple of years ago, and one of the airschool cadets (thanks again, JP!) took me to a wonderful lion sanctuary right behind his house in Port Elizabeth. I was privileged enough to be allowed to bottle feed some day old cubs – only because I was out of town and hadn’t had contact with any other felines as they’d not been vaccinated at that point. But I also got to ‘play’ with some older cubs – one 3 month old one called Luke who was utterly adorable and quite easy to handle.
However, I was given the opportunity to spend some time with some 10 month old cubs and they were such a totally different experience I have to say I came away with a lot of my misconceptions about cubs being “cute and cuddly” being thoroughly put to bed for ever. The warden warned me before we went into the enclosure to not turn my back on them if at all possible but he didn’t explain why not – I soon found out!! I’d stupidly taken my crutch into the enclosure, although perhaps that was no bad thing as straight off 4 cubs came bounding over to investigate and one grabbed it while the others fought with him over it. In the meantime I’d found a friend in a beautiful hand reared female lynx who shared their enclosure and was as tame as any common garden house cat. So I sat down against the fence and played with her for a few minutes while watching the bigger cubs play. But then I got up and totally forgetting the warnings stood up with my back facing the cubs, and within a flash one of them had literally jumped on me with paws round my neck. Now being disabled and not great at balancing on thin air isn’t the most conducive to such boisterous activity, and I almost fell before the warden rescued me, but the cub was having none of it. He’d discovered ‘weak’ prey and he was determined to at least tackle it a bit further, grabbing me round a leg and holding on while the warden advised me to just stand very still and not move as he prised the cub off. I wasn’t overly scared partly because I could sense they were only playing – trust me – you can tell when you’re up this close as to their very mood by the body language – and also because of the reassuring presence of the warden who’d been involved in rearing them, and knew them intimately. Ultimately the staff wouldn’t allow visitors in with the cubs if they had the remotest of concerns for safety or welfare of either. We eventually managed to rescue my crutch and I got out okay without so much as a scratch, but as I said, it was a lesson well learnt. JP had also taken me on a car ‘run’ through the larger lion enclosure where the adults are freely roaming, and again it was really quite hard to overcome an inate (but extremely dangerous) desire to open a window and pet one, as they appeared so tame too circling the car (ok – I know, us ditzy women that think everything furry is cute!!LOL), but I appreciated much better the dangers involved having watched plenty of real life situations of wardens at work with them being mauled badly even by well known, or even hand reared felines of all types. Given what Tikvah can be like on a bad day, I’d certainly never want to have to deal with one of his larger cousins deciding to ‘play’ with me. With him though, playing ‘dead’ or being still doesn’t do a thing to stop him annihilating whatever limb he’s decided will do for his tea 
!!
Talking of things safari related I’m currently watching the C5 series on the life of the wardens of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in SA and the incredible work they’re doing on maintaining a number of endangered species in the compound. The series is very much up close and personal with a lot of the wildlife, and it’s been truly fascinating to see how much goes into that type of job. One of the wardens, Richard Moller, showed many times just how tough it is to undertake important decisions when it came to determining the best outcome for an injured animal, and one particular one has me impatient to see next week’s episode. Last week they showed an elephant who’d fallen foul of likely poachers or farmers who’d shot her, and sadly the wounds were proving very tough for her to keep up with her herd and cope with everyday life. Richard and the team had treated her twice, but the second time she couldn’t rouse herself off the ground when she came round from the anaesthetic. Watching the way she allowed the team to work around and with her so calmly and quietly, was either a measure of just how ill she was, or how much she recognised that they were (unlike the other humans) trying to help her. The episode ended where they did indeed manage to get her back on her feet, but it’s so touch and go, I’m dreading what the news may be on her. Just something about seeing one of the world’s largest land mammals struggling to survive because of man yet again! If you’re in any position to support their work, please consider it.
As I’m a bit housebound still after my surgery Colin, my minister called round yesterday to give me home communion which was really nice and a unique event for me as I normally would attempt to make it to church, and although I did have it provided while in hospital, that was somewhat different and more the usual in a sense. Anyway – one of his readings was John 1:1-12 – very familar verses yet as often happens one statement hit me harder than usual and that was this verse:
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
It just made me think once more about Jesus – who He is and what He did and even now it causes my heart to somersault in awe. I can’t get my head around the mystery of the Incarnation but the Truth of it is immense. He IS the Creator and by Him were all things made and continue to be held together by His Will – another equally awesome concept. But I was saying to Colin that I think very few of us if we’d been born into Israel at that time, would have truly considered that He was God – ultimately I think it’s a concept we just can’t get our finite heads around unless God reveals it to us supernaturally. And that’s precisely what He did with the apostles and disciples – most were well schooled Jews who would have known enough of their Torah to not be led astray by someone claiming to be God if they hadn’t had it revealed to them that He actually was!! I fully understand the whole need for Him to enter our world in the way He did but it’s the concept of God becoming one of His creation that somehow seems madness – yet how else could He satisfy His own wrath against sin if not to provide His own sinless sacrifice to lay that burden onto?
There’s a song by the name of “Mary Did you know?” that really does hit all the WOW buttons in a sense, and never ceases to have me in tears as I contemplate the words. I have to assume she equally had to have some idea of the hugeness of her own burden in His life, but yet sometimes some of what we read about her reactions makes me wonder if she was equally struggling to consider the reality of Who He really was.
Click on the Video to hear the song and watch the inspirational video with it.
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would someday walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know, that your baby boy
Has come to make you new?
This child that you delivered, will soon deliver you
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Will calm a storm with His hand?
Did you know that your baby boy
Has walked where angels trod?
When you’ve kissed your little baby
Then you’ve kissed the face of God
The blind will see, the deaf will hear
The dead will live again
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak
The praises of the Lamb
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Will one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy
Was heaven’s perfect Lamb?
This sleepy child your holding
Is the great I AM.
If you know of any equally awe-inspiring songs similar to this for Christmas or Easter please let me know. I know Don Francisco writes some similarly challenging ones, but would love to find a few other good ones – and I mean good - not “worldly” Christian singers/songwriters who just want to sing about feel good factors or their own perspective – but enough on that topic or this entry will be 10 pages long – enough to put even me off re-reading it!! 
As promised, just wanted to update you on the healing of my carpal tunnel and the incredible overall healing that God has graciously provided to me just this past week. I have had the CTS about a year, but in April this year after a short course of steroids for it, I started to have a recurrence of bone pain (which I’d had since 2004 in multiple areas from bony infarcts) – this time in my right upper arm. Didn’t worry too much about it initially, but as time went on, it became a major problem, because unlike all the previous the pain was much more intense and began within minutes of my arm being immobile for any reason, and always at its worst overnight. After racking up to cancer doses of fentanyl patches (narcotics) for it without much relief I was admitted to my local rheumatology ward for tests in August. Four weeks later I was discharged none the wiser than when I went in. I came off the narcotics in order to resume driving again but the pain escalated 10-fold, and started in the left upper arm as well. However, a course of hefty doses of brufen and aspirin at night was slowly starting to settle it down somewhat when I had my CTS surgery on the 30th November. Five days later on my birthday I suddenly realised I’d slept the entire night without being woken once by pain. Thought perhaps the drugs were kicking in better, but something told me this was different, so I started dropping the dose down, and now a week later, I still have NO pain in that arm which is nothing short of a miracle – and on my birthday too. Having prayed like never before for release from it, and/or respite it’s just the most awesome feeling to finally be here. However, while I was going through it I was constantly begging the Lord to act to remove it, until He showed me how that was a sin in the sense that if He determines I needed this trial to teach me something I’d not otherwise learn, who was I to turn round and refuse. As I learnt to submit He taught me the most awesome lessons indeed and while I’d have preferred to not have to undergo dire pain, I’ve learnt SO much more about trials, suffering, His Will and His Mercy/Grace than I would indeed otherwise have cared to even try to understand.
And so, I’m now finally in a pain-free state for the most part, although am still having some minimal left upper arm pain presumably from the CTS on that side but it’s nothing in comparison to what the right had been like. Interesting too that not one of the docs I mentioned it to felt that it could in any way,. shape or form be attributed to the CTS. But then they perhaps don’t have too many patients like me – totally back to front and upside down, always the opposite to what they expect.
Typing is okay but the scar is catching me somewhat still, so trying to not overdo it too much just yet. Because of my Sjogren’s (I think) the skin is rather dry and peeling over it, and although I think eventually it will probably heal perfectly, just at the minute it’s not looking too wonderful! Just a few sutures left now to drop out (lost 2 today), and hopefully that should be it.
The best bit has been getting back into some minimal card making – while I’d the bulk made and certainly all sorted and sent before surgery, I still like to keep it running as long as I can in advance of the next year, given I never know how much time I’ll have to make each time. Made 4 tonight in the space of an hour which was good – all very simplistic ones again, but at least got them done. Find it’s the best way for me to listen to my scripture reading if I’m being practically active in that way, otherwise I get distracted too easily. If you visit my website over the next couple of weeks (ok, VERY late with it!), you just might be able to view some of them – only got the Christmas page started tonight so doubt I’ll finish it too quickly – hard work! Or have a look at my other space on the net (not updated much tho), at http://hatikvah.spaces.live.com - just put a few up there but at least they’re current! )
Of Christmas that is. I’m utterly shocked and saddened somewhat at the ongoing demise of Christmas in its spiritual format at least. Secular, materialistic Christmas is not only alive and well but thriving more as the Government and other agencies to everything to ensure the country bankrupts itself in this month buying up endless supplies of unnecessary items to make people feel good about themselves more than anyone else. However, many Christians are certainly noticing how employers all over the country have suddenly determined they daren’t let their staff mention the word “Christmas” in a sentence starting with “Happy”! So they’re instructing their employees to say anything else along the lines of “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings” or whatever – just don’t mention the C word – it might offend the 5% of the countries minority religions who just might go out and riot or something. Give me a break! They’re living in a supposedly CHRISTIAN country – if they’re likely to be offended I’m sure most would have relatives in some Far East Muslim or Hindu or whatever religion they are, country. Look – if I went to say Saudi Arabia to live, firstly I’d recognise the fact that my faith wasn’t allowed to be practiced there most likely or if it was, it wouldn’t be as I’d like it to be, but I’d certainly not be out shouting in the media or on the streets about how Ramadan offended my senses because it was a national holiday and everyone was nice to each other! AND if I was stupid enough to try – well, lets just say I’d not be ever likely to be around to do it a second time!
I’ve written before about the decline of the UK as a so-called Christian country, and can now only watch as it slides into humanism, secularism and probably Muslimism (ok so I know it’s not a proper word, but you get my drift!) before the end of this decade quite likely – yep in 4 years check back and see whether we’re there yet!
Ironically after saying all that, I’m equally not going to be celebrating Christmas – well, not the secular, materialistic one at any rate. I’ve ditched the tree and dumped the decorations and next year am considering finishing with presents too if I can find enough friends willing to join me in my quest. I’ve had enough of this give £10 to get £10 back routine, especially when it more usually involves me spending a further £5 in postage on items from the internet (being my only means of shopping these days), which most times I’ve no hope of pleasing the recipient with, and are bought primarily because they’re in my budget or appeal to me. Pointless in every respect. So, next year, I truly want to try and persuade friends and family to leave me out of their present loop and see what happens. Some I suspect will still insist on getting me something, which is then only going to pile on tons of (uncalled for) guilt and me apologising profusely since I won’t be able to get angry about it. And if you’re one of those likely friends – PLEASE listen up – don’t, please, don’t buy for me – do yourself a favour and enjoy having one less person to have to think about.
Finally – back to what this season is supposed to be all about – Jesus – the One Who created everything, and who holds everything in His Divine Hands. Every breath you take is because He Wills it – absolutely no other reason. Have you thanked Him today for that fact?? And have you ever truly connected with the awesome fact that the Creator of this world and everything in it, allowed Himself to be lowered into His creation for the sole purpose of allowing that creation to kill Him so that He could provide them with eternal Life? I know I certainly can’t get my head around the concept of God becoming Man only to have to die for us to live – the only way we could return to where He’d always wanted us to be – in eternal sinless communion with Him. And even more gobsmacking is the fact that He’d already died before He created anything (because He is outside of time!), and that even knowing that that was the only means of enabling us to have a sinless relationship with Him, He still went ahead with His Plan for mankind! AWESOME! So while you may be stressed out over needless present buying this Christmas, please at least have a thought for the One who came to this earth to give you the life you have and I trust if you haven’t already that you will come to recognise that the only way forward is to submit to Him, repent of your own sins and allow Him to truly lead you forward into the awesome eternity He has planned for you. Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus.
Had the carpal tunnel op last Thurs afternoon, and it was awesome. Watched the whole thing, not that there was much to see! Was SO impressed with the staff & docs – couldn’t have done more to help me be comfortable, and ensure I didn’t have to cope with too much pain from the upper arm (as the hand was well dead by that stage!), and so the 15-20 mins of the op went in very fast indeed. Mr. Lewis is awesome too – a lovely, caring, empathetic surgeon who truly did everything he could to ensure I was relaxed about the whole thing and whose humour made a huge difference to the ‘enjoyment’ of the whole experience.
I’ll maybe write more later about this, but its a testimony to his workmanship, that I was able to get the dressing/plaster off this morning and have healed superbly in only 4 days so didn’t have to get another one on. Been told I can use the hand within ‘pain boundaries’ but am finding it hard to be sensible as you can tell with this amount of (speed) typing!! Still – suspect I’ll soon learn!
