Les Miserables

I am a huge musicals fan. Give me the option of going to the theatre to see anything I wanted, it would be a musical. And most likely, I would go to see my favourite musical. Les Miserables. So I’m sure you can imagine my excitement that this fantastic story has been put on film.

I was first taken to see Les Miserables when I was 7 years old. I must admit, I didn’t really follow the story, and fell asleep in the second act, but I immediately fell in love with the music, and a 15 year obsession began. I have seen the stage show a further 2 times (once in London, and again on the 25^th Anniversary tour) and watched the Anniversary DVD’s countless times. I now fully understand the story, appreciate the music ten times more, and try to share my enjoyment of the show with everyone around me. I even managed to read the book last year!

The key plot of the musical is the pursuit of a police officer of a convict over many decades. The musical starts with the convict (Jean Valjean) being released on parole by a police officer (Javert). Once Valjean is released, he finds it difficult to find work and is very bitter. A priest then offers him hospitality, but Valjean steals his silver and escapes before some local police officers catch him. The priest comes to Valjean’s aid, instead of condemning him, and says the silver was a gift, and even gives him more! This causes a deep change in Valjean, and he resolves to restart his life with a new identity, but always seeking to do God’s will.

Javert knows Valjean has broken his parole, and then becomes obsessed with finding him and bringing him to justice. The 2 characters meet numerous times in the musical, and while the audience can see the change in Jean Valjean, Javert remains convinced that a convict can not change and continuous to try to bring Valjean to justice.

I will leave the plot there, as I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who may be going to see the film.

This plot of redemption and condemnation speaks to me every time I see the show, and it can reflect experiences we encounter on a regular basis (although maybe not quiet so dramatically).

On the side of Jean Valjean there is a great story of redemption and change. He completely turns his life around and achieves great things. Without the conversion, many would have suffered and died. This speaks to us of the true transformative power God can bring into anyone’s life – God doesn’t only work in the ‘good’ people, but in the lives of the lowest of the low as well.

On the side of Javert there is a story of a man filled with prejudices the end up consuming his life. He refuses to admit that God can work the kind of transformation Jean Valjean has gone through, and when he finally faces that transformation, Javert can not cope. How often do we see people through the eyes of our prejudices? Do we admit they can change, and accept it when they do?

We must remember that God can do more than we can imagine. He works his transforming power in the lives of anyone and everyone, from the lowest of the low to the highest of the high, and we should accept and acknowledge these changes when they occur.

We were made to be courageous

Before Christmas, I took a day out of my schedule to focus on praying for the youth work in Anglia Division. I asked for prayer requests for young people, programmes, and corps (churches), and spent time praying for them and for the Divisional events in 2013. I also spent time listening to God to see what he wanted to say about the coming year.

I was listening to worship songs, and one song particularly spoke to me. It is called ‘Courageous’ and is by Casting Crowns (Video can be found at the end of this post). The lyrics that particularly stood out to me were:

We were made to be courageous,
and we’re taking back the fight.
We were made to be courageous,
and it starts with us tonight.
The only way we'll ever stand
is on our knees with lifted hands.
Make us courageous,
Lord make us courageous.

As I listened to this song, I felt that God was saying that 2013 is a year when we will need to be courageous; that there will be times in this year when we are going to have to stand up and be courageous in what we do. And this call to be courageous is not just for the divisional level youth work, it is also on a local and personal level as well.

 As we set out into the unknown of 2013, there are many things that are on our minds that we may think this call to courageous living relates, and there will be many other incidents that we can not yet foresee that will require courage. There will be times when we are unsure if we have that courage, but we need to remember to focus ourselves on God and let him help us in those moments.

The last sermon I heard in 2012 was also focused on the need to be courageous, affirming for me that this is what God is calling the young people of The Salvation Army in Anglia Division to be in 2013. The sermon focussed on Joshua 1, and encouraged us to be bold and courageous in the new year as God will be with us throughout it all, where we may go.

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
(Joshua 1:9)

We can also remember to wear the armour of God to give us courage.

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armour so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armour so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armour of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

(Ephesians 6:10 – 17)

This is not a year we are entering alone and cautiously. We should enter it wearing the armour of God, racing ahead to meet the challenges, and trusting God is by our side through it all.

I am planning to make these prayer days a regular feature of my work in 2013 so I can continue to pray for courage amongst the young people, youth leaders, and officers of Anglia Division, and I encourage you also to pray for those who you interact with, that they too will have courage for their daily lives this coming year.

A Christmas Challenge

Christmas is fast approaching (only 6 days left); there are more lights going up on houses, shops are getting busier as people search for those final few presents, and there are only a few days left to post those Christmas cards, Christmas cards that are becoming less and less religious. In 2011, the Daily Mail conducted a survey and discovered that “of 6,576 cards in major supermarkets in seven locations in England and Wales … only 36 featured scenes such as Jesus in a manger or angels. Traditional nativity scenes appear on less than 0.5% of all cards available.”

And it is not just Christmas cards that show the increasing decline of Christ in Christmas. The following statistics are taken from http://www.eauk.org/culture/statistics/christmas-facts-and-quotes.cfm;

In a survey conducted by ComRes on behalf of Theos in December 2010 the following results were obtained:

·  51% agreed with the statement "The birth of Jesus is irrelevant to my Christmas" whilst 46% disagreed with the statement.

·  61% agreed "Christmas is mainly for children" whilst 38% disagreed.

·  36% said they would be attending a Christmas service. 62% said they would not be going to a service, 2% were unsure.

A survey commissioned by The Children's Society in 2010 found that only 10% of adults think that it's religious meaning is the most important thing about Christmas. Only 4% of 25-34 year olds thought the religious aspect was important whilst 20% of those over 60's years feel that it is the key aspect of Christmas. 67% of all adults said spending time with family was the most important thing about Christmas.

As well as these statistics, Norwich has also been dubbed the ‘most godless city’ in England and Wales after the census showed the city has the highest proportion of people reporting ‘no religion’.

A pretty bleak picture.

But this is the world we are called to. We are called to spread the word of God, and we have the perfect opportunity at this time of year. By explaining the true meaning of Christmas, we can share the gospel. Christmas grants us opportunities to share that are unique.

Have you spoken to anyone this year about what Christmas really means? I know I haven’t. I’ve shied away from it and not taken opportunities to share. But my challenge to you and to me is to share the meaning with at least one person who does not truly understand why we celebrate Christmas.

Maybe grab a coffee with a friend, chat through Christmas plans, and invite them to a service? There’s still time!

Or if you’re less confident, maybe post a link to a youtube video on your facebook, with explanation and something from yourself about why you celebrate Christmas? The one I plan to share with some friends is at the end of this post, and there are many more at www.thenativityfactor.com

Find what works for you. But please, spread the light of Christmas amongst those who walk in darkness. Please share any stories in the comments, on twitter (@AloveAnglia1) or on facebook (/alove.anglia1)

Wishing you all a blessed Christmas.

Becky

'Spending' Christmas

How much will you spend this Christmas?

When we see these figures and look at spending habits at Christmas, it cam be easy to dismiss this as not relating to us. We can feel that because ‘we know the meaning of Christmas’, all the excessive spending and bad habits ‘will not be down to us’.

But is this really the case? I know there have been times when amongst all the present buying and card writing and tree decorating, I sometimes forget to check my bank account, the budget I set, or even why I’m doing things. We too can be swept up in the tide of Christmas-hysteria that sweeps the land from early November. We buy presents throughout the year to ‘avoid the Christmas rush’; we stockpile Christmas cards, wrapping paper and decorations in the January sales so we’re ready for next year, and then can’t remember where we put them. We see preparing for Christmas as a chore, and not a joy; a time for worry and overspending, not a time for preparation.

Why do we buy gifts for one another? We know the traditions – it’s about remembering God’s gift to us all in Jesus and the gifts the wise men brought – but is that where our hearts are when we buy these gifts? Do we buy them from obligation?

When I was in secondary school, I remember the panic that December brought on – which of my friends do I buy presents for? Who do I write cards to? What if someone gets me a present and I haven’t got them one? How much is this all going to cost me from my pocket money? Eventually, the presents we ended up exchanging were silly, cheap, and essentially meaningless. We wouldn’t even take them home to enjoy opening on Christmas day – the classroom bins would be filled with brightly coloured paper and empty chocolate boxes (the best present for those on a budget with lots to buy) throughout the final weeks. Sound familiar?

I witnessed the same thing happening in a youth club earlier this week. When I asked them why they had opened their presents early, they said “Well I knew what it was, and I wanted to have it now”. The young people did not bother wondering what the present was – they knew it was a cheap gift bought out of obligation. They did not feel any expectation, hope or wonder about what was in the wrapping paper, and did not feel that by waiting anything extra would be gained.

As I grew up, I started to be the strange person that received the presents in school and slipped them into my bag unopened. Even though I (very often) knew what was inside, I wanted to experience a time of waiting for that gift. My friends were always surprised, and often tried to encourage me to open the presents early. I refused, explaining I wanted to truly appreciate their gift by opening it when I had the time to do so properly – not in the five minutes between lessons when I would smile politely, say thanks, and rush on. I would then message anyone who had given me a gift on Christmas day, thanking them for their gift.

Originally, I feel this habit was bred out of a desire to have the most presents to open on Christmas morning, but as I continued to do this, I began to change my attitude to the gifts I had received. Although many of the gifts were bought from obligation

and didn’t cost much, I really began to appreciate that this person had stopped to think of me during the busyness of Christmas shopping, even if it wasn’t really from the best motive.

In the past few years, I have tried to make my Christmas behaviour more meaningful. I buy presents for those I care about, not who I feel obligated to buy for. I try and buy things they want, like or need, not buying into cheap ‘3 for 2’ deals (although if this happens to occur, it is a bonus). Whenever I buy a gift, I try to remember why I am doing it (whatever time of year it is).

The one thing I most want you to take away from this blog post is that however we prepare for Christmas, whatever we spend, that we should have a heart of worship, during a time of hope and preparation, and that all we do should be as part of a celebration of God’s love for us.

Advent

It’s December! That means decorations can go up, advent calendars can be opened, and the crazy shoppers can be released. Life gets busy with writing Christmas cards, buying presents, visiting friends and family, getting all the food in, attending carol services, etc. This has resulted in the office getting quiet as everyone is busy, and I’m sitting and preparing for the events in the year ahead.

While Christmas is exciting, we should be focussing on Advent itself. Just as I am using this month to prepare for the year ahead, Advent is about preparing ourselves for Jesus’ birth and for his return. Advent is a time of waiting and expecting, and preparing our hearts and minds for Christmas, so we are ready and can meditate on the real meaning.

Throughout this month and time of preparation, I hope to update this blog regularly with short thoughts that will help us all prepare for Christmas and remember the true meaning of welcoming Christ into the world.

Guarding Our Keyboards

Social networking is on the rise. There is no denying it. But is it a fad or is it here to stay?

This video shows us that social media is becoming a tool utilised by businesses to increase their advertising, but it is also becoming the way we become known amongst our peers, colleagues and family. Everything we put on social media sites, such as facebook and twitter, can be accessed by everyone on our friends list, and unless you’re very tech-savvy, the friends list of your friends list. Personal information can be distributed and shared across a wide ranging network that often we can not see the end of.

I’m not writing this to cast doom and gloom over social media – I do use it and find it useful for communicating with friends and family, but there is a responsibility that comes with using these kinds of communication tools.

Have you ever posted a status you regretted? Have you ever become annoyed and frustrated with someone or something, and immediately vented that anger online? Have you ever sent something to the wrong person? Or posted a comment on someone’s wall that was supposed to be kept private?

The problem we can face with social media is that it is very difficult to take back what we have said. Tens and hundreds (possibly thousands) of people have seen our personal thoughts that were posted online before we stopped to think about them.

The internet depersonalises what we do. Things we may never say in person can easily slip out online. This may not only be detrimental to us, but those the comments were directed at, and our faith. How Christian would we appear if people viewed our facebook statuses and tweets alone?

Proverbs 21:23 says “Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity”. It was wise advice then – maybe we should remember this next time we go to our keyboards, with a few adjustments –

“Those who guard their keyboards and their updates keep themselves from calamity”

Seasons of Life

The days are growing shorter and darker. Temperatures are falling and the final warm, sunny days seem to have disappeared forever. Leaves are turning from lush summer green to reds and browns before falling to cover the ground. We have definitely arrived at autumn.

I love the seasons. Whenever I’m asked which my favourite season is, I can never decide. There are things I love about each season, but there are also the negatives. Autumn brings a beautiful diversity of colour to the trees, and the satisfying crunch of leaves beneath your feet as you walk; but it also brings the darker, colder days I have already mentioned. When winter comes, we get the beauty that a white world of snow can bring, but also the cold, the danger of driving in snow, and more darkness than light. Spring then arrives, and we are greeted by the new life in the fields, the beautiful spring flowers, and the days growing longer; but we also face the regular rain. And then summer, with the long, occasionally hot, summer days; but then you get sunburn, especially if you are as pale as me!

 

There is a tree outside DHQ that I have the perfect view of from my desk, and I have been enjoying watching the changes that autumn is bringing to it. It reminds me that we all go through seasons in our own lives. These may not be cyclical, like the seasons of our world, but we will experience them all at some point in our lives.

The autumns of our life are those times when things come to an end; leaving school or university, the end of a job, moving home, etc. and we begin to prepare for the change. It can be a time of beauty, just like the changing colours of the leaves, but it can also be a time of uncertainty, and the days can seem to be growing darker around us. But we need to remember that God is there with us and supporting us through this.

The winters are the times of hardship, pain, and loss, when we feel that all the pleasure of life has drained away. We can become cold and lifeless to those around us, but these times can be when God makes us fresh for a new start. Just like the snow can make everything look pure and fresh, God does the same through us.

Spring brings new growth in our lives, and we find ourselves starting new things. God gives us the opportunities to grow and start along new pathways with him. It is a time of new discoveries, and full of excitement.

And finally, the summers of our lives are those ‘times of plenty’, those moments when we feel God especially close to us, and know him in a deeper way.

What season of life are you in? How is God working with you in those moments?

Whatever situation or season we are in, God’s love remains with us, and he will always be there to help and support us. Pray that you find God in your situation, and that you will know his presence with you, whatever season you find yourself in.

There is a time for everything, and everything on earth has its special season.
There is a time to be born and a time to die. 

There is a time to plant and a time to pull up plants.
There is a time to kill and a time to heal.
There is a time to destroy and a time to build.
There is a time to cry and a time to laugh.
There is a time to be sad and a time to dance.
There is a time to throw away stones and a time to gather them.
There is a time to hug and a time not to hug.
There is a time to look for something and a time to stop looking for it.
There is a time to keep things and a time to throw things away.
There is a time to tear apart and a time to sew together.
There is a time to be silent and a time to speak.
There is a time to love and a time to hate.
There is a time for war and a time for peace.

(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, NCV)