In a few minutes I am off to school to join the reception classes (63 children and about five staff plus a few parents) for an outing to see baby Jesus.  You didn't realise it was feasible to go back 2000 years and across a continent all within the school day did you!  Polesoworth Abbey runa wonderful 'live nativity' event - complete with real baby.  As I recall the first ever nativity play I witnessed (40 years ago tomorrow - it kind of sticks when it coincides with your 6th birthday!) I hope that for at least some of these children it will be as important for them, prompting the life-long, timebound journey of faith, it did for me.

Then, for a total change, tonight I will in the 'upper room' of our local pub with 40-50 adults singing along to the Radio Leicester 'Sing Christmas' service.  Some of those who come will never enter a church service per se, while others will be my own folk being missional.  There will be few who struggle to climb the stairs (no DDA compliance here) but who will then thank us for putting on this event for them and who, for a moment, will rediscover the inner child who longs for the magic and mystery of Christmas past.  Quavery voices and dewy eyes - always brings a lump to my cynical middle-aged throat!

For anyone counting (like Nigel!) between yesterday and today we will 'tick off' the first 200 or so of our pre-Christmas contacts!  But more importantly, I will enjoy myself as I help others reconnect with the heart of Christ-mas

Just taking a break between Advent prayers at lunch time and hospital visiting this afternoon and attempting - with limited success - some fib poetry...

A

Fib

Poem

Christmas tree -

Spreading out greenness

across the blank computer screen.

The hope of Emmanuel, the God who is with us

Piercing the darkness of human inhumanity with inextinguishable light

The

Light

Shines in

The darkness

The darkness cannot –

Cannot, however dark it be –

Extinguish, Overcome, Understand, put out the Light.

For

Now

To us

Here on earth

A baby is born

New life, new hope, to us given

Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God: Everlasting!

I

Wish

You all

Love, Joy, Peace

Hope, Freedom, Fulfilment

These gifts that money cannot buy –

That cannot be exchanged for a higher spec version

That come in one size, yet really could fit all, if only all were able to receive…

A

fib

forest:

Christmas trees

Made up of my words.

Fibonacci series poems

of sorts. A Christmas card from me to you – almost works!

Thank you Angela who awarded me this prize in the latest blog-tag game!

The rubrik of the tag-a-long runs thus:

This award is meant for people who are positive, show gratitude, and of course: make lemons out of lemonade!

The rules for this award are that you post the graphic for it, write a post that links back to the giver, and then pass it on to up to ten others. Leave a comment on the blogs that get the award, so they know what's happened

I'm not sure my alchemy skills run to making lemons from lemonade - but hey!

I'm not intending to add a load of links to other blogs - some people hate being tagged thinking it is not even vaguely fun, and all of us are way too busy to do so even if we think it is fun.

So, this prize goes to those who have stopped by over the last year, especially those who have left comments, emailed or phoned me, and been generally supportive and encouraging during the "ups and downs" of life at Dibley BC this year.  If I go for special mentions, by way of thanks, someone will get missed, so forgive me for not doing so.  Instead can I use the 'space' to 'pray out loud' for Lucy seeking settlement (happy birthday for tomorrow); Sean, Katherine, Sophia & Lucy (another one) off to Australia (hope you get over your lurgy quickly!); Steve soon to leave for Africa; Julie at the end of NAM (yeay!); and anyone I know who is faced by challenges and changes in church/vocational life.  All sounding like a radio 2 dedication slot now!

Still looking to spend some of the money I've recently been given, and seeking to plug another gap on my bookshelf, I am wondering what, beyond Bosch, which I have, I should read on missiology, specifically in a UK context?  Any suggestions?

Today I met up with my sister and her children for the traditional pre-Christmas gift swap.  A drive over to Cambridge, lunch at the children's favourite pasty shop and then a film.  All good fun.

It seems the URC minister's cold is running about 3 days behind the Baptist version - or the Cambridgeshire version to the Leicestershire version, which ever it is, anyway, I supplied her with throat sweets as we sniffled and sneezed our way through the film.

What really made me smile, just as I was about to leave, was her comment that, 'even after all these years people are STILL asking me if I'm Catriona's little sister.'  Seemingly in recent weeks two URC ministers have asked her this question.  I thought it was funny; she of course, did not.  Some things never change!  Not sure I can help knowing a fair smattering of URC ministers as well as Baptist ones though.