It is a sad state of affairs that for so many Christianity is perceived as a restrictive and oppressive belief system. Including Christians. And yet one of the critical components of the gospel is freedom. It’s one of the many reasons that the gospel means ‘good news’.

It’s Christmas! A time that is known for fun, celebration, giving and eating too much. But unfortunately for many, Christmas also brings back memories of pain and conflict. As much as we would like our families to represent something homely and safe, it's not the case for everyone. Including Christians.

A couple of years ago I had a small medical procedure. It was nothing serious, but as you can imagine the practitioner relayed in detail the process that would be undertaken, and the possible risks associated with each stage. It’s a standard part of the process in all medical treatment, to ensure that you are informed before consenting. But despite having been given the full download on everything you could expect, I still felt a little nervous. Naturally. 

It’s just a part of the apprehension that we feel when facing the unknown. Even when we know everything there is to know logically about a situation, our mind struggles to mentally and emotionally construct something that we don’t have imagination for. 

I have always admired karate. Maybe it was those days back in the 80’s watching the karate kid movies, as the main character disciplined himself through rigorous training to defeat his opponent. I especially admire the focus and concentration displayed by these warriors.

I recently came across an interview with a martial arts expert

I have always admired karate. Maybe it was those days back in the 80’s watching the karate kid movies, as he disciplined himself through rigorous training to defeat his opponent. I especially admire the focus and concentration displayed by these warriors

We instinctively know that dirt is not ideal. Even though we recognise that some dirt builds immunity, we wouldn’t expose ourselves to anything. We wash our hands before we eat because we don’t want to consume microorganisms. We wear shoes to prohibit the germs from attaching to our bare feet. We wash our knives so that we don’t contaminate good meat. We understand a lot more about germs in this modern world than many generations before us.

When we were in lockdown, I was checking the stats for COVID every day. I was jumping on the QLD health website and then the Australian stats and the World stats. I don’t think it was about fear, I just was looking for a sign that things were going to go back to normal. Signs of hope that this thing was starting to decline.

It was the same for the prophets in the Old Testament.

Last night as I lay in bed, I suddenly thought about the fact that one day, hopefully in old age...I would pass. I might close my eyes knowing that I had the afterlife to look forward to, as I bid farewell to this life. Such thoughts can evoke fear in us. It can make us nervous as we contemplate the unknown. It’s not that there is uncertainty. I know what will happen to me, but I have no imagination to visualise what is to come.

The only fact that gave me peace at this unnerving idea, is the fact that no matter what I go through Jesus would be there with me.

The word communion doesn’t occur in most Bibles. This word that we use to describe a tradition that we participate in, was not named as such by Jesus. The word itself is a French term that was derived from the Latin communionem which means “fellowship, mutual participation, and sharing”. If you think about everything that the actual act of communion represents, fellowship and sharing would probably not be the average Christians assumption.

In the documented accounts of the Last Supper, there is this strange statement that sits amidst the discussion that I’ve never really heard much about. Jesus makes this promise: that He will not drink the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes.

In essence, Jesus is committing to a fast.

In 2014 a study was published showing the effects on married couples when they reminisce about positive memories. The study showed that for the average healthy relationship, positive reminiscing over things like holidays, major life events, significant songs, photos, were highly influential on how they saw each other and the positive feelings toward their relationship.  In general, positive reminiscing enhanced the relationship….

As a woman, I can’t really help it. I notice something really obvious about the last supper. It’s not the strange conversation points about blood and flesh. It’s not the strange competitive argument that the disciples engaged in. It’s not the controversy about Judas.

I notice that there are no women at this table.

Have you ever wished you could disguise yourself, so you could find out what really is happening? Parents?

There’s a TV program called the Undercover Boss in which a CEO disguises themselves and works alongside those in the lower levels of the organisation. It is supposed to give them exposure to the awesome people who work for them and discover the areas that really need attention. He also gets to experience how arduous some of the tasks are.

The fact that any leaders fall into sin, is one of the most disillusioning experiences a believer can go through. And as is typical of disillusionment, a host of unanswered questions are often at the centre of the experience.

I have always felt uncomfortable with the idea of my faith being invested in what I gain from it. Though this seems like a noble sentiment, in its extreme, there is discomfort with receiving obvious God-given blessing.

We tend to misdiagnose our souls’ hunger for something else. For instance, instead of recognising that our souls are hungry for deep satisfaction, we assume we just need a holiday, or get more organised, or work harder, or end that relationship, quit that church, get up earlier, be more in control, get married...soul hunger is not very easy to recognise, because societally we haven’t trained ourselves to listen to its cues. In fact, we hardly acknowledge its existence.

As Christmas Day approaches, I have found myself thinking about how it seems so easy to give and receive gifts at Christmas time. It’s a socially sanctioned time for the giving and receiving of gifts. But outside of those times ordained by general society, I know that some of us really struggle to receive gifts. It’s not that we don’t like what has been purchased, but the act of receiving is awkward.

Being 5 foot 2 has meant ruling out a whole host of occupations. All my dreams of being a basketball player were over by the time I turned 10 years old. And forget about being a stewardess…

I can’t stand those magic eye pictures! I have never been able to see the secret picture. Even more annoying is how people who can see it, make out like it’s so simple. I am a very imaginative person, but for some reason, I’m too literal when it comes to magic eye pictures…doesn’t make sense. I’m so glad magic eyes have disappeared from pop culture and restored my confidence…

Somewhere along the lines, my daughter developed a fear of spiders. For as long as I can remember, she has been apprehensive around them including the teeny-weeny little ones that would die from a decent adult sneeze. Over the Christmas holidays, her fear reached an unhealthy level.