Spirit of 164 (BC)

Today... is my birthday.

33 years ago... just prior to the IRA attacks in Birmingham... I was born at 6:40pm.

The 21st of November marks another anniversary though.

According to wikipedia in the year 164 BC, Judas Maccabeus overcame two armies of the Seleucid Empire and liberated Jerusalem. This led to the Second Temple (which had previously been defiled), being purified and used for sacrifice and worship once more. Thus began the first celebration of what modern Judaism calls Hanukkah.

So at midnight... as we passed over into the 21st, I went into a quiet place and I set about getting my own house in order. I gave thanks for the dawn of a new day and a new year in my life... and I gave them both these gifts back to God. There are things I really want to achieve this year, there are places that spiritually I need to go and there are ways in which I need to grow.

I have been waiting for God... but a few things recently have made me wonder whether actually the ball is really in his court... or whether it is actually in mine. There are several possibilities... but I really lack focus. I'm always getting inspiration about things I think I should be doing with my life... but I never set on one.

I want to sort this... I need to sort this.

As I prayed to God last night I earnestly said that I do not want to feel this year that I have buried coins or withheld a handful of seed from being sown. I have got to lock onto something and go for it.

I'm going to chase God on this and ask him for revelation regularly... but I'm also going to do my best to inspire growth in others. There are people who I should really be engaging in prayer with, people who can help me... who also need stirring up. I've not approached them because they don't appear to be in that place yet... but I think I need to start encouraging them to wake up and rediscover that place.

I also need to go to a few independent sources away from my own church or regular social circles... who can advise me. I know of one or two people I can go to, however there are a few regular readers on here who's thoughts and prayers I'd greatly appreciate. Even if you are normally a silent party... I want to hear your thoughts.

Nicholas means "victorious people". The 33rd year of my life is one that I intend to go out and claim a few victories.

In God's will, by God's grace and through God's strength.

Revelations from a Quiet Place

It's taken me some time, but I'm now ready to share the profound experience I had on my birthday with you. It's taken on new significance since I saw the latest episode of Lost, where Locke enters a sweat lodge to communicate with the island.

I woke up on Tuesday and opened my cards. One of them was handmade by Jenni and contained a verse from Psalm 37. Another card from Rob, Susan, Benji and Katy was based on one of Rob's paintings and was called shine, it has a man standing with arms outstretched on a sunny hilltop beside a tree.

"Shine" by Rob Barley

I am certain that Rob had remembered a conversation we had had earlier about my desire for a late November birthday where the sun was shining and leaves were still on the trees.

Rob telephoned me later and suggested that I might like to visit one of my "thinking places". I looked out the window and saw that I had been blessed with a sunny day after all... and there were indeed leaves on the trees. So I packed my Bible into my bag and headed off up to Cold Comfort Lane. Now most of my old thinking places are long overgrown from my childhood days, but as time has gone on I've been fortunate to find new ones opening up. Thinking places for me are small and subtle. They normally follow a simple format... a strong tree next to a gentle brook that is slightly off the beaten track. Such places are a good place for me to hammer out things that are on my heart, mind and soul. If you don't have one... I strongly recommend you find yourself one. They have proved invaluable to me in the past.

Anyway, after about 15-20 minutes, I reached my destination and sat myself down on a large knotted root of an oak tree. I entered a short period of prayer and allowed myself to be immersed in the Holy Spirit before reading out Psalm 37, it's a long one so I'll pull out the most relevant points:

"Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:

He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause
like the noonday sun.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when
men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. "

and...

"Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of
peace. "

Both these scriptures are very relevant to me at the moment. I have seen people receive earthly blessings that they have not lived up to a standard of having been worthy to receive... and yet I remain untested... still a sapling while their trees blossom. However, I feel God is acknowledging my feelings but saying that I should not let the success of such people become a distraction. God has a plan for me and he has clearly already begun it. I should spend what time there is enjoying my relationship with him. When the time comes, when everything starts to kick off... all those needs will be provided for.

I just need to remain at peace with God and myself and the circumstances I find myself in... until the time is right.

It just goes to show, that you only have to allow yourself to be available to God ina quiet moment... and he can reveal so much to you.... though don't expect it to be what you want - that is arrogance. Instead, expect it to be what you need - that is obedience

For those of you who found all that a little heavy going, here is a picture of me as drawn by my godson Benji...

"Uncle Nick" by Benji Barley

Not good... definitely not good!

Being a bright and optimistic soul, I want to share with you a positive experience I had on Tuesday (it was my birthday... but that was not the reason, it was merely the catalyst). However, before I do that I need to clear some of the crud out the way... as I don't want it to taint that post. So I've decided to dedicate this brief post to a couple of negative things - just to get them out of my brain. Do not worry, this is not drastically bad... I just want to close the book on them.

Right then. Lets kick off!

1. My X Rays came back from the dentist and it appears I have a cavity. Now despite the fact I haven't needed anything doing for light years... and the fact that within the past 2 years I have completely come off fizzy drinks and cut down on sugary foods... it appears I'm going to have to have some work done.
   
2. Warwickshire County Council have waited a staggering almost half a year before informing me that I need to pay for the clean up of a tiny patch of oil after I wrote my antiquated car off in July. They make it out be the Exxon Valdez disaster when in actuality what was deposited was minuscule... and had dirt put down over it by myself at the time. Apparently they sent in a clean up crew out of hours (unnecessary as it wasn't even on a main A or B road). The total amounts to £188.32 - nice! Furthermore I am highly suspicious at the length of time it has taken them... have they deliberately waited until the season of goodwill to have an opportunity to urinate on my yuletide log? Or maybe, just maybe I'm paying for the Senior Accountant's Christmas Party! I'm not eliminating either scenario.
   
3. Finally, I decided to treat myself to a Chinese on Tuesday to celebrate my birthday... unfortunately the humble meal that appeared to be chicken fried rice, evolved into something far more deadly within my bowels... and despite a noble effort by myself to go to work the next day... I was sent home looking greyer than a rainy Thursday afternoon in winter. Let me just say I'm going to spare you from the gory details.

Now in an effort to remain optimistic and not get bogged down by that crud... here are the things I have to say in response to these meagre obstacles.

1. When I rang up the dentist to rebook I was told it was likely only a fifteen minute job and not prohibitively bad. As I will have just finished paying my insurance for my car (how bizarre is that... I'm paying for a car I no longer possess?), the amount should probably be equivalent... so although it doesn't improve my finances it certainly doesn't look like it'll do me in for Christmas.
   
2. Ah yes, talking of insurance... seeing as the County Council are a third party... I can't see how my insurance provider can wriggle out of this one. It seems fitting, as when they paid out on my car... they ignored all the evidence I gave them about it's condition and refused to negotiate on a woefully poor payout price. If push comes to shove, I should have it covered... but I have no intention of letting them pull a fast one on me.
   
3. I have always been blessed with a decent constitution... and after having 14 hours of solid rest... I was up and running again - even playing chase with my 4 year old godson. Nature of Nick is irrepressible. Needless to say though, that when I go out tonight to celebrate my birthday with a few mates... we won't be stopping off at a takeaway.

OK I've emptied the rubbish and I've answered it too! That leaves the way clear for me to talk about good stuff.

Blessings for now.

Nick.

A Little Older... A Little W... Never Mind

If you come here regularly, the more observant of you will have noticed a slight difference in my profile.

Yes today is my birthday... (collect £10 from every player). At the moment, 31 doesn't feel any older than 30... but no doubt that'll change in a month or so.... but it's all relative really. Most people put me in my mid to late 20's... including the local barber.

The only really noticeable difference is that I keep singing the theme tune to the old cartoon Ulysses 31, purely because of the numerical value in the title. Sad or what?

Today is also the 31st anniversary of the IRA Birmingham Pub Bombings... I was born just 50 minutes before the explosions... 30 odd miles away in the Monroe Davis Maternity Home in Stratford.

And it seems I'll be off to Narnia! I didn't think I was going to be able to watch the new film of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I'm due to get my car serviced at the end of the month and I suspect it will leave me pretty short in the run up to Christmas.

Then... tonight, I opened a birthday card from my sister (who is hard up herself at the moment having upped her roots and headed for London... quitting her job while still having a mortgage on her home in Redditch). I'm really grateful to her because inside was an amount of cash with the words:

Please Spend on:

1. One large coke
2. One medium popcorn
3. Ticket to see Aslan

Have a nice time!

Heh heh, God moves in mysterious ways. It's always nice to get a present that fits you like a glove, I love the Narnia books. Now I shall have to rally a few troops... so we can go further up an further in (oops sorry that's later in "The Last Battle").

Right... well, come December the 8th I will be off to experience the Deeper Magic that comes from before the Dawn of Time (providing it hasn't been edited into secular dust).

Coincidentally I did a couple of Narnia personality tests... my top two results were:

Tirian
As Tirian, you are valiant, brave and loyal. While you may have a silly name, you help others in the face of adversity and always uphold what is right.


Rilian
As Prince Rilian, you are brave, noble and intelligent, but easily misguided! Just make sure you don't go after any green women.

LOL ain't that the truth?????????