Unto Us // A Child is Born

Therefore The Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)



Mary and Joseph were just a normal everyday young couple who had their whole life ahead of them.

As they thought about their future it would be completely normal to wonder… “Why am I here… What was I made for.”

We all have hopes and dreams… Things we feel destined to do, experience or feel. Yet, sometimes life doesn’t quite work out how we’d planned. Just like Mary and Joseph, our own story can have lots of unexpected twists and turns.



The Shepherds were just normal down to Earth guys… Working hard for their families… Getting on with everyday life, they probably didn’t see themselves as the religious type; however, since they spent a lot of time out in nature, it would be completely natural for them to wonder… “Is there something out there… And even if there was, would God be interested in me?”

Perhaps you too wouldn’t call yourself a religious person… In fact maybe you’ve found yourself watching this video thinking this isn’t your kind of thing?

At the heart of the story is the Good News, that a loving God decided to write himself into history, and to be born a baby. Through Jesus’ birth God demonstrated His love for us. He showed that he wanted to be involved with us; involved in our everyday lives.

God didn’t come first to the religion people, instead he came straight to ordinary men and women… Like the Shepherds; and invited them to go on a journey with Him.



The Magi were like special advisors… The senior scientists, politicians or professors of their day, who counselled their national leaders.

They are the kind of people that look at the world and ask… “Is there more to life than this?”

We can probably all relate to asking this question at some point or another. It’s completely normal to wonder where everything came from and whether there’s a God out there somewhere?

At the heart of the Christmas story is the Good News that there is a loving God out there.

Who decided to write himself into history so that we could get to know Him personally.

Jesus is God, by being born as one of us He demonstrated His love for us. He showed us that He wants to be known.

So if you too are a person searching for truth and meaning, I invite you to investigate the claims of the most famous man that ever lived… Jesus Christ.

If you would like to experience a friendship with God, just say this simple prayer:

Jesus, thank you for stepping into history! and showing me that you want to be part of my life.

Thank you for dying in my place so that I can have a close friendship with you.

I’m sorry for all I have done wrong. Please forgive me and take my life in a new direction, on an adventure with you.

Amen

EU Expansion and Immigration

I have been very curious of how the EU will benefit the UK as it continues to expand. I have no illmp-feelings again Europe, but I believed that the EU was supposed to bring more to the UK.

I have heard stories about people struggling to get employment in other European countries, but many flock to the UK and are presented with the same options as Brits.

I love how cosmopolitan the UK is getting but I am starting to see the cracks. The EU seems to cause more problems for the UK than benefits. Reading a Daily Telegraph article, I am faced with even more questions about staying in the EU.

We are a very small island, but we are being forced to accommodate much more than we can handle, but we bring most of our problems on ourselves. We rigidly adhere to the rules and regulations of the EU, while all other countries seem to pick and choose what rules they will obey.

We are in the midst of a recession, but we are still giving out free money. The job search is hard and the amount of jobs in relation to unemployed is a high margin, but it will only get bigger as more people descend on the UK.

I don't consider myself very political, but there must be something that could reduce the influx of immigration without alienating those that will benefit our economy. I assumed that the whole point of joining the EU was to increase our economy, not become a burden on our resources.

When our economy continues to falter due to all that our Governement are paying out, with little being paid in; then we will understand the problems that we are faced. People complain now about their welfare income and how inefficient it is, but they don't seem to understand that ALL the money that the Government use is generated from tax paid by the working-class!

The methods that the Governement are using to encourage immigrants to return home are the wrong approach; because most people are here for a reason, not necessarily by choice!

I am not voting for UKIP any time soon, but their thoughts on the EU are somewhat interesting. I would like to think that the EU was fair to all countries within it, but unfortunately due to some countries not adhering to the same rules the process can not work very well. 

Some people that have ended there search for a better future in the UK have ended up here due to rejection from other EU countries. If all countries in the EU are not sharing the load then its not going to work. (That's my opinion anyway.)

Domestic Violence

A few days have past since the infamous photos of Nigella Lawson were printed in UK news publications; which has caused an outcry in aid of domestic violence.

Does this incident show the lack of protection victims of domestic violence get?

Charles Saatchi was given a police caution for this "playful tiff", but women of domestic abuse rarely divulge wether this was the first incident or the hundredth.

There have been many occurrences when a woman of domestic violence ends up coming to a fate worse than death because of domestic violence not taken seriously enough by the police. One such incident was Tina Nash, who is now blind due to domestic violence. This could have been avoided!

The severity of a domestic incident determines how it is dealt with by the police. We look at the photo above and they are a wealthy couple, in a upmarket restaurant and if she does not claim to any wrong doing (dictated from her choice of silence) then why should the police take it seriously? 

Domestic violence does not just happen to women, but men can face the same, we just have to go back to Rebecca Brooks and Ross Kemp. There are many cases of men having to face domestic violence, but it less likely to be reported due to the possible ridicule. Men are just as likely to face domestic violence as women, but can just, if not more, embarrassing to report.

One misleading statistic, which is often repeated, is that - while one in four women experience domestic violence - so do one in six men. These figures are, however, based on single incidents, of a criminal nature, and without regard to:

severity of violence

whether or not it was repeated - and if so, how often

the complex pattern of overlapping abuse of various kinds

the context in which it took place.

They also exclude sexual assaults - which are overwhelmingly perpetrated against women, by men - many of whom are partners or former partners of the victims. Finally, emotional abuse - which is often not regarded as a crime, but which survivors often find even more destructive - is excluded from these statistics.

The ignorance surrounding domestic abuse whether it be against a woman or a man, should be taken for what it is violence. All violence regardless of who the victim is, should be dealt with in the same manner of a stranger attack.

I wonder if the information available to the police in regards to domestic violence needs to be accessed? 

Find the Truth & Spread it!

In the western world we pride ourselves on freedom of speech and having the freedom to speak out with our own independent opinions, but lately it feels as though this freedom of speech we are so proud of is being threatened.

Recently in the news Sally Bercow was taken to court for libel due to a tweet she posted. She was found guilty and media outlets are now concerned about the future of our freedom of speech and online banter.

This is not the first time something negative has come from a online comment that was meant in jest.Paul Chambers made a bombing joke on twitter, which resulted in a police investigation and a court hearing. Twitter rallied behind him as it was clear that there was no malicious intent, but this show how in today's society even in the democratic, freedom of speech, western world has its limitation on our freedom.

Watching Al Jazeera it is clear that we don't have it that bad in comparison to countries still fighting for a fair democratic society. We can still argue that the whole ordeal is wrong in the Sally Bercow and Paul Chambers cases, despite their freedom of speech being violated. 

This brings me back to Al Jazeera who broadcast 25 minute programmes that take an in depth look at the plight facing those in countries that are fighting for the democratic freedoms that we claim to have in our western world. The programme is called Witness; and two stories stood out for me:

The Revolution of Being Televised and Russia's Online Wavemakers.

Both these programmes show the struggle to speak out again the government, trying to tell a side of an issue that portrays negatively on those in power. The contrast to us here in the UK is we are always holding our government into account. Yes, there are times when people feel they are not receiving the truth, but they can seek it all they want without fear.

As we hear on the news the events that unfold from another protest march, we all find an outlet to share our thoughts; whether it be Twitter, Facebook, blogs, radio talk shows or just a discussion in your local pub. 
We have that freedom and as the government start to rein in on the online freedom of speech, where will we end up in years to come?

So as you post your next tweet or status update, think about those whose online presence is a statement to fight for freedom; the freedom to speak freely against the atrocities that they face in their everyday lives.

A21 Campaign Bulgaria

There are 27 million people trafficked in the world, of which the average age of a trafficked victim is 12 years old.
Only 1-2% of victims are ever rescued & 1 in 100,00 traffickers are ever prosecuted.

These facts start this blog because I went away on a trip to Bulgaria, most people who are trafficked originate from here. A21 in the past year have set up offices in Bulgaria to achieve 4 main goals:

Prevention
Protection
Prosecution
Partnership

These goals are achieved through firstly education, A21 has started campaigns going into schools to educate teachers & students about trafficking & how they can avoid becoming a victim.

A21 have a shelter programme, which is in Greece. The shelter is in Greece because approx. 40% of the girls trafficked are in Greece.
The shelter provides medical care, dental, psychological help, etc. whatever the girl may need.

To help bring to justice the traffickers, A21 work closely with the local police. The have police investigators, so they are able to raid building that they are tipped of about that could be operating a trafficking ring. A hotline has been set up too, which keeps the police informed.

Transition programmes have been set up in Bulgaria to reintegrate the girls back into society. A21 support the girls by giving the work to do so they can earn & as their confidence/skills increase they will be able to find jobs & start living their real lives.

All this information can be found on the A21 website, so why did I just rehash it?
Well, just putting a link & then expressing my thoughts would not have done this organisation justice.

In Bulgaria, Sofia in particular, you can not avoid see the poor. As soon as I walked of the bus there was an elderly lady begging for money, walk a little further & there are more.
The desperation is obvious!
We live in a society with a minimum wage, benefits that can cover living expenses & many number of ways to stay safe. In Bulgaria the life is different.

Children walk the street begging for money or stealing from those around them, so selling ones body seems a small price to pay for death through starvation.
They have ghettos which are run like a mafia ring with a hierarchy system & this is how many get trafficked.

High-class escorts can fetch up to €10,000, which for most is money well needed. This isn't always the case though as more women are enticed into this life because of the promise of high prices & a luxury lifestyle.

Some women get away with huge emotional & psychological scars, as well as physical scars.

At present The A21 Campaign focuses on sex trafficking & the trafficking of women, but hopefully in the future they may focus on the 3 other types of trafficking... Labour, Babies & Organ.

Take the time to check out what you can do to help, it doesn't have to just be giving money. Also there are many charities not just A21 that are focused on trafficking so check those out too.

Stop the Traffik
Sophie Hayes Foundation

I have never really thought about how damaging the sex trade was & in recent years it gets glorified by the likes of programmes called "Diary of a Call Girl", which gives a glorification to selling your body.

I recommend reading Sophie Hayes' book about her own experience of being trafficked, bear in mine as you read what you think of when someone mentions a trafficked woman. This book opened my eyes to how easy it is to get trafficked & how hard it can be to get away.

Confessions of Our Generation

I hate myself, I'm a boring Christian and other revelations.

"I want a divorce,” Jen said as we waited for Tara’s wedding to begin. We were sitting on the steps outside of the venue holding colorful bouquets and she was speaking through clenched teeth words that dripped with hurt and fear and anger. Quiet piano music played over the speakers in the background.

“I’m not going to get a divorce,” she said, turning to me. “But I want one.” And a minute later she added, “It feels really good to say that.”

I watched quietly as my good friend confessed her most shameful secret and witnessed a tangible weight lift from her shoulders. Her whole countenance changed. There’s something really powerful about confession.

Where did we get the idea as Christians that we aren’t supposed to have thoughts like this? We’re supposed to pretend like all we do is just sit around thinking about Bible verses or Jesus on the Cross or singing hymns to ourselves in our room. But the truth is that we’ve all thought things, felt things or done things that make us feel less-than-Christian. Heck, we might even be thinking, feeling or doing these things right now.

There is something powerful about confession.

"Confessions of a 20-something Christian" was a blog series idea that came to me as I thought about the power of confession and the safety that inspires us to speak the truth. I wondered what would happen if I offered a space online for my peers to admit their deepest darkest secrets. Would they feel safe enough to write? Would we all experience healing? Release?

I pitched the idea to a few of my favorite bloggers (Nicole Cottrell, Matt Appling, Kyle Reed and Darrell Vesterfelt) and they agreed to join. I figured if we made confessions it might inspire others to do the same. So we did. And we opened the door for our readers to do the same.

What we found was that the things we think, feel and do that make us feel less than Christian are precisely the things that connect us to each other. We have more in common than we realize ...

“I didn’t wait until I was married.”

“All along the way I never felt right about sex. I always had a feeling that what I was doing was something wrong, dirty or shameful. I went along with it because, well, it’s what all the cool kids were doing. … I had sex because I was looking for something.”

“I wish I was a Bad Kid.”

“I have this idea that God is in the reward business. The more I put in the slot machine, the bigger reward I will receive in the end.”

“I hate being a girl."

“Bible verses like 1 Peter 3:4 freak me out. I read them and think, Wait, a beautiful woman has to have a gentle and quiet spirit? I hate words like 'gentle' and 'quiet.' I don’t want to be either of those things.”

“I hate myself."

“I never set out to hate myself. I never planned to go there. But in no time at all I went from happy kid to distant and depressed young man. I don’t even like to speak out loud the names that I was given in high school ...”

“I’m the most Boring Christian I Know."

“When I was a teenaged preacher’s kid, I went right down the middle of the road. I didn’t become some crazed proselyte, trying to convert my entire school. But I also didn’t go off the deep end and embarrass my parents by getting drunk on three buck chuck and wrecking their car.”

Before the day ended, other confessions started to pour in...
I’m in therapy ...
I’m a people-pleaser ...
I don’t know who I am ...
I still believe the lies ...
I don’t think models are “too skinny” ...
I’m a judgmental hypocrite ...
I’m tired of going to weddings ...
I’m afraid of commitment ...
I can’t follow all the rules ...

And a dozen others ...

Why Confessions?
James 5:16 says: “Confess your sins to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

But I don’t do it just because it’s in the Bible. I do it because it’s healing and helpful, and it’s in the Bible for exactly those reasons. God wants help and healing for us.

Confession is powerful because it reminds us of who we really are. When we speak our shortcomings and failures out loud, it points to the truth of who we are. My friend Jen, for example confessed that she wanted a divorce, but it was in that confession she realized what she really wanted was to end the pain and fear she was feeling. Even more than that, she wanted to make her marriage work.

Confession reveals our true heart. When we confess that the way we acted or thought was not in line with our true intent, we get to quit being someone we’re not.

Confession is powerful because it connects us to people. Our natural instinct when we’re afraid is fight or flight, defensiveness or secrets. We keep secrets when we’re ashamed because it’s our way of staying safe, but there’s no way to have close relationships with people who don’t know our secrets. When we speak our shame out loud, we realize we’re not the only ones who have felt, done or thought those things we consider to be so shameful. It levels the playing field. We have more in common than we think we do.

Confession is powerful because it brings healing. I love what the verse in James says: “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” Prayer can bring healing. The prayer of a righteous man. Who is a righteous man? All of us. Everyone, regardless of what we have to confess, is considered righteous when he or she accepts the free gift that Jesus offered on the cross.

Do we believe what the Bible says about confession? When was the last time you confessed to someone?
Ally Spotts is a 20-something writer, runner, teacher, dreamer, thinker and reader living in Portland, OR. She keeps a blog about things that interest her, including faith, running, travel adventures and relationships & dating. She is also currently working on a book about chasing her dreams on a 50-State Road Trip. (This article was adapted from her blog with permission at Relevant Magazine. )