Sarah

[Katharine Birbalsingh @Miss_Snuffy]

I don’t think I agree with a single thing Michelle Obama thinks, but my goodness is Barack lucky to have her. 🥰

[Graham @Windy_London]

Happy Birthday London City Mission!

191 years through cholera and COVID. Through the Blitz and the rebuilding. Through waves of newcomers from Ireland, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, South Asia and beyond

We’ve prayed with Lord Shaftesbury and with rough sleepers beneath Waterloo Bridge. We’ve known fellowship with Spurgeon and Stott.

Still we press on under the same motto
“May the glory of God and the salvation of souls be your chief, your only aim.”

[Chad Bird @birdchadlouis]

Today, our son, Luke, would have celebrated his 25th birthday. He was with us for twenty-one years in this world. We will soon visit his grave at the United States Naval Academy.

Luke was a 110% kind of guy. If I may borrow a saying of Jesus, if you asked Luke to go one mile with you, he would say, “I’ve got a better idea. Let’s run ten miles. Uphill. With a pack on.”

On his eighteenth birthday, he got up in the middle of the night and completed an eighteen-mile walk. For fun. He was the president of his senior class and the recipient of national awards in JROTC. When a wrestling injury kept him from starting at the Naval Academy right after his senior year, he just buckled down, worked hard, and started a year later.

After his hiking accident, my family and I began receiving messages from his friends and fellow midshipmen. They told us things Luke never would have mentioned himself: all the times he volunteered, stayed after class to help struggling students, and offered words of encouragement to those who were down.

I don’t think I will ever be able to write words like that without tears of gratitude for the kind of man he was.

But “was” is not the right verb. That is the kind of man Luke is.

For a Christian, like Luke, there truly is no “was.” Luke has never stopped living. He lived here for twenty-one years, then stepped from the front porch of his Father’s house, through the door of physical death, into the heavenly habitation of Christ.

We miss him. Every day my heart hurts because I miss him. But I also know that one day, one glorious day, he and I, along with all believers in Christ, will stand together before our Lord.

Until that day, my mission is simple: to try to be at least half the man my son became in only twenty-one years; to live in Christ; and to share the Gospel, that many others may hear, believe, and join me and Luke and all Christians on that glorious day of resurrection joy.

[Mr Benn @thebowlerhatman]

Happy Centenary The Shipping Forecast.
Here is a map showing all the names & where they are.

[Chad Bird @birdchadlouis]

Two sinners, hiding in Eden.
God walks up and asks, “Where are you?”

Two sinners, heading toward Emmaus.
God walks up and asks, “What are you discussing?”

Our God seeks us out when we’re in the wrong place.
And his questions summon us home.

[Chad Bird @birdchadlouis]

We say, “I can’t go on.”
Jesus says, “I will hold you so you can.”

We say, “But I don’t think I can even believe that.”
Jesus says, “Even when you are faithless, I will be faithful to you.”

We say, “But I feel so alone.”
Jesus says, “I am Immanuel, God-with-you, God-never-leaving-your-side.”

We say, “But what’s the point? My life is over.”
Jesus says, “I am your life. And I am never over.”

We say, “But look at what I’ve done. I’m dirty.”
Jesus says, “Look at what I’ve done for you. I have taken your dirt and smeared it all over me. You are clean, I am filthy. See me dirty on the cross. See you clean beneath it.”

We say, “Nobody wants me.”
Jesus says, “I want you—desperately, lovingly, crazily, I want you.”

All I want for Christmas is a God like that.

[Anna Lapwood @annalapwood]

Still on a high from last night - getting to play for @TopGunMovie at the @RoyalAlbertHall is something I’ll never forget. Huge thanks to @Lornebalfe for getting me involved! Also: yes, I really did give Tom Cruise an organ lesson, and yes, I still haven’t recovered 😂

[Christopher Hughes MBE @chrislinguist]

Why do languages matter? They make you better at whatever you love to do. They open your mind to new perspectives in science, engineering, diplomacy, art, history, hospitality, music, law & much, much more. Communication matters. Connections matter. That’s why languages matter.

[Tom Wilson 🇺🇦 @feedthedrummer]

Everyone will be talking about Harry Potter and Downton, but early years Maggie Smith was so so good.

[James Lucas @JamesLucasIT]

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this map thread, please share the post below and follow me for more content: @JamesLucasIT

[Terrible Maps @TerribleMaps]

A map of every European City

[Sarah @loveday1998]

Visited the Luther museum in Augsburg today. Loved all The Rest is History podcasts about Luther and now listening again so that @Anthony Seldon can also hear them. We thought this indulgences box in the museum was fascinating.

[Andy Davies @adavies4]

Lovely unscripted moment this morning in the Welsh Parliament as a brilliant young choir from Ysgol Treganna in Cardiff - singing Safwn yn y Bwlch in rehearsal - bump into the Prime Minister (watch their reaction at the end 🎶)

[German Embassy London @GermanEmbassy]

Rumour Has It that Adele is learning German ahead of her residency in Munich next month.

Maybe Adele wants to incorporate this into her set:

[Dr Helen Ingram @drhingram]

There’s a little village outside Birmingham called Frankley and this morning someone ‘enhanced’ the place name sign

[Tom Holland @holland_tom]

My 2024 bingo card is now officially FULL

[Speak Life @SpeakLifeUK]

What would make you believe in God? Our Easter video for 2024...

[Geoff Barton @RealGeoffBarton]

For teachers everywhere …

[Sarah @loveday1998]

@johnnyxbrown 2024

[Chad Bird @birdchadlouis]

God’s New Year’s Resolutions?

On this New Year’s Eve, when we hear so much about making resolutions, let’s rejoice in the Lord’s resolve to make us right with him.

Unlike our resolutions, the Lord’s resolve will never waver.

He resolved to:
-become fully human for us while remaining fully divine
-be born, nurse, crawl, walk, run, and grow into a man
-hunger, thirst, and endure sweat and tears
-be hated, maligned, and lied about
-heal, love, teach, and put up with us
-be stripped, whipped, spit upon, nailed, jeered, and killed
-be resurrected, glorified, ascended, and enthroned

Christ’s firm resolve was to do everything necessary for our salvation. He did it. And because he did, there is no doubt as to its perfection.

He died and rose for us, and thereby made himself our Lord and Savior (not vice versa). He chose us, not we him. He does all the giving and we do all the receiving.

There are, therefore, no nagging questions about whether our actions are good enough or our repentance is sincere enough to be at peace with God because God has already been reconciled to us in Jesus Christ. It’s a done deal.

Believe it and it’s yours. Gratis.

Christ. Is. Our. Enough. Indeed, he is infinitely more. Enfolded within his love, we are 100% pleasing to our Father.

Rest, dear friends, in that Good News—today and always.