[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][td_text_with_title custom_title=”What’s inside the December 2014 issue of iBelieve…”]
[/td_text_with_title][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][td_text_with_title custom_title=”Interviews”]
Martha Collison starred on BBC’s Bake Off, but baking’s not her biggest passion
Being brought up by a satanic priest, Nicky Cruz knows all too well about the powers of darkness
American author Van R Mayhall Jr makes sure Christianity is woven into his thrilling novels
[/td_text_with_title][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][td_text_with_title custom_title=”Real Life”]Church minister Terry Wright surprises his flock when he turns up in leathers on his motorbike
Kirsty Balfour made a splash on the world stage of swimming, but her faith was the secret to her stroke
Author Sue Birdseye reveals how she hates filling in forms that ask about her relationship status
[/td_text_with_title][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][td_text_with_title custom_title=”Food”]Resident chef Emily Roberts chooses some of her favourite non-traditional Christmas recipes
[/td_text_with_title][td_text_with_title custom_title=”Advice”]Ask Julia Agony aunt Julia Immonen shares her advice on dealing with festive problems
We share great ideas to help you resist the urge to splurge on Christmas presents
[/td_text_with_title][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][td_text_with_title custom_title=”Views”]Don’t be lazy, glorify God, says evangelist Joyce Meyer
Christmas is all about memories for Peter Wreford in Daddy Diaries
Carl Beech considers how working for the Kingdom isn’t about his ego
[/td_text_with_title][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][td_text_with_title custom_title=”Features”]iTech The great gadget gifts that would also perfectly suit Santa!
Christmas is the perfect time to invite the neighbours, says Rachel Ridler
Going Places Reykjavik is the perfect place for a white Christmas
Devotion The most unlikely messengers about the birth of Jesus
God showed his love with the most phenomenal gift ever, writes Mark Wreford
[/td_text_with_title][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][td_text_with_title custom_title=”from the editor”]
‘I remember the fire and I’m filled with hope again’
Something you might not know about me, is that private as I am, I’m a bit of a singer. I’m always crooning away while I work, and I just love music. I get hungry for music. I’m not necessarily a great singer, but I do enjoy it.
Around this time of year, that’s no bad thing. There are many Christmas songs to choose from – and if you have a look at our feature this month, you’ll see that there are many traditions to explore too. But when I start singing at Christmas, the first line out of my mouth is often: “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.”
I’ve always loved fire; maybe that’s a bloke thing. I have a permanent bonfire site at the bottom of the garden, although we can only have a fire when the wind is right, or the neighbours complain! But we also have an open fire in our house at the moment, and I love it. I drag myself outside to split logs in the cold so that we can have a fire in the wintry evenings. We have a real coal bucket, and a wicker wood basket. It’s a really lovely, festive sight.
Fire speaks to me about the spiritual state of our nation, too. I long to see a great revival in Great Britain, and as I stoke the embers of the evening’s blaze back into life when it has all died down, I think of what God could do in our nation. You wouldn’t believe that a few lumps of coal that are barely aglow could return to the roaring glory of a consuming fire. But with patience and care and fresh fuel it can do just that.
I have to confess that there are times when I read the news, look at our nation and wonder. But when I remember the fire I’m filled with hope again. With a rise in prayer and fresh dedication to the cause of Christ we can see a new gospel blaze in Britain.
As we celebrate the coming of our Saviour, let’s lift our nation up to him again. He alone can rekindle the fire.
