17 January

Today's the day when in 1985 BT announced the phasing out of the red telephone box. Originally designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and painted bright red to make them easy to spot, they have been in use since 1926. Like double-decker London buses they have been widely recognised as a symbol of Britishness. When the action in a film moves to Britain directors just love to slip in a scene with a red phone kiosk in the background.

Such is the charm of these phone boxes that when BT announced they were to be phased out many local councils sought to prevent their removal and now over 2,000 have been designated listed buildings. Others have been snapped up by collectors or incorporated into works of art. Several are now in use as shower cubicles in private homes.

Much as they were loved, red telephone boxes have largely had their day. If they once seemed a fixture in the cityscape, they have now become a rarity. The Bible reminds us that change is an inevitable part of life in this world. In fact as we change and things around us change God's word is the fixed point we have to guide us. Listen to these stirring words from Isaiah:

All people are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the Lord blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God stands for ever.

16 January

Today's the day when the supermodel Kate Moss was born in Croydon. Known for her waifish figure, high profile relationships and iconic advertising campaigns, she has appeared on over 300 magazine covers. She has had campaigns with major Italian, French, American, and British designers including Dior, Yves Saint-Laurent, Burberry and Rimmel.

Her outward appearance has made her a fashion icon in recent years, but her inner life has been more troubled. Like many celebrities she has lived in a seemingly ongoing conflict with the tabloid press, to whom she never gives interviews. At one point she checked herself in to a psychiatric centre suffering from exhaustion and admitting that she had been drinking and getting high before going out on the catwalk. More recently it was claimed that she had a cocaine habit and this quickly resulted in the loss of several major contracts.

In a world where outward beauty is often idolised, it's good to remember that even for those who enjoy outward beauty now, it doesn't last for ever. The Bible tells us that what's on the inside matters heaps more to God. This is from Peter's first letter:

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewellery and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.

In God's sight you might just be more beautiful than anyone else has realised!

15 January

Today's the day when in 2001 Wikipedia first went online. Wikipedia is a multilingual, web-based free content encyclopedia project. In other words, it's a mine of copy-and-paste information for kids across the world doing homework projects. And it's the last straw for door-to-door salesmen who have made a living from selling expensive printed encyclopaedias.

Wikipedia is written collaboratively by volunteers, allowing most articles to be changed by almost anyone with access to the web site. It is operated by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Currently it has more than five million articles in many languages, including more than 1.5 million in English and more than half a million in the German. There are 250 language editions of Wikipedia, and 18 of them have more than 50,000 articles.

Sharing knowledge is a great thing. It's one of the things we naturally do as human beings. We learn something new and we can't wait to tell someone else what we've discovered. This desire to possess knowledge and share it with others is one dimension of the image of God in us. God is all-knowing; and all truth is ultimately his truth. What we know about things is just paddling in the great ocean of his infinite understanding of everything.

This way of seeing things keeps us humble. It's what the writer of Proverbs was getting at when he wrote these famous words:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

If you think you know everything, you're a deluded know-all. But if you think God knows everything, then you can enjoy the knowledge you do have as a gift from him.

14 January

Today's the day when in 2002 the UK was officially declared free of foot-and-mouth disease. The outbreak had begun 11 months earlier in Northumberland and over 6 million animals were slaughtered to try and prevent it spreading across the country. The crisis cost farmers an estimated £900 million. By January there had been no recorded outbreaks for 3 months so the Government department responsible for rural affairs announced that it now considered Britain free of the disease.

As usual, there was a flurry of enquiries and reports and we were all wise after the event. The Lessons To Be Learned report criticised the Government for failing to prepare for such an outbreak, and acting too slowly after the first few cases were diagnosed.

A report by the National Audit Office said warnings of a shortage of vets to deal with such an outbreak went unheeded. If only everyone everywhere had thought of everything beforehand!

One of the wonderful things about the Christian good news is that it was not God's knee-jerk response when things were going wrong in the world. The Bible tells us that he had planned in advance to send his Son to save the world at the time he chose. This is what it says in Galatians:

When the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

The world has turned away from the God who made it but he isn't in a helpless panic about it. He had planned for this eventuality and at the right time he sent his Son to rescue us from our own failure and bring us back to himself.

13 January

Today's the day when in 1957 the first commercially produced Frisbee was made. A company called Wham-O had bought a design for a plastic flying disc called ‘the Pluto Platter' and they released the product with the slightly uninspiring title: ‘The Toy Flying Saucer.' It was not an immediate hit but two years later they renamed it ‘The Frisbee' and sales took off. Now low-flying plastic discs are to be found at almost every inhabited sunny beach across the globe.

The origin of the name ‘Frisbee' is a little uncertain, but it probably comes from the ‘Frisbie Pie Company' whose tins were used at the time by students for a similar game. (Presumably with tins it was also a more dangerous game!). In the film Back To The Future III one of the characters throws a metal pie dish at a gunman to save Doc Brown's life and he notices the dish is stamped with the words ‘Frisbie Pie Company.' So it looks like the film-makers agree with this story.

The Bible is full of people and places whose names had special meanings and origins. Jacob was so-called because he was born grasping his twin brother's heel; his name means ‘he grasps the heel.' Moses' name sounds like the word for ‘drawn out' and you'll remember that he was drawn out of the water of the Nile by the Pharaoh's daughter. But the best name of all is that of Jesus. His name means ‘The Lord saves' or if you like ‘God to the rescue.' When an angel appeared to Joseph and told him that Mary was going to have a child this is what he said:

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

When you are tempted to sin, or feel like a failure because you gave in to temptation, remember Jesus' name and why he came: to save you from sin.

12 January

Today's the day when in 2001 Sven Goran Eriksson became coach of the England football team. Known for his calmness under pressure and widely dubbed The Iceman he became the first foreigner to occupy that role. At his first news conference he told journalists he was confident that England would qualify for the 2002 World Cup, despite its position at the bottom of its group, below Albania, following two disastrous matches. And he kept his world. Under his leadership England reached the quarter-finals of that World Cup, and the following one in 2006. The question of whether the team under-achieved during his time as coach will be endlessly debated and some of his judgments will be forever questioned. Eriksson himself never gave much away about his strategy; in fact his reserved, thoughtfulness in interviews (unforgettably impersonated by Alistair McGowan) will remain one of the hallmarks of this inscrutable Swede.

It can be uncomfortable when people don't give away as much of their thinking as we wish they would. It creates a sense of mystery around them and makes us realise we don't know everything about them. That's just how it is with God. He has revealed so much about his love and mercy and justice. But we can't pretend we know everything about him. For some people this is a cause of frustration, but in the letter to the Romans the Apostle Paul makes this fact into a song of praise. This is what he writes:

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counsellor?"
"Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?"
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory for ever! Amen.

Okay. We don't know everything about God. But he has shown us enough for us to be sure we can walk with him every day – now and for ever.

11 January

Today's the day when in 1989 Ronald Reagan gave his farewell address to the American people. After eight years as President he declared that under his leadership the United States had ‘rediscovered' its commitment to world freedom and he spoke with particular enthusiasm about the achievements of his foreign policy.

Reagan's record was a bit more complicated than he described. One of the costs of America's renewed strength was vastly increased defence expenditure, which helped create a national debt of over one trillion dollars. And the peace he believed he had brokered in the Persian Gulf did not last very long. Nonetheless, the achievements of his administration gained him much favour with the American public and Ronald Reagan left office as one of the most popular modern U.S. presidents. Needless to say, his farewell speech went down a storm.

Another great farewell speech was given by Moses shortly before his death. It's recorded at the end of the book of Deuteronomy and I reckon this would have gone down a storm too. He blesses all the tribes of Israel one by one and ends with this word of encouragement for them all:

Blessed are you, Israel!
Who is like you,
a people saved by the Lord?
He is your shield and helper
and your glorious sword.

What an encouragement that is! Maybe you could find a way of blessing someone by what you say to them today.

10 January

Today's the day when in 1996 Albert Klein of Pasadena, California claimed the record for the highest mileage driven in one car. Most of us are vaguely impressed when someone tells us their car has done more than a hundred thousand miles and the clock is on the second time round. Well, Klein's 1966 VW Beetle had accumulated a phenomenal 1,592,503 miles and was still running. That's fifteen times round the clock – if the clock hadn't worn out by that stage. And that's what I call endurance.

I guess you know some people who are feeling worn out. Maybe they have been going round the block with the same problems again and again and it's wearing them down; maybe they have special responsibilities caring for relatives and friends that demand a lot of them; maybe they are just worn out by a life that's too busy. Why don't you pray for God to give them strength to endure through difficult times. Here's a prayer that Paul prays in his letter to the Colossians that will give you an idea of how to pray:

We pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

9 January

Today's the day when in 1997 yachtsman Tony Bullimore was rescued from his yacht in the Southern Ocean, five days after it had capsized. He later said he had survived on "a little chocolate, water and sheer determination" as he crouched in the upturned hull. He had been taking part in the Vendee Globe single-handed non-stop round-the-world race.

What is really striking is the sheer effort that had been put into the rescue operation. One officer from the Australian Air Force described it like this:

"We spent days flying backwards and forwards the 1,500 miles plus from Perth to the yacht to update its position and, hopefully, give Tony some indication that we knew where he was - if he was still alive."

When another vessel was finally able to get alongside the yacht there were no visible signs of life, but when the rescuers banged on the boat's hull, they were amazed to hear Mr Bullimore knocking back.

Do you ever think about how much effort God put into rescuing you? Jesus said this about himself:

The Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost.

That didn't mean a quick trip round the corner and back home in time for lunch. Jesus left behind the glorious perfection of heaven and made the precarious journey into this sin-soaked world where he ended up being an object of ridicule as nails pierced his hands and feet. Why did he do that? Because he had come to seek and save people like you and me who were lost from God. That's how much God wants you!

8 January

Today's the day when in 1642 the Italian astronomer Galileo died. He has been called the "father of modern astronomy" due to his revolutionary discoveries. He made major improvements to the telescope for observing the skies and he discovered the moons of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, and the regions on the sun’s surface we know as sunspots.

His real headline-grabber came when he published scientific confirmation that the earth is orbiting the sun – and not vice versa. The idea that the earth was at the centre of the universe had been precious to many Christian thinkers and unfortunately as a result of his publications he was found guilty of heresy and sentenced to life imprisonment. Due to his age and poor health he was allowed to serve out his sentence under house arrest, where presumably he could still get out his telescope and do a little star-gazing.

Have you looked up at the night sky recently? It’s a constant reminder of the vastness of creation; it seems to say: ‘remember how big God is and how small you are.’ Even modern science can explain only a tiny fraction of what’s going on up there. Psalm 19 reminds us to see God’s splendour in it all:

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.

7 January

Today's the day when in 1785 the first balloon flight over the English Channel took place. Frenchman Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American John Jeffries flew from Dover to Calais, in a gas balloon. The two men nearly crashed into the Channel along the way, however, as their balloon was weighed down by extraneous supplies such as anchors, a non-functional hand-operated propeller, not-to-mention silk-covered oars with which they hoped they could row their way through the air. Just before reaching the French coast, the two balloonists were forced to throw nearly everything out of the balloon, and Blanchard even threw his trousers over the side in a desperate, but apparently successful, attempt to lighten the ship.

Travelling light is not a bad idea. Jesus sent out his disciples on mission with this command:

Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

Jesus wanted to make sure his disciples didn’t get distracted from the important business of sharing the good news by the possessions they had with them. In fact, he didn’t even want them to be distracted by small talk with passers by. Showing people the good news of God’s love needed to be their focus. And ours. Why don’t you check today whether there are any possessions or habits that are distracting you from sharing God’s love with others?

6 January

Today's the day when in 1993 renowned jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie died of cancer at the age of 75. As one of the 20th century's leading jazz trumpeters, Gillespie worked frequently with sax player Charlie Parker, and together the two helped shape "bebop" jazz. Gillespie's work, including "Night in Tunisia" and "Salt Peanuts," inspired many future jazz artists, such as Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis.

And what a great name he had! Where did that come from? You can’t really imagine Mr and Mrs Gillespie christening their son ‘Dizzy’. In fact his real name was John Birks Gillespie. He got the nickname Dizzy because of his crazy sense of humour.

When you listen to a genius like Gillespie play you realise what a powerful and sweet instrument the trumpet can be. (If you’ve ever shared a house with someone tooting their way through ‘Trumpeting for Beginners’ you’ll know that it’s not always such a charming sound!)

The Bible promises us that a great trumpet solo will announce the glorious day of our resurrection. Jesus has defeated death once and for all and one day at God’s command everyone who has lived by faith in Jesus will be raised to life and finally transformed fully into his likeness. Listen to this from 1 Corinthians:

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

5 January

Today's the day when in 1968 the Prague Spring began in Czechoslovakia, with the appointment of Alexander Dubcek as the national leader. In the first few months of his rule, Dubcek introduced a series of far-reaching political and economic reforms, including increased freedom of speech and the rehabilitation of political dissidents. His effort to establish "communism with a human face" was celebrated across the country, and the brief period of freedom became known as the "Prague Spring." However, later that year, the Soviet Union answered Dubcek's reforms with invasion of Czechoslovakia by 600,000 troops. Prague was not eager to give way, but scattered student resistance was no match for Soviet tanks. It was only with the fall of communism in 1989 that political freedom was restored.

Short-lived dreams soon shift from excitement to disappointment. When Jesus told a story about God’s word being planted in our hearts he gave us this warning:

Some people, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

Better to have a quiet, steady growth with God than a hundred inspiring moments that give a surge of enthusiasm but then come to nothing.

4 January

Today's the day when in 1958 Sir Edmund Hilary reached the South Pole – the first overland explorer to do so since Captain Scott's expedition in 1912. Most people remember Hilary as the first man to climb to the peak of Mount Everest in 1953. But like so many people possessed by the adventurer spirit, he was not content with one great expedition. He described his arrival at the South Pole as "cutting it fine" as his team had only one drum of fuel left when they got there. But the New Zealander had the satisfaction of reaching the Pole 17 days before a British team led by Sir Vivian Fuchs.

It's possible to live out our lives as Christians looking back on one great mountain-top experience: an amazing encounter with God, an experience of healing or some other tremendous blessing. But God calls all of us to have the adventurer spirit in our hearts and look for the next challenge he is leading us towards. These words from Philippians stir my heart and remind me that God doesn’t want me to spend my life looking backwards to past glories:

One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.

3 January

Today's the day when in the year 2000 the last ever Peanuts cartoon strip was published. The stories of Charlie Brown, Lucy, her brother Linus and the lovable beagle Snoopy had appeared in newspapers around the world for almost 50 years. At its peak, Peanuts ran in over 2,600 newspapers, with a readership of 355 million in 75 countries, and was translated into 21 languages. There were several TV spin-offs from the cartoon strip and (inevitably) shed loads of merchandise. There was a time when no self-respecting 6 year-old would be without a Snoopy pyjama case.

Charlie Brown was originally the main character but gradually Peanuts began to focus more on Snoopy. Many of the strips revolve around Snoopy's fantasy life, in which he imagines himself to be a World War I flying ace or a bestselling suspense novelist, to the bemusement and consternation of the other characters. You get the feeling that Snoopy doesn't quite know who he really is. In fact, none of us are secure until we know who we really are. In the bible the Apostle Paul is a great example of someone who knows who he really is – a sinner saved by God's grace. This is what he says:

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason
I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might
display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him
and receive eternal life.

2 January

Today's the day when in 2004 the spacecraft Stardust collected cosmic dust from the comet Wild 2. Stardust had been launched in 1999 and travelled nearly 3 billion miles to become the first mission to collect dust samples from space and return them to earth. Later in its mission it also angled itself into a dust stream believed to originate outside the solar system and so also became the first mission to collect interstellar dust.

There must be some laboratories that are having a field day analysing these little samples of dust. It must be truly amazing to handle material that has travelled outside our solar system – even if it is only dust. But then again, how can we say 'only dust?' It doesn't look much but it's what God made us from. Our humble origins are expressed in Genesis chapter 2:

Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Without God's breath in us we'd be next to nothing. God's life-giving power is what separates you and me from the dust we tread underfoot everyday. God really has made something special out of us!

1 January

Today's the day when in 45 BC New Year's Day was celebrated on January 1st for the first time. Soon after he came to power the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar decided the Roman calendar was in serious need of reform. The old calendar was based on the cycles of the moon but regularly fell out of phase with the seasons. You can imagine the kind of thing: when you were a child it used to snow on your birthday but by the time you invite your friends round to celebrate the big 4-0 [four-oh] it's ice cream on the lawn. So Julius Caesar enlisted the help of an Alexandrian astronomer called Sosigenes who advised him to give up on the lunar cycle and follow the solar year instead. Which he did.

The solar year was calculated to be 365 ¼ days long so in 45 BC Caesar announced the new year would begin on 1st January and that every four years an extra day would be added to February to allow for the quarter day in the solar year. In case you're wondering – yes, this is also the Julius Caesar who named the month 'July' after himself.

New Year is worth celebrating but so is every day of the year. Every day we still have breath is a gift from God – a fresh canvas on which we can make a mark that will give him glory. This is how Psalm 118 encourages us to view every day:

This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

And this is the New Year the Lord has made. Whatever your hopes and fears for the coming twelve months, know that the next 365 days are each a gift from God to you.