The first time I entered a church for a ‘typical’ Sunday service, I was scared. Don’t get me wrong; I had been to weddings, christenings and remembrance services before, but going to church for no reason was something different.

It all happened around eleven years ago, and by this point, my wife Shelly had become a Christian at Holy Trinity Church in Ripon.

Unbeknown to me she had been taking our two children to Sunday school. However, this particular Sunday she was going shopping and wanted me to take them to church instead.

To be honest, I was reluctant to do this, but for our children’s sake, I agreed.

I can remember planning a strategy of how not to spend much time in church. My plan was to drop the kids off quickly, head to the nearest pub to read the paper, and pick the kids up afterwards.

I thought it was a foolproof plan but didn’t count on a fiery blond-haired woman welcoming me when entering the church. I entered the building with much unease. It didn’t help that my two children Tayla and Curtis ran off downstairs leaving me to be led by one of Shelly’s friends to a seat inside. I couldn’t refuse. It was so awkward. I would have felt more at home entering an adult shop or a casino in all honesty.

During the nest two months I witnessed the change that God had made in Shelly’s life. I knew I had got to the point where I also wanted to give my life to God. The walk towards God wasn’t an easy one, and the decision to follow Jesus wasn’t easy either, but now I wouldn’t want to be on any other path than the narrow one.

I soon learnt one of the most popular teachings in the Bible for myself. As the angel said to Mary: “Do not be afraid” so did the Lord whisper that same thing to me. Everyday I am discovering more and more what it means to live with God on my side. The Bible says that because I gave my life to Jesus, God is now “For me and not against me.”

I am sure that many more guys would jump at the chance to know more about this God.

Why not join us on the 21st of this month at the Forum Hall, Wythenshawe, Manchester, for a National Men’s Day in partnership with New Wine. It would be a great place for any blokes to take their first steps with their creator. It will also be a cracking event for Christian men to develop their walk with God.

Get yourself booked in here.

See you there guys.

Deano.

The pick of the weekend’s FA Cup third round ties was played out at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium on Sunday where Manchester United progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup at the expense of their city rivals.

United announced a new signing of sorts just before the game when they named the recently-retired Paul Scholes as a substitute having re-signed the 37 year-old until the end of the season.

Wayne Rooney scored the first of United’s three first-half goals with a powerful header before City captain Vincent Kompany was sent off in dubious circumstances for a two-footed tackle on Nani.

City mounted a valiant comeback after the break, though, and goals from Aleksandr Kolarov and Sergio Aguero set up a tense final quarter but United held on to register a 3-2 victory and they were rewarded with a fourth-round tie away at Liverpool, whose 5-1 win over Oldham on Friday evening was not without controversy.

Oldham’s Tom Adeyemi was visibly distressed after being the victim of racist abuse from a small section of Liverpool fans in the closing minutes of the game. A 20 year-old man from Aintree has been bailed following his arrest on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence.

Chelsea knocked four second-half goals past Portsmouth at Stamford Bridge, Tottenham strolled past Cheltenham 3-0 and Everton overcame Tamworth 2-0.

Macclesfield Town and MK Dons came closest to embarrassing Premier League opposition but both had to settle for a replay against Bolton and QPR respectively, having led for periods.

After the result against MK Dons, QPR manager Neil Warnock was sacked having failed to muster a win in nine games. Mark Hughes is the bookies favourite to replace him.

England’s cricketers struggled during the first two days of their warm-up match against an ICC Combined Associate and Affiliate XI in Dubai. After bowling out their opposition for 281 on Saturday, Alastair Cook (76) was the only English batsman to register a half-century.

The visiting side’s bowling performance was slightly better and Stuart Broad impressed, taking 2-15 from nine overs at the beginning of the ICC side’s second innings.

Harlequins’ lead at the top of the Aviva Premiership was cut to three points as Saracens capitalised on the league-leaders’ 24-3 slip-up away at Northampton on Friday evening with a 26-19 win at home to Bath.

Martin “Wolfie” Adams’ tilt at a record-equalling third-straight BDO World Dart Championship got off to a good start with a straightforward 3-0 win over Scott Mitchell. Former champion John Walton lost 3-1 to Martin Atkins.

This year I’ll be reading the entire Bible. I say ‘reading’ but what I mean is ‘listening’ due to a quirky little programme on my iPhone. So, before I go to sleep I’ll be listening to a man with a deeper voice than Gandalf read to me. (That sounds a little bit weird but I can assure you it’s already the highlight of my days.) So far I’m just passed the story of the first families in Genesis.

I’m not going to boast, but I have read it before. I know what happens, when it happens and how it’s going to happen. However, the Bible has a unique ability to draw your attention to certain teachings which are stunningly apt for you at specific times.

I highlighted three big hitters and will be unpacking them over the next three weeks. The first lesson I was reminded of was at the heart of the tragic story of Cain and Abel.

Both brothers worked hard for God. Both brothers knew God was God. Both brothers made sacrifices to God.

However, Cain’s attitude was rotting inside his heart like a carcass abandoned in the wastelands. The thing that strikes me about Cain’s attitude also scares me. It scares me because I see this attitude in my own life and the life of many men around me. It’s the attitude that says: “I know”.

It’s the man who has every answer sewn up in his mouth before the other person has even stopped talking. It’s the man with a solid exterior and a glaze behind his eyes. It’s the man who always needs first mention and the last word. It’s the man who will not humble himself, yet speaks a lot about his weaknesses.

And yet God gave Cain a phenomenal opportunity to change things around. However, you can see in the short account below how Cain’s attitude was impenetrable.

Genesis 4:2-9

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favour on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favour. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

I prayed three prayers on day one of this year. The first was a result of reading the story of Cain and Abel.

My prayer was this: “Father, I have seen so much of Cain’s attitude in my own life, and in the lives of men around me. I want to be like Abel. Help me follow you closely, and point others to you.”

Peace.

I have always been fascinated by the way men store money. Some men shove it loose in their pockets, some put it in wallets in their back pockets, my Dad had this funny little holder that stored pound coins. I loved the sight of that little holder and the chance that I might receive a pound coin from it. However, I’m a wallet man. I like a wallet big enough to accommodate all my money – notes and coins, and it always goes in a side pocket not the back one!

I have spent a lot of time, probably too much, thinking about the way we store our earthly treasure, but not enough about my heavenly treasure. The Bible tells me my body is Temple of the Holy Spirit, and to be honest my Temple has got a bit of an extension that it probably doesn’t need. Surely the Holy Spirit requires more room in the heart than it does in the belly. (Not that I’m massively overweight but there has been a noticeable expansion in the gut region in recent years.)

CVM’s Codelife contains twelve codes for life and one of them is about being fit and free from addictions. And it’s the fit bit that worries me. Don’t get me wrong I don’t want a washboard stomach and bulging biceps, but less Michelin man would be nice. And I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to suggest that our physical well-being can have an influence on our spiritual well-being. Certainly one of the reasons I am not as trim as I should be is my lack of self discipline.

Despite all of this I am not about to sign up to a ten week fitness plan or anything like that. It’s interesting that when we commit to working on our spiritual life we can do so in secret and even fake the results to some degree, if we commit to a fitness plan our success (or more likely failure) is on display for all to see. Although I am not committing to anything, I would like to be more thoughtful about my body and honour God with it. So if you bump into me after Christmas, come up and gentle slap my belly, if a wobble greets you would you kindly whisper ‘You shouldn’t be there mate.’

Manchester City and Manchester United, level on points at the top of the Premier League, suffered shock defeats to Sunderland and Blackburn respectively over New Year’s weekend.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s 70^th birthday was spoiled as Rovers moved off the foot of the table with a 3-2 win at Old Trafford. Yakubu gave the visitors a surprise 2-0 lead, the first from the spot, but Dimitar Berbatov’s brace levelled proceedings midway through the second half. However, Grant Hanley headed a late winner.

Leaders City failed to take advantage on their rival’s slip-up the previous day as Ji Dong-won’s injury-time goal sealed a 1-0 victory at the Stadium of Light.

Third-placed Tottenham could not fully capitalise as they were held 1-1 at Swansea. Arsenal moved up to fourth with a 1-0 win at home to QPR while Cheslsea lost 3-1 at home to Aston Villa. Liverpool were level on points with Chelsea following a 3-1 defeat of Newcastle.

Everton won 1-0 at West Brom and the other games were drawn: Bottom side Bolton 1-1 with Wolves, Norwich 1-1 with Fulham and Stoke 2-2 with Wigan.

Harlequins extended their lead at the top of Rugby Union’s Premiership as they won 11-9 at Exeter and second-placed Saracens were held 15-15 at home to Gloucester.

Third-placed Northampton and Leicester were level on points following Saints’ 32-14 win at bottom side Newcastle and Tigers’ thrilling 28-23 victory at home to Sale. Bath thrashed London Irish 30-3 and Worcester won 6-0 at Wasps.

My son Curtis is 16-years-old and stands as tall as me. And every time I come home after being away for a week, he wants to wrestle. We both know not to fight in front of my wife, Shelly, because she cannot stand watching us play fight every week and has no idea why we would want to in the first place. I’ve tried to explain why my son and I feel the need to wrestle, but she still doesn’t understand it.

So, I’ve been thinking about it.

I can remember on numerous occasions fighting with my step dad when I was younger. It was just something we did. A bit like the family in the film ‘Police Academy’ where the dad and son are always trying to get one up on each other. I think it may be a way to masculinity and trying to find each other’s strengths and weaknesses through the process. I know with each time I fight with my son, he is getting stronger, and I have to come to terms with that. But we do have an unwritten code that we don’t punch each other in the face.

Lets be honest, its perfectly fine to have a man wrestle from time to time. And its probably very healthy to test each other. I love the story of how Jacob wrestled with God, and would not let go until he was blessed.

The fights between me and my son take place in a safe environment. I know that he isn’t going to start scrapping with Tom, Dick or Harry on the street, just as I didn’t when growing up, but I also know that he can defend himself when needed.

However, I need to tell you that as a Christian man, there is one fight I cannot avoid. Paul the Apostle called it the “Good Fight”. The fight for faith. The fight to discipline my own faith, and protect the faith of those around me.

So my challenge to you guys is simply this. In 2012, what will you be fighting for?

Manchester United moved level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League thanks mainly to Dimitar Berbatov’s hat-trick in a 5-0 Boxing Day win at home to 10-man Wigan while the leaders could only manage a goalless draw at West Brom.

In the other Boxing Day games Fulham held Chelsea, who remained fourth, to a 1-1 draw and sixth-placed Liverpool were limited to the same scoreline by bottom side Blackburn.

Seventh-placed Newcastle moved a point behind Liverpool with a 2-0 win over Bolton, Stoke and Aston Villa drew 0-0 while Sunderland and Everton finished 1-1.

In the two Premiership Rugby Union fixtures on Boxing Day Sale went third in the table with a 27-19 victory over bottom side Newcastle and six-try Gloucester thrashed Wasps 39-10.

In Rugby League’s traditional Boxing Day friendlies Leeds beat Wakefield 26-10, Castleford saw off Bradford 28-18 and Warrington defeated Widnes 32-18.

In Racing Kauto Star sealed a historic fifth King George VI Chase victory at Kempton Park.

Alex Willmott’s thoughts on Christmas.

If you don’t have audio, please find the Splog content below.

God on Earth

If I’m being honest, like, really honest, I struggle with the Christmas story. I understand why it’s the heart of the Christian faith. After all it’s a time when we reflect on the arrival of the King. It’s a time when we marvel at God’s masterplan to direct, inspire and save humanity from fear, faithlessness and sin. I do not struggle with the notion of the Christmas story, but the practicality of it. I mean, if I was an onlooker at Jesus’ birth, I would have been so freaked out I’d have probably got a nosebleed. I’d have probably looked at the wise men, glanced briefly at the baby boy wrapped in rags, and then back at the wise men, many times, before saying: “Gents, if you’re telling me this boy is actually God on Earth, then I think you three need straightjackets. Put the gold, frankincense, and Myrrh back in the bag, and leave the child alone. He’s not the messiah, he’s a very tired boy.”

And then, the wise men may tell me that this boy was not just God on earth, but that his birth itself had been at the heart of the greatest prophesy ever spoken in history. And that this little, tiny human was going to live a perfect life in every way, before submitting to a six hour execution all because the human race had wrecked their relationship with their creator. The wise men may go on and explain that his perfect life and horrible death, would grab the attention of millions and millions of people across the planet. And at the moment someone gives their attention to this God on Earth, and decide to follow his Way, their relationship with their creator would be restored.

At this point I would have probably taken two or three steps away from the wise men and contemplated getting the mother and child far away from them. Lets be honest, this story is off the charts of weird. But how much more weird is it that this baby boy, began to claim he was God on Earth just 30 years after he was born. And even weirder, all the hype and prophesy about his birth, life and death, was 100% accurate. He did go on to direct, inspire and save humanity. He did go on to change the world forever. He did go on to live a perfect life, and ultimately die a horrible death.

I struggle with how morbidly perfect the Christmas story is. I struggle with how painfully relevant it is. And as I sit here sipping a glass of sherry, in a world of financial chaos, why is it that the Christmas story makes more sense that anything else?

Peace

Having spent nine years working for Age Concern I feel just a little qualified to know something about growing older – and according to Age Concern you are an older man when you reach the age of 50! Now before you start complaining, I did not say OLD – I said OLDER! Older is a relative term used purely to distinguish you from someone who is younger.

Sadly, however, it was always hard to engage with older men. Even when events were specifically designed for them, very few seemed to attend. Does that say something about how independent we men like to think we are? How solitary? How self-assured?

This being said, it is interesting that our CVM group here in Northumberland attracts high numbers of older older men – repetition intended! Many of these men live alone and are less able to get out and about on their own. However, good friends and neighbours bring them along to our regular breakfast meetings and, although having led lives of independence, they are welcoming being included and are open to talk about spiritual matters.

I often wonder about the age profiles of other CVM groups around the country. Sometimes I get the impression that we are a ‘young guys’ movement, which is brilliant – reaching men in the younger bracket. But are we missing out on having a word to say and a message to deliver to older men? Men who may be considering more ‘end-of-life’ issues? Men who are still looking for what life – real life – has to offer.

After all, when Jesus said that he had come to bring life in all its fullness, I am sure he meant it to include those living in the fullness of years.

Matthew Ch. 2 v 16-18.

Narrator.

A  rival to the throne
Somewhere unseen,
Unknown.
This would mean
All little boys must die
Who had been
That same night
Of visitation,
Under the flame-bright
Night sky
Of that star’s illumination;
Strange light

To identify
The World’s light
And those who’s plight
Became a dark abomination.

What’s a score
Of babes, or more?
Small thing
For a king

From hell to face,
A simple case
Of damage limitation.
It was just a few
And rather little
Boys that died,
A mere mini-genocide.

But guided by another dream,
It would seem,
The star King
Had by then gone,
With father Joe
And mother Mary
Already become one
More refugee
Family.

So in fact
The killing proved unnecessary.

But, fooled and ignored!
As king
From hell.
No lesser thing
Could so bring
Fear-blown pride
From its hide
And make it ring

The death knell
From a sword.
Yet a diff’rent sound
Was really made
As the blades
Cut each round
Angelic head
From trunk and limbs.
Just sounds of dripping
As they bled.

No note from steel was rung,
The only note heard sung’s
A mother’s scream
As over roofs it skims.

In this history
This mystery
This partly gory story,
Of joy and dreams,
Of lies and schemes,
Of fools and wise
And starry skies,

There’s one thing more,
Deep and terrible
That even wise men
Back then
Never saw.

Before this Truth,
Despite all schools
Of all wisdom’s worldly rules,
All wise become as fools.

That by this birth
The king of life
He came to Earth
To hell on Earth,
To bring a life
That’s otherwise unknown to you and I.

But to bring this life,
An innocent must die.