St Patrick's Day discount

We're approaching St Patrick's Day, so I thought I'd offer my two Celtic meditative spoken word and music albums, 'The Celtic Heart' and 'Celtic Treasure', at a special price. Both are now available to download from across the world from my website, so for this month I'm giving you a 30% discount on these albums as downloads. In UK currency that's £4.99 instead of £6.99, or $7.90 instead of $11. For more details on these albums visit my shop http://www.lizbabbs.com/shop/ 

The real work of Christmas

The Real Work of Christmas

When the last present has been opened

and the last mouth fed.

When weariness lays like a blanket over all mankind - 

The real work of Christmas begins:

To seek the lost

To support the lonely

To feed the starving

To shelter the homeless

To console the broken

To love the unlovely

To pray for peace 

To...

LOVE.


(c) Liz Babbs

Celtic Christian Spirit Radio - a real gem!

I thought you might like to meet my Californian friend, Keltic Ken, who is a professional radio presenter and broadcaster. Here I am with him, a few months ago, outside KRDU Radio in Fresno, CA. Now Ken, as well as being famous for his sense of humour, also runs a unique Celtic Christian radio service called Celtic Christian Spirit Radio and it's free via the internet. I even listen via the Live 365 app on my iPhone and iPad! He's playing a lovely Christmas selection at the moment. As CCS is a Celtic treasure, I thought I'd ask him a little more about it:

1. What is Celtic Christian Spirit Radio?

It’s Christian music with a Celtic (and sometimes world-beat) sound. Think Riverdance or Enya with Christian lyrics. This is the “best music you’ve never heard” and “Christian music with a Celtic accent.”

          2. How do folks access it?

Go to www.celticchristianmusic.com where there is a link to listen right from the home page. It’s free to listen (with commercials). You can become a VIP member for a nominal fee on Live365 to listen commercial free. There is also a free 365 app for mobile devices for listening anywhere.

 

3. Why might we want to listen to your radio station?      

Broadcast Christian music has become increasingly homogenized and a cranked out formula. This music is more adventuresome, most of the artists are indie artists, not like what you’ll hear on your local Christian music radio station.

 

4. Why this Christmas selection?

It is a natural to go to Christmas music this time of year, but the good thing is instead of duplicating what everybody else does there is a wealth of Celtic music suited to this season. Including some ancient carols and music you’ve probably never heard before. I don’t rely on computers to chose the music. I listen to each song one-by-one and select the songs that fit my music station.

 

Hope in Darkness this Advent

Advent is a season of waiting...of preparation...of promise. God is announcing: 'Behold, I make all things new' (Revelations 21:5). But it can be hard to glimpse or even imagine the new when you're stuck in a dark tunnel. And that is many people's experience at this time in the lead up to Christmas. Christmas and New Year can spotlight and heighten the difficulties in our lives and lead to a sense of hopelessness.

But for such a time as this, God gave us Jesus. 'We walk by faith, not by sight' (2 Corinthians 5:7), so despite the darkness and apparent absence of hope, we must hold onto the fact that Jesus, The Light of the World, Emmanuel, is here with us now illuminating a pathway through the darkness. There really is light at the end of the tunnel.

While I am in the world, I am the light of the world. John 9:5

 ‎'The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.' John 1:5

Celtic Treasure CD in my shop now with FREE track download!

I'm excited, I've just launched my new album Celtic Treasure, in concert with musician Simeon Wood at the Cliff College Festival. You can listen to the track ‘On Lindisfarne’ now, as a FREE MP3 download, just click on this link http://www.lizbabbs.com/shop/celtic-treasure-cd The CD costs just £7.99 from my website shop  

Celtic Treasure is the spoken word and music recording of Liz Babbs’ popular Celtic Treasure Gift Book (Lion Hudson, 2009). Celtic Treasure weaves together ancient Celtic wisdom and traditional and original prayers, with Simeon’s beautiful evocative music. Celtic Treasure is an exploration of Celtic Christianity and a reflective journey leading the listener into the heart of God.

Tracks:

1. Introduction
2. Iona
3. Lindisfarne
4. Prayer
5. Solitude
6. Creation
7. Creativity
8. Community
9. Personal reflection
10. Hospitality
11. Celebration

You can book Simeon and I to perform Celtic Treasure live in concert. We'd love to share our Celtic journey with you - artistically and spiritually.

* To receive exclusive 'free stuff' - sign up for the newsletter via my website http://www.lizbabbs.com/

He is Risen!

I’ve been reflecting on the resurrection and thinking that whatever difficulty we experience in our lives - God can move the stone!

Also, as I prepare to lead sessions on the Bible and Poetry, I’ve been reflecting on the character of God through Song of Songs - God’s poetic love letter to us:

Listen! My beloved!
   Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
   bounding over the hills.
My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
   Look! There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
   peering through the lattice.
My beloved spoke and said to me,
   “Arise, my darling,
   my beautiful one, come with me.
See! The winter is past;
   the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth;
   the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
   is heard in our land.
The fig tree forms its early fruit;
   the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
   my beautiful one, come with me.”

(Song of Songs 2:8-13)

Some years ago, I wrote this poem as a response to the resurrection, inspired by the Song of Songs:

Stone upon stone

upon river 

upon stream

my Lover is calling

He is beckoning to me

A love consummated on a cross

and sealed in a tomb

We rise to new life

Bride and bridegroom.

And I just love the explosion of joy expressed in this worship dance video by First Baptist Church, Houston - Dance Your Shoes Off!

During the Olympics next year, we will be taking to the streets of London to do the same thing. We’ll be allowing our joy in God to explode into dance!

Happy Easter!

Lent: Celtic-style

Something that captures my attention about Celtic Christians is the simplicity of their faith. I think we have much to learn from Celtic Christianity in our busy lives, with overcomplicated schedules and endless church meetings.


Their joy was not based on achievement or material possessions, but in loving and caring for each other and in being grateful for all that God had created for them and blessed them with. I think we need to rediscover that sense of simplicity, thankfulness and wonder - perhaps by fasting from the things that shackle us or get in the way of our relationship with God. Lent is an excellent time to begin living more simply.


What will you give up or take up for Lent?