How to you everyone it's me again this Time with another Christmas message it's Been a great year for my YouTube channel And I thank you all so much for your Support and your love and your comment And your interaction over 2023 but this is not going to be a video About photography so if stuff about uh Faith and God and Christmas and not your Cup of tea then these aren't the droids You're looking for and I won't be Offended if you move along and watch Something else now my family have left Wales for a couple weeks to hang out With my in-laws for a bit of a break and They live on a beautiful aisle of thanet On the east coast of England I've been Coming here to see them since my wife And I were just getting to know each Other a little over 10 years ago now and I love arriving here after working my Socks off back in Wales for months on And my in-laws are fun and they like to Take care of our child which gives us a Little bit of a break someone released Parakeet into the local ecosystem years Ago and I like catching them on camera Occasionally and I love the quirky Picturesque Victorian Seaside towns Which catter the coastline here but Something about thanet which has always Quietly struck me without really Realizing it is how beautiful the light Is here as a Christian My Philosophy is
That Jesus Is My Savior But photography is my therapy and it's Only after learning more and more about Landscape photography that I'm starting To notice the color and the quality of The light almost everywhere I Go the Isle of thanet is reclaimed Land Once an island it's now a giant Incredibly flat Plateau jutting out into The sea so the sunlight comes straight In over the North Sea uninterrupted Making this one of the brightest places In the country and the often slightly Muggy atmosphere gives it a glistening Golden color sometimes even in the Middle of the day oh and the sun sets Here are something else Al together Planet is so famous for its light that The largest Greenhouse complex in the UK Has been built here called planet Earth And many famous creative people have Been attracted here since Victorian Times like Charles Dickens TS Elliott And perhaps most famously one of the Greatest British artists of all time jmw Turner Turner spent a huge amount of Time here not just because his Girlfriend lived in Margate but because Of the quality of the light and the Sunset saying that the Skies of thanet Are the loveliest in all Europe and just Looking at some of his incredible Paintings it's absolutely clear just how Vitally important the interaction
Between light and darkness was was to Him in his tunning imagery and even as He lay on his deathbed the last words he Called out were the son is god well I Was brought up in a lovely but Non-believing family so for a long time For me the son might as well have been God too Without Really realizing it I've Spent most of my life um em bibing the Qualities of light and how it can be Used from being a teenager just Beginning to learn about out photography On an old 35mm film camera to reading Books with Fascination that my Grandfather had written about pastel art To learning film making at University Years ago to discovering the ins and Outs of landscape photography back when I lived in South Korea I spent most of My time and money and talent not that I Had much of that pursuing things of Beauty with a sense of wonder about them Without having much interest and whether They might have had an even more Beautiful maker behind them I even Curiously dipped in and out of pagan and New Age religions back when I was a Teenager some of my friends were Interested in them even though it never Seemed to make them any happier or less Confused in their navigation of the Mysteries of life and the universe and I Loved visiting the local New Age shops With their pretty statues and Pagan
Story books and crystals and incense Burning away there is nothing scientific Or evidential or historical about any of Those old religions and stories which Are still celebrated strongly in many Parts of the UK especially Wales the Light that they gave out made me feel Nice and warm in a way but it wasn't a Light that sha to reveal any kind of Clear objective truth that could really Challenge me or change my life or or Make me a better person it was only much Later in my life that I discovered that Light can reveal both Beauty and truth And in a highly secular society like Mine I think it surprised everyone who Knew me that at the age of 21 I ended up Finding that beauty and Truth in the Light of the message that Christians Celebrate at Christmas time the Bible Talks again and again about Jesus being The light that illuminates the world the Light that when whether we realize it or Not deep down we're all looking for Hundreds of years before Jesus arrived Isaiah prophesied about the coming Messiah saying the people walking in Darkness have seen a great light on Those living in the land of deep Darkness a light has dawned John Peter And Paul call Jesus the light of the World and repeatedly implore those who Call themselves Christians not to behave Like hypoc CRS but instead to walk in
His light in the powerful Vision he Received when imprisoned on the island Of patmas John the prophet said that Jesus' face looked to him like the sun Shining in all its Brilliance and Jesus Himself said I am the light of the world He who follows me shall not walk in Darkness but will have the light of life This kind of light is something Different and at Christmas time it Shines out more strongly than ever its Intense power only dimly imagined as in A glass Darkly in the decorations that Surround us the light that shines other Worldly Beauty and Supernatural truth Arrived 2,000 years ago in a way that Anyone today can see ultimately on Good Friday at the age of about 33 Jesus who Came at Christmas time went on to allow Himself to suffer a horrifying death on A Roman cross the gospels record that at That very moment even the light of the Sun itself was snuffed out for a time But on Easter Sunday Christians believed That jesus' tomb was found empty again Which was the sparking point for the Fastest growing although most heavily Persecuted peaceful movement of Social And spiritual change the world would Ever see in the birth of the church the Angels visit his female disciples with The good news and soon afterwards Jesus Himself appears to them and appears to Others again and again even at one point
To 500 people people so convinced of What they had seen that they happily Risked and endured danger and even death In order simply to tell others what they Believed was good news about Jesus Without his resurrection Jesus would Have been yet another interesting but Ultimately disappointing moral religious Teacher fading away into historical Obscurity as his dejected disciples Realized that all his great and radical Claims even equating himself in Divinity With God the father and his miracles and Authoritative teaching would have all Been for nothing but instead it became The day when Jesus would enjoy the Ultimate Victory and Vindication as God Showed approval over his life and claims By raising him to life again after the Most violent unjust and final of deaths Imaginable it's on that day that Jesus Became not just one more light in the World but the light of the world and it All started at Christmas the amazing Sunshine at my in-law's house on the East coast of England brings and Illuminates inspirational visual Beauty For anyone around to see but Christmas Showed that the light God wants to shine Into our lives can do even more and was About to break in to human history in my Own life that same light from God Promised and fulfilled in Jesus has Searched out the dark places of my heart
To show me just how badly wrong I was Going in my life how selfishly I can Behave sometimes how deceived I was and How the love that I had for others and Even for myself was appallingly and Tragically deficient that light showed Me all the dark places where I needed And sometimes still need God's help to Turn my life around to serve others and To glorify him instead of myself it's a Searching light that challenged me like Like none other a light that is changing My life slowly but surely it's that kind Of light that so many people are running Away from today but it's healthy and It's a light that wants to change Ourselves and to change the world not Just make it prettier and the good news Is that God wants to help us change to Become more like Jesus through the power Of the Holy Spirit Well if that's what You want of course not everyone does That new life doesn't just offer to Reveal the places in our hearts where we Need to change that light from God also Offers us truth about who he is as I Mentioned I had always been fascinated In the old religions and and their Spiritual stories about strange old gods From the past but in the end there were All well just that nice stories but when I took the time to research that Christie and faith I discovered things That surprised me about its
Historicity barely any serious historian In the world no matter what their Religion denies that Jesus actually Existed lived and was killed by the Roman authorities and on weighing all The evidence it's clearly by far the Most uh the New Testament is clearly by Far the most reliable ancient historical Document we have about the life of Anyone from jesus' time in the manner of Its writing and down to the huge amount Of ancient manuscript copies from across The world that we have of it as its Message traveled up and down Roman roads In the middle of the Pax Romana the Roman peace studying the evidence and The historicity of the Christian faith Has become a total Fascination for me And I've come to love teaching and Debating it with people I never wanted To put my faith somewhere where the Evidence wasn't pointing me and finally That same light from God doesn't just Reveal dark places in our hearts and Truth but it can also give anyone a new Life not just Beauty but a new life After 19 years of being a Christian now I've come to see that life certainly is More beautiful when you have a Relationship with a God who made you and Loves you ever since I chose to believe In and follow Jesus Christ the Difference it's made is like when I put Contact lenses in for the first time
After refusing to wear my glasses in School for years and years so many of The details and the beauty of the bigger Picture of the World Around Me became Wonderfully clear the experience of Suddenly Having the Holy Spirit in your Life is a bit like when my dad threw Away the old black and white TV I used To play Mega Drive games on in my Bedroom to make room for a nice new Color one so I could finally play games And tell red apart from blueing them Which was especially useful when trying To play the special stage in Sonic 3 Suddenly everything was in color and Suddenly everything began to make sense To know deep in your heart that you are Forgiven of your sins once and for all Simply as a free gift from the God who Made you and loves you well there's no Pillow at night softer than that softer Than a clean conscience a new start and To experience God working and moving in Your Heart by the power of His holy Spirit where he wasn't there before well I don't know how I coped with life Without it well I do know actually I Wasn't really coping despite how I Looked on the outside and to know that I Can trust God to guide me in my life Each step of the way instead of need Needing to lose sleep every night Worrying about my future my career well That's taken away so much of that fear
And anxiety that had been quietly Overwhelming me for so long something I Wish I could tell jmw Turner or tell my 15-year-old self is that the kind of Light God wants for us isn't just about Adding Beauty to our paintings or or to Your photography the light that Jesus Wants to offer us that Christmas is not Only one of beauty but a light that Shines into the darkness to change us a Light of Truth and a light of life so While you're out there capturing the Beautiful Christmas decorations out There with your cameras this year don't Forget to take time out from your Busyness and fun to seek God to thank Him to search out Jesus Christ because He loves you more than you could know And we need his light more than anyone Could Realize hi I'm Katherine Chris's wife And I want to say that we appreciate all Those who subscribe to Chris's channel So much you make such a difference to Our lives and I want to wish you guys a Really happy Christmas and we hope that 2024 treats you well happy Christmas Everyone
