My Spiritual Journey

Oh wow! What a book! The tag line (is that what it's called?) that's under the title reads 'Daring to do what God calls you to do' and this is what I was really focusing on when I read this book.  The ideas that the husband and I have about our future ministry are a bit woolly at the moment so we're spending the next few years refining and getting prepared for what God has planned for us. Well, what we think God has planned for us. So far, He is slotting things into place but it's often hard to distinguish between what is our idea and what is His. What we feel we're being led to do is also going to take a massive leap of faith and this book has been so helpful.  A few things stood out for me: - God makes each of us specifically for a good purpose to be worked out in our time on earth and He equips us to do those things for which He created us.  - What is impossible with people is possible with God. We just have to believe that He has called us to go into th...

I've just finished reading 'Two Weeks' by Karen Kingsbury. She's a Christian fiction writer and I only discovered her when I had a gift voucher to spend at our local Christian bookshop. In the last few months I've read seven of her novels and I plan to read more.  I'm finding it really refreshing to read a novel where the characters are Christians and their love of Jesus is threaded through their stories. In so many novels, when the main characters are going through their trials and tribulations, they all try to solve their own problems in their own way. Finishing 'Two Weeks' today really made me reflect on what the main characters do when faced with their own trials and tribulations (they have enough of them!) and that's to immediately turn to prayer. It's their first response. I bet that's Karen Kingsbury's first response too. It's not often mine. My first response when faced with a problem is to consider what I need to do to fix it...

I've got a weekend of peace and quiet thanks to one of the Besties going to a wedding and leaving me the responsible adult to puppy-sit. Fortunately, Rosie Dog is being a good girl and, apart from her constant desire for a tummy scratch, I have been able to catch up on some reading.  I started this book absolutely ages ago but finished it just now. Taking so long to read it infers that it's not very good (usually I'll finish a book in a weekend if it really grips me) but that's not the case. Life just gets in the way sometimes, and other reading has been necessary to help support the husband in his essay writing and to prepare for our Home Group studies.  So, it's been really refreshing to take several hours of time where I can read what I want to read (whilst simultaneously scratching a puppy tummy!). This is my first encounter with something written by Beth Moore and I'll certainly be hunting out other books written by her. Even though filled with Bible refere...

Hope is Coming I read this book by Louise Blyth a few weeks back but it was such a rollercoaster ride that I didn't feel ready to write about it until now. It was one that I had to keep putting down (hard to read through tears) rather than not being able to put down. But that's a compliment to the emotional power of Louise's words as she tells her story of grief and gratitude. Such an amazing testimony to how God worked in her life, and is still working in her life. The husband and I were watching Songs of Praise about a month or so ago and I caught an interview between Louise and Aled Jones. I was mesmerised by her story - albeit it only a few minutes - and even Aled had tears in his eyes! I immediately got onto one of the besties who happens to be the best personal shopper (#canaanchristianministries). "You need to get me this book!" It was hand-delivered to me just a couple of days later (a far nicer service than you'll ever get from Amazon!).  It took me j...

  Theological college? Would it be for me? The husband has just started a 4-year Theological course based in Wales. He had his first week this week. It should've been a residential but was instead live lectures on Zoom - sometimes until 9.30pm. He's now shattered. He's made copious notes, got book lists coming out of his ears, three essays to write in three months, and is feeling pretty daunted. Excited but also daunted. It's exciting because it's the start of what we think is God's plan for the next stage of our lives. But daunting because so much seems over his head.  When he was looking into studying, I felt a bit left out to be honest. I didn't want him to keep on growing spiritually and leave me behind. I even thought about doing some kind of formal studying myself. But listening in to lots of the lectures this week has made me realise that it's just too full on and made me consider all that I didn't know rather than all that I did. That made me...

Our Pastor put a copy of a book through our door the other day. I say 'put' as he must've been in a bit of a rush and gave it a shove as the book clattered through the door knocking one of my childminding children's wellies over in the process! We all jumped!  It's called 'Spiritual Healthcheck' by Carl Laferton and is published by The Good Book Company. What is our Pastor trying to tell us I thought?! But, when questioned, he said he had a few copies lying around and thought we'd like one. We were recently talking about spiritual growth with him and how we could support our Home Group. So, I've decided to work through the book. It's short and very easy to read. It's made up of 16 steps to a 'thriving Christian life' so I'm attempting to complete one per day. I am failing at that - but am at least getting one done every couple of days! Each step contains some short passages of the Bible to read, some questions and thoughts, a summ...

The timing of going to church that first time was everything. It wasn't long before Mark and I made the commitment to go each Sunday - as soon as we were reassured that we didn't have the worst behaved children in the area and that, yes, they would be welcomed into the Sunday Club. Funnily enough, one of the very first people that came up to say hello figured out who I was because she recognised my son from when he was younger. She was a childminder and knew who he was from the various toddler groups that she attended alongside my son's childminder. God is so amazing as she is now one of my closest and loved friends (I'm going to need to find a way to get my other church bestie into this blog or she'll get stroppy!).  At that time, I was going through a pretty rubbish time at work. I'd started a new job possibly the year before and had inherited the most challenging class of my entire career. I worked my absolute socks off at the school and made such a differenc...

My Testimony I wasn't brought up in a Christian household but always believed in the existence of God. My great-grandad bought me a children's illustrated Bible one year, for either my birthday or Christmas, and I used to love reading it, especially the stories about Jesus. There was never a doubt in my mind that God created the world, or that Jesus lived on this earth. But that was it. My dad died when I was in my mid-twenties and, after that, I felt an urge to go to church. I was working in my first school as a teacher at that time and one of the teaching assistants there was a Christian and her husband, who was one of our governors, was the Reverend of a local church. I taught their younger daughter. They were the first Christians I really knew and, although their faith was massively important to them, they never made anyone feel bad if it wasn't for them. There was nothing judgemental about either of them, and they always joined us in the pub for a boozy Friday night. W...

  Mark had a good idea yesterday (it does happen occasionally!). I have a newly created website for my business, and in the ABOUT section, I mention that I'm a Christian, and that I'm the church secretary in our church.  My faith is something I always mention to prospective parents and I really hope that it's part of my life that they can see being demonstrated through the way I behave. Pre-COVID, when parents were allowed into our home, they could see elements of my beliefs dotted around in the form of pictures, quotes, books etc. Mark's idea was to add a link on my website to our church and I also said I could add a link to this blog. If nothing else, it will help me to remember to keep it updated! So, I'm going to step out in faith and do just that. I've also got a couple of people that I'm going to send the link to this blog to. I'm hoping for a seed to be sown (or maybe just some questions about why I'm dressed in white standing in a pool - cert...

  Children's Talk  Ephesians 6: 18 (NIV) And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.  Since our Pastor has been on Sabbatical, and the pandemic means that we are conducting our Sunday services on Zoom, a few of the congregation have stepped up to deliver children's talks which are usually part of our services. I've just recorded my third one and I've really enjoyed doing it. Unpicking a verse or two, understanding it at your own level, and then trying to explain it to children who are as young as 3 is quite a challenge - but a really good one. I hope that this is something that can continue (though I definitely prefer the comfort of videoing it!) as I've had some really positive feedback. I think it's good for us all to listen to a range of different people when we are learning new things. So the verse I have explained, which is above, follow...

Zechariah 3: 1 - 10 (NIV) 1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. 2 The LORD said to Satan, 'The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire!' 3 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. 4 The angel said to those who were standing before him, 'Take off his filthy clothes.' Then he said to Joshua, 'See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.' 5 Then I said, 'Put a clean turban on his head.' So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the LORD stood by. 6 The angel of the LORD gave this charge to Joshua. 7 'This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a plac...

Every so often, our Pastor talks about Spiritual Growth - and also how difficult it is to measure. He often tells us to look back a year and make a decision based on that. It's partly his job to be concerned about the spiritual growth of his flock and it's something I often ponder upon.  I'm pleased to say that, in the 5 and a bit years that I've been a Christian, I've seen that growth. It builds year on year so that now, when I look back to that Christmas 6 years ago, when my husband (Mark) and I first attended a service at our local church, I can't believe I'm one and the same person. Well, I can believe it because I believe in Jesus and He is a miracle maker. All things are possible, even enticing me into His Church when I didn't even realise I wanted to go (but I'll save that story for another day!).  I never want to stand still, so I've made a decision this year to document my Spiritual Journey. I want to be able to look back in a year's...