An Adventure in Ministry

A couple of weeks ago Paul and I went to the cinema. Whilst we sat and watched the trailers, (incidentally the film was  a 12A certificate) I was appalled at the content of the films. All were about evil, the occult, contacting the dead and monsters. It only then occurred to me that Halloween is nearly upon us. I hate Halloween! I really can’t stand it! It grieves me that people think there is nothing nothing wrong with it and that there is no harm in teaching children to dabble in the occult and open them to a very dangerous world. When I was a child my mum always said “The devil makes his wares inviting” and it’s true, but there is so much more to it too! The whole idea of Halloween perfectly illustrates the slippery slope of sin. It makes me think of a fly landing on a venus fly trap. It seems alright at first, and the further in the fly gets, the more danger they walk into. It may start with dressing up as a witch and carving a pumpkin, but soon turns into telling your

A few weeks ago Paul and I climbed a hills called Moel Fenlli near where we live. It is a stunning walk and it was a beautiful day. At the top you could see for miles and miles The view was an awesome patchwork of fields and valleys with the odd village and town dotted around. You could see the pinpricks of cattle and sheep and the lush green of many different trees lining fields and lanes. This scene was framed against the breathtaking Snowdon range and set against a vibrant blue sky. It was a view that made my heart sing to God to thank him for the wonders of creation. I spent some time there just watching the World and asking God to show me new things about him. It reminded me of these verses from Job:  “But ask the animals, and they will teach you,      or the birds in the sky,  and they will tell you; 8  or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,      or let the fish in the sea inform you. 9  Which of all these does not know      that the hand of the  Lord

It has been an incredibly busy three months as Paul and I have stepped into full time ministry with the Salvation Army. It has been full of excitement and adventure along with trepidation and some fear. In coming months I plan to share some of the exciting things God has been talking to us about, but the past week I have been thinking about peace. Last week Paul and I went on Holiday to the borders of Scotland. On our way home we stopped in one of our favorite towns, Grasmere, and visited a beautiful place called Allan Bank. Whilst I was there God gave me these words: "Drop thy still dews of quietness,  till all our strivings cease, Take from our lives the strain and stress, And let our ordered lives confess  the beauty of thy peace " Today, peace looks like a battered old leather chair with plumped up cushions and a whippet curled up beside me, my husband reading a book and a steaming cup of early grey tea.  Peace looks like looking out of the wi