An Adventure in Ministry

Recently I have been spending some time in Paul's letters to the church in Thessalonica. The letters are believed to be the oldest of Paul and they are so rich in truth and wisdom. As I was reading 1 Thessalonians in the passage translation, I came across a verse of 6 words that encouraged me, floored me and challenges me all at once! Chapter 5 v 16 says this: Let Joy be your continual feast These words encouraged me as it showed me that a supernatural Joy is possible for God's people. Joy is something spoken about throughout the scriptures. Nehemiah 8:10 declares that “The joy of the Lord is my strength” and we are told in Galatians that Joy is a fruit of the spirit. As christians we are called to be a people of Joy as Romans 14:17 says: “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of rules about food and drink but is in the realm of the Holy Spirit filled with righteousness, peace and joy.” Joy is kingdom business and feasting of Joy is something we should take the time to do.  Th...

Throughout my journey of infertility I have learnt so much. I have learnt that he holds me in the hardest time, I have learnt that he if faithful and will provide you with the love and support that you need to endure each trial. I have learnt that his timing is perfect, even when I just don’t get it!! However one thing I have really struggled with through this time, one small word that holds so much power, that small word is HOPE. In my darkest days I have failed to see any hope at all, and on my easier days I have simply been too afraid to have hope in case I might get my hopes up in order to have them dashed again by the familiar sight of a negative pregnancy test. The bible verse Proverbs 13:12 “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” was so true in some of the areas of my life, and although God was doing amazing things through my story and in my life, I still felt I was lacking in hope that God really was going to give me a child. Last October, a beautiful sis...

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that testing your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything"  James 1:2-4 As you know, this year I asked God to give me a word to take with me through 2018, and I he gave me the word Joy. I decided to take some time to study what exactly Joy means and where we can see it used in the bible. The verse from James was one I came across immediately. At first I skipped straight past it, as I wanted my word to mean that everything in the next year will go great and that I might have a rest from trials and struggles. However,  I soon felt the Lord lead me gently back to it.  As I began to really get to grips with this verse, I started to question how joyful I actually am, and whether it manifests itself in times of trial in my own life.  James calls us to consider it 'pure joy' ...