An Adventure in Ministry

  Very soon, people in the UK will be celebrating Mother’s day. This day is difficult for many people, for many reasons. There are those who no longer have their mums, mums who no longer have their children, women longing to be mums, those whose mum’s weren’t always what they should have been, to name just a few.  For me Mother’s day has been a challenge for many years. I am step-mum to three beautiful women and I first really realised how tricky it can be when I overheard two of them having an argument in church one Mother’s day about whether they should give me a gift if it would upset their mum. This difficulty around mothers day grew more complicated as year after year I didnt hear the patter of feet and that little voice called me mum. When my mother in love (my mother in law!) was promoted to glory there was an extra layer of grief. Now as an adoptive mum, the joy of motherhood on mother’s day is tinged with grief as there is a mum out there grieving the loss of her daug...

This week is officially baby and infant loss awareness week and through Facebook I have seen many interesting ariticles, posts and videos suggesting how we can support the many people around us who have been affected by the tragic loss of a baby or infant. Through my journey of infertility I have walked alongside many women who have had the joy of pregnancy followed by the tragedy of loss. I have seen how many have suffered in silence, afraid of what people may think and unable to deal with the awkward conversations that may ensue. I have seen the pain on anniversaries and important dates and the fear that further pregnancies may be opening their heart to further loss. Grief causes many emotions and I know this week many precious women are remembering times of great darkness. This week, as I have prayed for those women in my life who have  experienced the  great pain of grief that comes from losing a baby I have been reminded of how much more God ca...

We started our day by reading Psalm 103 on our way to the mountain where it is believed Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. What a psalm full of truth and power. As we travelled along, I prayed that as I was blessed by God, I may also bless and praise my saviour. We arrived at the mount of Beatitudes, and with the heat already setting in, we found shade to read from Matthew 5. Eric explained how ‘the word’ was a master of the word and he attracted crowds wherever he went. As I sat in the beauty of the gardens of the church I could hear a symphony of birds singing. The music could rival the most talented band or singing group! As I listened, I was reminded of Matthew 6:26 spoken at possibly this very place and I imagined Jesus at this actual place looking at the birds. Of all the places I have visited so far, however, I struggled a little with this one. It wasn’t as I had imagined, a place once simple, had become so complicated and ornate. BUT  ...