An Adventure in Ministry

As part of my college course, training to become a Salvation Army Officer, I have been studying a module on biblical interpretation and preaching. In my studying and reading one thing that all the scholars agreed on is that preachers need to live their sermon out before they preach it. Timothy Keller in his book on preaching (you can buy it here: ) says that as preachers:  “You must be something like a clear glass, through which people can see a broken but gospel changed soul in such a way that they want it for themselves.”  This is something I have found to be true in my own life and in the last week or so God reminded me of this in a beautiful way. Over the last few months in our church we have been following a sermon series on Trusting in God. We have been looking at different characters who have trusted in God and how we can apply those truths to our lives today. We have been considering in which situations in our life do we need to resolve to trust in God. I have been enc...

One of my absolute favourite verses of scripture is Jeremiah 29:11. It was the first verse spoken over me when I became a Christian and has been one I have clung to in many seasons of my life. In July this year. It started to crop up everywhere. Every book I read, every sermon I listened to and  every word spoken over me pointed at this verse. After a while I got the God-hint, started to study around the verse and God started to really speak to me. At the time Jeremiah wrote the famous verse, people had been exiled to Babylon. They had been deported against their will and were living in a foreign land amongst foreign Gods. In the letter her sent to the elders who were living in in Babylon, he instructs them to set up home where they were. He told them to marry, multiply and to pray for the well being of their captor. Jeremiah 29:7 says this: ‘Pursue the well being of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the Lord on its behalf; for  when i...

A little while ago I wrote a very personal blog about my experience with infertility and some of the issues surrounding it (If you haven't read it, take a look here: Motherhood challenge ) I was absolutely blown away by the response to it. I received emails, texts and letters from people all over the world offering encouragement, sharing stories and asking advice. It was a very vulnerable place to be in, knowing everyone knew very personal details of my life and marriage, and it was definitely one of those 'shelter in the wings of God' moments, as, at times, it was very uncomfortable. However it highlighted to me that it was a topic often not spoken about, and over the past couple of days I have felt God calling me to share once again a few thoughts on this topic......So here it goes!  You are not abnormal! This is my biggest struggle as a christian woman tackling the minefield that is infertility.  So many times I am led to feel that I am half a woman, les...