An Adventure in Ministry

From Christmas day 2024 there were a few days of intense fog. We were travelling back and forth visiting family, and often while driving through the fog, you couldn't see anything in front of you. As we drove down country roads we felt completely alone as we couldn't see anything that surrounded us. Familiar roads became eerily unfamiliar as the fog obscured anything recognisable.  On Sunday 29th December the fog finally lifted. and it was glorious! As we drove to worship the world seemed lighter and brighter and the sun shone once more. I didn't realised how the fog had obscured everything until once more we were able to see the distant hills with the sun shining upon us. Those hills were so appealing that I simply wanted to go and climb them, sit at the top and look out at view that stretches for mile upon mile.  Each year around this time, I take the opportunity to consider all the things that God has done in the year before and ask God to reveal to me a word I can carry...

Throughout the years, as one year draws to a close and a new one is on the horizon, I have asked God to give me a word to take me through the next year. The words have always been prophetic and it has been fascinating to see how that year has been woven through circumstances and situations in my life. The words have always filled me with excitement, words such as Joy, Adore, Restore and Wait. This year, however, when I spent time with God asking him what word he had for me this year, when he revealed the word (or two!) to me  I didnt feel the usual bubble of excitement, and as I researched the word I came to understand why!  The words that God gave me for 2024 were ‘Patient Endurance’ As I began to look at where these words appear together in the bible, I discovered that they always tend to appear when talking about trials, suffering and even the end of days! I must admit I did have a bit of an argument with God about it, telling him I didn’t want the words for the year 2024, ...

Every year I ask God for a word to focus on throughout the year. I find that rather than it being one of this fads that you pay lip service to but never actually do, or a New Years resolution that is forgotten by 7th January, it is actually something I return to time and time again, and a thread I see woven into my story.  Last year I was given the word Joy! What a word! I created a piece of folded book art with the word so I wouldn’t lose sight of it. I looked at exactly what biblical joy meant and in the season we were in, it was a word of hope I clung to waiting for my miracle.  Looking back on my year it has been jam-packed with joy. There have been moments of overwhelming joy- the kind that takes your breath away and brings to your eyes, and there have been moments of choosing deep joy that goes beyond circumstance and rests on his word.  With all this in mind, I have been praying into a word for the coming year. I am always amazed at the way ...

"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' ...

It’s been a while since I last wrote a blog. So much has happened in the past few months and if I’m honest it has been really really tough! As many of you know at the end of August I fell and broke my ankle pretty badly and after a lengthy operation, progress has been slow, painful, and both emotionally and physically draining. Although I have returned to work, I am regularly finding I can only do a fraction of what I was able to do before.  However God is good and I have learnt so much about God, myself and my ministry through it all. God has also been revealing to me where he leading me, and although it’s pretty scary it’s super exciting too.  Over the past few days I have been considering the year ahead. In a lot of ways I will be glad to shut the door on 2017 and look to new possibilities. Don’t get me wrong I have had some truly wonderful moments in the past year. God has taken me deeper in my ministry, especially with women journeying through infertili...