Hi!
I've been having more problems with uploading messages, though I seem to have sorted the problem for now....hopefully it will remain sorted so I can send you these a little more regularly!
Having looked, last week, at the wonderful reality that we are called God's friends, this week, having had some really useful feedback it seems a good idea to look at HOW we actually see ourselves in that way - no easy answers, but some hints along the way...

Dear Friends
I seem to live in the only part of the country not covered in snow at the moment!  So I hope that you are enjoying the snow wherever you are....enjoying the beauty and the freshness of it, even if like me you don't revel in going out in it - I always seem to be the one who falls over when everyone else seems perfectly stable on their feeet!   I love the fact that Jesus asks me to be...

Hi!
I hope that you have had a great week.  We lost our internet due to our new rabbit thinking that phone cables are very tasty and fun to chew!  But finally have it sorted again!  God is so good to us - He is so determined to see us live lives that are full of LIFE and gives us so many promises to help us along the way. 
“I will give you every place where you set your foot, as...

Hi!
I hope that you had a great Christmas and New Year and that you haven't set yourself TOO many unreachable goals for this year!!  Always very tempting to do but rarely seems to get us much further on!
“But You O Lord are a shield around me, my glory and the lifter of my head” Psalm3:3 (NLT)
While I was meditating on this verse over this week this translation brought me a wonderful sense of security and comfort.
This translation talks about the Lord...

 
Hi!
A VERY Happy Christmas to you!  I am praying today that you will experience a visitation of the King of Kings to your heart in a way you have never experienced before. 
 
Think of the transformation that took place in Jesus from how he is remembered on Christmas Day and how He is NOW.  Then, He was a baby, weak, helpless, having to be completely dependent upon those entrusted with Him.  He had to learn, to grow, to become who...

Hi!
I do apologise that this has been so long coming – life has begun it’s crazy pre Christmas madness with children all over the place! I will aim to write again before Christmas but will definitely be sending a message out Christmas eve – so if you need some Christmas encouragement to keep you going through Christmas Day, if that is a tough day for you, then check your email!
We are going to continue to look at a few verses in Psalm 18...

Hi!
I have to say a big thank you to my fab pastor for the inspiration for this week and the next week or 2 as his messages on Psalm 18 brought so much fresh revelation.  I hope that you have all had a great week.  Know that God is SO SO on your side - whatever you are feeling right now!
Psalm 18:1-19
It’s difficult to quote the relevant bits of this Psalm, for this message, because it is ALL so fantastic...

Hi! 
Have you seen the latest Orange Mobile phone advert? It features different people and then goes through lots of things in their life saying “I am.....my 4 best friends....my experiences....my job” etc. It tells us that our identity is made up by our experiences and the people around us. We are the people we are because of our surroundings. There is much truth in this, our environment, experiences and the people around us do much to shape the people we are and the people...

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast”.  Psalm139:7-10
Hi!
There’s a great line in a song (which one it is escapes...

 
Hi!
 
I was posed a great question last week around the issue of how to forgive ourselves and thought it would be a helpful subject for us to look at.   If this is something you struggle with I wholeheartedly recommend R.T.Kendall’s book, “Totally Forgiving Ourselves” to get a fuller answer than I’m able to give here.
 
Forgiveness is often tough to give and often even tougher to receive – and sometimes one of the main reasons issues like eating disorders, addictions,...

Dear Friends
I apologise for having not sent out a message for a couple of weeks (I seem to have said that rather a lot in recent months!) 
The Lord has been reminding me again how vital it is that we seek Him and desire Him and intimacy with Him simply because we love Him and not for what we get out of it. 
I fully believe that the Lord is calling us to become those who love intimacy with...

"The Name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it (Him) and are safe." Proverbs 18:10
Hi!
 
The Lord wants you to RUN!  Run into His arms, run into Him – He is a strong tower, He is your refuge, He is your comforter and the restorer of your soul.  Note that this scripture doesn’t tell us to walk into His presence, doesn’t tell us to creep into His arms, doesn’t tell us to wander in when we...

 Hi!
I hope that you have all had a wonderful summer, despite the rain!  God is doing awesome things everywhere we look and it is such a privilege to live at this time and be part of the wonderful things God is doing.  It can be so easy though to fall into trying to do things in our own strength - whether that is serving God or whether it is working towards greater healing and wholeness.  Hebrews 4 :11 urges us...

My Precious Child
 
Why do you hide from My face?  You pretend to others that you don’t hide…you make sure no one can see the fear and shame that cause you to hide your face from mine…. and you even try to pretend to me that you’re not really hiding!
 
I long to see your eyes – look up, look up – look into My eyes.  You imagine that you will see disappointment and judgment in My eyes if you dare look. ...

“Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them. "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.” Luke 15:11-32
Dear...