Hope For Today

Dear Friends, Our family recently had a lovely summer holiday which was such a blessing to us. It was great to have a temporary place to stay. But I have to confess that, towards the end of our time away, I was really looking forward to going home. As Dorothy discovered in "The Wizard of Oz", there really is no place like home. Well, for me anyway. I had been in touch with friends and family, via texts and phone calls, but it was not the same as being able to actually see them face to face. I was also missing our dog, Rue, who has so quickly become a part of our family. I love being home. Home is a place where I feel comfortable and relaxed. I can be myself. Home is where I experience peace and security. A place where I am with loved ones, where I can love and be loved. Towards the end of his time on earth, Jesus told his disciples that he would be leaving them, returning to heaven with the purpose of preparing a home for them and us.

Dear Friends, During our holiday in Cyprus, Jason suggested we (and the kids) all went paragliding. Now, if you know anything about me, you'll know what my answer was. It was a no brainer. Nuh huh! No way! No how! Brave is not a word I would describe myself. I don't do heights; I don't do fairground attractions; I don't do water slides and I don't do water sports! I prefer to have my feet on terra firma! I was perfectly happy for the rest of the family to do it, whilst I sat on the side-lines watching. However, with gentle persuasion by Jason, I agreed I would do it. Now where did that come from? I can't believe those words came out of my mouth! The heat must have addled my brain because I would never have agreed to it if I was in my right mind. This holiday I've been reading John Ortberg's book "If you want to walk on water you've got to get out of the boat". It was as if God was prompting me to go paragliding. To take m