Hope For Today

Dear Friends, "We fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." 1 Corinthians 4:18 Our daughter, Jess, never enjoyed school.  She found the work hard and she struggled. It wasn't until she was diagnosed with dyslexia towards the end of her schooling that we then realised, in part, the reason for why she found it difficult. However, she never gave up. She demonstrated perseverance, determination,  and endurance. I think she probably thought that her school days would never come to an end. However, they did and she was rewarded for her hard work and persistence with good GCSE exam results. These grades have given her a good foundation so that she can go on to study the course at college she is interested in. I believe the qualities she displayed are ones that God wants to develop in all of his children, and he often does this through trials and difficulties. At least, that...

Dear Friends,  What Are You Feeding On? Some years ago, (possibly about 10 years) whilst I was on a Women's Weekend Conference, God challenged me about the books I was reading. I can't remember what the teaching was on, but I do remember that at some point during that weekend God spoke to me. Not that there was anything particularly wrong with the books I was reading, just that I could be filling my mind with other, better books.  (I just want to make it clear that this was something God was asking of me. This post is not about telling you that you need to do what God said specifically to me at that time. God is taking each one of us on a journey, the route he has planned for me will be different to the one he has for you, however, the destination is the same.  As he takes us on the journey, you and I are responsible for listening to his voice and following his directions for our life.) From that time on, I focused on buying fiction books by Christian authors....

Dear Friends, I thirst for God, the living God Psalm 42:2 During our family holiday in Cyprus last month we experienced temperatures ranging from late 30s to early 40s (degree centigrade). Being so hot meant that we were constantly thirsty. I found that nothing quite quenched my thirst like an  ice cold glass of water. It reminded me of something one of the psalmists wrote in a psalm about his spiritual longing and thirst for a relationship with God: As the deer longs for streams of water,  so I long for you, O God. I  thirst for God, the living God.  When can I go and stand before him? Psalm 42:1-2 (NLT) Whilst David was in the wilderness he wrote Psalm 63: 1  O God, you are my God;  I earnestly search for you.  My soul thirsts for you;  my whole body longs for you  in this parched and weary land  where there is no water. 2 I have seen you in your sanctuary  and gazed upon your power and glory. 3 Your unfaili...

Dear Friends, The Antidote to Worry As a child, I was a natural born worrier. I would worry over anything and everything. I remember my Mum telling me that if I kept worrying I would end up with a stomach ulcer which would be very painful. I'm sure she said this in the hopes I would stop worrying. But now I had something else to worry about! What if I developed a stomach ulcer? I even used to worry about the fact I was worrying! Because God has made us as a whole - body, mind and spirit - when one part is suffering, all the other parts are also affected. Obviously, worry messes with my mind. It also affects me physically as I end up with an upset stomach, headaches and disturbed sleep. As well as this, my spirit is affected as my worry causes me to lose my peace and I then focus on myself and my problems rather than my God who is bigger than all my worries put together. As I've grown up I've learned to trust God more and more with my life, and this has h...