Hope For Today

Dear Friends,  A God-Created Dream One of my favourite houseplants is the orchid. The flowers are so beautiful and delicate and come in such a variety of colours.  A few years ago, my first orchid had some lovely pink/purple flowers. When its blooms had died I cut down the stem ready for it to produce new growth. I watered it regularly, but nothing happened. There was no new growth. I wondered if I had somehow killed it. So, after weeks of caring for it with nothing to show, I decided I'd ask Jason's Dad to look after it. He came to look at it before taking it off my hands and pointed out to me something I had missed. Under one of the leaves was a new shoot growing. I was so excited! I didn't need to pass it over to Jason's Dad, I could continue to look after it and watch it grow and blossom. I am learning how to best take care of and nurture my orchid. To encourage growth and blooms, I have found it needs the right environment - it seems to like being ...

Dear Friends, As we are coming to the end of the year, I find my thoughts going to the new year which will soon be upon us.  Over the last week or so I began to think about  "What do I want for 2014?" What are my hopes, my dreams, my goals for the coming year? That is, until God showed me that was the wrong question to be asking.  You see, it's not about me and what I want, instead it's all about God and what he wants for me in 2014.  What does God want for me, for you, in 2014? It's all very well looking ahead considering what goals and aims I may have for 2014, but if I ignore God in my deliberations then my goals and aims will come to nothing.  Proverbs 19:21 tells us " Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord ’s purpose that prevails." (NIV) and in Proverbs 16:9 " We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps."  (NLT) When we allow God to determine the direction we take then we will have success. So, I...