So, as we begin to bring this epic story to a close, I want to ask you another question: consider what your heart and your soul truly desire and need at this moment. Selah. It's not that obvious, is it! Peeling back all the defensive walls and facades, as well as removing all the offences and injustices held onto, takes effort, but let me help you reveal what I see. Do you need to continue to strive? Do you need to keep justifying? Do you need to keep performing? Do you need

There they sat around the table - All the twelve friends of Jesus, These twelve apostles of His, It was to be no ordinary supper. "Love, service and betrayal Our Lord encountered it all - For sinners like you and me." After supper, Jesus broke bread - And said, 'This is my body broken for you. Then he took the cup of wine - And said, 'This is my blood shed for you'. "Love, service and betrayal Our Lord encountered it all - For sinners, like you and me." This night was no ord

Written by Sarah Joy Holden There's a pebble in the ocean - Dropped in by human emotion. When life feels to be uncertain - We find ourselves there again. Another pebble cast in the ocean - Many pebbles for every season. With every fibre and emotion - A pebble we own or hath thrown. If every pebble represents a person - For everyone there holds a reason. Whatever season, there's an ocean - Where all pebbles, God has known. In the pebble labyrinth of the ocean - Each has found

Dear child, you are carrying burdens that are not yours to carry. You carry offence. You are carrying other people's pain. You are believing other people's hurtful words about you. Let me, wash away all that is clinging to you, and that is weighing you down. Let my love and my light wash it all away. As I wash you clean with my love, walk closely with me so that on this journey of life, nothing will burden you again, as I will carry it for you. Keep turning your face and you

You know that story in Luke 15 of the lost sheep that the shepherd leaves the others to find? Well, I’m part of that flock. I’m not that lost sheep, but another. Growing up, I was always, what you would call, a “good lamb.” I followed the Shepherd. I stayed with the flock. I did what I was supposed to do. But, when I look at the other animals, I felt ashamed to be a sheep. I, like others, would leave the pen to graze in the fields. When I was no longer a lamb, at times, I wou

And so, my beloved child, let me ask you more probing questions: What do you expect to find at the table? Where do your expectations come from, and why do you have them? Yes, I understand, it opens your heart again, considering these things, so let's explore them before we see what I've actually laid out for you. So, the conventional understanding might lead you to believe that you are to eat of the flesh of My Crucified Son, and that is all there is on the table, and all you

Photo by Hannah Fleming-Hlll on Unsplash People took their palm branches And lined the streets with them. As Jesus entered Jerusalem, He was greeted by vast numbers. Hosanna, to the son of David, Hosanna, to the King of Kings. "Save us who are humble, Lord, please have mercy on us". From triumphant cheers of joy, Their attitudes would soon turn. Praise's turn to shouts of "crucify", For in one week a lot can happen. Hosanna, to the son of David, Hosanna, to the King of Kings

Now that you are filled with joy and your “ cup runneth over ”, let's consider the options available to you and what you might choose to fill your plate with. But before we do that, I want to ask you a question: will you be polite and have a small portion, or will you drive in and gorge yourself? I know what you want to do, for I understand you're inclined to gorge, but what will your heart allow you to do? Yes, I see you are torn between the two. On one hand, you recognise t

And so it's done. My beautiful, funny, loving, caring, thoughtful and wonderful Mum has gone to be with her Jesus. The funeral services were held five days after she died - a minor miracle in itself - and what a wonderful send-off it was. A private family service in the morning, the most precious time imaginable – no formality at all, just a time of sharing precious thoughts, poems, prayers and songs, with pastor Steve from Mum's church, CCK, who has pastored us through th

Take me, take me now. Take from me all that shouldn't be. Take from me all worry and sorrow. Take my hand and be my guide. Take my yesterday and tomorrow. Take from me what I can't handle. Take me, and make me new. Take me, and mould me. Take my hand for you, I will follow. Take my voice when words fail me. Take me, let your loving grace flow. Take me, Jesus, as I am - I come to thee.

The rain will come Gently To wash away the dirt My rain In the spring To cleanse you, clean you To remove the stains The shame The guilt So you will blossom And show my radiance My glory, my honour

Today I sat down to pray. But I fell asleep. That deep, restful sleep. Where you wake up refreshed. But I felt guilty “Sorry, Lord.” I stammered. Then He said “How do you feel when your child Falls asleep in your arms?” I was shaken, I hadn’t seen it from His perspective. I knew I was safe I knew I was loved I knew He held me. So, I relaxed, I yawned. But I felt so loved and refreshed. Next time, And there will be a next time I will enjoy it. Thank You, Father. Again.

It is the moment when Heaven and Earth collide It is the quiet, loud intimacy of relationship Between you and God. It is the raw, broken cry of my heart For my friend, my child, myself. It is the moment when I have nothing left But tears, raw pain, deep wordless pain That I have no words for. But You, in Your deep love for me Come and sit with me in the rawness. The broken-hearted pain of loss. You gently take my hand. Hold me While I scream, cry, yell out my hurt. Yet You lo

The Lord is exposing what is truly inside us. Of course, He already knows what is there, but often we don’t. When God exposes something, it is not because He wants to shame us, punish us, or cause us to suffer. He exposes things because He wants to heal them. It is easy to look at the current climate in the church—where well-known leaders and large ministries are being exposed—and assume that the issue belongs only to them. It is tempting to point fingers and think the proble

Days before the Passover meal, Mary fell at the feet of Jesus. She prepared Jesus for burial, For she knew it was God's will. Though the perfume was expensive, A scent of grace hung in the room air. Mary of Bethany poured it over His feet, and gently wiped His feet with her hair. It drew criticism from the disciples, None more so than Judas Iscariot, Who said it was a wasted excess; Jesus received it as it was meant. Bible reference: John 12:1-8 ©️Written by Sar

There are so many beautiful miracles recorded in the Bible. Jesus turned water into wine. Jesus healed the blind, the deaf and the lame. A woman who had been to so many Doctors because of her bleeding just touched the hem of Jesus’s cloak and was healed. Jesus healed a boy when he was in another town. He didn't even need to be in proximity to him. Jesus told the woman at the well about her past, not to shame or condemn her, but to show her the way to live a full, free life, w

And so, my beloved child, here we are at this beautiful place, a place that is safe and perfect, intimate and secluded. Selah Now tell me how it has changed you, and how you feel now compared to before you arrived. Do you feel that sense of welcome? Do you feel a sense of belonging that you didn't before? Selah I know it's a lot to take in, and you haven't yet seen what's been prepared for you. Before we do that, I want us to spend some time together, enjoy each other's compa

And now, let us take a moment to look around you, beyond the table, and observe the surroundings. The setting is a forest clearing, bordered by the most gracious and majestic trees you have ever seen, yet you are in the most lush meadow, with beautiful wildflowers in bloom. The fragrance is a collection of the most beautiful sensations that speak to your soul, reviving, relieving, and restoring. Can you hear the flowers as they interact? Can you hear the giggles and their lau

We all live our lives by a certain set of values, things that are central to our lives, to what we believe and what we shape our lives around. Sometimes we don't even consciously realise that certain things are "core values", but we live by them nevertheless. Goals are about what you do, whereas core values are about who you are. When our son returned from his first year at Bethel in America, he shared with us about how he ha d formed his own personal "core values", and I ca

I’m picking up from last week’s talk about exposure—how God is exposing things in this day. He is shining light on that which has found its power in darkness. Peter says, “Judgement starts in the house of God,” and we’ve seen that unfold shockingly, repeatedly and publicly and not just in the church, but also in politics and in the highest echelons of society. Every public humiliation of leaders will have started with God speaking to their hearts first, in private. Where they