Hope

And hope for the darkest hour
(a feeling of desire for something and confidence in the possibility of its fulfilment)

Could God be the source of your Hope?
Hint - click on the picture!

Healing

And the gift of the Spirit is healing
(to be restored, repaired or treated back to health)

God's healing needs to be re-discovered!

Joy

And a joy that will never cease

(a deep feeling or condition of happiness or contentment)

God's joy is pure bliss!

Gentleness

And the fruit of the Spirit is gentleness
(Softness, tenderness, powerful character qualities!)

God's gentleness is great!

Peace

And the fruit of the Spirit is peace

(state of harmony)

God's peace is unique!

Patience

Now the fruit of the Spirit is patience

(the capacity for calmly enduring pain or trying situations)

God's patience is amazing!

Aboutbooks - Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austin

Do you love me? Good question! I have been married for nearly 28 years so I should be well equipped to answer this question yet I don't know what to say. I love my husband very, very much, but if I start making a list it of all the things I like about him, that obviously attract me to him - is that the same as saying why I love him? I hope you are still with me!

I have actually never been able to answer this question except by saying that I don't know why I love him, I just know that I do!

When I think about it, if I said I loved him because of his DIY skills, his good looks or his money, then I might be in love with those things rather than him - and you know what people do when any of these things go, they might suddenly feel they are out of love! Perhaps like in Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, when Lucy (who had been secretly engaged to Edward for five years) suddenly switches her affections to his brother Robert who will now inherit the money! Had she actually been in love with Edward? Was she now in love with Robert?

Yesterday, today and tomorrow... Do you love me? This is a question that is always going to affect us and our families in some way or another. If you would like to think more about this subject why not watch my favourite film Sense and Sensibility, and see what you make of it.

Funnily enough, I have the same problem when trying to answer why I love God. I am a Christian who loves God passionately, but don't know why. I just know that I do. I could soon list all the reasons why I like him, why I like his company, and why I like to listen to him...

Valentine's Day 2008

My daughter has recently left home for university, and I found it very hard to adjust to not seeing her every day. I have now been married for nearly 28 years (I married young!), but I'm realizing that, as time goes by, I can now concentrate on myself and our relationship. It's great! It's as if we're on honeymoon again! If you are in a similar situation - don't despair, there's hope!

Usually I have been too busy to even think about Valentine's Day! But this time I haven't! There was no need to spend a fortune, and I've been looking forward to the day. I made John a card, I bought him a gift from the coffee morning and jumble sale, a ready-meal on special offer, a sell-by lemon drizzle cake, and we're planning to watch a DVD tonight. So for under a fiver, it's cheap and cheerful, and he need never know!

He has just asked me about the possibility of him cooking dinner tonight... Hey, things are looking up!

Aboutbooks - Mountains and Molehills - Evening Primrose Oil and Starflower Oil...Why the blend?

The doctor gave me a choice. I either take low dose aspirin or evening primrose oil. I decided on the evening primrose oil as it is a natural remedy which is believed to be very good for women. Good for hair, nails, skin, and conditions affecting womens health - and now they are saying it is good for lowering cholesterol and blood pressure.

If you research starflower oil you will find that it is considered an even better oil. But what grabbed my attention at the health store was when the assistant told me that the combination of the two oils made the evening primrose more effective than when taken on its own.

I am talking about this because I can see a similarity with my relationship with God that's worth sharing. On my own I am OK, I get by, I manage - but combined with God I know I am something else, let's say much improved!

If you would like to read more about the difference that God can make in your life - read Mountains and Molehills by Molly Dow (the Bishop of Carlisle's wife). It's a good book for £3.99 and lots of questions are answered.

Aboutbooks - Day and Hour Unknown!

While searching for something else, I stumbled upon the titles of two books by Ronald Weinland entitled The Prophesied End-Time and 2008 - God's Final Witness. The first book intrigued me when it said that 'it had been written so that people might have some advance warning of what is coming ... not written to cause panic or frighten anyone, but as a warning so that you can be better prepared to face these things when the happen'.

These books are free and I can see why. Who would want to buy them? I laughed a lot, but you could easily cry at the rubbish this man writes. He basically ends his book by saying that unless you observe the Passover you will never make it. What could have been interesting reading quickly disintegrated into the writings of a man with a chip on his shoulder, a man on a mission to bring his own church back into observing the Sabbath, etc, etc. He rubbishes Christmas, Easter, the Trinity, and lots more. He is right on one thing though, as he prophesied at the beginning of both books - I did not like them one bit!

It's much better to read Mark 13 where Jesus puts the end times into perpective, and tells us how to live now:
Jesus said to them: Watch out that no-one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. Mark 13:5-6 NIV

Old and dying Christianity?

I was SHOCKED today to read these quotes from The Healing Reawakening (Francis MacNutt):

Visiting London last year at Christmas time, our family had a hard time finding even a Christmas card, and the religious section of the bookstores was a tiny section mainly populated by a few books on spiritualism ... 44 percent of the British population no longer claim any religious affiliation (in 2000), and two-thirds of those 18 to 24 are nonreligious ... the general feeling you get is that Christianity is old and dying.

I already know these facts, but it was seeing them on paper - facts noticed by overseas visitors not that long ago! But I don't despair! However 'old and dying Christianity is' in the West just now, I take daily encouragement from my favourite prophet Elijah, who was often down-hearted and depressed, feeling he was one of the only ones left in the area to love and serve God. But God knew different!

Elijah was totally unaware that not far away thousands of worshippers were refusing to bow down to Baal... The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too. 1 Kings 19:10 NIV

When shadows fall and dark the night...
Lord, grant me courage, make me strong,
however steep the way, and long. Song 719

The Rich Young Man

The front page of this week's Salvationist (dated 2 February 2008) quotes a Bible verse from my second most favourite story. I have a love/hate relationship with it because I don't like sad endings! I love this story because a young man comes to Jesus asking questions, but I think the young man either got too complicated for his own good, or had already decided following Jesus was not for him. In the end I feel people who get the best out of their relationship with Jesus are those who keep things simple. People who were healed by Jesus generally came to him humbly and expectantly, and they were not disappointed.

Jesus answered, If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Matthew 19:21-22 NIV

The young man found the pearl of greatest price, I wonder what stopped him selling up for it?

The Pearl Of Greatest Price

My son Philip recently told me he was jealous of my simple and childlike faith. I'm currently going through my faith with a fine toothcomb to see exactly what he means. Maybe my simple and childlike faith is actually the Pearl of Greatest Price:

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Matthew 13:44-46 NIV

Interestingly, these verses have been my all-time favourite parables! Food for thought, eh?