Welcome to the web site for Joy Johnson when she was known as Mandy Baker Johnson. Following the passing of Joy in 2021, this site is now archived. You can read a tribute to Joy here.
Mandy Baker Johnson
Living without shadows
Reading and Writing with Joy
I have an announcement….. I am winding down my MandyBakerJohnson blog. I’ve enjoyed writing it f...
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The Heart That Heals
The Heart that Heals by Patsy Burnette is a Bible study guide written out of Patsy’s pain and hea...
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Blessed
This afternoon a dear friend came to visit. We haven’t seen each other for a year and it was good...
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Present
As soon as I saw today’s Lent word – present – this post came to mind.
Living with post traumatic...
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Weighed
Today’s Lent word, weighed, reminded me of a cold night when I was volunteering with a Christian ...
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Test
I love reading and hearing stories of people who’ve been through extraordinary experiences. Two o...
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Given
It’s that time of year again and I am taking part in Rethink Church’s Lent word-a-day challenge. ...
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Love Beyond
I enjoyed reading Love Beyond by Heidi Baumgartner, of how God has used her to bring His love to ...
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One of Those Moments
I’ve just had one of those moments.
Christmas. Emmanuel. God with us.
God with us.
That means som...
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Lucy Butterfly: Ella In Between
I enjoyed reading the Lucy Butterfly series by Heather Cursham, which are intriguing fantasy adve...
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Rush
When I’m surrounded by rush and stress,
Do this, go there, see to that, don’t forget….
My heart t...
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Scamper Says ‘Hello!’
Apologies for having gone a bit quiet on here lately. There’s a lot going on personally and I hav...
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The Gardener’s Daughter
Motherless nineteen-year-old Ava has always believed brilliant botanist Theo Gage to be her fathe...
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New Life: Reflections for Lent
I’m absolutely delighted to be part of a brand new book that has just been released: New Life: Re...
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One And The Same?
Paul writes verse 1 of Philippians 2 as if it’s a done deal:
If there is any encouragement in Chr...
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Affection and Sympathy
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spiri...
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Participation
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spiri...
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Comfort
To continue my thoughts in Philippians 2….
The next part of verse 1 reads: ‘So if there is… any c...
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You Just Never Know….
Isn’t it funny how one thing leads to another?
In June 2016, I went to the ACW weekend at Scargil...
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Taking Off The Mask
We all have a tendency to wear a mask. There is a need to hide who we really are. Maybe we have b...
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Undivided Heart
Undivided Heart by Lucy Mills is a thoughtful book based on a verse from Psalm 86 in which the ps...
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I Have Encouragement
Back in August, I read an online article by John Piper that challenged me with the words Philippi...
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Out of Silence
I’d been looking forward to the second of Annie Try’s books in the Dr Mike Lewis series and I was...
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There was complete silence…
There was complete silence as she entered the pastel-painted room. She was aware of two pairs of ...
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Ordinary Miracles
Challenging, exhilarating, faith-raising, adventure-stirring, full of ouch moments.
Ordinary Mira...
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Words, Words, Words….
Words, words, words. As wordsmiths, we dabble, we play, we agonise, we yearn over the tools of ou...
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Lessons From Truffles
I sat on the stairs on Tuesday feeling grumpy. It had been a long, busy and frustrating day at wo...
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The Best We Can Be
Why do we write? Is the world a better place because our words are in it?
I want to encourage us ...
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Not Just For Christmas
I was knocked out by some familiar words this afternoon:
Glory to God in the highest,
and on eart...
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1,000 Gifts
When my friend Elizabeth and I went away earlier this year for a prayer retreat, we started our w...
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Lydia’s Song
This novel on child sex trafficking in Cambodia is written in three parts. The first section focu...
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A Little Help From My Friends…
There is an Arab proverb that says something along the lines of if you want to go fast, go alone ...
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At Therapy’s End
What a powerful book. It drew me in from the first page. The storyline covers very difficult issu...
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Coffee with Jesus?
‘God loves you.’
I taught it every week.
But did I really know it?
Sure, He forgave me;
was He ju...
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The Girl at the End of the Road
I loved The Girl at the End of the Road. I completely forgot I was reading, which is the type of ...
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Refugee Stories
This is seven real-life stories of people who became refugees and sought asylum in the UK. They a...
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Everything You Do
Last Wednesday I went to a dance as worship evening. I’d signed up for it a few weeks previously,...
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The Search for Home
The Search for Home is the true story of Beatrice Smith who was ten-years-old when the troubles b...
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Wonder
Sometimes I jump for joy,
that Jesus Christ is God and died for me.
Sometimes full of wonder,
how...
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Hope
May the God of hope fill you will all joy and peace in believing,
so that by the power of the Hol...
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Awake
When Jesus woke up on Maundy Thursday, I wonder what was His first thought?
He knew that day was ...
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Spirit
On Sunday 18th October 2009 my life changed forever.
A few months earlier, Adi and I had started ...
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Deny
Two people have been on my mind today, both of whom participated in the first Easter.
Simon Peter...
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Above
As soon as I saw the Lent word prompt for today I thought of the verse in Colossians that urges u...
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Follow
When staying in a hotel, I enjoy following the delicious smell of frying bacon and freshly brewed...
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Blessed
For years I struggled to sing the worship song Blessed be Your name by Matt Redman. I’ve discover...
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Voice
When I told Adi that I had a blog post to write on the word prompt ‘voice’ he laughed.
‘Well that...
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Believe
More and more, I’m coming to the conclusion that believing God is the most important thing we can...
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Believe
More and more, I’m coming to the conclusion that believing God is the most important thing we can...
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Hear
When I stop and think that the Creator of the universe listens to me when I talk to Him, wow. It’...
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Breath
We sometimes say that there’s nothing like a breath of fresh air, usually if we’re in a room that...
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Light
Your light is brighter
than the sun in noon-day strength.
In You, I see Light.
I’m a child of lig...
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Trying to Fly
I loved this new book by Annie Try. The first chapter reminded me of a cross between Emma Donoghu...
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Darkness
Light is most clearly seen when darkness is at its darkest.
The darkest day in history was one Fr...
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Will
This is the last will and testament of me, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Son of Man and Son of God.
I...
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Open
When I was a young teenager my then church joined up with a church in Derby for a joint youth cam...
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Grace
I heard a lovely quote the other day: ‘Jesus is the Good News.’
The gospel (good news) is a perso...
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Sign
I attended a women’s conference Outrageously Loved on Saturday. I’d gone expectant to meet with G...
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Journey
We were on our way to the ACW weekend at Scargill House. I had picked up my friend Helen in good ...
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Love
Seven years ago, I had a chronic illness that was worsening despite the best efforts of the medic...
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Joyful
Joyful is today’s word for the Lent word-a-day challenge.
Joyful?
I don’t feel joyful.
It’s awful...
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Go
‘Go’ is a small word with potentially explosive results. It’s like the ripple effect of tossing a...
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Afraid….
I was a scared, wimpy sort of child. Almost as far back as I can remember, I was afraid.
In the d...
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Afraid….
I was a scared, wimpy sort of child. Almost as far back as I can remember, I was afraid.
In the d...
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Celebrate the Seasons
You have made the seasons:
winter, summer, autumn and spring.
I live them each day of the year;
p...
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Rahab’s Journal: Beloved
I’m a grandma!
Almost as soon as they got married, Ruth was with child. The baby arrived last nig...
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Rahab’s Journal: Speak
Oh thank You Lord! Thank You!
Boaz spoke with Jethro at the town gate this morning. Jethro, for w...
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Rahab’s Journal: Presence
Boaz burst into the house this morning in such a state! I’ve rarely seen him like this.
He had b...
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Rahab’s Journal: See
I am praying hard for Boaz. He is off his food and seems preoccupied. The harvest is good this ye...
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Rahab’s Journal: Faith
I admire that young Ruth. Naomi told me that Ruth insisted on leaving her own country to come wit...
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Rahab’s Journal: Kindred
Years have passed since I last wrote in my journal. Boaz is a grown man now, and taken over the f...
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Celebrate: Good Plans
I’ve loved looking at Rahab’s life these last few days. She was a ‘woman of the night’ who sold s...
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Rahab’s Journal: Led
So much has happened in the last couple of years that I’ve had no time for writing.
We moved abou...
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Rahab’s Journal: Free
Elizabeth and Jonathan couldn’t have been happier or more welcoming when their son Salmon married...
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Rahab’s Journal: Free
Elizabeth and Jonathan couldn’t have been happier or more welcoming when their son Salmon married...
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Rahab’s Journal: Live
It’s only in these last few months since God rescued me from Jericho that I feel I’ve truly lived...
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Rahab’s Journal: Preserve
My family and I could have easily felt out of place in this Israelite camp, but they have all bee...
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Rahab’s Journal: Forgiven
What a week. I don’t quite know what to make of it, really. At least we’re all safe and together,...
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Rahab’s Journal: Wise
Two men came to my house yesterday. That’s not unusual in my line of business. I’d been watching ...
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Celebrate 300
This is my 300th blog post!
If not for Adi, this would never have happened. He persuaded me to st...
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Keziah’s Diary: Treasure
You saw me in my childhood,
Lost, alone, sullied, rejected.
And You gave me full acceptance.
You ...
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Keziah’s Diary: Sacrifice
I’ve always known that what I was doing was wrong, but I loved the way Jesus accepted me. He didn...
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Keziah’s Diary: Injustice
That encounter with Jesus intrigued me. I couldn’t get the way He’d treated me out of my head. Th...
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Keziah’s Diary: Heal
The strangest thing happened yesterday . I’m still reeling from it. Did I imagine it? No, I feel ...
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End It Movement
And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn…,
since no one [will] buy their cargo anymore,
carg...
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90 Days in John 14-17, Romans, James
I’m excited about this devotional book by Tim Keller and Sam Allberry.
Each short chapter gives t...
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Refuse to do Nothing
Homeless people are human.
You may think that is obvious but at one time they were invisible to m...
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I, Daniel Blake
I’ve just watched a disturbing film I, Daniel Blake.
It’s based on true stories, and reminded me ...
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Forty Years A Gambler
If you’ve ever wondered what life with a gambling addiction looks like, wonder no more. In this e...
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Are you in a Service Station?
I’ve been pondering on how life and ministry can feel like driving on a motorway. Traffic is movi...
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Really, God?
Do you believe that your ability to write is a gift from God?
This belief has been a long proces...
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Water-Walker
I want to walk on water in 2017.
No, I haven’t gone mad. This desire is based on the occasion whe...
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NaNoWriMo: What I Learned
What an exciting (but exhausting) adventure was NaNoWriMo last month! I had a fantastic time writ...
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You Are God’s Poem
I had one of those eureka moments in church the other Sunday.
The speaker said that in the origin...
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Ready, Set, Write!
Ever heard of NaNoWriMo?
It stands for National Novel Writing Month. That happens to be this mont...
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Sheer Delight
Interacting with animals is one of life’s good gifts. (Warning: this is a post that only animal l...
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A Bird, A Girl, and A Rescue
This book has so much that would appeal to eight to twelve year old readers. Set in the fictional...
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What’s in a Name?
Blogging over at More Than Writers today, the home of the Association of Christian Writer’s blog:...
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Jesus Loves Prostitutes
For most of my adult life there was a wide gulf between prostitutes in the Bible and the ones I s...
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Samuela and the Captain
‘Samuela nooo!’
My ima’s heartrending screams filled my ears as the tall soldier dragged me away....
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Five
I got quite excited when I saw Five Minute Friday’s word for this week: Five. I immediately scri...
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All His Resources
[They] came to request a message from the Lord. They sat down in front of me to wait for His repl...
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Listen
Yesterday I treated myself to a day in Derbyshire. Just me and Jesus. I wanted to take time out t...
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Gospel Transformation Bible
Do you like bargains?
Some people are fab bargain hunters, I’m not normally one of them. But toda...
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It’s Winter…
Six years ago this autumn, I received a termination letter from my (then) employers.
The letter w...
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Path
Life is like a path, you never know what’s around the next bend. It leads through dark valleys an...
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Loyal
‘What’s the first thing that comes into your head when I say the word loyal?’ I asked Adi.
‘Dog.’...
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Happy
Happiness is sprawled on the sofa reading a good book, nibbling goodies and drinking something ni...
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What’s That Smell?
When [my daughter] was a baby I used to carry her with her head on my chest and I would breathe i...
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Hidden
You see the things I try to hide –
Attitudes and what I really think and feel,
old guilt, past sh...
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30 Seconds
We shuffled into our hotel room with relief, dumping our bags in a corner. I headed for the bathr...
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Create
I loved making up stories with my teddies and dolls when I was little. I even created a family ma...
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Prayer for the Government
Give Your love of justice to Theresa May, O God,
and righteousness to her Cabinet.
Help them gove...
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Build
God built a perfect world for people to enjoy,
But Eve and Adam’s in-built pride sent everything ...
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Writing: Who? What? How?
Can I write? Should I write? Why am I bothering, it’s all been said before. Who do I think I am? ...
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Loved and Secure
I gazed at the television screen in awe. I couldn’t take my eyes off it. Everyone else in the sur...
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Rest
You may have woken up today rejoicing at the outcome of yesterday’s vote. Or maybe you are disapp...
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Not What I Expected…
This wasn’t supposed to happen. How did I end up here?
I lay on my back, staring at the ceiling, ...
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The Great Escape
Did you know that a group of writers is called a worship? That’s what was happening at Scargill H...
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Cheer: When Jesus Jumps For Joy
There was a time when Jesus the man jumped and skipped with ecstatic, exuberant joy.
He had sent ...
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Drawn from Words
You’ll recall that I blogged every day through Lent as part of a word-a-day challenge by Rethink ...
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Grow
And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord,
you must continue to follow Him.
Let you...
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Freedom in Christ – Part 2
How will knowing who I am in Christ affect things?
Worship
Knowing I am a child of God frees me f...
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Freedom in Christ: Part 1
We are made to live in freedom.
I get upset when I see animals and birds in cages, whether in a h...
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Two Little Dicky Birds….
Earlier this month, my friend Elizabeth and I went on holiday to the wilds of Norfolk.
Without wa...
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Unite
Jogging by the sea this week, I loved observing the oyster catchers unite to fly in a group. Seei...
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Wibbly-Wobbly Writer
When I first thought God might be calling me to be a writer, I was excited: a childhood dream com...
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Whole
Lord, I want to be wholehearted. I hardly ever have been in the past, it’s tough when you don’t h...
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The Perfect Administrator
‘Write these sums down and do them for homework. Hand them in next lesson.’
Thirty-odd eleven-yea...
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Decide
Oh son, I love you so much!
You delight my heart and bring me joy.
Being with you dad, is just th...
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Celebrate: He’s Alive!
He’s alive! Whoop, whoop, whoop! He’s alive and I’ve seen Him!
Let me calm myself and start at th...
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Enter
Open to Me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord....
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Path: Easter
It was a path on which a donkey trod. Palm branches and coats were strewn along it, the Jewish eq...
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Need
Needs are different to wants. Wants are luxuries. Needs are necessary.
A few years ago I was in t...
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Rejected
I’ve been thinking about a father and son, and a garden, and rejection.
You couldn’t get a closer...
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Steadfast
The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with Moses,
and proclaimed the name of the Lord:
‘The L...
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Thanks
Thanks, God, for:
Tigers (can’t wait for the new earth when I can safely play with a tiger or two...
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Celebrate: Books
From the days of reading The Magic Faraway Tree to my teddies and dolls, I’ve loved books. Hard b...
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Have
What do I have?
A magnificent friend who adores me and can do anything.
Since knowing Him, my lif...
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Beloved
God makes promises to those He loves and calls some surprising people ‘beloved’:
He grants sleep ...
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Restore
Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about locusts. They are destructive pests, ruthless in devouring every...
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Restore
Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about locusts. They are destructive pests, ruthless in devouring every...
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People
Adi and I spent today in London. As always, there were lots of people around.
A cheerful lady wra...
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Remember
There are things that God remembers and things that He chooses to forget.
God remembers individua...
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Path
Paths are exciting. I love wandering off the beaten track, whether it be in woods or a city. Side...
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Celebrate: My Life
Adi and I have just been watching the documentary He named me Malala. It made me realise again ho...
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Listen
I love the Lord because He hears my voice
and my prayer for mercy.
Because He bends down to liste...
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World
God loved the world so much that He gave His only beloved Son so that whoever believes in Him wil...
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Surround
Surround: to be surrounded can be both good and bad.
Jesus was surrounded by enemies on the cross...
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Faithful
Jack, my rabbit, had oodles of personality. He had full range of the garden and ground floor of t...
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Silence
Me: ‘My word prompt today is silence.’
Adi: ‘Ha ha ha ha ha!’
I guess that tells you a lot about ...
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Spirit
God sent Jesus to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law,
so that He could adopt us as His...
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Spirit
God sent Jesus to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law,
so that He could adopt us as His...
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Celebrate: Women
It’s Mother’s Day.
I think I prefer the phrase Mothering Sunday.
There are many who ‘mother’ with...
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Endure
‘Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever.’
Your love for me is steadfast;
You’re no...
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Help
Help is defined as making it easier or possible for someone to do something by offering them your...
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Power
I’m being challenged by the verse ‘the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power‘.
I co...
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Found
Jesus told stories about lost things being found.
A sheep strayed away from the flock and got los...
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Witness
‘As God is my witness….’
People sometimes say that to assert their innocence or to show they real...
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Thirst
There are a couple of occasions that I remember being really thirsty.
The first was when I had my...
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Celebrate: Jesus
I celebrate You, Jesus,
I exult in You because You’re worthy of praise.
You saw me in my mess,
an...
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Heal
For years I didn’t believe God healed today. Now I do.
For years, I didn’t see miracles so I didn...
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See
Can you believe we’re on day seventeen through Lent? Today’s word prompt is SEE.
This reminded me...
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Joy
Martin and Gracia Burnham were kidnapped by terrorists and held in the Philippine jungle for more...
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Shelter
Shelter conjures up so many images:
A refuge for vulnerable people.
Somewhere unwanted animals ca...
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Covenant
Almost seventeen years ago, Adi and I entered a covenant of marriage. We made each other promises...
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Vision
The crazy generosity of God astonishes me. Talk about reckless love!
Jesus willingly died so that...
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Celebrate: Freedom
My piggies’ favourite thing in the world was to play in long grass on a sunny day. The second the...
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Live
What do you live for? What’s your motivation?
It might be family or your career or cats.
Jesus ca...
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Love
It’s day ten of Lent and the word prompt is LOVE.
It reminded me of the verse that talks about ke...
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Love
It’s day ten of Lent and the word prompt is LOVE.
It reminded me of the verse that talks about ke...
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Refuge
Today’s Lenten word prompt is REFUGE.
One of my favourite authors as a child was Patricia St John...
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Mighty
Day eight’s word prompt for Lent is MIGHTY.
For me, the word mighty conjures up mountains, high s...
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Go
Day seven of blogging through Lent: GO.
‘What’s the first thing that comes into your head when I...
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Settle
Today’s word prompt is SETTLE.
Settle immediately brought to mind the American pioneers of the 18...
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Celebrate
Day five’s word prompt for blogging through Lent is CELEBRATE.
I’m celebrating my Father’s love. ...
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Injustice
The word prompt for day four of blogging through Lent is INJUSTICE.
It’s not fair!
My life was a ...
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Look
Day three’s word prompt for blogging through Lent is: LOOK.
I’m one of those people who can’t se...
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Voice
Day two of my blogging through Lent on VOICE.
There’s nothing quite like cuddling a brand new bab...
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Gather
Rethinkchurch has suggested a photo challenge for each day of Lent, using set words as prompts. S...
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Quiet
Today’s Five Minute Friday prompt is: QUIET.
On The One Show this evening, they did a clip on...
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Time
Today the Five Minute Friday community is writing on TIME for five minutes.
START
What a start t...
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Glory
What if Jesus were to take you for a walk along the beach and make you an offer? ‘Give Me your h...
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A Social Network Christmas
Merry Christmas – enjoy the video below 🙂
Used with permission
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Reflect
After far too long a break, I’m back writing with the Five Minute Friday community! Today we’re ...
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Voice
While paying for a Christmas gift yesterday, I heard a voice I recognised from the adjacent till....
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Ron
On Sundays Ron was usually at the church door, waiting to welcome people with a firm handshake an...
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Not An Orphan
I love watching gymnastics. Last weekend were the finals of the world gymnastics championships in...
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Jesus My Rock
Jesus, You are my rock.
Waves may beat around me but I am secure on the rock.
Howling winds may c...
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Who… or What?
… it meant sitting in the sessions weighing up my fellow writers. If they were already published,...
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Father of Lights
During the recent brief spell of hot weather, Adi and I headed for a department store and air-con...
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That’s Some Author Bio!
Blogging at More Than Writers today:
I’ve spent the last couple of days printing out seemingly en...
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Mine!
One of the many things I love about Jesus is the way He completely identifies Himself with me. Re...
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More Lord!
Blogging at More Than Writers today:
‘The Lord supplies your needs, not your wants,’ was one of t...
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Rights
Face down on the dusty carpet while Adi prayed for me to be freed from a spirit of hatred I reali...
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Heaven, How I Got Here
This is the story of the thief on the cross by Colin S Smith. It is a short book based on part of...
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Facebook Fast
This is my last post for six weeks. My church is having a forty day fast and depriving myself of ...
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I am the True Vine (Part 2)
When I was little I received an illustrated children’s dictionary for Christmas. I enjoyed readin...
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I am the True Vine (Part 1)
When I was small, my dad and uncle used to rent an allotment. They had a grapevine in one of the ...
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I couldn’t love anything more…
I love the film Father of the Bride with Steve Martin. A scene that has come to mind time and aga...
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Joy
I rolled around on the floor laughing till my stomach ached. Adi looked on bemused. We were at a ...
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One Of Us
‘The Word became flesh and lived among us’ – what does that actually mean?
Jesus became human and...
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Keep Reflecting The Son
A minute felt like an hour, an hour like a day. A day seemed like an eternity. The nights were ev...
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Christmas Party
I received an invitation to a party. Was it really meant for me? The people inviting me seemed ce...
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Oh Dear….
A friend recently blogged about her experience of a workman coming to the house, and it reminded...
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God Still Does Miracles!
Four years ago, I didn’t know how to deal with the (completely flat) paving in this photo. The di...
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Not Ashamed
Hood up and head down, he quickly checked the sign. Yes, he was in the right place. He slipped in...
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He Rescued Me – Woo Hoo!
I will praise You enthusiastically, O Lord, for You rescued me
and did not let my enemy triumph o...
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God’s Nice and He Likes Me
Last year I felt like a building that was being taken apart for renovation. Everything I thought ...
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Who are you?
If I asked: ‘Who are you?’ how would you respond?
I could give different answers depending on who...
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Bunny Hops
I love looking after my friends’ rabbits and guinea pigs when they go on holiday. Truffles the ra...
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One of Those Days…
Have you ever had one of those days? When everything that can go wrong does go wrong? I know what...
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Umm, Should I Be Here?
Do you ever wonder if something is meant for you, whether you are important enough?
I do.
To give...
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1 Samuel For You
I thoroughly enjoyed reading 1 Samuel For You by Tim Chester. The only downside was that because ...
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Slavery in the UK?
This Home Office advert has reminded me of the reality that there are slaves in the UK (I don’t ...
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My Problem, His Problem
A month after my eighteenth birthday, I qualified as a medical secretary and started working for ...
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My Hero
I will be eternally grateful for stepping into Arnold Road Boys’ Club that night in 1984. Don Bak...
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Grateful
I’m joining Five Minute Friday again this week, which is where bloggers from all over the world ...
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Friend (and Housework)
Every Friday, bloggers all over the world join Lisa-Jo Baker in writing for five minutes on a pa...
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I’m Grateful!
I’ve been working this evening on the book I’m writing about my illness and healing/deliverance; ...
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Mighty
Five Minute Friday is where bloggers from around the world write for five minutes flat on a topi...
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Joy
Five Minute Friday is where bloggers from around the world write for five minutes flat on a topi...
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Christ Or Hitler?
Christ or Hitler? is a collection of stories – in loose chronological order – about the life of ...
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Rupert: A Letter To The Stuck
Rupert and his piggy pals, Bilbo, Nutmeg and Cocoa, were stuck in their hutch. Herself had decre...
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Eternity Changes Everything
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Stephen Witmer‘s book Eternity Changes Everything. He has a pleasan...
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A Letter To The Hungry
I’ll just check one more time. Maybe there’s something I missed the first time around….
No, the c...
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Garden
Five Minute Friday is where bloggers from around the world write for five minutes flat on a topi...
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Write
Five Minute Friday is where bloggers from around the world write for five minutes flat on a topi...
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Fred
The ACW committee had our annual retreat at the weekend. We converged on a Christian conference ...
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Life in Christ
Life in Christ by Jeremy Walker looks at what it means for someone to be ‘in Christ’. It is a re...
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You Knitted Me Together…
O LORD, You have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up….
For You ...
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A Father’s Love
A few evenings ago I finally caught up with the Call the Midwife Christmas Special while simultan...
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Faith
I’ve sometimes thought it would be good to choose a meaningful word for the year. It seems better...
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The Bigness of Christmas
It’s like the Queen leaving Parliament,
To come to tea with me.
It’s like the music of all the ...
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Tree
Five Minute Friday is where bloggers from around the world write for five minutes flat on a topic...
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A Hope Deferred
A Hope Deferred by J Stephen Yuille tells of his and Alison’s twenty two year journey of struggl...
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Ordinary
It’s been a while since I’ve participated in Five Minute Friday. This is where bloggers from all ...
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Red Like Blood
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Red Like Blood by Joe Coffey and Bob Bevington. There are eighteen ...
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Being Seen
We all want to be seen. No one enjoys being invisible. Even if you are an introvert, I guarantee ...
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Three Decades of Fertility
Three Decades of Fertility: Ten Ordinary Women Surrender to the Creator and Embrace Life was a...
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Compassionate Jesus
When I first heard about the opportunity of joining this blog tour and reading Compassionate Jes...
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The Button Legacy
The Button Legacy by Ginger Marcinowski is a thoroughly enjoyable story covering three family ge...
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Dog Tags
I love well-written Christian suspense thrillers – and Dog Tags by Heidi Glick did not disappoin...
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Present
Every week I join with other writers around the world for #FiveMinuteFriday. This is where we wr...
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Rock of Refuge
Life is not the easiest right now; a battle inside me is going on. A couple of weeks ago, in the ...
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How Not To Write Poetry
Adrian and I are going through old paperwork at the moment, looking through cards and letters we’...
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Song
Singing is powerful. I never realised how powerful it is until I was ill three years ago. The ...
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Yielded Captive
Yielded Captive is a great title for this book: it took me captive! What a page turner, I just...
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How Much Do You Really Want It?
Adrian and I saw Ludovic Einaudi at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham yesterday evening. It w...
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Refuse To Do Nothing
What a book! When it arrived in the post, I was surprised to discover it was all about modern-d...
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My Big Brother
I had the perfect big brother. If I fell over and hurt my knee or if any of the neighbourhood kid...
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Growing Pains
Did you see Penguins – Spy in the Huddle on BBC1 recently? For three consecutive Monday evenings...
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To Walk Or Stay
I commited to reading To Walk or Stay by Lara Williams because of signing up for a blog tour; it...
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John Piper on Infertility
I found this short interview clip with John Piper very helpful on the subject of infertility, inc...
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Psalm 139: My Version
Hello, Lord God.
You have taken a good long look at me, haven’t you?
You know me inside and out a...
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Good Mood, Bad Mood
Good Mood, Bad Mood by Charles D Hodges MD is a useful and readable book on how to help people w...
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Suffering Well
In my opinion, Suffering Well by Paul Grimmond is a vital book that every Christian should read....
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All Day Long
I watched Sir Trevor McDonald’s documentary ‘Inside Death Row’ last Thursday. It provided some d...
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Loving The Church
Loving the Church: God’s people flourishing in God’s family by John Crotts is divided into two s...
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‘Z’ Is For… ZZZZZZZ
Do you ever have nights when you can’t get to sleep, no matter how hard you try? I do. After y...
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God Is Great!
But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you.
May those who love your sa...
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Help!
Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me.
Let your unfailing love and faithfulness alway...
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Happy New Year!
I love New Year. I love that there are are 365 fresh new days ahead of me. For me, it’s a time ...
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‘I Have Not Been Afraid To Speak Out…’
I have told all your people about your justice.
I have not been afraid to speak out, as you, O Lo...
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Royal Baby Or Royal Fetus?
Like the majority of people in the UK, indeed in the Commonwealth, I’m delighted that the Duke an...
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God Wants What?
You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.
Now that you have made me listen, I finally under...
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I AM…
…’Who are you, Jesus?’ He is the great I AM who exists from eternity to eternity, and yet comes...
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Renew Your Joy And Wonder
Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord,
who have no confidence in the proud or in those who wor...
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‘Many Will See… And Be Amazed’
I’m in Marseille right now meeting with my team-mates and unexpectedly found myself with a free m...
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When Life Is Turned Upside Down
Our house is upside down at the moment. The lounge is echoey with bare walls and a minimum of fu...
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Rejection
Rejection is something every human being will suffer at some point in their lives; sometimes it’s...
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It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time….
We always said we would only decorate one room at a time. Which is obviously why we’ve chosen to...
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The Yankee Officer And The Southern Belle
From the title The Yankee Officer and the Southern Belle, I did not expect a dry, over-spiritual...
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Beauty, Grace, And A Knotted Ribbon
Is it less than a fortnight ago since the Olympics finished? Hard to believe. I thoroughly enjo...
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It’s Not Always The Way It Looks….
Have you ever read Mary Norton’s stories about The Borrowers? In the second book, The Borrowers ...
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The Tea Bag And The Pearl
My friend came round for a three hour marathon coffee and catch-up time yesterday. We had a grea...
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Bees In The Butterfly Garden
‘This was Meggie. Meggie, whom John had placed on so high a pedestal that it couldn’t be Ian wh...
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Divorce Hurts
After uploading my last post on commitment, I came across this blog post by Tricia Goyer, who I f...
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Commitment…. What’s That?
I’ve just been catching up with Nick Hewer and Margaret Mountford’s (I just love Nick and Margar...
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Matthew Henry – His Life And Influence
I looked forward to reading Allan Harman’s new book Matthew Henry – His Life and Influence becau...
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Does God Heal Today?
I used to think that people who claimed God healed today were full of emotional hype and was deep...
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The Scarlet Thread
‘… it is the men who dream of Oregon. It is as though Heaven itself beckons them and we must al...
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The Humble Leader ~ John Stott
John Stott was both radical and gentle, as this new biography by Julia Cameron reveals. By the ...
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The Serpent And The Salesman
Do you ever get frustrated with salesmen who come knocking on your door at the most inopportune t...
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Jubilee Thoughts
This weekend has made me proud to be British. I’ve often thought that we’re not, generally speak...
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The Miracle In The Womb
I recently came across this amazing pregnancy video which shows the development of a baby from co...
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Picture, Dream, Tears (Healing – Part 2)
About halfway through the Lifeshapers course is the Holy Spirit night. After a time of worship, ...
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What’s Down There? (Healing Part 1)
Last autumn I enrolled on a Lifeshapers course at Grace Church. I was 99% confident that I didn’...
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As One Devil To Another
As One Devil to Another is an excellent and insightful debut book by Richard Platt. In similar ...
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Why Didn’t You Abort Your Baby?
Watch this brave mum explain why she didn’t abort her baby.
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Be Fruitful And Multiply
Within 8 weeks the baby has a face, characteristics. It has all its internal organs. And its nerv...
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Learning To Live With Barrenness
Being unable to have children can affect a woman in all sorts of ways. As I’ve mentioned in a pr...
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The Last Word
The last conversations we have with loved ones are precious to us. In The Last Word, Wallace Be...
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Buried Hopes, Broken Dreams
We had to wait about twenty months on the IVF list. During that time I became skillful at suppre...
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Incomplete…?
Shortly after it was confirmed that Adrian and I were unable to have children, we had my dad’s fu...
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Titanic: The Ship Of Dreams
‘Women, children and unbelievers to the lifeboats please!’ was John Harper’s compelling cry as T...
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For The Little Ones Whose Strength Failed
This song is for all of our little ones whose strength failed before it really began, who even no...
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The See-Saw of Emotions
There was a definite see-sawing of emotions going on when Adrian and I were trying for a baby. A...
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Afraid Of Failing
When did I first become afraid of being unable to have children?
In my early twenties, with no b...
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Roll The Die For Quads….
When I was fourteen or fifteen, I had endless conversations with my best friend at school about t...
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From The Resurrection To His Return
From the Resurrection to His Return by Dr Don A Carson is a short book which is full of practic...
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What’s Moses Up To These Days?
At choir practice this week, it dawned on me how much I love singing and harmonising (which somet...
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The Heavenly Man
The Heavenly Man is the inspirational and dramatic true story of Brother Yun. Since his convers...
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‘One More Miracle, Don’t Be Dead’
Adrian and I watched The Reichenbach Fall, the last episode in the current series of Sherlock, at...
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What Books Influence You?
I’m renewing my acquaintance with What Katy Did by Susan M Coolidge at the moment. I’ve just rea...
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Are Words Powerful?
When I was at my writing group – Grace Writers – on Wednesday evening, one of my friends mentione...
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A Baby’s Powerful Words
Have you ever stopped to consider how the universe could continue spinning when Jesus was an embr...
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68 Days With Baby Amber Hope
On 13th September this year a precious baby – a fourth daughter – was born to my friends. Sadly,...
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Thoughts from Bavaria – Part 2
One of the places Adrian and I visited in Bavaria was Coburg Fortress. It looked impressive, per...
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Thoughts from Bavaria – Part 1
Adrian and I visited good friends in the Franconian area of Bavaria (in Germany) last week. It w...
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Here Comes The Ride
It’s not ‘here comes the bride’ but Here Comes The Ride, another great Andi McConnell mystery by...
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Your Chariot Awaits
Author Lorena McCourtney was kind enough to send me a couple of books in her Andi McConnell myst...
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What Do I Have In Common With Bezalel?
In my morning Quiet Times with the Lord this week I’ve been reading the end of Exodus. In chapte...
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Enough.
In this short but thought-provoking book, Helen Roseveare looks at the different ways we use the...
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Rejoicing One Year On
I woke up this morning rejoicing at how wonderful and powerful, how generous and, well, just plai...
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Remembering Natalie
When my friends Keren and Steve lost their precious little girl a few years ago, Keren’s mum Judy...
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Is There Life After ME?
Earlier this year, I met Linda at my friends’ house. Ron and Una were celebrating their ruby wed...
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What Do You Do With Barrenness?
I’m reading one of John Piper‘s books at present: ‘A Sweet and Bitter Providence’, which is an e...
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When Jesus Stands Up
Throughout the New Testament, whenever we read of Jesus in Heaven, we read of Him sitting down. ...
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Remembering Baby Peter
A couple of weeks ago I spent the evening with my friends Andrew and Kay. We laughed together, s...
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Guarding the Treasure
Guarding the Treasure by Linda Finlayson is a new release from Christian Focus Publications. It...
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A Visit to the Holocaust Centre
Last Friday, I visited the Holocaust Centre near Laxton with Reindeer Writers, my local ACW writi...
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In Honour Of A Scottish Grandmother
I have just been speaking to my friend David, who lost his beloved mother a few days ago. He was ...
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What Happens To Infants Who Die?
I think this interview with John Piper is very helpful on the question: what happens to infants ...
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A Tiny Treasure in Heaven
After that terrible, thundery Friday afternoon on 12th May 2006 when I lost Two and Three (and co...
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From Despair To Hope – Bryony’s Story
Last year was the worst year of Bryony’s life. Last year was the best year of Bryony’s life. In...
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Ivy Malone Mystery Series
If you enjoy Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple, you will love Lorena McCourtney‘s American counterpa...
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A New Daddy’s Thoughts On His Blind Baby Daughter
I have just read a heart-moving blog post by Mike Anderson, sharing four lessons he has learned f...
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Reinventing Leona
I have just finished reading a complimentary copy of Reinventing Leona by Lynne Gentry in order ...
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Under Construction
Adrian recently found some unseen images of Tower Bridge in London being built. Since Tower Brid...
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Growing Up Amish
Ira Wagler‘s memories of Growing up Amish provide a fascinating insight into Amish life and cult...
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‘My Nursery, 1852’ by Elizabeth Prentiss
While reading Feminine Threads by Diana Lynn Severance I came across the story of Elizabeth Prent...
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Feminine Threads
Feminine Threads: Women in the Tapestry of Christian History by Diana Lynn Severance is a brand-...
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Is The Unborn Really A Human Being?
I have recently read Why Pro-Life? by Randy Alcorn. It is a very well-written book explaining cl...
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7 Reasons I Love My Church
Last weekend Grace Church went away together. We had a wonderful time, Stuart Bell (New Life Chu...
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Two Wars
When Tyndale House offered Two Wars by Nate Self as a free ebook recently, I very nearly did not...
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Painful Praise
I love to sing. I look forward all week to meeting with my Grace family on a Sunday when we all ...
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Are You Looking Forward To Heaven?
Are you looking forward to Heaven? Jesus wants us to look forward to it. He used positive langu...
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A Tailor-Made Bride
I think A Tailor-Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer is rather cleverly written, the story being ancho...
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May Book Giveaway from Christian Focus
Christian Focus are running a contest from now until 30th May for you to win one of these two boo...
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It Happens Every Spring
I loved reading It Happens Every Spring by Gary Chapman and Catherine Palmer. The book is ancho...
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A Novel + A Skull = Unexpected Worship!
I was reading the latest Michael Connelly book this afternoon when I came across a piece of court...
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A Mother’s Gift
Let me tell you about a young woman I admire tremendously. I don’t actually know her, but I expe...
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‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father….’
I was marking my young pupil’s Postal Bible Club papers a few days ago when I was struck by Jesus...
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For Every Little Miracle…. Pampers?
I came across this great pro-life advert from Pampers via Twitter recently. You have to watch it...
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Thicker than Blood
Thicker than Blood by C J Darlington is a gripping story of selfishness, cowardice, regrets, tem...
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The Ascension: The Shout of a King
Today I finished reading Derek Prime‘s The Ascension: The Shout of a King. It is a book full of...
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April….
I’ve been contemplating how significant things often seem to happen to me in April. The best thi...
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When Life Begins
This short video by Pastor Mike in California gives three indisputable proofs of when life begins...
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A Change of Heart at 74
Adrian and I were thrilled to celebrate my Uncle Les’ baptism with him yesterday. He has an amaz...
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Influential Women
I read Influential Women by Wendy Virgo recently after Grace Church’s Terry and Wendy Virgo Week...
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A Broken Mess – Can God Help?
Tracy’s Story
‘I knew what it was like to feel shame. I had deep secrets that I felt, if they...
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No Well-Worn Paths
I was challenged and excited reading No Well-Worn Paths by Terry Virgo. This book is autobiogra...
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Shocked or Singing?
This morning I sat in the sunny garden, with the birds good-naturedly squabbling over the bird fe...
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Leota’s Garden
Leota’s Garden by Francine Rivers is excellently written, with big issues cleverly interwoven wi...
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God My Healer
It’s good to be back after a loooong break! I’ve had a tough year with migrainous vertigo leadin...
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Adult Stem Cells Restore Sight
Baptist Press report that adult stem cells have been used to restore the eyesight of 77% of patie...
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‘A Fetus Is A Life’
Antonia Senior – writer, feminist and pro-choice activist – wrote a recent article in the Times s...
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‘I’m his mother. My job is to protect him.’
Brave words from JoAnne Cascia of New Jersey, America. At twenty six weeks’ gestation, her baby ...
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To You Alone [Jesus] Belongs The Highest Praise
Adrian and I had a wonderful time with Jubilee Church (NewFrontiers) this morning. The worship wa...
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From The Lips Of Children And Infants…
This article about children hearing from the Holy Spirit and interceding for children is amazing....
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What We Might Have Missed
Andrea Bocelli’s story is so encouraging, that his mum had the courage to have her baby despite d...
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Life Changing News
Six years ago today my life was unwelcomely and irrevocably changed. Adrian and I were told that...
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Hand over for Healing
As I was praying with a good friend from church on Monday evening this week, we specifically aske...
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Quote from Robert Robinson
A Christian called Robert Robinson had this inscribed on the gravestone of a child he had lost:
...
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Many issues around bioethics start with human pain…
I’ve just come across this short except from a talk by Professor John Wyatt (Professor of Ethics ...
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Who was the first baby that God named?
The first child in the Bible to be named by God while he was still in the womb is Ishmael, the so...
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God Gives Life
It is God the Holy Spirit who gives physical (as well as spiritual) life. Psalm 104:30 says: ‘W...
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Treasure in Heaven
This article on storing up treasure in Heaven by John Piper is well worth a read. I think it can...
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My brother has hands!
A friend has just shared with me that his little grandson Ethan was amazed when he saw his brand-...
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Does It Ever Get Any Easier…?
This time three years ago I lost Two and Three. I’d carried them for less than two weeks but I s...
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All That is Worth Having
I’ve finally gotten around to doing some more research on Heaven and embyrology. I’m currently s...
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Another Brush with Heaven
I’ve just been reading a book containing stories of people who have become followers of Jesus Chr...
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A Glimpse of Eternity
On Wednesday I had the great privilege of hearing Ian McCormack tell how he was stung by a boxer ...
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We’ll Meet Again!
It’s both natural and biblical to want to meet each other again in Heaven. Dr Bavinck writes: …t...
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Being ‘present with the Lord’
There are so many things we have to look forward to when we leave this earth and are ‘present wit...
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Saviour-Siblings
Saviour-siblings is the term referring to babies created specifically for their genetic material ...
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A foetus has memory – wow!
I found out last week that during the second trimester, the foetus develops memory. Dr Simon Atk...
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What is begetting all about?
‘Begetting’ in the Bible means ‘conceiving’. Begetting describes the key role the father plays i...
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Welcome to my blog!
I’m researching when human life begins, looking at the uniqueness of human life and the fact that...
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