Hope For Today

Dear Friends,  Daith Piercing (inner ear) It's been said that courage is not doing something without fear, but doing it despite fear.  This was certainly the case for me when I had my daith pierced.  I was fearful of the pain involved, but went ahead with it anyway.  Why would I do something which caused me fear?  Well, it wasn't because I wanted to make a fashion statement, and neither was it because I'm having a mid-life crisis.  Those reasons would not have been enough to motivate me.  My reason, my motive, for doing it was because it may prevent migraines because the piercing is on a pressure point.  There is no guarantee that it will work, but the possibility that it could, was worth pushing through my fear.  Having Jason with me while I had it done was an added boost to my act of courage.  I didn't have  to face it alone.  Some may well think I'm crazy for doing it.  In fact that's what my two teenage kids believe, although they didn't say so

Dear Friends, If you were to ask me "Do I trust God with everything?"  Then my answer would be "Yes, of course" and I would mean it with all sincerity.  Yet sometimes experiences have revealed that I don't always trust God completely.   The Bible teaches us to " Commit your way to the Lord ; trust in him, and he will act."  Psalm 37:5 (ESV)  We are to trust him with everything - our self, our possessions, our finance, our relationships, our health, our work, everything. Nearly two years ago, my daughter, Jess had to choose her GCSE options at school.  One of the subjects she really wanted to take was Childcare.  She submitted her choices and I prayed God would overrule so that she would be given the right subjects for her.  When I say I prayed God would overrule, I mean I prayed knowing that of course she would be given her choice of Childcare.  I knew it was right for her and God must know it was best for her too, right? It was a shock

Dear Friends, I think the following verses are great for meditating on as we move in to a new year.   Philippians 3:12b-14 I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.   (NIV) Paul is sharing with his readers the principle he lives by: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead. Of course, some things are important to remember and are vital to the success of our race.   Such as God’s faithfulness in the past and the lessons we have learned along the way, his promises in his Word, and the example of men and women in the Bible.   It’s these kinds of things which encourage us to keep running our race, to keep persevering. Paul’s not talking about forgetting these things.   “Therefore,

Dear Friends, " I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13  No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14  I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."  Philippians 3:12-14 (NLT) As has been my habit in recent years I'm giving time in January to seek God and ask what he wants for me in 2016.  Just like Paul, I want to keep moving forward with intention and purpose.  I want to be deliberate in all that I do.  By the end of this year I want to be closer to being the woman God has made me to be. 1. My relationship with God This year it's about pursuing a deeper relationship with him and enjoying a closer walk with him.  The Bible says

Dear Friends, At this time of year, we can be bombarded with messages via magazines, newspapers, radio and TV telling us “New Year – New You”.  Giving promises of a whole new way of life if we will just follow the latest diet fad or buy a celebrity’s exercise DVD etc.   But when promises of change and trying to be different don’t work we become discouraged and loose hope.   Today I’d like to give you encouragement and hope that change is possible – that there is a new life waiting for each of us if we are willing to embrace it. 14 Whatever we do, it is because Christ's love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for everyone, we also believe that we have all died to the old life we used to live. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live to please themselves. Instead, they will live to please Christ, who died and was raised for them. 16 So we have stopped evaluating others by what the world thinks about them. Once I mistake