Hope For Today

Dear Friends, Have you ever experienced a time when God seemed distant?  When he was silent?  When you didn't feel his presence with you? If you have, you'll understand how I was feeling a few weeks back when I went through a time of feeling that God was distant and silent.  It really was not a nice place to be. In truth, it was horrible. I was away on a Bible Week with Jason, and I had gone with high expectations.  I hoped to hear some good speakers, to receive some spiritual food and I was also looking forward to joining in with hundreds of others worshipping God in song.  There is something so special about being with a large number of Christians, all lifting our voices to sing praises to our God. Yet in many ways, I didn't experience what I'd been hoping for.  The speakers all had something good to share and I did learn from them.  Yet I didn't feel God with me.  The worship was great.  Yet I sang the words and they meant nothing to me.  I didn't fee

Dear Friends, We recently celebrated my son, Josh's, eighteenth birthday.  We had a night away with extended family, which included a meal out, an amazing birthday cake made by Jason and  watching Josh open his presents.  The following day we all went to Colchester Zoo where Jason and I had arranged a surprise for Josh.  We had organised for him and his girlfriend to have an animal experience with one of the zookeepers.  As meerkats are Josh's favourite animals it obviously had to be a meerkat experience.  He and his girlfriend got to go into the meerkat enclosure.  They weren't allowed to touch them but they could sit and let the meerkats clamber all over them.  They had time to feed the meerkats and talk with the zookeeper about these animals.  The rest of us got to watch them and take photos.  It was a great break away, everyone enjoyed themselves and it was a great opportunity to make some lasting memories.  Jason and I really enjoyed doing this for Josh.  We did it

Dear Friends, I love to write.  I enjoy writing - whether it's for myself in my journal or I'm writing with the purpose of encouraging others through my blog.  Whether  my writing is just between me and God or there's a wider audience. I gain pleasure from it either way. I believe God has created me with this love of writing and that it also brings him pleasure when he sees me doing something he has created me to do. The Bible says in James 1:17a " Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens." (NLT) God has blessed each of us in so many ways and it's good to stop and take the time to recognise and give him our appreciation for all that he has given us. "Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy ." 1 Timothy 6:17 (HCSB) For me, wr