Hope For Today

Dear Friends, Yes, this is a second blog post for today!  Unmasked: Fuelled by Misunderstanding; Removed through Love In my first one you will have read that Claire Musters was my guest. Well, I also have a guest post on her blog today... I am very familiar with mask wearing. I became ill with M.E. (also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) over twenty years ago. I also suffer with chronic migraines and depression. In the beginning it was particularly hard to adjust to. Whenever I prepared to meet with anyone I would make sure that my mask was firmly in place. People in my life, such as family, friends and church, knew I was living with this long-term illness, but I didn't like to talk about it. If anyone asked how I was, rather than be honest with them and tell them 'I'm really struggling, I'm depressed and my poor health is getting to me', I would tell them that I was fine thank you and then quickly change the subject. I would paste a smile on my face w

Dear Friends, Unmasked Yes, this is a second blog post for today!  In my first one you will have read that Claire Musters was my guest. (If you haven't had a chance to read it yet, please click  here ) Well, I also have a guest post on her blog today... I am very familiar with mask wearing. I became ill with M.E. (also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) over twenty years ago. I also suffer with chronic migraines and depression. In the beginning it was particularly hard to adjust to. Whenever I prepared to meet with anyone  I would make sure that my mask was firmly in place . People in my life, such as family, friends and church, knew I was living with this long-term illness, but I didn’t like to talk about it. If anyone asked how I was, rather than be honest with them and tell them ‘I’m really struggling, I’m depressed and my poor health is getting to me’, I would tell them that I was fine thank you and then quickly change the subject.  I would paste a smile o

Dear Friends, I am thrilled to have Claire Musters as a guest on my blog today. I recently connected with her on Facebook when I joined her 'Taking Off the Mask Launch Group'. Earlier this month she published her book, "Taking Off the Mask" and I reviewed it a few weeks ago on this blog. (If you missed it, click here to read it.)  Over to Claire... Having walked through a particularly painful episode in my own life, and then seen how God has redeemed it years later is so encouraging. In fact He has now actually called me to share what was a very shameful part of my past in my latest book, Taking Off the Mask - although it holds no shame for me today.  I think it is so important that we are honest with one another - about our struggles and pain but also about the joys we experience in life with Him. I have seen time and time again how He has transformed my brokenness and turned it into something beautiful. Here is an extract from my book, in which I

Dear Friends, It was this time last year when I self-published my devotional book. Today, with help from Amazon, Kindle Direct Publishing, and especially God, it is also now available as an eBook in Kindle. Although I may not know you all personally I want to take this opportunity to thank those of you who have bought a copy of my book and I pray that God will bless you as you read it. If you have read it, please would you consider posting a review of it on Amazon. It need only be a sentence or two with a star rating, as this would then help others when considering whether this book is for them or not. I have been so encouraged by verbal feedback I have received from you, so thank you for this. With the run up to Christmas it may be something worth considering as a present for someone you know, or even purchasing it for yourself ready to begin in the new year. Below is the table of contents to give you some idea of what is in the book: Week 1 Trusting in God 

Dear Friends, Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash When my son reached a certain age we allowed him to have a Facebook account. Once he'd set it up, he excitedly told us how many 'friends' he had.  But we know that there is a world of difference between our social media 'friends' and the face-to-face friendships we have with others. Social media has highlighted the need that we all have for connection. God has made us for connection, first and foremost with himself, and secondly with others. Facebook has provided me with the opportunity to develop friendships with others who I would have never otherwise known and it's great to connect with like-minded people. Whilst such a friendship can develop over time  to a certain level , I don't believe it can ever replace the depth and closeness that is gained through face-to-face friendships. I belong to a friendship triplet and I am blessed in so many ways by this group. We try to meet as regul