Lets look at the bigger picture

So how many people have mentioned the weather to you today? Yes it is cold, yes it has been raining for days and no we really shouldn't have to have our heating on in June. It was definitely boiling hot on 12 June 2001 when I was walking around with swollen ankles, 6 days away from giving birth. Don't worry I'll leave it there....


But come on guys....let's just get over it! We're all perfectly safe, God promised us that right? Even my 5 year old knows that. There are people who have been affected badly by having their homes flooded and for fellow fans of springwatch on bbc the affect on wildlife has been devestating. We have to remember that there are people suffering with terrible illness, debt,bereavement etc and I just feel a little perspective is called for. I for one am pleased that I haven't spent money on getting my air con fixed in my car!

The sun WILL shine again but in the meantime I'm putting on my lovely purple wellies & zipping up my raincoat. Might even get myself a new brolly!

Who's going to join me splashing in puddles? Obviously it wouldn't do any harm to pray for a little sunshine while we splash:)

Esther xx

Such a fab week!

Haven't the jubilee celebrations been great fun? I love seeing Britain celebrating together amidst the doom & gloom of our current economic climate to prove that we are still GREAT Britain.

We had one of those whirlwind weekends with lots of visits to great friends and I had the rest of the week off too. This is so special as my own children get to have me to themselves with no little people for me to look after. I'm very blessed to work for a couple that understand that my own children need me too.

Wednesday my boys went to BUILD at our wonderful church. The team just give them the best time ever and they were just buzzing when I picked them up. They made some fab prayer boxes & I might make one for myself! On Thursday & Friday they spent a few ours with both sets of Grandparents and that doesn't happen too often. I'm usually have them home with me for all the holidays & rarely get time to myself.

My boys & I had very lazy starts to the morning & besides doing lots of domestic duties & errands I was feeling like I hadn't achieved much during the week.

Then I read this on twitter:
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." (Mark 6:31 NIV)

Not only once but twice in one day! It makes perfect sense, we do need to be by ourselves in a quiet place from time to time and we most certainly do need rest. As Christians we need time to pray, sit quietly and be with God and as people we need to re-charge our batteries.

Don't pretend that you can keep going without stopping, you'll have much more to offer everyone by taking time out now and again.

Esther xx

No more coincidences

 I just wanted to share this.

I was making a card this afternoon and went into the tin that I store some of my supplies in and found a card with a verse on that was handed out during our church's verse for life series. I have no idea how it got in there, it was quite far from where I keep the others.

If you can't see what it says from the photo it's:

Praise be to the God and Father

of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of compassion

and the God of all comfort,

who comforts us in all our troubles,

so that we can comfort those is any trouble

with the comfort we ourselves

receive from God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Reading it I was particularly drawn to the 'comforts us in ALL our troubles' that's key and I also got a strong sense that someone may need me this week from the 'so that we can comfort those in ANY trouble'

There comes a point where you hold your hands up and say 'this is no coincidence, God is speaking to me' and I absolutely love those moments, it strengthens my faith & let's me know God loves me.

Esther xx

The power of The Holy Spirit

Mothers will always have a hard time letting their children go out into the world. We know that we must give them independence & the opportunity to experience new things.

I've always struggled & been a nervous wreck when it comes to my children to the point of not being able to sleep sometimes. They're not even teenagers yet so I know I have lot worse to come!

As this has been a big deal to me I've prayed and been prayed for to help ease my mind.

My son went away with school last week and it certainly was an action packed week, including coach travel, water crossing, abseiling, canoeing, quad biking & much more! This would usually have kept me awake for the entire week but this wasn't the case. I missed him very, very much but I felt calm. I felt mainly that The Holy Spirit was with me and with my Son and I can't discribe how amazing it felt.

Esther xx

Baptisms

Yesterday was Baptism day in church. Nothing beats this for making you go through every emotion possible as you witness this amazing event.Having been recently baptised (January 2012) I know that however much emotional pain that person is in whilst giving their testimony that they are moments away from being re-born.

Nothing prepares you for the total elation of having your slate wiped clean, burying your old life and starting a new one. Forgiven.

Yesterday certainly did not disappoint and it was great to see the great big smiles on the faces of my 2 friends that were among the baptisms yesterday. I told them they would feel amazing afterwards but amidst the nerves of the preparation they didn't believe me.

I couldn't help but let a little 'I told you so' slip out of my mouth :)

Esther xx

What defines you?

I was sitting next to a friend at church this morning & we were joined by lady neither of us had met before. My friend asked what the other lady did for a living & then she asked my friend the same question.

This is the thing that touched my heart. The first thing on her list was being a Grandmother to wonderful children, a wife & mother. Dispite there being many other things on the list of things she 'does' being a Grandmother, Mother & Wife were the most important thing, and quite rightly so. I wonder how many high flying business men and women would list being a father or mother as 'what they do' if they were asked.

Being a parent is the most important job in the world & something that links you to another person forever. Even if parents divorce they will still have a bond for life in their children.

The same goes for God. No matter what happens we are still his children for life, it's a bond that cannot be broken.

Esther xx

The Rabbi, The Bishop and Me

I had a very interesting evening yesterday with my first visit to a Synagogue. My Dad invited me along as the Bishop of Reading was going to be preaching there & members of the congregation had been asked to invite Christian friends along.
The Bishop spoke of how so many that would call themselves religious actually live as Atheists Monday to Saturday living out of the church, only stopping to consider their Faith during Church on Sunday.
In his opinion clergy were also finding it hard to find time & that he himself works an 80+ hours week. The sad reality is the church are less able to give time and love.
So he asked 'how do we recover ourselves as people of Faith?' One of his suggestions was that the building we worship in shouldn't become the centre of our Faith and that we should recover a sense of sacred time, taking the time to read & I guess just spend time being with God. He recently met the new Bishop of Winchester (I think) and he had scheduled in one day a week to spend in his study just reading & if he felt like a nap he would nap! Sounds great! Also we must spend time together as a Faith community outside the usual service.  This is something Kerith does extremely well in Life Groups and so many other ways that we can meet in small groups. A Rabbi from reading commented that the word 'Congregation' should be changed to 'community'
The other issues are how do we engage our children with God? The Bishop made an extremely valid point in that many children & teenagers are busy with sporting activities which leaves no time to attend church if the two things clash so he urged that there needed to be more than one meeting. I know I'm being biased but this is another tick in Kerith's favour as there are 3 meetings. Funnily enough I'm normally at the 9am meeting as my children have swimming lessons at 11.30am! Another sad fact is the lack of family time in the form of sharing a meal together. A newly ordained Vicar said he'd gone into a home where there was the most enormous television taking pride of place but absolutely nowhere to sit and eat together. How tragic that we are slaves to the TV.  The Jewish faith probably has these issues less as they share their Shabbat meal on a Friday evening. I'm very blessed because we sit down as a family every evening at the table to eat. I can't say they're always spent in perfect harmony but that's family life! When the floor was opened for questions the general consensus was that children had no idea what the 10 commandments are & that was the way it would stay. I would have to disagree. If I didn't think I could bring my children up to know them I might as well throw the towel in now. Religious or not, they're about living as good human beings.

All in all it was a good evening & great to hear from other Faith groups and to have Christianity respected through out. From what I can gather this is something they do regularly so do come along next time. Oh, and I invited the Bishop to the Kerith and he seemed quite keen!

Disciples never graduate not am I perfect yet but I am still following.


Esther xx