The Father's Love

Yesterday we had out Ladies Breakfast at church, it was a great time with a valentines theme. Pink flowers and table decorations and lovely heart shaped chocolate and shortbread biscuites to take home. The ladies asked me to speak so I decided to share my testimony of my relationship with my natural father, how I lost him together with my Grandmother in a car accident when I was 23 and how I came to know God as my heavenly Father. I was already a Christian when my father died but because my father was such a great Dad I never really knew God as my father until after he had died. I explained that some people may find knowing God as a father difficult because they had not had a good relationship with their natural father. But 'God chose us before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in Hi sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons/daughters through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will.' Ephesians 1:4-5 and one of my favourite verses says

'He is mighty to save, He will take great delight in You, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

And so as the day was the day for celebrating love we rejoiced in the wonderful love of God out Father

Joseph

Joseph & Jesse

Please pray for our Grandson Joseph, he is three and in hospital in South Africa with a chest infection. He is being treated with antibiotics, a nebuliser and physio to clear his lungs. This is taking longer than they thought it would and although he is coping really well with all that treatment, he is needing suction to bring up the muck which he is really unhappy about. Our daughter & son-in-law are missionaries they have adopted Joseph and also little Jesse who is two, he is finding it all a bit hard to understand. On top of all this Vashti needs to take a trip out of the country to enable her to get her visa re-issued, this has to be done by 11th Feb. Please pray for complete healing for Joseph and the visa situation to be sorted. Thank you and may God bless you abundantly!

'Don't let life manage you, you manage it!'

My husband bought me 'The Confident Woman' by Joyce Meyer for Christmas. I have seen Joyce on TV but this is the first of her books that I have read and I am really enjoying it. Chapter 5 is about the woman in Proverbs 31.Verse 16 talks about the woman being prudent, Joyce expands on this to look at other aspects of our lives, not just our finances.

Since moving house back in September I have been working alongside my husband, for the church and also helping the church set up a children's centre. I have not picked up my secular work which is teaching pre-school children, including those with special needs.

Last week I saw a job advertised which I would have loved but I really wasn't sure if I should apply for it or not, I thought about the pro's and con's, figuring out if I could fit it into my week. I prayed about it for a couple of days, still not coming to a conclusion so I asked my husband to come with me and drive out to look at where the school was. I asked God to make it clear by the time we got there if I was to apply or not....well by the time we reached the building I knew in my heart that this was not the time to apply and I came home satisfied that God had spoken.

I would have been VERY busy had I taken the job and certainly not have been able to do all my tasks to the best of my ability. Joyce says in her book "each of us has an allotted amount of time and energy and we should manage it in such a way that we bear the most fruit we can."

Joseph & Jesse Singing

Here is a little video clip of Joseph & Jesse singing a song that their Daddy sings to them at bedtime. Joseph said he wanted to get Jesse ready for bed, took him into the bedroom to get the PJ's out of the cupboard and began singing the Turtle Dove song...how sweet are their little voices?

Clothkits

I wonder who remembers Clothkits ? I used to buy readymade clothing and kits to be sewn for my children in the 70's and early 80's. Sometime later the company closed down and my daughter and I have recently chatted about how it would be if it was still around now for her children. Well imagine my delight when I came across it in a magazine, Sew Hip So I dug out some old photo's to post with this. One of a my youngest daughter wearing a lovely little lilac dress is a bit small, and I only have photo's with 3 of our 4 children wearing Clothkit clothes, but I am sure Ben wouldn't mind! So now I can buy kits to make for the Grandchildren.

Our Calling

'And we we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.' Romans 8:28-30

'The main calling of our life is more than just knowing the truth - it is having that truth become our life. The main purpose of the church is more than just providing ministry to the people - it is labouring until each one is conformed to the image of Christ'

Christmas 2008

Well the kids have all gone home and the house is quiet..... we had a great Christmas with most of the family here, our eldest daughter and her family spent Christmas at home in South Africa, it was their first proper Christmas there. we had lots of fun and then the snow came and we had even more! Our youngest daughter lives by the coast with her family and so they don't see much snow, this was a treat for them and the twins loved it!

Christmas Morning

Opening stocking

PJ's & Tutu's
Peeping through the kitchen window

Grandma clearing snow

With Mummy

With Daddy

Grandpa wondering how thick the ice is on the canal