Pictures of Life.

Sunshine.

I am sorry I haven't blogged in so long, it's been a busy few weeks.

To be honest, life is busy and I don't know if it will ever change.

I am thankful for one thing today though.

It has been beautiful the last few days and I absolutely adore times like this.

It reminds me of what I love and how beautiful the world is.

Many times I would rather not be in England. In fact, at times I despise the country I live in. People have priorities wrong and lives are not lived as they should be. Most of the time the weather is rubbish as well...but when the sun shines it really does and I begin to love England again. I love summer evenings where I can sit in the garden, eat and drink with my friends and family. Evenings where the sun shines until 10 and where it never gets cold. Evenings where I can sit alone and enjoy the starlight and candlelight.

The last few nights I was working nights at work and on all my breaks I went outside. I sat under the stars in the cool breeze and it was beautiful. My shifts were enjoyable because I got to enjoy the beauty of nature and the beauty of life.

Look around you and enjoy what you see and what you feel. Life isn't always about the material things and the people we are with. Yes, I know that these moments of beauty would be so much more beautiful if shared with my man but they have a beauty of their own when they are shared alone.

See what the Lord has for you in the next few days. See what He says through the nature He created so beautifully and so perfectly.

Much love from me to you. x

Prayer.

I don't really have anything on my heart to blog about at the moment but I want to blog anyway, maybe just for the sake of it and also coz I have some new pictures which I love, so I want to share them.

This week is a prayer and fasting week at the church here. Last night was the first prayer meeting of the week and it was amazing. There were several points throughout the hall that highlighted different things to pray for. Some was specific for the church and specific ministries, others were just for the nation.

It was really great praying for people, ministries and countries that I have never known or been a part of. I think it just reminded me that we need to pray for our world, whether or not we feel 100% part of it all of the time. The world is not just full of the people that we know, it is full of many who are all called to do many different things.

It also got me to pray about Uganda, the country I am in now and the country I am so passionate about. Do I usually pray for Uganda? No. Why though? A country which has my heart and is full of the many special people in my life and yet I do not regularly pray for it. Are we becoming a society that is selfish to its core? Are we becoming a people that forgets the wider picture?

We want to see change in the world yet we don't want to proactively make that change occur. I am not trying to condemn, I am just trying to question. I am passionate about seeing change yet I don't always pray about it. Maybe it is time...time to grasp a hold of the important things in life and to make a stand to make a difference through prayer.

Now that's said, here are some new pics.

Tradition.

What do we think of tradition and how do we see it? Is it something to be treasured and held onto? Or maybe something that should be locked away and long forgotten?

'Tradition is beliefs or customs taught by one generation to the next.'

Wikipedia (2008)

Yesterday I visited a fishing town on the shores of Lake Victoria called Gerenge. I went with a team that were teaching Primary Health Care. This town is stuck in tradition and through what my eyes saw, this tradition would be better off forgotten.

This village isn't especially poor compared to other villages that we visited this week but the people, especially the men, spend their money poorly. I guess like many people in England do.

The men fish and spend their money on alcohol and prostitutes, leaving the women to work in order to provide shelter and food for their large families. The women told us that a small family consisted of at least 4-8 children. This would be a large family in England!!

The town is small and to be honest not much can be done to improve conditions unless peoples attitudes change. How do you change peoples attitudes though? You can encourage them and try to inspire them but at the end of the day all of that is nothing unless their heart is radically changed and sharpened. Only God can do this seemingly impossible task.

Looking at the village, it is so similar to England. Yes, we have sanitation. Yes, we don't live in rubbish tips...but we don't always have the right attitude towards money and towards family - whether we're Christian or not.

Will being saved changed these peoples hearts? Maybe but then maybe not. There is no point being saved if you are just going to live in the same routine and with the same mindset - you need a change of heart and attitude. Your thoughts have to be changed in order to change your behaviour, which is often hard in a society where change is minimal.

The good thing is that God can do all this and so much more. He promises us that He is able 'to do immeasureably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,' Ephesians 3 v 20 NIV. What about The Message version, 'God can do anything, you know - far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!' God CAN do this!! He CAN change Gerenge and He CAN change England - He CAN do MORE than we ask or imagine but it starts with us 'according to His power that is at work WITHIN US'. We can't be lazy on this, we have to try.

To end on a good note, the children were as beautiful and as vibrant as ever.

Much love to you all as always. Maybe think about your heart and whether it's in the right place or not. x

Life = Beauty.

I am so excited to say that yesterday I saw my first ever birth!!!! From day one I said to my supervisors that I really wanted to see a birth and it happened yesterday...now I wish I could see more and more!! It was really a beautiful and amazing thing, something so precious and something to be treasured for eternity.

The baby came out and was cleaned up and then I was the nurse who done everything else - what a priviledge!! I clamped the cord, took a blood sample from it and cut the remaining cord off. I gave the baby an IM injection of Vitamin K to reduce bleeding and some eye ointment and I assessed him head-to-toe. I then weighed the baby and dressed/wrapped him. I then handed him over to his family. The mum and dad thanked me, but why?! I was the one to thank them. They gave me the priviledge of seeing their first child being born and being the one to assess and dress him.

WOW - what an experience!!!! Now I really really want to do midwifery. I know I want to be a childrens nurse but I also know I want to be able to assist with bringing life into the world. To be the first person to hold a new baby and to have the opportunity to bless them with Gods love, protection and Spirit. We'll see where this desire goes though because that would mean another three years of hard work and study which I am definitely not ready for yet.

Work has been wonderful this week. I have been all over the hospital and today I was in theatre and saw several operations - a c/section being one of them (note to self - always always opt for a natural delivery over a c/section!!!!). Work has been busy and so I have loved it. In outpatients the sister has given me more responsibility and so I have felt more like a nurse and someone who actually knows what they are doing. My confidence is growing daily and I am so excited to be a childrens nurse in life - this is something I am made to do and truly love to do!!

It's such a shame tomorrow is my last day but then at least I have some me time. Also, it's my mans birthday so I must plan something nice for him. I completely adore being here and I will dread returning to England. The only exciting thing about returning to England is qualifying and then my man visiting me.

God has completely blessed me by showing me the beauty of life. Never doubt that life is precious!! x

Uganda ROCKS.

Hey again everyone.

First moan of the blog - this computer is SOOOOO slow and it's driving me crazy, lol!! Second moan, work is a bit slow still and I've decided that I like it when people are actually ill, lol.

So, the last week and a half has been AMAZING!! I have loved it so much more than my first week here and I think it's because I have now settled into life here again and also coz I've been doing more stuff that I actually want to do.

Since the first week when I didn't get much time with my man, things have been easier and better. We have seen each other a lot more and I just feel more like myself with him now. I've realised that it does take so much time to really trust someone and show your true self to them and I think now is the time when that trust has really been solidly built.

Work was great last week because I was in the inpatient ward which was a lot busier than the charity ward. I felt like I had more confidence and I was given more to do. Communication is still hard though. Most patients speak English because of the nature of the hospital, but it can still be difficult. I'm in outpatients this week and it's slow so not really very good. One thing to mention though - they pray every morning during handover. I love this!! People are just free to be themselves here and there is no fear of mentioning God or bringing prayer actively into care. I don't even know how praying during handover in England would be perceived but why not?! Whether people believe or not that there is a God and a God who answers prayer, why can't we pray and hope for it?! Why don't we actively give the day over to someone who is so much higher and so far beyond us as mere human beings??

Anyway, that is it for now. I will try to blog more regularly now but who knows and sorry it's short - the computer is rubbish.

Just a thought - give everything over to God and see what He does.

Much love. x

Woohoo!!!! It's here.

Hey everyone.

Wow, I am so sorry it has taken over a week to write my first blog - I know you are all waiting in anticipation, lol!! Anyway, things have been busy and slightly hectic to say the least!!

So, how are things you're all asking and I guess you're expecting a massive 'AMAZING'?! Well, that is not the answer. Things have been good but also not so good, I guess the best way to describe things is rocky in an adventurous way.

I've had some fun with friends and children but also had some hard times. Time being a difficult constraint at points. Work at the hospital is different and fine, but that's all it is at the moment. It's amazing how small it is to English hospitals and how quiet it is. This week I am on a 30 bed ward and there is a nurse to every 3/4 patients, where as back home you get a nurse to about every 8-10 patients. So I am a little bored at times and kinda frustrated, but things are getting better and I am able to change wards in order to experience different things. I think I will ask to work in Intensive Care next week which will hopefully be so much more demanding of me. Also, a lot of the nurses here are enrolled and not registered which means they do not have the training or knowledge I am receiving in England so I don't feel as though I am learning enough. There was a very positive point yesterday though. There was an 8 year old in with chicken pox and she was just getting ready to be discharged. She had no family with her though and was so playful, she just wanted attention. Not many people were giving it to her though so I did and it was GREAT :) I was helping her with her maths and then she started teaching me numbers in Lugandan, it was so much fun and we both laughed lots.

Here is a pic I had taken at the weekend, playing with my neighbours :) they are so adorable!!!!

So I hear you screaming that you wanna know about me and my boy, right?! Well, he is very lovely thank you and we are growing a lot. Challenges don't stop here though. I thought things might be easy for a while, but they are definitely not!! I knew we'd hardly get to see each other in the week due to uni and work, but it turns out he has uni on Saturdays for his last semester and his last semester is now - sucks!!!!!!! I was so annoyed and frustrated but we are dealing with things as they are thrown our way.

I am sorry this is such a small blog but time is short tonight. On Saturday I will blog for real!!

Love you all but love here as well!!

Keep believing God for the best even through rocky times!! x

Work hard.

Hi everyone. I'm sorry I haven't blogged in absolutely ages, lots has been going on really. I've now moved back home which is great but sometimes hard :) and I'm back in my home church now which I love even more. Also, I'm a third year student and in 11 months will be a qualified nurse, scary but exciting stuff!!

I'm just really realising how much effort I need to start putting into things. The last two years of uni I have kind of blagged my way through, with not particularly much effort. I now realise that even though being a nurse is something God has called me to do and be, it is not going to come easy for me. I believe in God for His complete provision and faithfulness - I do not fear being able to get a job wherever it may be, but I know I have to make an effort to. God can make anything happen but I musn't use that as an excuse to be lazy. Before, I wanted to be a nurse but now I want to be a GREAT nurse. In order to be this I need to work hard and apply myself to my training and then my job. I believe that when I put the effort in God will bless me for it and through nursing I'll really be able to bless and love people.

I don't really know where this is leading - maybe that we need to trust God completely for our futures and dreams but we musn't let this faith add to our laziness. Have great faith, but also work hard.

'All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.'

Proverbs 14 v 23

As a quick testimony which doesn't really follow the topic but then maybe it does. As lots of people know I am travelling to Uganda this summer - it is now only 7 sleeps away!! It has come around so quick and God has truly provided. Last June was the beginning of it all. Within three weeks I was offered a placement at the International Hospital Kampala but it took until late February this year to completely confirm the placement. Can you believe that it took 9 months to sort something that could have been confirmed within the first month or two?! As you can imagine, I was getting completely frustrated and didn't actually think the placement would go ahead. However, it was confirmed and within a week of that someone from my church at university had offered to pay for my flight and two or three weeks later I had received confirmation of receiving funding from the university. God is good!! I presisted with my dreams and even though it took a lot of time, God provided it all and so much more!! Be encouraged and know that with persistance comes results.

Much love as always. Enjoy the sunshine!! x

I'm Alive.

So I have a new video for you, another one by Celine Dion. I find her voice so powerful and her lyrics incredible.

I'm Alive - Celine Dion

'Mmmmm ... mmmmm
I get wings to fly
Oh, oh ... Im alive ...
Yeah

When you call on me
When I hear you breathe
I get wings to fly
I feel that I'm alive
When you look at me
I can touch the sky
I know that I'm alive

When you bless the day
I just drift away
All my worries die
Im glad that I'm alive

You've set my heart on fire
Filled me with love
Made me a woman
On clouds above
I couldn't get much higher
My spirit takes flight
Cause I am alive

When you call on me, when you call on me
When I hear you breathe, when I hear you breathe
I get wings to fly, I feel that I'm alive, I am alive
When you reach for me, when you reach for me
Raising spirits high God knows that
That I'll be the one standing by through good and through trying times
And it's only begun
I can't wait for the rest of my life

When you call on me, when you call on me
When you reach for me, when you reach for me
I get wings to fly, I feel that
When you bless the day, when you bless, you bless the day
I just drift away, I just drift away
All my worries die
I know that I'm alive
I get wings to fly
God knows that I'm alive.'

I don't know what you think but it just reminds me of God. The fact that when He blesses He does it mightily. The fact that just by His breath we can be given wings to fly. He sets our hearts on fire and fills us with love. Isn't this powerful and mighty??

Have you ever thought about flying...the sensation that it can bring?? When I think of being given wings to fly then I think of life...feeling alive so that I may soar, soar like an eagle. This is how God makes us feel. He completely sets us free and releases us so that we can be given true life...so we can be given wings to fly...given pure freedom!!

'Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.'
Psalm 103 v 1 - 5

When we trust God to be all we need, when we praise Him...He satisfies and provides everything...He ultimately renews our youth like the eagles...and we all know what eagles do...they SOAR!!

Admirable yet able.

I thought it might be interesting to blog about the topic of housewives. You might think that this is stupid to blog about but I know people have differing views and that the views of society on this matter are also changing, so thought it would be interesting to blog my thoughts.

The definition of housewife is 'a married woman who manages her own household especially as her prinicpal occupation.' After this definition is this 'housewife is offensive to some, perhaps because of an implied contrast with career woman (just a housewife) and perhaps because it defines an occupation in terms of a woman's relation to a man.'

If we look at society then it is clear that women are becoming more career minded, or perhaps they are just being allowed to pursue their dream of a career. In the past it was always the men who worked and the women who kept the house and who brought up the children. This was the norm. I don't think there really is a norm now though, because many women are still housewives but many woman are also career women.

For some, they may find it offensive and demeaning that people view women as having this role over men. For me, I do not. I think it is actually an amazing thing to be a housewife...to be the primary care giver to your children and to provide a home for the man of your life. I also think that the way men and women are made so differently makes women more suited to being the homemaker and men more suited to being the soul provider of the home.

Should we not embrace our femininity instead of push it aside and say that we are no different to men?! I do not think that this world should be a 'mans world' but I also think that we should not have to fight to be career women just because we don't want to come under a mans authority.

Men are strong - they are made with strength to lead. Women are beautiful - they are made with beauty to be enjoyed.

Men should not take advantage because of this strength and just expect women to be under them and to do all they command. Having this sort of strength to lead is a priviledge and has to be used to lead people with love not arrogance. Women need to realise that their beauty shouldn't be taken for granted and that they are given beauty so they may give it to others - to love and empower and give life to those around them.

Men are made with strength and women are made with beauty so that when they are joined, something admirable yet able is created. This can't be created with just strength or just beauty - men and women have to realise they need each other.

We should not be ashamed of our uniqueness as women or as men. We need to embrace and cherish our differences and be prepared to come under those who are made to lead and to love those who are made to be enjoyed.

Much love, as always. x

Birthdays.

I had my birthday on Monday and it was kinda weird this year. I wasn't with my family or my man which I guess was hard, but it was exactly the same last year. I don't really know how I felt, but I know that I wasn't loving the day. Was it the realism that I am getting older?? I don't think so. I am excited about being older because it means I am closer to my dream. So what was it then??

Do we sometimes place too much emphasis on things that are actually meaningless?? Do we get disappointed with occasions because we place too much hope on them, expecting that they will perhaps be perfect?? Maybe this was the reason I didn't love my birthday. The realism that it was in fact just another day...perhaps I had become too excited about a day that was just a day.

Perhaps we think that birthdays should be ourdays - a time which is just about us?? Is this right though?? The meaning of birthday is an aniversary of a birth, the day of a persons birth or even the festivities/celebration marking such a day or anniversary. Does this give permission for us to become totally selfish on our birthdays and have that day celebrated as ours??

To be honest I think not. Each day is not ours and cannot be...each day is Gods and therefore it's His, to do what He desires with. This makes me more happier than any birthday could. The fact that God can conquer all and do the most amazing thing with any sort of day. No day is mine to name so why should any day be all about me?! My birthday is a day to celebrate the anniversary of my birth but it's not more important than any other day. Any day can be full of fun and amazement!!

A heart for the poor.

So on Sunday a lady preached at church about Gods heart for the poor. It was a challenging time. It was great to hear about Gods heart for people and how the bible actually portrays and emphasises this.

'Listen, my brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the Kingdom he promised those who love him?'

James 2 v 5

'For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.'

2 Corinthians 8 v 9

The world often chooses to despise the poor, yet God loves them so intensely that He chooses THEM to become rich in HIM and inherit His Kingdom. I know how easy it is to get caught up with money but I know that in all things I would rather inherit Gods faith than the worlds money. Consider the following quotes:

'Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody.'

Benjamin Franklin

'If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.'

Dorothy Parker

'One must be poor to know the luxury of giving.'

George Eliot

'Make money your god and it will plague you like the devil.'

Henry Fielding

Some wise words maybe?!

Being rich in the worlds eyes is not what it appears to be. In my opinion - money does not make you happy, God makes you happy, and what He offers is love, passion, strength, beauty, excitement, creation, fierceness, adventure, wonderment, awe and pure ecstasy.

God is amazing.

God is absolutely incredible and amazing - He really never fails to astound me!!

I was told at the weekend that someone at my church wants to pay for my flight to Uganda - I am so amazed!! I was so excited when I found out I could go to Uganda but at the same time was dead scared because of not having all the money I needed for the trip. I worked out that I could just about afford to pay for the flight but that was it - I had no clue how everything else would get paid for. Scary but true!! And there was no way that I wasn't going to travel to Uganda because of financial scares.

Me and my man have faced communication difficulties because of the restraints of money and there was no way that I was going to let money interfere anymore!! Money really does annoy, scare and frustrate me - I seriously hate it and absolutely detest how it makes me feel!!

How is it I feel like this knowing that God provides everything I need and more?? Maybe the fact that God might in fact not choose to give me all of my desires and all the miracles I ask for?? This is not lack of faith, this is just realism that God doesn't answer all prayers the way we sometimes want.

Anyway, God has astounded me and once again reassured me that I musn't worry about anything. He provides all that is needed and desired in the situations He puts us in - even when things don't go the way we want them to it doesn't mean God isn't giving what is needed, it just means He is giving what is needed according to the way He wants - the way which is best and good for us.

God is forever GOOD!! Believe and trust that truth. x

Uganda.

Just a quick blog to say - woohoo, I am going to Uganda!!

I have been planning a placement there since last July time and the university kept throwing obstacles in my way. At times I thought I would not get the placement finalised and that I would not actually get to visit Uganda this year.

Uganda is where I want to be and where my man is...it's probably one of the biggest things of my future...so I want to be there. I want to visit and step into my future. I want to see what God truly has for me.

I was relying on this placement for a chance to see if nursing in Uganda is what I want to be doing. The only chance I have to see if I can do it and enjoy it. The only chance to get some contacts. The only chance of discovering nursing in a hospital setting there before I qualify.

This week the placement got finalised and I AM GOING!!

God is good and has been good!! It has taken time, frustration and many days and hours of crying tears and angry prayers...but God has done what is good in His time. He has always remained faithful and I continue to trust Him for what is to come.

Be encouraged. x

Transformers.

I haven't blogged in ages it seems, but there isn't really anything on my heart at the moment to blog about. This week I started a new placement though. It is in a special school in Leigh-On-Sea. I wasn't looking forward to this placement at all really. I've been there a week now and it's fine but definitely not what I want to be doing. I feel it is sort of a waste of time for me to be there for four weeks, but at the end of the day I have to bare with it.

I guess this is just like life isn't it?! We have the things in our life which at times seem like a complete waste of our time, money and effort but yet we have to do them. There are things which challenge us and frustrate us, things that scare us and things that surprise us. For me, this time scared me, it is challenging me and I guess it is also surprising me somehow. I have a confidence when I am there and an understanding of my work there. I know that in this time I will learn something, even if I feel it is a waste of my time at the moment. I also know that all new things build up a confidence in me, so it can't be all bad!!

Life throws many things at us and often they are mundane and boring and often things that we do not want to be doing or see the need to be doing. This morning the assembly was about transformation (which means to change) and the teacher asked "If you could change anything about you what would it be?" My answer would have been the place I am in right now, because the place I want to be in is Uganda. I want to be doing what I know I am called to do. Transformation is good but not always necessary. I know at some point in my future I will transform my life...I will qualify as a nurse, I will move to Uganda and I will marry my love, but right now that transformation is not quite ready to be fulfilled. Right now I have to deal with the mundane life. I have to deal with my uncomfortable and challenging situations that sometimes seem a waste of my time, knowing that in the future they will be of benefit to me, knowing that they have shaped me into the person needed for when my transformation in life comes.

Stick with the mundane times that seem a waste...being confident in who they are helping you to become...being confident that they will benefit you beyond your dreams when your dreams come into fulfillment...when transformation finally comes. x

He is always good.

Well I'm not really sure what to blog about at the moment...actually, yes I do.

Okay, so lately, well, for the past few years, I feel like I have had many challenges going on. I have felt completely alone at times, completely frustrated and I have had times of complete pain and despair where I have just cried out to God for His comfort and some sort of answer. No answers came.

Occasionally I would have a day or two of feeling good again and feeling excited, but no consistency came with this time. I didn't want a happiness or excitement that didn't last. I wanted to feel real again...I wanted to be me.

Then I spent some more time in Uganda and things turned wonderful. I love Uganda and feel completely alive there, but when I return to England things go back to mundane reality and with this comes the frustration and pain...the realisation that I am not living the life I am called to live.

I realise completely what I am called to be and the life I am called to live and I realise that what I am doing right now is not this. I also realise though that my time now is preparing me for my future. It is not what I want to be doing and it is not the ULTIMATE but IT IS the best for me NOW. It is right for me. We all need to be challenged in order to grow and develop.

I have been blessed over the last month because I am now feeling alive and complete. I have been blessed because the Almighty One has answered. He has awoken from His silence and I have come through my storm of rain and hail and fog. I am in a time of sunshine and stars and seeing the light. I AM ME.

'There is a time for everything

and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build up,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.'

Ecclesiastes 3 v 1 - 8

These verses completely emphasise the different seasons to our lives...can you see that in every season there is a time of pain and then a time of joy. In every part there is something that will challenge and grow us and then something where this growth flourishes for the use of His glory.

Sometimes God remains silent. Sometimes He answers in ways we desire and imagine. Sometimes He answers in ways we do not desire or imagine. IN ALL TIMES, HE REMAINS TRUE AND GOOD.

'Be strong and let us fight bravely...the

Lord will do what is good in his sight.'

1 Chronicles 19 v 13

'...for it is God who works in you to will and to act

according to his good purpose.'

Philippians 2 v 13

Embrace the season you are in and know that in all times God does do what is best for us and it is always good...especially when we don't feel like it is good. This shows we are in a time of challenge, which shows we are growing and the harvest is about to come. x

Valentines Day.

Okay, so I am aware that in less than a week it is Valentines Day. To be honest, I haven't really been very aware of it this year, I can't even remember seeing things around town to advertise it...but I'm sure that for some of you, you are very aware of it, maybe for good reasons or maybe for not so good reasons. The whole point of this blog is to encourage those of you who aren't looking forward to it and to encourage those of you who are.

Yes, I have a wonderfully, gorgeous man, but no, we will (once again) not be together on Valentines Day. Am I down about this?! Well, not really I don't think. Partly because I haven't had much of a chance to think about it due to being busy lately, but also because I don't need a named day to express my love to my loved one. I am not saying I disagree with Valentines Day or even despise it, because I completely do not. I am just saying that we don't have to make this bigger than it needs to be. If I was able to be with my man then that would be incredible and very special, but I'm not going to get caught up on us being apart, because I will then come to despise a day that is just named by society and not the creator of our world.

Those of you who aren't looking forward to it, whether it is because you don't yet have a significant other or because you can't be with your significant other, please enjoy anyway. It is a day like any other, just with a fancy name. If you want to join in with the celebrations then show your love to the other special people in your life, but if you don't want to join in just treat it for what it is, just another day.

Those of you who are looking forward to it because of a significant other, please enjoy it and embrace the moment. Love your partner and serve them on this day...but also remember that you shouldn't need a day named by society to love your significant other and serve them. These relationships need love, special treats and giving yourself for them more than once a year and definitely more than just on "special" days. Remember what love is and try to live it out daily.

'Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered,

it keeps no records of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails...'

1 Corinthians 13 v 4 -8

I encourage all of you to not forget your friends on this day. Do you remember what you felt like on this day when you didn't have someone to share it with?? Do you remember what it felt like not having someone to share your whole life with?? Do you know how hard it may be for those of your friends/family who may have no-one to celebrate this day with?? Or how about your friends who have significant others that they can't be with - could it be hard for them?? Should they be forgotten just because they have somone??

Remember EVERYONE.

Everyone is special...everyone deserves to be celebrated for who they are on this day...everyone should be loved and cherished and desired.

'A friend loves at all times...'

Proverbs 17 v 17

Isaiah 61.

'The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.'

Isaiah 61 v 1 - 3

I was challenged by this bible passage at church on Sunday. It really is what we are called to do. There are different ways to do this, such as volunteering to serve those who cannot do things for themself, for example. Whatever we are called to do as individuals, with the giftings and abilities we have, we are still all called to serve others.

What stood out to me was - 'bestow on them a crown of beauty'. This I realise, is like my mission statement for life, for the ministry I wish to be a part of. Maybe it would be good to think about your own ministry and therefore your own mission statement. Ask God and He will be more than happy to answer and show you what it is you're called to do or be. Maybe just look at what you really love doing and see how you can use this for God.

Remember though, God says '...apart from me you can do nothing...' John 15 v 5.

Special People.

'...I thank God every time I remember you...It's not at all fanciful for me to think this way about you. My prayers and hopes have deep roots in reality. You have, after all, stuck with me all the way...All along you have experienced with me the most generous help from God. He knows how much I LOVE and MISS you these days. Sometimes I think I feel as strongly about you as Christ does!'

Philippians 1 v 1-8 NIV and The Message

(emphasis added).

Say it how it is. x

Abba...Papa.

' "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not my will, but what you will." '

The NIV. Mark 14 v 36.

' "Papa, Father, you can - can't you? - get me out of this. Take this cup away from me. But please, not what I want - what do you want?" '

The Message. Mark 14 v 36.

Recently I have seemed to be going through so much, which always seems to be frustrating and challenging rather than good. I started to read this book called 'God on Mute' by Pete Greig and it has spoken so clearly to me and has laid down some very important factors. The book is written about unanswered prayer. I guess through all of my challenges I have seen where God has not answered my pleading prayers. To some extent I now realise why. This doesn't necessarily make it easier, but it does help me make some sense of it all, which brings some comfort.

From the bible verse I have written above we can see Jesus coming before God, coming before his father in the most intimate way - he calls him Abba which is Aramaic for father - Jesus' own language. Jesus comes before his Abba and asks him to take away his pain, acknowledging that it is possible for Him to end this, but he also asks Abba to have His own way, acknowledging that maybe God's will is different to his own. Jesus knows God for who He is and knows that in all things He is the Almighty One possible of doing anything, but that He is also the Almighty One who chooses to do what is best.

In the book Pete talks about us coming before God knowing that He is possible to do what we ask but knowing at the same time that what we ask is not always the best. Pete talks about us coming before God with our pain whilst allowing God to have His own way, the way that will bring the most glory. Sometimes we have to go against our own desires in order to glorify God mightily. Wow, what a thought!! We can humble ourselves and our needs in our most vulnerable and painful times in order to expose Gods glory.

Reading this has made me change my tune about my present sufferings (which in comparison to most are not really sufferings at all). Life is not made to be easy. We must embrace life for what it is, the good and the not so good. We must be willing to sacrifice all for Gods glory. How amazing would it be to know that in our darkest moments God was being glorified in the most extraordinary way?!

Suffering is hard and God longs to hear our hurt and our anger and our pain in these times...but suffering can sometimes bring the most glory. Be released in knowing that you are honouring Him through all of this!!

Love and blessings x