It was then that I carried you.....

After talking to many of you this week it seems that many of us are going through tough, troublesome and worrying times. God says:

" When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." Isaiah 43:1,2

" I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart ! I have overcome the world ! " John 16:33

This is a poem that I have found strengthening in times of trouble or sadness:

One night I had a dream........

I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord

and across the sky flashed scenes from my life.

For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints,

one belonged to me and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of my life flashed before me,

I looked back at the footprints in the sand.

I noticed that many times along the path of my life,

there was only one set of footprints.

I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest

and saddest times in my life.

This really bothered me and I questioned the Lord about it.

"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,

you would walk with me all the way,

but I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life

there is only one set of footprints.

I don't understand why in times when I needed you most,

you should leave me."

The Lord replied,

"My precious, precious child,I love you and I would never, never leave you

during your times of trial and suffering.

When you saw only one set of footprints,

it was then that I carried you."

Leona Lewis sings this poem really well, here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d08X2lN669k&playnext_from=TL&videos=2-d1zNVcNGo

God bless you all this week, and may the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Kitchen Dancing!

Kitchen dancing!

There is nothing like it, it’s silly, it’s fun, you don’t need to be talented just eager to have a good giggle. No music required either, you can go the whole hog and sing as well!

Steve and I have always ‘kitchen danced’ since before we had the girls. Neither of us are gifted dancers so the privacy of our own kitchen seemed a safe place to express our passion (and daftness) for all genres of dance, the hokey cokey, tango, breakdancing, waltz, tap, disco and we have even tried a bit of electric boogaloo!

The girls have joined in our fun, first of all by doing that wonderful thing where you stand on your Dads’ feet and are waltzed around by him, then teaching us the Bob the Builder Mambo No 5, to more recently introducing styles of their own.

Sometimes, when I am cooking dinner, Steve and I will have a snatched slow dance to cries of “get a room!” from our teenager girls. We all love it, the silliness and intimacy of it can break a tense moment in an instance. When there is a toddler tantrum or a teenage angst moment going on what better than a quick tango to calm the situation down!

Be silly folks, it’s fun. You have to embarrass your kids at some time, it’s in the parents rule book. Give it a go, or invent your own family silliness, your kids will love it and remember it always!

May God bless you in your silliness!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D38s1PDZlx0

Here is a little something to get you started!

‘Look to today, because yesterday is but a dream and tomorrow only a vision’

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.
Lamentations 3:22-23 (New Living Translation)

I started this week at a three day selection panel, in Staffordshire, to see whether the Church of England will have me as a vicar! It was the most intense thing I have ever done in my life, having to do presentations, written tests, discussions, three interviews and being watched all the time I was there. I am glad to say I survived and actually enjoyed the experience; the other 15 candidates were really good fun to be with and as it was not a competition the level of support for each other was fantastic. I am very proud that I did it. I now have to wait until 9th June to find out the result.

There was, however, one point on Tuesday afternoon where I thought I had blown it. The vocational assessor was a tough interviewer, he asked the same question over and over again and in the end I ran out of different ways to answer it. I came away very frustrated and have to admit to going to my room for a good old sob. I said to God ‘I don’t think I can do this anymore, it’s been interviews and tests for the last two years in this process and I have had enough!’

As I laid on my bed to continue my sob I had to move a book I had been reading earlier, it fell on the floor and opened up, as I looked at it on the floor this is what I read:

‘The key to freshness in our walk with God is not to dwell on either yesterday’s successes or yesterday’s failures. God has a truckload of new mercies awaiting our lives every day when we wake up. We must not be flushed with our successes or duped by our failures. Yesterday belongs with yesterday and today is a new day of amazing mercy, grace and blessing.’

That was me told!

I pulled myself together, eager to get on with the next interview and put that last one behind me. There was nothing I could do to change it and the next one was a fresh start as far as God was concerned.

If you are living in regret of something, please don’t. God’s compassion, love and mercy for you is fresh every moment of every day. Put it down, whatever it is, forgive yourself and anyone else that it may involve and move on. Forgiveness is a tricky, long and hard thing to do, but a worthwhile journey (please speak to me if you need help with it, I would love to help you and pray with you).

As my wise old nan used to say ‘Look to today, because yesterday is but a dream and tomorrow only a vision’.

Love and prayers with you all, Sal x x x x x

Be proud of your kids, because God is proud of His!

Last night Molly and I went to Dudley’s pancake shop in Barnet to celebrate her doing, yesterday morning, the first of many GCSE exams that she has in the next three weeks. It just seemed right to treat her because I am so proud of how much work she has put into preparing for these exams, the results really don’t seem that important as I have seen how hard she has worked to attain her best.

Children thrive on heartfelt praise and recognition from their parents and carers. Growing up knowing that you are valued and enjoyed makes you more receptive to love, more able to receive positive feedback and to be able to give and receive affection naturally and easily. Children who never hear words of love from their parents tend to be suspicious of compliments and lack self esteem. Children who are accustomed to constant negativity in the home have difficulty accepting the slightest praise as though they are unable to let love in.

I love telling my children how proud I am of them, they are the best and most beautiful ‘Molly’ and ‘Alice’ in the world (as far as I am concerned!). Some parents only brag when their children are not around because they don’t want their children to get a ‘big’ head. I was one of those people when my two were little, until one wise mum said to me “There is nothing wrong with being a proud Mum and telling them”, so now I do both! I recommend honest praise for your children, to them and in front of them. Don’t worry about it going to their heads, they seem to keep it all in balance and in my experience it doesn’t spoil them in any way, just enhances their characters.

Children especially need to know you are proud of them when they have failed; telling them that you are proud of their efforts, with words like “I am really proud that you tried so hard and congratulations for hanging in there”. It’s important that they know the difference between failing at a task and being a failure. When a dejected six year old heads your way, sad that they weren’t top of the class in the spelling test this week they surely deserve a huge ice-cream for trying so hard to learn those spellings in the first place!

Be proud of your children. Water them with words of love. Just like plants they will soak up the ‘water’ and they will thrive.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 (New Living Translation)
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.

We all need somebody to lean on!

Trust in God. Lean on your God! Isaiah 50:10 (The Message)

Do you remember that song “Lean on me” by Al Green? I think Club Nouveau remade it in the 80’s and I heard the Glee cast sing it a few weeks ago. I love the words to that song. I’ve always thought it is a real inspirational song, one to belted out at the top of your voice. Do you remember the words? “Lean on me. When you’re not strong. I’ll be your friend. I’ll help you carry on.” (Bet you are singing along right now, aren’t you?)

If there is anything that us parents need, it’s someone to lean on from time to time. When the washing machine is broken, when the car is in the garage, when the kids are ill, when jobs are lost, when the bank account is empty and payday is a week away........we all need someone to lean on.

I’m so thankful that God is there for me to lean on in the difficult times. Even when my husband, children or friends don’t understand my feelings and even if there is no one else around to lean on, I have always got God.

And so have YOU.

He promises in the Bible never to leave us or forsake us. We can lean on Him, and He’s happy to let us. So if you are having a lousy day, lousy week, or even a lousy year, God understands and He loves you. Go ahead, lean on Him. He will be your friend, He’ll help you carry on.

Thank you Lord that we can count on You. Thanks for always being there for us. Amen x x x

Listen to God singing to you...............

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUhR7CrI5GU

Love is..............

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.

Love doesn't strut,

Doesn't have a swelled head,

Doesn't force itself on others,

Isn't always "me first,"

Doesn't fly off the handle,

Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn't revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end.

1 Corinthians 13 1-7 (The Message)

God told them, "I've never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love! Jeremiah 31:3 (The Message)

If you have ever rocked a baby in the stillness of the night, then got up in the morning exhausted from lack of sleep, you know how difficult parenting can be and also what joy your child can bring. If you have ever cuddled up to your baby and had that very same sweet smelling baby throw up on your clean shirt, you know how frustrated you can feel at the same time as your heart wells up with overwhelming love. If you have ever resented spending your hard earned money on piano, tennis, swimming or ballet lessons that seem taken for granted, then watched with pride your child’s sense of achievement, you know the difficult journey you face and the rewards it will bring.

As they grow they seem to challenge you at every turn – they no longer accept your guidance unquestioningly, but seem to disagree with every word you utter, then when you are sure you are going mad, out of the blue they make an observation, see a new angle, or put a new twist on things, and you marvel at the brilliance of their perspective.

No one ever said parenting would be easy. Parenting means giving unselfishly when you are exhausted. It means buying your children new shoes while you go without. It means running them around everywhere. It means staying up late and not being able to lie in. It means sharing everything – even when you didn’t know you were sharing it! It means loving unconditionally.

Although parenting is perhaps the most important calling, it is the least taught in our culture. These small people turn up in our lives and we are expected to know how to look after them and raise them by osmosis. Never feel ashamed to ask for help, we are all in the same boat – child not sleeping, potty training, clingy child, the list is endless. Talk to other parents or read books on parenting and child development, try the Barney’s Toddler Group library. If you are stumped look for a parenting course to attend, there are some around. We have run them at St B’s before and are happy to do them again.

Just remember, you are not alone, every parent has/is been there and has/is wearing the T shirt. Mine says “Fifteen years experience, surviving, no expert, but please ask me I would love to try and help”.