Welcome to Kingdom Living

Dear child Every person that you come across is my sheep. They have not yet encountered their good Shepherd. Each person you struggle to love, the ones that get under your skin. The outspoken ones, the angry ones, the unkind ones Even the ones that say they hate me. They are all my sheep. They need a Shepherd. Most are unaware of their need for me. You’re my sheep and you recognise my voice. You walk close to me. Keep close, and as you keep responding to my whisper, others w

There was nothing wrong with his hearing; that was for sure! He heard the farrier's hammer hit the anvil as he shaped the horseshoe. He heard the market sellers call out their deals of the day. He heard exhausted mothers reprimand their boisterous children, He heard the unpleasant sound of desperate rats scratching the dry, dusty ground, hoping for crumbs or scraps of food that people may drop. He was glad of his other senses. He smelled the fresh bread on the barrow that whe

I found myself in the back of an ambulance for the second time in the month. The pain was excruciating. As soon as they pushed liquid pain relief through my cannula, it started to ease. The paramedic knew what I needed to make me comfortable. He administered the drugs and sat with me till it started to take effect, then sat quietly. Presence matters. I was wheeled into a part of the A&E that I hadn’t been to before. I lay there so drugged but so aware of so many people millin

Jack Black was a stunning, black Friesian workhorse. All he had ever known was work. He used his strength to pull carts that his owner would attach to his harness. Jack Black would obediently pull anything that was asked of him. He was strong but also gentle. Even when working, if a child came near and wanted to pet him, he would lower his head so they could stroke his soft, velvety nose. At the end of the day, he loved it when his harness and cart were removed, and his owner

The farmer gets up out of bed. He's weary. As he splashes cold water over his face, he thinks to himself, who would want to be a farmer nowadays? He struggles into his overalls; they are stiff with hardened mud. He leaves his wife sleeping, as it's 5.00 am. The weary farmer walks down the stairs and starts the fire to heat the pan of water for a cup of tea. He knows that later, when his morning chores are done, he will come home to a steaming bowl of porridge with fresh honey

Dear child, When people speak against you. When they slander your character. Do not retaliate. Love them anyway. This is what it means to love your enemies. The person who is unkind to you, is letting the enemy infiltrate their life. They are not living in step with me. So don’t react to the person. Instead, pray for them. Ask me to work on their heart and character. When you pray for someone who is unkind to you. Your heart softens towards them. You will start to see the per

Before I had even entered the house, I felt something was not right. A feeling of dread filled my whole being. The hair stood up on the back of my neck. Yet, I still turned the key and walked through my front door. I saw him, before he saw me; he was wearing a black hoodie. His hood covered all of his face. He was sitting cross-legged on my lounge floor. I froze, dropped everything I was carrying. They say your fight-or-flight response will kick in. Mine did not. I stood as i

The carpenters Apprentice Pappa was working on his latest project. A neighbour had ordered a large wooden bowl. The wood he had chosen was beautiful pine. As he worked on it, the light shone through the open door, and the wood glistened. I loved being in Papa’s space. I loved to watch him work with his hammer and chisel. I always felt peace when I was near him. We didn’t need to talk. His company was enough. The smell of wood, the feel of the carpet of sawdust on my bare feet

What happens when love comes to stay. I’m not sure how she got in. I think it was through an open window, but she sneaked in and made herself at home. Self-loathing was her name. She was a large presence; she filled up most of any space. She would show me all my flaws. Telling me I needed to be thinner, younger, fitter. I could never please her. Soon, her close relative, ‘comparison’, barged her way in. At least she sat quietly in a corner most days, but when I let her speak,

There are so many beautiful miracles recorded in the Bible. Jesus turned water into wine. Jesus healed the blind, the deaf and the lame. A woman who had been to so many Doctors because of her bleeding just touched the hem of Jesus’s cloak and was healed. Jesus healed a boy when he was in another town. He didn't even need to be in proximity to him. Jesus told the woman at the well about her past, not to shame or condemn her, but to show her the way to live a full, free life, w

I love walking in the dales and looking across the amazing patchwork quilt-like fields. Each field has a beautifully crafted dry stone wall as its border. Dry stone walls intrigue me. They have no cement to hold it together. Yet, a well-made wall can last up to 100 to 150 years. The builder starts with a good foundation, then chooses flat, wide stones and small stones to fill up the gaps. I found out that this technique is called hearting. I started thinking about walls in ge

I arrived at the station in plenty of time for a hot drink and to use the facilities. As I exited the car, I got an alert on my phone. Your train has been cancelled. I needed to be at my destination at a certain time as I was supporting my friend at an appointment. I looked at the screen with the vast arrays of times and destinations and was baffled. Anyone who truly knows me knows that my sense of direction is appalling, so I didn’t want to choose a train that was going in t

At the start of the year, our beautiful town was hit with tragedy. We all carried the heaviness of the heartache. In times of pain and shock, it is so easy to blame God and ask the question, "Where was God?" "Why did He not stop this from happening?" These are questions that are not easily answered. In my own life, tragedy hit my own family with the death of my sister in a horrendous car accident. Friends would say to me “ How can you believe in a God now?” My reply has alway

A new year begins. It's like opening a brand new journal. The fresh new pages waiting to be written in. What will this year bring? The word that I woke up with on the 1st of January was. Intentional The dictionary definition - To be intentional means to act with purpose, making deliberate choices and conscious decisions that align with your values, goals, and desired outcomes, rather than just letting things happen to you. I want to live this life intentionally. To stop and

I want you to imagine that you are locked in a room. It’s pretty dark, But you can see, even in the darkness, that the room is empty. Your hands are bound, but you can walk around. The door is barred. There are no windows. You don’t know how long you’ve been there, but you are ready to get out. You try to push the door, but it doesn’t budge. You sit defeated, thinking you will be forever bound to this dark, dismal room. There is no way of escape. After what seems like month

I have been re-reading the account of Mary's conversation with the angel. The angel told Mary that she was going to carry the saviour of the world. After her very natural response of "How can I get pregnant, I am still a virgin?" She accepted the angel's answer. " For no word from God can ever fail" Her reply to that was " I am the Lord's servant" "May your word to me be fulfilled." Mary's faith was in a big God. She trusted that if God said it, then she had to believe it. Ma

Dear Child Keep wearing my armour. The helmet of salvation protects your thought life. Fix your thoughts on me. Keep lasooing those wandering thoughts that are not from me and think of me. The breastplate of righteousness protects your heart. It keeps you on the right path. The shield of faith protects you from the arrows of doubt. Keep trusting as you lift that shield. The sword of the Spirit. My word is powerful; keep speaking it out. The belt of truth keeps all the armour

In Luke's gospel, we read a beautiful account of what friendship looks like. A man who was paralysed and lay on a mat most of his life couldn’t get to the man who could heal him. Four of his faith-filled friends decided to carry him. They walked carrying him on his mat. It doesn’t say how long they walked. When they got to the house where Jesus was teaching, the house was bursting at its seams. It was full of people, all leaning in, hanging on to every word he was speaking.