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Showing posts with the label Relationships

The Reason for Everything

There is only one way to really and truly get God's attention and that is to either break his heart so badly that he turns away and cries or to fast! So I chose the latter as I have broken his heart far too many times in my life and I needed him nearer to me that every before. So I withheld food and all drinks except water from my flesh and cry out to God.  Day one of my fast consisted mainly of headaches and me pouring out my heart to God. Day two God spoke briefly: " Everything comes from God alone, everything lives by his power and everything is for His glory. " - Romans 11:36 TLB Bottom line: It's all for Him. So with this revelation I forced myself to see things differently. I tried and make it about him and not about me. What did he want? How could I make it about him? One Sunday evening I insisted that Eric and I seek God together. We spend the evening really reaching out to God together and I prayed until I felt like my eyeballs were going to pop out from the

My Broken Heart

The new year had kicked in and I was fully focused on building my business - the right way! It seemed right to be busy with something that was not ministry and we did need to money so it was what I chose to do. King's Daughters Girl's Nights continued on a monthly basis at a coffee shop connected to our church. Eric started a Men's Night as the men saw all that God was doing in the Girl's Nights and wanted their own special night too. Slowly, our hearts warmed to the lovely people at our church as we let the barriers down and allowed ourselves to feel love and compassion again. Brick by brick the walls came down and we starting giving pieces of our heart away as we were able to allow people in once more. It was scary to care again. Being vulnerable hurt a little as the scars were still raw from so much hurt from before. But the people in our church were (and still are) so lovely that we couldn't resist loving them and serving them to the best of our ability. Eric wa

The Wedding Day

  On 17 September 2014 we began our happily ever after at a garden wedding in Cannizaro Park, London. It's not as grand as it sounds, we have no money at all and pulled off the most beautiful wedding very creatively. Our church friends really pulled together for us and if I had a million pounds to do it all over again I wouldn't change a thing! We did the legal side of our wedding in the registry office in the morning and then in the afternoon had the 'real' wedding in a public park. Our friends were so amazing at making our day perfect. One friend surprised us by buying and arch and decorated it with lace, she also created an aisle out of ribbing and organised our picnic as well as our pastor's picnic. I am sure she did so much more arranging and organising behind the scenes that I probably don't event know about, but that is just the type of amazing friend that she is. A lady from church who we barely knew offered to make our cake - and it wasn't any old c

The Man of my Dreams

As I looked up to the stage where the musicians were playing I saw this man who seemed to be surrounded my light. Inside I said, "Wow he is so beautiful!". I didn't mean it in a pretty boy way but I sensed purity and loveliness. It was quite new to me and I just knew that there was something special about him. I watched him closely as he played his guitar. Weeks passed by and God did the most amazing things in my life, He spoke so many things to me of the future and what would still happen. I no longer found myself repenting of the past and trying to make up for it but rather being completely and utterly overwhelmed by His love and filled with excitement for the future. It was incredible. At the same time I became increasingly 'aware' of the guitarist on the stage each Sunday at church. After some time I wasn't sure if I was excited to go to church to worship God or to see  him  again. It was a difficult infatuation as I desperately didn't want to be the p

A Great Success

This year presented a difficult subject, we delved into purity as well as a lot of talk about sexual purity. Our numbers were lower than usual as a result but the event was better than ever!  We enjoyed a fantastic day together, everything went smoothly, the food was great, the company fantastic, the talks life changing, the worship heavenly!  Everything was just perfect!  It was a beautiful day in God's presence and we are so grateful to all who played a part in making it happen. Next year's conference - HE LOVES ME - is already in the pipeline.  We have made some positive changes so that even more of you can enjoy this fantastic annual event.  The most significant change is that we will end by 5pm which has enabled us to bring the ticket price right down to £25.  However, if you book in during October, you get a once off early bird rate of £20 using promo code OCTOBER and if you wish to exhibit this code applies to your stand too.  So book your place this month at  www.

25 Days To Go!

I can't believe it is nearly that time of year again with only 25 days to go until our annual King's Daughters Conference. This year is especially important, not only because we really need to get together as Christian woman but also because we do need to talk about this very important subject that we will be discussing, namely purity but mostly sex. How to enjoy it, what to do better, what not to do, when to do it, when not to do it, what went wrong in the past, how to fix what went wrong in the past, the scars of the past and healing for them. How it's intended for pleasure , how to enjoy the pleasure without the guilt and shame, what to do if you got it wrong too often and find it no longer offers pleasure. Same sex attraction, opposite sex attraction, lack of sexual attraction and lethal attraction! Sex in marriage, sex outside of marriage, no sex in marriage Lies about sex, truth about sex, love and sex, lust and sex, hate and sex, sex traps, sex deception, sex

Where I Live

Every morning my daughter, Lorah-Kelly , and I go for walk together around the lovely streets of Battledown.  It is very hilly so a great workout for us!  This morning however, we both overslept (yes we live in different houses) and so had to motivate ourselves to go for a walk.  To add some excitement to our routine we decided to walk on the lovely Leckhampton Hill! It was such a beautiful morning and the views were amazing.  I marveled over each wild flower and each tree.  I gasped at the butterflies that were out in full force and savoured the sounds of the chirping birds.  The more I encounter the awesome creation that we live in the more I love the God that made it.  It is very difficult not to love Him when I see all the beautiful things that He made for us to enjoy.  I honestly think it takes more faith not to believe in God that it does to believe in Him.  It would be the same as if you marveled at an amazing painting but denied that there was a painter.  I am always left brea

Being a Mother - Who Trains and Teaches

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.     - Proverbs 22:6 This verse has comforted me many times when I have worried about my children.  I know that even though they sometimes make poor choices, I have trained them well when they were little and they will find the right path in life as a result.  Training a child means that you help them to develop their skills and discover their strengths and weaknesses.  Teaching children to make choices, suffer consequences to poor choices and to reap the rewards of a choice well made is a very important part of their training.  The worst thing you could do as a parent is to shelter them from all consequences and failures.  Failure is good and a necessary part of the learning process.  Allow your children to make mistakes and teach them what to do with their mistakes when they have made them.  Children who grow up fearing mistakes and consequences will struggle with things such as faith and ri

Being a Lover - Who Understands

Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.  Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. - 1 Corinthians 7:3-5 The apostle Paul wrote these verses in Corinthian not as a commandment but as guidelines so that we could have a better understanding of our commitment to each as husband and wife.  Fully understanding what these verses mean could have a significant impact on our love life and help us to really enjoy our time together in this area.  Take time to understand the importance of giving your bodies to each other.       Before we get into what it is let’s first take a look at what this does not mean. 

Stroud Ministry

King's Daughters Stroud hosted by Berith Sandgren-Clarke backed by Stroud Christian Fellowship Berith is a highly regarded and popular style and image consultant. B, as she likes to call herself, has spent 30 years helping men and women learn how to look their best. She has seen individuals transformed by her work and through her Girl's Nights. Girl's Nights £5 Held at Berith's Home every Wednesday at 7:30pm   Our Girl's Nights are based on the Christian Bible and cover relevant topics for mothers, wives, single women, older women - basically all shapes and sizes.  It's a really fun night, don't be shy, give it a try!  We enjoy a meal together, spend some time chatting about real life issues, pray for each other and care for each other. A great time together is guaranteed and your life will be radically changed. More more info get in touch with Berith ..........................................................................

Being a Friend - Who is a Friend of Jesus

You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.  No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I  have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you . - John 15:14-15 To be a good friend we need to have a good friend.  Having Jesus as our best friend, is the most amazing thing imaginable.  He is our example and experience of what being a friend really means.  Jesus’ friendship is based on mutuality and love and if He, the Son of God, is able to have that sort of friendship with us mere mortals, then we should be able to offer that sort of friendship to each other too.  There is nothing that Jesus has done that is not possible for us to do. In the verse above we see that there is a condition to Jesus friendship with us.   He says that if we want to be His friends we have to do as He says.  He then qualifies this by saying that he is not saying this as a master would to a servant but that

Being a Lover - Who Plans

Great sex very seldom just happens!  Maintenance sex happens regularly I am sure and occasionally great spontaneous sex might happen.  To enjoy regular and consistent great sex, planning is required.  Why not plan sex dates?  It's a great way to set aside an allocated time where you will focus on pleasing each other sexually.       Men seldom plan in this area, they are often instantly on just like a light switch - on and off - simple.  Women, however, are more like irons, they take time to warm up which is why a woman will benefit greatly from planning.  When planning a sex date, you will begin to release hormones that start getting you in the mood way before you even begin to get physically sexual. This means that when you do get down to the physical side of things you will be ready to explode!  There are several things that you can plan: Anticipation There is nothing quite like anticipation.  Anticipation is the action of expectation, an emotion involving pleasure, ex

Being a Mother - Who is Involved

Modern technology has its advantages but also comes with many disadvantages too and if we are not careful can fall into the trap of these disadvantages.  Family time with a mobile phone or computer present can lead us to believe that we are investing in our families when in fact we are not. Being available to our children is essential but in addition to merely being available we also need to be fully involved.  It is so important to set aside time regularly where you can be fully involved with your children.  Have you considered leaving your phone at home when taking them to the park?  How about having time in the living room without any TV, computer, phone or anything else on?  Observe your family time and honestly consider whether or not you are present and involved or are you merely in the same room together.        Being involved means that when you spend time together that you are interacting, discussing, thinking, and processing life together.  It means that you are interested

Being a Friend - Who Covers Transgressions

He who covers a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates friends.   - Proverbs 17:9 In this day and age it seems almost impossible to find a friend who has a deep conviction about being a friend.  We live in a time when everything is disposable and this even applies to our friendships.  Too many women are only interested in being a friend if it benefits them but when their friend becomes too needy or simply doesn’t add value to their life, they move on.  As Christian women we need to be different.  Not only do we need to stick around and offer friendship in difficult times but we also need to go as far as to cover our friends’ transgressions.   This means that when they mess up you draw even closer to them and do whatever you can to cover their transgression.  Yes, you read it correctly, the Bible actually tells us to cover our friends’ transgressions.  If we take a look at the Hebrew text we will see that cover from this verse means to plump, that is, to fill

Being a Friend - Who Judges Herself

Did you know that if you judge someone else you are bringing judgement upon yourself? Yes it’s true and it’s a scary thought.  Also, the measure that you use to judge will be used back on you.  Not only that, but if we compare ourselves to other people we are told by God that we are not wise.     I don’t know about you, but judging and comparing ourselves is just what we naturally do as girls! We are born that way.  From the earliest age I can remember judging others and comparing myself to other people.  We are taught to compare and compete at school, we are taught to judge.  It seems to be the ‘acceptable’ thing!  But not according to God’s standard.  His ways are higher than ours and if we are parents we should not conform to the world’s ways, we should save our children from the judgement of God by teaching them to show mercy to others from a young age.  So let’s take a look at God’s ways. Matthew 7:1-2 “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you wi

Being a Lover - With a Past

Before we can get into the fun side of being a lover we should take a look at the things that can prevent us from enjoying intimacy in marriage.  Sadly few people wait until their wedding night these days leaving loads of marriages scarred by unnecessary baggage.  It wasn’t meant to be this way.  We, like swans, were designed to love once and to make that love last a lifetime.  In Song of Solomon it says three times, “Do not stir up nor awaken my love until it pleases.”  Usually when something is repeated in the Bible it means that we really need to get it!  Many versions omit the ‘my’ from that verse but when you realise that the original text says ‘my’ you realise that what is being requested is a man asking the woman not to arouse him before it is the right time to be aroused.  There is a right time and a wrong time to be aroused.  Why?  Because once you are aroused it is very difficult not to want to go all the way and this is why the verse in 1 Corinthians 7:9 had to be added t

Suicide of Rick Warren's Son

I was shocked when I heard the tragic news about Rick Warren's son.  If you don't know who Rick Warren is, he is the founder and senior pastor of Saddleback Church , a very influential and well respected Christian leader.  If you’re unaware of what happened, here’s  Pastor Rick’s letter .  We would like to offer our heartfelt condolences to Pastor Rick, his family and his church.  There are no words to express just how sad we are with and for you. I have decided to take this opportunity to share my story, which I have recorded in detail in my book, Hope's Journey , with you at a very special Girl's Night which will be hosted here in Cheltenham, UK and once recorded will be available on our YouTube channel .  If you can't make the Girl's Night and need support please feel free to contact me or get in touch with your local church or with the Samaritans .  Facts about suicide around the world: 1 million people across the globe die by suicide each year. That