King's Daughters

Nevertheless is John Kirkby’s story of the adventure of starting Christians Against Poverty. In 1996 John and Lizzie Kirkby set out on a faith adventure. John felt God call him to give up his successful career in the finance industry to do what he could to help the poor and needy in his home town of Bradford. John did what he was best at and devised simple budgeting systems that allowed people to reduce their debt whilst living a decent life. In doing this John found that he could share the life transforming faith he himself had experienced some four years earlier, and people’s lives were changed before his very eyes. I have read this book & couldn't put it down, it has really changed our life & given us strength to get through many difficult times. Eric at times said he had to put the book down as he couldn't continue reading - he was wondering how anyone can get through what John managed to get through. Eric & I have also had to privilege of meeting John Kirby &

To kick off our series on marriage I thought it would be fun to start with one of my favourite books on the subject. Holly has a fantastic way of saying it as it is & hitting the nail on the head. This little book is packed with enough to keep you going for your entire marriage. Eric & I read it before we got married & highlighted the bits that were important to us. It has been fun going back & rereading it over the years & seeing how some things have changed for us & how most things are still spot on. When we were planning our life together we were excited about having a great marriage & read books like this one with great enthusiasm for how we were going to get it all right. Now several years later we run to this book & others for answers to the challenges we face. It's quite hysterical really as we both still want the same things, we still both believe the same things about marriage but somewhere along the line we realised that we are only h

One of my favourite writers is Max Lucado. His children's books have changed my life as I have read them to my children at bedtime. My absolute favourite is You Are Special - this has helped me so much with understanding how little it matters what people think about me and how much what God says about me really matters. This book has helped me so much with my identity & I know it will help my children with theirs as they grow up. Sometimes it's the simplest things that are most powerful, I imagine this is partly what Jesus meant when he said in Luke 18:17; " whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it " Have you ever been impacted by a children's book?

Eric & I went to watch this movie on Wednesday & we both absolutely loved it! I wasn't expecting much when we went, I thought it would just be your usual romantic drama & was happy with going to see something light. However, it turned out to be a lot better than I anticipated. In a nutshell it's a romantic drama about a widower whose book about coping with loss turns him into a best-selling self-help guru. On a business trip to Seattle, he falls for a woman who attends one of his seminars, only to learn that he hasn't yet truly confronted his wife's passing. Watch the trailer here & if you decide to go see it take some tissues!

A bit random I know, but I thought it would be fun to Blog my bedside table! You can tell a lot about a person from their bedside table :) On my bedside table is my Bible, journals, notebooks (because I often can't sleep as I think too much so have to write things down during the night) & the books I am reading (Battlefields of the Mind - Joyce Meyer, Stop Acting Like a Christian & Just Be One - Christine Caine & I'll Have what She is Having - Bobby Houston). One of the journals is a journal of the journey of our church, I love our church and what God is doing & when I feel discouraged I read through that journal & look at all the photos & see all the beautiful people that God loves & my courage to ' press on ' returns. I have a little teddy on my bedside table, Sam (Lorah's exceptionally amazing boyfriend) gave that to me one Christmas - his mom probably chose the gifts but never-the-less I like it (and I like Sam - he is so kind to Lor

"If we see prayer as a means to getting what we want, we have misunderstood it's purpose. It is all about aligning our wills with God's will & has more to discovering what He wants than getting what we want." A quote by Ian Coffey from his book What you always wanted to know about prayer . This sentence has changed my prayer life, my views on faith & a quite a few other things. I am committed to using my prayers to find out what He wants & then to use my faith to make it happen.

This is one of my absolute favourite books! It lives on my bedside table & has taken me a year to read through it just once. I am not a slow reader at all, it's just that this book is so meaty that if you read it too quickly you will miss out on so much. So I take one bite every so often & allow it to sink in before I move on. Since I am so passionate about the subject of identity I thought I would share an extract of one of the final chapters with you. This chapter is entitled "The Importance of Confidence" & I really hope this bit helps you realise how important it is to be you . Feast on this then buy the book please, it will change your life. " As we have studied the detailed & particular preparation that God moulded into David's life, we have seen how it enabled him to defeat Goliath... We see from 1 Sam 17:45-47 that he was obviously incredibly confident in his God, but just as importantly, he was confident in his own unique preparati

Not Easily Broken is a very moving film, I have watched it twice & have really enjoyed it. Based on the novel by TD Jakes you get a good balance of Hollywoodness (if you know what I mean) & Godly principles. I highly recommend this movie because it is a good story & very real. Some Christian based movies are so neatly packaged that most people in the world can't relate to them. Not Easily Broken covers some real difficulties that we can face in life & in marriage. It does not get the Dove Family Approved Seal but I still feel confident in recommending it to you as it is good clean entertainment compared to some of the movies that are out there. Have you watched any good movies lately?

The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman is one of my favourite books. This particular book is aimed at married couples but I find the principles work in any relationship. You can also apply love languages to a friendship, to a parent child relationship, in a family & even your relationship with God. No matter how young or old you are this is a great principle to learn about. In a nutshell the 5 Love Languages are Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service & Physical Touch. You may already be able to guess what your love language is but I do recommend reading the book as you may find that your love language is not what you thought it was. Most importantly you may receive love in one language but need to speak another language to give love to someone. I have used the principle of love languages in my marriage, in my friendships, in my relationship with my children & in my relationship with God! It might sound silly to you but I try to tell God how I lo

I am busy reading Christine Caine's book Stop Acting Like A Christian Just Be One & I can't wait until I am finished it to tell you about it so I may have to do a review in stages! This book is so packed with life changing principles that I feel if I read it too fast I will miss something so I am savouring it, picking it up occasionally only when I am sure I have totally applied what I have learned & can safely move on. Lust - you may be wondering why I have chosen this as my post title! Christine's book consists of two parts, the first sections covers some fascinating thoughts on how we are made up, who we are & how we can be all that we can be for Jesus. The second part of the book is a 31 day devotional. I am only on Day 8 & as I mentioned I only move on to the next day once I am sure I have fully absorbed what I need & applied everything that has challenged me. Day 8 is called "Be: Content" & the caption under the title says; &q

This movie had me in fits of laughter & tears! If ever there was an inspiring movie about the power of choice this is it! I tried to write a good review for you but thought I couldn't match what is already on the Dove website, so here it is: " After seven years of marriage, Caleb and Catherine Holt have drifted so far apart that Catherine wishes she had never married. Neither one understands the pressures the other faces--as firefighter and she as the public relations director of a hospital. Regular arguments over jobs, finances, housework, and outside interests have readied them both to move on to something with more sparks. As the couple prepares to enter divorce proceedings, Caleb's father challenges his son to commit to a 40-day experiment he calls "The Love Dare." Wondering if it's even worth the effort, Caleb agrees, but more for his father's sake than for his marriage. When Caleb discovers the book's daily challenges are tied into his p

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie as I was very reluctant to watch it at first. It didn't seem like my sort of movie but since there weren't many options on this particular evening I decided to give it a try. This movie delivered a strong message on the trap of credit cards and dealt with shopping addiction in a very humorous way. I always enjoy clean movies and this movie came very close to a family friendly seal by Dove , only one small scene caused it to miss out! In a nutshell: " Rebecca Bloomwood is a sweet and  charming New York City girl who has a tiny, little problem that is rapidly turning into a big problem: she's hopelessly addicted to shopping and is drowning in a sea of debt. While Rebecca has dreams of working for a top fashion magazine, she can't quite get her foot in the door-that is, until she snags a job as an advice columnist for a new financial magazine published by the same company. Overnight, her column becomes hugely popular, tu

It's been very cold and rainy this week so I thought it would be good to recommend a movie to you! August Rush has become one of our family favourites. It is rich with unusual music and takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Best of all it was on special at Sainsbury's this week for £2.99 so now we own it - yay :) In a nutshell from Dove "August Rush tells the story of a charismatic young Irish guitarist (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and a sheltered young cellist (Keri Russell) who have a chance encounter one magical night above New York's Washington Square, but are soon torn apart, leaving in their wake an infant, August Rush, orphaned by circumstance. Now performing on the streets of New York and cared for by a mysterious stranger (Robin Williams), August (Freddie Highmore) uses his remarkable musical talent to seek the parents from whom he was separated at birth. " It would be great to hear about movies that you like or dislike, leave your thoughts

Today I have some random thoughts to share with you. They are a combination of Eric's message yesterday, Holly Wagner's God Chicks * and a recent message from The Vine **. Yesterday's message was really powerful, we have to realise that we are 21st century women for a purpose! I love technology and all the things we can do these days and all the people we can keep in touch with - it's really fun to be able to do so much! But we have to remember that we were born in this time to be a CHANGE AGENT . I am not here only to enjoy all the benefits of being alive in 2009 but also to actively use all these tools to make a difference. Too often I hear excuses from people for doing nothing! Two of these excuses are fear and people's opinions. "Feel the fear and do it anyway! It's not that the warrior princess is unafraid...it's just that she keeps on going. Every person who ever did anything amazing started out just a bit afraid, it is always a risk to try s

I have had a real interesting movie experience recently so decided to share my thoughts with you... 17 AGAIN A fantastic movie which I really enjoyed! It's got all the ingredients of a great movie and leaves you with a nice warm fuzzy feeling - which I quite like when leaving the cinema hehe. Definitely something I would buy on DVD and watch again. Eric was a bit reluctant to see it as he thought it was another Freaky Friday sort of movie and said that's been overdone now. But after seeing the movie he did agree with me that it was really good and not another "Freaky Friday" movie. The story in a nutshell, "A former high school basketball star gets a second shot at life when he's miraculously transformed into a teenager and offered the opportunity to redefine his future." I LOVE YOU, MAN Oh my goodness where do I start... mmm... terrible, horrible, bad, please don't go and see this! I am not exaggerating, it was so bad that I walked out of t

"She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks"  - Proverbs 31:17 Being a King's daughter is not sitting around all day wearing a tiara, looking pretty and doing nothing. Quite the opposite - we should be working hard and playing hard, living life to the MAX! Life is full and busy and  we have a great deal that needs to be done each day. We need to take care of our bodies if we are going to live the life we are created for. A healthy body means we can get a lot done each day and sleep well at night. An unhealthy body means we will be limited physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. I am very passionate about healthy living and  would like to recommend The Maker's Diet book to you! This is a fascinating book based on biblical precepts and scientific resources. After reading this book I radically changed my eating habits, my exercising, my cleaning products, my toothpaste... ha ha! Often the thought of getting healthy is so ove

I was so excited about sharing this book with you and have finally got all the children settled down so I can get on with it and am not sure where to begin now! How do you describe a book that has you in stitches with laughter but at the same time is so profound that you will not be the same ever again after reading it!  I must say I read it a few years ago and find myself reading it over and over as different things hit me during different seasons. My daughters also read it over and over again so our copy is well worn and always being read by someone. My favourite chapter is the first chapter - the just be u chick . This chapter totally blew me away as I realised that it's OK to be me, totally me, and I don't have to copy anyone else for God to use me. Sounds simple enough but so few of us really believe that, most of us never feel good enough and are always working so terribly hard at being good enough. If you are a busy mum like me, I would highly recommend that you at lea