King's Daughters

Continuing on from my previous post , I wanted to talk about the Christian view of depression.  You see, very recently I faced complete burnout and ended up going to the doctor only to discover that I was on the high end of the depression scale.  It never occurred to me that I was depressed or burnt out because I have lived a balanced life and followed all of the steps I wrote about in my book  Hope's Journey . It did not even cross my mind that the series of difficult situations that I have faced over the past two year had actually worn me down!  I am a survivor - I just get on with things. Thank goodness for a good Christian friend who had the boldness to confront me and encourage me to see my doctor. She recognised the symptoms as she too suffers with depression but she also understood that as Christians, admitting to depression is the hardest thing. So why do I keep mentioning Christians, what makes it different for a Christian?  Well, first of all we are always told how

In September 2010 I released my very first book called Hope's Journey  where I opened shared my struggle and victory over depression, suicide and self harming.  Since that day I have had a couple of mild relapses into my old ways but can honestly say that today I am completely free of any temptation or desire to self harm in any way.  Perhaps the darkness became deeper after the book was released because I felt exposed or perhaps it was 'someone' trying to rob me of my testimony.  Times were especially difficult in the weeks before I was scheduled to publicly speak on this subject or share my testimony.  At times the struggle was intense but I knew that many would be encouraged by my story so I knew I had to stay strong and remain in victory or else too much would be lost. It had been a battle before Hope's Journey was released and continued to be a different sort of battle afterwards too.  At times I wondered if complete freedom would ever be possible but I continu

I had the privilege of speaking at our church again recently at a special event called Money Sunday. It was a fantastic service and we even gave money to every single person who attended and challenged them to use it in one the 7  Baby Steps to Growing Your Money.  One of my many passions is to help people live financially free.  There is nothing quite as draining as financial problems.  This talk covers the 7 basic steps that will help anyone find true financial freedom. Featured on BBC Radio - listen here 7 Baby Steps to Growing Your Money: Baby Step 1 - BOLDLY BUDGET Baby Step 2 - DITCH DEBT Baby Step 3 - GIVE GENEROUSLY Baby Step 4 - LOVE LEFTOVERS Baby Step 5 - SAVE 'N SPEND Baby Step 6 - SOW SEEDS Baby Step 7 - THINK 7 Baby Steps to Investing Your Money: Baby Step 1 - INVEST IN SAVINGS Baby Step 2 - INVEST IN YOUR FUTURE Baby Step 3 - INVEST IN DELAYED REWARDS Baby Step 4 - INVEST IN YOUR CHILDREN Baby Step 5 - INVEST IN STRATEGICALLY Baby Ste

These are some of what can occur during a fast but don't be alarmed, it is only worse case scenario.  Many people don't go through all of this so don't worry.  This info is merely so that you understand what is happening in your body and that you don't become concerned if some of these symptoms present themselves. Odours, tiredness, dizziness, headaches and other pains - these are some of the things that you will face during your fast.  As you continue to fast you body will begin to cleanse itself and eliminate toxins.  These toxins will come out of your body wherever they can which will mean that you might sweat more and your sweat will have a stronger smell than usual.  You breath will also be stronger than usual and so will you urine smell.  You may even get a funny taste in your mouth or feel that your tongue has a thick coat on it.  It sounds nasty, but for a while you will face unpleasant odours from your body, so brush well with a natural toothpaste (as you don

Every year we like to kick start the year with a fast so I thought it would be good to blog about it during the fast.   I would love to hear your thoughts and comments.  In preparation of our fast I have provided a list of foods to include in your diet during the Daniel Fast and foods to avoid. Foods to include:  All fruits . These can be fresh, frozen, dried, juiced or canned. Fruits include but are not limited to apples, apricots, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, cantaloupe, cherries, cranberries, figs, grapefruit, grapes, guava, honeydew melon, kiwi, lemons, limes, mangoes, nectarines, oranges, papayas, peaches, pears, pineapples, plums, prunes, raisins, raspberries, strawberries, tangelos, tangerines, watermelon All vegetables. These can be fresh, frozen, dried, juiced or canned. Vegetables include but are not limited to artichokes, asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chili peppers, collard greens, corn, cucu

Last week we were invited to BBC Radio Gloucestershire to chat to Claire Carter about our King's Daughters Village.  Have a listen below. The Women's Business Club and D7 Church paid for the 1920's party so that we could put all the profit towards the project and the lovely ladies from Destiny Temple cooked a delicious Kenyan meal for us.  The Gloucestershire Echo committed to giving us full media support which has been fantastic and JSR Digital Marketing took on the social media campaign. Lorah Kelly Creative Photography  also captured everything for us on her camera so we can treasure the memories forever. Thank you to everyone that has been involved thus far, there is lots more to come in 2014 and there is plenty room for more involvement, so if you would like to get involved in some way or host a fundraiser please get in touch .   Keep up to date with news and updates here .

We had a super fun 1920's birthday party last night, 14th Dec!  The sad news is that we are nowhere near achieving our £40,000 target, we raised just under £3,000, but the great news is that we have gained a lot of support for next year.  We will build and support this village, no matter what it takes.  If you have not been following the news, here is a piece that our local newspaper published. We had a great time together and have learned a lot about fundraising events, they are totally different to all the other events we have run.  Next time we will do much better!

Reverend  Susan Woodley is a  wife, a mother, a pastor and the  host the  King's Daughters  Charlton King's Girl's Night .     Sue is also an extraordinary woman with a big heart and a big vision. She will stop at nothing to see the potential of women unleashed so that the kingdom of God can advance.  Not only does she carry this passion for women but she also has a heart for children, young people, older people, the church and the lost.  It is this incredible passion for all people that led her to her current role as pastor of Charlton Kings Baptist Church .   Roger, her husband, and her four children are a huge part of this incredible journey and together they do what seems impossible  - but with God we know that all things are possible .   King's Daughters Charlton Kings  will meet every Tuesday, 7:30pm at the King's Coffee House from 14th January 2014.   Our launch night on 14 Jan 2014 Past Events: 14 Jan - Watch Angela's talk on how you are

Exciting update - we now have photos to show you. Below is the land that King's Daughters Village will be built upon. We will keep you posted every step of the way. In the meantime please continue to make your donations through the 1920's party fundraiser . Keep up to date with the progress of this exciting project here .    For more information please contact either  Thoko  or  Angela .

Meet Thoko Owino Obare - the lady with the vision who will be managing the Kenyan operations of King's Daughters Village.  This is her story: After I got married to my husband he took me to the village where his father was born. As we walked for miles and miles because I wouldn't get on a boda boda (sitting at the back of someone's bicycle), I couldn't help but notice that even though we were on the main road there were no schools in sight. We then came across a half built very crowded school which was housing just under 600 students - half of them being orphans. Even though the government is working on improving this school it is over subscribed and some children have been turned away because there just isn't room for them. We have tried to help by buying food and books but we still feel that this community can be helped with having another school there as there are many children still not in education. Meet Angela De Souza - the lady committed to rais

I wrote a blog post with 10 Reasons to Join Us at 97 days to go!  Those ten reasons still stand and here are a few more to blow you away - see the day plan below.  Actually, it would be really silly not to come to this year's conference!   10:30   Registration and fresh coffee provided by Ethical Additions 11:00   Live music and dancing to TITANIUM with CCDA and Anna Tharia              Acoustic worship with D7 Band 11:30   Inspirational talk with Thoko Obare , Destiny Temple 12:15   Inspirational talk with  Charlie Blythe , Hillsong  13:00   Picnic Lunch 14:00   Gospel choir with Instruments of Praise 14:30   Video Interviews:              Alive in Ministry - Ali Bates              Alive in Business - Wanja Odhiambo   15:30   Session 4 Breakout Sessions:              Lindsay Bruce , A Way Out              Jaylene Howell, Trinity Cheltenham              Jill Chitty , Entrepreneurs Circle              Adrian Malpass , Em

We had such a fun day today celebrating Daniel's 7th birthday. The theme was Angry Birds and I honestly don't know who had more fun - the children or the adults. The Angry Birds Cake Speedy - the Yellow Bird A pig guarding the 7 Daniel had to smash his candle out Another attempt at smashing the 7 And another smashing attempt He gave up and blew his candle out Now it is everyone's turn to smash the cake Now for a bigger version - Angry Birds LIVE Throwing the birds at the pigs on the stage A smashing attempt Some more smashing How much fun can running with a pole be?  Loads it seems A bit more cake smashing and stage birds All in all we had a funtastic day.  Great news though, if you weren't at Daniel's party don't worry, you can still join us for Angry Birds LIVE on the first Saturday of every month at the Gloucester Guildhall.  Find out more here.

Something extraordinary has happened!  It's too exciting to pin down to one title.  Our church has gone radical.  We have either gone nuts or we really and truly have heard God during our January fast. Things are about to get out of control and it all started today.  Today we stepped out of the box!  Today we are moving into a new, unknown and exciting season.  D7 Church will never be the same again!  Neither will your church if you get involved too.  Sunday at Home OK, let me explain.  Today was our last day in our church venue.  From next Sunday D7 Church will be meeting in homes for a meal, time of worship, communion at times and to pray.  It will be casual and there will be no formal structure to each Sunday.  Each person in our church will take a turn to host a Sunday and it is entirely up to them what format the day will take.  If it's an afternoon get together we might even visit another church in the morning, just to say hi to the rest of our family.   C

Being a woman leader is quite a controversial issue these days. Do women lead? Should women lead? How ‘high up’ are women allowed to go in church leadership? Although the church agreed to ordain women priests in 1994, in November of 2013, the Church of England voted against allowing women becoming bishops. In 2011 the Church’s General Assembly voted in favour of allowing men and lesbians to serve as church ministers in the Church of Scotland. In January 2013, Steve Chalk , a well respected Christian leader, stated openly in an article in Christianity magazine that he now supports monogamous same-sex relationships in churches. Leadership in the 21st century is challenging but no more challenging than in was in any other era.      Times may have changed and culture may be different in many countries but leadership lessons for all ages, genders and countries can be found in the Bible. Join us as we explore what the Bible has to say about Women in Ministry. Read some pearls o

On Sunday I shared my heart with our church .  We had some technical difficulties, so had to switch cameras half, way but the audio is in tact.  My frustration is the state of the church in England and the amount of lost people that we are not reaching for Jesus.  I don't like preaching motivational talks to the church, I like to hit the nail on it's head with truth so I hope that as you watch this message that you will hear the truth and that the truth will set you free.  Let's get serious about what we believe in.  Let's show the lost and dying world that there is hope.  Let's be true followers of Jesus.  Watch more King's Daughters messages on our YouTube channel or listen to previous messages .

Being a Women in Ministry is a part of the Being series where we look at the honest and practical truth about being a women in a senior Christian leadership position. It is a book for women in ministry written by women in ministry.   If you are a women in ministry and would like to meet up, find out more about our monthly meetings here . Featured Guests include Cathy Clarke of Hillsong and Ali Bates of C3 Church . Contents Invitation    The Five Stages of Ministry   Being a Woman in Ministry    With Children       Who Leads Men      Who Rests      Who has Friends      Who Says No      Who has Fun      Who is Focused      Who Loves People      Who Loves Jesus      Who Endures      Who Inspires Others      Who Understands the Seasons      Who Keeps the Balance      Who is Confident      Who Handles Hurt      Who is Single  

Delegates attending a church conference in Scotland set off between sessions to explore the countryside. Presently they came to a stream spanned by a rickety bridge and started to cross, ignoring the warning to keep off. A local inhabitant ran after them in protest. Misunderstanding his concern, one of the visitors called out “its alright we are Anglicans from the conference.” “I’m no’ caring about that” was the reply, “but if ye dinna get off the bridge, ye’ll all be Baptists.” Notice outside a North London Church Wanted - Workers for God. Plenty of overtime. Seen outside a Birmingham Church on November 18th Come this Sunday and avoid the Christmas rush. A former Chorister was asked why she gave up singing in the choir. “I was absent one Sunday,” she replied, “and somebody asked if the organ had been mended.” Seen on a wayside pulpit: Money will buy a bed, but not sleep; Food but not an appetite; Finery but not beauty; A house, but not a home; Luxuries but not cult

Today I spoke at our church about reality.  We looked at the hard truth of John 16:33 - In this world you will have trouble and we unpacked Ephesians 6:12 - For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Have a listen to the MP3 here or watch the video below.

I passionately believe that we have missed the whole point of the gifts of the spirit, the fivefold ministry and the church.  It seems we have built a church based on our needs and our comfort rather than on the needs of the lost and dying world around us.  It is time for the church to rise up and get out into the world again.  Recently I have had the privilege of speaking at our church about a subject.  I spoke about how we are actually anointed for business and how we need to take the church out into the business world and stop keeping the power of God hidden away in the churches.  This message is new and I hope to develop it more and tidy it up so I can share it with other churches and groups of people but for now, here is the first draft of Anointed for Business Part I and II.   I hope God speaks to you through this message and if you would like me to share it at your church please feel free to make a booking here . Anointed for Business I Anointed for Business II