King's Daughters

That's what happened on 16th April 2000, my church had its final meeting and closed its doors forever. That season is a bit foggy in my mind, perhaps it's better that way, but I will do my best to recount someone of what happened but please keep in mind it is my view point, many others would share their version of things a little differently. Hindsight is interesting, looking back all the signs were there, well hidden most of the time but occasionally they did pop up. Being the pastor's PA and church secretary meant that I got to see a lot more than many and I quickly learned that what happens behind the scenes is very different to what you mostly see at church on Sunday. I learned how churches can run out of money and struggle to pay bills at times, a sad but very real  circumstance. Bills need to be paid and if people don't give generously and faithfully then where does the money come from? I saw how incredibly generous some of the church were and how about eighty per

Before we we pick up with the story from my previous post , let's pause and take a look at the church. What is it really? It's easy to say that you are hurt by the church but what is the church? How can "it" hurt us?  the dictionary defines church as 'a building used for public Christian worship'. If we speak of church in this context then we cannot be hurt by it - after all a building simply cannot hurt you! This must mean that this is not what we are talking about when we speak of church. The dictionary also describes church as  'the hierarchy of clergy within a particular Christian Church'. Hierarchy is a system which once again cannot hurt you. These explanations of church are partly true in that the church does meet in a building and does have a hierarchy but it does not describe The Church that Jesus died for. Jesus didn't die for bricks and mortar or for a particular system or hierarchy. Jesus died for people! Yes he clearly says in the Bibl

Picking up from my recent post , let's get back to my church story.  Oh and before we go there, what do you think of the new King's Daughters lilac logo? We are trying to keep the 'K' across all three areas just have a slightly different feel. Ok, let's go back to the church I was first saved at, The King's Lighthouse in Brits South Africa. It was a wonderful season where I was totally loved up by  my church family despite all my 'stuff'. I loved being saved and forgiven, I felt clean despite the many things I still had to work out with God.  I was baptised, filled with the Holy Spirit and passionately on fire for Jesus. I only listened to Christian music, burned anything that was even slightly unchristian (seriously!) and even wore Jesus t-shirts to make sure it was clear I was a Jesus girl!  About a year or so later we had to move towns for my then husband's job and so we were transplanted into a church recommended by our pastors. It was amazing t

We are thrilled to share April Shipton's latest post with you. It's a must read! She says, "As a 24-year-old worship leader and Christian songwriter, my passion for real, godly music and lyrics is a pretty massive part of my life. So when my very purpose for song-writing was thrown into question recently, I found myself struggling to defend lyrics I once fervently believed. As I prayed and opened the Bible to try and reignite the vision I had been driven to express in music three years ago, what I discovered absolutely stunned me."   Read more on April's blog at  www.aprilshipton.co.uk  and see her song below.    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqYmrnU7xt8]   April Shipton has been singing and writing Christian music for over 6 years. She lives in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire with her husband, an engineer. She is currently working on producing her first EP with Christian producer FFG Audio, scheduled to be completed later this year. 

I will continue with my early church journey in my next post but I need to interject with this letter to all the lovely ladies who are a part of our Girl's Nights over at King's Coffee House in Cheltenham. To all you wonderful women who have been on the Girl's Night journey with me for the past years. I write to you with a heavy heart but also with much love in my heart for you. We have grown to know each other and love each other and this new season in my life takes me away from you, which is not easy at all. I would like to say that it's all positive and that you should be happy for me but it's not such a simple story. For various reasons our family have left our church that we have called home for the past 18 months. Eric has accepted a job at another church and felt that he needed to do this to provide for his family, as being a full time student this past year has made life rather difficult. He had to leave his studies and cannot finish his degree to take this

It seems God is doing a deep work in me during this season and as with many deep works, He takes us back to childhood. So I find myself reflecting and going back to my earliest memories of church. I have always loved church. I don't recall my first visit but I imagine I was very young. My mother attended church from time to time when I was little and my father was an atheist. If it weren't for my mother I would not have the wonderful memories I have to treasure now. I recall how much I loved Sunday school, learning about the Bible stories, colouring in the pictures, felt board stories and just the way church made me feel. Church was always good and I don't recall ever being dragged to along, I was keen and willing. As I grew older I took myself to church when my mom didn't go, even though it was far away, as I really did love it! My earliest memory of loving Jesus was when I was school age and the wonderful Christian teachers at school did a brilliant job of encouraging

I remember one particular trip back from London to Cheltenham. It had been a long day of hard work, conducting interviews for our Women's Business Magazine , driving from one side of London to the other and back again. Lorah and I were travelling back late at night and were desperate to get home. My back hurt so much from sitting in the car for so long that I had to lean forward over the steering wheel in a funny position to relieve the pain. I was exhausted and the drive home felt like an eternity.  THEN IT HAPPENED! I accidentally  took a wrong turn on the motorway. I can't tell you how my heart sank! The worst part was that it was a long drive to the nearest roundabout to get back in the right direction. There was a metal barrier between the two sections of the motorway and no way to turn around and get back on track. I was stuck going in the wrong direction and there was nothing I could do about it except keep going IN THE WRONG DIRECTION!  I can't tell you how horrible

I don't know if what I am going to be writing about in the near future is going to make any sense at all. I don't even know if I should be publicly processing all this. You may have noticed that the tone of my previous post wasn't in proportion to the announcement. I realised after posting it that I was trying to say something without saying it, which of course didn't work at all. So I am going to attempt, over a series of posts, to share my journey with you - live from the heart, as it happens. This is not something that I have been through, come out of, got the t-shirt and can help others through. This is what I am going through and trying to figure out. You can expect it to be raw and real so please don't judge me. I have judged too many others in my situation in past years only to find out what it really feels like to be this side of the judgement. When church hurts You may recall a similar story that we posted in 2010 - When Church Hurts .  Now I will attempt

Hello I am Eric De Souza and I am very excited about this new venture with my wife as our passion is the body of Christ (a.k.a. The Church).  Our aim is to equip the church whether by answering simple questions such as, "Why do we do what we do?" or providing God answers to facilitate change. We do this through our books and speaking engagements. watch out for my first book 'Voices' coming up soon . I hope you will find everything in our ministry simple yet not simplistic. It's hard to diffuse a message you do not believe in, with that in mind we will strive to make faith clear yet tangible and powerful (Mt. 4:17, Hb. 4:16). I sincerely hope you feel at home here making this website perhaps an extension of your living room. And even if you are a busy entrepreneur or on your toes most of the time you can access our mobile site as easily and take us with you wherever you go. " …whatever you get, get understanding ", King Solomon Proverbs 4:7 Eric De Souza

I have sat with my hands on the keys several times now, to write to you but never know what to say. So here it is, I am just going to let it come out, raw and real. You see, I have a choice, I can  pitch  what I have to say to you in a very positive, exciting way (which would be honest ish )   or I can pour out my heart and soul which could be overly negative and draining for you. For your sake and mine I will do neither, I am not pitching anything to you, it is not positive nor negative, it just is. This is where the journey has taken me and many of you have been reading my posts for years and have stayed with me through all the ups and downs, trials and tests, joys and laughter. Not A New Beginning I considered calling this post A New Beginning but realised that it is not a new beginning at all, it is the next chapter in our book, a new season in our life, perhaps even a turn at a cross road. I considered calling it Starting Over only to realise that nothing is starting over but this

I have sat with my hands on the keys several times now, to write to you but never know what to say. So here it is, I am just going to let it come out, raw and real. You see, I have a choice, I can  pitch  what I have to say to you in a very positive, exciting way (which would be honest ish )   or I can pour out my heart and soul which could be overly negative and draining for you. For your sake and mine I will do neither, I am not pitching anything to you, it is not positive nor negative, it just is. This is where the journey has taken me and many of you have been reading my posts for years and have stayed with me through all the ups and downs, trials and tests, joys and laughter. Not A New Beginning I considered calling this post A New Beginning but realised that it is not a new beginning at all, it is the next chapter in our book, a new season in our life, perhaps even a turn at a cross road. I considered calling it Starting Over only to realise that nothing is starting over but this

I know we are only in April but I can't wait until the end of the year to declare this the worship album of the year! The album extremely well produced, the songs well written with the music and vocals simply beautiful! You truly get closer to God by simply listening to this anointed worship album. Singing along is inevitable even though occasionally a word pops up that you may no be familiar with. My children and I find this album extra special as we watched Watoto live at our church, heart their amazing stories and danced along to the song Heirs which we cannot listen to without dancing to now! Get you digital copy on Amazon  or iTunes  and the only place I could find the CD was to buy directly from the team on tour.  Find there tour dates here . Well done Watoto for being an inspiration to so many of us world wide. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0_J2uDyCKk]   Find out more about Watoto at  www.watoto.com

I know we are only in April but I can't wait until the end of the year to declare this the worship album of the year! The album extremely well produced, the songs well written with the music and vocals simply beautiful! You truly get closer to God by simply listening to this anointed worship album. Singing along is inevitable even though occasionally a word pops up that you may no be familiar with. My children and I find this album extra special as we watched Watoto live at our church, heart their amazing stories and danced along to the song Heirs which we cannot listen to without dancing to now! Get you digital copy on Amazon  or iTunes  and the only place I could find the CD was to buy directly from the team on tour.  Find there tour dates here . Well done Watoto for being an inspiration to so many of us world wide.   Find out more about Watoto at  www.watoto.com

This week at Girl's Night we had a really good look at our identity, insecurities and fears. We also chatted about how nasty women can be to each other and how this often stems from our identity, insecurities and fears. After a good heart to heart, we agreed to choose to see the best in each other, build each other up and support each other on our journey to finding our true self. THIS IS WHO I AM Intelligent Design  Using an interesting analogy of interior decorating, we considered how our life may not have turned out as we planned based on a small detail that we have allowed to affect us. Discussion questions: What are some minor incidents you’ve allowed to shape your self-image or self worth?  How has the decorating scheme of your life turned out differently than you would like as a result of that?  Read 1 Peter 2:9-10 and record that statements of value declared concerning you. Make a point of really studying and meditating on this Scripture, digging more deeply into the truths

This week at Girl's Night we had a really good look at our identity, insecurities and fears. We also chatted about how nasty women can be to each other and how this often stems from our identity, insecurities and fears. After a good heart to heart, we agreed to choose to see the best in each other, build each other up and support each other on our journey to finding our true self. THIS IS WHO I AM Intelligent Design  Using an interesting analogy of interior decorating, we considered how our life may not have turned out as we planned based on a small detail that we have allowed to affect us. Discussion questions: What are some minor incidents you’ve allowed to shape your self-image or self worth?  How has the decorating scheme of your life turned out differently than you would like as a result of that?  Read 1 Peter 2:9-10 and record that statements of value declared concerning you. Make a point of really studying and meditating on this Scripture, digging more deeply into the truths

This week at Girl's Night we had a really good look at our identity, insecurities and fears. We also chatted about how nasty women can be to each other and how this often stems from our identity, insecurities and fears. After a good heart to heart, we agreed to choose to see the best in each other, build each other up and support each other on our journey to finding our true self. THIS IS WHO I AM Intelligent Design  Using an interesting analogy of interior decorating, we considered how our life may not have turned out as we planned based on a small detail that we have allowed to affect us. Discussion questions: What are some minor incidents you’ve allowed to shape your self-image or self worth?  How has the decorating scheme of your life turned out differently than you would like as a result of that?  Read 1 Peter 2:9-10 and record that statements of value declared concerning you. Make a point of really studying and meditating on this Scripture, digging more deeply

We were sitting in a coffee shop discussing the way forward with our pastor. Eric suggested taking his studies from part time to full time so that it could get done quicker and get back to earning a salary. I agreed to support him and had no problem with him going full time, in fact I preferred it that way. So I said, " Don't worry, I can take care of us financially while he is studying. I am making enough money in my business to support us." Not long after that meeting Eric had a dream. He dreamed that I was flying an aeroplane and the cockpit area started to crack. He knew I was going to crash. After discussing his dream I asked how we could prevent it but neither of us could find the answer. We knew that the aeroplane was my business and that is was going to crash. I was frightened but didn't know what to do. Shortly after the dream my company did start to fall apart. I went from a really good, steady income to almost losing the business. It seemed to hap

Introducing The Resolution for Men! After our first Girl's Night in January the women were buzzing so much that the men insisted on having their own night too! We are so excited because we have a special night for men and women now where we focus on resolving to be the men and women that God intended us to be. In a society with so much gender confusion and uncertainty, even in the churches, we want to get back to the basics. Hosted by Charlton King's Baptist Church but open to all - you are welcome to join us at our Girl's Nights or Men's Nights.  If you wish to set up your own group and study along with us in your own church let us know how we can support you. Get a copy of the books from Amazon. Girl's and stay connected through  www.resolution.kingsdaughters.co.uk and King's Daughters on Facebook  or your men can join in at  www.mensnight.adlife.uk or AD Life on Facebook . It's time for the church to shine brightly, for men to boldly stand

It's been a while since I have updated you on our family news. This announcement is the most exciting news ever.  I am a GRANDMOTHER now! Wow! It's been nearly three years since this special day. Samuel and Lorah were married in a beautiful barn wedding in Gloucestershire and it was a perfect day in so many ways, despite the cold and windy March weather. Eric had the privilege of conducting the wedding ceremony and then they flew away off to Spain for a sunny honeymoon. Samuel and Lorah are a shinning example of how to build a great marriage, how to overcome life's many challenges with finesse and even how to build a business together. It has been such a joy to watch this lovely couple grow together. Just when things could get any better it did! Tears of joy and champagne flowed freely as we celebrated the amazing news that a new little person would be joining our family. Oh my goodness I have never been so excited in all my life!!!   Now, onto a not so hap

Job has come up a lot in conversation lately. This could potentially be a very difficult book of the Bible to understand. Or not. After I asked God to show what the whole point of the book is I discovered some really amazing keys. My revelation is only a part of the whole picture but I would like to share my piece of the puzzle with you.  I would also very much like to hear your thoughts. Please do join in, see this as a discussion, chat to us in the comments box below. Bible scholars can't prove or agree whether or not Job was real person or whether the book is in fact a parable.  I believe that it doesn't matter either way as long as we learn from it and get closer to God through it. We are all at some stage in this story.  Either at the beginning in prosperity, easy and peaceful living with much blessing or in the middle in extreme hardships where it seems that everything is difficult and you are barely holding onto your very life or at the end where you have stood firm

Oh my goodness tonight's discussion was heated! We didn't even get to some of the discussion questions as we were in very serious debate about this subject. It seems that there is a real aversion to the word feminism, submission and other words that are used to describe us as women. At Girl's Night we broke up into three groups and each discussion one of the sections below. By the end of the evening we had no conclusion or consensus about Biblical Femininity  but we all agreed on one thing - that we would go home and diligently seek God for a revelation of Biblical Femininity. Next month when we meet again we will share what we feel God has said to us and then if we all agree we will sign the resolution together. You must be curious now about our discussion so let me get on with sharing an outline with you. THIS IS WHO I AM Pretty in Print? This section took a look at how the pendulum make have swung a little too far over to the other extreme as a result of wo

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are wonderful! We can have access to the most wonderful supernatural abilities such as: w ords of wisdom, words of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment , tongues and interpretation of tongues as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12: 8 -10. Today I want to take a look at discernment and in particular how this gift has affected me in the area of depression. It will make sense in the end when it all ties together, so please read to the end. Discernment comes from the Greek word diakrisis meaning judicial estimation or disputation and debate or argument. Judicial estimation is 'expressing careful judgment' or 'making fine distinctions'. So the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to make a careful judgement between spirits. Diakrisis is only used three times in the Bible. " Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. " - Romans 14:1 As mentioned above in the list of the gift

My first idea for the title for this post was, "The western lifestyle is ridiculous!" but I thought that may seem a bit negative! Although that is pretty much what I am writing about today - about how ridiculous our western lifestyle is!  Have you ever considered this? I found myself contemplating that I am struggling to keep up with my housework, that I am struggling to find time to go to gym and that I am struggling to make the money that I need. So after my contemplation I tried to figure out how to afford to get a window cleaner, my car to the car wash and perhaps even someone to help me with my housework as I just don't have the time.  My business takes up all my time and more... if that's even possible. So I need to hire in help! A short while ago I introduced my husband to a great movie that I watched in South Africa when I was a child. The opening scene exposed how ridiculous we are in the Western world and if you continue watching past the end of the