We’re going on a Big Day Out… Part 1

For those who were there, either this year or last, the above title will probably have you humming an annoyingly catchy little ditty written by the one-and-only Graham Kendrick as the “un”official theme song for the Big Church Day Out.

Yes I know it’s been a few weeks but life has been really crazy since we got back from our exodus down sarf and I’ve only really started to catch up on all my thoughts – but sit back and let me tell you of miracles, divine intervention, mini-reunions and some of the best Christian music that is out there right now.

For those that don’t know, the Big Church Day Out has just had it’s 2nd annual event in the grounds of Wiston Hall. It’s a family orientated affair featuring a main stage full of the biggest names on the music scene, a second stage featuring lesser known (but not lesser talented!) artists and then a load of activities, stalls, charities and more to ensure that there is no way you can possibly get bored (unless you’re a tired 9 year old boy but that’s a different matter really)

We’d decided, after going to the midlands event last year, that we would take advantage of the free camping offer (due to there NOT being a midlands event this year) and head down for the two day event – figuring that it would be fun camping for the first time as a family and that doing both days would allow us all to enjoy the main artists at least once, making it less of a stress if the kids didn’t want to sit through your favourite artist. My brother was immediately up for it, and we made a last-minute decision to invite one of our daughters best friends (2 teenage girls – was that *really* wise??? read on…)

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Cleansed, Challenged and Changed

Encounters with God are meant to be life-changing, releasing and sometimes very humbling events. This should be something that happens on a regular basis within our Churches, and I’m very pleased to be part of a Church where that is often the case. However, for one weekend in June, KingsGate Community Church becomes a highly passionate focus for life-changing freedom as it hosts an annual retreat for people who have done/are doing the Cleansing Stream course – including many from different Churches across England.

Cleansing Stream is a series of teachings designed to help unearth and, more importantly, tackle issues that have a profound and often crippling effect upon peoples lives. The course itself isn’t without it’s detractors and has courted some fairly controversial reviews, especially across the pond. All I can say is that, doing the course myself this year, I have no doubts as to it’s legitimacy, it’s effectiveness nor it’s biblical foundation. I also have a huge amount of trust and respect for the discernment and knowledge of the KingsGate leadership, and know that they wouldn’t be a part of it if this was in any way unbiblical.

The teaching evenings include a time of worship, with a group of intercessors being present to pray for all the participants by name and who then go into a seperate room to continue to pray whilst the teaching is delivered. Because the subjects are so very personal, there is further study work that helps to get us thinking about the issues discussed and examine how they might be a part of our own lives.

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More than one man can take

It was 24 hours that would make a day in the life of Jack Bauer seem like a cuddly fuzzy teddy bear.

It started with a dinner party with the closest friends a man could have, followed by a sing-song and a walk in a garden, then some deep soul-searching. This was then rounded off with the cruellest of betrayals along with the desertion of friends and even being denied by the closest of them all, a farcical pretence of justice, a beating to within an inch of his life, humiliation, one of the most tortuous deaths known to man, rejection by a father and a descent to hell that no man can begin to comprehend.And that was just the first 24 hours – the story wasn’t over there. Continue reading “More than one man can take”

2011–The new road begins…

So, with 2010 now in the past (although the lessons of the year certainly not forgotten!) it’s now time to look towards the new year that lies ahead. Before I do that though I’d like to wish everyone who reads this a really Happy and Blessed New Year. I pray that this year you will know Gods richness and fullness of love and provision and that you will know his peace, presence and joy throughout whatever the road has for you in the coming 12 months.

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2010 – A year in review

faith

faithWhen Mrs H and I both felt God saying to us that 2010 would be a year of change, and where we would be shaken up, we never fully anticipated what that would come to mean or how that would change us but looking back now it’s fair to say that we’ve both changed quite a bit this year and that we’ve grown as a result of all that’s happened.

The year started out with me being ill on New Years Eve, so not the best start – but I was in a job I loved, working with people who were more friends that colleagues, and with plans for the company that had the potential to take us on to big things. We were looking forward to our first family holiday for 3 years and also the celebration of 10 years of wedded bliss. Church life was good, with me especially getting quite heavily involved in some areas and we were planning on pushing that forward more and more as God opened doors for us.

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