Category: faith

what to do now?….

Hi, it’s been on my mind about what this blog is really about. Yes, it’s about our potential move to Scotland and what happens there (hopefully pictures of sheep shearing for the first time and Chris falling over in the mud etc), but also, it’s about waiting, and taking each day one at a time and I think about recognising God in every single day and expecting Him to act every single day. About being close to Him and recognising Him. About acting out of His goodness and love – just like the AMAZING preach yesterday at the royal wedding.

Also, I need to recognise that my agenda is not necessarily God’s and I need to pray HIS will be done, not just mine…His agenda is the one that matters. But also, I do believe in dreams and that God gives/places dreams in you and I have wanted a smallholding type place since I was about 5 years old and so we’ll see what happens. But it is so important we listen to God and trust His timing and ways in this.

I want to enjoy my babies while they are little, I’ve wasted so much time thinking too much and worrying in the past few years. So, I want to learn to live in the moment with them when I’m with them. How to mother, how to wife! How to friend! How to be me. It was prophesied over me 5 years ago that I shouldn’t be ashamed to be the centre of attention. I think this means God’s attention and about knowing who he has made me to be. I so so often feel I have to hold myself back, and restrict my personality. In church this morning I really felt like He was speaking to me about this, about just being free to be me. The me who is in Him. Made by Him and for Him.

Jesus

I love just writing His name, saying His name.

Brian and Jenn Johnson’s song Mention of your name says it all really:

At the mention of Your Name
Every chain will break
I know everything will change
Jesus, just the whisper of Your Name
Will silence wind and waves
At the mention of Your Name

(sorry if this breaks any rules for publishing, I just love it)

Bye for now.. Cathy x

Cathy’s story

Sorry for the long one! But I think it is worth the read!

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My baptism in 2008

I was saved by Jesus in June 2008. Unbeknownst to me I had started working with a Christian in my job as a community nurse for a few months. On initially finding out, I thought he just went to church for a bit of social interaction and child care, then I realised his faith was real. This shocked me, as I tended to think at that point that no-one really believed any more.

God was working in my life without me even realising it, I was a big drinker and pretty messed up in a lot of ways despite having a good reputation as a nurse and being able to cover up my problems quite well. I was always looking for the next fix, like so many people, the next thing to make me whole, to make me better and used drinking to run away from my problems and the world and hide.

I suddenly became aware of my sin, I became aware of stuff I had done wrong, I became aware that I was wrong in so so many ways but didn’t know what to do about it (and this was without the Christian even saying much to me about it, God was working). I became bothered by traumatic events from years ago and went to a counsellor. Then, my friend invited me to his baby daughter’s dedication at my now current church. It is a charismatic Christian church with a good family vibe and God’s presence amongst us.

When I walked in I was terrified, I felt like people could see into my soul and see the dirt, but also, I could sense something in the room that I didn’t understand.  I now know it was God’s presence, people were raising their hands in worship and I cried all the way through the service. I went away and wanted to return but was frightened. I was then invited back a few weeks later, kept on going for a few weeks, then I was given a Why Jesus? booklet.  I went home and curled up in bed feeling very, very low and lonely, then I kept hearing the words of a worship song over and over again – “God stepped down and lifted me up” over and over again, kept trying to remember the rest of the words and couldn’t, then decided to read the booklet and ended up praying to Jesus and rose out of bed feeling so high it was unreal. I asked my friends what had happened and they said if you meant it, then you’re a Christian.

I was so happy, I was accepted and forgiven and just lighter, I bounced around for weeks. Then came a bit of a pruning session, where things started getting sorted out, and that is ongoing. But Jesus healed me of the need to drink and smoke, He made my mind clear, He healed me of past trauma and self consciousness, He makes the whole world brighter and joyeous. He died in my place, returned me to Eden, gave me the reason for living. Jesus saved me.

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9 (New International Version)

If you want to know this for yourself. Please message me or pray this prayer and message me. But please do know, there is nothing you can do to make God love you any less. This is for all.

Also, please know, this does not make me think I’m perfect, I am far far from it. I make mistakes (I am terrible for yelling) and I still sin, in fact this is why I actually need Jesus. As he says Himself, the well do not need a doctor, but the sick do. God restores us and gives us a hope and a future. Please ask Him if he is there and what He has for you if you don’t yet know Him.

Lord Jesus Christ,
I am sorry for the things I have done wrong in my
life (take a few moments to ask his forgiveness for
anything in particular).
Please forgive me. I now turn from everything that
I know is wrong.
Thank you that you died on the cross for me so
that I could be forgiven and set free.
Thank you that you offer me forgiveness and the
gift of your Spirit. I now receive that gift.
Please come into my life by your Holy Spirit to be
with me forever.
Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen.

 

 

Chris’ story

Hello, I will give you a little background about myself.

Jesus broke into my life about 6 1/2 years ago after I left a failed relationship and moved back in with my parents. At the time I was addicted to weed and had been for years. I made a commitment to follow him and he immediately released me from my addiction and over a little time healed my heart. I heard about local church and just felt overwhelmingly compelled to go. 

Since then Jesus has healed my bad back, saved my father (wow) rebuilt my relationship with my parents, changed me from the inside out, from a people hater into a people lover and best of all he has given me the gift of a wife to love for the rest of my days and a home of our own so no more cramping the parents style. We got married in October 2013 and are enjoying life together. Never ever ever have I been so happy in life because now I have been given life and life in abundance, thank you Lord I will love you forever and ever.

There is probably a lot more to say but I’ll leave it there for now. There is #moretocome.

 

Our story

Our story together started five years ago, I met Chris on a Freedom in Christ course that I was helping to lead.  I ended up not finishing the course as I got asked to become part of a new church group instead…but the seed was sown.  I tried to convince myself I wasn’t interested in him, mostly because I was scared of getting involved. But we just kept meeting by accident…on a men’s dinner where I was helping out in the kitchen…in town when I was street pastoring…in my church when he and his family visited… We ended up becoming friends on Facebook and he asked me out. I said no, because I was going to my church small group that night and I don’t think he really understood and thought I wasn’t interested. However, he plucked up the courage to ask again and we went out for our first date which was a walk on Curbar edge in Derbyshire, it was beautiful and I can remember actually saying to him in surprise as we sat on the grass in the freezing March weather, “you’re actually really nice”.

We went out again the next afternoon and that was it, we got married seven months later. We seemed to have loads in common in spite of being basically very very different, we both love Jesus (he saved our lives), the outdoors, gardens, growing and we both wanted to be a proper family, a stable secure family, a safe place. We haven’t always succeeded at this, but will always keep on trying and learning.

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Since then, nearly 5 years has passed, we have had a lot happen, we lost one baby in pregnancy, which I really struggled with for quite a while, the grief was enormous. However, God then healed my womb and I became pregnant and have since had 2 gorgeous sons, one who as previously mentioned is three, the other nine months.

My husband and I also agreed on the fact that we would like a different, less rushed, less busy lifestyle and on googling discovered that property on the Orkney Islands seemed very inexpensive compared to England. Chris got very excited and we found ourselves on a family holiday in Sanday at Easter. We loved it, viewed a few houses, but there wasn’t one suitable at the time, but still decided we would love to live there. So, our house is on the market, we keep property searching…..the adventure awaits…. will it be Orkney or is God putting us somewhere that we’re not expecting????? I can’t wait to find out.

Selling the house…

I don’t have any idea what I’m doing with a blog either 😀

Because we originally wanted to move to Sanday in Orkney and saw a house we really liked, we put our house on the market and although I have  really enjoyed meeting everyone who has come round and giving out lots of eggs (we keep chickens) it has been a bit stressful. We’ve had loads of viewings in the week since we’ve put it on, but with no serious offers so far, so we’re just praying the right buyer comes along and pays what we need to move. Unless we get the right amount for the house we cannot go, so here we are, waiting. Waiting is never pleasant as far as I’m concerned, that is, until you get what you are waiting for, then it is. God seems to think waiting is good for us, so I’ll go with His wisdom 🙂 It needs to be guided by Him anyway, otherwise there is no point in going anywhere.

We were originally going to the Orkney’s but now we’ve confused ourselves because we’ve seen a croft house and land for sale on Yell in Shetland, it looks amazing but we (or at least Chris) obviously  need to see it. But there isn’t any point until we have a serious offer on ours.

Combined with this, I am a full time mum to a three year old boy and a nine month old, the nine month old is easier…and much more pleasant at the moment…although I’m told the three year old phase passes. I just can’t remember this constant screaming get your own way phase with my older daughter (I have a 23 year old daughter too, she lives in London) and my husband Chris also has a 16 year old son who lives with his mum in Derbyshire. Past lives and new beginnings all combine to make a beautiful family.

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“…Behold, I make all things new…” (Revelation 21:5)

The Journey Begins

Thanks for joining me! So!!! We (the Shepherd’s) are starting our quest for a different type of life. God willing…

In short, we want to move from Derbyshire, England in a small terraced house, to either an Orkney island or Shetland, preferably to a little house or croft/smallholding with some land and this blog is going to document it all! The good, the bad and the ugly (perhaps not too ugly). Oh yes, and we haven’t really got a clue what we are doing. Should be entertaining.

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