Category: Marriage

Happy Sunday!

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(is taking this photo and putting it on the internet without Chris knowing, unethical?) It is really quiet at the moment, which is really unusual. It is beautiful. 3 year old fell asleep on the way back from the church meeting, so he is in bed. There is silence. Beautiful.

Happy Sunday!

I acquired a very small amount of wool from a sheep in a petting place yesterday so I am going to attempt hand spinning this week. I will put the photo’s on when it happens 😀

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There were two baptisms at the church meeting this morning, it was lovely.  Their stories of Jesus meeting them where they were and are were breathtaking. Thankyou Jesus for living, dying and living again for us. I had a sudden clarity moment this morning as well, Jesus DIED for me, he died for me, he died.

Jesus took the death I deserved.

Jesus had a hideous, torturous death, for us all. He took our punishment. He actually died.

and yes, that isn’t the whole picture by any means. But people! He DIED.

John 15:13

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

 

 

This is church!

When we leave, one of the reasons I will be sad to go will be to leave our church.  (CITP) They are nuts in the best possible way (forgive me, (you have to). God always puts together a load of people who are completely different from one another and would never normally spend time with each other and makes them family together.

This is them at our wedding (also with our own family, who are also pretty cool, my mum and dad are standing next to me):

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These are our elders at the recent catalyst festival (click on the following link for YouTube video), (CITP elders) Note the use of team work and willingness to take instruction from the younger members. Notice the rhythm and dance moves!!! Notice the resignation that this is what is required of them and their grace as they get their groove on 😬.  Also notice that at least one of them is really enjoying it! They are brilliant.

Seriously, church is awesome, because of Jesus. I know that this is not everybody’s experience of church and I’m really really sorry if you have had bad experiences but church is meant to be goooooood. It will always be hard work in some way because there’s so many people thrown together, but take it from me, it’s worth it. When I’m getting fed up I always have to remind myself that we’re all human, only Jesus is perfect and through Him we can always check ourselves,  forgive if necessary and move on! Also, it’s family and families are hard work! But definitely worthwhile. This family have been there for me and plenty of others through thick and thin. They do awesome work in the community and with our new church building they will be able to do a whole lot more. They don’t just talk the talk, they walk the walk too.

Did you know that the church is the people, not the building? That Jesus gave himself up for her (the church, his people) so she may be holy and without blemish (that’s us)? That He nourishes and cherishes the church? (Again, us) (Ephesians 5:25-29). And wants to nourish and cherish you? My perception of it used to be so wrong it was unreal. I thought all church people were up themselves, self righteous a..holes. Now look at me! Look at where God’s put us! In fact, don’t look at me, look at God!

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Well that was nearly 5 years ago, but you get the picture!

 

Thank you God for loving me, thank you God for loving me..and you…

 

My husband

image.jpegI feel like I need to talk about Chris. ” an ode to Chris” ❤️

I haven’t always been and am often not what I would call a good wife, it’s been a steep learning curve on how to share my life, how to give rather than take, what it means to  love and be with someone and it’s one I’m nowhere near skilled at yet. But you know what, this is for keeps, we made a promise to each other and to God when we got married and I think if we always act from this perspective then in the long run all will be well.

I’m not always good at showing respect, I’m impatient, I expect my needs met rather than looking to what my role should be and how to love others well. And I think God is often prompting me in a kind and gentle manner saying “listen” “watch” “don’t react quite so quickly”, and I think He Says “first and foremost you are mine”, “look at me first”. I love psalm 27:8 – you have said, “Seek my face.”My heart says to you, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.” And proverbs 3:5-6 “trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and He will make straight your paths”.

We are two imperfect people attempting to do life together permanently. Because that’s the way it should be. And it’s only through Gods love and mercy and the forgiveness we have through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross that we can do this and keep forgiving and loving because of the love and forgiveness we have known through Jesus. It may not always look like that. Or feel like that. But that is how it is. Gods grace is awesome.

Chris is gentle and kind, he is hard working and thorough. He is a loving dad and has a wicked sense of humour. He is practical and can make things and fix things in a way I really don’t understand. Whatever he undertakes  he is wholehearted about it. He loves God and sometimes battles with self doubt. (He also loves rc planes and fpv) He is Chris, he is awesome, he is precious and he is loved.

When God talks about love he says if there is any excellence, look at that. I so often don’t, I so often focus on bad stuff, but that’s not Gods way and I think He is a slowly coaching me through this. I love that He gets us completely and loves us exactly how and where we are. He also loves us so much that He doesn’t just leave us there.

Night!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2LZEfOvs0T5X1esnkyRmAw (This is Chris’ YouTube Channel, I think he would love people to take a look) #drones #rc #aeroplanes

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

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.

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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