I love the way these FMF prompt words allow me to ponder over language – our words, their meanings and our thoughts about their meanings.
At first glance I thought about the word ‘opinion’ and thought – what is my favourite book?
That is an opinion!
At first, I thought it was a different way of saying, ‘what, in your opinion, is the best book’?
But no, I realised they are not the same at all!
I realised this when I applied it, when I put it to the test.
I asked myself what my favourite book is.
I disallowed ‘the Bible’ as a book, as the Bible is a book full of books!
But I allowed myself to choose a favourite book of the Bible.
I chose the gospel of John as my favourite, but immediately knew that it wasn’t because it was the best book. It wasn’t even the best book in my own opinion, it was simply my favourite one.
I am fickle though! If you ask me next week what my favourite book of the Bible is, I might have a different book entirely. I change my mind and to every season there is an appropriate favourite! (It is a woman’s prerogative, they say!)
In our Home-Group, we are each choosing a favourite psalm and discussing why it is our favourite, but we get to choose a new one each week, because, as I’m sure you know, the psalms, like all of the Bible, speak to us personally according to the season we are in.
God knows best and speaks through them all!
So what other book is a favourite, in my opinion?
I chose a fairy-tale, because in my opinion, fairy-tales encapsulate some universal human experiences, fears, hopes and dreams.
My favourite one is Cinderella. I always identified with Cinderella and her plight and how she pursued her dreams, despite the opposition. In hindsight, I’m not sure that identifying with the story did me any favours!
So what, in youropinion, is your favourite book?
1) Your favourite book of the Bible (this month) and,
2) Your favourite other book.
Do share what it is in the comments, and, in your opinion, why?
Thank you. x
Every Friday, I join an online Christian writing community, Five Minute Friday. We are given a one-word prompt and write – unscripted, unedited, pure free-write – for 5 minutes. The prompt this week isOPINION.
I do read through my script afterwards to correct my mistakes; to check scripture references and to find an appropriate image to illustrate the topic.
To read other FMF posts on this subject click the link below –
In this series, the heroine, Martha, who was a great friend and follower of Jesus, had witnessed His spectacular ministry, His terrible death and His amazing resurrection. Then, along with the other disciples, she and her family were scattered by the mounting persecution led by a zealous Jew called Saul.
Martha had left Caesarea during this time of persecution only five years before in AD 34, but in this novel, Martha is drawn to return, from her safety in Cyprus, in order to help a friend in great need.
This historical fiction is full of intrigue and suspense, as the friction between Jews, Romans and followers of the Way is still palpable and the arenas are ever hungry for blood-thirsty entertainment.
The narrative is warm and creative, as the author draws the reader into the plights and minds of each of the characters, who come from very different cultures and pasts.
Martha herself is challenged in her own thinking to accept that grace has been extended equally to believing gentiles, as to Jews, and that there is now no distinction between Jews and gentiles. It seems that even Saul has become a believer in Jesus and Greeks and Romans alike are being filled with the Spirit and are being baptised
Martha is also challenged in relationships of the heart and other passions, as the way of the believers is truly turning the world upside down!
This is not just theory, but has to mean a complete change in her internal culture and habits, as she embraces all that God has poured out – salvation, grace and His Holy Spirit indiscriminately on ALL who believe.
Susan Sutherland explores well the traditional roles, the vulnerable position, the expectations and resilience of women in her novels. Often the women have merely a mention in the Biblical texts, but clearly there roles are very major and significant in the realities that they faced, alongside the men.
Susan Sutherland also looks at the lives of many of the women mentioned among the followers of Jesus and in the making of the Early Church. She explores many of their stories in the form of ‘interviews’, between her journalist character, ‘Aemilia Metella’, and the women themselves.
To stand up for your Christian faith was a dangerous thing to do, and women were
abused, tortured, or even killed for their beliefs alongside the men. Their stories spanning
nearly two thousand years deserve to be told and retold because they are as relevant today
as they were then.’
You can read some of these excellent (vignettes) ‘interviews’ on her blog –
I think all of us like to escape from time to time.
Maybe we like to escape from work?
Some take a holiday away to escape.
Some have hobbies to escape and relax.
Maybe we like to escape from people? Certain people at least?
Escape to recharge the batteries and face the world afresh.
I have an introvert tendency to prepare for gatherings by planning an escape route (in case of emergencies)!
(Recently I’ve been trying to escape from a cat, who has been pursuing, pestering and tripping me up wherever I walk – she’s a bit of a ‘Houdini’ and seems to be able to open doors to the upstairs, and escape the boundary I set for her!)
We all need to take time off to relax and to switch off from people and work, and all other pressures to perform and be answerable to others.
We need space to ourselves; to be ourselves and to rest in God’s presence.
Even Jesus took time away – He escaped frequently to be alone with His heavenly Father and to be refreshed.
We all need that sort of escape – to be refreshed with our heavenly Father.
However, some of us feel the need to escape from the thoughts in our heads!
These thoughts may be worries and fears, or they may be lies, memories, traumas, feelings of guilt (actual or imagined) and regret.
It is much harder to escape the monsters in our own heads!
What do we use to escape? How do we distract the brain and heart?
In desperation, some use alcohol, substances, drugs and medicine.
Some use other distractions – TV, novels, news, comedy, soap-operas, shopping, social media, intrigue, work, busy-ness, food…
Often these forms of distraction become addictions.
But the distractions are just temporary fixes, because the monsters in our heads don’t need distractions, they need acknowledging, calling out and healing!
The good news is that we can be healed and set free from these monsters. It is happening in churches and gatherings throughout the world, as people use the gifts of the Holy Spirit to minister to one-another in love.
I used to want to escape from God too. I didn’t like that He saw me and knew my bad thoughts and wrong actions.
But now I am very thankful that I cannot escape from Him, though I can, at any time, choose to ignore Him!
He is a gentleman.
We can ignore Him knocking on the door to our hearts, but He doesn’t stop pursuing us!
He sees our pain and is with us in our traumas. He hears our complaints and laments and listens patiently to our doubts and unbelief. He mourns with us as we sob, and stands by as we rage.
When we flee into darkness and addiction, He still sees us and shines His light in.
He is still there.
When I stopped running and stopped hiding – from my monsters, from myself, and from God – He was still there, where I left Him.
When I woke up, He was still with me.
Loving me. Holding me. Watching over me.
Praise His name.
PSALM 139 (NIV)
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
Psalm 139 (NEW LIVING TRANSLATION)
For the choir director: A psalm of David.
1 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2 You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. 3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. 4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. 5 You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!
7 I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. 9 If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, 10 even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. 11 I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— 12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvellous—how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16 You saw me before I was born.
I especially want to thank my loving God and Father for all of the specific answered prayers that I have noticed and noted down during July and August this year.
As always, I’m quite sure that there are hundreds of other daily divine interventions in answer to my prayers of guidance and protection for myself and for all of my loved ones!
In July I thank Him specifically:
that our church building is now physically a ‘light on the hill’
for the energy, leadership and life in the newly merged church
that I was able to borrow ‘loppers’ to trim down the eucalyptus and 2 bay trees
that I created a guest room space in time for guests arriving!
That I unpacked most of everything and it feels like home
that I have been a blessing already to S
that P had a good visit here
that Josh arrived here safely for the Summer break
that S and J made good progress in B Road
that preschool, although having to close, were able to celebrate at church for patrons of 36 years service in the community.
For healing K’s eyes, strengthening her faith and blessing her heart and family
for blessing our Youth, Ablaze and Little Sparks
for all the memories reignited whilst sorting all my lifetime of photos!
For all my chats and time with Josh and all his friends now appearing again at the house
that S and D are living happily alongside one another again
that I could coordinate and book a holiday for 5 of us to Orkney
And my thanks for specific answered prayer for August:
that I’ve had time to clear the front garden and paths
that I now have wall lights and shelves
for speaking to me through ‘Unashamed’ book that I’m reviewing
for the joy of reading Susan’s ‘Return to Caesarea’ book
for the people You introduce me to at work and all the divine encounters there – especially D and E.
for a lovely evening out at Kayal with J, C, J and V.
for the August break from duties and extra time for family and garden
for your favour, grace, protection and presence on the whole journey – trains and boats – to and from Orkney and our wonderful family holiday there.
That I’ve been able to clear and ‘chip’ all the garden rubbish from the patio
for the new storage solution for DVDs
For the miracles You are doing in church, at home and in me!
For this rich, blessed life of adventure, mercy and Your great LOVE
For the HOPE you give to Your children
all of us together at the Stones of Stenness
And I thank the Holy Spirit that every time I come to write a blog, He gives me grace and words to write and always some reader is inspired.
I thank God for you, my readers too. ❤
Don’t forget to go and thank God for all of the prayers He has answered this week for you.
Baby moorhen totally reliant on its parent for food and everything in this algae covered pond.
Proverbs 3: 5&6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
The proverb – to trust in the Lord and not lean on one’s own understanding – was the verse that came to mind when considering reliance.
Do I rely on God? Can I rely on God?
Yes and yes.
So why do I still worry? I asked myself sadly this morning.
I know that I still struggle to trust people, but there was something else I felt I needed to see.
If I trust God and I pray and put all of my loved ones, all of my concerns, my time, my day, my activities – I give them all to the Lord, but I am still anxious. Why?
I think one of the reasons is that although I have entrusted everything to God, I am still personally expected to turn up, to speak, to plan and to take action. God is not going to wash the dishes for me, or make the phone call, or steam the clothes. I am responsible still for all of my actions.
And therein lies the problem – I realised that I also do not trust myself! So maybe I do lean on my own understanding more than I thought?
I began to pray about this because I could sense a deep presence of foundational lies and judgments and I realised that I judged myself as ‘stupid, clumsy, thick, unreliable…’
and I believed lies like, ‘I always get everything wrong’, ‘It’s my fault when it goes wrong’, ‘What I do is never good enough’.
I was very grateful to see the presence of these deep and powerful lies and to have the opportunity to repent for making these judgments and agreeing with the lies. Then I was able to forgive those who had tempted me to believe these lies.
My understanding was faulty. I was not seeing myself and others as God sees us.
So what is the truth?
And who can I rely on?
It is not true that I am unreliable, clumsy, stupid or that I get everything wrong.
The truth is that:
I can be relied upon to do my best.
The LORD thinks I am good enough to love unconditionally.
I am a beloved daughter of the LORD of all Creation.
I can do all things in Christ.
I can cast all my cares on Him, for He cares for me.
And I can always
‘Trust in the LORD with all MY heart and lean not on MY own understanding; 6 in all MY ways [I will] acknowledge him, and he will make MY paths straight.’
Every Friday, I join an online Christian writing community, Five Minute Friday. We are given a one-word prompt and write – unscripted, unedited, pure free-write – for 5 minutes. The prompt this week is RELY.
I do read through my script afterwards to correct my mistakes; to check scripture references and to find an appropriate image to illustrate the topic.
To read other blogs on this subject and to join this lovely writing community, go to
Book Review Blog Tour – Unashamed by Tracy Williamson
I have had the wonderful privilege of reading a pre-publication copy of Tracy Williamson’s new book, ‘Unashamed’ which is to be released for sale this Friday, 8thSeptember2023. (See details of the virtual zoom book launch below.)
It is my honour to be part of this blog-tour and to now present my honest response as a review of her gem of a book:
Unashamed (Discover the healing power of God’s love for your wounded soul)
by Tracy Williamson
First published 2023 by Authentic Media Limited. Publisher Authentic Media Paperback : 336 pages ISBN : 9781788932684 RRO £11.99, available from Marston, KCLC and Gardners
‘Whatever life has thrown at you, the truth is that your identity, the bottom line of the ‘Who Am I’?’ question, is that you were planned, thought of, lovingly designed, wanted and created in love’ (Tracy Williamson)
In Tracy’s own words in the introduction, she says – ‘where life has hurt us and left us feeling rubbish, God falls in love with us and takes us to His heart to restore and recreate the beauty He put in us – releasing us unashamed to our purpose.’
This sums up the message of inner transformation and healing with the particular gentle grace with which Tracy speaks into the heart of her readers.
Many of us go through life with wounds, pain and lies written deeply in our hearts – lies that tell us that we our bad and wrong in our very essence. This is shame. We bury this and pretend that all is well with us, but when we hit a rocky place, we see and hear the rubble, rubbish and lies upon which we have built our identity.
The truth, on the other hand, is that God, who made us and formed us in our mother’s womb, who knew us at the creation of all the world, He loves us with an everlasting love. But we don’t know this, we don’t believe it in the deepest recesses of our heart. He desires to woo us into healing and transformation with His truth.
The truth is that we are welcomed, wanted and beloved children of the living God.
This is the glorious message that God has been teaching Tracy and which she is sharing with the world in this profound treasure of a tool-book.
Tracy uses real-life stories – raw anecdotes from her own life and heart, and from others with whom she has shared her stories. This was great for me as I love story and testimony, as the authenticity is indisputable and reaches heart to heart.
Like the Master Himself, Tracy also uses delightfully accessible parables to illustrate and teach essential truths about God’s love and purpose. These help visual-thinking readers, like myself, to see, enter and remember the truths being spoken. It also keeps the teachings fun and non-threatening, making them even more powerful!
Another very powerful aspect of her book is the sharing of prophetic visions and invitations from the Holy Spirit – these spoke to me profoundly and knit the chapters together in a very wholesome way, each time inviting the reader to reflect and respond, even as God responds to our yearnings for Him.
In these times of reflection, I sensed the presence of God shining His light into those hidden places of shame, and felt the soothing balm of His healing touch as I opened up some of the wounded places revealed through the prophetic messages.
Within the chapters, Tracy invites the reader to rest, reflect and respond, but I didn’t tarry long enough! I want to go back especially to the prophetic messages and the personal testimonies, as I know that I rushed it and would do well to rest and meditate more in those places of healing truth.
As you can see, I love this book and I recommend it to anyone seeking greater healing and freedom in their lives.
I shall certainly be reading it again and lingering on the reflections and the prophetic.
If this does not tempt you to go straight to her website to order a copy of the book and read it for yourself, then listen to her speak about the book herself at her online book-launch this Friday 8th September 2023
NB: One is required to register for the online launch – so click the link below and register.
You can join them on Zoom this Friday for the virtual launch – Details can be found by visiting.www.unashamed.org.uk
To order a copy of Unashamed, please go to the website above. You may need to use a pc or laptop when ordering and paying, because of a temporary glitch .
You can also order by emailing the administrator on info@mbm-ministries.org
Tracy Williamson, who is deaf and partially sighted, and Marilyn, who is blind, head up the charity MBM Trust – Restoring Lives Through Intimacy with God, which is based in south-east England.
1) For whom did you write this book – who do you want it to reach?
Tracy: I feel Unashamed can reach everyone, as we all go through times of struggle and pain in life and also many of us would love to be drawing alongside and helping those who are struggling. Its a great resource for such people. But my primary aim is for those who feel they just can’t hope for change and transformation as their needs and hurts run so deep. I want it to be a book that brings hope that change is possible for all however deep the hurt as God’s love is bigger than the deepest wounds.
2) How long has your own spiritual healing journey been and do you think we are ever completely healed during our earthly lives?
Tracy: My own healing journey began before I discovered the Lord’s love for me. I was 18, at college and in a place of suicidal despair because of years of abuse and rejection. God drew me to him in an amazing encounter which I describe in Unashamed, and my healing journey began to crystalise and lead me to true wholeness. I’ve been on that journey ever since. I do believe we can experience full healing in this life because of the fact that Jesus died taking ALL our guilt, wounds, pain and shame on the cross with him. However, we do have to learn to live in its truth and life can be a roller coaster at times. My own experience is that I’ve made very significant steps to knowing, for example that I am beloved, rather than unwanted and shameful, and I really do know that now. But nevertheless, a difficult situation or unkind word can easily send me back into the old mindsets, so I have to keep close to Jesus and listening for his voice of truth and being willing to let my deeper self come into the light of his love.
3) You speak of Ellel Ministries’ impact in your life; have any other ministries or resources had an impact you would recommend to the reader?
Tracy: Yes Ellel were powerful to set me free from many satanic strongholds. My own church was also greatly used and lovely friends who had listening hearts and believed in the power of Jesus to heal wounded hearts. ‘Beauty from Ashes’ ministry taught me a great deal about drawing alongside and praying for hurting people too, as well as countless books from those in healing ministry.
Tracy, thank you so much for being raw and honest and for allowing God to shine through the cracks into your heart. Thank you for trusting Him to put you back together laced with His pure gold healing. Thank you for sharing your story!
May this book and all your ministries spread the healing power of the truth of God’s love for every wounded heart.
Sometimes I like to just muse on what a word means to me. That is what I will do today.
To me, absence doesn’t mean that something is not there, it means that something is missing or lacking that is usually there.
Something that should be there.
The dog is not absent from my home, because I don’t and didn’t have a dog. (I did about 40 years ago, but that doesn’t count either – I wouldn’t now say that Timmy is absent.)
My son was absent over the weekend – not AWOL (absent-without leave) – but was away on a planned trip.
Soon he will be absent again, as he returns to his studies in Vienna. For a while I will feel his absence, but then life will revert to the usual dynamics until the next holiday that he might come home again. I will miss my son’s presence when he is away, but he won’t feel ‘absent’ like he did this weekend.
If we are absent from school or from work, an explanation is required – on the register we are marked Present or Absent; but I am not expected to request a leave-of-absence for not visiting the local lakes this Thursday.
It is said that ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ – I’m not sure about that. If you belong here and should be here, then you are missed when you are absent, but I wouldn’t think my heart becomes any more fond of you! Maybe I would appreciate you more for the things I miss when you are absent?
Is there something absent from my life?
I have home, family, food, provisions, church, occupation, interests, health, friends – I have so much I am grateful for – and most importantly, I know the constant presence of God in my life.
If God were absent, I could not survive!
If God were absent, life would cease.
But God cannot be absent – He is eternally present and I am so eternally grateful that I know His presence in my life.
If something is absent from your life, speak to Father God about it and the comforter will supply all your needs.
So to me absence is the lack of what should be present. And the only thing absent now is my dinner, so I will go to cook some.
dawnfanshawe 