What season are you in?

Life is full of seasons and we are enjoying all the colour of the autumn season at the moment, particularly as it is our first in the UK for three years.
Spiritually we go through seasons too and I have been thinking about that a lot recently. If anyone asked me what season I am in at present I wouldn’t take long to think about it because I know I am in a pruning season. Spain was a good and dare we say a very fruitful time for us (I’m not saying it was always easy) and being back in the UK has been an interesting and challenging experience. Some things we thought might work out haven’t and I am feeling like a rose bush that has been severely pruned and we all know what that looks like. However I know the pruning is necessary for the fruit God has for me, so I look to the future with expectancy.





Rita with autumn coloured flowers she recieved from Sharon on her birthday recently.




For Rita she would say it is a season of testing which is causing her to deepen her relationship with the Lord and she is calling on Him for the grace and strength that she needs at this time.
One of the tests is the accommodation one. It is a blessing to be able to stay at my mums at the moment but we have our belongings spread over five locations. It will be so good to get settled but the only word from the Lord on it is to ‘Wait Well’ Lord help us to do just that.

During this time we are seeking to keep ourselves busy in laying the foundations for what God has for us in the future. I have also been involved in some teaching (I have just finished three days of teaching at our YWAM base in the Midlands see photo) along with some preaching and teaching at our church. I have also spent time reading about the life of people like Augustine, Calvin, Spurgeon, Mueller, Jonathan Edwards and others. It has been very inspiring and challenging.
We also have just spent six days in Spain catching up with people and talking about our possible involvement in Leadership training and mentoring in the region. A key meeting is in January so will be able to say more then.

Over the years we have seen God do so much and on a coach journey recently I started to list the stories of Gods goodness. I was able to write down 75 straight off. So here is our first TOGG (Testimony of Gods goodness) on the blog.

TOGG on the BLOG
Our last blog centred around YWAM’s 50th celebrations and our time 31 years with the organization.
We thought it would be good to start with a story that came out of our first ever meeting with Loren Cunningham.
We were at a Caple Bible week held in Sussex in the early seventies and Loren was the speaker. It was a wonderful evening with Loren taking up an extra offering at the end so a fast tape copier could be bought for Peter Wallis who was responsible for all the teaching tapes that were sent out from weeks like this.
The next day as Rita and I were getting ready to head back to the Midlands and our work with Life for the World. I said to Rita I need some money for petrol to get us back. She looked at me and said “I don’t have any” This was a problem, Rita had no money, I had no money (it was before the days of credit cards) and we needed to get back to the Midlands.
That afternoon about an hour before we were due to leave there was a knock on the door. It was a Christian neighbour who thrust an envelope into my hand and said rather hesitantly God had told her to come and give us this money adding as she left quickly I think its for petrol.
You can imagine our delight and thankful hearts for Gods goodness to us and a child of His who was willing to be obedient to do what he said.