Archie Arrives!

After not posting on our Blog for a long time, we thought it was about time for an update. We now have 8 grandchildren, the newest of whom is Archie Levi, born 20th August 2011. How special to have such a wonderful, growing family?

Bethal Church. Wow!

What an amazing time we had together at the Leaders Advance at Bethel Church, Redding. The church is full of genuine joy and an incredible grace. There is a strong sense of fun and some serious encounters with the Holy Spirit. The teaching has been excellent and both leadership and ministry were modelled in ways that were very uplifting and encouraging, So many of the values we are seeking to establish at home in Reading are evident but with an experience of the Holy Spirit which is literally refreshing.

We are trusting for grace and sensitivity to digest what we heave heard and been impacted by and to outwork whatever we can with our dear friends at home. May God help us to live in the flow of all He has for us.

We have now moved on to beautiful Carmel by the Sea and looking forward to some holiday rest.

We are so grateful to God for provoking us to take this trip and for friends at home who are looking after things. God is still moving, despite such uncertainty around the world and not least at home after such a confusing election. May God bless us in the UK as we find our hope in Him and not our political leaders - we pray that they might have wisdom and insight.

PS The picture is of some of the Reading Leaders together with Bill Johnson, who so kindly gave us some of his valuable time, even after leading a full on conference!

Steve and Anita

California Dreams

After arriving in San Francisco on Monday with friends from another Reading Church, we checked in to a nice hotel on Union Square and spent a few hours trying to stay awake by travelling on the famous trams to Pier 39. Grabbed a bite to eat and headed back on what was a chilly evening.

The next couple of days proved to get colder - much colder, and very snowy! We drove east for about 200 miles to South Lake Tahoe, somewhere we visited in 2003 and loved. Our room is literally right on the lakeside and this picture is the view from our patio balcony doors.

We are in California to attend a leaders conference with 14 leaders from Reading - in Redding. Our children are at home looking after the dogs and we will be visiting Bethel Church in a day or two - depending on when the roads are cleared from the heavy snows.

We'll try to do a short update on how things are going.

Steve & Anita

The year has started

It's February and although a month has gone already in 2010, it feels like the year has only just started. The snow brought everything to a halt - we spent eight hours in our car travelling back from Tesco in Reading just before Christmas!

Plans for our daughter Helen's wedding are gaining momentum as July will soon be here. All of our daughters will be married and caring for their own families. This week it was Katie's 30th birthday and this has made us reflect on how quickly life passes by. We put together a DVD of pictures of Katie's life so far and it was moving to watch our family pass through the many phases of life. Our eldest grandchild, Jamie was seven two weeks ago!

Anita's close friend Karena is living the last days of her life and we are amazed and moved by the incredible story her husband Craig is sharing via his blog most days. Their courage, faith and honesty are incredible - testament to our God who is literally pouring His strength into them. They live with the very real confidence that they have a hope that goes way past this life and into the next. Please pray for Craig, Karena and their lovely family.

Our lives in Britain are generally very individualistic. It's a great pity that it can take a crisis for us to really share our lives together.

A short update to keep in touch with whoever has the time to read our blog - sorry the messages are so infrequent these days!

Happy New Year

It's the last day of the decade and haven't the last ten years gone quickly? It really doesn't seem long since we welcomed the new millenium. As we come to the end of the 'noughties' we are concious of just how each of our lives are so tenuous. Just yesterday we celebrated the life of Anita's Uncle Des at his funeral, and were reminded of the kind of values that really count and make life rich in purpose and hope. Des was such an amazing, Jesus loving human being who always found time to listen and to encourage. He will be missed.

As we spend the next few hours and days wishing family and friends a Happy New Year, I hope we can also live in the grace that only God gives should life not be so 'happy' for us. We hope and wish the best, whilst knowing that it's in the valleys where we really discover the kind of strength needed to build values in our lives that will last the day.

One of the most challenging thing about life is not just dealing with tough times but the consequences of enduring these many moments of trial. We have said many times that we are so grateful for family and friends who have relentlessly cared for and supported us in our wilderness. The reality is that we each need to learn to adjust to whatever life brings us, asking our God and Father for all His help in keeping faith strong - whatever the outcome.

We are praying for Anita's friend, Karena - and her husband and lovely family. Their battle continues and as we wish them a Happy New Year we are concious that real happiness is not a superficial feeling but a Godly inner contentment and hope that gives an assurance that this present life is only the beginning of something SO much better. So in wishing whoever reads this blog a Happy New Year, may you know the inner peace that only God can give.

This comes with lots of love, Steve and Anita

Miracle Week

It;s been three months since a blog post - a sign of our times in that life has resummed it's busy pace after a year of Anita's treatment. The big issue is to try and not keep too busy! Anita is keeping well and her own hair continues to grow back. She currently looks like Annie Lennox!

There is always something happening in our family and the last week has provided another instalment. Last Tuesday Katie was rushing to care for Charis who had literally stopped breathing. Paramedics arrived and Charis was fine but Katie had hurt her knee and was taken to A & E. She came home with a suspected torn muscle and the anguish began as we thought through how support might work.

To cut a long story short, we went with some church friends to pray for Katie. As we prayed Katie felt heat going through her knee and after prayer, the swelling reduced and the splint used to help support her leg slipped down, finally removed by Scott. Katie stood up and said her leg felt better!! By the next day Katie was back driving and apart from some small bruises, her leg has been fine since. Katie is due back at hospital on Wednesday for a check up.

What can we say - apart from thank you God!? We pray for more stories like this in the coming days - there are many needs around us.

We are praying for God to completely heal and restore our friend, Karena. She has been unwell for a long time now and it would be SO good for God to touch and heal her soon.

A year since D Day

It's been over a month since our last blog entry. Since the last entry we've been on holiday to Wales for a week, laid a new patio, started a new football season, Steve's had his 52nd birthday, we went to see u2 and Elbow in concert at Wembley and we've passed August 13th which was Diagnosis Day (D Day) last year, 2008.

We can't believe a year has passed by so quickly and so much has happened, especially to Anita. The end of treatment brought relief, followed by much adjustment, especially for Anita. She has had moments of feeling low and we understand from our excellent practice nurses that this is normal and repeated by virtually everyone going through similar treatment.

Whilst we have known God close on the journey, nothing can prepare any of us for the variety of life issues and traumas that come along. We can only know the strength to face the day and trust that God will again ppick us up when we fall down.

The post treatment time seems to be when we fully face into what has happened and the implications of what has happened. We rationalize feelings by saying that whilst treatment has been tough and literally left it's scars, at least we have life and are together. I have noticed just how important self-esteem is, especially to a woman. As a husband I want to help nurture and re-develop what has been taken by finding ways to help Anita feel better about herself.

Today I have a prayer and study afternoon and have been praying much as I was back on D Day. I am reflecting on the promise from back then, "he will have no fear of bad news, his heart is steadfast; trusting in the Lord, his heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes."(from Psalm 112:7-8). In a sense our lives have appeared to contradict these words because we have had to deal with many fears - usually involving the thought of premature death and separation. As I think about it now, these words themselves have helped free us from fear and to actually experience the security the Psalmist speaks of.

Now we are praying for friends who remain in similar battles. . . . . .