Sunday 24 November 2019

The Little That You Have


One Sunday morning in November 2019 we had a lovely man called Bill Gallatin from Calvary Chapel, Finger Lakes come and speak at our Church in Westminster. He gave a wonderfully encouraging sermon and in the middle of his talk I heard him say, “Take the little that you have and use it to serve Jesus.” These words immediately stood out to me and I liked how the focus was on using what we already have instead of looking to the things we wish we had.

Before long I found myself writing the first few lines of my poem as Bill’s words were very much in line with something I felt the Lord had been putting on my heart for a while. The Lord had been showing me that sometimes we may feel our efforts and lives are inadequate and don’t “measure up” to the influence other people can make for God’s Kingdom. Most of us don’t have millions of pounds in the bank or worldwide ministries that reach the masses but this isn’t what’s important in God’s eyes.

As I’ve often heard my Pastor say, what’s important to Jesus is that we’re faithful with whatever it is He’s given to us and put around us in our lives. Perhaps our ministry is to sow the seed of God’s Word and the love of Christ into the lives of our children. Maybe it’s to be the best employee or employer we can be to bring a strong witness to those around us in the workplace. Perhaps we do have a large ministry that reaches thousands and our role then is to be faithful with the responsibility of being the shepherd or teacher for the people God has placed within our care.

Friday 1 November 2019

Thanksgiving Prayer


As my husband Jan and I were preparing to have family come over the Atlantic to stay with us in November 2019, I realised that our American relatives were going to be with us over Thanksgiving. I’ve prepared several Easter, Christmas and New Year dinners over the years but never Thanksgiving dinner! I decided that I would break the mould and host Thanksgiving for the family so that they didn’t feel like they were missing out on this American celebration while they holidayed on British soil!

As I ordered Thanksgiving themed decorations online and Googled the traditional dishes that make up a Thanksgiving meal, I found myself getting into the spirit of it all. Before long I could feel the weight of a poem in my heart and I wanted to write something that could be used by any family to give thanks to God before their Thanksgiving meal. It seems when it comes to writing poems for specific celebrations throughout the year there must be no festival left behind! I hope my poem “Thanksgiving Prayer” can be a blessing for many families on this and every Thanksgiving to come!