Johnny and Hannah

Hi there! As my Christmas entry is a bit dated it’s time to bring in the new year. Like many of you I have lots ahead, lots to do and plenty of challenges for 2006. I guess the most important thing is to make this year count, not just for me but in the light of eternity.

Having very recently turned 34 (Jan 2nd) I’m only too aware that time is precious, every day counts and that the way I use my time is key. As you know there is a big move ahead for the Douglas clan and on March 1st Johnny officially commences life as the lead pastor of Sawyers Church in Brentwood. Obviously this means I will be a pastor’s wife so I’m quite excited (as well as slightly nervous) about what that will involve. It also means big changes for Noah & Esther but we are prayerful for their adjustment to it all.

Noah has already started packing for the new house (which we have yet to acquire) and has been giving me some of his stuff ‘to give to babies’ because he’s big now. He was ready to throw out his trainset but Esther decided she wanted it and happily set it out in her room this morning (who says life for a little girl is all dollies and pink stuff?!)

I think something we’re all excited about is settling into a new community and making some new friends and I know relationship-building will be key in our new location. I still maintain my ‘created to relate’ motto and I’ve decided to make 1 Thess 2:8 my verse for 2006:
‘We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.’

One of my new year’s resolutions is to join/start a bookclub, and I’m prayerful that this will give me opportunities to befriend and connect with the unchurched. I didn’t read as many books as I had hoped in 2005 so I’m determined to improve my numbers for this year (my brother Paul is going for a 40 book challenge!)

Sadly Johnny will have to reduce his vast book collection in order to relocate, and pruing and culling is definitely a theme in our lives at present. January 21st marks the day of our house sale (contents not property)and the start of a simpler life.

My challenge at the end of this post is to go after your dreams in 2006; don’t waste this year - make every second count (and if you have a spare evening watch ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ - J & I loved it!)

Bye for now. xx

It’s December 22nd so Christmas is nearly upon us and I thought it would be good to post a few thoughts in this yuletide season. In the rush of excitement, presents & festive preparations it is easy to get a bit overwhelmed by it all and worry at all that needs to be done, so I do try and escape from it all for a few moments in the day and reflect on what Christmas really means in my life.

Here are a few words written by Oscar Romero which resonate with me:
“No one can celebrate a genuine Christmas without being truly poor. The self-sufficient, the proud, those who, because they have everything, look down on others, those who have no need even of God - for them there will be no Christmas. Only the poor, the hungry, those who need someone to come on their behalf will have that someone. That someone is God. Emmanuel, God-with-us. Without poverty of spirit there can be no abundance of God.”

I trust you all like me hunger for an abundance of God this Christmas. If you have little ones (or even if you don’t) snuggle up and read ‘Papa Panov’s Special Day’ on Christmas Eve, and have a wonderful ‘genuine’ Christmas with the people you love or wherever you are.

Blessings for Christmas and 2006 ! xx

revealed this about me!!!

Jack Bauer

Which 24 Character are you?

Johnny was President Palmer! He’s coming to terms with this…..

Okay so it’s nearly a month since I last posted but a HUGE amount of stuff has happened since Johnny came back from the US, and our lives are in for some changes in 2006. Exciting!

Firstly Johnny has been offered (and accepted) the role of pastor at a church down in Brentwood, Essex. It’s an independent evangelical church and we really feel this is the right place for us as a family to serve in the next chapter of our lives. It seems to be mission-minded and really involved in the community which is great, and we’re looking forward to getting stuck in. Johnny officially starts on March 1st but there is LOTS to do before then… we need to simplify our lives and prepare to pack up and move on.

This house - 88 Basford Park Road - has been a wonderful home for the last 3 years and I suspect we will never have a home quite like this again, but we’ve enjoyed it for a season, and look forward to having a new pad next year. We have many happy memories here, and only last week were having a party to celebrate to Esther’s third birthday with her pals.

We delight to see the kids grow and develop as the days go on and yesterday we had fun building a snowman in the garden - he survived the night but it is currently raining so I don’t hold out much hope for him!!

All for now. Until next time. x

Johnny arrived back yesterday so as you can imagine we’re thrilled to have him back - the kids can’t get enough of him! His time in Seattle and on Lumni Island has been very profitable and it’s great to look through his writings and see what God has been speaking to him about.

I think we’re both challenged about what local church should look like - JD visited many expressions of church whilst in the States and I’ve been thinking about what constitutes a ‘gospel-minded church’ as I’ve done my own Q.Ts and reading. One booklet I’d thoroughly recommend to anyone is ‘The Gospel-Centered Church’ by Steve Timmis and Tim Chester (pub: The Good Book Company). It looks at the priorities of mission, people and community and examines different principles which attempt to articulate what a true gospel ministry might look like.

For all of us (whether working for a church or not) there is the ‘normal business of life’ to be lived, but God comes into that - in our commitment to building relationships, modelling the Christian faith and talking about the gospel in a very natural way, and I do think church should involve ‘every member ministry’. We’re all in this together, and I’m talking ‘mission’ mode not ‘maintenance’ mode!

One thing I recently quoted to Johnny from Timmis and Chester was the statement:
‘The greatest worship we can offer God is to gather more worshippers.’

Happy gathering everyone! All for now - more thoughts next time.

Once again I enter cyberspace - this could become a habit…! It’s actually quite fun to remove myself (briefly) from the chaos of family life to reflect on my life. However, I have just begun to watch ‘House’ - TV programme - so this may be briefer and less reflective than planned.

My day has been very food orientated - the mince pies weren’t a huge success at home - Libby doesn’t like anything with dried fruit in it (she must eat very frugally at Christmas!), Noah only nibbles the outside of his pie and returns it, & Esther eats most of it but gives me back a few half chewed bits (she interestingly refers to them as shepherd’s pies). I decided to take them further afield and did find friends who devoured them happily so am pleased to report they must have been okay because they are all gone.

I have decided the kids need to be healthier and eat better and also eat all their tea so I have enrolled Libby as food monitor and we are going to try and get Noah off his constant cravings for ice cream and biscuits and eat everything on his plate. He ate very large quantities of cheese tonight but we realised that also wasn’t the wisest pre-bed snack!

We’ve also been planning Esther’s birthday tea - Nov 24th - so that will be fun. Esther prayed beautifully tonight and told Jesus that she loved daddy lots and we want him home soon. She did however find it difficult to remain in bed once there, and drew me and Libby quite an extensive selection of drawings which she kept bringing downstairs to show us before succuming to sleep.

Johnny is the most adventurous chef in our home and I’ve just e-mailed him a ‘Roasted cherry tomato & Red onion soup’ recipe for his farewell bash before he departs the US of A. He’s cooking dinner for the two fab girls who have shared their home/cars/food/lives with him these past few weeks. Rosann is a long time friend and godmom to Noah - thanks for everything Rosie - you’re a star.

Bye for now. Over and out.

As my husband is currently in the US of A and currently on his way to an exotic but deserted island for some reflective God-time, I decided (or to be more accurate, my delightful lodger Libby decided, possessing the computer literacy that I lack) that it was high time I moved into the 21st century and started to blog.

Johnny has no knowledge of this at present, but he may be amused that I am joining him in cyberspace! If I don’t move forward in this age of technology my children will be more technologically advanced than I, and Noah is only 4.

We are all missing daddy a lot and have insisted that he take us on his travels next time. Esther does him regular drawings and artwork which are piling up by the bed for his perusal on returning and Noah has a number of activities planned, most of which involve a lot of running around. I am vaguely attempting to keep the house in order, convince Libby that I’m not completely mad, and make a concerted effort not to bump the car again before Johnny’s return. We are surviving, but we need our man back.

Libby has also encouraged me in the fitness department so we go swimming (semi) regularly and are trying to eat healthy. Libby is vegetarian so it is my goal by Christmas to turn her into a carnivore! As she mentioned in her blog, Christmas is already being thought about in our house and Noah took his Mickey Mouse Christmas video to Nursery - last year we watched it about 300 times! I have no leg to stand on however as I intend to make mince pies this afternoon!

All for now - some more thoughts another time.