[Caution advised!]

In the UK, the “Assisted Suicide Bill” has been a much debated and sharply dividing subject. It is suggested that it should only be made available to people with a terminal diagnosis of six months or less. Some think it shows mercy to people who are suffering, others think it is the start of a very slippery slope. Where does it stop? When does “mercy” stop being merciful and become murder?

To begin with, I want to make it clear, I’m no expert, nor am I medically trained. I wish to state my opinions and reservations, and really just think out loud. Please feel free to comment if you would like to, but keep it polite and in a genuine spirit of debate. 

Several years ago, I saw a YouTube video about assisted suicide, from Canada I think. The home-made film showed an elderly lady with her son. She was laid on the sofa and a medically trained woman administered syringe after syringe of a thick looking fluid into her veins. Almost immediately, the patient’s face took on a look of what I can only describe as frozen alarm, which I found very distressing! I couldn’t tell if she was in pain, afraid or regretting her choice – assuming that it was solely her choice. Who could be sure? I found the whole thing deeply unsettling. I’m not really sure why I watched it. Maybe morbid curiosity – it just appeared in my feed. I was hoping for a look of peace and serenity as this lady passed away, but I didn’t see it…

I know for myself, I could never do this, or assist another person to end their life in this way. The woman administering the fatal dose appeared not to have any expression of kindness or compassion. It very much seemed like “just another day at the office”…

I do believe in excellent palliative and end of life care, and in hospices which, in the UK, are not funded by the NHS but usually have to fundraise to keep going. In this day and age, there is surely no reason for dying people to suffer. Yet suffer they still do… My own mother-in-law died a painful and distressing death in hospital from sepsis, caused by a hospital acquired infection during the later covid lockdowns, following a hip replacement. She was in hospital for three months, and we discovered that the staff agreed four days before she died that there was nothing more they could do and that she was, in fact, dying and should have all treatments removed. 

They didn’t inform us, her family, for two more days and by the time we were called in she was in and out of consciousness, so I’m not even sure if she knew we were there. Her body was very swollen as her kidneys had shut down, yet they STILL had her on a drip, pushing fluids and IV antibiotics! Why?!! She didn’t get any proper end of life care until a few hours before she finally died. She deserved better. I know that she is with the Lord now and that is the ONLY thing that has comforted me. 

But even bad care causing suffering wasn’t a good enough reason for her to have been euthenased!

I am of the opinion that, if it was me, I would want to be kept comfortable and as pain free as possible, but I would not choose to end my life on Earth sooner, as it’s not up to me! My life is in the Lord’s hands. He can heal me or he can welcome me home, but he is sovereign and, in my opinion, that is how it should be. 

In the UK, the “Assisted Suicide Bill” was defeated but now another MP is trying to revive it so it can be forced through without a further reading in the House of Lords, and therefore become law. I thought the whole point of debates and votes in government is so that matters are settled democratically. Not that one, or a handful of people can say, “Well, I’m not happy with that outcome so we’re going to override procedures. “

I’ve heard some stories, from Canada in particular, where people who are homeless, depressed or disabled have been offered M.A.I.D. (medical assistance in dying) as a solution to their problems, because it seems they are no longer considered worth helping, spending money on or encouraging. It’s the thin end of the wedge. How soon will anyone who’s not healthy enough, not productive enough, (or perhaps not compliant enough…?) be pushed down that same road. Dystopian? Yep, it is that, but maybe not that far from being a future truth.

My personal belief is that “euthanasia” of humans, let’s call it what it is, does not honour the life that God has breathed into each one of us, and thus disrespects the Lord Himself. Jesus died for each and every person on the earth, though sadly very many people will never accept him as Saviour. Nonetheless, he IS Lord!

The book of Revelation talks about the Mark of the beast…

Revelation 13:15-17 NIV
The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

Revelation 20:4 NIV
I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

I don’t know how far away the tribulation is, though there are many indications in the news every day, that end times bible prophecy is being fulfilled. My thinking is, that if people get used to lives being “painlessly” ended, “for their own good” and then for the good of society, it won’t be such a stretch when people are permanently removed from society because they are not conforming to the rules, and so causing trouble for those who are compliant… The pride that caused Satan to fall will fill them and cause them to agree that it’s all for the best that these trouble makers are removed.

The divide between light and darkness seems to be getting ever greater. Things that my generation could never have imagined are now coming to pass. I genuinely hope that Jesus will return soon, though my prayer, as always, is that all those whom I know, who don’t yet know HIM, will have a revelation of who Jesus is and come into a relationship with him, receiving the free gift of salvation through faith in his shed blood and atoning sacrifice alone!

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For information and accuracy, this is taken from an email I received this morning from https://righttolife.org.uk/

“The Bill published yesterday by Lauren Edwards is near-identical to Kim Leadbeater’s deeply flawed and unsafe Bill from the previous parliamentary session.

It retains dozens of serious flaws identified by Royal Colleges, professional bodies, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and disability, mental health and domestic abuse charities.

The Bill was published on the day MPs left Westminster for the summer recess, leaving them very little parliamentary time to examine it before its Second Reading on Friday 11 September.

By bringing back the Bill in near-identical form, its supporters are also keeping open the highly controversial possibility of using the Parliament Acts to force it into law if the House of Lords does not pass it again.”

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These pictures are screenshots from a video I took on my phone last night during a long and eventful storm! Temperatures have been a bit on the warmer side here in the UK this week and it’s quite humid.

The lightning started around 1.30am, bright flashes, like a dodgy florescent light that flickers on and off randomly. Then came the rain, and the odd distant rumble. The rain became torrential, the lightning came in bursts and the thunder got closer and louder.

Me being me, I was sat in a chair facing the big French doors, recording it, looking up the live lightning map, checking the absolutely pitiful Met Office weather forecast, which said 40% chance of rain and not a hint of thunder or lightning! Yet this was the biggest and longest lasting storm we’ve had in a long time.

So, those two pictures…

The first one was incredibly bright though the lightning grounded itself a lot further away than it would appear. The second one, just a split second after, was almost the echo of the first, the remnant of that powerful bolt! As I’ve looked at them this morning, I see God at work and hear him speaking through it…

The first picture shows the suddeness with which events can overtake us. Things we never expected happen, quite literally like a bolt from the blue. Where they strike they cause damage, devastation, sometimes ongoing destruction, like a fire that rages through a house, a forest… What remains is so damaged that it will take a long time to be renewed and restored…

And then, the second picture, which looks like threads of gold. It is what remains after the powerful, violent strike. It reminds me of the ancient Japanese art of Kintsugi, translated as “golden joinery”. Broken pottery is repaired using precious metal, often gold, and lacquer. It not only restores the broken item to usefulness, but adds beauty and value.

I believe this is what the Lord does for us when something has devastated our lives. He gently puts us back together, using precious gold, to make us stronger and more enduring, more beautiful (in spiritual terms) than we were before, and even more valuable than before because the Master Craftsman was our restorer and he added that gold, something of himself, during the restoration process.

How beautiful an image! How loving a God! What kindness does our Lord bestow on us! Every pot can be repaired. You are never too broken… ❤️

I’ve been reminded of a poem I have loved for many years. I don’t know who the author was, but all credit to them…

My life is but a weaving, between my Lord and me.
I cannot see the colours, he worketh steadily.
Oft times he weaveth sorrow and I, in foolish pride,
Forget he sees the upper, and I the underside.
Not till the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly,
Shall God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful in the weaver’s skillful hands
As the THREADS OF GOLD AND SILVER in the pattern he has planned.

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2 Corinthians 4:7-9 NIV
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Isaiah 61:3 NKJV
To console those who mourn (in Zion), To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

God is merciful, and his will is that none should perish, but we only have today to choose. Every day is a another “today”, as soon as the second hand passes midnight. It’s another opportunity to choose life. Life in abundance, life with joy and peace for eternity.

We cannot know what might happen tomorrow. We may not even have a tomorrow…! Just look at the news! Every day there are reports of people whose lives ended suddenly. I’m sure that when they woke up that morning, they had no idea that they would not see the day out…

Spiritual procrastination is from the very pit of darkness, approved by the enemy and the deadliest weapon he wealds! We all think we have plenty of time. But it’s a lie!

“So, TODAY, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…”

If you don’t yet know Jesus as Saviour and Lord, you have a decision to make. Don’t put it off! Time is short. Your time might be VERY short!

Proverbs 27:1 ESV
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

Well, here we are, nearly half way through the year, and this month will contain the longest day, so by the end of June we’ll be on the slippery slope back towards Christmas again! It doesn’t bear thinking about! And it’s not just older people who are saying that time is going faster now, as even the younger generation are noticing. I genuinely think it is!

Of course, none of this is a surprise to God. He holds time in his hands. He knows the end from the beginning, because he is outside of time! How can our tiny brains comprehend such a thing?! We are always controlled by time, but it is relative, depending on what we are doing!

When I was a new Christian, I heard it explained like this… Imagine there is a broom handle, suspended in mid air. An ant walks along it. It can only go in one direction and has no power to travel back and forth along the broom.

God, however, can walk all the way round the broom handle! He can see it in its entirety, from beginning to end; where the ant has been and where it’s going. It’s all a matter of perspective. We are at a fixed point in time. He is not!

So, TRUST him to know what came before and what lies ahead. He is able to move obstacles, and direct us along our path. He acts on our prayers and loves to see our faith! He really does see and know everything. Nothing is hidden from him. We can rely on him completely.

Sometimes, as we travel along our “time line”, we encounter difficulties and he will let us negotiate them, because they will make us stronger, wiser or bring us into a closer relationship with him. He sees the outcome of every choice, every option. Whatever happens, he is with us. He is omnipresent, meaning he is everywhere, all at once. He is with each one of us at all times, but also in our past and our future! Satan and his minions can only be in one place at a time, just like us… so not so powerful as they’d like us to believe! And, unlike God, they are not omniscient (all knowing) or omnipotent (all powerful). He has no rival, no equal, just as the song says.

Imagine all of that… then make it personal. See him as Father… Your provider, protector, the one who encourages you, who picks you up when you fall, who is never shocked or surprised, who comforts you when you’re sad or angry, who guides you through every second of time! He NEVER leaves your side. If you don’t know God as Father, turn to him today and let him father you with all the love and care that you could ever want or need.

Can you see it now? He is ALWAYS with you!

Matthew 28:20b NKJV
“…and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

The clock ticks…

And, in between ticks, there is silence.

Like breathing. Breathe in, breathe out… then a fraction of a moment of nothingness at the end of the exhale…

It might seem as though there are times when nothing is happening, when God is silent; busy helping others maybe, but not you. And that silence is so much more deafening than the “tick” that it’s all you can hear!

But He is still there in the silence… still with you, still working all things together for your good…

If you have a spouse, or family or friends, do you talk non-stop whenever you’re with them?!! I hope not! That’s a real relationship killer! Sometimes you just sit in companianable silence, and that can make your relationship deeper and stronger over time! Sometimes, no one needs to speak!

When we think God is doing nothing, He’s actually doing everything! He IS everything! In the silence, it’s us who are doing nothing! We think we’re waiting for God to speak, but He’s waiting for us to act!

What is it He’s waiting for us to do?

Micah 6:8 NKJV
He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

Justly:
In a morally correct way; fairly.

Mercy:
Kindness that makes you forgive someone, usually someone you have authority over.

Humbly:
In a way that shows that you do not think you are important.

(Definitions courtesy of the Cambridge Dictionary)

How does that make you feel? A bit indignant maybe? We can feel a bit self righteous when we’re “waiting on God “!

Now apply that same passage to Jesus’ life on Earth… Is He asking you to do anything that He has not already done?

Was He fair in how He dealt with people?

Did He show kindness that made Him forgive?

Did He act in a way that showed that He did not think He was important?

Philippians 4:13 NKJV
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Remember that!

If you know who Winnie the Pooh is, you may also know the song, “Little black rain cloud”.

“I’m just a little black rain cloud
Hovering under the honey tree.
I’m only a little black rain cloud
Pay no attention to little me!
Oh, everyone knows that a rain cloud
Never eats honey, no, not a nip!
I’m just floating around over the ground
Wondering where I will drip..”

Winnie the Pooh is in disguise covered in mud, hanging onto a balloon floating in the air, trying to steal honey from the bees’ nest up high in a tree without alarming them. He’s singing about how harmless he is, how he definitely doesn’t want their honey and is no threat to them whatsoever. It occurred to me that these are the kind of tactics that Satan uses against us. He is a deceiver; a liar, and the father of lies!

Sorry if this seems to have taken a bit of a deep and dark turn all of a sudden, but please bear with me for a moment… excuse the pun!

The bees eventually realise that Pooh is after their honey and attack him, but not before he’s taken a big scoop and swallowed it, along with several bees! Casualties of war, you might say!

What does that honey represent to us?  Something precious, something we care very deeply about. It doesn’t even have to be something material. What about our personal faith, our relationships, our health, our church community, our peace…? I’m sure you can think of many areas in your life that have come under attack at one time or another…

Are we being deceived and lulled into a false sense of security by his song? It is a catchy little ditty, isn’t it?! Do we think, oh it’s just a little rain cloud, it’ll pass, it can’t do any harm? Do we take any notice at all when the enemy creeps up behind us and whispers, “Nothing to see here… As you were. Everything is fine!”??

Remember, you are the bee (metaphorically speaking) but YOUR sting is found in the Word of God, in praise and worship, in prayer… You are not powerless when an attack comes your way! Sting the one who comes to steal!

The bees’ black and yellow stripes serve as a warning to predators. You, dear Saints, are clothed in fine linen, robes of righteousness! Satan knows full well who you are in Christ! And he would do well to keep his distance! Don’t let him take ANYTHING from you!

1 Peter 5:8-9 NKJV
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. [9] Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

James 4:7 NKJV
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Sorry! It’s been over a year since part 1 ended with me contracting chicken pox soon after we moved in! I had never had it as a child and wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy as an adult… I felt so ill! I was off work for three weeks, partly as I was infectious early on, but also because I was too unwell to drive to work, do my busy marketing job and drive home again. I think I just slept a lot of the time! And, to top it all, I was left with two scars on my face as a memento – whoopee!

Aside from that though, we got the house rewired, and had the front garden gravelled so we could park. As we’re right in the corner we don’t really have a kerb as such, so getting the cars off the road was important as it’s quite narrow. For some reason, the previous owner liked old carpet, so he’d carpeted over most of the front garden (yes, really!) and used some old logs to hold it down. I presume he thought it would suppress weeds, but all that happened was the mud squelched through from underneath and the weeds seeded on top! We also had old carpet over the end of the back garden and a couple of extra rolls up in the loft! Needless to say, it all ended up at the tip!

Renovating was a labour of love as we uncovered old features and restored them, and I learned a lot about the history of the road and the house from my elderly neighbour, who had moved into the adjoining semi as a newly wed in 1929! What a shame that the old cast iron kitchen range was gone, but we still had two small cast iron fireplaces upstairs, which we restored as a feature. I had inherited some old dark wooden furniture from my aunt, which went perfectly in this cottage-style home. We were very happy and two years later started our family, which I’ve written about elsewhere!

We loved our spacious garden and the greenery, the peace and amazing assortment of visiting birds! We’re near to a large area of woodland and open fields so had all kinds of avian visitors and I got quite good at identifying them. What a difference from where we had lived previously. It was great having room for the boys to play in the years to come too. Not a lot of room indoors, but outside we had a climbing frame with a swing and slide, room for ball games and for small boys driving recklessly in pedal cars! Really, our family was so blessed! We never had big expensive holidays, we hadn’t even had a honeymoon! We didn’t have luxury cars or much spare money, but we had what we needed, that money really can’t buy. God is good!

Anyway,  I wanted to tell you something that I only discovered very recently…

If you read part 1, which I’ll attach here, you remember the passage from Jeremiah 32, in which Jeremiah buys a field…? I don’t know what made me dig deeper, but that field was in Anathoth. It was in the territory of Benjamin. Anathoth was a sanctuary city and is listed in several places as meaning “answers” or “answers to prayer”. There are various other connections to this name, but that one really caught my eye. Living here, in this house, in this place, was SUCH an answer to prayer! We grew spiritually, and as a family, and have been involved in impactful ministries over many years. We’ve made friends for life and, now I’m on my own, it’s the one place I feel safe and secure and “at home”. It really was a sanctuary and the Lord’s provision for the long term future (the deeds are secured to last a long time, Jer 32:14) and I’m so grateful.

For years, I had a little card with the following verse propped up on a shelf…

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I think it’s in with my old bible notes and prayer journals now, but I need to look it out. God is good. So very good, always. He knows our story from beginning to end. Of course we will have struggles, hard times, sadness, adversity – we live in a fallen world – but with the Lord we will always have HOPE, summed up as “Holding On, Praying Expectantly”. As children of God we should hold onto him and be expectant as to how he will provide and care for us, in response to our prayers and requests. He always listens, and always acts, though sometimes not in the ways we expect!

Praise the Lord, for he is good and his love endures forever….

The little house that God bought, part 1…

I get a lot of video shorts coming up on YouTube for horse and dog rescues. They frequently make me cry! These poor animals have been terribly abused, neglected or abandoned. Sometimes they have trust issues as they are so afraid, but often, even when they are terribly injured, they are just so grateful to be rescued.

Why do we have all these animal shelters, pleas for donations and potential pet adopters, and our hearts break because we KNOW these creatures deserve kindness and love and a safe home, but humans… not so much?

Maybe we turn a blind eye because we don’t want to get involved. We are scared to take someone that we don’t know into our home because we don’t know if they can be trusted, or to be taken for a fool by the person who begs in the street, takes our money and then simply feeds their addiction.

Somehow we understand that animals have a pure heart. They are shaped by their experience and circumstances, but even then will often show extraordinary trust and gratitude.

The bible says in Jeremiah 17:9
“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?”

I think the thing is, we don’t know if we can trust other people, because we know we can’t always trust ourselves. Humans are made in the image of God and have such amazing potential but, thanks to Adam and Eve, and the serpent of course, mankind fell. The simple joy of walking with the Lord in the garden was gone. We know only too well that the heart is deceitful!

When we look at these poor animals, they can’t speak, but their eyes plead… “Will you rescue me?” It is within our power to do something, even just for one. We can adopt, make a donation to a shelter, volunteer our time if we don’t have the money…

Father God looked upon his creation with mercy knowing that, like the animals, we were doomed to die without a rescuer. So he sent Jesus to be that Saviour, the one who hears our plea… “Rescue me!”

And he rescues every last one who calls on him. He adopts us into his family and calls us sons and daughters of the Most High. No longer abandoned, neglected or abused.

You may think you have it all worked out and you’re perfectly fine in this world, but one day something will happen that you didn’t expect, don’t want, is not part of your life plan, and you will realise that you DO need a rescuer!

Cry out to Jesus! Call on his name. He will always answer, he will always save.

It seems that someone is always trying to sell us something. Unless you’re very wealthy financially, most people would think it important to have life assurance (or life insurance, see description below). Otherwise, upon your death, your family could suffer great hardship, especially if you are the main breadwinner.

Even if you aren’t the main financial contributor, perhaps you look after children or extended family, home school, cook, keep house… So your demise could still necessitate childcare, a cleaner, someone else to do what you did out of love and service, in order for the “breadwinner” to keep working. Everyone in a family has a role to play which, in the normal scheme of things, brings value. (I know this is a very idealistic view of life, but you get my drift…)

But all the insurances we buy cost money and often come with caveats. If we can’t afford to pay what they want to charge us, we have to live with a “fingers crossed” kind of hope for the future. Yes, hopefully we’ll stay alive, stay well, always have a job and decent income. No storms will come, the boat won’t sink… I can tell you from experience, storms DO come! And in some cases, the boat is so badly damaged it simply can’t stay afloat. It’s just a question of whether the remaining passengers sink with it or get rescued.

I’ve just heard of the sudden, unexpected death of a very fit and healthy young man in his prime. I’m sure he never thought when he went to bed, that he would not wake up the following morning. It’s shocking and also very sad. Where is he now? His physical body is still here. His soul and spirit are somewhere else. I didn’t know him personally, so I don’t know the answer to that question.

One day, we will all die. Some sooner than others. Life assurance is something we have which softens the blow for others. It is of no benefit to us.

But there is a life assurance that WILL benefit us, after we’re gone from this Earth. It is a life assurance that we don’t pay for, that was bought at a price by another and is freely offered to us. There are no strings attached, no hidden clauses or conditions, bar one… You need to trust and believe in the one who bought it for you!  It even provides benefits BEFORE you die! That’s a great deal if you ask me!

To find out more, check out the Holy Bible or ask someone who has already signed up to this amazing offer!

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Life insurance and life assurance are terms that are often used interchangeably – but is there a difference?

Both are forms of protection designed to pay out after the policyholder passes away – but they don’t work the same way. The key difference is that life insurance is designed to cover the policyholder for a specific term, while life assurance usually covers the policyholder for their entire life.
(from the Aviva web site)

Well… what times we live in! And I kind of always knew I’d be here for it! I would definitely prefer a calm, quiet life without the stress, the upward spiralling costs, the feeling of oppression rising everywhere. BUT if God is for me, who can be against me?!

Psalm 91 (learn it by heart!) begins:
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

And verse 2… (we could almost start it with “Therefore”!)
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

That secret place, where only the children of God can be, is out of sight and out of reach of the enemy. I would go as far as to say it is in another dimension! As born again Saints, we have one foot in the world and one foot in eternity… We are hidden IN CHRIST and seated with him in the heavenly places.

Although I’ve suffered and written about the anxiety I’ve had on and off since being widowed, I KNOW with all my heart that THIS is the safe place. Right next to Jesus, close to his heart, gazing into his eyes. He LOVES us with an everlasting, sacrificial love! He will never leave us nor forsake us, he’s a very present help in trouble and the strong tower that we run into.

Psalm 46:1-2 NKJV
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. [2] Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Psalm 61:1-4 NKJV
Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. [2] From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. [3] For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. [4] I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.

I’m going to re-post something I originally published in 2019. I think of it often, and what a safe place it is! If we strive for anything, we should strive to remain in that place! Our Shalom is found in Jesus.

The deeper the darkness, the brighter the light shines…

Hidden in Christ…