One
February
Isabel waded through thick black mud as she approached the dilapidated wooden field gate. Each step she took rendered a loud squelching noise as she fought to keep possession of her favourite Wellington boots – the ones covered with multi-coloured polka dots, with a fluffy lining. A stale, earthy smell filled her nostrils as she struggled further to untie the knotted bailer twine that secured… Read More »
9
Worst Fears Confirmed
After a very long flight we finally touched down at London’s Heathrow Airport. Our South African holiday had come to an end and we were daring to be optimistic as to what God had in store for the next chapter of our lives. We felt rested and rejuvenated. Our grief was starting to be punctuated by healing and peace. The raw, open, emotional wound had started to scab over… Read More »
Chapter One
Answering the Call
Introduction
We are in a time of incredible change. All around us we can see chaos and uncertainty. As followers of Jesus, we might make bold declarations about building on the rock (Matthew 7:24-27), but for many the reality is we feel like we are standing in a thick fog waiting for someone else to… Read More »
Introduction
‘What the heck is happening?’
I was sitting in the garden of a conference centre in rural Derbyshire. On the other end of the phone line, my friend and fellow church leader, Beth, had just said a rude word. It wasn’t actually the word ‘heck’. I hadn’t heard her say this word before, and I haven’t heard her say it since. It’s the kind of word that makes a film into a 15 certificate, or… Read More »
Chapter 1
Introduction
Salvation belongs to our God
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb… Read More »
Introduction
The great blessing of every Christian is the ability to see the future with a life-changing hope.
The message of Jesus means that we can be optimistic in every circumstance and view death without fear. What lies on the other side of that curtain is a priceless inheritance worth getting excited about… Read More »
1
Christmas Eve 1976
We have a little girl here…
The visit to Santa’s Grotto on Christmas Eve is an unexpected treat. Daddy will be coming home later this evening. Mummy has explained to me more than once that the reason Daddy has to be away from home so often and for such long periods is that ‘he’s earning the pennies for us to spend’. I miss… Read More »
September
This morning, I overslept and woke up just before eight. Once I’d got up, done a few half-hearted stretches and picked up my clothes from the floor, I said to myself, ‘Isabella, you can do this. The cellulite will go, you’ve still got all your own teeth, you and Suze are friends again and you’ve got this beautiful house in your own name.’ #bestfriendsforever Read More »
The Hook (or Catching Your Editor)
Tony Collins
You may have seen film of baby turtles hatching, scrambling out of their sandy nest, making their way down to the edge of the foam, dodging marauding gulls, then braving the first wave, only to become a treat for any roving shark. Perhaps one in a hundred will make it to adulthood. Books are like baby turtles… Read More »
1
Welcome to Wherever You Are
You open your eyes.
Slowly.
You’re a little disorientated at first; you feel good but you just can’t quite remember where you are or maybe even who you are yet. Light is streaming through a gap in the curtains… Read More »
