Imagine my surprise last Sunday when one of our elders messaged me to ask if I'd be willing do a paint party for the children's church to kick off the new term, that's about 20 children. However, I was already scheduled to be on worship team so now I'm doing said paint party this coming weekend during the morning service...

Then, fortunately I was up at like 5h30 this morning & when, to my surprise, around 6am dad phoned. A man who in the past wouldn't speak more than 2 or 3 sentences suddenly chatting for 25 minutes. That must be a new record. Just before he hung up, I told him I love him & for the first time in my life he replied: "you too!" That's the closest I've ever gotten to the "I love you" from dad that I've been waiting 54 years to year.

Could it be this prophecy I received from Pastor Mike Berry in November 1991 is finally being fulfilled?🤔

"There's been a war in your house, a tremendous war. It's almost been times where it's been extremely violent & it's principality & powers that's warred against you.

And it's been times when you've prayed & prayed: "God give deliverance! God give deliverance!" And you didn't even think God was listening to you. You felt like God has shut the heavens against you & you said: "I don't know how God's going to answer."

But it's been like a braze from heaven. God is breaking through right now. And the thing He's promised you in your prayer times & the times that you've worshipped God in this place & the things that you're seen in your life, God has come through & revealed things to you. God is going to do that in your life & in your family's life.

He's going to set that place free & break that spirit that's been over that place in the Name of Jesus!

He's going to turn the hearts of the sons to their fathers the hearts of the fathers to their sons. He's going to remove the heart of stone & give you a heart of flesh."

It took me almost 30 years to realise the heart of stone he was speaking about was mine...

I never argued and fitted in exactly with what others thought was right for me to do. I never realised just how passive I really was, having deeply buried my emotions and personhood to the point that I did not know I had them!

We form hearts of stone early in childhood as a defence to shield ourselves from pain. These barriers are reinforced by our judgments, expectations, and inner vows, ultimately leading to a profound sense of loneliness, even when surrounded by friends. A heart of stone is by nature private, tends to die slowly & affects relationship with Christ.

The heart of stone must be loved back to life by Christ & He does that THROUGH His children, through love, nurture, fellowship, appropriate touch & hugs in community with others. It needs relationship. It needs God with skin on! It needs to know it's a person with feelings and needs.

Over the past few months I've been very intentional in building relationships, loving others back to life & allowing others to do the same for me. Sandra says we need at least 12 hugs a day to survive, so I give lots of hugs & in giving hugs we also receive them.

When you come across a heart of stone pushing back, love louder. Allow Christ's love & compassion to flow through you to love them back to life.

Lately I'm seeing the Lord's favour in the most unexpected places...

I received this via WhatsApp from a dear friend this evening: "In my study through the Psalms, I came across this verse today: Psalm 17:8 "Keep me as the apple of Your eye."

The word apple is the Hebrew word for pupil of the eye and the word "eye" is the word bath in Hebrew that means "daughter". My interpretation of this is: Keep me, Your daughter, in the center of Your sight.

The rest of the verse says: "Hide me under the shadow of Your wings." Which is a reminder of Psalm 91.

God has His eyes fixed on you and He is covering you under the feathers of His wings."

"You Are Loved!" is the painting chosen for this weekend's painting... how fitting... as it speaks to my own heart today.