- St John’s Church, Greenside &
- Church of the Holy Spirit, Crawcrook,
- Church Office, Main Street, Crawcrook,
- Ryton, Tyne and Wear
- NE40 4NB
0191 413 7279 Church Office
Email Us
A Message from the Vicar
That is the truth – you are so precious – let me say it again; YOU ARE PRECIOUS. Yes, it is hard to believe that we are so precious to God despite all the things we have done wrong. Yes, even the vilest offender. During our lifetime most of us have been told many negative things about our characters and sadly, many of our personalities have been shaped by those negative comments. Yet, in the sight of God we are precious. To me that is absolutely amazing! To think that God still thinks I am precious after all the bad things I have done in my life, all the times I have messed up and all the times I have rejected Him and He still thinks I am precious.
The more I think of what God thinks of me and all of humanity the more I am amazed. To think that you and I are so precious to Him that He sent His Son Jesus to this earth just goes to prove what God thinks of us.
Christmas is such a special time to give thanks to God for His wonderful gift of His Son Jesus. God knew our greatest need! He knew that our sin (living outside His will) has separated us from Him, and that separation has caused and is causing chaos in our lives. Because of His loving nature, He had to deal with the chaos and consequences of rebellion.
The Bible tells us in John 3.16 -17 ‘For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him’.
What is so wonderful and so unique about Christianity is that God has revealed His nature of love to His creation by coming to be with us.
John 1.14 says ‘The Word (God) became flesh and dwelt among us’.
So while many other religions and philosophies are still searching for the nature and character of God, I thank God that His nature and character is not a mystery, but has been revealed to us through Jesus. Another gift that God has given to us is choice – freedom to choose. True love gives us that freedom to choose.
We can either choose to receive the gift of Jesus or choose to reject Him.
Choosing to receive the gift of Jesus in our lives has many positive consequences and here are a few: forgiveness, revelation of the nature of God, eternal life, protection, no condemnation, God (through His Holy Spirit) abiding in us, purpose, freedom, direction and the promise that God will be with us until the end of time.
Yes, you and I are precious to God and He loves us too much to leave us in the mess we are in. This Christmas you can make the best choice that you have ever made - choose to give your heart to Jesus and receive the greatest Gift in the whole wide world.
Prayer: Thank you God that I am so precious in Your sight. Thank you that I am so precious to You that You sent Jesus to reveal Your heart to me and to save me from eternal destruction. I choose to accept the gift of Jesus that You sent me. I confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me for the sins that separate me from You and I now turn my back on that way of life and ask You to guide me in the pathway You have made for me. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
If you have said this prayer, please give me a ring on 0191 4138281 and I can help you to move forward in your new life in Jesus. God richly bless you this Christmas time.
Clive Devonish
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Reap what you sow? |
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by Revd Clive W Devonish, Vicar of Greenside Parish |
Who would have guessed that the riots we have recently seen on the TV news, in different parts of the world would visit us in this country?
I don’t know if it is a surprise to you to see young people on the streets, setting fire to buildings, looting shops, assaulting people, hurling missiles at the police and finally causing the deaths of innocent people. After all, these things only happen in other countries where there is no democracy and where there is an existing corrupt government.
Whether people are surprised or not, whether people are shocked at what they have seen and experienced or not – to God it is not a surprise at all. For God clearly says to us that we will reap what we sow!
The Bible tells us this: Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction. The one who sows to please the Spirit (God) from the Spirit will reap eternal life (Galatians 6:7-8)
We may all have different views on the cause of the discontent that led to the riots; we may all have our own opinions on the youth, government and police; and I am sure each has a part to play in recent chaos in our cities. But the truth is this, it has been brewing up for a long time. We have had generations of young people (many of whom are parents and gang leaders) who have had no love, guidance, boundaries and discipline.
We live in a social climate where children have little understanding of what a stable family life is like and a society where many fathers and mothers have neglected the most important role in life - and that is to love and bring up their offspring in a loving and disciplined environment.
But is it their fault? The Bible tells us that the sins of the father will be passed on to the next generation. This truth can be clearly seen as one generation’s brokenness is passed on to the next generation. This may be in the area of addiction, abuse, neglect, social inadequacy, violence, lack of respect, stealing, envy and many other negative family characteristics.
But is it only the youth, police and government to blame, or do we also play a part in the present social problems?
I believe we all play a part whether directly or indirectly!
Have you noticed that the more we take away the boundaries of God’s law, and replace it with man-made laws, how society begins to break down?
We in our human wisdom think we know how to live life better that the person who created life. We think we can remove those important boundaries that God has given us to live by and expect to live a life of abundance and peace. Well, the answer can be clearly seen – people living in fear, gang warfare, broken families, social disquiet, murders, stealing, rape, rich-poor divide increasing, unemployment and it goes on and on. God tells us very clearly that we reap what we sow!
We have recently had the Murdock enquiry, the MPs’ expense inquiry, corruption in the police force, the abuse (both sexual and physical) of children in social care, teachers, priests and carers abusing children and vulnerable adults and bankers gambling
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St Agnes Day Nursery
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It was an exciting day at St Agnes Day Nursery in Crawcrook with ‘Weatherman’ Paul Mooney at their official opening day!
Nursery manager Debbie Davies said "Thank you to everyone who came to the event - we had a fantastic day, despite the rain. Paul Mooney was really great and very friendly. The balloons looked fab when they were released, and everyone had a good time. Thanks too to everyone who donated toys, gifts and cakes - we had an amazing selection of cakes and raised money for the nursery which benefits our children. We really are grateful for everyone's support”
Open 10½ hours a day, from 7.30am in the morning to 6pm in the evening, staff at St. Agnes’s Day Nursery understand that choosing the right nursery for your child is one of the most important decisions you can make. They listen to parents and carers, to reassure them that their children are happy and settled at the nursery. This is a flexible, family-friendly Day Nursery.
And in their new, purpose built premises, where there’s a safe and nurturing environment, learning through play is paramount. So activities are designed to be educational, stimulating and fun! Children at St. Agnes’s Day Nursery are encouraged to develop their language skills, join in creative play, enjoy healthy snacks and relax during story time. They can play and explore in a fantastic outdoor play area.
On offer here is nursery education and childcare for children from 2½ years old up to school age. And for 3 to 11 year olds, there’s an Out-of-School hours childcare facility at the Breakfast Club, After School Club and Holiday Club. Every child has their own Key worker who works with parents to help children develop. Key workers complete record journals of how each child spends their time, to show their progress.
Parents are encouraged to talk with their child’s Key worker as an Open Door Policy operates in this nursery. So with qualified and experienced staff on hand, including a Qualified Primary School/Early Years Teacher who has Early Years Professional Status, you may like to make an appointment to visit the nursery. Please call Debbie Davies, Nursery Manager Tel 0191 413 4822.
St Agnes Day Nursery, is at School House, Rosedale Road Crawcrook, NE40 4UN. Website: www.stagnesdaynursery.co.uk
and squandering our hard earned money . If these are the role models for our children, God help us! The Bible tells us ‘Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.’ John 3. 20-22. If we sow the evil seeds of greed, selfishness, violence, abuse, promiscuity, and the many other evil things of darkness, we will definitely reap the negative consequences of those seeds. But if we sow seeds of righteousness, love and obedience to God, we will reap the positive consequences of those seeds. The truth is this - we can reverse the society and culture we live in; we can make the streets and home we live in a safe and welcoming place to live and work. We can also see the rich-poor divide break down. We can, only if we sow the right seeds in our life. If we sow good seed, we produce good fruit. God tells us about what the we should be producing: ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.’ Galatians 5:22-23
Why not give it a go? Why don’t we try together to plant seeds of truth and hope in our own lives and then pass it on to the future generations? This new way of thinking and living can start today if we want it to!
Prayer: ‘Dear Lord, please forgive me for the many times I have taken away the boundaries (laws) You have set out for me to live by and have lived by man-made rules. Please help me to start afresh today, living a life that will produce good fruit. Lord, come and open my heart to receive You as my Lord and Saviour and please take Your rightful place in my life. Help me to find a church that is full of life and love, a church that will encourage me to live a life that is according to Your ways of love. And finally Lord, help me to make a positive difference to the society that I live in.
God richly bless you.
Revd Clive Devonish
Finished!
Just before Jesus died He said these words “It is finished!”
What do these words spoken by Jesus mean to humanity? Jesus was simply saying that humanity’s default was no longer hell, but that a new way through His love and grace is now open to heaven. The truth of the Easter story is of infinite importance if our future is to be with Jesus in heaven.
I believe that if the Creator of heaven and earth gives us instructions in His manual (the Bible) of how to get to heaven, then it is important for us to take notice. So many people make up their own life manual of instructions and live according to their own philosophies believing that their way will give them access to heaven. Sadly, that is not what the Bible says. It is important we realise that just because someone is sincere about their beliefs doesn’t mean that they are right (Hitler was sincere about his beliefs - although they were wrong).
So if sincerity does not get you to heaven, what does?
Well, we first need to look at why the natural default for humanity is hell. Firstly, we must realise that there is no sin in heaven and because we have all sinned, we are automatically barred from entering heaven when we die.
This means that hell is our default (most people sincerely believe the lie that heaven is their default and sadly live their lives according to this belief).
The Good News is this: God did not leave us in that default position but has opened a way for us to enter heaven once again. When those words “it is finished” came from the lips of
Jesus, it beckoned in a new way of life, and a new promise of forgiveness for all those who believe and trust in Him. What Jesus did upon the cross for us was to take our place in
death by dying on our behalf. In other words, because the wages of sin is death (Romans chapter 6 verse 23) instead of us dying an eternal death we now have a choice of coming to the cross of Jesus and asking for His forgiveness.
By coming to the cross of Jesus and repenting (turning away from the previous way of life) and proclaiming Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, our sins are then washed away.
We then become what is known as being clothed in righteousness, the righteousness given to us by Jesus. This means that when we die and by Revd Clive W Devonish, Vicar of Greenside Parish
The Pharisees and their religion scholars came to His disciples greatly offended. "What is He doing eating and drinking with crooks and 'sinners'?" Jesus heard about it and spoke up, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I'm here inviting outsiders, not insiders—an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out." The Message Luke 5:30- “Growing God’s Kingdom by knowing Jesus and making Him known” come before God to be judged He will not see our sin, but the righteousness given to us by Jesus clothing us.
Unless we are clothed in that righteousness given to us by Jesus, we cannot enter heaven and the hell default comes into play. Jesus is the Key to heaven. He proved beyond doubt that He has opened the way to eternity by His life and death.
He finally proved that He was God and fulfilled His promise to break the sting of death by rising from the dead on the third day which is known as Easter Sunday.
So my friends, that is the truth of the Good News of Jesus, the sting of death is broken and the gates of heaven is open to those who are clothed in His righteousness.
Remember what the great Christian author CS Lewis said: “If the statement of Christianity is untrue then it is not important. But, if it is true then it is of infinite importance, what it cannot be is moderately important”. Here is a prayer if you want to be clothed in righteousness: Heavenly Father, I come to the cross of Jesus and lay my sins there and I ask you to forgive me my sins (take some time to reflect). I turn to Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and promise from this day forward that I will follow His ways and learn more about Him. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Thank you very much for your gift of love and grace. God bless you and Happy Easter.
Revd Clive
Easter 2011
The Biggest Surprise Birthday Celebration ever, began One Evening.
Many, many guests were invited from every tribe and nation, from every class in society, from the pauper to the prince. The party organisers had an open budget as this was going to be the best birthday party ever! They ordered the best food and the invited the best entertainers. And the venue was a dream - fit for a King!
The atmosphere was absolutely fantastic and guests were having the time of their lives partying. Champagne flowed freely and taste buds were excited as guests sampled the best cuisine ever.
Then the special time came, yes, the time to cut the cake and to sing ‘Happy birthday’ to the birthday boy. The guests gathered around the enormous cake and the call went out for the birthday boy to come and cut the cake. But he did not respond, he did not come. It seemed the birthday boy had gone missing. They searched high and low to try and find him. Then suddenly, like a flash, the organisers of the party realised what had happened – guess what? They were so busy organising the party and inviting the many guests that they completely forgot to invite the birthday boy!
Does it remind you of Christmas celebrations? We have Christmas parties, Christmas meals and many other Christmas celebrations and sadly forget the real meaning of Christmas - to celebrate the birthday of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Christmas without Christ being the focal point is like having a ham and pease pudding sandwich without the ham and peas, or like having a wedding without the bride and groom.
Why is it so important to have Jesus as the focal point or at the centre of Christmas? Well, it’s just a wonderful way of remembering and celebrating the great gift that God has given to us – His precious Son Jesus Christ. God’s gift brought hope into a lost world where humanity was living in darkness, separated from God and heading to eternal death.
Christmas is a time when Christians celebrate God coming to earth in human form to live with us. John 3:16 tells us: ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life’. What this verse means is that the Christ-Child, born in a manger in a cow shed in Bethlehem, entered the darkness of this earth from the glory of heaven. He came to live with us and to reveal the love of His Father’s heart. The Christ-Child eventually revealed the greatest expression of love, poured out on the cross at Calvary when He took upon Himself the punishment and death that we deserve. In other words, the Christ-Child grew up to be a man who sacrificed His own life and took upon Himself the punishment and death that we deserve. This beautiful gift from heaven is the reason that we Christians celebrate Christmas. If the gift of Jesus has ‘gone missing’ from your Christmas celebrations why not give it a try and invite Him back, to take His rightful place in the centre. You are welcome to join us over the Christmas period at one of our services and put the Christ back into your Christmas. God bless you all and have a wonderful CHRISTmas. With love,
Revd Clive Devonish
Summer 2010
Thank God for His 24/7 Church! When I first became a Christian I thought, like many other people, that the church was simply the building where people met every Sunday for worship. Thank God I now know different - the Church is the people of God who have committed themselves to Him - 24/7.
Only then did I first understand the concept of the Church being the Body (the people) of Christ, living and revealing His perfect nature of love upon this earth. The Church was birthed at Pentecost (Whitsun) over 2,000 years ago, when the promised Holy Spirit came in power to fill and empower all those who believed and trusted in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is the third person in what is known as the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). The Holy Spirit was sent by God to empower, unite, sustain and reveal His nature and Kingdom, and to make His Church a dynamic and life transforming presence upon this earth!
Sadly, many members of the God’s Church have neglected to truly seek the empowering of the Holy Spirit and the results are plain to see – cold, boring, repetitive, joyless, diminishing and irrelevant to the community they serve. Someone said to me with pride “I have been going to church for forty years and I am worshipping the same way now as I did when I first began.” I responded “How sad that is for you”, meaning that when you are baptised by water and the Holy Spirit and born again into the Kingdom of God, each day the Holy Spirit will reveal more of the nature of God to you. And as He reveals more of God’s nature, we can do nothing else but daily change our understanding of God as more of His love is poured out upon us. This means that we change daily, in our understanding of Him and His desires for us. How many adults do you see being pushed around in pushchairs or eating Farley’s Rusk? Not many! But sadly in the Church you see many adults still being pushed around in their Christian prams.
God’s intention is that His Church represents His Kingdom - united, powerful, dynamic, expanding, growing spiritually, exciting, beautiful and ever present 24/7. So Church, it is time to throw away the baby food and BE FILLED WITH HIS HOLY SPIRIT. Let’s transform this world into His precious Kingdom.
God bless you, Clive
Easter 2010:
The Cross comes before the Resurrection!
The greatest fear of humanity was conquered on that wonderful Easter Sunday over 2000 years ago when Jesus was raised from the dead.
Compare that to the fear that has driven humanity to the extent and expense of freezing their bodies (Cryonics) in the hope that they can be defrosted when a cure is found for their fatal illness. Cryonics is getting more popular as fear of death increases and new techniques are found to quick-freeze and preserve the human body. One way of cutting costs is that instead of freezing the whole body, you just freeze the head! (called neuro -suspension).
Thank goodness that through the miracle of Easter Sunday we can be reassured that death has lost its power and its sting, and that there is no longer any need for humanity to fear death and go to the expense of being frozen.
When God broke the sting of death by raising Jesus on the third day, He was clearly telling us that He has the power to raise the dead. The resurrection of Jesus clearly proves this and there is so much evidence to substantiate this historical fact. Professor Thomas Arnold, who revolutionised the concept of English education, was certainly acquainted with the value of evidence in determining historical facts, and he said: “I have been used for many years to studying the histories of other times and in examining and weighing the evidence of those who have written them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind, which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort, to the understanding of a fair inquirer, than the great sign which God has given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead”.
Sadly, many people have deconstructed the Word of God revealed in the Holy Bible, and have made up their own belief system. They have taken the bits they feel are right for them and have either ignored their content or altered the meaning to suit them. Unfortunately, this has led to many people believing in a false and counterfeit teaching which in the end will deny them access to the resurrection promises.
I can remember someone buying a ticket costing hundreds of pounds on the black market for a popular music concert (although he was strongly advised not to), and even though he paid hundreds of pounds for it, unfortunately when he got to the entrance he was turned away because the ticket was false. The ticket looked very authentic, but it was a counterfeit.
Jesus clearly tells us that for us to inherit the resurrection and eternity we must come through the Cross.
The cross is the only doorway to the resurrection and eternity. It is through the cross that our sins are cleansed and removed to make us fit to enter eternity. You see my friends, there is no sin in heaven and sadly we have all sinned to one degree or another. The Bible clearly tells us that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
CS Lewis writes about sin: Each and all sins have crowds of unhappy prisoners bound in foot and chain – there is no slavery like this. Sin is the hardest of all task-masters. Misery and disappointment by the way, despair and hell in the end – these are the wages that sin pays to its servants.
Good Friday is the day that Jesus took our sins away by dying on the cross
The wages of sin - which is death - was now paid for on the cross by the death of Jesus. Through His death we now have access back to heaven, which is a sin-free zone. This is why it is only through coming to Jesus as our Saviour and Lord and truly repenting of our sins that we can be made clean and prepared for Him.
So, please don’t freeze your heads; please don’t be fooled by counterfeit beliefs (there is much more to lose than access to the music concert). Instead, pray, come to the Cross of Christ, proclaim Him as Lord and Saviour of your life, lay your sins there and ask Him to forgive you and through that receive your inheritance.
If you have said this prayer, your new life in Jesus has just begun and it is important for you to find out what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Visit our website or contact me.
God bless you this Easter.
Are Promises Important?
Have you seen the ads claiming we can borrow extra money this Christmas and then be able to afford all the wonderful gifts for our friends and family — and that we will have the happiest Christmas ever? Another advert features a deodorant for men, that will attract the most beautiful girls (some men really believe this promise). You may also remember the many promises made by the political parties: If you vote for us and we get into power we will promise to ... !!!
I have always understood a promise to be a contract (covenant), an agreement made between different parties and should not be broken. Saying that, if a promise is made and that promise is associated with evil, then it is only right to break that promise when you find out the truth, such as if you have promised to follow the ways of an organisation which is intrinsically evil, then it is only right to break away from evil.
In reality a promise is only as good as the people making that promise.
How many promises have we broken? How many promises made to us have others broken? So how can we trust a promise? I believe we have to look at the source, where the promise originates, before we can trust the promise. There was a man of God named Isaiah who was very close to God and God spoke through him. Isaiah prophesied and promised that God would send us a Saviour to save the world. (Isaiah 61.1) The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.
This and over 300 promises ware fulfilled when Jesus came to this earth.
Another man of God, a doctor called Luke, wrote the book of Luke in the Bible. In Luke 2.8 to 11, he wrote about an angel of the Lord appearing to the shepherds: "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord”.
With the birth of Jesus the promise of a Saviour for humanity had now been fulfilled. When God makes a promise He does not break it – it is guaranteed! That is why we can trust in the Lord and His promises. Jesus came to bring the Good News to the poor. By this He did not mean the financially poor, although this may be the case; He meant those who are not aware of His love - those who are in captivity to various life circumstances and live in darkness and addiction; those who are broken hearted…
Through the death of Christ on the cross Christ made a new promise (covenant) with humanity, that all those who accept Him as Lord and Saviour of their lives will be set free and have life and a joy and confidence that they have never had before. This does not mean that all problems will go away and that life will be without trials – of course not. What it means is that you have crossed from darkness to eternal life and that whatever obstacles you have to face, God is with you. That’s a promise! So the answer to my question is YES! Promises are important and the source of that promise is equally as important, because a promise is not worth anything unless it is fulfilled.
God has already and will continue to fulfil His promise. In God a promise is true and the source is trustworthy. My friends, why not make this Christmas a special one – why not invite Jesus into your life and have His promises fulfilled in you. I pray that God’s hopes and dreams for you may be fulfilled this Christmas and in the coming year.
Have a wonderful Christmas!
God bless you.
Last update: September 2009
Freedom in Christ... So often I meet people whose present lives have been dramatically affected by their past negative experiences. Negative experiences can really have a grip on people’s lives and so often this will have a great affect on the person’s personality. Aggressive, fearful, jealous, negative and controlling personalities are so often linked to incorrect childhood upbringing and harmful adult experiences.
Society is full of broken people. Sometime the individual recognises they have a problem and some don’t. Sadly, as a result of these negative experiences many people try and deal with these issues either consciously or subconsciously in different ways. They may turn to drugs or alcohol to try and hide the pain of their experiences – unfortunately when the effect of drugs and alcohol wear off the pain is still there. Regrettably, we have generations of broken people, imprisoned by their negative experiences, living lives which, from the outside look normal, but on the inside they are in captivity to a great deal of pain and turmoil.
One of the most ridiculous sayings I have ever heard is “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me”. I have spoken to so many people whose personalities have severely affected because they have been continually belittled and called all sorts of derogatory names by their parents. They have also had their confidence destroyed by a lack of genuine love and care. Once again these negatives of life will passed on from generation to generation - that is unless you want to put a stop to it.
My friends, those prison bars of negative experiences may be around you, but they can be removed. Yes, you can, for the first time, be released from being in captivity from past hurts and you can be set free!
There is a wonderful passage in chapter four of Luke’s Gospel, in Bible, where Jesus reveals to the audience in a synagogue in Nazareth the purpose of His mission. Jesus said "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour." Jesus came to set people free from their hurts, past negative experiences, and to bring a new hope and freedom to humanity.
Jesus came to give freedom to those who live life day after day in fear and pain. He came to set those imprisoned by aggressive, fearful, jealous negative and controlling personalities free! But the choice is yours - you can either continue to live surrounded by the prison bars of the past hurts or you can make a definite decision to move on. Jesus said: “Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”
Matthew11:28. Some of the words of that wonderful hymn And can it be, written by Charles Wesley “My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose , went forth, and followed thee”. Today your chains to the past can be broken and you can be set free. We have a very skilled pastoral team and if we can help you in any way please contact us.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I thank you for all you have done for me. Please come into my life and be my Lord and Saviour and please help me to release my past hurts so that I can be set free. Amen.
If you would like to read more of Clive's previous blogs, plse click here