An end and a beginning…

Well my sabbatical is coming to an end. Although it has started me on a journey I’ve not yet completed. I am determined to keep praying and seeking God for wisdom for the many issues that have come into my mind in these past months. And my retreat day away at Scargill House was so amazing, I’m already looking for a date after Christmas when I can go again. I really met with the Lord there and would run away and live there forever if I could have that experience every day….yes, I know, I can feel that close to God right where I am each day, but there really was something special about getting away from every day life…even for just one day….

I went along to the Good News Group Christmas service this week, and it was strange just watching and not organising! It was like I’d never been away and so lovely to see all my GNG family. So many hugs! I know now that I’ll be going back in January.

But it’s going to be a new beginning. I can’t just go back to how things were before. One of the reasons I went on sabbatical was because I was feeling restless and knew God had plans for us, but I couldn’t hear him in all the busyness of being involved. I’ve been away and looked outwards. I’ve talked, met, presented, listened and prayed with many other people involved in ministry with people with additional needs and many people who have Additional Needs who are ministers themselves. I have been changed by this wider view of what God is doing in our nation and beyond to include people with AN in his church.

I’ve also received a copy of Matthew’s gospel that Biblica have produced in an easy read version. They presented this at the No Limits conference I was at in London and since I came back, I have been reading it. I’m so excited. This is just what our group has needed. I so want to try it out as our Bible study focus. It’s written in clear language, shorter sentences and larger text. It is in clear headed sections and uses less complex language without taking anything away from the meaning. I know they are planning a spoken version for people who cannot see or cannot read. There should be a version of this that everyone of our group can access. I’m hoping we can use it in The Good News Group next year and then feed back to Biblica how we find it. Here’s the link to Biblica’s website to get your copy!

I want to thank everyone who reads this blog. Includedbygrace has become a ‘thing’ in that people are recognising it and what it’s about. I’m hoping to let God develop this next year…but how, well, that’s up to him!

If I don’t get to blog again before Christmas…..have a very blessed time.