With the growth of ‘find your ancestors’ sites and so many adverts on TV – there seems to be such a trend right now to find out exactly where/who we came from and what it means to us today.

Sometimes, finding out about our ancestry comes with the thrill of realising that we might be connected to someone important, someone special in history. Someone who was incredible in their lifetime….and very, very rarely who may have left us an inheritance!

I’m certain you know where I’m going with this thought (!) – of course we are related to the most influential and important person of all time. If we have been ‘born again’ by receiving God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ then we are truly born into a royal family. God is now our Father – the creator and ruler of all things and there isn’t anything that He was unable (or unwilling) to give to us. Our ‘inheritance’ is of incalculable worth.

When Jesus died and was resurrected, part of the Salvation plan in the mind of God was to secure an eternal entrance into His family, along with all the privileges that gives. Living in health and strength, having provision to exceed every need, knowing that tomorrow is going to be OK no matter what happens today. These are just a few of the great benefits of salvation in Christ, of being a son or daughter of God.

Sadly though, too many of us can live so far below our birth right. Perhaps we don’t know that our inheritance is also for today, for right now – perhaps we have thought it is only for heaven. Maybe we have been told we have to earn what we need from God by prayer, fasting and good deeds. Or sometimes we feel we just don’t deserve such amazing gifts of love from a perfect Father.

Well that’s the great thing with an inheritance –it is solely dependent on the generosity of the one who died. And it’s a binding agreement made in the past between Jesus Christ and God the Father – now the only thing left for us to do is understand what it is and so receive it with joy!

Thank God – He is so perfect in His plans, that He bypassed the need for us to do anything other than believe what He said. Now by speaking and agreeing with Him, we enable Him to use His power to bring about those things in our life that He always desired to give us. We can enjoy prosperity of every kind: physical health, emotional satisfaction, joy, hope and excitement for the future, financial security and above all a love relationship in His divine family.

I want to encourage us all today – let’s get our bibles out, trace our ancestry and find out about our true inheritance! The bible is filled with His “…exceeding great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4) which enable us to walk as His children in the image of Christ. And nothing brings more joy to God than when we walk in the truth! (3 John v4)

A little round up of gigs and news over the last few months – we’re all over the UK!

UP NORTH: With a lovely group of people in Leeds last month it was a joy to play at the monthly Gospel Music evening of Church at the Crossroads in Selby.

ON TOUR: This month it was an absolute joy to support Noel Robinson on his UK Outrageous Love tour!

Seth Pinnock kicked off the evening with his worship team (the Holy Spirit filled the room!), then I ministered and shared what God has done to heal me of Multiple Sclerosis – we lifted his name and praised God together! What a blessing to be able to encourage a wonderful group of worshippers at the Birmingham City Church.

Noel  and his band took to the stage and were a great blessing to everyone that night – praising God and encouraging us all by the word and the spirit. He continues his tour later in the year and hopefully including a Stoke date – will keep you posted!!

DOWN SOUTH: And I’m looking forward to a great time in Devon next month where I’ll be singing and sharing at the Parish Church of St Peter and Vincula – check out the details on the events page and come along if you’re in the area!

IN THE STUDIO: In August I’ll be heading to the studio to record my third CD with the amazing new songs the Lord has given…it will be released later this year along with a launch party with live band support! Watch this space – I’ll let you know as things develop so you can be involved if you’d like to.

In the meantime, I pray we all walk in an even greater understanding and faith in Gods love for us!

Thank you to Derek and Elaine for organising a wonderful open air service as part of the annual Milwich village festival which includes an almost famous duck race! Retired Vicar Duncan led the service brilliantly – the opportunity to meet together and celebrate God was a fitting part of the annual celebrations by the villages @milwichmusicfestival

The weather stayed fine despite the threatened rain, but moving from the planned AV stage trailer to the covered marquee was not without it’s fun points. The uneven floor tried it’s best to throw the keyboard off the stand half way through..but we managed a quick rescue and continued to Praise God!

Thanks Chris for fixing the ‘technical’ issue with a couple of trusty beer towels…interesting feature on the photos if you can spot them!

As always thank you to everyone for their part in making these events happen – you are such a blessing x

What a wonderful May! Meeting so many precious people and seeing God so touch their lives – we were all blessed with knowing His presence and feeling refreshed and inspired by His spirit for the days ahead. It was a real honour to be able to chat, encourage, share the word and pray with you – thank you so much for all the warm welcomes. God Bless you as you continue to grow in the knowledge of the grace and love of Jesus! xxx

It’s difficult to talk about bloodshed in a positive way. Particularly at the moment with so many atrocities happening around the world resulting in innocents losing their lives. And yet perhaps shockingly to many, innocent bloodshed is really one of the crucial positive messages of Christianity.

Hebrews 9:22 reminds us that as revealed in the law God gave to Moses, there is no remission of sin (forgiveness of debt) without the shedding of blood. And not just any blood – the blood of a spotless, guilt free sacrifice is required to wipe away the stain and the guilt of wrongdoing. After all the life is IN the blood (Lev 17:11) – making blood a kind of spiritual currency. A life for a life. Being the perfect judge that He is, God cannot simply ignore the debt owed to Him when we mess up. Any more than we would when someone wrongs us terribly – in fact we usually expect to take them to court to see justice done.

But whilst God’s perfect justice demands payment, His great love for us wants mercy. Cue the innocent sinless sacrifice of Jesus Christ on behalf of all mankind – stepping in willingly to give his life to pay our debt fully and wipe away our stains of guiltiness. What a plan! God Himself paying the debt that we owed Him.

These are the truths expressed in the track ‘Blood Bought’ from my first EP ‘My Beloved Calls’ Our debts really have been completely paid for and we are washed clean by the innocent blood of Jesus. Hebrews chapters 9 and 10 lay it out clearly for us that Jesus entered the Holy places in Heaven to make a new and living way for us to approach God with confidence. Where the way had been shut because of our sin – now He has opened the path again for us to enjoy relationship with God our Father. God’s justice satisfied so His great love could be fulfilled (Eph 2:4)

For those who have accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on their behalf, His blood works continuously today to purge consciences from dead (fruitless) works. I thank God for the perfect, powerful blood of Jesus!

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” John 8: 31-32

I think it’s wonderful when you read something for the what seems like the 1000^th time and then the Holy Spirit just shows you something completely new! With God I’ve found there are continuing levels of understanding and knowing Him, as He shows you more and more of the overall picture. In some ways, it’s a little like correcting your vision.

I started to need glasses when I was in primary school. After months of squinting at the teacher’s squiggles on the blackboard (old school chalk and blackboard back in my day!) it was time to finally get those dreaded glasses and join the ranks of what I thought of as ‘geeks’! Well thankfully I soon changed my perceptions of those of us with glasses, but I still daily have the experience of only vaguely knowing where things are until I don my specs. Then everything come into sharp focus and I can clearly see what I’m looking at!

I get the same sense with God when He starts to talk to me about parts of the bible that I’m reading. Sometimes I vaguely know what I think the scripture is saying, but then it sharply comes into new focus as He drops in a new thought I’d never considered before. Reading the John 8:31-32 scripture today I thought to myself (as I had done countless times before) ‘yes that’s true, when you know what the written word actually means then it changes your thinking and makes you free in that area’…but then like a new pair of specs I suddenly saw this verse in a clearer way.

What is truth? According to John 14:6 Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life” So I saw for the first time that ‘the truth’ is not just a set of facts or values, but it’s a real living person whom I can get to know.

We can all know things ‘about’ someone – the internet is a super highway of facts/fiction about almost anyone, especially celebrities. But does that mean we actually know that person? Do we spend time with them and listen when they speak? Do we understand what makes them happy or the way they like things to be done? And do we know how much we mean to them?

With this in mind, I’ve determined to know Him more intimately, so that He Himself can make me free. It is in having greater intimacy with Jesus, letting Him speak to my heart, show me His love and complete acceptance that I am made free in every way. This is so much more powerful and personal – a one to one communion with the lover of my soul. I’m going to begin by looking at the scripture in a different way – seeing the person Jesus in all that I read and inviting Him to reveal who He is in more clarity. I pray that you would see Him more clearly in all that you do also.

Years ago, my childhood optometrist Mr Cooper would put different strength lenses into the frames and say “Is it better with this, without or about the same?” Well I’ve found my view of world is definitely better – better when I look at everything with Jesus!

2016 – what a year! I’ve had the great privilege of speaking to people on the street, in various churches and simply in the workplace. I’ve been blessed to work with great mentors at Resound Media who are helping me further along the musical path that the Lord has set me on – and will have more of that to look forward to in 2017! Organising a fabulous fundraising gig in support of Open Doors and performing with Out of the Ashes was a treat in March and most recently working with some talented musicians to form a new band for gigs lined up in 2017. Much to be excited about and greatly thankful for.

But one of the overall things I remember this year is the conversation with so many precious people about their 2016 experiences leaving them hopeless, discouraged or just bemused by the things happening around the world.

I encouraged people with the assurance that when someone loves us as much as God does, then we have nothing to fear. No need to be anxious about all these happenings. Jesus knew we would need His strength during the crazy times that we live in, because He encouraged us through Peter to “cast all your care on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7)

We can have peace in the midst of increasing pressures, peace that comes from knowing He has it all in hand, when we don’t have a clue how it’s going to work out. Sounds good – but what does it mean in reality?

If you’ve been in anguish over the EU referendum, burdened with the tragedy of the refugees fleeing Syria, in despair about the increasing terrorist attacks or simply don’t know how you will meet the Christmas bills this month then you qualify for the peace of God. Simply ask Him to take care of all these issues and thank Him for the peace in your heart and mind that you need. The good news is that we don’t have to understand how these things are going to be resolved. Once we’ve handed it over the God it’s His responsibility to fulfil whatever is needed. So this Christmas, ask Jesus for the gift of peace and then “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus”

Merry Christmas and I hope to see you at a gig sometime in 2017!