House of bread

House of Bread (HOB) is an organisation that offers a home-cooked meal for homeless and vulnerable people in Stafford, England and the surrounding area.
We run our humble operation out of a church kitchen in the centre of Stafford town. Each week our volunteers take turns to cook a hot, home-cooked meal for our guests, who are growing in their numbers every week. Fantastic homely meals aren't the only thing on the HOB menu, friendship, support, advice and someone to listen are available to all our visitors, or as we like to call them our friends.
Ask any of our visitors and they will tell you, it isn't a house that makes a home; it’s the family inside it. House of Bread is like a real home; we eat together, laugh together, cry together, share success and support each other in times of crisis.
A short promotional video that encapsulates the work of House of Bread. This video was kindly produced by Joseph Cheetham-Wilkinson Productions.

Colours of day

This is one of my favorite hymns not just because of the tune but also for the powerful lyrics, and we sang it at our local pub the Bank House for a special Harvest celebration.  Oups. It was a fantastic evening as the event was well-attended, the music was outstanding and you felt relaxed and joyful. Hearts and ears open to something new, a glimpse of heaven maybe who knows! Regular customers, parishioners from Mid-trent churches and outside the village such as Great Haywood. We were privileged to have John at the mandoline, Maureen at the violin, Helga at the keyboard and Steve at the guitar. At the interval, I was going to say the entr'acte, we were offered a selection of tasty food bites, courtesy of Carol and Tom Brannon. I may be biased but the other attractive feature of this event was the opportunity given to everybody to request their favorite songs. So we can't wait for another evening of worship there. If you live nearby and have never been, why don't you join us next time! 

Colours of day dawn into the mind,
The sun has come up, the night is behind.
Go down in the city, into the street,
And let's give the message to the people we meet

So light up the fire and let the flame burn,
Open the door, let Jesus return,
Take seeds of His Spirit, let the fruit grow,
Tell the people of Jesus, let His love show.

Go through the park, on into the town;
The sun still shines on, it never goes down.
The light of the world is risen again;
The people of darkness are needing a friend.

Refrain

Open your eyes, look into the sky,
The darkness has come, the sun came to die,
The evening draws on, the sun disappears,
But Jesus is living, His Spirit is near.

Even though I had more free time in my hands than now, I'm sharing this with you a month later.Have a blessed evening!

Practising generosity!

Steven and I had a fantastic time at our last synod and I would like to share what people -  in the vast diocese of Lichfield -  have been doing and are still doing in order to tackle poverty and practise generosity in their parishes. I have downloaded the video, you can watch it on the page called 'videos', scroll down in the right column. Any problem let me know. Have a blessed week. Nicky

Love one another!

This week has gone so fast and it has been really nice.  As I am now working nearer home, I have more time to indulge in some reading before I tackle marking and planning in the evening. Over the years, I have become a fussy reader, call it choosy, I do not want to waste time to read rubbish, it goes the same with newspapers, magazines or blogs.

Another habit of mine is that if I like a book a lot, I will read and enjoy so much of it and then stop reading and keep it for later..I am not sure why I do that. Do you do that too? Could it be that I need to be reassured that come to the crunch, I have got something really good to enjoy! 

Before Christmas, I read a beautiful book called Song of a Stranger that gives you interesting pointers on how you can be faithful to God in a non-Christian society without compromising your beliefs (I quote) and somehow I stopped before the last chapter, The Best is still to come. 

Before the New Year, I ordered 2 books on amazon, Compelled by Love by Heidi Baker that I have nearly finished and Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer that I cannot wait to start. Also, I have been reading on and off a French book called 'Les Aristocrates', well-written, light and humorous  by Michel de Saint Pierre.

So Tuesday night, I read Compelled by Love and I got very emotional.  In the war-torn, poverty-stricken country of Mozambique, Heidi Baker and her husband have experienced God's miraculous provisions and witnessed the transformed hearts of people caught in desperate life-or-death situations.  (I quote) I could not stop reading and that evening as I still had to do marking and planning, I went to bed rather late! 

So, what is your best read? Do you have any particular reading habits? Have an excellent white week-end!

1 John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

John 13:34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

The King's problem

Jeff Reynold tells us about the King's problem. 

A big thank you

 to all our friends, churches and family members who sponsored Imogen to take part in Chennai Challenge project.

Jet lagged but not wanting to admit it, she has got a big smile on her face. She  is back home sorting photos, adding some late entries to her diary narrating her amazing experiences.

A few photos.

Blessings.

Bringing the gospel to others at work...

Is it feasible? risky? Would you lose your job? Some time ago, I heard a minister saying that it was like being undercover. However I reckon the more you practice, the better you become! Easy said than done, you could answer! Have you tried?
God has put each one of us where we are for a purpose. If you are in a particular job, it is because God has put you there to reach others who work there.
I am now in the middle of chapter 4 of Authentic Christianity by Richard Taylor, an amazing book that I recommend!
Maybe you hate your job...maybe you feel that the people you are working with would be totally unreceptive to the Gospel...
I must say that those thoughts have come across my mind and brought frustration. Perseverance is a must, prayers are essential. Help from the Holy Spirit is vital. Blessings