“The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want…” Psalm 23:1 Being in nature brings me in closer communion with God. After returning home to Wales from Greece, where I had lived for some years, I settled for a while in a small, tranquil, former coalmining village. Its industrialized landscape thankfully returned to its naturally beautiful state. Walking out of my house and up beside the nearby river, usually with only sheep for company, my mind frequently turned to Psalm 23. “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want; He makes me down to lie in pastures green. He leads me beside still waters.” (Ps 23:1-2) At this time of Advent, though, as we prepare to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ our Saviour, this psalm takes on a special significance, belonging, as it does, to the trilogy of psalms, 22, 23, and 24, that foretell of His coming upon the earth. Psalm 22 reveals the Suffering Saviour and His rejection by His own people, and by the world. Indeed, it opens with the words that He spoke during His agony on the cross: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Ps 22:1) Psalm 23, the best known of all psalms, foretells of Christ, the good shepherd, which Jesus called Himself, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. (Jn 10:11) While Psalm 24 reveals that Christ will be the sovereign King. “Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.” (Ps 24:9) Having read those psalms my mind then skips again to the Gospel according to John where I read those words which always make my mind stop with incredulity: “He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, yet the world knew Him not.” (Jn 1:10-11) Still, as I write those words I am shaking my head with disbelief. We owe Him everything. Yet, too many in the world, even after millennia, still do not know Him. And so, I have a plan that you could, if you’d like, join me in. Let’s focus our Advent preparation on three aspects : 1. Let’s ponder on what He has done for us and thank and praise Him. 2. Let’s speak of Him to whomsoever we meet in our daily life, when it feels right, in the hope that our quiet words may bring Him closer. 3. Let’s pray that this Christmas all Christians on earth will put their focus onto the real meaning of Christmastide. That they will, for instance, send each other Christian Christmas cards, not wishy-washy “happy holiday” greetings. And put prayer and thanksgiving to God at the centre of their celebrations. And, yes, let’s promise to do that too! If we prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ coming on earth for us in this way, on Christmas morning we will be able to hear the opening words of John’s gospel and be filled with Joy; no matter what our circumstances . “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.” (Jn 1:1-4) Wishing you and yours a very happy and holy Christmas! And please do get in touch and let me know your take on this topic. God bless, Teresa

“He who is not getting better is getting worse.” St Ignatius of Loyola Choose Christian fiction for spiritual improvement! As a Christian novelist, I know that spiritual growth is the essential element of the character progression my readers expect, but in ‘real life’ such growth is often ignored. Worse, we can easily become so wrapped up in day-to-day issues that our prayers and worship become perfunctory. Enter… Christian Fiction as a tool for spiritual improvement. As a suggestion, when we next read a Christian novel, (such as my Angel at the Paradise Hotel !) we can use its structure to take a fresh look at ourselves . I do admit, though, that in ‘real life’ a leap forward in spiritual improvement can be tougher to achieve than in a story, but let’s take heart! Each book plot is based on a premise, which contains problems and dilemmas to resolve. Resolutions often come about when the characters finally realize that they need to change; to become more loving – more Christlike! Of course, that is not going to happen with all characters, but with the protagonist it is usually the anticipated, and only satisfying, outcome for the reader. Best of all is when something in their story resonates with our own life, leaving us encouraged and hopeful. For me, the novelist, I have to say that this is the ‘mission accomplished!’ moment. I’d be very interested to have your feedback on this topic. God bless, Teresa

Jesus went to every town and village. He taught in their meeting places and preached the good news about God’s kingdom. Jesus also healed every kind of disease and sickness. Mat. 9:35 What do you make of Goodness as a fruit of the Holy Spirit? It is an interesting one, that sits about halfway in the list of 9 fruits which St Paul quotes in his letter to the Galatians. 5:22-23 Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, Goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control. Please listen to my short video for my take on the Goodness of God. I’d be very interested in your take of this topic. God bless Teresa x

“Speak, Lord; for Your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:9-10 ARE YOU LISTENING TO GOD? It could be that you diligently take everything to the Lord in prayer. That, of itself, would reveal your wonderful trust in your heavenly Father. However, do you as assiduously, ask Him for direct answers to dilemmas? Or for His opinion on the various situations and decisions that inevitably crop up in life? You will understand by those questions that I am making the distinction between, say, praying for a situation to be resolved versus listening for God to tell you something. If listening for Christ’s input is something you would like to practise more you may find the meditation below helpful. 1. Sit up straight and close your eyes. Breathe in deeply through the nose. Hold a few seconds. Breathe out through the mouth and as you do so feel the whole of your body relax. 2. Now meditate for a few moments on the fact that, yes, God wants you to speak to Him but also, crucially, He wants you to listen to Him. In that way Jesus will be an intimate part of your everyday life. Then you can be sure that you are doing His will… 3. Now say this prayer – or one of your own – “Dear heavenly Father, I know that you hear me when I speak to You. I am sorry though, for the times when I do not listen for Your reply. Please help me to be a more effective part of Your Great Plan by reminding me, often, to listen expectantly for Your comments and insights. I ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen” 4. When you are ready breathe in and out deeply as before. Then open your eyes and have a big stretch. Hoping the above helps you to listen for God’s word in your daily life. Please do get in touch to share if you’d like to! God bless, Teresa P.S. If you’d like much more info on listening to God please do read my book Pray Then Listen, A heart-to-heart with God . Read more about this on this website…

Garnier – Ultimate Blends Shampoo Bar Zero Plastic Waste I’m sure that you, like me, are very concerned about plastic waste cluttering up our planet. So, when I came across these shampoo bars a couple of years ago in my local branch of Boot’s I thought I’d give them a go. I felt that if we could ditch plastic shampoo bottles it would be a big step in the right direction. I admit that the first time I used the shampoo bar it seemed strange. Instead of pouring shampoo into my hand I had to wet the shampoo bar. After that I simply rubbed the bar over my wet hair and lathered up as usual. And… after I’d rinsed the shampoo off, my hair felt cleaner than it had ever felt after using liquid shampoo! Wow. One wash was all it took to convert me to the Shampoo Bar. There are various options to suit all types of hair. My favourite is Delicate Oat for sensitive scalp and fragile hair. Apart from ‘no plastic’ there are other bonuses for using this product. One is that it smells fabulous. Another is that the little bar is perfect to pop in your luggage when travelling. If you try it out I’d love to hear your feedback. Enjoy! Teresa

Jesus opened the book and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor.” Luke 4:17-18 I wonder if you read the Bible regularly. I made the decision to do that many years ago and I can testify to the fact that it has enriched both my life and my Faith. As I point out in my book 9 Days to Heaven , “The Bible, the most widely read book on earth, covers the whole spectrum of human experience. Within its pages is everything you need to know about life and how God wants you to live it.” Bearing that in mind, if you don’t already read the Bible, I encourage you to give it a go. I am so confident that if you begin to read even a short Bible passage daily it will sweeten your life. And I humbly suggest that by using the simple method outlined below that’s well-doable. 1. Sit up straight and close your eyes. Breathe in deeply through the nose. Hold a few seconds. Breathe out through the mouth and as you do so feel the whole of your body relax. 2. Now meditate for a few moments on the fact that Jesus announced His earthly mission by quoting from scripture – in this case from the book of the prophet Isaiah. And He continued quoting scripture regularly. 3. Now say this prayer – or one of your own – “Dear Lord Jesus, I know that You want Your Word to be a crucial ingredient of my spiritual food. So, I beg You to help me make this part of my daily life. I ask this through the same Christ our Lord. Amen” 4. When you are ready breathe in and out deeply as before. Then open your eyes and have a big stretch. Wishing you every success with this endeavour. I’d love to hear how you get on! God bless, Teresa

Warm Lemon Water Drink this before breakfast Perhaps this is an old wives tale, but many years ago I read an article about the benefits of drinking warm water with a squeeze of lemon, upon waking. It’s something I’ve done from time-to-time – sometimes as a Lenten discipline, because I could do this as a sacrifice for God. Now though, I drink this every morning. I’ll tell you how I managed to succeed in doing that, but first let me set out the benefits. Warm lemon water, drunk before anything else in the morning, is said to help cleanse the body. It is this that has always attracted me to the practice. But in the past, I’ve found it difficult as I love to drink milky tea first thing in the morning. Other benefits are said to include: aids digestion; good for the skin; and strengthens the immune system. And if all that seems a tall order it is irrefutable that it hydrates the body! I have now, after so many attempts, managed to adopt the lemon water habit. I’ve done this by bringing God into the equation. I make the drink by first boiling some water. I pop a slice of fresh lemon into a mug, add some cold water onto the lemon – so the boiling water doesn’t kill the vitamin C, then top this up with the hot water. I take this into my back garden, and sit and drink it slowly while looking around at nature – the birds, trees, flowers, and so on. Then, I say my morning prayers. After that, I go back into my house, feed my cat Smudgy, then make the breakfast. And by then at least twenty minutes has passed since I drank the lemon water so it has left my stomach and is whizzing around my system, where I picture it cleansing as it goes. If you try it out yourself, please let me know how you get on! Best wishes! Teresa

‘But I trust in Thee, O Lord, I say, “Thou art my God.” My times are in Thy hand…’ Psalm 31:14 Perhaps you will agree that when things are going well in your life it is easier, much easier, to say that you trust God. Maybe your faith could be described as vibrant. You may even have got to the point in your spiritual development where a crisis in your life can be viewed – sooner rather than later - as the test it is. But. When you are ill or in pain, or feeling overwhelmed by life, it is human to have a bit of wobble. Even saints have admitted as much. If you are going through a dark valley at the moment, I hope that the meditation below will help you circle back to ‘Jesus, I trust in You!’. 1. Sit up straight and close your eyes. Breathe in deeply through the nose. Hold a few seconds. Breathe out through the mouth and as you do so feel the whole of your body relax. 2. Now meditate for a few moments on the mysterious nature of God. Then focus on the fact that though, in this life, we will NEVER have all the answers to the most difficult questions, God asks us to trust Him. And though that is especially difficult when we are suffering in some way that is precisely when our trust is most necessary. Otherwise, how can we prove our trust? 3. Now say this prayer – or one of your own – ‘ Dear Lord Jesus, without You I am nothing. So, I beg you to be patient with me if I become impatient with a painful situation in my life. Please remind me of my promise – made in a happier time - to turn everything over to You; to trust all outcomes to Your loving hands. I ask this through the same Christ our Lord. Amen’ 4. When you are ready breathe in and out deeply as before. Then open your eyes and have a big stretch. Prayerfully hoping the above meditation helps you triumph over your toughest tests of trusting God. God bless, Teresa

Jesus opened the book and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor.” Luke 4:17-18 I wonder if you read the Bible regularly. I made the decision to do that many years ago and I can testify to the fact that it has enriched both my life and my Faith. As I point out in my book 9 Days to Heaven , “The Bible, the most widely read book on earth, covers the whole spectrum of human experience. Within its pages is everything you need to know about life and how God wants you to live it.” Bearing that in mind, if you don’t already read the Bible, I encourage you to give it a go. I am so confident that if you begin to read even a short Bible passage daily it will sweeten your life. And I humbly suggest that by using the simple method outlined below that’s well-doable. 1. Sit up straight and close your eyes. Breathe in deeply through the nose. Hold a few seconds. Breathe out through the mouth and as you do so feel the whole of your body relax. 2. Now meditate for a few moments on the fact that Jesus announced His earthly mission by quoting from scripture – in this case from the book of the prophet Isaiah. And He continued quoting scripture regularly. 3. Now say this prayer – or one of your own – “Dear Lord Jesus, I know that You want Your Word to be a crucial ingredient of my spiritual food. So, I beg You to help me make this part of my daily life. I ask this through the same Christ our Lord. Amen” 4. When you are ready breathe in and out deeply as before. Then open your eyes and have a big stretch. Wishing you every success with this endeavour. I’d love to hear how you get on! God bless Teresa