Our First Lady

Sue’s Views
Have you ever wondered what our 1st Lady ….. Eve ….. was like? I mean before the forbidden fruit incident ….. she would have
 been perfect …… right? But what does that mean? We know she was a perfect helper for Adam ….. and complimented him ….. no doubt she helped him in the garden and gathered food for them to eat. But what did she look like? Tall, short? Was she pear shaped ….. apple …… banana? Did she have straight hair ….. or curls? The Bible doesn’t tell us much does it? Maybe it doesn’t matter! Maybe appearance isn’t as important to God as it is to us! Maybe her perfection was due to her being created by a perfect Father, with whom she had such a close relationship ….. that she was a reflection of Him? And that’s how He sees all of us, my sisters! No matter what shape ….. size ….. or colour ….. you are perfectly beautiful!
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Faith And Works

Sue’s Views
An old Scotsman operated a little rowboat for transporting passengers. One day a passenger noticed that the old man had carved on one oar the word faith, and on the other oar the word works. Curiosity led him to ask the meaning of this. The old man said, “I will show you.”
He dropped one oar and plied the other called works, and the boat went around in circles. Then he dropped that oar and began to ply the oar called faith, and the little boat just went around in circles again.
After this demonstration the old man picked up faith and works and plying both oars together, sped swiftly over the water, explaining to his inquiring passenger, “You see, that is the way it is in the Christian life. Dead works without faith are useless, and faith without works is dead. But faith and works pulling together make for safety, progress, and blessing.”
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‘Where The Mind Goes ….. The Man Follows.’

Sue’s Views
It may be that you are in a dark place right now ….. but I encourage you to look forward to a brighter future. Don’t focus on the darkness. To quote Joyce Meyer ….. “Where the mind goes ….. the man follows.” Depression and anxiety begin with a negative thought that is meditated upon. Think about things that are lovely ….. truthful ….. worthy ….. and you’ll find the darkness will lift. Prayers and blessings to you all.
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Rings Of Experience

Sue’s Views
The rings on a palm tree don’t tell you how old the tree is. They are formed by the branches that once grew there ….. but have fallen off. The tree continues to grow and form new branches. Life is full of new experiences ….. some we are only too happy to let go of ….. some we find difficult to part with. The good news is that we continue to grow ….. and new things await us. Things that are beyond our imagination!
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Focus On The Blessings!

Sue’s Views
Summer is almost over …..  but what a summer it has been! How will you remember the summer of 2025/26? There has certainly been plenty to complain about if we so choose. But the good news is that we do have a choice! Challenging times are always opportunities to reprioritise our lives. To focus on the blessings ….. to magnify the things we are thankful for. Some of the things on my list would be family ….. health ….. deepened friendships. But above all ….. I am so thankful to know my Heavenly Father ….. without whom none of these things would be possible. Because He is at the helm ….. I am excited about the future no matter how bleak it may look. 
‘Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.’ 1 Thessalonians 5:18
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Even though ….. yet I will rejoice!

Sue’s Views
Like many of us today ….. people in the Bible went through times of destruction and hopelessness ….. and they asked the same questions we do! ‘Where is God?’ ….. and ‘Why is this happening?’ Many have given up on believing God exists. Others believe that ….. if he does exist ….. He is like a Santa Claus character who always makes everything nice and happy! If that’s the case ….. He’s not doing a very good job! Many of the Bible characters cried out to God in anger and told Him what they really thought. Habbakuk was one such person. But God showed Him that what he and his people were going through was ultimately for their own good. He ended up understanding and writing the following words:
‘Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns are empty,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
The Sovereign LORD is my strength!
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
able to tread upon the heights.’
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Love Is Not Boastful Or Proud!

Sue’s Views
‘Love is not boastful or proud.’ When we are single we all want to meet Mr or Miss ‘Right’ ….. but no one wants to be married to Mr or Mrs ‘I’m always right’! True love listens to another’s perspective and tries to view life through their eyes. I find the best way to get to know someone is to get them talking about themselves. For many of us ….. our favourite topic is ‘me’. This Valentine’s Day ….. let’s get over ourselves and think of others more highly than ourselves!
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Love Does Not Envy!

Sue’s Views
Love does not envy! Envy is a feeling of discontent and the longing for something someone else has. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence! Love ….. on the other hand ….. rejoices when someone else gets a promotion ….. or a new house ….. or receives some kind of accolades. In a way ….. envy is accusing God of being unjust. It says ‘What you did for them ….. you should have done for me!’ Love says ‘My time will come but this is your time to shine!’ Challenging eh?
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Love Is Kind!

Sue’s Views
Today’s ‘love’ theme is kindness! ‘Love is kind’. Kindness is love in action. It’s no use feeling kind or having kind thoughts unless they are put into action. It may be an act of service ….. it may be an encouraging word ….. or a ‘thank you’ card. We so often think nice thoughts about someone ….. but kindness communicates them. Kindness needn’t cost you a lot of money ….. but it can make someone feel valued.
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Love Is Patient

Sue’s Views
1 Corinthians 13 is known as the Love Chapter in the Bible. The first thing it tells us about love is that ‘Love is patient’. Anyone ….. unless they live alone on a desert island ….. will have been challenged by this aspect of love. Other people don’t necessarily live by your timetable! I had to wait a long time to get this photo because the butterfly would not stay still long enough for me to capture it. We can be like that ….. flitting from one thing to another ….. while God waits patiently for us to stop and acknowledge Him. Maybe there’s someone in your life who frustrates you and tests your patience? Ask God for help and wisdom. He may want to teach you that the other person is more important than your timetable!
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