Merry Christmas! Jesus is the reason for Christmas!

We want to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas. May you and your family have a great Christmas day, celebrating together, and even if not together with family may you have a really special day!

My boys are getting really excited. They are counting down to Christmas day.
We have been making presents and cards to give to people.
They are excited and a little scared about singing in front of church, with the other children on Christmas day, I'm looking forward to seeing this!

Christmas this year is different for us, as Christmas is on a Sunday this year, We will go to church then stay for a combined lunch, it will be awesome to celebrate in a big group and then to spend time with our families later in the day. It kind of seemed strange to begin with, doing it this way as we normally only spend the day with family, then I realized all the people are my family, Gods family, natural family and even the strangers on the street. We are part of a huge family!

Please remember the reason for Christmas isn't to eat huge amounts of food, to buy and give lots of presents, to have a holiday or dress up in a red suit.
It's about the day the earth received the most precious gift of all, The baby Jesus! The son of God and man.
He was born into a world where there was no Christmas day, no room to stay, not much food to eat and King Herod wanted him dead, but in spite of the time and place the one thing they had in that stable and family was Love!

I want Christmas to be a time to celebrate, praise God and thank him and show his Love through our actions!
We are trying to do what we can to teach our children that it is better to give than receive!
I want us to be thankful for the blessings we have and to bless those around us in what ever way we can.

On the night Jesus was born a star shone brightly to show the way,
to the place where they saw a baby, a son, our Savior and King, Gods only son, the most precious gift we have ever known.

I am honored to be his child, to bow down before his thrown, to be thankful for the blessings he has given our family and to have him dwell within me.

My prayer:
I pray that there will be more of you and less of me, Lord, for your ways and plans are bigger than what I can see or understand.
You only want the best for me, I am your instrument Lord, use me.
Guide me and help me to walk in faith, to honor you always in my life.
Give me your heart and to love the world as you do,
I will be your hands and feet, Please help me to see where there is need and to be able to care for my family, and your family too,
sometimes it is hard to know what to do or to get moving, so Lord, give me the guidance and strength I need to be of influence for your kingdom. Amen


The Star
By Lesley

On the night he was born a star shone brightly to show the way,
to the place where they saw a baby, a son, our Savior and King, Gods only son,
the most precious gift we have ever known.
The star was a guide, to where they saw the holy sight, of the baby Jesus, born that night.
The angels sang, all heaven rejoiced.
Praising Gods name and lifting their voice.

What a blessed event, the birth of this precious child,
who was the son of God and man,
born in a stable in Bethlehem.

He came to live amongst us, to teach and show the way,
For his father God was with him and he is with us today!

Do you choose to know him, for he knows about you,
He yearns to be your Father, if you will let him in.

So ask, seek him and knock on the door, He is waiting for you to respond.
His heart is for you, It is you that he loves!
Your the reason he sent to earth his one and only son!

When you accept him, all heaven will rejoice, you are filled by his spirit and love.
So choose to follow for he is the way, The light of the world on the darkest of days.

God is like the star on that blessed and holy night, that shines continually strong and bright.

He wants us to Love with a heart just like his, so accept him as your Savior and let his light shine in!




If you want to know more about Jesus and God find and contact or visit a local church and I'm sure they will help answer any questions you may have. Or contact me I am happy to help if I can.
When you accept God as your savior and get planted into a church.
Your life will change in an awesome way!

Merry Christmas to you all!
Bless you Lesley.

Our declaration of faith ~ Baptisms of Lesley and Kerry - We've been set free!

A day of joy for Celebration Centre Nelson.
http://celebrationcentrenelson.com/

What an awesome day we all had on Sunday 3rd July 2011.
After a great servive and time of connection at a pot luck lunch, We all moved to the Ngawhatu pool.
19 people including Kerry (my husband) and myself (Lesley) were baptised. Our families came along too.
The church had fun in the pool afterwards.
The pressence of God could be felt and I know much Celebration in the heavenly realms took place that day!!!

John 8:31-32 &36
Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

Romans 10:9
Because, if you confess with your mouth that "Jesus is Lord" and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, You will be saved."

K-LOVE - Laura Story "Blessings" LIVE

I'm really connecting with this song at the moment.
"Blessings" by Laura Story is really beautiful and the lyrics are really so true.

It relates to all of us, as we all have a story and journey we are on.
The trials and tribulations we go through in life can lead us, If we let them, to a greater place of Understanding, Love, Joy and Thankfulness for the Blessings in our lives.

In recent times, things have seemed so hard for me and my family, in so many areas.
I can testify that when I got things right with God and I let God take the burdens I was carrying, of hurt and pain, from me and let him draw me closer, my life began to change in amazing ways.
God can Heal; Restore, that which is broken; Soften, hearts; Encourage and Teach us, how to love wholely and completly.

All Blessings come through God, if he is willing and in His timing. He knows what is best for us!
We do not need to know the plans God has for us, that is for him to know.
We just need to have Faith and Trust in God!

He declares to prosper us and not harm us, plans to give us hope and a future. So when we seek him with all our heart, we will find him and he will bring us back out of exile, and draw us closer to him.

God keeps his promises!
So push harder into Gods word and let him minister to you and allow your faith to grow.

No matter how broken, hurt, sad, or happy and thankful you are.
He hears us, listens and administers to our needs.

THANK GOD FOR WHAT YOU HAVE,
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED.

For with God all things are possible!
Glory be to God always!

Jeremiah 29:11-14
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity.[a] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

Matthew 19:26
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Look at us now!

Here we are June 2011 and things are going well for us all. We really have been blessed. A lot has happened since my last post. Some stress and changes but all for the better.

Kerry and I had a rough patch in our relationship, even separated for a few months but with what our family had been through no wonder. Things made us reassess the path we were on. While Fergus was having his procedure I sat in his hospital room and prayed to God that if he would return Fergus to us I would do anything! and I had been trying to do this in my own way. I knew things needed to change.
We made a choice to commit to God and get planted in a local church and to love each other in-spite of our faults and differences, our family is doing wonderfully better now. Life is far from easy but with God we can do anything!
Joshua 1:9 "As for me and my household we will serve the Lord".

In March Fergus had a specialist check up. He had an ECG done the week before and a Sedated ECHO when Dr Clair O'Donnell came for her clinic. JOY! He is managing well which we could see outwardly but with these tests they could see both valves are working as well as they can!
The Mitral valve (had a broad leak before) now has a narrow leak back into the top chamber and the Aortic valve (which had a small teardrop opening before the Cath & balloon opened it) now appears to have two leaflets and has a mild leak both ways. Considering how Fergus was at the beginning, we are AMAZED! He doesn't need surgery for a valve replacement yet, which we were told we needed to get him to two years old for. Now they say he may need replacement valves done anywhere from now up to a teenager. Praise God and the power of praise and prayer.
Luke 1:37 "For nothing is impossible with God".

We have been Home Educating the boys since Jared turned 6 years in May 2010. It's been a full year and we really are enjoying each other and learning together. We have done some fun activities and I can see the boys developing before my eyes. Jared is 7 years, Anton is now 5 years and Fergus 2 1/2 years. They are my precious gifts and through learning at home I get to build a great bond with them while giving them the opportunities to be mature and independent men. I love it!

I have so many blessings! God, Husband, Children, Church, Life!