Amazed & Confused

Famous in Falmouth

So Steve and I just got back from a weekend in Falmouth, Cornwall. The DeLoreans were playing at Nathan's Mum's 60th Birthday Party. It was a fantastic do and a great excuse to get all glammed up. Apart from a rather frighteningly large gig before Christmas I think this is the most I have ever prayed whilst performing with the band. I'd had a sore throat all day and then in the forth song my voice started to cut out! Suddenly my nightmare was becoming a reality: I was losing it only a little into our opening set. God must like party music because even though it was tough I got through by the skin of my teeth and everyone seemed to have a great time... Note to self, sing less more regularly... xc

Steve loses a stone... in hair

Anyone who knows my slightly eccentric and gorgeous husband will know that he has a great hatred of paying for haircuts. At my suggestion Stephen was letting his hair grow to see if we could push past lego man, through helmet head and into something a little more interesting. We confirmed however that Steve simply has too much hair so over the Easter weekend he went from exhibit one on the left to exhibit two on the right... I think he looks lovely... it's very nice to see his face again! xc

A Righteous Heart

Not Easter Sunday but the Sunday before Phil Harper gave one of the best talks I've heard in my eight and a bit years of being part of the Revelation community. It was good because he is a gifted communicator, it was good because it was true and it was good because it feels like every time I talk about God in the last week and a half the Holy Spirit keeps bringing back different things he said to challenge or encourage me. I've been dieing to share it with you and thought something fishy was going on as the recording went walk about but now it's online and ready to give away. If you fancy listening to something nourishing today then can I recommend this... Download 01_the_parable_of_the_pharisee_and_the_tax_collector.mp3

Good Friday

As far as Easter goes, good Friday has never featured highest on my radar. Ever the eternal optimist I've always been caught up in the miracle of hope of Easter Sunday until I saw the Passion of the Christ and read Pete's excellent book God on Mute and the agonising victory of good Friday seemed higher in my mind...

24-7 Prayer Spaces: iTunes #1

On the first day of release the 24-7 Prayer Spaces Podcast has shot to the top of iTunes Religion and Spirituality chart. This puts it higher than Oprah Winfrey, Worship Central and many other fantastic Christian Podcast resources...

Cruella is back!

Due to a sad lack of funds and a lot of discipline Charlotte has been very restrained in the last year. She always looks beautiful with her long blonde locks but if you’ve known her for any length of time then you’ll know that she’s lacked a bit of her usual VaVaVoom…

Shop 'til we drop

Saturday was a very special day! Charlotte, Helen and I had a whole day free so decided to hang out and go shopping! This may sound terribly mundane but when you're on a modest income and are pretty social and active people these rare girly days come once in a blue moon...

Something I'm excited about...

24-7 Prayer Spaces is the new prayer Podcasting project from the Guildford Boiler Room. Steve and I were up there yesterday with Pete G, Mark, Adri and Jenni helping them with recording, listening to the first one and recording the outtro for all future Podcasts...

This is what I live for...

The last few weeks I've been corresponding with an amazing group of people in Uganda. After they prayed 24-1 they started to reveal to me how God had sent them on an incredible mission. I've just finished writing up their story and have just posted it on the 24-7 International site. It's stories like these that give value to all our work. I love it.. xc

Pledge Allegiance

What a fantastic and subversive image! For our American friends replace the Tesco bag with a Wallmart bag and you'll get the general idea. I absolutely love Banksy's work, always interesting and thought provoking. Like all good artists he brings great challenge to the modern age... xc

Sleep tight

This was a bizarre news story on the BBC website on Friday. "Jessica Alexander, from the The Sleep Council, which is funded by the bed industry, said: "Busy night time routines are driving couples' bedtimes and even their bedrooms apart." they report...

Filling Our Home

It's been a month of new things in the House of Sven. God has answered our prayers, given us new opportunities and brought creativity out of necessity. I know God is outside of time, knows everything and is pretty much the Don, but I still marvel at the little joys and provisions He sets up in advance...

Story teller

Over the next month the lovely Jonah Bailey is off on his travels and I am pulling together the content for the 24-7 International Website. I'm blogging about this coming month's task because I'd love all the 24-7ers among you to help me...

Blowing bubbles

In the last week I have discovered that I make a popping sound when I speak. Almost like I'm blowing bubbles at the people I'm speaking to. How can it take me 26 years to discover this I hear you ask? Well in the last week I've been recording the audio version of 24-7's new Prayer Room resources so I've had plenty of time to grimace at the sound of my own voice: popping sounds and slight lisp included...

It Is Finished

It's been two years in the making but we have finally got a finished lovely bathroom that I don't feel terribly embarrassed by every time someone comes to stay with us! It's absolutely beautiful, I love my green wall and it feels positively luxurious compared to our old hell hole. If you've yet to have the pleasure of popping round to the House of Sven then the before and after shots (left and right respectively) should help you to understand my shallow but sincere celebration!