He Makes Me Lie Down in Green Pastures

 

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This is a photo of where I live. If you squint, you may be able to see my village amongst the trees in the middle of the picture. I have lived in this beautiful rural place since 2015 having made a decision in 2013 to live a radically different life to the one I had been living. 

I grew up in London and have travelled and lived all around the world. I've worked in sales and marketing, publishing and I'm a trained counsellor and hypnotherapist. If you had met me in 2012 I would have seemed like many other people with jobs and mortgages and relationships and hobbies; but I was miserable. Coming through a traumatising childhood, broken relationships and what felt like failure upon failure, I had no strength or hope left. I felt desperately alone, I hated myself and my life and thought it would never get any better. The story of how I got from near death in Melbourne to truly living in Scotland is one that I will probably tell over the course of time. Suffice it to say, I was brought into a broad place and made to lay down in green pastures against all odds and in a way I could never have imagined.

Having left Australian in 2013 it took me seven years until 2020, before I understood how God was working in my life. In 2013, I didn't even believe in God, much less the God of the Bible. But slowly, gently and persistently God began revealing Himself to me until on 12th April 2020 I accepted, albeit reluctantly, that He was real and that He had been with me all along. Hindsight can be illuminating.

I started writing this blog so I can share my personal experiences with others who are feeling God's pull, or hearing His whispers but don't know what to make of it all. Maybe you feel a reluctance like me; or perhaps you are suspicious of Christianity and prefer to call yourself spiritual rather than religious; or you might want more insight into the Bible, or how you can have a deeper relationship with God through prayer; or maybe you just want to read something to pass the time. Whatever the reason, I hope these words will be helpful to people who feel God's call to live a simpler life and His invitation to know Him better. 

I began a podcast last year called, Abide In Me and a You Tube channel called A.I.M Radio. Speaking publicly on a podcast and especially in videos really took me out of my comfort zone because I am an introvert by nature, but like many people I felt compelled to share how my faith in Christ had changed and saved me. Writing this blog is less of a challenge and I hope it will give me more freedom to work through my ideas and help me to organise my thoughts. I'll also use it to post the Bible verses and other resources related to each podcast, so they're easily accessible. In other words I hope this can be an ongoing repository of knowledge, wisdom and understanding about the most important topic of all; who is God and what does He want from us?

I called the podcast "Abide In Me" because this is what I feel Jesus is calling us all to do; to abide in Him.  When He was saying goodbye to His disciples before His crucification, he said:

"If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you." John 15:7

When I read John 15, I understood that Jesus was giving us all an aim; Abide In Me (A.I.M). What followed this understanding was a four year intensive Bible study that I undertook myself with the help of some amazing online teachers. This began at the start of the COVID-19 lockdown (2020), when churches and everything else was shut, which meant it was just me, my Bible, the internet and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I don't believe I am alone in having this direct experience with God, in fact, I think many people around the world had a very similar experience during that time. God was reaching out in the silence of lockdown to those who were willing to listen and obey. He wants all of us to know Him and the best place to learn about Him and His words is in the Bible. 

I hope that in sharing my love of God's word and what it is to be His disciple, other people will be supported in their journey back to God.

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You can listen to the Abide in Me podcast on all the usual apps, including Apple Podcast and Spotify, or by clicking this link:

https://abide-in-me.captivate.fm/

You can visit the A.I.M Radio (@abideinmeradio) You Tube channel, for video blogs and Bible teaching by clicking the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTqSYmQLvvcxEOaNkfvisXg