belated june blog post

since I last wrote, i have been busy. I have attended the first
regional network meeting in Bath. it was a privilege to see so many
people with different skills and interest in disabilities.

i also attended the national churches trust conference in Birmingham.
I felt a bit out of my depth, as everyone seemed to be someone
important, and all the talk was of buildings and their heritage. when
I stood up to do my joint slot on accessibility, i felt like a bit of
a fraud. I took a deep breath and prayed. throughout the conference,
access had been touched upon. however i tried to express to the
delegates that though it is important to have accessible buildings, we
should be inclusive in our attitudes to people. I have recently heard
one woman's sad tale of not being able to go to church since an
accident put her in a wheelchair. i explained this is sad and not what
we want to see. throughout the talk, God was laying on my heart that I
should stress the importance of attitudes. I gave them tips on what do
if a disabled person walks in unannounced to a sunday morning service.
i explained to them my own church experience of being totally included
in worship and church life. the talk seemed to be well received, and I
hope this will lead to new contacts for Through the Roof, as well as
new people being included in churches around the country.

I have visited some places in the last month which I have been to
before. obviously when I have already given my testimony, my
experiences, told them all about the biblical basis and Through the
Roof, its not wise to rehash the same talk again. I like to do
something different on these occasions.
I had happened to be looking through my phone a few weeks ago, on an
app called Christian. this is bible verses chosen by themes. I clicked
on the one on anxiety. psalm 46 verse 1 appeared. "God is our refuge,
a very present help in trouble" it reminded me, that in this last
year, we have all seen many changes. this is both in our own lives and
in TTR itself. God is the one who never changes, and will be the same
forever. he is the one we can run to at any time, under any
circumstance. he will always be there and will never go away. so
after updating people on the progress of TTR during the time since i'd
last been to see them, i then read Psalm 46 and spoke briefly about
God being our refuge, and being still to appreciate that he is God in
all the hustle and bustle of life.

please get in touch if you would like more information on my talks or
to speak to a group.