It has been a crazy week of dirty nappies, sleepless nights and lovely mornings and afternoons with good friends and their kids!

I have sat down to blog a couple of times but my brain has either failed to function due to sleep deprivation or I have had so many things I want to get down I don't know where to start...

I guess one of the things I want to blog about is my faith. My faith in Jesus has made me who I am. I believe what the Bible says about Him is true and I try and live by the standards he lays out and lived himself. A huge thing for me is also that when I pray, things happen. I can look back over the years and see how good God has been and how the Bible has proved itself to be true with the promises found within it fulfilled.

I'm no theologian with huge understanding of the Greek, Hebrew translations etc, I'm just an ordinary girl from Manchester who has found that it works. When I stay close to Jesus by praying, caring for my community, loving others, reading my Bible and just trying to be the best person I can be - ie, the best wife, mother, friend and human being I can be, my life feels 'in control' and I am at peace, even when the going gets tougher than is comfortable. The bottom line for me was that I had to make a decision about who Jesus is. Is he merely a historical figure or is he the Son of God? I decided the latter - he died for me, rose again and through grace I am going to be in heaven with him one day. Because he forgives me, I am not bound up by guilt and know a peace about the future I don't understand. I have never had cause to think I made the wrong decision about faith. He has proved himself true time and time again... The perfect timing of my pregnancy after 4 and a half years of trying, being healed of a hereditary condition when doctors had told me it could only be 'managed' and not cured, numerous time where things have been miraculously provided - £50 on the doormat when we had run out of money when we were first married... There are many more stories where they come from and they will feature in future posts. (I will also expand on the stories briefly mentioned...!)

If faith is something you've always wondered about, I challenge you to explore it... ask questions, pray (just talk to God) - ask him to show you who he is. Feel free to ask me anything - I don't know all the answers but I will be honest about my own experiences.

There are many people who are my heroes when it comes to faith and I want to honour them in future posts. Many of them are significant people who were came into my life at very particular times and had a real impact on who I am - they spoke truth and supported me. They are also people who continue to do this for so many others and often do so without knowing what their impact has been.