Catrina Benham's Blog

Last night was week 2 of the Captivating Course. Val and Heather are doing a great job of leading it; and there are 50 women booked in. I went along last week and was overwhelmed with the realisation that all of those women are sacrificing time to be there - they are doing that very rare thing, doing something for themselves ! It's often something we women find hard to do, or even think of or make plans for, isn't it? But to me it spoke of their intentionality - deciding to carve out time, to deliberately put themselves in  a place where God will speak to them , challenge, change and bless them. I was impressed! I'm praying for those women - especially as they have their "time out" (or "date night" as I've heard one woman call it) with God. God bless you as you seek Him! It's a choice, right? A choice to put yourself in a deliberate path - a path of God's blessing ; a path where you know God will speak to you and your life will be impacted

NEWS FLASH....... .....REAL CONFERENCE EARLYBIRD RATE EXTENDED UNTIL MAY 17TH...... Yes we've extended the earlybird period for two weeks. Primarily this is beacause we just don't feel we've told enough women about it yet. It's also because we're women and we can change our minds and that's ok :) So please come and book into the conference - it's going to be a fantastic time spent together and with God. A chance to have a day of no responsibilites. A chance to perhaps be a bit out of your comfort zone. A chance to do something for yourself. And if you're all booked in , can you be our voices - can you tell other women in our community and in other Churches all about the conference? There are plenty of invites to use, available at the Kerith reception. We've booked in about 80 women so far, with an additional 8 places being sponsored (thank youxxx). I'd love us to reach the 150 mark by the end of Sunday. I woke this morning and just

Oh my word - so much to say and so little time! Firstly it was a FAB weekend in Church! Adrian Holloway was just brilliant (and I'm not just saying that because he reads this blog :)) Ok is it just me? I'm a little bit cynical , a bit sceptical ...I really do believe that God heals today. I do believe that "the same power that conquers the grave lives in me". What helps me to embrace that, and believe it, and pray for it is great men like Adrian. His calm manner reassured me - no "whipping up the crowds", it was all "normal" and that was just great. Faith rose in our hearts and there was expectancy and belief. God did indeed heal people - and save people and it was wonderful to play even a small part in praying for  the many people who responded on Sunday. He'll be back at the Kerith on 19th December, so prepare to invite your friends again! Then (trauma) I lost the dog yesterday :( Thankfully I also got him back, but that 20 minutes of

After a really lovely chilled out break over Easter...tonight I've got that "school in the morning" feeling - for me and the kids (even though they went in today - and survived the early morning!). Packed lunches are ready; think I know what I'm wearing; my "porridge-in-the-travel-mug" is even ready to go. So after this it's off to sleep for me (thankfully Simon and no 2 son are taking Nemo for his before-bed walk :) too) Just wanted to thank all you "earlybirds" out there for the great response on Sunday to Real.  It's so exciting to see the growing list of women attending . So, if you intended to book up, come on and do it! Remember that the earlybird rate lasts until May 3rd. And if you need some help in coming to the Conference, please let someone else know so that together we can love and care for one another. By the way, when I say that Easter was a chilled out break it was, as in no work - but oh boy I cracked on with the co

Hey there Just a quick blog to link you to http://tiredsupergirl.blogspot.com/   because today she includes my book review (he he) ! Think you'll like Susanna's blog - you can subscribe to email updates too. One more thing - come and find me at Church this Sunday so you can register and pay for your place at the Real Conference (2nd and 3rd July) - earlybird rate of £20 until 3rd May. Thanks for all you girls who have booked in already - and to those of you who have paid for a friend; thought of paying for a friend; or even thought it was a good idea to help one another! By the way, if you are a "one another" right now, please tell someone! Tell a friend or group leader or come and see me and don't be embarrassed about lack of finance. We have some very generous women in the Kerith community who would love to be able to bless you with a place at the Conference. Off to Windsor with my daughter to find cupcakes now :)

Had a lovely meal with good friends last night - in the midst of laughing and sharing and challenging and chatting, we talked about how we (women) feel guilty all the time - guilty for not being enough as a mum, wife , friend or colleague - for not being enough or doing enough. It's one of the "lies I tell myself" in Susanna Foth Aughtmon's new book "My Bangs Look Good and other lies I tell myself - the tired supergirls search for truth". In each chapter Susanna takes a lie we believe, illustrating it with very funny/poignant/real stories from her own life. Then she brings the biblical perspective to counteract the lie with theTruth  - it's fantastic - a real mind-changer...  Lie: I will never be enough            Truth: God is enough Lie: God doesn't know me              Truth: God knows everything about me Lie: I am in control of my destiny    Truth: I get to choose who I give my life to Lie: I don't need people               

One of my favourite type of days today - Simon and I together for shopping food coffee around a nice place to wander - yep a day out in Windsor :) Hence the cupcake photo. I'm nearly ready to reveal and review my new Favourite Book. But before I do that, I need to help you with some preparation time in the dictionary. You see the title of the book is My Bangs Look Good and Other Lies I Tell Myself: The Tired Supergirl's Search for Truth . The author is American - and the term "bangs" is (and I quote) "widely used in North America but is not widely recognized elsewhere." Any ideas?  No?! Well I want you to get past the title and into the book, so I'll let you know bangs are fringes - yes! Who knew that fringes were talked about in the US,  distinct from the rest of ones hair-do? So, here we go: Dictionary definition time... It originally referred to hair cut bang-off (straight across at the front), although the term is now applied to diverse

Last week I got some good post - not a bill or a circular or a request, but a free book! Yes, a free book - and a book I really wanted to read too! You see I'd signed up to write a blog review...and so I got sent the free book. Will be posting the review later this week, but here's a taster and a teaser for you. "Sometimes we supergirls need to be told the truth - not just about our bad hair days, but also about other lies we believe. We need to know the truth about who Jesus is in our lives. We need to know the truth about what He thinks of us and what He requires of us. Because He loves us He tells us the truth. He is in the business of uniting the truth and our hearts. He is all about clarity and revelation..." More soon x

Coming soon - the Kerith Unique Real Conference July 2nd (evening) and July 3rd (9.30-4.30) Women, It's time to get planning and organising - so get the date in your diary and make all the arrangements you need to be there! Also, it's time to buy your ticket NOW at the earlybird rate of £20 (until 3rd May) At the start of this month, if you are blessed with some spare finance, why not also buy a ticket for a friend? There are many girls who would love to come to the conference but need your help ! Would you please consider sponsoring another woman? There are women in our own community, plus also a large contingent of women from other nations who are planning to come. From 11th April there will be a Real information table in the Kerith reception on Sundays. As well as paying for your place, you'll be able to find out all you need to know about the conference.