Catrina Benham's Blog

Not long to go now until REAL , and the excitement's mounting. I follow Shauna Niequist via her blog and Twitter, and it's been fun reading along, " listening " to her, and realising we're soon going to meet her in person! She is in the final stages of writing her third book, and I'm looking forward to hearing some excerpts from it at REAL. Her two already published books are absolute favourites of mine. Each is written in a very readable style - the chapters are self contained, so you can pick the book up and read a chapter at random - great for beside the bed, on the coffee table, or in the car (that one's especially for the mums waiting to pick children up from activities!) I can't tell you how many times I've re-read each one, and each time God uses her words and her stories to encourage and challenge me. We have Shauna's books available at Kerith Resources on Sundays - both books have already been widely read and enjoyed by all differ

What a lovely week it's been! Totally freezing at work on Monday (and a bit moany cos I was so cold - sorry everyone!) But then the sun came out on MY Birthday - hip hip hooray! My son declared that I'm "definitely late 40's now, and very close to 50" but not even that dampened my day! Simon and I were both able to take the day off, so that made it even more special as we ate posh lunch together. Those of you in Church last Sunday morning will be as relieved as I was that we had "worked through" our disagreement well before my Birthday! So there's been a lot af REAL activity (of course!) this week. The programme is looking lovely, and we're making the final tweaks before it gets sent off to the printers. Kerith Office is buzzing with REAL - related activity. Lots of fantastic media bits are being created. This morning I took my two REAL preaches to the Preach Planning meeting - so pleased to get good feedback and some great perspective and

I've been to two great events recently, both targeted at Kerith women and their friends. The first was the Activate evening event. The lovely book club ladies threw open the door to visitors, to discuss together Shauna Niequist's book, Bittersweet. I loved the discussions around favourite passages and themes. It was a fun evening, together with lovely women, in a beautiful setting with delicious food too! Check out Activate's plans and current book here , they'd love to see you at their next meeting on July 7th. The other great event was the Simply Quiz this last weekend. What a fun night - I seriously contributed very little to my team, but it was still fun to be together, laugh, sing, eat fish and chips. Congratulations (and large boxes of chocolates) to the winning team "Lucky 7 Plus 1".   Ruth Buxton organised the event, and she and her team  did a really brilliant job in all the admin and also in setting such a lovely atmosphere.  Today we received thi

As you know, my husband is going to (legitimately) be part of REAL this year, as he is speaking during one of the Saturday sessions. It's going to be great to have him , and I know that he has a powerful message for us! He has written a brilliant post about REAL 2012 here ...for those of you who know that you're coming, but you haven't got round yet to booking a place, what are you waiting for? Book in today , and invite a friend along too! Please come and talk to me or Sue Ranger if the finances are a struggle or a stretch for you. As Simon says, we don't want finances to hold you back from attending REAL. Perhaps you paid way back last July, or God has blessed you with some finances that you could use  in turn to bless other women. If that's you, remember we are also looking for women to sponsor other women, in particular the wonderful single mums in Kerith. You can sponsor another woman online or in person - why not come and see us at Kerith reception betwe

A second blog today?? YES because it's Countdown time! Only 5 weeks to go until REAL 2012 - can't wait! And it's not only me that's excited - here's what Dave Betts wrote about the REAL conference... Day 75: This is for REAL. Posted on May 16, 2012 by Dave Betts Here comes the sun! And with it comes the summer…and that can only mean one thing. On the 22nd and 23rd June (thanks to Andy for the correction), we’re hosting our annual women’s conference: REAL 2012. I’m currently sitting here with the worship set list next to me and particularly after our rehearsal last night I couldn’t be more excited for the the conference to get here. Yes, it’s a women’s conference and no, it’s not for me. No, I’m not wife hunting either (let’s be honest, some of you were about to make that joke!). Still, it’s such a privilege to fill the Kerith auditorium with passionate worshippers and dwell in God’s presence, learning more about the unforced rhythms of grace that Jesus

Settle down for a few moments with a mug of coffee or tea and take a look at this  great article Lynne Hybels has written about bringing up her children. I loved it because I found out more about her daughter, Shauna Niequist, who will be speaking at REAL next month. I also loved it because it's such a great lesson for us parents to learn - and to keep on learning. My children are not "mini-me's".They may have some inherited traits, but they are their own  person, a unique individual , a unique combination of God-given gifts, talents and strengths. Now that our children are all teenagers, I have turned into the parent that says "it goes so fast" - I wasn't saying that when it all seemed endless when they were under 10. But now I know that it goes fast, and we share meals, fun times, TV programmes on a different level now.They have their own interests, their own schedules. One thing we do all enjoy together is eating out, so that's where my Tesco

I love receiving this weekly tweet from the Kerith Worship team - hope you enjoy it too - all the songs we sang on Sunday plus those in Life, plus YouTube videos. Worshipping along at home = the perfect antidote to this cold, wet weather! x

"Today is all for Him, to Him and about Him. I love being in His house" Charlotte Gambill I agree with Charlotte! I love being in Kerith on a Sunday - His house. This last Sunday was a brilliant day, and I had the privilege of being in all three meetings - lots of people to meet, the opportunity to pray for people, 3 great times of worship and 3 listens of my husband's preach! I know you'll say I'm biased, but he really is my favourite preacher.  This week was the Prodigal God part 3 - The Lost Son. If you missed it, or want to listen again, you can find the whole series so far  here . I know that God will speak to you through Simon's words. Each week I take notes during the sermon - and often also jot down thoughts, words from the worship songs, prayer requests etc. It helps me to focus, and to try and discern what God's whispering to me each day. What was the Holy Spirit whispering to you ? Here's a few of my thoughts from Sunday - hope they e

Hi All! The Quiz is coming soon - lets get inviting this week ! More info in the letter below from Ruth x Hi Girls, As you will probably be aware we're (Unique) are running a pub style Quiz night on Saturday 19th May....less than two weeks away. It's taking place at The Kerith Centre starting at 7:30pm and finishes at 10pm. As part of the evening we're having a chippy dinner delivered (fish & chips, chicken & chips or veggie burger & chips which you choose when you buy your ticket). Cost per ticket is £8. Bring your own drinks. You can come on your own or bring a team (maximum 8 per table). It’d be great to see you there! J So many have said they're coming but have yet to buy their tickets. We really need an idea of numbers so we can let the chip shop know roughly the number of orders to expect. Tickets are on sale at Kerith all through the week and on Sundays. I will be at all 3 meetings on the 13th which is the last date for buying tickets.

'This is the work I'm doing now, and the work I invite you into: when life is sweet, say thank you, and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you, and grow.' S. Niequist Less than seven weeks to go now, until Real 2012! We're looking forward to welcoming Shauna Niequist and her family to the UK. They live in Illinois, USA and are coming over specially for the conference. Shauna is busy right now as she is right in the middle of writing her third book. She is also travelling and speaking at various events (but we're her only UK event!). Her two published books are amongst my most favourite reads - and great for re-reading and dipping into. She talks about her life, about the ordinary things that are part of our lives too. About how she finds God in the middle if it all - how she sees God in the ordinary and everyday; as well as in the bad (bitter) and the good (sweet). I'd highly recommend reading Cold Tangerines or Bittersweet. In fact, Bitterswee

Seven weeks time, I know where I'll be! Seven Weeks to go until Real 2012! I can't wait - it's going to be such a brilliant time for us to spend together and with God.  This week I've had lots of conversations about Real - we've been designing the programme;  making decisions about gifts and surprises; inviting women to take part in filming the opening media; planning the dramas, songs and Talks; deliberating over the food, planning the social action cause. It's been a great week - I love those creative conversations, and the amazingly creative and hard-working team that make it all happen! So, from now on there'll be lots more about Real - whetting your appetite, preparing you for the conference. We're counting down, and we're getting excited!

We had a couple of great skype chats last week. Firstly we all spoke to our eldest son, who's at University. He's great and sends lots of little texts through the week (my favourite ones being pictures of what he's eating for tea!). However, the skype chat's the best because we all crowd round the little screen together and we get to see him as well as hear him. It's fun to catch up and tell all the news. He also likes to try and make the dog bark from a distance! The second skype chat was with Sam and Hannah Fairs-Billam. They are living in Lusaka, Zambia for a year. It was fantastic to chat, and to take a look around their home at the same time seeing that they looked so well and happy. Take a look at their blog to find out what they'll be doing in Zambia, and to follow their adventure. They are such a lovely Kerith family, and we're really proud of all they are doing , together with their young daughters. Please would you take a moment to pray for th