Catrina Benham's Blog

Do you remember Shauna talking to us about not falling into the trap of always being busy? Perhaps you are still trying to earn God's (and other's) favour by saying 'yes' to everything and constantly 'doing'. These words are a great reminder of the freedom we have in Christ, and what He has called us to... Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth   2 Timothy 2 verse 15 (NIV) This verse follows hot on the heels of three pictures Paul gives to Timothy about living the Christian life. He writes to Timothy in a fatherly way “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” and then writes about the soldier pleasing his commanding officer, the athlete who follows the rules so that he has a chance of winning the race and the hardworking farmer. So it’s a little later that Paul then writes to Timothy  ‘Do your best’ or in other translations, ‘concentrate’, ‘stu

A little late but here is yesterday's REAL Devotion. Is it time to blow the dust off your bible? Romans 15:4 Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled .  (New Living Translation) Have you ever seen in a movie or a television show, someone going into the deep, dark recesses of a library to find some ancient tome? The shelves are covered in cobwebs, and retrieving a book causes so much dust you think they'll never stop coughing. Do you ever feel the same way about the Bible? As in, "What possible relevance could there be in a book written thousands of years ago?" Yep, me too - I struggle as well. The reason? I let life cause me to forget just how amazing this love letter from God is. I have days when I'm busy, I'm tired, I feel bogged down, I'm distracted - you name it. We all experience seasons of feeling disconnec

Thanks to all involved on our brilliant Tech team, the full set of REAL2014 Podcasts is now available for you to listen to again here on the Kerith website. Great way to spend this rainy afternoon!    

Below is the next REAL Devotion, written by one of the ladies from within our church community. I pray that as you read these words, you will feel a real sense of being a new creation in Christ.... Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!   2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV We experience the pleasure and joy of new creation when we see an apple tree heavy with spring blossom. The tree has appeared lifeless all winter, but the blossom appears and by autumn there will be apples.  In the same way God can bring to life the dead tree of our lives. Life can be like trudging across a muddy ploughed field, with the soggy ground tugging at our wellies, every step demonstrating the hardship and broken relationships littering our lives. There is hope. Despite the tree in winter and the muddy field: Jesus brings joy. One bright sunny day, as I was hanging out the washing, I looked at the blue sky and felt a lightness in my spirit. I had a

Here are the Talks from REAL - I pray that God continues to speak to you as you listen again to these podcasts!      

Today's verse will be familiar to many of us but read it, along with the Devotion, with an open mind. What is God saying to you ?  Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed — not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence — continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.  Philippians 2:12 (NIV) A s Christians, our salvation is a gift given to us by God’s grace, through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and not something achievable through merit, penance, good deeds, being nice to everyone, or any other way.  This verse is clearly not about earning our salvation. So, what exactly does this verse mean? Two ways of looking at it come to mind: Work out. This verse challenges us to ask the question, ‘What does being saved look like, day to day?’ It refers to our walk as Christians – we are to figure out what that walk should look like. Outworking. We don’t just have salvation, like some trophy on the mantle piece. Our salvation sh

Need a little help using your sword today? Don't fuel those lies, dwell on the Truth in these words and songs... Jesus said: "The reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." (John 18:37-38) Philippa Hanna : I am Amazing .."not gonna listen to the voices of my enemy today" Lies women believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss - replacing those lies with the truth Lies young women believe...and the truth that sets them free There is power in the name of Jesus to break every chain Have a great day! (Have you read today's Devotion yet? " Be strong in the Lord and His mighty power in the battlefield of your life!") x        

Here is REAL Devotion number 7. If you came to REAL last weekend, have you still got your little sword? This is a great reminder of why we need to be battle-ready at all times... It doesn't take long to recognise that life can feel like a battlefield. Our perfect career can be experienced as a battlefield of failure. The fairy tale of a wedding can turn into a battlefield called marriage. The freedom of being single can feel like a battlefield of loneliness. The dream of childbirth moves into a battlefield called parenting.  It’s easy to recognise the battle our spirit’s go through living a human existence. We have moments of realisation that this life can be defeating, discouraging, and downright depressing at times. So, what do we do? Paul writes to the church and encourages them on this very topic. In Ephesians 6:10, he says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.”   Sounds like the perfect antidote to our conversation, right? We long to rise abo

Are you too busy to let Jesus in to your everyday? Here is one lady's story of how she came to realise that something needed to change.... I am the Way the Truth and the Life, no-one comes to the Father except through me.  John 14:6 (NIV) Most of us lead hectic lives no matter what stage of life we are in. I'm in the "mum of two young children (6 and 8 years), trying to launch a writing career, run a house and keep a husband happy" stage. A few months ago, life was so busy that I thought I could do life without God. Here is what happened. Life was good. Eventful? Yes. Frantic? At times. I pride myself on managing lots of projects at once. Living in the fast lane.  No, it's true, I had little time for bible reading or prayer but I believed God understood me. I'm a modern woman. He can't expect me to ponder over scripture or spend time in quiet contemplation with Him. QUIET? I don't do QUIET!   Three weeks later and my daughter is il