Life with Helen Johnson

 We all want a purpose in life, we want to wake up for something, have energy to succeed at it and to rest our heads at night knowing we accomplished something. What a lot of people want to know is what that something is, what is your purpose in life? To quote Winston Churchill "It's not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something".  I want to walk you through a series of steps which I hope will help you discern your purpose. I will be sharing some personal examples and several Bible verses and quotes for inspiration.  Step #1 - The Ultimate Purpose In Ephesians 2:10 it says 'For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do'. If our purpose doesn't line up with scripture or it's not producing good works then we have to ask ourselves, are we fulfilling our ultimate purpose in life? Everything we do is to honour God, so we need to continually be seeking prayer and wis...

This is a topic of conversation I am very passionate about, I spent the majority of my 20's single and I currently have a number of close friends who are single. As you read this blog you may not agree with everything I say, but I think it's a topic that goes unnoticed and I think we should be talking about it more. I want to share some of the things I have experienced or witnessed and share my personal perspective in the hopes it will stir you to think about your view on this topic. 1. As the majority of people in the church are married it can make single people feel inferior or like they've done something wrong I want to make it clear that I think marriage is a wonderful thing and I'm not saying as a married person myself that we purposely try to make single people feel inferior, but without meaning to it can come across. I found myself recently giving advice to a group of single women about how to approach dating as if I knew the answer, as if I had some unique skill...

 I've recently started counselling to look after my mental well being as I await heart surgery. I recently had my first session, it was really helpful and a lot of what my counselor said I believe is relevant for most people. I don't want to share specifics of what was discussed, but I do want to share some of the tips she gave me and how we can implement them into our lives. Looking after our own well being is crucial, it allows us to have capacity to help and love others and helps us navigate our own lives more effectively.  Tip #1 - Listen to your body A lot of the time we carry stress and anxiety without realising, and it can be quietly impacting our quality of life. Our body's often reflect what is happening under the surface, this could be tiredness, irritability, stomach issues, headaches etc. We need to be aware of these visual signs that something internal isn't healthy and needs extra attention. Throughout our days we need to take moments to pay attention to h...

Many of us are living with illness, whether it's an ongoing diagnosis, a mental health illness, chronic fatigue etc and it can be debilitating and can also lead to a lot of anxiety. As a Christian I believe that God can heal our bodies from illness, it doesn't happen to everyone, but it is something that is possible. Many of us won't know what to think about healing, but I hope today's blog helps you trust that there is still hope for healing.  In 2011 my mum Bev received a very shocking and worrying diagnosis. She had been experiencing heavy bleeding so she knew something wasn't quite right, this led to her having a routine examination. Following the examination she went to see her GP who informed her she had endometrial cancer, the lining of the womb was covered in cancerous cysts. Her GP informed her she would need to be fast tracked for a hysterectomy and that this would happen in the next two weeks. My mum and dad were shocked and devastated, she didn't exp...

 I still get asked a lot how Andy and I met, when we got engaged I had so many people wanting to know how Andy proposed. I think our love story is beautiful and has God right at the centre of it, so I want to share some of the main events in our love story....enjoy! October 2019 Andy and I had seen each other around work, I was instantly attracted to him. I plucked up the courage to message him and see if he wanted to get a coffee after work. I was very excited when he replied to my message saying yes to coffee.  We went to Starbucks and spent a good hour or so getting to know one another. Andy and I both have said since how it felt very comfortable being around each other, it was one of the few dates I'd been on that didn't feel awkward. Andy walked me to the train station and shared with me that he wanted to keep our relationship as a friendship. I found that upsetting at the time as I thought I'd met someone special. December - March 2020 Andy kept coming up to me at wor...

 The other week I released a blog titled 'Wife Talk', this is going to cover any topics related to marriage and specifically being a wife. Today I wan't to launch 'Real Talk', which is where I share some of the challenges I'm facing and how I'm learning to live life to the full in-spite of those challenges. Today I want to talk about disappointment. I found a quote from American evangelist Billy Graham which I think is a good place to start. ' Don't let failure or disappointment cut you off from God or make you think that the future is hopeless. When God closes one door, He often opens another door - if we seek it' We will all walk through disappointment in our lives, we live in a broken world so therefore we must accept we will experience failure and disappointment. The first thing I want to say is that we shouldn't assume just because life hasn't worked out as we planned that God isn't in our lives, or that He doesn't love us. A...

I'm not a big fan of the word 'minimalist', because I often feel like people try and prove they can live a minimalist lifestyle simply to follow a trend. I personally have never been someone who has cared about material things. I'm not into fancy decoration, clothing, cars, accessories, technology etc, all I really care about is simplicity. I wouldn't say I have chosen to like simple things, it's always been who I am. I love the verses in Matthew that talk about not storing up earthy possessions as it's a reminder of what really matters in life.  Matthew 6: 19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.   But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.   For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. I want to share some of the ways I live a more simple lifestyle, or as people say n...

Andy and I got married in January 2023, I shared in previous blogs some advice, plus what I wish I would have known before getting married. In today's blog I want to share some of the specific things I've learnt about being a wife. I do want to say this is what I'VE learnt, you may not agree with it, you may not have experienced these things yourself, this is what I have experienced and learnt. 1. I'm the thermostat of our home A thermometer measures the temperature, a thermostat regulates it. If I'm having a bad day, it will impact Andy's day, if I'm cranky in the morning, chances are Andy will feel a bit cranky. They say this is true for mum's as well, your emotions or behaviour will impact your children and those surrounding you. I have noticed this is true in marriage, I have also noticed that if Andy isn't having a good day he hides it better than me, maybe it's a woman thing, we wear our hearts on our sleeves, our emotions are hard to read ...