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...

 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...

 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...

Before I start this blog I want to apologize for the 'My Mental Health Journey' blog which wasn't published. Andy and I have spent the last week away from home, we spent some time at my in laws and the majority of the time in Cornwall. Having this quiet time away from the normal routine made me realise I wasn't quite ready to share that journey. This isn't due to shame, it is due to still working it all out. One of the biggest triggers of poor mental health for me is when life gets too busy. On holiday I was reading two books, the first book is by Lysa TerKeurst titled ' The Best Yes ' and the second is by John Mark Comer titled ' The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry '. These two books share one similar theme, we're all too busy, all too hurried, all making poor decisions due to our busy rushed lives. Even though I'm not quite ready to share my full mental health journey, I do want to share what a hurried, busy life has done to me, and what I...