Thank you Don, for that link. There is such helpful advice on the website, which I have found invaluable.

Sorry, I misspelled the name. John and Paula Sandford have written many books. The best known of these have now been reorganized into a four volume “Transformation series”, starting with “Transforming the Inner Man” ( http://www.elijahhouse.org/products/product-1/Transforming%20the%20Inner%20Man). I am pretty sure that you wouldn’t get as much out of reading the books as you would by attending one of the Elijah House schools. Probably there’s a branch of Elijah House in England. One of the principles I learned from them is that merely knowing about something doesn’t actually empower you to put it in practice. You need the ministry of the Spirit, and frequently that comes from spending time with the people who can impart an anointing in that area. People trained by Elijah House can help you respond to what the Lord is saying about your specific concerns. I have been on both the receiving and the giving end of lots of ministry like this and know that it is powerful!

Thank you, Don for this deep and thoughtful comment.
Can you recommend a book or books by the Sanfords for me to read?
“Most Christians do not know how to identify and then to ask God to access the roots of their problems, and so they end up continually hacking off the branches and stems of the weeds that spring up.” I have been realising that “God keeps you in kindergarten till you’ve learned the lessons.” That we go around in recurrent circles until we deal with the roots of whatever causes problems and stumbling in our lives. And, sadly, sometimes we don’t even know what the roots are. That is true in my case when it comes to emotional eating, a habit I’ve coming closer to breaking, but haven’t yet, very sadly. It’s still– stress, sadness, chaos=chocolate, or whatever. I don’t know what the roots are, or if there are spiritual roots, or if it’s merely a bad habit. I suspect there are spiritual roots, since it is a habit which has wide-ranging negative implications!

Absolutely. When I was younger, I thought the best of people if they were believers. Now what people say or think they believe does not hugely sway my assessment of them. I ask myself, “Are they good people? Do they have a good heart?” I have known Bible-mad people with cold, mean hearts, and people with kind, lovely hearts who are barely Christian, or not Christian at all.
The therapist Viktor Frankl said there were two races of men, the decent and the indecent, the swine and the saints (his phraseology!) and perhaps that is more relevant than what people say they believe!

Yes, we are all on a journey. And while I am very aware that I myself am on a journey, I unconsciously expect everyone to have arrived, especially leaders, and go through a little “What you are not perfect?” period of astonishment when their bad behaviour astonishes me!

“We are told to remain in Christ – by being connected to the vine. By doing so, we can’t help but to grow into trees and bear fruit.”
Yes! I like that–it’s so reassuring!