Hope & Glory

Bringing hope for God’s glory

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We’re Kate and Roger. We live in Shropshire, England on the border with Wales. Click on the about link above for more info.
  • Expectation

    Expectation

    “The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest hover over you; Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God.”
    ‭‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭35‬ ‭MSG‬‬

    This Advent and Christmas season we have been full of expectation. For me, Kate, it’s brought a sense of intense excitement. I can’t explain it but it’s clear that it has come from the Holy Spirit. It’s more than hope.

    I’ve had recent conversations with people, where the sense of God being present in the outcomes of their prayers, has caused me to know the reality of His in-breaking Kingdom on earth. In my own family, for example, I can clearly see Jesus as Redeemer. Redeeming fault lines and very long-standing problems. Nothing is too hard for Him.

    I keep singing in my head “You are worthy of it all….” And “the angels cry, Holy!” It is surely His Spirit causing such a sense of His transcendent immanence! Praise Him!

    Immanuel – God with us – yet seated in the Heavenly places….

    A Christmas Prayer

    I’m trying to listen carefully to the Lord as I write this short blog today. I want to impart His message to you, the reader. I want you to know His joy – not just in His hope and glory, but in fresh expectation.

    So here is my prayer for you today.

    Father, You are above all things. You created all things. You are God Almighty. You brought Jesus to birth on earth by Your Holy Spirit.

    Jesus, You are Immanuel, Saviour, Redeemer, Lord of lords, King of kings and All in all. You are Your Father’s Son. You are coming again to earth in Your Father’s timing.

    Holy Spirit, You are with us today in “person” because Jesus is now seated again with His Father in heaven.

    May the revelation of You – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – come upon each person who reads this blog in a new way, bringing an expectation that they may never have experienced before.

    You know what each person needs and longs for and hopes for. May expectation arise to fulfilment. In the Name above all names. Jesus.

    A Christmas Card

    A couple of years ago, when we were travelling back and forth to the States a lot, we decided to make a digital card to send out to friends and family.

    I was inspired to write a poem. Roger found some images of the heavens and earth and added them to my vocalisation of the poem. He also narrated the Scriptures that had inspired my poem.

    This year we were recently asked for a short Christmas video by Revelation TV as they wanted to include it in their Christmas Day programme. So we took our earlier offering and tweaked it a bit, adding the words of the poem on screen.

    Dear reader, here is the link to that video as a Christmas card to you with our love and with every blessing of this Christmas season 2025.

    https://vimeo.com/1066333194

    Click on full screen to see the video without all the description.

    Kate & Roger

  • Reach for the Stars!

    Neither Roger or I have been too well lately. Seasonal viruses or other such health issues. So our sleeping patterns have been erratic.

    Early this morning both of us were awake and I went to our large bedroom French doors to open the curtains and check the light.

    What I saw stunned me. Rog took a photo. You may have to view this in a darkened room! Expand the image on your screen using two fingers.

    Orion’s Belt – so clear!

    Transcendent Glory

    Feeling unwell causes self-focus, so to see the stars, brilliantly defined in a dark 5:30am sky, was a reminder of God’s transcendent glory!

    The heavens proclaim His greatness! What is man that He is mindful of us?

    And yet He is mindful of us. We are loved with an everlasting love! We are on His heart.

    (more…)

  • Being One : True Unity

    A divided world

    The world’s media daily pours out speech over its citizens reporting division, blame and hostility between people; left wing against right wing and vice versa; nations against nations.

    Front page Daily Telegraph November 12, 2025

    In too many nations people are cancelled and shunned and even killed because they express opinions that are unacceptable to others. Even if they speak verifiable truth they are vilified by those who don’t want to hear it.

    Has there ever been a time such as this?

    I’m sure there has, but living in such a divided world today is very challenging indeed. Even families are deeply divided by political affiliations and beliefs.

    Finding Unity

    For those who follow Jesus and are blessed to call ourselves family in Him, there is a deep desire that others will know the one Truth who will set them free and make us one – undivided.

    I’ve recently finished writing a poem which I’ve posted on our other blogsite http://www.poems-and-reflections.com

    It’s actually a prayer for the followers of Jesus to live and speak in the oneness, the unity, which Jesus prayed that we would have, so that the world would believe in Him and His Father in heaven – the one true God. See John 17: 20-26

    Hope & Glory in the Unity of Jesus

    My husband Roger and I are part of a community of faith – a community of believers in Jesus Christ of many different types of churches and denominations; Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Charismatics, Evangelicals etc. etc. The Community has existed for well over 40 years. It is called Maranatha.

    https://www.maranathacommunity.org.uk/

    The keywords given at the foundation of this Community were

    UNITY RENEWAL & HEALING.

    One Lord, One People

    Maranatha means “Come Lord Jesus!”

    What unites us all in this Community is not the religious traditions and beliefs of the various types and styles of churches and denominations but Jesus Himself.

    He is the one true Head of His “Church”.

    When Jesus left this world 2000 years ago following His crucifixion, resurrection and ascension back into Heaven, from where He originally came, He gave His 11 remaining disciples the ministry of making disciples of, and in, all the nations. He also ensured that God’s Holy Spirit would enable them in this mission.

    This was so that true faith in God, His Father in heaven, through Jesus, His Son, would continue and grow until Jesus returns to the earth, as He said He will.

    A Blessing Today

    Today is the 35th anniversary of my own spiritual birthday into the family of God.

    I can recommend belonging to the family of Jesus in every way! I now have loving brothers and sisters throughout the world.

    So my prayer for anyone reading this who is troubled by the events in this world is to ask Jesus to rescue you from it. He will. He rescued me 35 years ago!

    Jesus is Truth. Jesus is Love. Jesus is Hope.

    And He deserves all the Glory!

    Nothing on this earth, in this world, comes close to knowing Jesus!

    Kate Stanway: 12 November, 2025

  • In Christ Alone

    Hope

    Last Sunday in church we finished the service with the modern hymn In Christ Alone. Here’s the first verse.

    In Christ alone my hope is found
    He is my light, my strength, my song
    This cornerstone, this solid ground
    Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
    What heights of love, what depths of peace
    When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
    My comforter, my all in all
    Here in the love of Christ I stand

    I don’t know whether you are facing challenges today. But, if you are, I believe that Jesus Christ is the answer to everything. I wanted to write something today to give Jesus the glory.

    Firm through the storm

    This world is replete with bad news. I’ve found myself reading too much of it because I recently needed to rest, as I have been feeling “under the weather”.

    The temptation to fill up my tired senses with news, YouTube shorts and other unedifying things took me out of focus. It actually became quite addictive, although I didn’t want to admit it. It was subtle. Hope started to submerge. I woke up each morning feeling tired and a bit depressed.

    This Cornerstone

    I don’t really know the function of a cornerstone, so I’m going to look it up on Google now. I just like the sound of the word. It sounds like a solid thing. Especially in the song with the strong rhythm assigned to it.

    Architectural meaning 

    • The cornerstone was the principal stone, often the largest and most solid, placed at the corner of a building. 
    • It served as the foundation for the entire structure, with all other stones and measurements aligned to it. 

    Like Living Stones

    Although not specifically mentioned in the song above, followers of Jesus are described as “living stones” being built around Him, God’s chosen Living Stone – the Cornerstone.

    “As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’”
    ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭‬‬quoting
    Isaiah 28:16 NIVUK

    Being Built into a Spiritual House

    We “are being built into a spiritual house”. The building work is being done by God on the foundation of Jesus, His Cornerstone. We’re not responsible for the building work! I know that, if we were, it would be out of true. But we can rest in the assurance that this is God’s building work, not ours. He is never out of true. He is the plumbline!

    To be a Holy Priesthood

    We are “to be a Holy priesthood”. I find this simply expressed revelation extraordinary. When we think of the church today with all its various presentations, denominations and differences, this is simplicity itself. The qualification for this priesthood is in coming to Jesus, the Living Stone, the Cornerstone of God’s own spiritual house, and being built together in Him, beyond any “buildings” that man has made.

    In Christ Alone

    I’m going to finish by providing a link to the song that inspired this post. I believe that we, the followers of Jesus today, are being encouraged to have new hope for the days ahead. We are one in Him. And He is the Master Builder. Much love to everyone who reads this post. And all glory to God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

    Kate Stanway October 31, 2025

    Note: We would love to hear your comments on this post or any of the others we have shared.

    FURTHER THOUGHTS

    I’m always a bit nervous of stating things in such a way that they sound like teaching as opposed to a personal reflection, so after I had drafted this I had a look at a website called http://www.gotquestions.org – you may use it!

    Here is a very good summary that I discovered.

    https://www.gotquestions.org/living-stone.html

  • Speak Life!

    Shaken awake

    I woke early this morning, hearing the noise of a rushing wind outside. The petals have been blown off the roses and the trees are shaking energetically. It reminds me of words spoken by Jesus:

    “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.’”

    ‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭8‬ ‭NIVUK‬‬

    Matters of life and death 

    As I lay in bed listening to the wind outside, I started to feel a bit guilty.

    Had I done enough to “speak life” into my own nation? In a week where the House of Lords are debating the assisted dying legislation, have I played my part in the battle to turn back the advancing tide of a death culture?

    The legislation to “legalise” abortion up to birth is also going to be scrutinised by the Lords soon, too. Can this nation be saved from the curse of death that it is bringing upon itself? 

    I started to sing in my head. 

    No guilt in life, no fear in death
    This is the power of Christ in me
    From life's first cry to final breath
    Jesus commands my destiny

    In Christ alone – by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend – 2003 

    https://youtu.be/16KYvfIc2bE?si=CfhFVHzR75u-CqnU

    How I long for many, many people in this nation to wake up to the truth about life and death in God’s Kingdom. To realise that, in Jesus Christ, we are eternally alive; blessed and safe forever. Without Him we are lost. 

    Cross Atlantic storms 

    Last week was a defining week in the USA. A turning point. A young man of 31 named Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on a University campus, where he had attracted many students to openly debate with him about the life and death issues facing the nations today. 

    Labelled by some in America as “politically right wing” or “Christian nationalist “ because of his strong conservative beliefs, he was the target of a bullet fired from a rooftop by another, even younger, man. 

    The essence of this murder was an attempt to silence Charlie’s freedom of speech. 

    Charlie Kirk was known for his desire to spark open debate about life and death issues on university campuses.

    His primary motivation was – according to the testimony of many witnesses – born out of a desire to fulfil his personal destiny on earth to give glory to His Saviour, Jesus Christ, by speaking the truth in love, particularly to a younger generation who have been indoctrinated by a godless culture. 

    His focus – and the focus of the movement he started when he was 18 – Turning Point – was rooted in faith, freedom and love of country.

    His young widow, Erika, spoke very, very movingly in tribute to her husband. I am sure many who heard her wept, as I did. 

    Speaking life in our nation 

    As I write this looking out of our sitting room window, a glorious rainbow has just appeared. Isn’t God amazing? A sign of promise and hope. Painted in the sky by our beautiful Creator. Just at the right time. Incredible.

    A rainbow appears through the rainy window

    Dear friends – please will you join me today in speaking life into our nation as we face critical decisions in our Parliament affecting both beginning and end of life issues? 

    Last year I believe that the Lord asked me to declare in His Name “Let there be life!” into our nation. As we know, there is great power in the spoken Word of the Creator of life. 

    Will you declare this, too? 

    In the Name of Jesus, Name above all names, we Your people in the power of Your Spirit, decree and declare “ Let there be Life!” into our nation. 

    We do this to honour and give glory to the Lord of Life, who is worthy of all our praise and worship. 

    Kate Stanway: September 2025

    PS: I’ve just shared my draft post with Roger, who came downstairs after I’d written it. The Lord had treated him to a more glorious view of what became a double rainbow from upstairs. Here it is! Be blessed with hope today, dear friends!

  • Hope for the Nations for the Glory of God

    24/7 Global Prayer Week

    This week is designated Global Prayer Week by the 24/7 Prayer Movement.

    I, Kate, signed up to an hour of prayer today as part of that initiative.

    One hour of prayer

    Yesterday I realised that, although I pray for people and situations regularly, I wasn’t really praying for the nations in the same way. I do focus on national and international issues, but often I fail to turn my shock and concern about the happenings in my nation and across the world into prayer.

    So, this afternoon I am here to ask the Holy Spirit to help me focus and pray in the way that Jesus wants me to. I want to pray in His Name to our Father in heaven.

    Turbulence and trouble

    I am drawn in this time of prayer to focus first on areas of unrest here at home. Specifically the illegal breaching of our national borders.

    Flags of significance

    On illegal migration and its consequences in our nation of the UK

    Lord, I see those who are entering the UK in real need of love, support and sanctuary here, contrasted with those who are infiltrating our nation as part of a darker agenda and bringing unrest and unhappiness to many towns and cities.

    Grace and Truth

    Lord, You are full of grace and truth. We need both in the UK right now. We speak Your goodness and righteousness into our nation. We desire Your righteousness to exalt our nation, but we confess that we have sinned and so You have allowed our borders to be breached by enemies – our sin has become a disgrace to this nation.

    Please forgive us, Lord. We ask our Father in heaven to have mercy and to help us in resolving this critical issue of illegal migration into our nation. We need wisdom from above. We need discernment by Your Spirit and we need good leadership governmentally, undergirded by Your praying church or ecclesia.

    Called as a nation to bring glory to God

    You designated our nationhood, Father. You desired us to be a people who would worship the true and living God in the Name of Jesus.

    You gave us men and women of faith and courage to bring Godly leadership in the past when we repeatedly failed to live according to Your righteousness. We thank You for them and the legacies they gave us.

    A Petition to the Father for the United Kingdom

    We ask You now. Father, to send forth Your Holy Spirit to convict Your people in the UK – and those who You are calling into Your Kingdom at this time in history. We need Your Spirit to turn the tide of Godlessness in this nation, so that Your people can step into the places of need and leadership and bring the reality of Your love, grace and truth into our society.

    The Words of the Lord

    As I have been writing this prayer, I have been reminded of many scriptures – God’s Words for every challenge and issue that we face individually and as a nation. We declare His Words today over our nation of the United Kingdom.

    “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
    ‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬ ‭NIVUK‬‬
    https://bible.com/bible/113/jhn.1.14.NIVUK

    “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”
    ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭26‬ ‭NIVUK‬‬
    https://bible.com/bible/113/rom.8.26.NIVUK

    “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
    ‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭13‬ ‭NIVUK‬‬
    https://bible.com/bible/113/jhn.14.13.NIVUK

    “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.”
    ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭14‬:‭34‬ ‭NIVUK‬‬
    https://bible.com/bible/113/pro.14.34.NIVUK

    “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
    ‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬ ‭NIVUK‬‬
    https://bible.com/bible/113/jas.1.5.NIVUK

    “and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.”
    ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬ ‭NIVUK‬‬
    https://bible.com/bible/113/col.2.10.NIVUK

    “The sceptre of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, for then the righteous might use their hands to do evil.”
    ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭125‬:‭3‬ ‭NIVUK‬‬
    https://bible.com/bible/113/psa.125.3.NIVUK

    Your comments & prayers

    Please do respond to this post. I want to pray in oneness with my Kingdom family on earth and your prayers and comments are welcomed. Please forgive me if I have expressed anything in a way that does not glorify our Father in heaven.

  • Hope: a poem

    Now, this is a new opportunity. Today I, Kate, started – and finished – a poem called Hope. I wrote it this morning. So, this blog will be published on our Hope & Glory site – www.kingdomheritageproductions.com

    and also on my poetry blogsite The Bakery

    http://www.poems-and-reflections.com

    Stratton on Fosse, Somerset

    We’re still in our caravan in Somerset and at lunchtime we decided to go out and explore a bit more of the local area. We ended up parking at The Kings Arms in Stratton on Fosse but the pub was shut for building work. So, the landlord directed us to have a look at the huge Downside Abbey instead, as it was only a short walk away.

    That was a revelation! We were entirely alone in this vast vaulted space – a Benedictine abbey – which resembles a cathedral. I found myself dropping to my knees and singing “You are worthy of it all”….and the acoustic was amazing!

    Downside Abbey

    To top it all, the notice board had a poster stating Jubilee Year 2025 – Pilgrims of Hope. Surely the Lord was in this place!

    Jubilee 2025 – Hope!

    Anyway, here’s the poem. Inspired by many verses of Scripture; including Romans 8:28; Revelation 2:10; Jeremiah 29:11-13; 1 Peter1:4; Colossians 1:27 

    HOPE 

    Hope, when we are weary and Hope, when we are down
    We know that those who turn to God will wear His Victor’s crown
    Our God will work all things to good, for those who know His love
    And seek His Holy purposes; His guidance from above 

    No need to fear the future, uncertain though it seems
    Our hope is in God’s promises; beyond our little dreams
    His plans are so much greater, our future in His care   
    With God our days are certain, for He will take us there

    “There” is where we’re meant to be; to prosper in His love
    Protected from our enemy; watched over from above 
    “There”, living in His love and peace, and in His perfect will
    We find that He was always “Hope” and know that He is, still

    Our Father is eternal, with Him no shifting sands 
    Our Hope is everlasting, when held within His hands 
    So here and now we worship Him; our God the Three in One 
    The Hope of all creation; in Father, Spirit, Son 

    Lord Jesus, You’re our Living Hope; in coming here to earth
    You sealed our Father’s perfect will, by giving us new birth
    And now that You’re within us, we have Your hope of Glory 
    Our future held within the One who wrote our lifetime story 

    All glory be to God on High, the only God who saves
    Who keeps the earth in balance; who rules the restless waves
    And knows each man and woman and sees each tiny flower 
    We worship and adore You; our Hope in every hour.

    Kate Stanway August 2025

  • Hope & Glory: our video media

    YouTube

    Since 2017 we have been uploading some of our videos to YouTube.

    The link is

    www.youtube.com/@kingdomheritageproductions

    There you will find videos on a variety of different topics. Some of them have had a lot of views! Especially the ones on the Welsh Revival.

    Vimeo

    Also, Roger has a Vimeo channel where he uploads some of the longer videos, especially those that have been aired on Revelation TV.

    We will share those from time to time, according to their relevance to our blogs.

    Thank you so much for subscribing!

  • Ablaze with His Glory

    The story of Blaise Pascal 1623 – 1662

    This summer, my wife Kate and I attended the annual New Wine Festival in Somerset. Around 15,000 adults and children from nearly 800 churches gathered at the Bath and West Showground at Shepton Mallet.

    All ages were catered for at a variety of venues. There is something so special and exhilarating being among thousands of other worshippers praising our Creator and Saviour.

    New Wine worship

    During one of the breaks, I visited the bookshop, curious to know what topics were currently popular. My eye was caught by a new publication about Blaise Pascal by Graham Tomlin, the Director of the Centre for Cultural Witness and a former Bishop of Kensington.

    A brilliant mind

    Blaise Pascal was one of the most remarkably gifted Frenchmen to have lived in the past millennium. He had an outstandingly brilliant mind. The historian Tom Holland calls him 17th century Europe’s supreme polymath. He was a groundbreaking scientist, inventor, pioneering mathematician, geometer, physicist, philosopher, polemicist and theologian. As if that was not enough, he also wrote some of the finest French prose and one of the most famous satirical works in all of French literature.

    It was later in his short life – Pascal died at 39 after suffering years of painful illness – that he turned his intellect towards religious matters, following a profound spiritual experience that deeply affected his heart.

    A heart set on fire

    On the 23 of November, 1654, between the hours of 10:30 and 12:30 at night, whilst lying in bed, Pascal had an intense religious experience, known as his “Night of Fire.” The two hour encounter with the Living God, involved a powerful vision of God, a sense of divine presence and a profound emotional experience, especially of joy.

    Profound joy!

    It caused a complete transformation of his life, redirecting his focus from scientific pursuits to religious writing and devotion.

    He immediately wrote a brief note to himself which began:

    “FIRE. God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, not of the philosophers and the scholars…” and concluded by quoting Psalm 119:16: “I will not forget thy word. Amen.”

    He seems to have carefully sewn this document into his coat and always transferred it when he changed clothes; a servant discovered it only by chance after his death. This piece is now known as the Memorial.

    Revelations of God

    A more detailed account of Pascal’s glorious divine encounter includes the following:

    “Certitude. Certitude. Feeling. Joy. Peace.

    GOD of Jesus Christ.

    My God and your God.

    Your GOD will be my God.

    Forgetfulness of the world and of everything, except GOD.

    He is only found by the ways taught in the Gospel.

    Grandeur of the human soul.

    Righteous Father, the world has not known you, but I have known Joy, joy, joy, tears of joy.

    I have departed from him:

    They have forsaken me, the fount of living water.

    My God, will you leave me?

    Let me not be separated from him forever.

    This is eternal life, that they know you, the one true God, and the Christ.

    Jesus Christ.

    Jesus Christ.

    I left him; I fled him, renounced, crucified.

    Let me never be separated from him.

    He is only kept securely by the ways taught in the Gospel:

    Renunciation, total and sweet.

    Complete submission to Jesus Christ and to my director.

    Eternally in joy for a day’s exercise on the earth.

    I will not forget thy word. Amen.”

    Ablaze for God’s Glory

    Pascal’s ideas, discoveries and achievements still impact our modern world in very practical ways, whether they be computers, wrist watches or buses. He used his genius to benefit his fellow human beings. Not only did he love them in tangible ways, but he applied his extraordinary intellect in guiding them towards spiritual realities; the abundant life that can only be found in a loving relationship with the Living God, through Jesus Christ.

    All to the glory of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

    Roger Stanway August 2025

  • Rest

    This morning I, Kate, was reflecting on the need for rest – true rest – and so I wrote a short poem and published it on my other blogsite which is actually called The Bakery!

    It’s a place where I have been sharing my poems and reflections for a couple of years now.

    http://www.poems-and-reflections.com

    Blessing everyone who has subscribed to either blog with a fresh impartation of God’s rest in this season. We all need it!