Dear Heartcry family & friends,

Happy February!!

This weekend we had the excitement and welcome distraction of SNOW in Oxford!  We  did not have to worry about flights and the impact the weather would have on our schedule our travel this year but could just enjoy it and the beauty it brings.  Today the skies are bright, sunny and clear with the temperatures still below freezing.  It has been such a joy to hear the sound of children squealing with delight as they build snowmen and run and play.  With another full national lockdown in the UK, many people have felt a little overwhelmed by the monotony of life, finding it hard to keep a sense of purpose and motivation. But somehow the simple blanket of white snow seemed to lift spirits over the weekend and provide a welcome distraction…and an excuse for some childlike fun with our puppy! 

Over this last month, the Heartcry team has had the joy of preaching for several churches and speaking at a few online conferences.  One of those events in mid-January was called “Flourish”, when God reminded me that we are made to flourish in EVERY season of life, including wintertime when conditions are more challenging.  Psalm 1:1, 3 says: What delight comes to the one who follows God’s ways … 3 He will be standing firm like a flourishing tree planted by God’s design, deeply rooted by the brooks of bliss, bearing fruit in every season of his life. He is never dry, never fainting, ever blessed, ever prosperous. (TPT) In some seasons it is easy to identify the evidence of our flourishing. In springtime you can see the verdant, new green leaves, in summertime the fragrance of the flowers fills everything and in Fall we watch the trees laden with fruit and fields full of harvest. However, in the winter season it is easy to be intimidated by this word “flourish”, but I felt God remind me that winter is the season when roots are strengthened and real deep flourishing happens but in the hidden place.  In the hostility of winter, a secret resilience is developed and an inner strength is formed.  So let’s not become overwhelmed in this season and see it as a time of futility but let’s understand that strength is being formed and enlargement is taking place for the journey ahead. We are made to flourish even in times of adversity! We can look forward with expectation to the new era that will spring forth from this complex season as God reinforces the foundations of our lives individually and corporately as nations. We will flourish in the land! 

During January, through our online messages of hope, we have taken time to share the prophetic words for 2021, explore their application and implication, and then pray them in. It is so encouraging to know that God is speaking and that there is so much synergy around the world.  We have seen how this theme of foundations has come up repeatedly and how God has reminded us of Jeremiah 6:16: Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it and you will find rest for your souls.  So, during this time of ongoing restrictions on our lives, we encourage you to ask God “where the good way is” so that we might be re-positioned correctly and ready to move forward when the time comes.  If you have not yet had time, you may like to catch up on this last month’s messages which you can find on our Facebook and YouTube channels.  We have also added a page to our website with the links to referenced prophetic words from the nations so that you can read and weigh them for yourself.  

In February the Heartcry messages of hope will continue online and we will be starting a new six-week series that will take us into mid-March called, “EXAMINING THE PROPHETS & THE PROPHETIC MINISTRY”.  On Sundays we will look at a different biblical prophet each week and explore their life message and how they communicated this.  On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays we will examine some of the complexities of the prophetic ministry, looking at some of the principle characteristics that need to be developed, interwoven with lessons from the lives of these prophetic architects and forerunners.  This is a shift of season and the birthing of a new era and in times of such change we need to develop and enjoy the gift of safe, mature prophetic ministry to help us navigate the new season.  So join us on this exciting adventure with a whole new set of teaching on how to better understand the prophetic ministry in these days when God is stirring new days in many nations.

As a team we are grateful for your support, prayer and investment and have really appreciated your feedback and encouragement.  Thank you for partnering with us!

With our appreciation and love, 
Rachel & Gordon and Helen.