‘I have a dream …’ are four words that flow through my mind on a daily basis. When driving my car, I have a dream of driving a better one; whilst standing in a queue, I have a dream/idea on how to bring about efficiency; when looking in the mirror, I have a dream of being thinner; and when I sit still and contemplate, I have a dream of making a difference in people’s lives.

My life has been impacted by two people; Princess Diana and the Lord Jesus Christ. You might wonder why someone who ‘had a dream’ of living the life of a princess yet has such a sad but memorable story would influence me and how I could possibly link her impact on my life to that of the impact that Jesus has had on my entire existence.

Well as I have often thought about it Princess Diana and Jesus Christ were able to reach the hearts of people that others would not even think of reaching out to. Princess Diana was not afraid to sit at the bedside of a person dying of HIV/Aids, nor was she afraid to walk across mine fields in Africa and hold the children on her lap whose lives had been devastated and Jesus was not too perturbed at dinning with a prostitute and a tax collector, He even broke the ‘rules’ of the day to heal the sick and raise the dead.

I have always cared very deeply for people and this was increased by a trauma debriefing course I attended. If I drive past an accident I want to stop and help; if someone is in hospital, I am there; when I have a friend with cancer I am relentless in caring for them until their healing comes or they breathe their last breath.

I have a task of writing a ‘compelling vision for my ministry’ and I find the word ‘compel’ very apt as I ponder on 1 Corinthians 9:16 ‘For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!’ I feel exactly the same about caring for people - woe to me if I do not reach out to those who need a special touch!

So my vision for my ministry is to continue to reach out to people, to be more intentional in taking note of those in need, to touch lives and make people feel special just as Princess Diana did and to offer the gift of eternal life by sharing the story of Jesus with those that come across my path.