‘Miracles do still happen’

It never ceases to amaze me the things God does every day in our lives, even when we don’t expect it. A good friend mine suggested that I have a look at the “Jabez Prayer” in 1 Chronicles 4 verse 10 to see what would happen if I tried praying to God in the same way as Jabez had done all those years ago. He said he had some amazing things happen to him and it would be well worth investigating further. I had never heard of it before but once he told me I became intrigued, and thought I would give it a try to see what happened for myself.

I have now been praying this prayer on a regular basis, and some amazing things have happened over the years. I would like to share just this one with you even though there have been many others; this just shows how quickly God can answers our prayers.

The prayer goes like this; “And Jabez cried out to the God of Israel saying,”Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request. (N.I.V). A rather odd prayer I here you say. Well on this particular morning the part “and enlarge my territory,” just seemed more relevant as I prayed. I went to work as usual and thought no more of it. At about 2 pm the phone rang, astonishingly it was the BBC asking me if I would like to take part in the programme ‘Flog it’. I was absolutely astounded and couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I just did not expect any thing like this, or as soon.

In case you don’t already know “Flog it” is an antiques programme where people take along an item they think is an antique, get the item valued, then if the person wishes to sell, the team ‘Flog it!’ During the programme there are two slots in which different businesses are shown relating to a craft or trade, hence the phone call. They wanted an upholsterer who still does traditional re-upholstery using horsehair and Hessian in the restoration of old furniture. We fixed up a provisional appointment with the producer John Miller to come along and look at what we do and see if they wanted to take it further. A couple of days later I was asked if I would like to take part in the programme. A few weeks later Paul Martin and the crew arrived and started filming. They started outside the workshop to film the entrance and the end scene so as to catch the light, then inside to film the nitty, gritty of what we do and what things to look for when buying old upholstered furniture.

Now it doesn’t mean that whatever we want, we will get, as God says he will meet all our needs not our wants. But God wants to give us more; all we have to do is ask him.

It was an amazing experience, one that made me realise more than ever that God loves and cares for all of us, and all we have to do is ask now matter how trivial. What a wonderful sense of humour He has….’Enlarge my territory’. I still smile when I think about it.

If you would like to find out some more about this remarkable little prayer of Jabez please follow the links.

Relocation Dream

Since 1984 we have gained unrivalled recognition for our quality new furniture, upholstery and re-upholstery service. Crowther’s is a name familiar to many within Lincoln and the surrounding area, we have weathered two recessions and numerous difficulties, but by the grace of God we continue to serve the community with our traditional crafts. Having to move out and relocate in 2005 due to the redevelopment of our previous location, came as a bit of a blow on one hand, but a great opportunity on the other, but trying to find appropriate alternative premises proved to be something of a minefield, as time and time again we were told that there was no suitable properties available due to unsuitable locations, short term lease’s and soaring rent and rate costs that made it impractical. Eventually my wife, Jenny and I happened upon an advertisement for a redundant agricultural building in the village of Nettleham – an area of Lincoln that we have close links with, and for many years a desire to have a rural setting to operate our business from. Early optimism was hard to maintain for Jenny, and judging by the picture it was easy to understand why.

Most people would have immediately focused on the many obvious reasons for not considering this as a viable possibility. However, I could see the potential right from the start and undeterred set about with planning the layout of the new workshop. As a man that makes his living transforming dilapidated furniture, that is rarely fit for anything other than the dump, into beautiful, quality furniture, with character that will compliment an array of interiors, this was a worthy challenge. With the support of Edward Scrase-Hollamby, friend and owner of ESH Consultancy, we set about transforming the old grain store into a premises suitable for making and displaying our work, a place that would create an inviting atmosphere for people wishing to view fabric books, call in for advice or even to watch their furniture being custom-built or restored. In addition to this, the new premises had to be suitable to house an extensive range of woodwork equipment and a polishing room for a business that continues to grow. I believe that more and more people are wanting a truly customer focused service from a local name they know and trust, a welcome alternative to mass produced furniture goods, which often lack the quality and individuality that can only come from hand-craftsmanship.

We are also involved in another exiting extension of our business; in association with a friend I have been involved in the design and production of a luxury massage couch called “The Aureus” and marketed through our “Aequum” business, it will be hand manufactured here at our workshop in Nettleham. For more information about “The Aureus” click on “links” from the home page and go to “Aequum”.