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James Clarkson

@jamesclarkson96

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Leaving God to lead me step by step
Former @eurasiaregion Finance
@ntc_manchester Masters 2026
Engaged to @rosa_saa

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All’s well that ends well to end up with you.

Mrs. Clarkson coming soon… taken in Parque El Olivar by @jamesclarkson96

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4 months ago

On 4th November, while serving on slides at the Eurasia Regional Conference, I got asked a simple question:

“Are you still single?”

At that moment, the answer was yes.

So my friend Josh Williams set up a Messenger group with an incredible Nazarene woman from the South America Region.

What followed was three months of countless messages, calls on the way to work, weekend video chats all with a five hour time difference between us. Within a month of talking, I knew I needed to book flights.

On 11th February, I landed in Chiclayo, Peru her home city and finally met Rosie in person.

This season has been one of the greatest gifts of my life. Getting to know someone who makes me laugh, brings joy so naturally, and shares a deep love for Jesus and His Church has been more than I prayed for.

So if you’re wondering whether I’m still single…

The answer is no. I’m grateful to be in a relationship with Rosie ❤️

As we’ve been reading 1 & 2 Corinthians together this month, 1 Corinthians 13 has felt especially real:

“Love is patient, love is kind… It does not envy, it does not boast.”
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Patience with God is never wasted. I’ve trusted Him with this area of my life for a long time, and I’m thankful for how He has written this chapter.

After returning to our lives after a week together in Peru, we part excited for the next time when we’ll see each other and prayerful about the future, asking God to guide our callings as we continue serving the Church of the Nazarene wherever the church asks for us.

I love you Rosie! by @jamesclarkson96

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8 months ago

I dreamt of you for so long, I just didn’t know you were there. This is the first birthday I get to celebrate your life, but honestly I already give thanks everyday for you, and I hope I never stop. James, I love you, and I can’t believe I get to spend the rest of my life with you, serving God, eating, watching, playing and traveling with my favorite person on earth.

God only knows what I’d be without you, and I think that is why he gave me you! To cherish and love forever:)

See you in 7 days in Cleveland!

Love, Rosie. taken in Chiclayo, Peru by @jamesclarkson96

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18 days ago

Nice evening for a steam train by @jamesclarkson96

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6 months ago

En el 2024, mientras estaba en la biblioteca del seminario en el que estudiaba teología, encontré un libro llamado “Dama en espera”, y aunque no era lo que esperaba en un principio, terminó siendo mucho para mí tiempo después. Había un capítulo que nunca salió de mi cabeza, decía: “No debes ir a donde hay mayor posibilidad de encontrar a una pareja, Dios no trabaja con posibilidades, sino con imposibles. Si Dios quiere darte un hombre, te lo dará, así esté al otro lado del mundo”.

Ni en mis sueños más locos pensé que esto me pasaría a mí. Que llegaría literalmente un maravilloso hombre de la nada y cruzaría el océano solo para conocerme. Un hombre que amara a Dios y a la iglesia como yo, una persona que mi familia y amigos amaran y admiraran como yo. No, si me hubieran dicho que esto pasaría, no lo hubiera creído.

Hace algunos años le dije a mis amigos que como en las películas de princesas que veía siempre, un día llegaría alguien que me conocería y diría: “ella es” y nos moveríamos a partir de allí. Y fue así con él. Ustedes saben que yo amo escribir, pero a veces me resulta imposible al intentar aceptar que esto es real.

Aún hay mucho por contar, mucho por escribir, mucho por publicar, mucho por vivir. Pero cuando lo miro, yo solo veo mi futuro, uno en el que puedo servir, en el que soy libre y en el que soy aún más feliz de lo que ya era.

Mi versículo favorito, cobra ahora más sentido. “Pues yo sé los planes que tengo para ustedes —dice el Señor—. Son planes para lo bueno y no para lo malo, para darles un futuro y una esperanza.” - Jeremías‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬

Esta canción describe perfectamente lo que sucede ahora conmigo, y así como a mí misma, la estuve guardando por mucho tiempo.

¿Valió la pena la espera? Absolutamente.

Diré mucho más, pero por ahora cierto con algo que resume todo lo antes dicho.

I love you, James.
Love, Rosie.

📷 @sandraolets taken in Chiclayo, Peru by @jamesclarkson96

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8 months ago

This week I led a devotional on Matthew 5:5 for a small group I joined since moving back to Perth. Leading this was also a nice break from the 2 theology essays of 4000 words each that I have been working on since November. In Matthew 5:5 it says “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

The word Meek really stood out to me. In English Meek takes the mean of Gentle or weakness in some ways. We have sung carols in the advent season about being meek and mild. In my mind it does add up. So then looking through the original Greek. I came across the word for Meek as Praus. Praus goes further than the definition of Meekness from English. The Biblical meekness is not weakness but rather refers to exercising God’s strength under His control.

Why a picture of a horse for this? Well imagine a great wild stallion. It’s powerful strong and without clear direction. But when it’s tamed it does not lose its strength but in fact it’s then tamed as it’s now under the control of the one who tamed it. In our lives we have a leadership that does not display the humility of Praus. Those who have the power but don’t channel that into humility. This isn’t weakness but it’s being fully surrendered to God.

I so much want to be in control of my life and what happens after my studies finish in a few months. I have no idea what’s next for my life but I have to be willing to surrender. I have been fortunate to have people in my life who show Praus and I have been thankful for the influence they have had on my life. I love also being in a church with accountability and that everyone is accountable to someone. It may seem weird but also it allows us to avoid pride and be more honest and humble.

I started doing slides at church at 13. It’s a background job that people only notice you exist sometimes if something goes wrong. I love how over the years that way of serving the church has humbled me. I so hope that I become a true Praus leader in the church. One who doesn’t seek to gain all the power. But one, going back to the horse analogy, who is letting the bit go in my mouth so the reins of the spirit can direct me. by @jamesclarkson96

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9 months ago

This weeks post I’m going to take a different approach to what my normal ones are. Today is my Gran’s (Helen) 80th Birthday. For those who have had the privilege of knowing my Gran she is some person. She is a world traveler and the experiences and places she’s been are incredible.

Most importantly, she is a person who’s served the church faithfully. From being local NMI president, serving on the church board to running a Silver liners (Open Door) for many years.

My Gran is definitely a people person she loves meeting new people, especially those who are in the church. Many times my Gran will ask me about a person who she just met with me and what they do. And I’m sure she thinks how to pray for them. That is a gift to care so deeply for so many people.

My Gran is all about her family as well. With her 5 children and their spouses and her 16 Grandchildren. She loves us all and says she has no favourite child or Grandchild but we all can guess who it is!

Whether she has a story to tell or a large cadburys bar she always gives us as a gift to us. The many people she would host people who were over to visit and the people she had proudly in her guest book. I love my gran and the godly example she has and know she prays for me and my cousins that will we grow to people of faith in our lives and find a Christian spouse one day who will spend our lives with.

Happy 80th Birthday, Gran. Thank you for being who you are. I love you. Have a great day celebrating in the states! by @jamesclarkson96

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10 months ago

This week I was leading a seminar for the contemporary missiology class. The topic that I was covering was mission in a multi cultural context. As I was preparing for it I was thinking about all the different experiences I have been blessed with being in the Nazarene church. The year I spent living in Romania and the almost 5 years I spent in Germany. And how multi-cultural contexts empowers us.

As part of class I had to come up with a case study that was relevant to the class and was inspired by the story of Joseph in the second half of Genesis, which was also a talked about from a book I remember reading before I went on the field.

Cross-Cultural Servanthood by Duane Elmer. Elmer described Joseph as an involuntary missionary, thrust into a context not of his choosing yet choosing to serve faithfully. He learns Egyptian culture, communicates respect, and adopts local practices when they do not violate his faith. His integrity wins the trust of Potiphar, the prison warden, and ultimately Pharaoh. Joseph’s openness to cultural learning and having a servant-hearted posture allowed him to navigate Egyptian life so effectively that his own brothers later fail to recognise him.

Joseph never abandons his identity, but he engages deeply enough with Egyptian life to work for the good of the people he serves. In the end, God uses Joseph’s adaptability in a cross-cultural setting and his loyalty to be able to save two nations. His life models how humility, trust-building, and cultural understanding can become powerful means of God’s mission.

This story makes me give thanks for all my friends and family who serve currently on the mission field in places we know and places we don’t know. The sacrifice them and their families make to follow the calling God has placed on them. The challenge it is serving in a place where things can be different to what their worldview is. And then maybe working so hard that the results of their service may not sprout up until after they retire.

I am praying for those who serve today on mission in a multicultural context by @jamesclarkson96

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a year ago

293 days! That’s how long I was fortunate enough to live on campus at NTC. This time at NTC I have learnt so much and grown so much. The challenges, the joy and ways I had to persevere in hard times, has made me stronger for what lies ahead. I got to meet so many people and make many more friendships. So many have helped me grow and shaped me in the time I spent there. The conversations and the research and the classes all added to such an amazing time at NTC.

Today I packed my bags, cleaned my room and moved back home to Perth. Although I have left, My masters studies is not yet complete and won’t be till the end of May 2026. In the meantime I will be researching, writing essays and my dissertation from Perth. Excited to be back home and spend time with family and get back involved with my home church in Perth. Please pray for me on my studies as they continue, my work balance and also the ministry opportunities that will present itself over the next few months.

As I reflect on those 293 days, I’m reminded that God doesn’t just call us to destinations. He shapes us in the journey and continues to do so way after we move on from one place. And this season has been one I’ll always remember so fondly.

Also anyone interested in studying theology please get in contact and I can help point you in the right direction. taken in Nazarene Theological College - Manchester by @jamesclarkson96

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a year ago

This week, I said goodbye to someone who’s become my best friend. Noah, you’ve been an amazing friend who’s made such a meaningful impact and at times helped me grow in ways I needed to. From football games at the pub to watching united at Old Trafford, walks around Didsbury, movie nights in Hurlet, and those deep theological conversations that stretched me at least, our time together has been full of laughter and growth. Our supposedly quiet study sessions in the masters space. From cinema trips to see a marvel movie to our week of pilgrimage in Spain, it’s been a friendship rooted in both joy and faith.

As I watched you prepare to move back to America, the verse that kept coming to mind was Philippians 1:6: “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.”

Goodbyes are never easy. So for me, I know with how things work in the church, its definitely see you later. When God brings people into our lives who helps shape us, it’s hard to let go. Paul’s words reminds us that our friendships and seasons together are a bigger part of God’s story. The same God who began a good work in Noah continues that work in me and in all of us.
Gods plans are still there for us even when our trust may shift and when paths and seasons change or diverge. God never abandons what he has already done within us. Whether through our friendships or ministry. The spirit continues to form Christ in us.

So today, as I said goodbye at 3am at the airport. I also give thanks for God placing people like Noah into my life because God’s good work doesn’t end with distance. It carries on, shaping both of us into who God’s calling us to be. by @jamesclarkson96

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a year ago

As I prepare to head home after an incredible week in Albania, my heart is full. Being together at the Eurasia Regional Conference has been challenging, encouraging, and deeply inspiring. There’s something powerful about gathering with nearly 800 people from across the region, reconnecting with familiar faces, and meeting new friends who share the same love for Jesus and the Church.

This week, Psalm 133:1 kept coming to mind: “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.” In a region where some countries are even in conflict with one another, to see brothers and sisters in Christ worshipping together in unity is nothing short of a glimpse of the Kingdom of God. Hearing worship in so many different languages reminded me that God’s Spirit moves beyond borders, cultures, and divisions.

I love the Church of the Nazarene for moments like these. Where we see the global Church come alive in unity, mission, and hope. As I head home, I’m filled with gratitude and excitement for what God is doing and what He continues to call me toward. My prayer is that I would keep walking through the open doors. That He provides, continuing to serve, to build unity, and to live out the calling He’s placed on my life.

Sorry that aren’t many photos. I was serving doing slides for all the services this week! But here’s one with Dr Sunberg! by @jamesclarkson96

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a year ago

Over the summer, I would do my devotions on the back lawn at NTC each morning. Which was always so peaceful and filling to my soul. The summer we just had in Manchester was unusually hot, not a lot of rain, which, those who know, is unlike Manchester!

I started to notice the grass on the lawn going yellow due to that lack of moisture. But what stood out to me is that the grass that was under the bench, that would be partially covered by the shadow of the bench, was much greener and healthy. I hope this picture helps illustrate this. It brought to my mind that we need the shadow of God over our lives for us to grow and to thrive.

Shadow in many ways can be a dark thing but in this context it’s a beautiful example. Psalm 91:1-2 helps describe this perfectly:

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”.

When we are in the shadow of God’s wings we are protected from the harmful elements of the world, yet can still be present within the world, to let our growth and light shine. taken in Nazarene Theological College - Manchester by @jamesclarkson96

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a year ago