Pastor Jim Wilkinson

Pastor Jim Wilkinson is the pastor of Hollybush Christian Fellowship, a working farm fellowship. He has been a farmer all his life and a pastor for over 50 years with his lovely wife Cynthia. He now works alongside his daughter Joanna in ministry with many other outstanding members of the fellowship.

He supports many ministries world wide and his book "Miracle Valley" became a best seller.

Visit hollybush.cc for more information. 

Transcript

Nicola : Welcome to Coldwater podcast, I would like to welcome Jim Wilkinson of Hollybush Christian Fellowship to the Coldwater podcast. Hello, Jim. Hello, how are you today?

Jim : I’m fine. Thank you.

Nicola : How did you get to know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal saviour?

Jim : I thought I knew him until he spoke to me when I was on my way home with other for young people. Yeah. And we’d been taking a meeting in a Methodist church. Yeah. Up near Massam. Yes. North Yorkshire. And on the way back down I was starting the back in the middle at the back. When this voice said you’ve been preaching about me tonight, haven’t you? And that nobody’s speaking to me? Yeah, I looked at this person and that person. And I just gave a  grunt? Yeah Because I had been doing the preaching that night. Yes. And this voice came again. Do you really know me? Yeah, And I never said in another word all the way home. I got out of that car down those fields to that farmhouse, where I was born and that mother would in bed I crushed on my knees by my bedside. Yes. Where they had? Also knelt down with me when I was little boy and give my life to Jesus. Yeah. And I was born again. Yeah.

Nicola : And you were in a very lucky position, privileged. Sorry, that's the right word to have parents that took you to church, that loved you, that nurtured you. So you’d seem some element of the love of God there. Didn’t you? And how long ago was that Jim.

 Jim : that was in 1948.

Nicola : Right? So, yeah, you’re quite a miracle in yourself. I’m the fact that you’re 91 and still serving the Lord as a pastor. So you are you. You’re absolutely .. you know stunning and you and Cynthia wife have pastored Holly Bush for 50 years and written a book, Miracle Valley, Would you like to talk about some of the miracles you have witnessed please? Jim. 

Jim : The one great miracle was when my mother was dying in hospital in a sideward. Yeah, she hadn’t eaten anything  for three days. As she couldn’t even sit up in bed, to feed. And so I think that I went in that night and she loved a Lord of course. Yes. And so we said mother, we want to pray for. Lord do something more for mother tonight. We laid hands on her.

Nicola : Yes. 

Jim : And we left now, came back home and next afternoon, which was a Thursday, including during the night. Yeah, a nurse went into the sideward and mother was settled in bed. Yeah, she ate a breakfast.

Nicola : Wow, 

Jim :  ate a lunch. Yes. And that afternoon. She got into her clothes . Yeah. And walked out of the hospital. Yes. And she never knows saw another doctor for 10 years.

Nicola : Yes, I’ve had a similar miracle with my dad’s, who was on palliative care, and I turned up, and I looked at the, my auntie in the one on you that it wasn’t his time and I said, my son is praying for you and I am praying for you, dad, and he was a cold blue slab on the bed and he sat up and he went really, you praying for me. And he was had septis in pneumonia, so I know that God can can do that for people. Yeah, he knows the time and he knows when they’re ready to go and he does that so, thank you. Jim. That’s amazing. But you’ve seen other miracles haven’t? 

Jim : Yes, we have 

Nicola : and you, I mean, the book miracle values is worth reading for anybody.

Jim : right

Nicola : You know, you’ve had snapped ankles and the fields right there, you’ve had things happen with turnips on your farm. That’s….

Jim : potatoes

Nicola :  and potatoes that are on inconceivable, really that you could have those things happen. And, and it’s a really good read. So I recommend people get the book because I, I thoroughly enjoyed that book and I’ve passed it on and I have no copies left because I keep on giving it away to people. It’s that type of book. It’s a really easy read. It’s a lovely read. Yeah. So, thank you Jim. You’ve got an amazing heart and I know you’ve got amazing resilience and I know that it’s the deep relationship you have with the Lord that’s preserved you. What would you say to anyone? Who does not know the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Jim : You don’t know what you’re missing? Laughs  and it is difficult to explain. Yeah. Who the Lord Jesus Christ is although we got the Bible to go by because it’s something personal.

Nicola : Yes. 

Jim : It’s it’s like I mean and inner friend. Yeah as well. 

Nicola : Yes,

Jim : it’s not just in your heart because that’s a blood pump. Yes. But all about you it’s in your mind. 

Nicola : Yes.

Jim : So but it’s not, it’s not something that you likely take. And you’ve got to be willing to hand your life over to Jesus which is what most of us don’t want to do. No, we want to have our own lives and do what we want. Yeah. Which when we hand our lives, over to the Lord, he’s in charge. 

Nicola :  Yes. 

Jim : And that’s the hard bit for a start until you realise not just miracles that help you. But also you get the things that you didn’t have like the fruit of the spirit. 

Nicola : Yes,

Jim : which is love.

Nicola : Yes, 

Jim : you get to know love

Nicola: yes 

Jim  yes: by talking to him. What’s people might call praying? Yeah. Oh you you find out you’ve got joy? Well, in years gone by you had lows.

Nicola :  Yes. 

Jim : Yeah. On top of the mountain and then you’re down in the valley.

Nicola : Yeah.

Jim : So he says a wonderful stabiliser. 

Nicola : He’s consistent in that situation.

Jim : Yeah. And all the fruit of the spirit, which we think we’re out there the come right to you from Jesus. And also, on top of that there he promised to his disciples and to us today. He promised to say he would he said something like in English, he would have said no lads, I’m not leaving you alone.

 Yeah, I’m going. 

Nicola : Yes. 

Jim :But I’m going to send somebody to help you. 

Nicola : Yeah. 

Jim : What are you walking? The earth and he said I’m going to said my Holy Spirit. 

Nicola : Yes. 

Jim : Now we don’t realise that until we invite him the Holy Spirit into our lives as well. 

Nicola : Yeah. 

Jim : Yeah. And he’s the one that guides us and leads us, he’s our conscience. 

Nicola: Yes. 

Jim : Things like that. Yeah. And so, hey, he is, we said he would Jesus, who said it, who we would be

Nicola : yes. 

Jim : And so, that’s what happens. 

Nicola : Yes,

Jim : he just guide us nd he doesn’t, it doesn’t say do this. Do that? Do the other? No, by and large, he’s saying many times. Do you really think you should have done that? 

Nicola : Yes, 

Jim : or do you know anything, you should do that? Yeah, another thing you should say that? 

Nicola : Yes. 

Jim  : Yes. And so he helps us to be more stable. 

Nicola : Yes. He’s a very wise father and we wouldn’t tell our children do this. Do that? Do that. We want them to grow and make choices and have freedom, and but make the wise choices. Yeah, that’s available to them. And that’s what the Lord wants to do with those. And when you were talking the, when multi-faceted came to mind. Yeah, he’s got different. He like he likes to reveal himself. 

Jim : That’s right. 

Nicola : And in a deeper way to us in any way that you know we we get to learn. So thank you. There’s a book called Legacy  that just come out. Yeah. Would you like to talk about how this book came about

Jim : legacy?

Nicola :  The book, the poetry book and all the

Jim : yes. 

Nicola : the new one

Jim : Yes the new one. Well, this has been a lady coming today camp for over 20 years and she takes everything in. She didn’t appear to take too many notes in when the preacher’s preaching on when the meeting is going on. But somehow she’s got a good memory and maybe that same night or maybe early next morning, I don’t know. But over the over the years this book called legacy. It’s a story of that week mainly about the main preacher. Who speaks every morning? Yeah, more. The Bible stories coming, the Bible study. And that kind of grows into a poem. Yes, poetry which is some of its a bit long. Somebody maybe has two pages. Yes, etc. But she’s able, when you read through it, she you were able to be reminded of the main points of the man who was doing the Bible study. Yeah. And so this, the chapters in that. Yes, so 19 years. Yeah. Sadly. Not the 20th. No. No. Because we didn’t have a camp. Yes. And so that’s all. It’s an unfinished business. 

Nicola :Yes.

Jim : So the next one I don’t know anything today. Maybe 1922.

Nicola : Yes. 

Jim : So that’s just come out. Yeah. And she is selling them, very interesting this. But she told everybody that she’s selling them and people pay five pounds each for them and it is for the fund for 2022 Camp. 

Nicola : Yes.

Jim : So that’s wonderful that you should do that. So she’s not doing it for herself. 

Nicola : No, no.

Jim : she has had the book sprinted. Yeah. And now finding something good, or giving something good. 

Nicola : yes, being paid for partly. 

Nicola : Yes, 

Jim : by giving these  selling the books with the money is coming to the fellowship for camp. 22. 

Nicola : Yes, you have a fabulous fabulous, ministry and church and it’s been hard work. And that I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done in my life and I know I’m not the only one. I know there’s a queue of people and I just want to thank you for what you have done for the Lord, which has rippled off onto my life and changed my life. And you’ve done the same for several probably thousand people. I don’t hold that back either. I know that there’ll be. But yeah. So thank you. And that’s really just what I want to say. So and thank you for doing this, this interview. It’s been lovely. 

Jim  Yeah, thank you so much. God bless you Are God bless, 

Nicola : Bye-bye. 

Jim : Thank you. Bye.