In between editing my book I'm busy modrocing my bird on a wire

I learnt a sculpture technique at a workshop I go to.

So, in between editing Kingdom Poetry books and the blog, you can find me either painting using water colour or recording flute music with one of my many Native American Flutes. Or doing housework, mopping floors, cooking dinner, baking bread or making kiwi crumble. Or using Sibelius to create brass trios or a full orchestral work.

Although I have a home studio.

I rarely use it these days; I used to use it every day, but now it's once a fortnight.

I have a collection of guitars and ukuleles

A plethora of artwork on my walls, in every room, including the bathroom

I bake bread 

Suffice it to say, I am a very busy man.

I also have a garden which I water every day.

I have just taken delivery of my shopping, 40% off, yippie.

So, just thought I would share my day with you, a behind-the-scenes look at my daily life.

Well, I need to get back to my modrocing; see you soon.

David Nicholas Slater.

Author, Musician,Painter, Sculptor, Entreprenuer, Christian.

My Kingdom Poetry books are available online from Amazon. 

Find my author page here: Kingdom Poetry

Find my music here: Soundcloud, Number One Music, YouTube.

Find my websites here: Radio Station

Find my Christian blog here: Daretobelieve Kingdom Poetry

From Desktop to Cloud: Why My Holy Book Wouldn't Go Online

The last thing I learned: Word Desktop doesn't know the difference between a council and Counsel. Later, I learned Word Online doesn't know my book at all.

After I found "the spirit of council" in my proof copy of Kingdom Poetry, I thought — easy, I'll run it through Word Online. Everyone says the Online Editor is smarter. Punctuation, Conciseness, Inclusive Language — all the things Desktop doesn't have.

I clicked Open in Word Online and got this:

"This file has elements that Word Online can't read"

My holy book was apparently too dubious for the cloud.

Here is everything I found hiding in a KDP Desktop file that locks Word Online out — in case you're a fellow author in Dewsbury or Dallas fighting the same thing.

Error 1: The Header That Wouldn't Die (But Did)

My KDP template had a header on every section. Removing it was easy: double-click top, Remove Header. Done.

Error 2: The Footer That Wouldn't Die (And Wouldn't)

The footer was different. It looked empty. It wasn't.

Inside it was a hidden { PAGE } field code left by Amazon's template. On Windows, you press Alt+F9 to see it. On my Mac, Fn+Option+F9 just triggered a macro.

I pressed Cmd+A, Delete, Delete again. It came back. I clicked Remove Footer. It came back.

The fix: Right-click the page number itself > Remove Page Numbers. Then uncheck "Different First Page" and "Different Odd & Even Pages". On Mac, the real trick is to show ¶ marks with Cmd+8 — that last ¶ in the whole document holds the footer prisoner.

Error 3: Link to Previous is Greyed Out

I Googled it. Every forum said, "click Link to Previous to turn it off."

Mine was grey. Disabled. I thought my Word was broken.

It wasn't broken. It was telling the truth. I was in Section 1. There IS no previous section to link to. That grey button meant my file was split into 30+ sections from all those narrow margin fixes. Word Online can't handle that many sections — it gives up.

Fix: Find and Replace, find ^b (Section Break), replace with nothing. Replace All. Suddenly one book, one section.

Error 4: Compatibility Mode

At the top it said [Compatibility Mode]. That means my file was secretly still a 2003 Word document wearing a 2026 costume. No wonder Online couldn't read it. File > Info > Convert fixed it.

Error 5: Text Boxes for Poetry

I had centred my poems using text boxes to make them look beautiful for the hardback proof. Word Online doesn't edit text boxes. It just locks the file to Read-Only.

So what did I end up doing?

I gave up converting the beautiful version.

I made a second version — a "checker copy". Select all, but don't select that very last ¶ mark, copy, paste into a brand new blank document with Paste and Match Formatting. No headers. No footers. No boxes.

 Just words.

That ugly file opened instantly in Word Online. And the Editor finally worked. It flagged conciseness issues Desktop had never shown me.

I wrote the corrections on paper, then typed those two or three words back into my beautiful Desktop master.

The Lesson

Desktop Word is a printing press. It's built to make things look perfect on paper.

Online Word is an editor. It's built to read meaning in the cloud.

For Kingdom Poetry, I need both. One to make the hardback look like it should be on a pulpit, one to make sure I didn't accidentally turn the Holy Spirit of Counsel into a local council meeting.

If you're writing theology, or anything where one letter changes the Spirit, don't trust one version. Use Desktop to format, Online to discern.

And if your footer won't delete on a Mac — it's not you. It's Amazon.

Grace and (proper) Counsel to you 

David Nicholas Slater

Author, Kingdom Poetry Volume 1: Taking The World By Storm & Volume 2: New Beginnings
Dewsbury, UK

When Spell Check Misses The Spirit: Writing Theology in Word

When Spell Check Misses The Spirit: Writing Theology in Word

I found out this week that Microsoft Word doesn't know its Bible.

I was finalising the proof copies of Kingdom Poetry Volume 1: Taking The World By Storm and Volume 2: New Beginnings — two books that have taken more than 10 years of early mornings here in Dewsbury to write.

On screen, everything looked perfect. No red lines. No blue lines. Word told me I was good to go.

Then I saw it. 

On paper.

"the spirit of council"

Spell checker said it was correct. And technically, it is. Council is a real word. It's a group of people in a room making decisions.

But I didn't write about a council. I wrote about the Spirit of Counsel. Isaiah 11:2. Wisdom, understanding, divine strategy. The Holy Spirit Himself advising us.

One letter. Completely different Spirit.

And Word missed it. Because Word Desktop checks spelling, not meaning.

The Desktop vs. Online Problem

This is what I couldn't figure out until yesterday. Why does Word on my desktop feel... dumber than Word in my browser?

On my laptop, the Editor gives me the basics: Spelling, Grammar.

Online, on Microsoft 365 for the web, the same document suddenly gets superpowers: Punctuation, Conciseness, Formality, Inclusive Language, Sensitive Geopolitical References.
Why?

Because the online version is plugged into the cloud. The Editor there is running AI — Microsoft Editor — which actually reads context. It knows that "council" after "Spirit of" in a theological book is probably wrong. It knows that "prophet" and "profit" are not interchangeable, even though both are spelt right. That "holy" and "wholly" will both pass a spell check but preach two different sermons.
The desktop version I paid for and installed? It keeps most of that offline. It will tell me if I spelt "accommodate" wrong. It won't tell me if I've just changed the Holy Spirit into a local authority meeting.

For a novelist, that's annoying. For a theological writer, it's dangerous.
Theological writing is all context. The difference between a prophet and a profit, 
breaking and breakthrough, grace and grease...is not a spelling issue. It's a meaning issue. 

And a desktop spell checker cannot discern spirits. 

Only a human can.

What I'm Learning To Do: Print it. I had to hold my proof copies — the actual hardbacks with the gold lettering — to see what the screen hid from me. Paper doesn't lie.

Read it aloud. When I read "spirit of council" out loud, my spirit checked it even if Word didn't.

Give it to pastors first. I ordered 2 copies of each volume for my pastors at church for a reason. Not just to bless them, but because they know the difference between counsel and council instantly. As an aside, I also emailed them the final Word documents to make any corrections as they see fit 

Use both Words. I'm now drafting in Desktop, but I run the final check in Word Online just for that Editor panel. It's clunky, but it catches the conciseness and punctuation things Desktop misses.

Microsoft, if you're reading — why does the free online version have more discernment than the desktop version I rely on?

Writing Kingdom Poetry has taught me this: Taking the world by storm starts with getting the words right. And sometimes new beginnings mean realising the tool you trusted can't tell the difference between a committee and the Comforter.

I'll be updating the interior files this week. If you ordered the first Kindle edition on September 17th, you'll get the corrected version automatically.

Grace and Counsel be yours in abundance!

The versions I have edited are online now. Hope I haven't missed anything.

David Nicholas Slater
Author, Kingdom Poetry

Here is my author page: click here! 

Kingdom Poetry Volume 1: Taking the world by storm: click here!

Kingdom Poetry Volume 2: New Beginnings: Click here!

Both Hardcovers Are Now Live — And That Lonely Amen Finally Behaved

It's been a full day.

This morning it was spelling, punctuation and layout fixes. Then it was font size 3 in the Kindle reviewer looking perfect, but my tablet was throwing the word "Amen" all alone at the top of a new page. Anyone who publishes poetry on KDP will know that feeling — you fix one page and the next thirty pages all move.

But tonight, I'm pleased to say — Kingdom Poetry Volume 1 and Kingdom Poetry Volume 2 are both now live in hardcover, as well as eBook.

Two volumes. Four formats. Live on Amazon.

The journey behind it

These poems weren't written to be perfect on a page. They were written in Dewsbury, in real life — in prayer, in the kitchen, in between.

Publishing them has taught me that layout matters too. If a poem takes two pages, that last line and that Amen need to stay together. It's the same with faith — you keep things together; you don't let them get separated and orphaned at the top of the next page.

I learned today about Shift+Enter vs Enter, Ctrl+Enter page breaks, and ticking "Keep lines together" — and I also learned to let a tomato, chilli, sugar and anchovy sauce reduce properly before serving the spaghetti!

Both lessons are the same: don't rush it.

What you will find inside

Volume 1 is where it started — prayers, psalms and pieces from the early walk.
Volume 2 goes deeper — more refined, more citations checked, more concise where it needs to be, but still with the same heart.

Both are now available as: eBook — for your Kindle, tablet or phone

Hardcover — for your shelf, for gifting, for keeping

If you already bought the eBook, or if you got the eBook for free on promotion, thank you. 

If you have left a review at #157k — thank you. You are helping these books find their readers.

What's next

I'll be sharing the links on Twitter and Facebook tonight, with a photo of tonight's celebratory spaghetti — because writing is hungry work.

If you would like to support: Grab the hardcover for your collection
Leave a short review — even "Amen" will do (just not on its own page!)

Share this post with someone who loves Christian poetry

Thank you for walking this road with me.

DNS copyright © 2026
David Nicholas Slater — Dewsbury, England
Kingdom Poetry — Available now on Amazon

Link to my author page: click here 

click here for volume 1

click here for volume 2

Into your lap

 I am the Almighty God 

Do not be disheartened or dismayed, for I am about to pour out into your lap

Something New 

Believe me when I say that all things are mine to do with as I please 

I am creator and sustainer of all things 

I am about to pour out such a blessing for you

Come to me and receive from my open hand 

The doors of heaven are open 

Reach out your hand and take what I offer you 

Obey my commands, and blessing will follow 

Submit to me and resist the evil one 

I am about to do for you what no mortal man can do

I am Alpha and Omega 

The Beginning 

The End

Can you not sense my presence?

Do you not feel my Spirit?

Your life will unfold as it should if you remember to obey my Word

Let it be written on your heart and mind, and you will be renewed in strength and vitality

Have you perceived?

Do you understand?

Come to me, my child, and receive from my open hand 

For it contains everything I want you to have 

I am the Creator; I have spoken

Amen

Honestly I'm a good cook cooking meals and cooking up some prophecy too

 

Find my bookstore here 

read my bio 

David Nicholas Slater is a Christian poet, musician and author from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. His debut collection, Kingdom Poetry, was written from a place of restoration. Through seasons of brokenness and rebuilding, David found that poetry became prayer — each verse a testimony of God's faithfulness. Volume 1: Taking the World by Storm (117 pages) and Volume 2: New Beginnings (103 poems) mark the beginning of the Kingdom Poetry series, sharing hope with the message: From broken ground, new life breaks through. Alongside writing, David is a composer and multi-instrumentalist with music spanning brass trios to contemporary worship, available on all major platforms. When he's not writing, you'll find him in the garden growing tomatoes, in the kitchen making his famous dark toffee, or working on the next volume. He writes to encourage those walking through hard times that God is still writing their story.

Kingdom Poetry is now on a free Promotion for 2 days. Click here

Kingdom Poetry Volume 2 price promotion

 Over the last few days and weeks, I have been putting together 2 kingdom Poetry Books

They will be available on Amazon around the world

Kindle 4.99

Paperback 8.99

Hardback 16.99

My Author Store is LIVE! 🙏 Kingdom Poetry: Volume 1 & Volume 2 Both books are now together in one place. Thank you to everyone in Dewsbury & beyond who supported me. 👇

 Click here to view the books available

Hardcover version, Volume 1: click here

Paperback and hardcover Volume 2 coming soon

Paperback Volume 1 coming soon 

Volume 2 on promotion: free 4 price increases until the full price of 4.99 is reached 

Promotion starts Sept. 19th and ends Sept. 22nd

click here for Kingdom Poetry Volume 2 

A New beginning

I am the God of new beginnings 

You think you have thrown it all away and nothing can be done 

But I tell you, nothing could be further from the truth 

I shall open up a way for you 

I do not want anyone to perish, for I am the creator of life 

It is my desire that life in all its fullness be yours 

Nothing will be held back from you

Everything that I have planned for you will come to fruition 

You may think that the evil one has won 

But I tell you He was made a public spectacle of by the power of the cross.

He has lost all his power and strength because Christ took from him what he stole from you 

and now offers it back to you without cost

come to him and be amazed at what he does

do not be deceived; the enemy disguises himself as light 

But behold, the true light that gives light and life to all men has come 

He is the immortal, eternal Word that became flesh and walked among us 

I am convinced that He shall do for you what no mortal man can do

He heals lepers 

He makes blind eyes see 

The lame walk 

The dead are raised to life

He provides for His children

Open the door to the one who can do it for you.

Amen

after months of downtime our website is operational again

 look us up at https://daretobelieve.biz

God's power is made perfect in weakness

 

jude 1 20-23

 

Psalm 2 1-12

Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the LORD and against his anointed one. “Let us break their chains,” they cry, “and free ourselves from slavery to God.” But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. Then in anger he rebukes them, terrifying them with his fierce fury. For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.” The king proclaims the LORD’s decree: “The LORD said to me, ‘You are my son. Today I have become your Father. Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession. You will break them with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.’” Now then, you kings, act wisely! Be warned, you rulers of the earth! Serve the LORD with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling. Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities— for his anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him!

Listen to me, I will break the nations and smash them like clay pots.

I will fashion all things anew, like a potter on the wheel.

Take refuge in me, and I will rebuild the nations.

Do not scoff at the one who made the heavens and the earth, for he separates sheep from goats.

My Sheep shall come in through the narrow gate and be counted and named and written down in the books of life, not so the goats, they walk a lonely and difficult path, and in the end they will be destroyed.

Say to the nations, be warned, for you shall come under his righteous Judgement and be sentenced according to what you have done. 

The lord is a righteous judge.

Who has the power to set free the condemned!

Come to him and gain your eternal freedom.

Now is the day of salvation, for he is very near to you 

Reach out your hand and take hold of his free gifts

He is standing next to you.

And as you take his hand, he will lead you through to your eternal destiny

He knows how you're feeling right now 

Let him guide. He will set you free from that which incriminates you.

Amen.        

   

The Holy Spirit the third person of the Godhead

Did you not know you are more powerful than kings and monarchs? 

For He, the living God, has made His residence within your heart. 

Do not mistake the Holy Spirit for a force, for He is the third person of the Godhead.

Believe me when I say that power and authority can be found when you become one spirit with Him.

God's temple is the human heart. 

Why are you holding back in declaring God's truth over your life? 

Do not allow the world to write its lies on your heart and mind. 

Do you know who you truly are?

I tell you, you are God's workmanship, created to be the handiwork of God. 

Created by God to fulfil His purposes 

He has given you divine unction to live in power and authority.

Jesus bought back man's dominion and now offers it freely to anyone who will believe that He is the Christ.

God's creative power is available to you through the Holy Spirit. 

Silence the voice of the flesh

Silence the voice of the enemy

Silence the voice of the world

Do this, and God's voice will come clear 

Go into the secret place and talk with Him, for He desires a relationship with you.

You have an army of warring angels that God has ordered to watch over you 

Amen

The seed and the ground

Hear me!

I am the ever-living one.

I was, I am, and shall be again.

It is I who made the stars.

Who are you that you should bear fruit?

You are the chosen one.

I have appointed you to bring comfort to ease sorrow.

I have appointed you to bring peace, not turmoil.

Do not be afraid, the sun rises and sets and the ocean still rises and falls.

I shall bring days of joy and restoration for you.

I have given you strength, power, and authority in these days.

The days are dark.

But even in the darkness, light shines.

I shall come among you in the darkness that surrounds you.

Even though utter darkness threatens, and the earth groans, my people will flourish

I shall be a staff and shield for you.

I shall be like an outer garment for you to protect and defend you

Call me, do not despair, for I am that I am.

I came and lived among you.

I died.

Yet I live forever and ever. 

I shall make my dwelling among you.

I shall be an ever-present help  

Amen

Salvation for everyone

Mark 16

15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 

16 Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 

17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 

18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

Confess Him, Lord and Saviour 

Make Him  King and Shepherd

He will honour his word to you 

Put God's message of saving grace on your lips and tongue, and be without shame when you do so.

and signs and manifestations will follow

I am He who was before

I am He who is now 

I am He who shall be again 

None but the Father knows the time of his coming

Yet be sure of signs and wonders in current times 

Do not rejoice that poison won't harm you 

But, rather rejoice over every sinner who repents and is baptised in His threefold Name.

Come to him, you who labour and are heavily burdened, and He will give you rest.

It's time to trust a voice you have never heard, an unfamiliar voice that speaks out of the darkness.

A voice that speaks of unconditional love and brings a message of salvation for sinners.

You thought you could dance on the edge of darkness and not get sucked in.

But it swallowed you whole. 

Trust the shepherd who seeks the lost. those who wander off and can no longer hear His voice.

Believe that He has found you.

and is speaking into the darkness that surrounds you.

It's time to trust the voice of holiness, resurrection and healing.

Amen      

 

Daretobelieve now has a Youtube Channel Acts 2 17-21

 Acts 2 17-21

Acts 2 17-21

17 ‘In the last days,’ God said, ‘I will pour out my Holy Spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men dream dreams. 18 Yes, the Holy Spirit shall come upon all my servants, men and women alike, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will cause strange demonstrations in the heavens and on the earth—blood and fire and clouds of smoke; 20 the sun shall turn black and the moon blood-red before that awesome Day of the Lord arrives. 21 But anyone who asks for mercy from the Lord shall have it and shall be saved.’

My Spirit shall come among you 

Open your mind and heart 

Seek holiness and gain moral purity 

Hate what God hates and love what God loves.

Turn from your wicked ways

The Holy Spirit does not come to bring comfort, but holiness and purity 

Hear the voice of the Lord 

He is calling to you

He shall turn the coward into a warrior 

and the violent into a man of peace.

He shall live in you and embolden you

Stand Firm then and know that He is God

He does not seek the proud or the arrogant but the humble and the surrendered 

Learn the ways of his kingdom 

Through Him you shall topple principalities and powers and thrones and dominions

The kingdom of darkness shall know you and tremble, for he has placed divine authority in you  

You shall speak to mountains and they shall be levelled 

You shall speak to the deserts, and they shall become fertile ground

You shall speak to the sick, and they shall recover 

You shall speak to the blind, and they shall see

You shall speak to the deaf and they shall hear

You shall become a warrior of light 

You shall know him, and He shall know you

Amen

If you still do these and go to church you are not born again

Chosen from the cradle Set apart for greatness

 

Christians who will go to hell