So often I operate out of fear. In fact, I have a really good repertoire of fears, as you would expect from someone who has majored in this for far too long. I can experience any of them to order, sometimes even all of them at the same time. Fear of the future. Fear of … Continue reading »
Coffee in hand, milk frothed just so, and a creme egg in the other. It may be weeks until Easter but who cares about minor details like that? Today has been another good day…gym, a cafe lunch, conversations and messaging interchanges with precious people. Oh yes, and a TED video! Did you know that only … Continue reading »
Because all I seem to do right now is write, I am not reading. Or, to be more accurate, I am reading all kinds of things. Things about feminist hermeneutics, liberation readings of Scripture, backgrounds to Torah and approaches to Wisdom. Things which are interwoven yet further with texts about food, hospitality and community and … Continue reading »
Brothers and sisters, we are not professionals. So says Piper.* But we are. Or, at least, I am. I am a professional. After an idyllic three years at the ‘right’ university I walked into a job with a top three City law firm. And there began my professional training. I became a professional. In ways … Continue reading »
Does anyone else resonate with this excerpt from the early writings of a pastor whose published journal I have been reading lately? Some men simply overwhelm me with their fantastic acquaintance with so many truths. Can one man know everything? Of course not. Then what should he know? How is he to choose out of … Continue reading »
Lately, I’ve been returning to two concepts. One is what I have decided to call ‘folk Christianity’. By this I mean the kind of Christian teachings which are widely disseminated on Christian radio stations, certain devotionals which had better remain nameless and more than a few internet videos. I’m interested in how big an influence … Continue reading »
God spoke to me quite powerfully recently. In the college chapel of all places. I say of all places because it’s not the place you’d choose really to have one of those charismatic meltdown moments, those moments where one minute you’re minding your own business and then the next God comes in unexpectedly, reducing you … Continue reading »
Almost all good writing starts with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere. Start by getting something – anything – down on paper. A friend of mine says that the first draft is the down draft – you just get it down. The second draft is the up draft – you fix it up. … Continue reading »
I’m guest posting over at Rachael’s place today. ThinkTwice is a blog devoted to mental health issues and this week is showcasing a series of guest bloggers to mark World Mental Health Day. So, if you like what you read below, do click through to Rachael’s site to keep reading… You need to deal with … Continue reading »
Image credit I am not an extrovert. I knew that already, of course. But this week has driven it into me in a whole new way. I do not thrive if I cannot be alone at relatively regular intervals. And this week, although filled with wonderful things, has not been an introvert’s week. Recently, I … Continue reading »
