This is the third post in a series of four which I wrote a while ago but didn’t want to post at the time. I’m not in the same place today that I was then; as a result, I’m tempted to edit the writing to soften or finesse it, but I’ve chosen not to! Though … Continue reading »
This is the first post in a series of four which I wrote a while ago but didn’t want to post at the time. I’m not in the same place today that I was then; as a result, I’m tempted to edit the writing to soften or finesse it, but I’ve chosen not to! Though … Continue reading »
The pursuit of spirituality…heightens the probability of two…things that most of us find rather unpopular: the pain of self-discovery and often humiliation. Self-discovery in soul-development means renunciation of the claims of the ego. And this is no easy battle for any of us. As we seek the enlargement of that inner place where God may … Continue reading »
But I am…convinced that if(!) I can discipline my heart in 2011 to wait for God to reveal more of who he created me to be, then what I do will flow naturally from that. I have just quoted myself. Honesty forces me to admit that I am the one who smiles when other people … Continue reading »
My latest indulgence is Ruth Haley Barton’s ‘Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership’. How have I been a Christian for a good ten years and not read this lady before? I am savouring her writing; this is one of those books which it is probably a crime to read at my usual speed. Reading the soul … Continue reading »
Today, I admit, was a very pathetic attempt at a day off. I don’t know what is wrong with me. Well, apart from drivenness, Type A personality and general hurrysickness of course! I believe passionately in honouring the principle of Sabbath rhythms in my life. But my practice is so far from my theology. Today … Continue reading »
I like this word. A lot. It is a word which means what it says. I don’t know who coined it but Ortberg uses it in ‘The Life You’ve Always Wanted’. It describes the drive within us relentlessly to pursue more and more – more success, more things crammed into less time. We have fallen victim to … Continue reading »
OK, so I took my own challenge seriously and listened to God. It wasn’t as bad as I expected actually. Not that I think I have finished the listening process or anything but I have realised that if I listen, he usually speaks. Last year, I was thinking about what I would do after finishing … Continue reading »
MacDonald describes a corporate organisation where ALL the employees – even the postroom guys – could repeat verbatim the company mission statement. It brought him to realise the power of every member of an organisation understanding ‘in the most simple terms why it opens its doors each day, what is supposed to happen, and how … Continue reading »
Admittedly, I’m never going to be any kind of old man given my gender, but I love this question. MacDonald asks it in his book ‘The Life God Blesses’. It catches my imagination somehow. I have to be honest, at 29, I don’t aspire to be old. In fact, along with the rest of my … Continue reading »
