I love that Jesus tells us to cast our cares on Him. The difficult part is letting them go. I’m good at anxiety. I can’t keep our plants alive – but I can blow the tiniest flicker of worry into a furnace. Big ones, (health, wanting my family to know Jesus, scary letters, bills, The Future) and little ones (did I really say that? must remember to phone X…what’s that smell of burning?) …they gang up and tackle me when I least expect …Read More
Having a baby reveals depths you never expected. New lows of grumpiness and sleep deprivation. But also – great heights. For one thing, I never realised how funny I really am. I’m a comedy genius. My daughter proves it. Pick up a spoon and she roars with appreciation. Flush the toilet and she cackles. I’ve had to retire the monkey dance because the excitement was making her choke. And the admiration is mutual. Her yawns are both colourful and fulsome. She burps unicorns and her smiles are sparkles. She can’t yet talk, …Read More
Depression is a beast. Sometimes you can spot it coming. But often, it sneaks up and grabs you from behind. At these times, the normal weaponry – self-care, support from friends/GP, comfort TV, maintenance meds – feel like sword-fighting with a plastic spoon. Or it would if you were up for a fight. Which, (along with other tasks like getting washed, cleaning your teeth and breathing), you’re not. A friend comes to you and says that they’re struggling. ‘Tell me this will end.’ ‘I can’t believe anyone else …Read More
I’d like the world to be more definite. Clarity on life’s big issues. Black or white. Right or wrong. Christian or Not Christian. Baptism. Breast feeding. Beards. Boxed Sets. Tell me what to think and I can keep my brain in neutral. YES or NO. Anything but ‘maybe.’ ‘Maybe’ is like boot camp for the brain. Hard graft, early starts and endless sweaty questions that often take you back where you started. Muddied, messy middle ground. Well, I don’t like mess. I don’t want to have to work …Read More
A joint post with Glen If you come to our house and climb the stairs, you’ll see two paintings – both by a good (and very talented) friend of ours. The first – a picture of Jesus crucified – was a wedding gift. The second was commissioned for my birthday – a portrait of our 3 month old daughter. The pictures hang side by side but though the artist is the same, they couldn’t be more different. One is a portrait of new life, the other of death. One is …Read More
