A good prayer is not ‘Dear God, thank you that I’m so good and everything is perfect’, (including my grammar). A good prayer can be inarticulate and halting; a torrent of tears and grief and anger; a slow grasping towards the light, from a very dark place. Good faith is not always about having a sense of God’s presence; or peace in the face of challenges and fears. Good faith is talking through your doubts with close Christian friends, speaking …Read More
It’s the big question of this (and maybe every) age. Who am I, really? Is there a core essence, a slice of me-ness that marks me out from everyone else? If so, am I born with it; or is it something I have to seek out and discover? What I if don’t like what’s there? Can I learn to be something different? One question leads to another and another after that. When will it happen, this self-discovery? When I meet …Read More
The first time Ruby’s brother had a tantrum, she looked aghast and covered her ears. ‘Mum,’ she shouted, I DON’T LIKE THAT NOISE. STOP IT! STOP IT!’ I knew exactly how she felt. When a toddler or baby cries, there’s something in you that starts flashing. High alert, sirens wailing – a burst of panic that spreads across your body. Half of you wants to run away and the other half wants to join in the screaming. Neither works. Here’s what …Read More
…in our weakness we can learn certain strengths: humility: suddenly, the plug is pulled. You’re not who you thought you were; and it hurts. You can’t think yourself out of it or get your act together. But with it, a savage freedom; a letting go – because it’s been taken from you. And in your emptiness, a new understanding of grace. God does it all – He always did, but now you see it. dependence: to survive, you must learn …Read More
Everything I’m reading at the moment seems to point to the necessity of Christian suffering. It’s not a message I’ve been seeking. In fact, I keep trying to post it back. I turn the pages of the bible. I put on a different song. I pray, ‘Ok God – but not for me. Not now and frankly, not ever.’ This week I even picked out a book entitled ‘Joy’ as an antidote. (It turned out to be about the joy that comes …Read More
We’ve recently adopted a little boy and are in the early stages of settling him in. The wee man is doing well, and we are so thankful to be at this point. We wouldn’t swap him for the world! We are also however, very tired. This is when stresses get under the skin and start to itch. Molehills tower over the stack of dishes and dirty nappies; it’s easy to feel like everything is too much. I have no time to …Read More
My daughter is obsessed with the story of ‘Beauty and the Beast’. In fact, it’s now the soundtrack to not just my waking, but my sleeping hours. Along with some great songs, it’s another window on the truths of the gospel. Here’s a brilliant video from Go Chatter that explains why… Share…FacebookTwitterTumblrPinterestGoogle+StumbleUponDiggemail
I love my dad. He’s smart and kind and honest and — brilliant. ‘You take after me,’ he says. I smile; but I don’t believe it. I thought you knew me better than anyone, dad. Why don’t you see it? How can you get me so wrong? I’m not the girl he thinks I am. ‘Take heart,’ he says, but I’m scared. ‘Rest,’ he says, but I run. ‘It’s OK to be you,’ he says, yet I pull on a …Read More
Thanks for all of your prayers and messages of support for us over the next few weeks and months. Thanks too for reading this blog! I realised today, it’s been nearly nine years. So to celebrate, here’s my very first post… I’ve finally caved in. I am now ‘a blogger.’ I’ve been holding out against this for a long time. My husband’s been nagging me to blog ever since he started 3 years ago. I’ve always called myself a …Read More
Glen and I are thrilled to say that we’re going to be adopting a wee brother for Ruby! He’ll be coming home to us in the next few weeks and we would just LOVE your prayers for him and for us as we start a new chapter of family life; especially in the coming months. As you’ll understand, we can’t share any more information about him (at least for now). Sorry! But this is a kind of birth announcement. We …Read More
