What am I here for? What makes me special? How should I spend my money and my time? Great questions; with a million possible answers. Go on a retreat. Declutter your home. Start a business. Meet your soul mate. Buy something you’ve always wanted. Move to the country. These are good things; but not enough to give life meaning. And that’s Christianity 101, right? Life is about getting to know Jesus more; and making Him known to others. But what does this …Read More
Guest post from Glen… Imagine this: You book your dream holiday destination. You can’t quite believe it. It fronts directly onto the beach. Right from your bedroom you have panoramic views of the sparkling water and gleaming white sands. And it’s cost you next to nothing. You’re amazed you’ve managed to pick up such a bargain. You arrive at your destination, full of hope and there is your accommodation: a tent. Is that what you expected? Everything depends on your …Read More
I’m listening for as long as you want to talk. How does/did it feel telling me? I’m so glad you shared this. That can’t have been easy and it means a lot that you trust me. Can you explain a little more about X? I want to make sure I understand what you’re saying. This doesn’t change how much I care about you and our friendship. This doesn’t change how much God loves you and is committed to you. I …Read More
This week, Glen is on mission. He tells people about Jesus; and sometimes, as he talks, lives are changed. Eternal lives, as well as earthly. Hope and help, in place of pain and despair. A+E for the soul. What a job! What a responsibility! It must take a very special person to be an evangelist. … It does. In fact, it takes hundreds. But most of them you can’t see. Sometimes when Glen is speaking, he asks the church to …Read More
One from the archives…. God’s time-frame is not ours. And sometimes, He answers our prayers, a little later than we expect. When I was nine or ten, I entered a competition that our primary school was running with Belfast zoo. To enter, you had to write a poem about the new baby kangaroos. The winners would then get to visit them with the class, and – get this – give them kangaroo names. I felt sick just thinking about it. So, I got to work crafting the …Read More
It’s not OK to be me. It’s not OK to be weak. God doesn’t want to hear from me. My friends don’t want to hear from me. If I try I will fail. No-one else struggles like this. God can’t use me. Definitely not right now. Having needs makes me pathetic. Naming my desires is too dangerous. I must have what she has. I should be where he is. I know what they’re thinking. They should know what I’m thinking. …Read More
Thank you to the lovely Sharon, for another really helpful guest post… When mental health problems and physical illness collide We are all increasingly aware of the mind-body connection. If we eat a piece of dark chocolate or go for a run, endorphins are released, and our mood improves. If we live on fast food for a few days or lie about on the sofa for too long, we are likely to feel low. Similarly, physical illness affects our …Read More
Maybe it’s something you’ve known about for many years, but been too scared to share. Or you’ve received a recent diagnosis; a name for all the stuff that is dominating your life. Sometimes it’s easy, like someone has joined the dots on a picture of you. Sometimes, putting its’ name and your name together feels foreign, even wrong. You’ll need time to make sense of it; and to work out who, and if (see here), you want to tell. Whatever …Read More
1. Know that God doesn’t hate you. Self-hatred is not God’s plan for your life. He is not calling you to focus on all the reasons why you’re odd or rubbish or stupid or shameful. He’s not waiting in the bushes with a long lens to capture your mistakes. He’s not scowling at the front of class or sniggering behind your back. He is not condoning the critical voiceover that punctuates your waking moments. Think of how you feel when …Read More
Recently I wrote on self harm, for the Desiring God website. As contradictory as it might sound, for the self-harmer, self-harm is self-help. So if we’re going to overcome self-harm, we need to embrace the help that God has given us elsewhere — help that does not scar us any further, but slowly begins to heal us. There’s no quick or easy solution. But for those who are struggling, there are three kinds of body that can bring about change…the crucified …Read More
