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
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
The warnings: crying at almost everything. Choosing what to wear. Spilling sugar. Opening the blinds. Talking to another human being. Putting the duvet cover on. Finding the right change. not being able to cry. Or feel much of anything. Everyone and everything is behind a thick pane of glass and their words are muffled and you’re too tired to keep shouting ‘WHAAT?’… and anyway, your words are slow and not joined up and folks squint at you when you …Read More
Glen has a new book OUT TODAY! It’s 6 months of undated devotional thoughts that take you through the Old Testament. (In the new year, they’re bringing out the New Testament volume). Each day you get a little taste of the goodness of Jesus and over the course of a whole year you can see the bird’s eye view of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. If you’ve been watching Reading Between the Lines on Facebook or YouTube you know …Read More
Remember that Jesus comes for failures. He’s not shocked by this and neither does He condemn you. If you come to Him He will forgive you and restore you and redeem even your mistakes, “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:32). Look to Jesus. The greater your sin, the greater the cross that carries it. Yes, you’ve messed up – (and worse …Read More
Guest post from Glen What is life: tragedy or comedy? I’m not asking whether life is a barrel of laughs (newsflash: it’s not!), I’m asking a more technical question. In literature, comedy and tragedy are not about the laughs-to-calamities ratio, it’s about the shape of the story. In particular it’s about the ending. A tragedy is shaped like a frown: it travels up to the heights then tumbles down to the depths. A comedy is a smile: down into danger …Read More
Having faith’ doesn’t mean going it alone. Yes, you need prayer, community and the bible. But you can also use medication, counselling and therapy. If we can use doctors for our bodies, we can use doctors for our brains. When Saul was stressed, David played him soothing music. When Elijah was close to breakdown, God told him to sleep and eat. So let’s not be ashamed of using the resources we have been given. It’s not true that if …Read More
I love this post from Glen… The frown, the pout, the head cocked, the bottom lip thrust out… who teaches toddlers how to sulk? It’s not a look we’ve tried to inculcate. It must be some kind of primeval muscle memory. Down the generations, identical whinges have emerged from three year olds, like secret lemon juice messages becoming visible under the iron. Children are marked with the sulking signature. When the heat is on, out it comes. Sometimes, if it’s …Read More
