This is not the blog post I planned to write. The one I planned was short and snazzy. It had a catchy title, ‘Questions you should never ask.’ Or, even better: TEN THINGS YOU SHOULD STOP SAYING TO HURTING PEOPLE, RIGHT NOW! A neat list of questions to make you quiver. The kind that, when asked of you, make you fold yourself into tiny triangles. Missiles, like these: Don’t you think it’s time to move on from your grief? Why aren’t …Read More
This is one from the archives. But it seems appropriate as September looms and I start obsessing about new pencil cases and Getting Everything Right. Perfectionism porkies: 1. It makes me into a better person. Actually, no. It makes me a real pain to be around. Grumpier. More critical. More self-focused. And lonely (because ‘friends’ are actually competition). 2. It helps me perform. The reality – it stops me even trying. 3. I feel better knowing that I’ve done my …Read More
Sometimes when my mum visits, she leaves me one of her holiday magazines. ‘Home and Hearth’. ‘Ladies and Lunching’. ‘Kitchens and Catteries’. Top tips for cutting back the ivy. 101 uses for bicarbonate of soda. Beat the menopause. And features on The Woman Who Has It All. I’d like to be one of these women. They find vaccines for diseases and start their own businesses. They storm across the West End stage and speak at power lunches. I will never …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
…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
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
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
It’s Autism Awareness month, so here’s a few misconceptions… It’s an illness. ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) is not an illness or disease but a group of symptoms and behaviours that affect how people experience and react to the world around them. If you’ve got it, you can’t ‘cure’ it (you’re born with it, though it might be diagnosed in later life) – but you can learn ways of managing some of the issues it raises. It’s a new condition – …Read More
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
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
