I’m not sure if it’s depression I’ve got, or just disappointment or grief. Whatever it is, it makes getting up even harder work than it usually is. It is also the reason I only swam half the lengths I usually do on Monday, and the cause of my sudden inadequacy at making conversation. The days can be…
What Jesus Prayed for Us
Our pastor used a quote on Sunday, something about knowing a person by their prayers. And that is true, isn’t it? Our deepest longings and the things we are able to bring before God in the private space of our hearts – these show who we are, reveal our passions and motivations, perhaps our fears…
Small Things
Last Sunday, the speaker at church gave a message that really chimed with the way I want to live my life. He was talking about thankfulness, something that has already impacted me in a powerful way. The need for gratitude has become a recurring theme in much of my writing and is, in fact, one of the main reasons I write…
The North Devon Coast: Crow Point
Just at the place where the river meets the sea, at the end of a tiny, winding toll road, is Crow Point. Driving there today to meet friends, my tired body and mind perked up at the anticipation of some sea air and sunshine. I already felt happier just at the thought of getting to…
On Rest
Rest is what I need at the moment, or so I’m told. But what is rest? For so many of us, rest can be elusive or even a little frightening. And often the things we think are restful leave us more drained, more weary. Somewhat counter-intuitively, times of grief and illness can be the seasons…
4 Great Comfort Foods
What we eat is unavoidably linked to the seasons, our moods and the situations we find ourselves in, and I am sure this connection adds to our enjoyment of food. Not only can different flavours or dishes evoke memories or emotions, they can bring people together, nourish us physically and spiritually, or add to a sense…
Tied Up with a Bow
Increasingly, I like my blog posts and articles to be as perfectly, poetically structured as I can make them, rounded off with a nice, profound encouragement. I’m not the only one who likes a happy ending. As Ruth Soukup points out in this article for Ann Voskamp’s website, we often want our stories of struggle to…
On Daydreaming
Forget colouring books and yoga. What happened to the practice of good old-fashioned daydreaming? We all remember times at school when the teacher’s voice became no more than background noise to our own imaginings and wonderings, when we doodled idly or gazed out of windows and thought of anything and nothing. Lately, I’ve been re-finding…
The North Devon Coast: Heddon’s Mouth
What do you do on a Bank Holiday Monday in sunny Devon? (Read sunny, with a few rainy spells.) We were planning to do the whole food shop, DIY, cleaning thing, and then we came to our senses and joined our friends on a walk at Heddon’s Mouth, not far along the coast from Woody…
Easter
If you’ve read much of my blog, you’ll know that I’m a Christian. But I hope that my posts – even the ones explicitly about my faith – are accessible to everyone, whatever backgrounds and beliefs they have. There are so many things that are universal to us as humans, which cross cultural and religious…
On Post
Don’t you love getting post? Not the kind that pings onto a screen, the real kind, that surprises you as it drops through the letterbox, the kind that you can hold in your hand. I recently had surgery, and suddenly was blessed with a flurry of post: cards, flowers, clothes, books and of course, plenty…
What I’ve Been Reading
I’ve had a lot more time for reading so far this year, so I thought I’d do a few mini-reviews for those of you who like this sort of thing. There really is something for everyone on this list, so enjoy 🙂 Books Jesus Feminist, Sarah Bessey I often struggle with gender stereotypes and inequality within Christian…
Life Lived 