From Deep Listening to Deep Seeing…
One fun thing about being part of a podcast is that it is only very loosely scripted and you find yourself saying things you don’t expect. While sometimes they are in the “I shouldn’t have said that” category, I’ve also had really pleasing moments when I’ve thought, “gosh, that was good. Did I really say that?” My recent Stirrers and Saints Podcast on “Mary – A Leader from the second chair” has one of those moments. Jen, Jon and I were talking about the importance of deep listening, and while totally agreeing with the value of...
Read MoreThe Three Books of God: How do we Learn About God?
If you’re into theology there is a fair chance that you’ve heard about the two books of God. There is the book of nature, where creation points to the creativity, power and majesty of God, and then there is the Bible, which records hundreds of “God turned up” events and helps us to understand what they mean and how they teach us about God. Ps 19 is often used as an example of these two sources of knowledge about God. It starts: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night...
Read MoreThe face in the mirror and other measures…
I don’t know what your relationship with mirrors is, but mine is becoming a little hostile. Aging is not flattering and the image my bathroom mirror reflects back is somewhat disappointing. For all that, mirrors can do some wonderful things. They aren’t always of the visual variety. I’ve recently had some auditory mirrors played back to me. In preparation for the release of my latest book (Stirrers and Saints – the hard cover copy is now available for pre-order) I’m part of a podcast: Stirrers and Saints- The Podcast. It has been the most enormous fun getting it...
Read MoreHumility – a baseline virtue
I imagine you have heard the usual quips about humility, often of the “I’m the most humble person I know,” variety. While we might smile at the quandary the “are you humble?” question places us in (if you answer yes, it means no; and no means yes) it’s still worth asking. Perhaps it’s not about rating ourself on this virtue, but thinking about why it matters. There is of course a case to be made against humility. It can mean struggling with a sense of unworthiness, or of feeling second rate – or a downright failure. There is no virtue in that,...
Read MoreBeyond Disappointment…
We all have to deal with disappointment. While our expectations are sometimes exceeded, often it works in the opposite direction. You were sure you’d get the great job you applied for, but then didn’t even get an interview. You thought a new relationship was going to go to a new level, but then the other person ended it. You thought you had aced an exam, but the examiner failed you. Disappointment comes in many different forms. It’s easiest when it is linked to a specific event – because then you have something tangible you must come to terms with (I didn’t make...
Read MoreWho would have thought? When change is possible…
Ever had one of those “who would have thought” moments? I’m thinking of those in the positive category – when you are delighted that something has unexpectedly come off, or you are so pleased that someone you underestimated has hit a six. True, we also have dismal and disappointed “who would have thought” nightmares when things don’t go at all to plan – but this is not the place for those. I’m writing this just a short while after Easter. Easter Sunday was history’s greatest “who would have thought” moment. Who would...
Read MoreJust Another Sunday?
Don’t know about you, but Easter has snuck up on me unexpected. In my head I think of it as an April thing, but of course it’s on the first Sunday after the full moon on or after the Spring equinox, and sometimes that’s in March. It’s so much easier to remember Christmas with its solid 25 December location (unless you are part of the Orthodox tradition, in which case it is 7 January). Ah well, what’s it about dates and remembering? For most Easter will be just another Sunday. Except it isn’t. Those who think that Easter has nothing to do with them...
Read MoreFriday…
If you are part of the Christian world, you’ll know that we attach the descriptor “good” to this Friday. “Good Friday.” It would have seemed an impossible stretch if you had been there on the day. If asked to give your own word you might have chosen “tragic”, “awful”, “brutal”, “cruel”, “ruthless”, “barbaric”. If of a more cynical or world weary frame of mind you might have selected “predictable”. “Predictable Friday.” Why? Because it was. Look at what was happening....
Read MoreThe Darkest Night…
About 40 years ago an older friend spoke to me about “the dark night of the soul” that he was going through. I had never heard the term, but he told me it was initially coined by St John of the Cross in a poem of that title. I was struck by the idea, conjuring up images of a stormy night when in the thunder, damp and gloom you temporarily lose perspective and doubt the goodness of God. Not that I related to the idea. My own life was going well – I was recently married, we had brought our first home, doors were opening up to me – there was one good thing after another. But my...
Read MoreTruth telling: Words as weapons or healing balm?
I have a few mantras I trot out often enough to be annoying. One is “facts are friends”. And they are! Even though we might not like what they are saying, it’s better to face reality than to have it forced upon us. So I am in favour of telling the truth, and developing environments in which candid conversations can take place – though I do work hard to demonstrate that candour and kindness do not have to be incompatible. My stance then is that truth telling works… except when it doesn’t. Are there times when we should lie – or if not lie, avoid...
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