A Wellness Path

Church and Mental Health

We need a place. A church, a nest, a fire of warm burning coals. A place for the growth of mental health. Is it possible? Trigger alert: This post contains the word ‘Church’ in it. 😊 Please push through. The story goes that there was once a man who had […]

Faith & Mental Health

You, and Your Curious Piece of Tapestry

It was a curious piece of tapestry. What happened there? Why did the artist weave this in? Perhaps for our Providence. When I was pastoring in a church community, one of the roles I had was to officiate at funerals. Often, I would know very little about the deceased. […]

Faith & Mental Health

How are you? Where are you?

I want to know. How are you? Where are you? Then I can be with you where you are. God can not help a pretending or hiding heart. They were the words that I listened for over the radio in the mid-90’s. ‘How are you? Where are you?’ These […]

Spiritual Practices

Slippery memory? Create a Logbook

I have a slippery memory. Memories of the good can slip away, but having a habit of recording the good can change our thinking in wonderful ways. My mother kept a red ledger book in one of the kitchen drawers, and it kept her. It kept her grounded in the […]

Spiritual Practices

Jehovah – Jireh. The God who Sees and Sees to it

I want relief from tension. But where from? Maybe in Jehovah – Jireh. The God who sees and provides in the cognitive dissonance of struggle. I want answers. Easy to find answers. But maybe what I really want is for the tension I am in to be seen and […]

Spiritual Practices

I Don’t Believe in Luck

Some people believe in luck; I don’t. I believe in wisdom and work, empowered with faith to build a boat that catches providential wind. I remember the first time I bought a lottery ticket. I’ve only ever done this twice. I remember all the thoughts that raged around in me. […]

Spiritual Practices

When One Door Closes

When one door closes, another one opens, but when. We wait and watch for providence to blow. It happened again last week. A door closed. In my little gardening business, I have been mowing a small every fortnight for about a year. Then, last week, the property was sold, […]

Spiritual Practices

The Parable of the Joyful Man (The Parable of the Talents)

It’s so easy to hold on to what’s been given to you, but passing it on opens the door to joy. The Parable of the Joyful Man (Parable of the Talents) Did you ever play that children’s party game – Pass the parcel? The children sit in a circle, and […]

Spiritual Practices

Leaning into Providence

Sometimes I feel alone in the struggle, but when listen deep I sense a providence. A providence I can lean into. It was the strangest thing I have experienced in a dog’s behaviour. Our family once had a dog that leaned. He could come alongside you, cross his legs […]

Relationships & Connection

Throwing Pearls to Pigs

I know some people who have a pig on their farm. They feed it food scraps and grass. They don’t throw it pearls. Some people don’t have the capacity to hold precious things. They don’t have the wisdom to hold well. I think one of the most hurtful and […]