Thinking patterns can autopilot us into a jungle of destruction. With the loving care of a gardener, pruning takes place. We need to trust in a loving God that desires to prune and shape our lives for the fruit of love, joy, and peace. ‘I’m sorry but I am going to […]
Spiritual Formation
227 posts
Life will blunt your edge. The knocks, the scuffs, the micro-abrasions and who you are gets dulled. Having a daily sharpening practice keeps your mental health having a fine edge. I was getting frustrated. I was cutting down a tree with my chainsaw, and it was taking forever. The teeth of […]
When we record an event, a time, a place it grounds us in the story going on. As we make a mark, we speak into the wispy winds of today’s experience a permanence and faithfulness. The struggles in the mind today can become the weather forecast for tomorrow unless we remember the records we […]
I can hear you yawning from here. Not another Prison Cell Story. The thing is, there is nowhere you can go in a Prison Cell. It is only you, 4 walls and a window with bars. You could turn the radio up really loud but that only lasts for so […]
Mental health is discovering what you were born to create, building a supportive nest around it and protecting it like a Viking shield maiden. It was the scary wild eyes that made me take a step back. Recently I have been doing some gardening at a retirement village. This isn’t just […]
David Strengthened Himself in the Lord. How did he do this and what can we learn? I love old saints. People who have been there, done that and have got the story to tell. It was a couple of retired missionaries that strengthened me and got me through a tough […]
Been sold the lie that you’re a wretch? Self-compassion absorbs the failures and forgives the self. It says you’re doing ok and that you’re loved. I have probably sung into my soul ‘a wretch like me’ over a hundred times. The hymn ‘Amazing Grace’ is the most well-known hymn we have. […]
There is a party going on, all around us, where God is inviting us to stumble on in and enjoy. When we are attentive to the music, it grows depth in our mental health. So I am just back from a holiday in Italy and Spain for a holiday. My […]
Forgiveness cleanses the toxic places in our hearts. Those dumping grounds where we hold onto the resentments and hurts. “We throw all of the garbage we can’t burn or compost, like oil or old lead paint, over the hill in the back” she said to me. “But…then you can’t use […]
When I saw my mother-in-law talking very loudly in a distant relatives’ funeral, I then remembered that she didn’t have her hearing aids in, and of course, this made perfect sense … in a dream. Sleep is good and was made to be good. Within the world of our dreams, […]