The soul can get completely drained, but what restores the soul? What can bring it back to life? People, places, and practices. Life can be draining. Too much going or too much has gone on. Now it feels like the energy tank is on ‘E’. Empty, Exhausted and not Enough. […]
Spiritual Practices
26 posts
Many things go into the shaping of one’s life. ‘I am a product of long corridors, empty sunlit rooms’ says C.S. Lewis. What are you the product of? Mathematics wasn’t my strongest topic at school, but somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind I recall the term ‘product’. […]
When your world is a mess, it may seem lonely, but God is always holding us. I am held by something far bigger than myself. Currently, you are travelling at a speed of about 1,000 miles (1600 kilometers) per hour. That is the speed of the rotation of the earth. You don’t […]
We often think we can’t do much to change the situations we are in but by being faithful with the little we have we can move mountains. It’s the little things that give you away. It seemed such a small thing. I remember my parents’ daily little habit of reading […]
Thoughts can come and go, like a pendulum they reach a point and then swing to another point. We can slow the pendulum down and bring it to a place of stillness. The pendulum on the old clock swung back and forth, left to right and then right to left. […]
Safe places and safe people ask good questions that may not feel safe at all, but they have goodness flowing through them. I need a place where I can go and feel safe. So many people have opinions and are quick to share them. Lightning fast to draw a conclusion […]
Life can go on and on from day to day, but when we stop to notice little moments of delight, something profound can begin to grow—hope, joy, and thankfulness. Bible stories come alive. For me, there is nothing quite like sinking my teeth into a perfectly ripe Black Doris plum […]
Ever found yourself in a dark place? A simple state of sadness can throw you in such a place. At least l experience that often. I used to be depressed, severely depressed, the kind of state that makes it hard for facial muscles to react to other people’s joyful interaction. […]
We can easily go from one year to the next, but before you start the year, you need to stop the year. Stop it well. As I write this, it’s the middle of the most interesting week of the year. It’s the week between Christmas and New Year. Here in […]
Confusion can tear our lives apart, but perhaps a dream can clarify. For Joseph, a dream tipped the balance to trust a Christmas mystery. Have you ever felt like your brain is caught in a tug of war? You are pulled and torn in different directions. Your values, rules, expectations, […]
We want God to answer our prayer our way, but there is a larger story going on, so we wait to see the way God answers prayer. Most weekends, when my children were young, I made buns for lunch. First, I would make the bread dough in a breadmaker, then […]
We all have a story, and it’s full of ‘and’s, but this is a story to learn from. So, therefore, we notice the ABT framework in ourselves and others. There is a pattern to our lives; once you see it, you will see it everywhere. It’s in every great story, […]
Our self-talk can keep us depressed and anxious, but we can learn new thinking tracks. Your rehearsal can change your mind. I always marvel at how the experts seem to effortlessly do something that I would difficult. My earliest experience of this was watching shearers shear our sheep on the […]
Tired and weary, worn down and burned out. You can’t find relief because you have no refuge. So let’s build a storm shelter together. It’s the noise that wears you down. The ambient, in the background but all around you, stresses of life. You’re the meat in the sandwich, and […]
‘I’m not religious’ is something many say, but religion is a place of reconnection and realignment. Good mental health grows in a healthy religious experience. Say the word ‘Religion,’ and you’ll get lots of reactions. The word ‘Religion’ can a springboard to thoughts of rules, regulations, rituals, commitments, vows, attendance […]
Being formed like a little child is something Jesus wants us to do, but how are we to do this as adults? Perhaps it’s by surrender to the potter’s hand. Probably the most joyous gift to our family over recent years has been the addition of a new family member. […]
When there is an invite to change there is always that question of ‘Can I walk on water?’. But with repeated experiences we can learn confidence and literally change the way our brain works.
The noise of our world will never fully satisfy, but when we learn how to listen for whispers, we find a safe place for the soul. I wonder when the first sound was made? Was it a big bang or the quietest of whispers. As the sound waves vibrated out, […]
Thoughts and feelings can whirl you away from being centered. The practice of stillness can calm the mind and bring back clarity. The Bible has verses to help us on the way. Sometimes I feel like I am on a long bungee cord. I run off to do this and that. […]
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 […]