spiritual formation Archives

Give your Mind the Spiritual Gift of Stillness

If we are going to navigate life well, we must nurture the gift of stillness. Distractions will vie for our attention, but only one that is true will be heard if we quiet ourselves and be still. Looking up at the stars through a crisp, clear winters night I wondered […]

Helping Others

Please. No Fixing, Advising, Saving or Straightening Out

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If you want to hear the heart of another, then you need to still your own. Fixing, advising, saving, or straightening out will only stifle the emergence of true wisdom. We need to listen with questions. Sometimes I want to tell some people to shut up and just listen. They […]

The Reason Why So People Walk the Camino de Santiago

Mental health

The Reason Why So Many People Walk the Camino de Santiago

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Three hundred thousand pilgrims walked the Camino de Santiago in 2017. These ancient pathways in Northern Spain have allured people from all over the world. But why? What is the reason that these trails have drawn so many pilgrims for such a long period? Camino means ‘Path.’ Just a little […]

Spiritual Formation Spiritual Practices

Stumbling in on God’s Party Going On

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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 […]

Spiritual Practices

How to Chew on the Bible with Mindfulness

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It’s not the volume of Bible reading that matters. It is the quality of the chewing. Reading and ruminating with mindfulness builds resilience and strength in the core of your being. I know of an old aunt that used to advise chewing your food 32 times. Not sure if this is the exact […]

Getting Well Staying Well Spiritual Formation

‘The Greatest Showman’ goes to Church

The greatest showman created a ‘Church’ for those on the sideline, those on the fringe. Those with a stigma came to a safe place where they found strength in their shared struggle. How you serve the sideshow is how you serve the saviour. ‘Who do we serve first’? was the […]

Mental health Spiritual Formation

Fight, Flight, or Freeze. There is a Mental Health invite Underneath.

When stressful situations come we have a choice to either fight, take flight, or freeze. But underneath there is an invite to grow and drop the mask of the false self. If he were a politician he would have had the slogan ‘Make Israel Great Again’, and he was doing a […]

Spiritual Formation Spiritual Practices

3 Ingredients of a Safe Church for your Mental Health

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‘Am I doing ok?’ was the question I was most frequently asked when I was a pastor/chaplain. ‘Is this Church safe?’ was another. Keeping pace were other limping souls … ‘Am I welcome here?’ ‘Does God really love me?’ ‘I can’t seem to get it right.’ ‘… keeps telling me […]

Does God use a Mental Illness to Slow You Down?

Mental Illnesses Spiritual Formation

Does God use a Mental Illness to Slow Us Down?

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Do you think mental illness is God’s way of forcing us to slow down and change our behavior or is it the Devil messing with our minds? I recently received this question from one of the readers It’s an interesting question and one that I think has many questions under the question. […]

Spiritual Formation Uncategorized

The Day I Picked Up An Escaped Convict

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When I was on a 6-hour road trip back to university I picked up a hitchhiker. It was cold and wintery as I turned a corner on the Desert road and I saw a young man with his thumb stuck out. Thin, short hair and poorly clothed for the winter, […]