spiritual formation Archives

When There are More Questions than Answers

Life can hand us a bunch of questions with few answers. But there is something inviting in a question, and so we explore a road less travelled. When Bob climbed into the passenger seat next to me, I could see that something was wrong. He wasn’t his normal cheery self. […]

Mental health Spiritual Formation

Can you Measure Spiritual Growth and Formation?

In our spiritual life, we want to know if we are making progress, but much of growth and formation is intangible, so we have to look deeper than a mere measurement. It wasn’t the answer I was expecting, but when we dug a little deeper, I could see the wisdom. […]

Getting Well Staying Well Spiritual Formation

Picking Up The Broken Pieces

It was tasting the dust of devastation. The broken pieces. But those fragments can be brought together, and so we quietly form a new mosaic Broken pieces. That’s all that was left behind. It was a moment that captured the world’s attention. A massive explosion of ammonium nitrate brought […]

Getting Well Staying Well Spiritual Formation

There’s a Gum Tree Shadow Hanging Over Me

We can live warped lives because of a shadow hanging over us, but that shadow can be removed if we face what’s causing the shadow and allow the light to flood in. Have you ever walked in a shadow? Of course you have, but you probably didn’t take much notice […]

"A person or symbolic figure carrying a heavy burden, representing emotional overwhelm and the need for support."

Anxiety & Stress Spiritual Practices

The Cup. Paying Attention To What Fills and Drains

We are like a cup in which energy both fills and drains. But we can grow by paying attention to the cup and understanding the fillers and the drainers. It was always a challenge to get them to care for themselves. They were always giving out to others, and I […]

Getting Well Staying Well Spiritual Formation

Praying Against Yourself The Abusive Art of Self-Deprecation

Words have power. Self-deprecation is to pray against the self, but we can learn to pray for the self and so develop healthier thinking patterns. It was the words at the end of his sentence that caught my attention. ‘I’m so stupid; I always do things like that’. You learn […]

Getting Well Staying Well Mental health

Cast your Bread. It’s vital you do

Cast your bread. You can hold it to yourself, that special thing about you, but it is better for everyone if you ‘Cast your bread.’ Focus on the micro gifts of today. Even in winter, the children still ask if there are strawberries to pick. I manage a large vegetable […]

Getting Well Staying Well Spiritual Formation

Your Brain Needs to Rest Beside Still Waters

Our brains can be so busy that it can feel like a concussion, but we can help the brain recover by finding some still waters to rest next by. When I wrote the first draft of this post, I was sitting next to a small stream. There wasn’t much water […]

Getting Well Staying Well Helping Others

Nine Interesting Questions to Help you Handle Criticism

Criticism comes to us all, but we can grow through it. We need to listen, ask questions and learn how to handle it with dignity. They knew what was going to happen even before they got home. They were going to have to run through a gauntlet of criticism. Where […]

Relationships & Connection

‘Power over’ or ‘Power With’?

‘Power over’ was normal, but ‘power with’ was what they needed. When we listen deeply, we move forward. Mental health flourishes when power is shared. She was small in stature, and I think she also saw herself as being a little person, insignificant. She was also quiet and never really […]