How are you? ... How are you really?

Those are the words with which a retreat that I was on began.  And in the deep silence of the chapel, our emotions answered those questions for us, as each participant recognised their unacknowledged need of rest and renewal.

Life can rush by us at such a pace that when we sit with those questions and dig deep into our heart it can surprise us to realise how weary we actually are.

Whatever your life circumstances, taking time to rest with Jesus is never time wasted.  Jesus himself recognised that when he issued the invitation:

Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

What an invitation.  What a beautiful promise. 

Excited children are racing home from school today in anticipation of long summer holidays.  Parents are taking a sharp intake of breath as they prepare to occupy them through the coming weeks. Hopefully the summer will create happy memories of fun, friendship and relaxation.  And all of that will have involved much planning.

Why not plan to give yourself the gift of some time out with Jesus this autumn?

Jill Hoffmann and I will be leading another of our popular Encounters With Healing retreats at the beautiful Penhurst Retreat Centre in September.  And don't we all want to encounter healing? With gentle biblical reflections, music, sharing and prayer we'll lay our heavy burdens at the feet of Jesus and open ourselves to the rest and renewal he promises.  Why not plan to join us? There are still a few places left if you book soon.

How are you?

How are you really?

We'd love to help you feel at peace.

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Birthing something new

 

Nurturing new things into birth is never easy, is it. Sometimes it can be quite a difficult process. And we’re rarely in control of the timing. I thought of this on Saturday as I watched the crown being placed on Charles’ head. What a profound personal moment for him. He had always known that this was his destiny but it had taken seventy long years to live into the birth of his reign. Birthing can take time.

A little over two years ago I received one of those big prompts from God that it was impossible to ignore; a ‘call’ to write a book on healing. Those who know the story of this know that it felt very much like a commissioning. We were still slowly emerging from lockdown and I naively though I could probably write this in the few empty months that lay ahead of me.

Fast forward to today, and I am still labouring within that particular birthing process. I do now have an offer of publication though and the recommendations of a professional editor to guide me on the next step. So later this week I am returning to my favourite retreat house to spend eight days in silence, guided by a wise and experienced director, after which I plan to spend some more dedicated writing time in that peaceful and prayerful environment.

Those who support and pray for me are very much part of bringing this book into being. So do please pray for me - I’m hoping I may be nearing the last lap.

Best wishes to you all as we begin this era of King Charles III.

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The Challenge of Easter

 

I love the way that powerful art can touch my spirit and lead me into deep reflection, open up new insights and truths in my life. The Human One did that for me this week. An exhibition of 29 paintings by artist Jeremy Thomas, exploring the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, it’s touring the UK and has been at Chester cathedral over Holy Week. Rich in symbolism, exquisite in hidden detail and stunningly painted, Jez’s artwork awakened me to wonder and awe.

But the paintings also reminded me of how easy it is for us to turn away from Jesus, once the Hallelujahs are over and the Easter eggs all eaten.

The dramatic image of Peter’s Denials, painted in a palette of blood red, shows an anguished Peter in the corner of a darkened courtyard, whilst in the foreground we see a powerful image of Christ’s chained hand, and in the distance, a rooster crowing. It’s a starkly dramatic image that both reminds me of what Jesus went through and pierces at the heart of my own denials.

The second, a much gentler image, is an unconventional depiction of Palm Sunday. We see a figure walking towards us, who might possibly be Jesus, but on closer inspection we see Jesus and his excited followers riding out of the picture up ahead. Jez’s own words describe this better than I can.

A figure moves towards us, at first glance you think it’s the Messiah Himself, but no, he is you, he is me, walking away from the King and dropping his palm to the floor. He represents the fickle nature of humankind as he takes these steps towards the open doorway in the foreground. He is done with cheering. Now he wants blood. He will find the hammer and nails, the spilled thirty pieces of silver before he recollects the loaves and fishes and vats of wine, once water.

We have a wonderful Saviour who has done remarkable things for us but whom it isn't always easy to follow.  Living out the miracle of Christ’s death and resurrection is both a privilege and a daily challenge.  May we never underestimate what he went through for us, or the unfathomable depth of his love.

Easter Blessings as you journey onward ...

Further information on Jeremy Thomas's artwork can be found here The Human One. Seeing the art up close and personal is an altogether better experience if you have the opportunity; close inspection reveals beautiful hidden details that it's otherwise easy to miss.  Enjoy   ...

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Join me for a Journey of Radical Love

Sitting in the lovely Art Room, overlooking a beautiful orchard and labyrinth, with February sunshine streaming through the window, and a soundtrack of wonderful birdsong, I cannot help but feel blessed.  Being a 'writer in residence' here at Penhurst Retreat Centre is both a joy and a delight, and an enormous privilege.  This is a perfect place for refreshing the soul and tapping into the creative juices.  Where else could I be surrounded by stillness, beauty and prayer, with total freedom to do nothing else except write, eat and sleep?  For a writer like me, this comes close to heaven.

Three weeks into my four week stay, the manuscript for my new book on inner healing has been completed and is now with the potential publisher.  Its working title has changed to Healing Shattered Lives: Defusing the Timebomb of Tangled Emotions with Jesus and I'm hugely excited to see how God might use it to bring hope and healing (and Jesus) into damaged lives. Please pray for a 'yes' from the publisher!

So, having put that project to bed sooner than expected, I'm now turning my attention to writing new materials for Easter.  

Which is where you come in!

It can be life-changing to set aside a few days to do nothing other than immerse yourself in the Easter story.  I wonder if you've ever done that?  We so rarely allow ourselves to deeply engage with the detail of Christ's journey to the cross and beyond.  Because we know the ending: we know Easter Sunday's coming!  It's so easy to fast forward through the gruesome bits and race on towards the joy of the wounded but alive again Christ, skipping over the pain, the grief and the not-knowing of the Saturday in between.  It's easy to celebrate Palm Sunday without giving much thought to the tears that Jesus wept. And it's easy to miss the love and the healing in the other hidden details of Jesus' final week.  Above all else, it's easy to be so comfortable with the familiarity of the story that it doesn't truly disturb us any more.  

Taking time to 'live' the experience, reflectively, alongside others, can bring a whole new dimension to our spiritual lives. And dwelling on the emotions embedded in this incredible week enables us to make connections with our own stories and embrace the healing to be found therein.

Join me, if you can, as I lead the Easter retreat this year at Penhurst: A Journey of Radical Love.  

Bookings are open now, on the Penhurst website.  You won't regret it.  I guarantee it will change you.

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Productive Hibernation

 

Apparently yesterday was ‘Blue Monday’; the day when many people experience a significant post-Christmas depressive slump. I’m not surprised. January can be a tough month in the northern hemisphere, a time when the cold and damp seeps into the bones and the joys of Spring still feel a long way off. It deprives us of vitality and makes us want to curl up and hibernate.

I guess that many of us would secretly like to hibernate and I, for one, am all in favour. The hedgehogs under my wood pile have it right, don’t they. They understand the wisdom of conserving energy in this season and strengthening themselves for warmer days, as indeed do the trees. It’s only you and I who have a tendency to try to keep on living life at our usual pace, regardless of what nature might be trying to teach us.

As a creative writer, I need seasons of protected slowness; time to rest, regroup, be still with God and discern how the Spirit is leading me. So I’ve just arrived at my favourite retreat house to begin a long, quiet stay. I’ll be working on the final edits for my new book before it wings it’s way to a publisher. I won’t be sleeping deeply like my hedgehogs but it will nevertheless be a hibernation of sorts; I’ll be living at a quite different pace and hopefully it will be a productive hibernation.

Do please pray for me.

And if you value my writing and ministry please head over to this page and consider supporting me in other ways too.

Meanwhile, why not nurture your own inner hedgehog? Give yourself permission, if you can, to rest and relax a little more, especially if Monday (or any other day) felt a bit ‘blue” for you. You’ll bounce back much brighter in the Spring.

 

Healing Life's Hurts - A Cry For Help

There’s a very high profile news story at the moment that it’s impossible to ignore. Whatever you think of it, you will certainly have registered it. It has all the elements of a blockbuster movie; a story of pain, anger and betrayal, played out at the highest level. Like all such stories, the unspoken narrative is one of longing. A longing to feel loved. Unconditionally loved. No matter what.

Whatever you feel about the wisdom of sharing intimate family problems in the public domain, and the nature of how this has been done, there are resonances in Prince Harry’s story for all of us. At its heart, it’s a story of unresolved childhood trauma. And who amongst us has not gathered childhood wounds of one sort or another? We all do. And we all need to find healing, otherwise those wounds drive our adult lives in unhealthy ways.

'Healing Life’s Hurts’ is the working title of my upcoming book. And for twenty years that has been the focus of my ministry; facilitating encounters with the Jesus who still heals today. And what a journey it’s been. It has been the greatest privilege to follow God’s unexpected call on my life and deeply humbling to see lives transformed as people live into the truth that they are loved beyond measure, just as they are. The anointing on this ministry continues to grow in breath-taking ways.

 “What you offer is phenomenal”  -  words of a recent retreat guest

Can you help me to continue this important work?

From the beginning, my ministry has been funded by donations. But now a crunch point has come. Like many people and organisations, I am feeling the pinch in these economically challenging times. My ministry is now operating at a significant financial loss and without further support it will probably be unsustainable.

There has never been a more important need for people to find healing. But producing resources and running retreats is costly in terms of time and money. If you, or someone you know, values the help that my ministry has offered please would you consider partnering with me to continue this vital work. It’s not about me: it’s about what God can do through this ministry. Please help if you can. I would hate to have to stop now.

 The details of how you can help are HERE.

Please take a look; even donations the size of a widow’s mite will help me and every prayer helps more than you will ever know. To paraphrase Jesus, the workers are few but the needs are great.

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And in the meantime, let us all pray for Harry, for all whom his story impacts, and for all who need to find healing from life’s hurts.

 God be with you x

Planning for cooler times

 

As everyone swelters around me, I've been blessed to find a good writing spot in a heatwave. Wonderful air conditioning, snacks aplenty and good coffee on tap.  Find me a nice sea view and a gentle breeze, or zoom me up to Penhurst, and my joy would be complete. But I’m grateful for small mercies as the mercury rockets upwards. If you’re looking for me, I'll be in my local Costa until the heatwave burns itself out.

So here I am, pondering with lepers and blind men, with radical friends who tore apart a roof, with weary disciples trudging home dispirited, and with countless others who had their lives beautifully touched by Jesus.  I’m reflecting on the wonder and reality of his healing presence and the question of how to make that an everyday reality for others.

 

I'm writing new materials for the next retreat that Jill Hoffmann and I will be leading.  We'll be offering Encounters with Healing at Penhurst Retreat Centre in early October. The autumn may well be the last thing on your mind at the moment but it’s never too early to book your place on what will hopefully be a very healing time. Our retreats are always popular; on our last one someone came all the way from Jerusalem to be with us!  Why not come and join us too in the beautiful, prayerful atmosphere of Penhurst? You can find the details here.  Plan ahead: it would be great to see you.

 

Until then, I hope you manage to find your own cool spots.  I’m just off to order another flat white …

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