“God grabbed me. God’s Spirit took me up and set me down in the middle of an open plain strewn with bones. He led me around and among them—a lot of bones! There were bones all over the plain—dry bones, bleached by the sun. He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Master God, only you know that.” Ezekiel 37:1-3 (MSG) It was as if something had momentarily suspended whatever it was that […]
In a gym class you might have a number of people who are stronger than you; they can push themselves harder and further. It might offer some helpful motivation to grow, But if you use them as your gauge for where you should be here and now, you might be able maintain it for a few minutes.. But then you’ll likely find yourself dropping off. Tired to an extent that doesn’t match what’s healthy for […]
A few years ago, I spoke to a wise person about fear, but shortly after explaining it, I rushed to say, as any good Christian would, that, like Peter, I was well aware that despite this fear, I had to get out of the boat, always. That’s how one walks on water, after all. For me, to stay in the boat, felt very, very wrong. Because, it meant that I wasn’t responding to Jesus’ call, […]
Sometimes we look to people around us to reflect back to us something of who we are. We are relational creatures by nature. To do so, I don’t think, is wrong, but actually a God-ordained way of being. I think the people around us, are the ones who hold some degree of power to reflect back some of the truth of who we are. But I think one of the effects of this is that […]
I think it was their ability to create new life again after they lost some pieces of it. There were tragic stories of loss in just about every story; family members, friends, money, health, dignity, voice, language, heritage. And yet, In the face of each, perhaps even more deeply embedded, was a stubborn heartbeat that, without even trying drove these people towards creating new life. It’s not that the messages endorsed denying the pain of […]
The more I explore mental health in my counselling training, the more I see an issue not with the people who are struggling with stuff (which is most of us at some point) but rather, how the ones who these people are surrounded by (which I think also is most of us), respond to the ones who are struggling. What is the nature of the discussions being had of people struggling some way in […]
“Watch what God does, and then you do it…. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that..” Eph 5:1-2 (MSG) ‘Love like that.’ I think sometimes it’s easy to read God’s words as […]
“Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” – C. S. Lewis I think there’s this quest as we grow, to also un-grow. Life’s disappointments and discouragements, if we are not careful, shape and colour what we are able to see now. As we grow, the discouragement list grows to a silly amount and I think for some of us (🙋🏼♀️) it can become easy to lose sight of the wonder […]
“By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped.” Ecclesisates 4:12 (MSG) When you’re facing the worst, to whom do you turn? One of the beautiful things I have discovered about both studying and having my own counselling is that it offers a turning place. It offers respite. A warm and cosy stop off. A haven space to turn towards, […]
“and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]” Hebrews 13:5-6 AMPC There’s this thing about the present; it forces you […]
anne-marie elizabeth 