Blog
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Prayerful reading of John 1
Join me for a mini-retreat, with time to pause, reflect on Scriputre, and experience God? Here’s my latest prayer practice (of 7 minutes) that I sent out with my monthly newsletter, perfect for this season of Advent. We’ll be engaging with some lectio divina (prayerful reading) of the first part of John’s gospel (John 1:1–5,…
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What is spiritual direction?
So what is spiritual direction? We’ve inherited this term, and unfortunately, it may conjure up images of a somewhat scary authority figure telling another what to do. That’s not my desire or my way of working! A better name is spiritual accompaniment, which captures the role of one who seeks to notice God’s working in…
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The launch of Still Finding Myself in Britain!
On this launch day for Still Finding Myself in Britain, I find myself unsettled and lonely for local friends. We moved a couple of months ago, and the house isn’t sorted yet and I don’t have a new gym or local connections. As I consider my needs, I remember how God has met me in…
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Why I haven’t shared about being a spiritual director
Over the past four years, I’ve added a moniker to my biography – “spiritual director,” an old-fashioned term for someone who accompanies another on their journey with God. I’ve noticed recently that I don’t share about this work much. As I’ve pondered why, I’ve realized that the main reason is that my role feels hidden…
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Beloved of God retreat
What does it mean to be God’s beloved? How do we view God, and how does God see us? We will spend time in the loving presence of God as we explore some spiritual practices that help us live as a new creation in Christ. These transformative encounters help us to live out our callings…
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Praying with Jane Austen
Did you know that Jane Austen was a devoted Christian? We have access to three of her prayers – those when she led the family prayers at night. Join me at Jane’s home in Chawton, Hampshire, England, with an adaptation of one of her inspiring and uplifting prayers. The images are all from the grounds…
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“Walking with Friends” by Amy Scott Robinson
On this International Friendship Day, I celebrate friendship by sharing a poem that was a gift for my birthday by a dear friend, Amy Scott Robinson. Amy and I and Tanya Marlow have met weekly for years, loving and supporting each other, and I frankly don’t know how I would do life without them! I…
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Celebrating during the seaons
Mind, I’ve not felt very celebratory. Both Nicholas and I came down with covid on Easter Sunday, and I’ve only left the house a few times since. The virus left with me fatigue, although I’m gaining in strength each day and managed a gentle pilates workout yesterday. So although I’ve not celebrated much, I’ve been…
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Journeying with Jesus during Holy Week
As we approach Holy Week next week, the culmination of the season of Lent, we can be gentle to ourselves, however we’re feeling, whether tired, weary, hopeful, or perhaps wishing that we’d kept more rigorously to the practices we chose at the start. Whatever has gone before us, know that God welcomes us to journey…
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Praying with Poetry – Refrain
I loved co-leading a “Poetry and Prayer” retreat with Amy Scott Robinson recently at Launde Abbey, learning from Amy as she helped us to explore different forms of poetry. One of those is the biblical poetic form of the refrain, which is a wonderful way to express ourselves to God. And it’s easy to write one;…
