Blog
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Five-Minute Friday: No Motivation Required
Someone once said about me that I eat work. There’s a bit of truth to that statement, for I love to pursue a project until it’s done. But the downside to loving work is that I can take too much on. Do too much. Write too much. Speak too much. Have too many things taking…
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What I Read in 2017
For me, 2017 was to be a year of jubilee. For several reasons, it didn’t turn out that way, not least because I powered on with my MA in Christian spirituality, sometimes appearing as a crazed woman while juggling other writing and speaking engagements along with reading the assigned academic articles and writing the coursework,…
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Christmas Greetings!
On this Christmas Eve, we wait and watch and wonder. Pondering the gift of Jesus, the Son of God, born a baby. If you are rushed with a long list of tasks to prepare and feeling hassled; if you’re sad because this Christmas feels different because of people not with you; if you feel quiet…
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God With Us
“Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ at my right, Christ at my left . . .” These hymn lyrics, written by the fifth-century Celtic Christian St. Patrick, echo in my mind when I read Matthew’s account of Jesus’s birth. They feel like…
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Watercolor Wednesday: Advent wreaths – or not
We’ve had a different sort of Advent in our home this year, as I didn’t realize I had none of our Advent candles stashed away like I usually do. Getting them (we go for three purples, a pink, and a white one) meant a jaunt to the next High Street where parking is a nightmare,…
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Five Minute Friday: The Ache of Feeling Different
“I like your trainers,” said one of my new husband’s fellow theological college (US: seminary) students. “My trainers?” I asked, not knowing what he was talking about. He pointed down to my feet, and I realized he must be talking about my tennis shoes. “Oh, thank you!” I said. “I didn’t realize you all had…
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From Graduand to Graduate
Recently I learned a new word: graduand. It’s the status of one who has earned a degree but not yet been awarded it. And that’s what I was from October, when I heard my results, until yesterday, when I had the joy and honour to receive the piece of paper saying I have an MA…
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Weekly Devotional: My soul magnifies the Lord by Amy Robinson
Advent is a time of waiting and welcome. Waiting for the coming King, not only to celebrate his coming as a baby but for him to come again. Welcoming as we make room for him in our lives, a laughable thought for many as we juggle carol services, baking tasks, shopping for gifts… But some…
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Praising God with All the Letters: An Acrostic Poem
I had to miss church this morning as our daughter isn’t well, so I spent some time writing an acrostic poem, inspired by Psalm 145. David used all of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, in order, to sing his praises to God. I’m no King David, but I enjoyed the challenge. Amazing are you,…
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Watercolor Wednesday: A Study in Abstract Art
I like my dad’s abstract art, such as this oil painting (sorry; not a watercolor!) that hung in various places in our home when I was growing up. Art, I know, can be subjective, and probably abstract art even more so. To me this painting says home and familiarity, but also conversational groupings, time with…
