Blog

  • The Bible: God’s Word for Life, Love, and Change

    Today I have an article on Sacred Reading over at the Kingdom Life Now magazine. Here’s a taste. Recently I led an exercise of meditative reading of the Bible. Four times I read the passage of Isaiah 43:1-8 with instructions to the women with a different emphasis in engaging with the text each time. About…

  • Devotional of the week – for writers

    On the 13th of every month I’m blogging over at the Association of Christian Writers’ blog. Here’s a taster of today’s entry. For last month’s, on riffing to Psalm 23, click here. “Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us… With this in mind, since I…

  • A conversation about publishing on World Book Day

    I had a lovely time on Premier Christian Radio yesterday chatting about writing and publishing for World Book Day. In prepping for the interview, I found out that World Book Day is celebrated in over 100 countries. Many countries celebrate on April 23 (Shakespeare’s birth and death day!); that’s when the UK marks World Book Night…

  • How to Give a Great Radio Interview

    As I think about appearing on Premier Christian Radio tomorrow to celebrate World Book Day, I thought I’d share a few tips on how to give a great radio interview. I’m not a pro, but I’m much more comfortable behind the microphone than I was when I went the first time, shaking in my boots…

  • Advice to a new writer of devotionals

    I believe writing devotionals may be part of my soon-to-be-seriously-begun writing ministry. Have you any helpful tips as I start? I’m retiring at the end of March and although I will be a lay pastor, I will finally be able to give serious time to writing. I’ve read your CWR notes and love them! Hello and…

  • Review: Books for Lent

    Need an idea for a book for Lent? Here’s a review from last year, as published in the Woman Alive book club. Features one of last year’s crop of devotional books, and the Best Lent Book Ever.

  • “Consider your death” – Ash Wednesday reflections

    “Whenever the journey to Easter begins, it must always begin right here: at the contemplation of my death, in the cold conviction that I shall die.” (Walter Wangerin, Reliving the Passion, p 21) Sobering words for the beginning of Lent. Even more sobering as I consider the deaths of two people, one whom I’ve never…

  • Review: Feeling Empty, Being Filled, The Book of Ruth

    “In 2010, I gained a baby, and lost the ability to walk more than twenty metres.” So begins Tanya Marlow in this thought-provoking look at the book of Ruth. She interweaves her story of life with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME – or chronic fatigue syndrome, as it’s commonly known Stateside) with that of two women from…

  • Review: Austen-Inspired Fiction

    I just finished Katherine Reay’s latest engaging novel, and before I add my review, I thought I’d better post my thoughts on her first book, which was published originally in Woman Alive. When I finished this novel, I sighed in satisfaction and thought about turning back to the beginning, reading in the light of the plot…

  • Guest Post with Evelyn Bence: Redeeming the Time with Thyme

    My very first guest post! I’m thrilled to host the lovely writer and editor Evelyn Bence today, whom I know through the Christian publishing world. She lives in Virginia, where I used to live, though we didn’t know each other well when I lived there. Yet I can picture her in my former stomping grounds,…