Blog
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Devotional of the week: Philippians 2:9
Name Above All Names “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name…” Philippians 2:9 A year or so ago, CutiePyeGirl uttered “Jesus” as the world often does (or in this case, some of the pupils at her school). My shocked and strong reaction communicated unreservedly that…
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The Sound of Silence
One from the archives. I wrote this for Quiet Spaces in 2008; it later appeared in Woman Alive and then in Inspiring Women Every Day. And now for its final resting place… The incongruity of reading a murder mystery during a time set apart for communion with God was finally too much even for me. I…
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Talking about books with RT Kendall
You may know that I run the Woman Alive Book Club. This month’s interview (reproduced here, uncut, with thanks to Woman Alive) is with the prolific writer, RT Kendall (author of over 50 books). He was the senior minister of Westminster Chapel in London for 25 years. He lives with his wife in Tennessee, and continues…
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Devotional of the week: Philippians 2:6–8
Human and Divine “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even…
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Are you content?
Ever notice how we feel envy at those just up a level from us, in our chosen field? So, for instance, I don’t feel jealous about Anne Graham Lotz’s publicity or multi-book contracts. She’s a planet away from where I think I could ever be as an author. But that new memoir doing the rounds…
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Living in shame, or living free
I returned home from our wonderful week in Northumberland, feeling spent from a summer and autumn filled with good things: Our family’s five weeks in the States. Leading a meaningful and sun-filled retreat in Spain. A trip to the States to play with my high-school friends at the lake where they filmed Dirty Dancing and…
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Devotional of the week: Philippians 2:5
The Great Dance “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…” Philippians 2:5 How can fallen human beings have the same mindset of Christ, he who was without sin? “Impossible!” we might think. And it would be impossible, but for the mystery of Christ’s incarnation and for the filling…
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Keep calm and keep reading
Experiencing a Book Utopia As I walked into the converted railway station, I caught my breath. Was this paradise? People nestled around a crackling fire, gathering their hot drinks and cookies to settle in with a good book. I looked at the shelves, hardly knowing where to stay my gaze, titles vying for my…
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Guest blog: PyelotBoy and CutiePyeGirl
PyelotBoy, CutiePyeGirl, and I have had fun reading through some of my blogs this week. They’ve been enraptured by my writing (ha!), listening intently as I recounted my embarrassing encounter at the tea room in Lindisfarne. So they wanted to introduce themselves. PyelotBoy typed his first draft without me (but as I harp on…
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A tale of gossip, shame, and forgiveness
I woke with a shame hangover. As thoughts of the previous day came rushing back to me, my face flushed with heat. We were traveling on a budget – not uncommon for clergy and those doing so-called Christian work.* We were sharing lunch in a small coffee shop on Holy Island (Lindisfarne), having purchased some hot…
