I’ve just returned from a week in Taizé, the community of brothers in France who welcome thousands of young people and pilgrims each year. This was my second visit – different from the first, and yet somehow the same. Different people, same God. Different theme, same rhythm. Different worries, same peace. As I journey home,Continue reading “Singing Faith, Sharing Hope”
Tag Archives: closeness with God
Word for the year
Happy New Year! We are now a week into 2025. Have you decided on any resolutions? Have you kept the ones you have made? I don’t make resolutions. Or, I don’t make New Year Resolutions. The pressure to be original and the lack of hope that I will actually stick to them put me off.Continue reading “Word for the year”
2024 40 days of lent: belated day 7 – Mind the gap
I had an unusual week which just left me without time to write a blog post on a couple of days, although I did draft the idea. This one was a reminder in a book I had been reading called ‘God is closer than you think’ by John Ortberg, one of my favourite theological writers.Continue reading “2024 40 days of lent: belated day 7 – Mind the gap”
2024 40 days of lent: day 2 – Muted
It is said that if a person loses one sense, the others become sharper to make up for it. Someone who is blind will often be able to discern more through hearing and smell than someone who has all their senses. On a smaller scale, someone who is trying to concentrate on what they areContinue reading “2024 40 days of lent: day 2 – Muted”
2024 40 days of lent: day 1 – Happy Galentine’s
Becoming a helpful tradition for me in lent, 40 days of drawing closer to God through writing. As ever, some will be long and some will be snapshots, but all will be God focused in some way. This year, Ash Wednesday, the first day of lent, has fallen on Valentine’s Day. Me, my housemates andContinue reading “2024 40 days of lent: day 1 – Happy Galentine’s”
Just what I needed to hear…
Have you ever read or heard something that seems to be exactly the right thing for that moment? Maybe a friend (or stranger) has said something you didn’t know you needed to hear, or you’ve read something that has struck a chord somewhere deep inside. Whichever, something that has brought clarity or comfort. That happenedContinue reading “Just what I needed to hear…”
40 day challenge day 36: Held
When talking about God, we often talk about a Father. And that is how Jesus refers to God when praying, as his Father. But there are also places where God is compared to a mother. In Isaiah there are 2 places where God uses a mother comparison, talking about comforting like a mother comforts, orContinue reading “40 day challenge day 36: Held”
40 day challenge day 6: Pressure
Encanto, day 2. What else can be a barrier to a close relationship with God? Enter Luisa, Mirabel’s oldest sister. (If you need a catch up on what I’m talking about, read yesterday’s post and/or watch Encanto.) Luisa’s gift is being super strong. She can fix leaning houses, redirect a river, carry multiple donkeys andContinue reading “40 day challenge day 6: Pressure”
40 day challenge: An introduction
A year ago I was challenging myself to spend 4 weeks on each of 6 different spiritual disciplines. I got something out of doing that, so I decided I’d do something similar this year – not giving anything up but using the time to refocus on God. So, my challenge which I am setting myselfContinue reading “40 day challenge: An introduction”
Hunting for God: Solitude 2/2
Solitude is more a state of mind and heart than it is a place. Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline I had to start here, with this quote taken from Foster’s book. I had to share this revelation and discovery. Because just being alone and finding silence isn’t enough – that can just lead to loneliness,Continue reading “Hunting for God: Solitude 2/2”
The Reason for my Hope Blog 