When I was 10 I featured in a nativity play put on by the local Lutheran church at the top of my street. I so wanted a key role – like Joseph or the shepherds. Rather I was cast as a tree. Yes a tree! I had leaves taped all over me and whenever the … Continue reading A Christmas invitation
Spirituality
Never bereft ….
Lament … hope! Overwhelmed ... hope! Darkness … hope! Sorrow ... hope! Uncertainty ... hope! Despair ... hope! Grief ... hope! Brokenness ... hope! Mess ... hope! Displaced ... hope! Searching ... hope! Yearning … hope! Dreaming ... hope! New beginnings ... hope! Tomorrow ... hope! Christmas reminds us we are never bereft of hope! … Continue reading Never bereft ….
Pooling our presence
A young man waits by the hydrotherapy pool with his mother. I don’t know his story - but it’s evident he lives with some significant physical challenges. Suddenly his physiotherapist walks into the pool area and the young man’s face lights up. He doesn’t speak, but his face and actions say it all. He shuffles … Continue reading Pooling our presence
In between day
SaturdayThe in-between day.They were shattered, broken.They were uncertain, fearful.They were cynical, questioning.They were grieving, numb.They were longing, yearning.They didn’t know what was next.It was the in-between day! And here I am,So far removed from that Saturday,and yet with so many in-between days in my life.Days of uncertainty, days of fear.Days of questioning, days of waiting.Days … Continue reading In between day
Love like no other
Love.Love like no other.Costly loveBloodied loveForgiving loveCourageous loveWelcoming loveRobust loveServing loveRestoring loveHealing loveBeautiful loveRadical loveAccepting love. Friday love.Nothing, absolutely nothing, cheap about this love! Today, I’m deeply thankful for the Servant King’s love.Today, I see that I’ve still got such a long way to go in loving others more like Jesus.Today, I see a world … Continue reading Love like no other
Thankful tracks
This was my local lockdown track. I walked it so many times. I still do! It’s become a therapeutic place. As I travel the world in my role I love to walk and explore places I’ve never seen before. I love adventure and change. I enjoy new experiences! But in the world as it is … Continue reading Thankful tracks
It always does this!
Africa - this continent of paradox. It always does this. It gets in my head and heart. So much brokenness yet so much beauty. The intersection of hopelessness and hope. People weeping yet people dancing and singing. The scandal of wealth exploitation and poverty. Climate crisis and yet abounding natural beauty. Bureaucracy yet innovation. Colonial … Continue reading It always does this!
May the ordinary come alive!
Last night we had a quiet New Year’s Eve at home. I have to admit, a few times I experienced the tug for the extraordinary …. the bigger experience. And then, there I was, standing outside our house at the 703 bus stop in my pjs, looking down a street that gives a slight view … Continue reading May the ordinary come alive!
Hope has a name!
Life may be very good for you today. You may be in full voice. And joyfully you may sing and shout, with all that is within you: “He is risen!” Or you may find yourself in a very different place. You may be trying to navigate the most testing of times. Your days seem hard. … Continue reading Hope has a name!
Surprise me!
Am I ready for new ways, new paths in life in 2024? Am I ready to be humbly surprised by God in 2024? Or will I be trapped by the pursuit of power, familiarity, arrogance and complacency? These are questions I’m asking today as the Christian calendar celebrates the arrival of the Magi at the … Continue reading Surprise me!
apilgrimpens 