Consecrating empathy

One time, after Jesus was busy ministering to people and healing them, He went to a solitary place to pray. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, […]

Gratitude as a Lenten practice

“In 12 years of research, I have never interviewed a single person with the capacity to really experience joy who does not also actively practice gratitude.” Brené Brown Practicing gratitude is simple. It does not requite any special skill, like riding a bicycle for example would. We can write our gratitude notes in a journal […]

Advent – when light makes a difference in the dark

Each Sunday in Advent, we light a candle on our Advent wreath, flickering and shining their light into our churches and homes. As the evenings grow shorter, we can see the candles clearly. They appear brighter and more distinct to us the darker it becomes, and as nighttime falls, they appear quite brilliant in the […]

Grief at a time of Advent

Grief is never easy. But some times of the year it may be amplified. I have friends who recently lost people close to them. It’s hard to see their pain, and yet only by witnessing the pain – ours and someone else’s – will we find healing in it.  Whether the loss was recent or […]

“Thy kingdom come” is a prayer for healing

Jesus thought us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, on earth as it is heaven”. In this day-and-age when social media is so prevalent in our lives, the news travels quickly from one part of the world to another. And bad news travels even quicker, or at least it seems that way at times. We don’t even […]

A tribute to Rev Robert Lawson

Robert was a friend. I met him first via Facebook, before ever meeting him in person. Later we would meet through the ministry of healing. He had a great online presence, and connected with many people that way.  Presence and gratitude are two realities that make me think of Robert the most. You could feel […]

A gift of vulnerability

“Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.” Brené Brown Often we Christians think that we have to hold it all together, that we have to be happy and satisfied because if we are not there might be something wrong with our faith, or with […]

Remembering God who became a child

In his book Seek That Which Is Above, published in 1986, the then Cardinal Ratzinger says that “Advent is concerned with that very connection between memory and hope which is so necessary to man. Advent’s intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely, the memory of the God who […]

Stop and let Advent happen

“One of the essential paradoxes of Advent: that while we wait for God, we are with God all along, that while we need to be reassured of God’s arrival, or the arrival of our homecoming, we are already at home.” Michelle Blake  Tune in into your heart and recognise the sentiment you find yourself in […]

Sabbath, a discipline of rest

Jesus thought us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Connecting with God through various moments of our day is when we can put this prayer into practice.  How would our life be different if we made a conscious effort to pause, a few times a day, in […]