Learning not to waste a good crisis — “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.” Paul Romer, Stanford Economist “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” Winstone Churchill A crisis can be a terrible thing. But a crisis that plunges us out of our depth, that we have no answers to, that overwhelms us, can also…

Some things can only be received by a faith nurtured in close communion with God. — A man approached Jesus’ disciples, pleading with them to cast an unclean spirit out of his son. (Matthew 17:14–20) This spirit had, on many occasions, cast his son into the fire and into the water in attempts to kill him. The disciples tried, but could not cast it out. When…

A poem — There’s a still, small voice whispering in my head telling me what needs to be done. It’s easily brushed aside because I don’t want to listen I don’t want to admit it might be right, that it might know better than me what I need. Pretending I don’t hear it lets…

Small actions can bring big changes that are not quickly forgotten. — “Do your little bit of good where you are; it is those little bits of good put all together that overwhelm the world.” Desmond Tutu. It’s so easy to look the other way, to mutter under our breath or sigh at the minor inconvenience someone's difficulty causes us, but the…

Eventually, the storm will calm, but the real treasure is in finding your own calm in the storm. — A cry bursts from David’s lips that I’m sure you can identify with: “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. I would flee far away and stay in the desert; I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from…

Each season can be transformative in some way

Laying aside the things that weigh us down — I’ve spent a few days clearing overgrown gardens. Removing the rubbish and weeds made a difference, but the gardens were still untidy. To get them how I wanted I also had to remove some plants. Weeds are the bad guys and we know they have to go. Plants are good…

I still can hardly believe how my life has changed today — I heard the talk about Jesus stories passed around on the street tales of blind eyes being opened and the lame set back on their feet. It seemed too good to be true yet something stirred within me. Could he heal my body? Could he set me free? The doctors…

I’ve gained a bigger picture and a deeper richness from those I once thought to be in error — There’s a tale from the Indian subcontinent of four blind men who encountered an elephant. They had never come across such an animal and, being unaware of its shape and size, they grope around seeking to understand and describe it. One of the blind men grasps the tusk and concludes…