"So, which sin are you tackling this week?"
It wasn't a question that took me by surprise. My friend and I are both working on a counseling course at the moment. One of our projects is to identify a persistent sin in our lives, analyze it and take biblical steps towards change. Not the most comfortable of assignments but undoubtedly useful!
As I wrestled with some of my heart-issues last week, a range of questions flitted through my mind. But one of the biggest was this: why on earth had I waited for a piece of coursework before starting to address my rebellion?... continue reading
Sat and watched The Impossible last night with teenage daughters.
It tells the real-life story of a Bélon family who were caught up in the Indian Ocean tsunami on Boxing Day 2004. The mother, Maria, was horrifically wounded and almost drowned, but manages to find her eldest son Luke. Fearing that dad and the other smaller boys had been killed, there follows a gruelling fight for survival - helped by local Thai villagers, and ending up in a packed and chaotic hospital. I won't spoil the (happy) ending - but the superb acting makes this an emotional ride.
We had to wring the sofa out afterwards.... continue reading
The sense of panic began to rise. Her heart-beat quickened. Her throat tightened. Her stomach began to churn. And she knew that yet again, she would flee the room, the meal lovingly cooked by her friends left uneaten. A true story - a not uncommon story - but one that is desperately misunderstood.
In churches, and the wider society, anorexia and bulimia get quite a lot of press. The issues are known. The patterns for recovery, discussed. But food phobias - that's another matter. All too often considered strange or just plain attention-seeking, the people in our congregations who are genuinely terrified of certain foodstuffs are misunderstood.
So, what is a food phobia? It's when specific foods trigger reactions of anxiety or panic. At their most mild, phobias involve feelings of nervousness and nausea. At their worst, full panic-attacks ensue with strugglers reporting an inability to swallow, breath normally or even be in the same room as their trigger food.... continue reading
In a world filled with people who are looking to "change their lives" - what is the Christian response?
Of course change is exactly what Jesus does to those he calls to belong to him. Among other things he changes:
But here's the big difference between the change that Jesus brings and the "life change" that many others seem to be pursuing. Consider this:... continue reading
You hear the phrase all the time on TV talent shows. People with a dream. People with a talent looking to break through. People who have lived in obscurity and nursed an ambition; then suddenly found fame, fortune, adoration. Their lives have been changed.
Type those words into YouTube and you find a whole host of videos - many with passionate looking people who promise to share their story of Life change. They promote a massive variety of things that have done that for them: a book, a spiritual experience, a new way of looking at your life, a new way of investing, surgery, confidence therapy, a life coach, a money-making scheme or taking psychotropic drugs in the Peruvian rainforest.... continue reading
You may not be a fan of Eastenders but there's a good chance you've a heard the storyline. Lauren Branning - 19 - has a drink-problem. And the problem is getting worse. For nearly a year now, the character whose parents have split up and whose Mum has been seriously ill, has been drinking. At first she got drunk to forget. Now she's an addict. A teenage alcoholic with serious liver damage. The future is beginning to look bleak.
Or maybe, when you think "alcoholic" your mind conjures images of Shameless', Frank or The Simpson's, Barney? There are plenty of characters to choose from. Images of those with drink-problems flick across our screens daily.... continue reading
The first year of secondary school is a year of discovery, a year of excitement, a year of learning how to take responsibility and how far you can push things - and that's just the children! For mums and dads it's probably one of the steepest points on the parenting learning-curve.
My wife and I have been coming to terms with dealing with an ever more challenging "twelveteen" son over the last six or seven months. Once the joy and freshness of the new school started to wear off, the influence of his peers and those in the school in general took over. Harry Enfield's teenage creation of a few years ago, Kevin, doesn't come close. We're told that next year will probably be even worse!
So how can Christian parents cope with all the changes and influences on a teenager's life - school, friends, physical growth?
As with any situation for a Christian, it is to God's word, the Bible, that we should turn. With honesty and humour, Ann Benton shows in Teenagers how Proverbs can speak directly into real life, however messy, today. Under that sometimes morose exterior there lies a heart and a personality with very real needs and issues who God and parents love deeply so it's worth getting equipped to bring them up well in the ways of the Lord.
Find out more about Anne's book. Buy it on line at 20% off.
"I'm not going to waste my time listening to little old ladies ramble on or allow myself to get distracted by members of the congregation crying into their tissues. I'm here to preach the gospel". So said a lovely, gospel-hearted minister recently.
I wept. Though clearly not in front of him!
His comments were extreme. And certainly not in line with the view of many ministers I know who see their role as pastor to include both preaching and pastoral care. But he is not alone. Somewhere along the line the two great strands of pastoral ministry - proclaiming the word and helping individuals live out the word in the mess and complexity of their lives - seem to have become slightly parted. That is something worth weeping about.
But what exactly is the link between preaching and pastoral care? While they are clearly different in terms of method of delivery, do they really need to be at odds with one another?... continue reading
"So, Helen, what are your plans for retirement?"
The question stung. Partly because I don't like to admit that I am now half way through my working life. It's sobering to realise that I am (just) closer to retirement age than the moment I graduated and got my first "proper" job providing therapeutic support to adults with severe brain injuries. But partly because as soon as the honest answer to that question entered my mind, I knew it wasn't particularly godly!... continue reading
The first look took me completely by surprise.
Everything else we had spent the last six months researching, planning, working towards. The cot was installed. The room freshly painted yellow - we decided to be surprised by the sex, rather than find out from the scan so we could paint blue or pink. I had read up abut the technicalities of baby care, and how to be a supportive husband for a new mother. The visit from my mum had been planned. The plane ticket for her mum had been booked. Time off work scheduled. The technology researched and in place.
Everything was ready except me.... continue reading
