Tipping Point

Hello! I'm back. Did you miss me?

Last time I shared here I wrote about the changing seasons: not just in the physical world around me, but in my own life as well. It turns out spring was a time to rest, and not write. Now summer's here, I have a sneaking suspicion that's all about to change.

Time Out

Everything's been a bit quiet lately. 

It hasn't been intentional; I've been working on quite a few ideas for posts. With all of them, it's the same problem: I'm managing the beginning and the middle just fine, but I can't get to grips with the ending. It's beyond frustrating for me, but I think I know why. I can't write the ending when I haven't worked out what it is yet. 

The seasons are changing again. Winter is melting away and spring is sprouting up in its place - and not just in a literal sense. My priorities are shifting, and I'm catching glimpses of new things on the horizon. All of them exciting, some of them scary. Some new, getting my attention for the first time, and some old stuff from long, long ago, that's starting to make a bit more sense than it once did. 

Nothing drastic, nothing that looks particularly dramatic from the outside. Just subtle shifts in my perspective, the way I think and where my attention is. But it feels like it's building, as if there's a gear-change coming.  

It's interesting that it seems to be happening all over the place: my church is entering an exciting new season, and a lot of the blogging and social media spheres seem to be chattering away about the same things, too. There's lots of "newness" everywhere. It's looking like a season where God is clearly on the move everywhere. I can't even begin to articulate how exciting that is for me - that somehow, in some small way, I get to be a part of whatever He's got planned. 

Hopefully, it won't be too long before I'm finding the endings, and I can go back to writing at my normal pace. I'm not going to force myself to post anything, just because I haven't for a month or so. I might, but I might not. I just don't know yet. 

For now, I'll just enjoy the silence, and look forward to what's next. 

You Need Only to be Still

"Moses answered the people,
'Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will 
see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. 
The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 
The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.'"

(Exodus 14:13-14, NIV)

For the past fortnight or so, I've felt like I've really been under attack. I notice (although not often quite in time) that it happens quite often when I step out, or press into, something I know I'm being called to do. This time was a bit different. This attack's been particularly vicious; right to what is probably the biggest gap in my armour. 

When the First Part of the Journey is Rest

I don't really like processing stuff.

This might come as a bit of a surprise to those of you that know me. I'm usually the one who's all "but you need to process. It's healthy. It'll do you more damage in the long run if you don't."

The one who's in the middle of learning how to help other people do that very thing.

Yeah.

On the surface, it probably looks like I do process pretty well. The thing is, I do. But I do it when it suits me. When it feels comfortable, and not too risky.

Safe. Cosy.

Useless.

Say the Word (Part I)

Going into the new year, one thing I wanted to do was ask God for a word for me for 2015 [and I wrote a tiny bit more about that on New Year's Day]. Just like last year, I got two. This year, they are passion and restoration.

I want to expand on both of them in time, but I don't think it's right to write anything about restoration, yet. Not so early on in the year. Anyway, I get the feeling that one's 100% down to God - and I'm happy to leave it to him. His plan will be far better than anything I have in mind, anyway. But I'm looking forward to telling the stories.

Back to the Bench

Some of you might remember a post I wrote last year about one of my favourite places to spend time: one particular bench in the park near where I work.

New Year, New Look New Books

I'm taking a quick break from my usual kind of posts to let you know about a couple of tweaks I've made to the blog over the Christmas break (Yep, I actually used some of my time productively!)