Why You’re Not Alone If You’re An Anxious Writer #AnxiousWriters
I’ve been writing for about 15 years now. I’ve written 4 e-books and just had my first trade book published, in print. I’ve got a blog which has around 1000 subscribers.
And I still have major anxiety about writing. I mean, is there any writer who doesn’t have anxiety?
I began the #AnxiousWriters hashtag yesterday to be honest about my fears about writing, and to provide a safe space for others to share theirs, and know they aren’t alone.
I knew other writers struggled with anxiety about writing. But the response has overwhelmed even me. And now I don’t feel so alone.
How I Found Church Can Be A Safe Space For Mental Illness
It’s fair to say when you hear the two terms, ‘church’ and ‘mental illness’, the image which comes to mind often isn’t of bedfellows, but of people at war. Much of the Christian church today struggles to deal with matters of mental health. Either they brush them under the carpet and leave them unspoken, or, even worse, they deny the problems of mental health altogether.
Recently, on Twitter a Christian tweeted that PTSD was from God. A Christian actually tweeted that.
I’m a writer, I’ve had books out. But even I was dumbstruck at that.
Personally, I’ve never actually had a mental health condition diagnosed. But many of those close to me, those who know the mental health world, who’ve heard my story, have all said I show classic symptoms of some kind of condition.
Poema 012: Jo Cleary on her Radical Love Journey
I’m joined today by Jo Cleary, a learning development officer, and writer from Coventry in the UK, who blogs on issues of identity, self-worth and learning to love yourself. Jo shares her powerful story of depression, psychosis and chronic fatigue syndrome, and how they have all influenced both her spiritual and creative journey.
Poema 011 | Chasing Lovely on the Spirituality Of Songwriting & Kickstarting a New EP
Today my dear “wolfie” friends, musical and creative duo Chloe and Taylor Turner (AKA Chasing Lovely), join me again. Today we talk about the personal stories and influences behind their work, as well as the spiritual and personal journeys which influence all of us creatively, and shape who we are and who we become – and how you can support their next big creative project.
Poema 010 : Laura Parrott Perry on Surviving Sexual Abuse & Valuing Our Stories
Today I’m joined by my dear friend Laura Parrott Perry. Laura is an author and a speaker, and co-founder of Say It, Survior, a non-profit dedicated to helping survivors of sexual abuse. With great courage and honesty, Laura shares her own story of abuse, and it’s impact on her and her family – and the power of story to heal and shape us.
Poema 009 : Brian McLaren on the Great Spiritual Migration
Speaker, author and theologian Brian McLaren joins me today. Brian is the author of many books, such as ‘A New Kind Of Christian’ and ‘A Generous Orthodoxy’. Today on the podcast we discuss his most recent work, ‘The Great Spiritual Migration’, which explores how our world is looking for a better way to be Christian. Brian shares with great wisdom and insight about why the traditional models of church and Christian faith are no longer working – and offers us hope of a new kind of church.
Poema 008 : Sarah Heath on Creativity & The Art Of Community
Today I welcome Rev Sarah Heath onto the podcast. Sarah is a minister in a small but growing church in Costa Mesa, California, as well as an artist, writer and author.
Sarah talks about her biggest passion, creativity. And together we explore the process of creativity and how this applies to all walks of life, not just the arts. Sarah talks about how she expresses her own creativity – and how she’s applied the principle of creativity in her work of helping create a church community.
Grace Has An Edge: Mosaic Of Grace Excerpt 2
Today on the blog, I have another excerpt from my new book, ‘Mosaic Of Grace’ – this section is about how grace compels us to make a commitment to change – and how true grace has an edge to it. Take a read, and then if you’ve not already, go get your copy today!
Poema 007 : Shelly E Johnson on Finding Our Mosaic Of Grace
Today on Poema I’m joined by singer/songwriter/worship leader Shelly E Johnson. Shelly shares her own powerful story, of losing a parent at an early age, how it impacted her relationship with God and her creative journey – and helped her understand the true meaning of grace.
Mosaic Of Grace Exclusive Excerpt: The Truth Of Grace
Today, I want to share a little excerpt from the first chapter of Mosaic Of Grace, to give you a little flavour of what to look forward to. This is on ‘The Truth Of Grace’.
*****
Our culture tells us that it’s when we have it all together, when life is good, when all our ducks are in a row, then we are blessed. It sells us an ideal story of how we’re meant to live without any mess, any brokenness.
The story that western culture sells us goes something like this: You work hard at your job. You get a promotion and a pay rise. You behave correctly. Then you find a partner and settle down. Finally, you get the blessings from God. It’s a reward-based culture. Our actions define our reward, and once we’ve dealt with our issues, we can be blessed. Blessing comes after dealing with the mess, not in the midst of it.
We all know this isn’t true.