Why Being A Perfectionist Wrecks Our Creativity

By author | October 3, 2016 |

“It’s got to be perfect” the old song goes. And many of us, when we’re doing any kind of work, can easily begin to think it has to be.

After all, we live in a world where value comes from what you produce, what you earn, your position, and, at times, your relationship status. That’s one of the main reasons we buy into perfectionism so easily. The pursuit of perfection is ingrained in our culture.

But perfectionism can kill our joy, it can ultimately bring us down, and make us feel worthless. And as indeed research has shown it to have a negative impact on our physical and mental health, and decrease our chances of success.

And in art, it can prevent us from ever sharing our work, and freeze our creativity.

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How Writing (& X-Men) Saved Me From Myself

By author | July 25, 2016 |

One value I place above all is authenticity. And on a blog, this means always being honest, and being vulnerable as much as is appropriate.

I firmly believe the best creative work – including our lives – is always honest, always authentic.

Tell the truth, the last few months have been tough for me. Without going into too much detail, I’ve been feeling led to confront issues from my childhood, which I’ve buried and run away from for 20 years. They’d been undermining me and controlling me for too long – and this year, I knew it was time to confront them. I knew this would mean going down a dark path, into the valley, and knew this would impact me – but I also knew it was, and is, absolutely necessary for me to grow.

What I didn’t expect was the depths to which this would go, and has gone.

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Grace. It Just Is. (Guest Post by Jules Middleton)

By author | June 13, 2016 |

I think we often talk a good game about God’s grace – we note how it is sufficient. Or abundant. Or amazing. But, what does it actually mean? Trying to suss out what grace is, is almost impossible, there are just too many answers, too many variations or possibilities. But we all have our own interpretations of grace, based on our own experiences of God, and that is so valuable.

I mean you can talk to someone all you like about God and they can put up objections and questions and arguments, but tell them your own story and it’s a different matter.

It’s much harder to dismiss someone’s personal experience, when you hear it from their own mouth.

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It’s Imagination Which Brings Transformation

By author | May 2, 2016 |

We all know there are massive problems in the world. You don’t need to look very far to see violence, oppression, injustice, inequality, prejudice, corruption and above all fear. Consumerism rules the world. And the problem with consumerism, is that it’s about certainty. To thrive, consumerism needs profit, and profit comes from taking as small…

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Why There’s No Foolproof Methods – Just Our Story

By author | April 4, 2016 |

I read a post recently, from last year, called ‘A Letter To Donald Miller’.

It presented some very well reasoned arguments about Donald Miller, a NYT-Bestselling author writer who had spoken about uncertainty, doubt, and mystery. And how he was now selling products and posting blog posts which, in contrast, were about guaranteed results, promises, and certainty.

Now I’m a big fan of Donald Miller. The one thing I treasure above all things in writing is authenticity, and whenever I read Don’s words, whether it’s in books or blog posts, they are always honest. He’s always vulnerable and shares his story honestly. I’ve learned so much from him.

To be honest, I’ve not figured out whether I agree with the poster about Don, or not. That needs further reflection.

The real message to me from this letter though, was this: Whether intentionally or not, Don had given the impression that he had abandoned mystery, questioning and doubt, and moved to certainty. Moved from accepting we don’t have all the answers, to selling courses which promise all the answers.

And for me, those guaranteed, fix-all solutions these type of courses sell us? They simply don’t exist.

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Why Jesus Would Welcome Refugees…& Eat With Donald Trump

By author | February 8, 2016 |

I’ve always been reluctant to blog about politics. Because politics can be so divisive. We’re all entitled to our own political perspectives and opinions, and I’d never want to force anyone – or even be seen to be trying to force anyone – to agree with me. Nor do I want to create an “us v them” mentality. That’s just unhealthy and deconstructive.

We’re all in this together. Whatever our beliefs.

I have no interest in being divisive. I’m for reconciliation, community, inclusivity – with those I agree, and disagree with.

Today there’s something I felt, to be true to who I am, I simply had to share. So if you disagree with this post, I’ve got no problem with that. We’re still friends.

All of which brings me to the topic at hand.

Donald Trump, prospective Republican candidate for President. And why I believe that – despite his politics of fear, exclusion and, frankly, hate – that as Christians, we should be willing to eat dinner with him.

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Making Peace With My Weirdness (Guest Post by Holly Pennington)

By author | February 1, 2016 |

Today I’m delighted to welcome my friend Holly Pennington to my blog. Holly is a uniquely gifted writer, blogger from near Seattle, US. She writes about vulnerability, and faith, and has so much wisdom to share. Take it away Holly!

*****

I’ve never tried to be weird. But I have always felt weird. No purple spiky hair, grunge obsessions or gothic dress phases. Not even a single tiny hidden tattoo. Growing up in the 1980’s, I was a predictable Guess jeans-wearing suburban kid.

But I did own a pair of red plaid Doc Martens once. To be exact, I was only part-owner. My sister and I shared them. We simultaneously fell in love with them but Doc Martens weren’t cheap, so we each paid half. When I went away to college, I took them with me just until my next visit home; then, her turn. Being part-time keeper of the boots somehow made my love for them stronger.

Treading across the Wake Forest University quad, an insecure thumb tucked under each backpack strap and self-conscious eyes fixed downward, the surprise of my feet clad in red plaid filled me with a distinct burst of joy. I felt daring in my Doc Martens. My connection to them was made of courage, awe and a tinge of rebellion.

But, what made me feel weird was not my style; it was my interests.

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Irregular Intentionality: Making Sense Of Our Busy Lives

By author | January 25, 2016 |

Blogging has been tough for me for a while. In truth, for nearly a year. Even though I had a break which was meant to help, on reflection I didn’t use that break as effectively as the one I had in 2014.

The recurrence of this issue though, has shown this problem was far deeper.

And I have absolutely no doubt what the real problem is.

It’s an issue with time management. An issue which many of us struggle with, and has become a major issue for me. I’m simply not creating enough space in my life to cultivate the habits, like free-writing, which help me find my voice & inspiration.

And I need to do something about it, or I’m not going to achieve what I’m capable of. Because if we don’t manage our time effectively, we won’t realise our full potential – in any area of life.

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Christopher Reeve & Why You Are A Superhero

By author | January 18, 2016 |

I’ve always loved superheroes. As a child my hero was Christopher Reeve’s incarnation of Superman (left). I wanted to be him. His ideals, his values, his belief in our ability to be better as people. And of course, his super powers.

Now of course, as an adult I know I don’t have ‘superpowers’ like comic book heroes.

I’m just a writer. I’m just me, with all my insecurities, and imperfections. I’m not perfect. And a lot of the time, I think I’m nothing special.

Don’t we all?

But I was watching a superhero movie today, about Spider-Man – an ordinary guy who gets powers, and still has all his insecurities, fears and imperfections despite that.

And I felt God speak to me quietly, and tell me that I do have a superpower.

Writing – as only I can write. Being me.

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