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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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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It’s Time To Write: Christine Niles on ‘James Talks’

By author | January 20, 2016 |

Writing is one of my biggest passions. It’s my calling you might say. I coach writers and I run a Facebook group for writers called ‘Writers Together’ (you can join that group here). I know that many of you reading this are writers too.

Now, if you’re anything like me, you’ll know one of the biggest barriers to writing is, in fact, the very act of getting started. The challenge of overcoming resistance to get going on your writing journey is one of the most significant challenges writers face.

But your words can’t change the world, if they aren’t in it.

One person well qualified to help us deal with this issue is my dear friend, author and writing coach Christine Niles. Today on my podcast ‘James Talks’ I’m interviewing Christine, an experienced writer, blogger, author and coach from Fort Wayne, Indiana. And she has an exclusive offer for all ‘James Talks’ listeners!

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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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What Is Calling? – A Podcast Series

By author | January 11, 2016 |

Calling. It’s a word more and more of us are thinking about, and using in our day to day lives.

Calling speaks to our desire for purpose and meaning. It causes us to ponder what we really wish to do with our lives. It whispers to us in our imaginations, and makes us wonder whether our life might just be about something bigger than ourselves.

Calling and vocation can, however, be easily misunderstood.

So every day on my podcast this week, I’m going to be unpacking this subject, and these a bit more.

You see, many often talk about calling in terms of one calling for life. These

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Liz Gilbert & Why Our Calling Doesn’t Have To Pay The Bills

By author | January 4, 2016 |

Author Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir ‘Eat Pray Love’ sold 10 million copies. But what many people don’t know, is that she was a ‘successful’, paid writer before that book. Maybe not to the degree that she is now, but still relatively successful.

But even so, as Gilbert shares in her recent book ‘Big Magic’, she only gave up her day job once ‘Eat Pray Love’ went huge. She had been freelance paid writer before then, but had kept a day job the whole time.

Because she saw – and still sees – writing as her calling, her vocation – whether it’s her day job or not.

Which highlights one of the biggest and most dangerous myths around calling:

That to pursue a vocation or calling means it has to become our day job, our primary source of income – otherwise we’ve failed in our calling.

And it’s a total lie.

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How Will You Be Transformed in 2016? #OneWord365

By author | December 28, 2015 |

Each year is a season. Each year, we undergo a process of transformation, of some kind. We’re never the same person departing the year as we were walking in. Whether we’re intentional or not about this process, transformation always happens. For good, or for ill.

Ironically, the word transformation was one I chose for my ‘OneWord365’ for 2015 (I’m going to talk more about One Word 365 and how it’s impacted my life, and how it can impact yours, in the podcast on Wednesday.

There’s no doubt my life as a whole, and especially my perception of life, faith, spirituality, and creativity, has transformed in 2015. And as happened in previous years, the word I chose has become true in many more ways than I could have foreseen.

But what I’ve learned is we are always in a process of transformation. Whether we like it or not. The choice we have is not whether we’re going to be transformed, but how.

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