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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Letter To Me: Rhiannon Hall

By author | December 14, 2015 |

In 2014 I ran a series of guest posts by writer friends, all writing a letter to themselves – either a past self from their present self, or to their present self from their future self.

This inspired my friend Rhiannon Hall, who wrote a letter to herself, and shared it with me. I loved it so much, I got her permission to share it here.

Rhiannon’s is a powerful, moving & courageous letter. So here it is:

Dear 37 Year Old Rhiannon Hall,

First, breathe.

I swear that I remember sitting there starting to reading this… I know you feel that tightness in your chest and you think you are about to cry because you want answers and life seems so complicated and scary. Just do us a favor and breathe for a minute.

Then read on. (And I know you are now fully crying and that’s okay.)

I am proud of you for getting where you are at the moment you are living in. 2015 changed a lot of things for us, didn’t it?

You risked so much to become whole and truly live your authentic life.

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5 Steps To A More Open Church

By author | May 11, 2015 |

As many of you know, the ‘issue’ of sexuality/gender preference and faith is one I am passionate about. I recently ran a series on my blog about LGBT issues and faith, sharing my own story and the story of members of the LGBT community, in order to engage in healthy conversation about this issue, rather than heated debate – which ultimately, leads nowhere.

It’s an ongoing discussion for me, and it’s work I will continue with – both in my writing and in work in my local community.

And, for me, this is not simply about LGBT community – it’s about the kind of church we want to have.

I was recently invited to a conference held at Oasis Waterloo, over two days, called ‘Open Church’. The conference was about the discussion around Christianity and LGBT issues, and building a more welcoming, open church.

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Fear vs Trust (Guest Post by Nancy Kay Grace)

By author | April 22, 2015 |

Hi friends. Today I’m delighted to be welcoming Nancy Kay Grace to my blog. She is a speaker & author from Arkansas, in the US. She has contributed to several anthology books, and been in ministry over 40 years. Nancy has recently launched her new book, ‘The Grace Impact’. Grace is one of the things I’m most passionate about, and today Nancy shares more about this with us:

“The LORD is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid?” (Ps. 27:1)

Fears can grip and paralyze us, becoming larger than reality. When faced with fears, we have a choice: to look at the fear and let it grow larger or focus on the Lord in deeper trust. When we trust the Lord in fearful situations we grow in understanding His grace. In the below abridged segment from The Grace Impact, we are encouraged to look to the Lord to press out our fears:

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Born To Live (Guest Post by Brooke Lynn)

By author | December 15, 2014 |

For the rest of this month I’m going to be running a few guest posts, whilst I work some other projects (more on those soon). This will include a new blog series, which begins Wednesday.

Today however I’m honoured to host the awesome Brooke Lynn, with a powerful guest post I know you’re going to love. So, it’s over to Brooke…

Have you ever wondered who you really are, or what your purpose is in life?

I asked myself these questions for many years, comparing myself to people and measuring my worth against them. I chased after identity, success, love, value and good looks. I assumed beauty was in the outward appearance and I became obsessed with my body trying to achieve the air-brushed model look in magazines.

This only led me onto a road of self-destruction with eating disorders and disappointment while striving to meet unreachable expectations.

As a child, we have a tendency to believe what we are told. This is when I began to believe the words spoken deep into my soul; I was worthless, ugly, fat, unwanted, and never good enough.

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What Vicky Beeching Coming Out Teaches Us About Courage & Identity

By author | August 21, 2014 |

A week ago the former worship leader & musician, now theologian, broadcaster and writer, Vicky Beeching, came out. It made news nationally, with interviews on all the main news networks on both TV and radio. It was front page news in national newspapers.

Vicky was the first person who coached me as a writer. For several months three or four years ago, we went through a series of hour long Skype sessions and e-mail conversations concerning writing, blogging and the direction of my own writing. It led to me setting up the self-hosted blog I have today. We’ve had several face to face, e-mail and social media conversations since.

She played a major part in my writing journey.

Her coming out was one of the bravest things I’ve ever seen. And it taught me some important lessons both about courage, and about discovering our identity.

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3 Ways to Eat & Give Better Words (Guest Post by Deanne Welsh)

By author | June 18, 2014 |

Trees spend years pushing against the earth, making room for their expanding roots. The nutrients and water soaked up by the roots help the tree grow strong and tall. When we look at towering trees, it is easy to forget they began as a small seed.

Words begin small. They are formed in our minds and roll off our tongue into the air. Although they seem to disappear into nothing, words can either nourish or poison a soul.

“I’m proud of you.” My Dad finished reading my first eBook; his words envelope me and I feel myself standing straighter as my resolve to continue writing grows.

“Why did you do that?” I feel my soul shrivel when confronted with the questioning eyes and derisive words. It’s more of a statement than a question.

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When A Gift Doesn’t Look Like One (Guest Post by Joy Lenton)

By author | December 23, 2013 |

  For my last post before Christmas, I am absolutely delighted to be welcoming Joy Lenton to the blog for the first, and definitely not the last time. Joy is a dear friend, a beautiful poet, and insightful writer. I’m certain you will be blessed by her words today, as she shares how we can…

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Why my Mum is a Spiritual Hero & Patron Saint

By author | March 8, 2013 |

I’ve written about my late Mum here before. She has an amazing story to tell. But today it’s National Woman’s Day and this coming Sunday it’s Mothers Day – so today I want to tell you why my Mum is one of my heroes – as a woman and as a Christian. Was she a…

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