The lights on the Christmas tree are twinkling in the corner of the room, the smell of the biggest roast dinner you will eat this year is floating under your nose and filling the house. You’re holding your first glass of wine for the day and moving towards one of those tiny tables designed specifically for remote controls and small…
I’m writing this from my single room in a retreat house in the heart of Essex. I’ve just had dinner with a nun, a Rector and a saintly old lady from Suffolk. I am a fish out of water. Going on retreat has been a longing of mine for a while. I’m here for 24 hours after blackmailing Elis into…
I, Lizzie, a disciple of Jesus, called by God to preach good news to the spiritual misfit, the one who wrestles with God and the one who can’t stop the tears from falling. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank God for each one of you, for your faithfulness as you…
Here’s my contribution to National Fertility Awareness Week. It’s probably going to be inadequate, and my blogging muscles are a bit rusty, but then I’m no stranger to feeling inadequate, as are most, I imagine, men whose infertility is the cause of their childlessness. I have azoospermia (complete absence of sperm). Always have had, it turns out. I learned of…
He that is thy friend indeed, He will help thee in thy need: If thou sorrow, he will weep; If thou wake, he cannot sleep: Thus of every grief in heart He with thee doth bear a part. These are certain signs to know Faithful friend from flattering foe. William Shakespeare – The Passionate Pilgrim One of the focuses of…
I think this all started with a colouring book. But this isn’t just any old colouring book. It’s Jenny Lawson’s colouring book, a brave, hilarious and irreverent American writer and artist – seriously, if you’re sensitive to sweary language don’t read her stuff and don’t judge me for reading it either. Jenny has dedicated her book to her chronic anxiety…
This is a short liturgy designed for the parents who have lost a child through miscarriage. These words can be spoken together as a couple, on your own or with those close to you. It can be helpful to have someone lead you through this service, who can pray for you and support you as you acknowledge your loss, but…
There’s a Biblical truth I learnt about a few years ago that changed my life, it guides me, inspires me and gives me purpose and hope. It’s not something I’ve heard preached repeatedly from the front of church, I just found it one day, nestled in the chapter of a book, the words declaring grief as a precondition to joy….
Mother’s Day Runaways Service Saturday 25th March, 6pm, Lady Chapel, Liverpool Cathedral A service for those who normally avoid church on Mothering Sunday. The Mother’s Day Runaways service offers a safe space for those who find Mothering Sunday difficult. Whatever your story, whether you’re grieving the loss of a mother, the loss of a child, or a baby through miscarriage,…
I’m sat before Him, poised, ready to speak. I feel a tiny bit proud of myself, I mean, this is what I should be doing, this is what Christians do isn’t it? I open my mouth expectantly, knowing that after this I should feel better, at least that’s what I’ve heard. I go to speak, longing to find some kind…