Line of Duty’s “Disappointing” Ending Tells Us Something About the Soul
Line of Duty. Wow. I don’t remember feeling as captivated by a TV series since West Wing. Under the spell of AC-12’s hunt for bent coppers and organised crime, I joined 13 million other viewers for series 6's finale—pulse quickened, breath held, ready to find out who the mysterious ‘H’ was and whether Arnott, Fleming
Ready for a New Adventure? Make Sure it Has These Four Things
If the pandemic has been good for anything, it’s been good for my local park. During the first lockdown, kids made a line of hand-painted rocks that snaked for yards and yards. Fairy houses with tiny doors, windows and picket fences appeared at the base of tree trunks, and recently a community library was set
The Day I Broke Social Distancing Rules
I’m not one for breaking rules. In fact, when I found myself walking my dog in a ‘No dogs allowed’ park once, I went and handed myself in! And when it comes to wearing masks and keeping to social distancing rules during lockdown, I've been about as stringent as you can be. So as you'll
When You’re Lost in the Wilderness, Remember this
Much of my work is public speaking—a job transformed by the pandemic from one of hotels and conference stages to loungerooms and laptops. Recently I Zoomed in to speak at Walsall Community Church. My topic was going to be joy, but that all changed when a few days before I was to speak, one of
The Bird That Lost its Song. A Parable
The regent honeyeater bird is in trouble—it's losing its song. Once an abundant species in south-eastern Australia, now just 300 remain, and with so few mates to learn from, the males are forgetting their own song and trying to mimic the songs of other birds instead—leaving the female honeyeaters confused and their numbers in decline. Losing
Relax. You Don’t Need to Have an Opinion on Everything
So, after that interview, are you Team Markle or Team Windsor? You have made your mind up already, right? After Oprah's interview with Harry and Meghan, public discussion has been polarised. On Monday I heard activists swear that British royalty was inherently racist on the basis of Meghan's claims alone, while tabloid newspapers, unable to tolerate any criticism of the
Healing the Wounds of Jesus’ Followers
I write this with a heavy heart, as heavy as yours may already be from the revelations of Ravi Zacharias' hidden life. If you hadn't heard of him, Zacharias was considered one of this era's greatest Christian apologists. If you haven't heard the news, an independent investigation found he had systematically groomed vulnerable women over many years,
Six Ways to Tend Your Soul in Times of Turmoil
How can we cultivate, care for, tend our souls in these difficult times? Here are six strategies and practices.
The Best Books I Read in 2020
In what has become a fun annual tradition, here is my year in reading - all the fiction, non-fiction, memoir, poetry, theology and other titles I read with short reflections on each. Some of these books happen to have been released this year too, but many are older. I used to publish this list around
Three Ways to Reflect on Your Life
In his famous poem The Four Quartets, TS Elliott says "We had the experience, but missed the meaning." How true! Too often life can become one long series of unrelated events - a conversation here, an appointment there, walking the dog, working through our to-do lists - and we miss any deeper significance they hold. If you're anything like me, 2020 is ending in a rush