Something Beautiful

by | May 16, 2009 | Faith

Last week I sat down with Stewart Cutler to have a chat for the Something Beautiful podcast. I can’t say I particularly enjoy the sound of my own voice, but I’m fairly happy with the directions our conversation took! The episode went live yesterday, and you can find it here if you’re so inclined!

Lyrics On Friday

by | May 15, 2009 | Music

I was in a Christian bookstore a few weeks ago with a friend, and there was a song playing in the background that grabbed my attention. It was an artist I’d never heard of before, Brooke Barrettsmith. But the lyrics, oh the lyrics. “Right here in the moment I’m given, I’ll treasure the breath that I breathe in, And I’ll rest in You… Quiet my heart…” I’ve been feeling the pull towards stillness again. I need stillness, I need space, I need silence in my life. Breath deep. Quiet my heart…

My mind wanders away
Dreaming of where I could be on another day
I’m always so far ahead
I seem to miss the one that I’m in
And I regret the time I lost
Slow me down before it’s gone

Right here in the moment I’m given
I’ll treasure the breath that I breathe in
And I’ll rest in You
You quiet my heart
Somehow every second that’s passing
Is filled so much meaning
As I wait here with You
Quiet my heart

I get stuck in between
Yesterday and all that tomorrow brings
When all that You want from me
Is that I come and sit at your feet
And know that You are God
And with You no time is lost

Don’t let me run away
Show me why I should stay
Open my eyes to take in Your beauty
Keep me here in this place
Take me in Your embrace
There’s no place I’d rather be than right now

[Quiet My Heart by Brooke Barrettsmith]

What have you been listening to?

Be Inspired!

by | May 14, 2009 | Social Justice, Work

Ten reasons to be inspired this Christian Aid Week…

  • Nearly £15 million is raised – a sixth of our income in just seven days…
  • 300,000 people care enough to go door-to-door in their community, raising over two-thirds of CAW’s amazing total
  • These 300,000 people, raising £10 million, make CAW the largest house-to-house collection, raising the most amount of money, in the UK and Ireland.
  • Many of these same people, and others, organise Quizaids, book sales, plant sales, sponsored walks and every conceivable fundraising event you can imagine.
  • Many of these people do this year after year, making Christian Aid Week the central focus on development for most local communities in the UK and Ireland every year for over 50 years.
  • Over 10 million households (around 41% of the total in the UK and Ireland) receive a red envelope bringing Christian Aid’s voice to their doormat, and over 1 million respond.
  • The media covers stories from the Hebrides to Hastings and Grimsby to Galway of people making a difference where they are so that others can build a future where they are.
  • 22,000 churches (half of the total number in England) work together to help poor communities, resulting in over 1 million Christians hearing about Christian Aid in their churches during May.
  • And many of these churches, as well as fundraising, campaign using prayer and action cards, and focus on justice issues in their Sunday worship.
  • Our partners and beneficiaries find inspiration in our supporters, as well as the other way round.
    ‘Do you mean to say that in Christian Aid Week, respectable church people go out onto the streets to beg on behalf of the world’s poor?’ [Comment from Santiago, Chile]

    • Find out how you can get involved at www.caweek.org!

The Dinosaur Of Amazing Friendship

by | May 13, 2009 | Everything Else, Work

At the start of last September, I spent a few days in London getting to know the other new gappers I’d be working alongside. It’s funny the things you remember when you first meet people, the impression you get.

One of those gappers was Steph. Steph was soo cool… she was smart, she looked great, and she was funny. She was someone I thought seemed amazing, but was way too cool to ever be my friend.

Geek Summit

[She’ll probably also hate me for posting this picture… but I like it!]

Since then, I’ve been blown away as I’ve got to know Steph. She has the most amazing heart. She cares for people in a really beautiful way, giving us big hugs as well as making us laugh like crazy. And she knows films. She’s my go-to person for any kind of movie-related knowledge, and greatly added to the joy of Geek Summit a few months back.

When we were coming back from the DRC, Steph and I were laughing about those first recollections. And she drew me a picture to represent our friendship… in her own words,

“Us conquering the world in a celluloid dream aboard the dinosaur of amazing friendship!”

All this to say, Steph has started to blog! Stop by and give her a warm welcome!