Grace-filled Marriage

This is one of the very best books on marriage I’ve ever read - and that’s not because I’ve contributed a page or two in it of my own experiences!

Claire and Steve Musters have written not just a grace-filled book about marriage but also a hope-filled one. They are totally honest about their own broken marriage and its restoration; and instead of a book about the perfect marriage and how to have one, they’ve written out of heartbreak and brokenness with the hope and promise of the possibility of restoration and something even better.

The possibility of forgiveness and hope for the future is described and demonstrated in simple practical ways, with input too from other couples telling their own stories. And there are ideas for before things go wrong, even if you think you already have the perfect marriage!

Because both Claire and Steve tell their stories, each from their own perspective, there’s a balance of male and female input; so I passed the book to my husband and he too read it and found it extremely helpful.

In fact, we’ve talked about the positive differences we’ve noticed in our own relationship since reading the book!

Which is why I can truly recommend it. In fact, I wish every couple would read it. And everyone preparing for marriage, too!

So - as I’d love for you to read it too, I’ve not one but THREE copies to give away! If you’d like to get one, sign up on the pop-up on this website for my emails, and the details will slip into your inbox on Sunday, late afternoon, telling you how to be in with a chance of getting one of those three copies!

You can read an extract from the book here

And the book is featured on THE BIG CHURCH READ - info is here and there’s also a video with Claire and Steve for you to watch. The Big Church Read says:

In ‘Grace-Filled Marriage’ Claire & Steve Musters help us to engage with the reality that marriage is a beautiful expression of love, yet it can also sometimes cause us pain. We need God’s help and grace to navigate this most precious of relationships well.

Join Claire & Steve for the Big Church Read through ‘Grace-Filled Marriage’ as they honestly share their own story of rebuilding a marriage after loneliness, betrayal and separation as well as telling the stories of other couples who have faced specific challenges such as infertility, physical and mental ill-health.

Whether you want to lay good foundations in your marriage or feel you are struggling and need help, the Big Church Read through ‘Grace-Filled Marriage’ will encourage you that God has a new portion of grace and mercy for you each day.

Hear Cathy Madavan talking about The Grace Filled Marriage here

Claire says, ‘The brilliant Will and Lucinda van der Hart, Patrick and Diane Regan and Chine McDonald on the panel for our launch party (which you can still email to join if you haven't already done so).’ The panel will be answering questions about marriage that people have sent in, so a great place to be on Friday night! Zoom in …

Don’t forget to sign up to get the details for of how to get a copy of the book in the giveaway on Sunday. Just pop your details on the pop-up on here - and you’ll also get my free ebook to down load, ’Five Ways to Experience God,’ and some other offers will pop into your inbox after that, too. So lots of popping to do.

And if you want to order your copy right now right now, here’s the link:

You can now get it in the USA too.

For more info on what I’ve read recently, including books that have been in the give-aways recently, click here.

May your marriage always be grace-filled and may Jesus himself draw near and go with you as you walk together. (cf the Story of the Road to Emmaus!)

What I've been reading recently

BOOKS

There have been some wonderful giveaways in my recent newsletter emails (if you don’t receive the emails, sign up on the pop-up menu on this site - you’ll get a free ebook too! Another giveaway coming up in May) You can purchase your own copies at your local bookshop - or use the links below.

For my review of GRACE-FILLED MARRIAGE, one of the best books I’ve ever read on marriage, see this blog post. The book is out May 7th. I wish every married couple and every couple preparing for marriage could read this! It’s probably one of the best books on marriage I’ve ever read.

I’ve just finished THE THORN OF TRUTH, by Sue Russell, and thoroughly enjoyed, much as I have others by her. Highly recommended and also publishing in May.

The first of Sue’s that I read was THE HEALING KNIFE, partly set in France so that appealed to me; well written, it’s about a doctor and her journey of life, wanting fulfilment but also revenge. The faith aspect isn’t pushy, just a part of everyday life. Some of the characters from The Healing Knife have their stay continued in this new one, The Thorn of Truth, but you don’t have to have read it first to enjoy this one.

(kindle and paperback links)

If you prefer to listen to books, then you might like Audible, or another provider of audio books.

Sign up for a month’s free trial of Audible here and you’ll receive:

• one free audiobook of your choice

• The ability to choose from 200,000-plus titles, including bestsellers, new releases, sci-fi, romances, mysteries, classics, and more

• After 30 days, if you choose not to cancel, you will receive one book each month for just £7.99/month

• The option to cancel easily, anytime; audiobooks already purchased are yours to keep, even if you cancel.

Sign up here for your free month trial

And my own book, Walking Back to Happiness, is now out as an audio book. I’ve narrated it, and I hope you’ll enjoy it!

You can get it here:

If you do click through to purchase books or sign up to Amazon, I’ll receive just a few pennies (but it won’t cost you anything). However, do try your own bookshops and buy local!

Are you nearing dangerous exhaustion?

'Most of us are more tired than we know at the soul level...'

Are we really in need of silence and solitude - even when we've had so much alone-ness recently?

Not once but twice this past week Ruth Haley Barton has slipped into my inbox.

Well, not her exactly, but you know what I mean.

I don't personally know Ruth, although her brother Tim Haley and I were on staff together at The Falls Church Anglican some years ago.

And I've spoken to her over the phone and I've read her books and I've done some of her Transforming Centre Leadership training.

So when two separate events with Ruth arrived, I took notice. And listened.

Was God trying to teach me something?

The answer is 'yes,' because I'm always needing to learn from Him. But specifically yes, last week, because I realised, as I listened and thought, how little 'silence and solitude' there has been in my life over this past year. I've not been able to go away on my annual retreat; I've not spent extended times with the Lord as there are always urgent things to be accomplished. Even in lockdown.

You too?

I listened; and I nearly wept. Because I could have had more time over the past weeks and months in silence and solitude with the Lord. As I listened to Ruth describing how the pandemic has drained us, how dangerously near to exhaustion many of us are, I recognised myself. And as we begin to shift gears again to cope with the next stage of edging out of lockdown, there will be more demands upon us, more changes that demand of us, that drain us, that take us deeper into dangerous exhaustion. The answer of course, is silence and solitude with the Lord, times to refresh and revive and maintain our equilibrium.

The first interview (below) is wonderful - in it Ruth tells of her own battles with herself to find the time, make the time, for silence and solitude. And she references Henri Nouwen too and his similar battles.

So it's not just me. Or you?

Silence, writes Ruth, is letting go of our inner distractions.

Solitude is letting go of our outer distractions.

It's learning how to let go, learning to relinquish control, learning how to rest in God.

"Most of us are more tired than we know at the soul level. We are teetering on the brink of dangerous exhaustion and we really cannot do anything else until we have gotten some rest ....Before it can be anything else, solitude need to be a place of rest in God." - Ruth Haley Barton, in 'Invitation to Silence and Solitude.'

Here's the first interview - from the Henri Nouwen Society's NOW AND THEN Podcast, with Ruth exploring the spiritual discipline of solitude and silence as the way to meet God deeply and fully outside the demands and noise of daily life. The interviewer quotes from some of Ruth's books; and they both discuss silence and solitude, why we need it, how to find it - and with reference to Henri Nouwen's writings too. It's a fascinating hour; listen while you walk, cook, commute....OR be in silence and solitude to listen!

And then came the next one - an interview (via Zoom) from The Trinity Forum. In this one, Ruth talks about how she believes silence is the most challenging and most needed and least experienced Spiritual Discipline among evangelical Christians today and what a very busy and wordy and heady faith tradition it is. Ruth talks about why we need to be practising these ancient Christian ways even more in our present times; she also gives some very helpful and practical ideas and suggestions for the time of silence and solitude.

It's an hour's interview and yet it's very easy to watch(or just listen!) and to learn from. Highly recommend this.

And I remembered talking with one of my Spiritual Directees the other day about the need for rhythm in life. How routine sounds boring; how rhythm and ritual sound, and are, life-giving and transforming. How we each need sacred rhythms and how to find our own. How extended times of silence and solitude can be part of that rhythm - and what that might look like for different people. Maybe a couple of hours once a month; 4 or 5 days on annual retreat; 45 minutes of sacred reading each week.

Time for reflection; time just to BE in the presence of God. Ruth says God sometimes has to wrestle her all the way to the mat before she makes the time. And then she finds that he's there waiting for her, and longing to be with her.

And then, then, after those times, we can share more with others. She says it's like giving them not just bread, but fresh bread warm from the oven into their hands.

'Invitation to Retreat - the gift and necessity of time away with God' is a very practical book of the why and how and what of retreat. It's the sort of book to take with you when you go on a 'strategic withdrawal,' as Ruth calls it, with many great suggestions of what to do, how to be, what to pray, what to take ....

What's your rhythm?

What are your rituals?

How and where do you find silence and solitude with God?

What difference does that make to your soul? (Oh, and in the first podcast, there is a wonderful description of just what is your soul ...)

And maybe this would help for this next few days: a way in to silence and solitude here:

Maybe you need some help, or some new reflections,

or the spur of a special time,

in order to have an extended time with God.

For solitude and silence.

This retreat gives you 3 hours - which you can choose to watch/use

either as 1 longer session of 3 hours

or as 3 separate 1 hour sessions.

Sign up now and your retreat bundle will be emailed to you, ready for you to use during Holy Week in the lead to Easter Sunday.

BOOKS

Congratulations to Penny Ballard who receives the signed copy of "The Healing" by Joy Margetts.

AND -

the good news is that the April giveaway is not one but TWO copies of another

newly published book! Email coming to you on April 11th and the giveaway info will be in the emailed newsletter only, not on here on the blog, so do sign up!

I think you'll find this latest book rather interesting.

Don't forget to register for the REFLECTIONS FOR HOLY WEEK and have some special time with the Lord as we prepare for Easter.

If you don't come apart for a while,

you will come apart after a while.

- Dallas Willard

May you know the power of the Cross and the JOY of the Resurrection this Easter

- Penelope x

the books mentioned here give me just a few pennies if you buy through my link;

but do also check out your local independent bookshop!

REFLECTIONS FOR HOLY WEEK

After the Lentiest Lent we’ve ever Lented,

after lockdown,

after losing so much we didn’t know we could lose,

at last, we’re moving on, making plans, mustering our energies for emerging into the world again.

But first - first, there’s Holy Week and Easter. And maybe this year, it’s not easy to mark the days as we might want. We can’t meet in groups, we can’t have a foot washing or a seder meal, a 3 hour meditation about the Cross in church, an overnight vigil, or however we might usually mark these special days in our own faith communities.

What we CAN do is spend time with the Lord in ways perhaps we’ve not done before. I’ve put together a special reflection time for you to use either by yourself or with a friend or family member, to think about the three special days of Holy Week.

Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Saturday. An hour for each.

You might spend an hour each day using the relevant materials.

Or you might take 3 hours, perhaps on Good Friday during the hours on the Cross (12-3) or late Saturday night, and do all three sections together.

Whichever you do, you’ll have access to the recordings of the led sessions, to a downloadable journal, to other resources, so that you can use them at a time that works for you.

The led sessions will include reflections and readings, contemplative prayer, times of quiet, ideas for your own prayers and thoughts. You’ll have forever access to the materials.

To register, click here. The price is the usual £20.

What others have said after the Advent and Lent retreats:

Such a good idea during covid and this and the Advent online resources you put together are HUGELY appreciated, thank you 😊 - Jo

I want to thank you for Saturday morning. It feels as though words aren't going to be sufficient, that time and space transcended words as only time with God truly can. But you put the event together, led us through the morning and took us all together to receive from Christ. It was a truly wonderful morning, thank you, thank you. I sat in my drawing room on a very comfy sofa, the sounds of outside disappeared, the light was tranquil and the space was stilled. As with the August course you took each of us together but individually to sit with Christ, to receive His comfort and encouragements and just bathe in His presence. It was so very special. - Isobel

Thank you Penelope. I was wondering how I would cope with three hours of zoom but the time has gone too quickly and so peacefully and prayerfully a truly beautiful time with the Lord. Thank you so much. - Fran

Thank you so much for the Lent retreat on Saturday. It was a real gift (and so are you), and a gift that keeps on giving as I reflect on the resources section. Rev C.H.

why not pass this on to a friend who might also appreciate this opportunity

You can register here

May you know the power of the Cross and the joy of the Resurrection this Easter

HOPE, HEALING & A GIVEAWAY

I've just finished reading a gorgeous debut novel by Joy Margetts and am excited to have her as my guest today, talking about her journey of healing and hope. I've been reading about and studying HOPE a lot recently, ever since the New Year. You may have seen my social media posts about HOPE, choosing to pitch my tent in the land of hope, the thrill of hope - and don't we all need HOPE right now? Discovering and reading a book where the theme is a journey of hope has brought me enormous joy and I thought you'd enjoy it too.

Joy has a free signed copy to send to one of my readers - keep reading for info on how to have your name included to be in with a chance ….

Joy writes:

‘Impossible to read without encountering hope’

I was so thrilled by these words, written by one of the very first people to read my book The Healing. He was a dear retired pastor friend who I had nervously approached to read and endorse the book. His words now appear inside the book, and on its back cover. I was thrilled because I very much wanted my book to carry a message of hope.

My own story is reflected in much of the story of the main character of the book, Philip de Braose. Except of course he is a world wearied mediaeval knight, and I am a fifty -something mother of two. But like Philip, I have had to take a journey, from despair to hope, from brokenness to redemptive healing. So much of what Philip learns, particularly from the wise words of his new friend, the Cistercian brother Hywel, are things that God has lovingly and gently taught me, or in some cases reminded me of, during my own journey of healing.

When I was at my lowest point, when every part of my life seemed to have been torn apart by the effects of an unexpected and debilitating illness, I fought the very real fight against despair. A good friend, my brother Hywel, lovingly reminded me that I had a choice. I knew God. I knew the Word of God and His promises. I had to choose in that moment to believe what God had said to me, and about me; to trust Him for my present and for my future, and to choose hope over despair. So that I did. Daily. Some days it was an act of will, devoid of any emotion, but it began to take effect. I went back to the word of God and found promises, and claimed them for myself. One really important one for me was Jer 31:3

‘I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. Again I will build you and you will be rebuilt’                                                                                                                    (NKJV)

I knew in my Spirt that this was a promise for me. God never leaves us in ash heaps. His desire is always to turn our ashes into beauty and our mourning into joy. I chose to believe His promise, that He would rebuild the ruins of my life into something beautiful for Him. Just making that choice to choose hope became the key to the rest of my healing journey.

In The Healing, Brother Hywel has the same advice for Philip, 

‘…Now, Philip, I am urging you to choose hope. You can let the despair take you, or you can choose another way.’ 

‘How?’ It was a one-word muffled response, forced out from where he lay, his face still covered. 

‘I know it seems an impossibility to you, that there could be something better for you than this life here and now. Or a life better than your life that has passed before. But surely choosing to believe there could be is better than believing that there definitely isn’t…’ Hywel paused for a few moments before asking, ‘Have you faith in God?’ 

‘I did have once.’ 

‘Then there is definitely hope for you.’                                                    

(THE HEALING p29)

The Bible tells us in Heb 11.1 that this sort of hope requires faith. We use the word ‘hope’ lightly in day to day conversation -  ‘ I hope it’s sunny tomorrow’ – but that sort of hope is just wishful thinking. The hope God offers is one based on our faith in Him, a sure certain hope, that He will do all that He has promised. It is a hope we can base our lives on. Choosing hope is choosing to believe, and choosing to believe brings hope! Whatever your situation, I hope you have faith enough to choose to hope today.

Philip chose hope and he began his journey out of despair. The Healing tells his story as he grows in his experience of the healing and restorative power of God. God bit by bit rebuilds his life and gives him a future better than he ever could have imagined. 

Just like He has mine.

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY OF A FREE SIGNED COPY OF THE HEALING:

hit reply, and email me to tell me where you are finding  more hope in your life right now.

One person will be randomly selected and Joy will send a free signed copy!

My review on Goodreads:

The young Philip de Braose has escaped his broken and wounded past by becoming a mercenary soldier fighting in France. This lovely book is the story of his journey, his pilgrimage, back to Wales in the company of a Cistercian monk, who rescues him physically, emotionally and spiritually through stories and actions, words and deeds.
Their journey to Wales is beautifully told, in ways that will heal your soul and bring balm to your spirit. It's a pilgrimage of hope, of restoration and renewal; of forgiveness and finding the way home. With a surprising ending.
If you like historical fiction - or actually even if it's not your chosen genre - I'm sure you'll enjoy this gentle yet powerful story, wisely told and engagingly recounted.

I received a free copy, but was under no obligation to give a favourable review. This is my own personal view of The Healing.

click on Joy’s photo to buy your signed copy of the book (link takes you to her website)

* * * * *

Congratulations to Elaine Evans, who was randomly selected last month for the signed copy of Ruth Leigh’s THE DIARY OF ISABELLE M. SMUGGE.

* * * * *

The second wonderful book, that also brings hope in hard places, is by my dear friend and former training incumbent, the Revd John Yates.

John writes:

Many years ago I wrote a book specifically for men, a book of guidance about prayer. It grew out of my ministry with men in Falls Church who were learning about Christian manhood and family responsibilities. They wanted to know about prayer, how prayer works and how they could learn to pray. They wanted to know how to pray for themselves and for their families. Unexpectedly the teaching led to a kind of revolution among our men in the area of prayer.
That book went through various editings and printings with different publishers. I moved on to other things and eventually let the book get out of print. I have been surprised however in the last few years that people have continued to ask for it. It seems that some people think the message is still relevant.
So, recently I worked through the book, made some changes and we have re-published it. In all of your relationships and your work for the kingdom you may know some people who would find this book helpful.

Click on the link below to order your copy:

Enjoy your reading!

I'd love to know where you are finding HOPE in your life right now so do hit reply and tell me!

Plus - you can find daily inspiration (well, most days! We're under grace not law, right?!) help and HOPE on the closed Facebook group SPARKLE AND GO DEEPER.

Click here and come over and join us! We're growing in numbers and comments show that people are finding it helpful. There's a free little ebook when you join:
BECOMING YOUR BEST YOU - 6 easy first steps to living your best life

AND ONE MORE BOOK! Last Monday was International Women’s Day and to celebrate, signed vintage copies of my first book, WOMEN BY DESIGN, were on special offer at just £2 each (plus p+p). You can still order at the special price HERE

Next update from me will be the end of March - when hopefully the beginnings of the end of Lockdown in the UK will be nearly upon us! Not that I’m wishing my life away, but don’t we all need to do all we can to hasten the end of the pandemic and the lockdown ….

May you know how lavishly your Heavenly Father loves you,

from

- Penelope x

The SPICE RETREAT Resources 1

The Spice Retreat: helpful resources for participants.

The books below have each been of enormous help and I do recommend them.

You’ll have other books you’ve read that have helped you - please add them in the comments below and tell us what’s been helpful about them for you.

And I’ve started with some ideas for keeping your SPICE RETREAT journal, so that it becomes a special and memorable resource for you to keep, refer to (find easily?!) and use again and again.

Recently published, this is a wonderful resource full of ideas to help us to embrace the wonder and joy of a God who delights in us. It will help you to develop a deeper spirituality of fresh exuberance and imagination! I loved it and have used it as a resource for the SPICE RETREAT.

Ruth Haley Barton writes beautifully and helpfully in ways that invite us into the presence of God and make that seem possible even in daily life. The first one was published some years ago, the second one very recently.

It does what the title says! Great resource for groups especially but you can use a lot of the ideas personally for imaginative and creative ways to pray.

Sheridan’s book is a reflection for when you find yourself saying “I don’t know who I am any more.” When you walk with shattered dreams, wondering if you’ll ever find purpose or joy again.

‘Finding God in Disappointment, Doubt and Delay.” Tanya writes, ‘My whole life has been a long wandering, a long hunger that hasn’t yet been satisfied’ and she explores disappointment, doubt, perspective and purpose through the lives of four Biblical characters. David Lamb says that the book will help you to renew your strength, refresh your soul, and reconnect to God. I used it as a daily devotional during Advent, but it can be used at any time.

I find The Passion Translation of the Bible by Brian Simmons a refreshing and inspirational way to read Scripture with fresh eyes. He hasn’t yet finished the whole Bible, and Isaiah has just been published as a separate book; but this edition is the whole NT plus Psalms, Proverbs and Song of Solomon.

“The TPT is a new, heart level translation that expresses God's fiery heart of love using Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic manuscripts-merging the emotion and life changing truth of God's Word. God longs to have his Word expressed in every language in a way that unlocks the passion of his heart. If you're hungry for God and want to know him on a deeper level, The Passion Translation will help you encounter God's heart and discover what he has for your life. This edition includes: In-depth footnotes with insightful study notes, commentary, word studies, cross references, alternate translations, and more Extensive introductions and outlines for each book.”

This lovely book was written out of pain and long illness, out of being bullied as a child, out of difficulties and disasters; yet in and through it all Liz has found the contentment she craved: God-given.  The book covers four types of contentment: Confident, Courageous, Captivated and Contagious. Under those headings, there are sections such as Hope, body image, all littered with her personal stories, her prayers and poems, her knowledge of God and his word. Highly recommended!

“Do you want to feel confident and comfortable in your own skin? When we decide to improve ourselves the ripple effect to others is contagious. When we feel comfortable in our own skin the benefit can be redemptive for those we love. What does your ripple look like? Unpacking your personal journey and seeing what is really going on emotionally at a deeper level, is a challenge, yet also a privilege that each of us can go through. Reading this book can turn confusion into clarity, fear into peace, anxiety into creativity, doubt into trust. You will discover confidence in your path ahead and find new freedom in your everyday life.” Written by Sarah Grace, who is a psychologist and trained counsellor, this is an extraordinarily helpful book. Sarah is also my publisher and I can recommend her writing and her wisdom! There is also a journal to accompany the book which you can find here: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/journal-with-grace/9781912863303?aid=2413

*** *** *** *** ***

There are some affiliate links in this blog post. If you click through to buy one of the books, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you! But absolutely no pressure and it’s great if you can order these from your local Christian bookshop.

The Lentiest Lent You've Ever Lented - 2021

To order your Lent retreat, video, resources, and journals click here

Thank you so much for the Lent retreat on Saturday. It was a real gift (and so are you), and a gift that keeps on giving as I reflect on the resources section Rev C.H.

Thank you for a very special morning. The Lord ministered to me through you. God bless your continuing ministry. J. R.

I loved the meditation and the doodling/coloring around the verses. Also the mirror. I could easily have carried on…… It was so refreshing and affirming. Thank you for an excellent mini retreat. S.S

FREE: VALENTINE GIVEAWAY!

Yes - even the love hearts are included!

A signed copy of Isabella will be winging its way to ONE of you!

It's an amazing debut novel by Ruth Leigh. I honestly couldn't put it down and stayed up very late one night, greedily consuming, laughing, crying ...

even the love hearts are included! Thank you, Ruth!

Ruth says,

"Isabella, when we first meet her, looks on love as something she deserves. Valentines to her is an opportunity for her husband to shower her with gifts. By the end of the novel, she is just starting to get an inkling of God's unchanging, grace-filled love which is very different from the kind she has known."

The diary is hilarious, poignant, of-the-moment - complete with hashtags, descriptions of selfies, playground problems and village life. Isabella is at last living her perfect dream life - or is she? Life isn't what it seems on the surface.

AND just to warn you: it finishes on a jaw-dropping cliff hanger. Ruth assure me part two is coming!

I have to admit I'm not a huge fan of the usual Christian fiction; but this one is really good.

Ruth says,

"What if I invented a person who made their living by posting aspirational content across social media platforms? Someone who was an expert at angles, lighting, content and strategy? Someone, in fact, who was the opposite of me. What would she be called? I thought hard. She would be smug and therefore her name would have to reflect that. A rich, posh woman – Isabella. Yes, that was a good name and gave me the, “I” in “I Am Smug.” Middle name Mary. Last name Smug. “Isabella M Smug.” I pondered it. It didn’t look quite right. Suddenly, I typed two extra letters and suddenly, there she was. Isabella M Smugge, as in Bruges.
My imaginary woman was musing on her perfect life, her weed-free garden, her gigantic Georgian house, her glittering writing career. I grinned ...."

Ruth Leigh is a novelist and freelance writer, who describes herself a recovering over-achiever. She's based in East Suffolk with three children, one husband, four budgies, six quail, eight chickens and a kitten. She has abnormally narrow sinuses and a morbid fear of raw tomatoes, but has decided not to let this get in the way of a meaningful life.

“A Christian version of Bridget Jones’s Diary. As her apparently perfect life starts to unravel, Isabella starts to ponder more deeply on the meaning of life. Her initial baffled observations of Christian subculture are also very funny. A very entertaining novel, but also, by the end, a moving one.” - Philippa Linton

‘The Diary of Isabella M Smugge,’ published by Instant Apostle, comes out on 19th February 2021.



HOW TO ENTER

1. sign up on the pop-up on this website

to be part of my newsletter group

2. then

Email me here.

3. comment on anything in this blogpost,

and then tell me why you'd like to be the winner!

REPLY by Wednesday 17th and you'll be entered into the randomly selected draw.

(mainland UK only - apologies to overseas readers)

If you’ve been following my social media posts and/or reading my blog posts this year so far, you’ll know that I’m concentrating on HOPE - the THRILL OF HOPE and choosing to PITCH MY TENT IN THE LAND OF HOPE.

If you missed the posts, here’s part one, One thing I know for certain

and part two , choosing to pitch your tent

and some resources on finding hope even in this pandemically challenging season

An original handpainted HOPE by @aartvani is in the mail to me from India! Exciting!

IN NEED OF SOME FUN AND SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO?

How are you feeling after 250 months of 2021? Oh - is it really only February? Month 2?!

Haven’t we been in Lockdown FOR EVER?

I don’t know about you, but I need something to look forward to. Something different, exciting.

Maybe a bit challenging too.

Because aren’t we all feeling stir crazy, cabin feverish, frazzled?

Several pounds heavier after snacking through lockdown?

Anxious and uncertain? 

Grieving the loss of things we didn’t know we could lose?

You need time out to reset your soul and your body. 

Here is a great way to do exactly that.

FUN AND FROLICS!

MAY 21 - 28, 2021

CELTIC PILGRIMAGE

( only 45 miles!)

Walk from the furthest west to the furthest south of England - Land’s End to the Lizard with a group of like-minded women. ONLY THREE SPACES STILL AVAILABLE.

FULL DETAILS HERE

SPARKLE AND GO DEEPER

Your invitation to join me in a special online place:

This safe, sacred space is a community of women like you! You long to know WHO you're meant to be, HOW you can live an abundant life, BECOME your best YOU as God intended you to be. And you need courage, clarity and confidence to be your True Self.

Because discovering your true self leads you to be a woman of influence, integrity and inspiration to others. You want to know God more deeply and then be able to share what you've learned. But so far that's proved really hard - maybe you feel a failure, maybe you think you're not worth anything, you don't know yourself to be Beloved by God. Maybe you wonder what your life is all about and ask yourself what's the point of you.

I'm passionate about inspiring women, helping you to discover who you really are, as God intended you to be.

I'm excited to help you grow spiritually, sharing my many years of experience and all its ups and downs!

In this safe space we can help one another to be the best we can be - women of influence who inspire others to be their best too. I'll be sharing stories of my own experience; quotes, thoughts and guidance that will enable you to be your best YOU in every area of life and you're invited to do the same!

Let's help each other to live our best lives ever! Starting now.

Come on over and join me here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/438891020825255

10 ways to pitch your tent

I loathe camping. 

There. I’ve said it.  All those muddy fields and uncomfortable beds and no possibility of a long leisurely hot bubble bath. Stifling sleeping bags and no sound proofing. And nowhere to hang your long evening gown. Even erecting the thing in the first place seems exhausting. Although I gather old fashioned tent pegs and trippingly hazardous guy ropes are not always necessary these days.

Still -  there’s one tent I am currently pitching by choice. And it’s in a beautiful landscape.

I am choosing to pitch my tent in the land of hope.

Because what else can we do right now? We can’t plan  - not even for tomorrow; things change too quickly. We’ve little to look forward to – there’s nothing in the diary and no point in putting anything in when we don’t know what’s going to happen. So hopes and dreams are not featuring very strongly for many of us. 

And hope deferred makes the heart sick.

Last year it felt as though the world was crumbling around us. It’s taken its toll as we shed the old comfortable ways of being and everything changed. 

It's been exhausting, exhilarating, intense, demanding. And then when lockdown 2 came, we thought it almost bearable, with Christmas on the horizon  - and maybe the new year would bring about great changes. 

Only then Christmas wasn’t Christmas as we know it. The new year just made things worse for many as Lockdown 3 arrived and seems to be staying.

So - 

 I am choosing to pitch my tent in the land of hope.

10 ways to pitch my tent:

• Feeding my soul. Reading words, verses, that me feed hope. Consistently and regularly. What you concentrate on will grow; what you fill your mind with matters. CHOOSING to HOPE. Choosing to SING the songs that feed my soul.

• Sending myself flowers! Ordered narcissus from Cornwall, promptly forget all about it and had the joy of the surprise arriving. Sweet harbingers of spring and hope.

• Noticing and being grateful. Bird song. Snowdrops. Occasional sunshine. God's goodness. God's faithfulness. I’m keeping a list, 5 a day each evening, of things I’m grateful for.

• Giving myself time to rest, dream, play. And I know I need more laughter in my life right now. Suggestions welcome!

• Saying “no” to what I really don’t want to do, or doesn’t feel right - even if I can’t explain why.

• Allowing grace to myself as well as to others. Now’s not the time for impossible-to-keep resolutions and standards.

• Treats Hot bubble baths, scented candles, twinkly lights. Slowly dissolving ONE square of dark chocolate on my tongue, closing my eyes and RELISHING the taste, the enjoyment!

• Walking intentionally. Rather than the muddy fields, I'm walking on the back roads so I don't have to watch my feet; now I can look up, take deep breaths, move my head & eyes from side to side ( a well-know way to lessen anxiety and depression) to NOTICE what's on either side.

• Planning some fun times with others to look forward to. Scheduling a zoom drinks hour with a different set of friends each week – and dressing for the occasion! Scheduling a walk each week with a local friend.

• Printing out the memes of words of HOPE that I've been creating and putting them where I can see them and be reminded. Small ones are stuck in my journal, larger ones pinned up where I see them. And I post them on social media to feed you too.

• Acknowledging it’s OK not to be OK. Probably few of us are right now - there’s a very thin line between the two. Acknowledging it, accepting it, and then doing one small thing that will keep me the right side of the line. (see all of the above)

What about you?  ? !  

 3 suggestions:

WATCH this powerful testimony by Philippa Savile and how she chose to pitch her tent.  I’ve watched it twice recently and found it extrememly helpful. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2M17zUOuWgs

READ  helpful verses, but in a different way - write and colour and scribble. I’ve just started this and it’s rather fun! Very different to how I normally do Bible study; and I don't necessarily come to some of the same conclusions as the authors - but then, that' s making me think, and it's certainly a fun experience.... click on this image to get your copy -

PLAN something to look forward to.

• join me to prepare for a LENT RETREAT/quiet morning  in preparation for your Lent journey. We’ll be looking at the way Jesus was tempted : IF...IF ... IF.  Here is a huge issue: who are you?  Are you really the Son of God?  If you are then you can do this - or this  - or this.  So are you really who you say you are, who you are claiming to be?  And what’s the point of all this? WHAT’S THE POINT OF YOU?  Who is Christ? And who am I in Christ? AND WHAT’S THE POINT OF ME? especially at the moment.

  The retreat will be on Zoom and you will be sent the link along with the e-Journal a few days before the retreat. A slightly shorter morning this time, following comments from the Advent retreat that 3 hours was a little too long! We’ll have a 5 minute comfort break in the middle, and plenty of time for reflection. And remember that no-one sees you - this isn’t interactive, so you can stay in pj’s if you like!

  Why not invite friends, family, your home group, to join us and experience this time together - it could be a great starting point for discussion, prayer, journeying through Lent together.

  REGISTER HERE 

REGISTER HERE

- PLAN some fun with like-minded women.

Just to get away and be refreshed in body, mind and spirit.

Walk from Lands End to the Lizard on a Celtic Pilgrimage.

And if you missed HOPE PART ONE , find it here: http://bit.ly/3tcFTl8

What about you?!

What is bringing you hope in 2021? 

Or what do you need to do, or stop doing, or change .... 

And one more exciting bit of news - on Sunday 14th February, Valentin’e Day, I'll send you an email with the details of a FREE SIGNED GIVEAWAY COPY for one fortunate person of the 'Diary of Isabella M Smuugge.' It's a brilliant read - I'm LOVING it! So make sure you keep an eye out for the email on Valentine's Day. Photo below of the give-away bundle! (sign up on the pop-up form to receive not just the email but also a free downloadable ebook on ways to inspire you as you walk with God)

Now may God, the inspiration and fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super-abundance until you radiate with hope throughout 2021 (Roms 15:13)

Penelope

VALENTINE'S DAY SPECIAL OFFER

CLICK HERE TO ORDER

A memoir, a travelogue, a marriage gone cold.

A true story of love and redemption, forgiveness and restoration.

On special offer February 1st - 14th ONLY

Walk from the furthest west to the furthest south of England’s coast line -

from Land’s End to The Lizard

- take time to reset your soul and be refreshed and renewed

- get away from everyday hurry and anxiety

May 21 - 28 2021.

Yes, this year, God willing.

JUST THREE SPACES STILL AVAILABLE so book NOW to avoid disappointment.

(And if Covid means we can’t we will refund the booking deposit)

-  learn from the Celtic saints

- meet with the Lord in daily reflections and meditations

- enjoy walking, reflecting, walking some more, getting fitter spiritually and physically

CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS

** ** ** ** ** **

The Revd Penelope Swithinbank is an experienced pilgrimage and retreat leader, conference speaker and Spiritual Director/Therapist.  She has been leading retreats and pilgrimages for nearly 20 years, regularly leads pilgrimages in the UK and on the Via Francigena in Italy, has had an international ministry, including churches in America and the UK, and speaking on Women's Retreats and leading conferences. Her most special memory is of opening the US Senate in prayer and being guest chaplain there for a day. Penelope was the first ordained woman on the staff of The Falls Church, Virginia, where she headed up the Connections and Communications Ministry in a church of nearly 4,000. Later, she was the first chaplain at St Mellitus College, London, and then ran The Vine at Mays Farm, a Christian Retreat House providing sanctuary mostly to burned-out clergy, although normal people came too, for retreats and time out.  She now works partly as a Chaplain at Bath Abbey and partly mentoring, supporting and pastoring clergy.  Author of two books, with a third due out in May 2021, she is a wife, mother and grandmother and says of the 6 grandchildren that they are so wonderful she should have had them first. 

HOPE resources

To link with the latest email - 10 Ways to Pitch Your Tent in the Land of Hope - here are some resources on hope. And if you didn’t receive the email, then sign up on the pop-up on here and you’ll also receive a free downloadable ebook! What’s not to like!

Discovering HOPE in the Psalms. This is enabling me to study helpful verses, but in a different way - write and colour and scribble. I’ve just started this and it’s rather fun! Very different to how I normally do Bible study; and I don't necessarily come to some of the same conclusions as the authors - but then, that' s making me think, and it's certainly a fun experience....

HOPE by Bryson Smith. from the blurb: As Christians, we have been called to a great and eternal hope—a wonderful, vibrant picture of the future God has in store for us. But how do we think about that hope? What exactly is it? And how does it affect our lives here and now? With insight and humour, Bryson Smith unpacks what the Bible has to say about hope—what it is (and isn't), and how it comforts, challenges and directs us in our day-to-day lives as Christians. As we explore these great truths, we'll discover how important it is to keep our hope at the forefront of our minds, as we live for the wonderful day when Jesus returns and our hope becomes reality. Hope is part of Matthias Media's Guidebooks for Life series. Like other titles in the series, it covers an important issue of the Christian life in an accessible and straightforward way. Includes discussion guide.

A lovely book of short, inspirational prayers when you are in need of hope. Are you journeying through unexpected changes, personal struggles, or heavy-hearted days? Whatever you are going through today and no matter how you feel right now, you can experience God’s hope and provision in healing prayers written especially for times like these.

18th January: a 70th anniversary and a legacy

Who do you look up to? Admire? Want to emulate?

Who's your hero of the faith? One of the great cloud of witnesses whom you'd love to meet?

When I was quite young, I was drawn to some books on my mother's bookshelf, purely by their colours. Two or three slim volumes of sapphire blue with gold. They were elderly books even then, and much read.

Over the years, I've added my own copies; inherited hers and those of my godmother and another elderly aunt; scoured secondhand book shops. And read several biographies of 'God's Madcap.'

oh yes - memories of the days when I was Penny

(hated being Podgy Penny, but that's a story for another day!)

As I read these books, I learned of southern India, of the young Irish woman who went first to Japan and then to India, as a missionary, after hearing God's call to missions, at the Keswick Convention. To be a missionary is a chance to die, she declared, and never left India again. It became her life and she immersed herself totally, even to the extent of staining her skin with coffee - no fake tan available in those days! For 53 years, Amy devoted herself to loving those around her, in her own madcap, impetuous, all-or-nothing way. She was a born romantic and adored animals, small children, nature; and a creative, in her drawings, writings, (scribblings, she called them) and the way she named things.

In the Tirunelveli district, just 30 miles north of the southern Indian tip, she began rescuing children and young girls from temple prostitution and told them how much God loved them. She gave them a home - and eventually the Dohnavur Fellowship became homes, nurseries, hospital (The Place of Heavenly Healing) school rooms, a chapel (The House of Prayer) a village.It grew to 170 acres, and later had areas for boys and men as well.

In 1931, Amma (mother) as Amy was known by her beloved Dohnavur family, had a terrible fall. She never fully recovered as arthritis and then neuralgia set in, and was mostly bedridden for the rest of her life. From within her four walls came an extraordinary gift of writing - she published over 40 books, many of which became best sellers. And they were published with blue covers, her favourite colour.

As a small child she had hated her brown eyes and longed to have blue ones. Her mother had told her that Jesus always answers prayer; so every night little Amy prayed for blue eyes and every morning she was disappointed to see her brown eyes in the mirror. On arriving in India, Amy realised how much more easily she would fit into the culture with her brown eyes - blue would have made her a total outsider. "Isn't NO an answer?" she later wrote.

Amy spent a lot of time reading - she had always studied the words of the Bible and used many different versions to bring out deeper truths and nuggets of gold.

Her main Bible was chosen by the Public Record Office of Northern Island (PRONI) as the document of the month for International Women's Day in March 2017.

Janet Hancock, Deputy Head of Public Services, said “I selected this bible because not only is it beautifully annotated but it tells the story of Amy’s missionary life. She uses different colours for different paragraphs and these reflect a variety of themes which I expect she incorporated into her teachings.

One particular annotation caught my eye and this was in reference to the apostle, Peter’s calling in Matthew 14 v 28, which seems to particularly resonate with Amy.

“The gospel author had written: ‘And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water’. In the margin, Amy had written that in matters of guidance, everything depends on that ‘if’ and that ‘come’. This seems to relate to her own calling to go to India, as she then details in the margins her own missionary work, listing dates of when she went to particular locations”.

It's 70 years today, Monday Jan 18th, since Amy Carmichael died in 1951. 70 years when her writings have continued to influence and inspire. Not just the stories of the girls and women she rescued, but also her devotional books. I've read, re-read and read again little books like IF and HIS THOUGHTS SAID HIS FATHER SAID and EDGES OF HIS WAYS.

Elizabeth Elliott, wife of Jim Elliott and a missionary and writer herself, said she owed Amy Carmichael as great a debt as one can owe another. Many of us can echo that as our spiritual lives have been shaped and influenced and deepened by the writings and scribblings of Amy Carmichael. That total commitment to Christ; that amazing reading of Scripture and other Christian writings, absorbing and and reflecting; that daily living out the love and service to others.

​​​​​​​And yet. And yet. She wasn't perfect! The impulsive, headstrong all-or-nothing young girl and woman later wrote:

Don't do as I know I did ... don't work each day until you are unable to do one minute more ... Leave a margin ...

There were times she was too exhausted and her diaries mention her desire to hide the fatigue.

Give me a passionate passion for souls, Give me a pity that yearns, Give me the love that loves not death, give me the fire that burns...... Fire of love, burn in us, burn evermore, til we burn out for Thee ...

​​​​​​​Amy was in her sixties when she fell; for twenty years she was in almost constant pain, yet poured herself into her writings - books, thoughts, songs, poems, hymns. All that troubles is only for a moment. Nothing is important but that which is eternal. (from KOHILA)

Amy Carmichael refused to accept an honour in the King’s Birthday Honours List; she refused to return home once she had arrived in India; she burned her life in the service of her beloved Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.

She had known exceptionally hard work, severe setbacks, huge disappointments, great pain and suffering. But she had also experienced and known the overwhelming love of God sustaining and supporting and providing.

page from 'A CHANCE TO DIE' by Elizabeth Elliot

Amy Carmichael. 16 December 1867 - 18 January 1951

top photo - age about 24

Love through me, Love of God,
There is no love in me;
O Fire of love, light Thou the love
That burns perpetually.

Flow through me, Peace of God,
Calm river flow until
No wind can blow, no current stir
A ripple of self-will

Shine through me, Joy of God,
Make me like thy clear air
That Thou dost pour Thy colours through,
As though it were not there.

O blessed Love of God,
That all may taste and see
How good Thou art, once more I pray,
Love through me, even me.
- Amy Carmichael

Isn't that our prayer too?

So I ask myself again - what legacy will I leave?

Will others know more of Jesus because of my life? Love through me, love of God - there is no love in me....

What about you? What's your legacy?

* * * *

A LENT QUIET MORNING

IF YOU ARE …..

click on this link

“IF – IF you are the Son of God!”  

COME and join me on a Quiet morning in preparation for your Lent journey. We’ll be looking at the way Jesus was tempted : IF...IF ... IF.  Here is a huge issue: who are you?  Are you really the Son of God?  If you are then you can do this - or this  - or this.  So are you really who you say you are, who you are claiming to be?  And what’s the point of all this? WHAT’S THE POINT OF YOU?  Who is Christ? And who am I in Christ? AND WHAT’S THE POINT OF ME? especially at the moment.

The retreat will be on Zoom and you will be sent the link along with the e-Journal a few days before the retreat. A slightly shorter morning this time, following comments from the Advent retreat that 3 hours was a little too long! We’ll have a 5 minute comfort break in the middle, and plenty of time for reflection. And remember that no-one sees you - this isn’t interactive, so you can stay in pj’s if you like!

Why not invite friends, family, your home group, to join us and experience this time together - it could be a great starting point for discussion, prayer, journeying through Lent together.

click here to register. The link for the live (and then recorded) session and the downloadable journal will be emailed to you nearer the time.

Image by @aardvanti

HOPE - PART TWO: PITCHING MY TENT

Thank you for all your replies about hope - both what is bringing you hope in this season and appreciating some of my thoughts in my previous email.

​​​​​​​Part Two will be coming at the very beginning of February - until then, May you radiate with Hope as the power of the Holy Spirit surrounds you

- Penelope