Tag Archives: God

stories

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This week Celtic Lent is going to be looking at some stories, accounts and writings that relate to ourLent journey. Stories have alway been key to Christian community. Gathering and sharing and remembering can be inspirational as we attempt to navigate our lives around the stuff we encounter.

So …. which stories, characters or creative wrings have inspired you? Here’s a few that have stayed with me over the years, some have been historical characters, some people I’ve met, and some I’ve read in novels, heard in songs or seen in films. All of them have encouraged me and been enlightening as I was searching for some light at the end of tunnel.

Saint Brendon. His story inspires me as he stepped into the unknown. With some mates he jumped into a boat to take the gospel to other lands which he wasn’t even sure existed. On top of this the common understanding at the time was that the earth was flat, so Brendon was literally willing to sail off of the end of the earth in obedience to God!

For similar reasons, Abraham inspires me. He was asked to move by God. He did so even though he had no idea where he was going.

Ken and Connie cousins were two amazing saints that looked after me, loved me, and took me to St Mary’s church in Weymouth. They became aware that my home life was not great and so they lovingly took me under their wing. They sponsored me at my confirmation and stayed in touch until they died. I remember them both as totally devoted to Christ and this showed in the love they had for others around them. They inspired so many and their greatest delight was always to see others start their journey with God.

I remember I was struggling with a mass problem and this clip from Patch Adams floored me and had me streaming tears in the cinema. This short clip really has changed how I approach life and I totally believe that God spoke to me through this scene.

That’s a few of my key stories …. would some of you like to share yours?

discipline v disciple

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I’m writing this quite late on Saturday night after an amazing time with friends/family in a (new to me) restaurant. Throughout the day I have reflected on today’s reading which talks about the difference, or not, of the words discipline and discipleship.

In our culture the word discipline is usually thought of as something quite negative. Discipleship is seen as some long term endeavour whilst discipline is seen more as a set of rules and regulations. The Celtic Christians did not recognise any distinction. Instead they saw discipline as practices that helped you on your journey as a disciple. Rather than rules to restrict they were seen more as areas to express and to learn and, a real part of there relationship with God.

I have grown to quite like this ‘both/and’ approach from the early Celtic Christians. Where else, I wonder, is a both/and attitude both powerful and enabling?

the trellis

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After this mornings reading I have spent my working day thinking over the whole idea of a rule or rhythm of life being like a trellis. A trellis is used by a gardener to help a plant to grow. Every example of the same plant looks totally different on the trellis as the plant decides which way to grow. Although they have the same genus each one develops differently according to its context: soil, air, environment. The plant develops accordingly in line with what is around the plant.

Taking that principle we can think of rules of life as being a trellis that allows us to grow in our own way and not a structure that wants to limit us. Without the trellis we would lay on the floor, grow laterally and look a bit of a mess. This means we can follow the rule (Trellis) and express it in our own individual way. They way I do silence or prayer may look totally different to how you do silence and prayer ,,, but we are both following the rule and using silence and prayer.

This following of a rule in my own context has been key to my growth over the last few years. For me personally it’s been a tough decade and I am convinced that my faith would have suffered or been cast aside (or even totally lost!) if I was not already in the practice of following my rule of life. When things could have seriously gone wrong fr my life, the strength of my faith has held me …. actually more than that, it has allowed me to excel again in a new context. Like a phoenix, I have risen from the burnt out ashes and can live again …. but only because of the supporting structure of my rule of life.

time

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In today’s reading we hear how regular prayer in integral to all monastic rules of life. Every monastery has a bell tower which is rung to remind and call people to communal prayer.
I have adopted this process using my watch which silently alerts me at set times during the day to simply stop, consider where I am encountering God in my task, and to pray. I find that this practice gives me an opportunity to take a fresh look at the day again and again as I journey through it.
Today’s reading challenges us on how we use our time and how we might be able to organise our time to make space for prayer. For me this works best when I am out walking or running. It’s an added bonus if I’m walking or running by the sea. For others it might be while sitting in a train or changing tube stations. For others it might be at coffee or smoke break times. It doesn’t matter how, but adding those little times with God in some regular pattern does influence how we see the day.
What works for you? or …. What do you think you could start with?

Influencers

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Today’s reading from Celtic Lent illustrates how the different monastic communities and rules have influenced each other over the centuries. It’s thought monasticism was imported from Egypt to Ireland which influenced the British which then reinfluenced the Irish and so on.

Today I am going to be asking myself and mulling over what and who has influenced me and forged the way I live out my faith today. I can think of many people who have had a positive impact as well as, sadly, some who have done more harm than good. I am choosing , however, today to contemplate on those positive people and practices, to give thanks to God for them and to ask how these good influencers can continue to inspire and encourage me as I move forward in my life and journey with God.

Who and what has influenced you?

Rule of Life

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In today’s Celtic Lent reading we are introduced to the concept of a rule of life.
I have followed my personal rhythm of life for many years and, if needed, I update it annually after a period of reflection.

David Cole references Pelagius who states:

In a single day we make so many decisions we cannot possibly weigh up the good and evil consequences of each decision. We are liable to make foolish and wrong decisions. …. we need a rule …a simple set of principles we live our life by. This won’t be foolproof but our decisions will more often be right than wrong.

Elements of my rhythm repeat daily, weekly, monthly and annually. For example, daily I aim to spend time in prayer and meditation, weekly I aim to run 3 times, monthly I volunteer for a local project and annually I go on retreat.

I have taken those ideas and principles from monastic communities and made them work for me. Hopefully this week we will get to look a different rules and rhythms and see which we might gain benefit from in our personal journeys with God.

Inspired?

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Today’s reading asks us if we have been challenged or inspired by the Green/White actions of the saints we’ve considered over the last week?

I think I’ve been challenged to look at new ways of discipling and living out my faith in the spheres that are nw available to me. I don’t quite see what this looks like at the moment. Maybe that’s because the in Lent journey I often find myself surrounded by fog. As I keep moving forward the fog eventually clears and I get a great surprise when I find out where I am.

into the unknown

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Todays reading shares the story of Brendan’s voyage.

Brendan was amazing. After a time of prayer Brendan, and a few friends, decided God was calling them to literally go into the unknown. They took the words of Jesus in John 3:8 seriously and decided to simply put themselves in the way of God through the wind and sea and be taken wherever it was that God would have them go. This is classic Celtic spiritually of green and white martyrdom with a solid reality check of knowing this could so easily end up as an act of red martyrdom (see my previous post if you need a reminder).

Sometimes I have felt God calling me to do something, or rather to explore something, that seems impossible to do. These have been both exciting and scary times. Brendan and his friends had no idea where they were going and must have wondered if they were going to fall off the end of the sea. Sometimes that sea would be calm and they would be drifting while others they would have experienced massive waves and just clinging on for dear life as they waited for calm.

Today, are we able to take those kind of risks for the gospel?
Today are we willing to step out into the unknown, not really knowing where we will end up or what will happen?

This resonates quite strongly with me and my journey at the moment. My journey is in no way as scary or as brave as Brendan’s. I am, however, in a situation where I am simply placing myself in front of God on a daily basis. Each day I ask that question ‘where do you want me to be?’ I have not heard any answers yet … so I , as most of us do, will continue to drift and ride waves until I see where God wishes me to be present. Id love to hear from others your experiences of stepping out into the unknown.

To give up or to hold on …. a ‘choice’ or ‘both and’?

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Celtic Lent today introduces the story of Cuthbert.
After a vision Cuthbert gave up his old life to start anew as a monk with God. He journeyed on a horse with a spear and a servant walking beside him to the monastery door. When there he gave the servant his spear and horse and walked into the monastery with just the clothes on his back.

I have struggled with this question over the years because I think there is a bit of a balancing act to do here. I wonder if giving up everything to follow God is all that is required if we are to learn and change on our journey.

During my early Christian life I believe I gave up too much. I gave up a career, which I still believe was the correct thing to do; but I think I also gave up my true character and social class. This was due to a desire to fit in but it resulted in me denying who I was and am.

I have come to understand that Jesus called me as me. Jesus called me as the very left wing, working class, dancing, drinking, loud, dreaming and challenging, and often annoying, character that God created me to be. I may say more about this at a later date. God called me as me, with my faults and sharp edges, because God wanted me to meet others with similar faults and sharp edges so that we could learn more and travel further together.

So, as we travel today and think of Cuthbert and the others we have learned from this week; yes … let us think about what we can lay aside or give up. But let’s also commit to keeping, growing, forming and allowing those bits of our characters that God wants to use to become what God wants them to be.

its all about the green

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In January 2025 I decided I needed to do something to improve my health. I had seen a photo of a friends wedding in Weymouth and asked ‘who is that fat ******* on the left’ whilst coming to the horrific realisation that it was me. I was an incredible 125kg which classified as obese. I joined Beginners 2 Runners who are a great encouraging club that takes beginners, like me, and helps them to run 5K over a period of weeks. Many in my family were sceptical of my commitment, which encouraged me even more to reach this goal.

The first evening I could only run 3 minutes before stopping. It didn’t help that it was snowing! Each run hurt incredibly but I continued due to the great encouragement of others. To cut a long story short, I was running 5k after 10 weeks. I now run 5k three times a week and a few Sundays ago ran the London Winter 10k in an hour and 5 minutes (as shown in the super-proud pic!) Today I weigh 93kg and feel a lot happier and healthier.

Obviously none of this has come easy. It’s been painful and flipping hard work. Ive needed the encouragement of others in the club and I have needed to want to achieve the target myself which saw me running in snow, ice, hail, rain, heat, storms …. anything creation can throw at us! It’s taken commitment, a stubborn refusal to give up, a desire to progressively move one step further and an understanding that , if it is a competition, then the only person I am racing against is myself. B2R measures this in going just one step further next time.

Today’s Celtic Lent reading focusses on the green martyrdom I spoke of yesterday. It asks the question ‘what spiritual practices are you going to commit to? Like my running, successfully adopting a spiritual practice or two requires commitment, a stubborn refusal to give up, a genuine desire to want to see success.

Too often, in my personal and humble opinion, is that Christianity can be expressed as light and fluffy celebrating the victory and love of Jesus ….. and that is part of it. Also, though, to develop a strong relationship with our creator, to hear the creator speak into our lives, and to allow the creator to take some (or total!) control then we also need to adopt spiritual disciplines that will train us and allow us to stand before God and hear what God has to say.

What spiritual disciplines am I going to adopt?
For me that will be contemplative meditation, which I sometimes pair with my running, and silent retreats. These work for me when I am determined to practice them.
What works for you … I’d love to hear in the comments?