2019: Reading Highlights
These are in no particular order and I've picked them out as the ones I gave 5* to on my Goodreads page - you can see the rest here. The observant may well be able to discern themes and current…
having fun with english words (which are usually just great)
Sofia’s Story: 4. “You think only of yourself!”
Submit! He punched her with red hot angry words, their force spitting in her face. Submit! You promised you would – so why don’t you?Submit! Why didn’t I marry a good, Christian wife? Good Christian wife…? He had sought her…
Q Combinations 20: The right and wrong ways to make us feel small (with Heaney & Gursky)
It's a standard question for writers (or indeed any type of artist), so E. M. Forster would often be asked who or what had influenced him. In response, he would question, perhaps surprisingly, whether 'influence' was an important category in…
Today’s The Day! When Darkness Seems My Closest Friend is OUT!!
It's been quite the process! One draft was almost complete a year ago, but since then the book has undergone various revisions and tweaks - and then the release was held back until today to coincide with the UK's Mental…
Q Marks The Spot – Treasure Map 114 (February 2018)
Sacred Treasure David Robertson is often uncomfortably provocative - but he's probably on the money here: 10 'prophecies' for the church in 2018 An inspiring new tradition in LA, an annual Christmas performance of Handel's Messiah by the homeless, those with…
The Catch22 of modern journalism summed up in one ad
I saw this advert the other day. It sums it all up really. People in power are up to no good. They have ulterior motives. Journalists are crusaders for truth. They will uncover those motives. Seems perfectly reasonable. And indeed,…
Q Marks the Spot – Treasure Map 108 (August 2017)
Sacred Treasure These are spectacular - ancient monasteries in Armenia: definitely on my bucket list. Chris Green on the cons and pros of pastors using social media And while I'm on his blog, great news about the volume of Mike…
5 Writing Tips Gleaned Along The Way
There are loads of advice lists from writers out there. But I think I can safely claim to be a writer now. And bizarrely enough, folks do actually ask me for writing advice. So why not add to the plethora…
Tentative Steps towards Civility #2: Generosity towards others’ motivations
It is unavoidable. Each of us is motivated by many different desires and concerns: some positive, some negative, some altruistic, some self-oriented or even selfish.
The problem comes when we overlook that complexity (more…)
Tectonic words: a cry from the heart for substance
I wrote this a few months back - but have sat on it for a while. But somehow it feels more pressing than ever, amidst the drear of the daily news cycle that only alternates between triviality and the profoundest…