I had another opportunity to visit the beautiful island of Lindisfarne on a few days’ retreat this week. I go there because I can be quiet and not have to speak beyond the functional; I can be anonymous and ‘be myself’, and no-one will care one jot. No demands, not emails, no requests, nothing to … More The Importance of Stillness: Lessons from Lindisfarne
Well, you’ll have noticed I blog here in fits and starts – has always been the way over the last 20+ years of writing here, but I generally only pop by here when there’s something I sense the nudge to reflect on and share. Also, very practically, it’s been a rather busy (and a tiny … More Celebrating Milestones: Travel, Marriage, and the Spiritual Life
‘Ecclesia at minimum is the gathered body of Christ followers incarnating in culture and committed to the apostolic teaching, prayer, worship, fellowship and the threefold ministry of gospel proclamation (catalytic), care for others (cathartic), and defence of the faith (analytic).’ – Dr Michael T Cooper I am currently doing a professional doctorate in ministry alongside … More Reimagining Church: A Jesus-Centered Approach
It’s time for me to talk about mental health in ministry again. It is one of the things that can become a source of shame because many ministers feel like they should be immune to challenges with mental health. Some poor Christian thought can enforce that too. Since my teens and on into adult life, … More Ministry, Midwinter and Mental Health
The thinker, author, social analyst, and Orthodox Christian, Paul Kingsnorth, is an Englishman living in Ireland, and he has newly come across my path. In consuming a few things he has written, I also came across a talk he gave which emphasises the ways in which he believes a rediscovery of ‘people, place, and prayer’ … More People, Place, and Prayer: Kingdom Vision
As I think, read and pray in the context of the world we live in, there is something slowly emerging in my heart and mind. On one hand this emergence is obvious – how could I have missed it – but, on the other hand, it is, nevertheless, just arising to full view, even if … More Finding Home: The Kingdom of God in Daily Life
Whilst all the powers and authorities, both temporal and spiritual, do their thing, those of us who belong to Christ have an option to take and a path to walk. History in the last 2000 years shows us what the church has continued to do in the places where empires crash and burn. Rather than … More Finding Hope in God’s Promised New City
One of the most helpful ideas that has been offered to me in recent years to help me navigate life and ministry was from my spiritual director. My spiritual director was a man I used to visit every 6 weeks to two months just to reflect on the movements of the heart and in my … More Navigating Life and Ministry: Lessons from a Spiritual Director
‘How did this happen? How has the church become so depleted? How has this land been given over to other gods?’ ‘It happened whilst the church was sleeping.’ This conversation, from a while ago, resonates in my heart and mind this afternoon. Some of us who were in the conversation at the time recalled the … More Reviving Faith: Whilst the Church Sleeps
It’s Sunday afternoon, and so I’m now just patiently waiting for my body and spirit to go through the wave of post-service ‘stuff’, back to some sort of equilibrium. I’m aware that I find it almost impossible to stand in front of any group and not speak passionately from the heart and invariably find myself … More The Mystery of Preaching: Reflections from a Sunday Sermon
Andrew S M Clark 