Author: faithrootsdw

Revitalisation and the traumatised church

I’ve mentioned a few times now that sometimes a church acts and feels as though it has been through a form of corporate or collective trauma and is suffering corporate PTSD.  There may have been a number of factors leading up to this including specific events within the life of the church such as the… Continue reading Revitalisation and the traumatised church

Cursed

The cursing of the fig tree seems like one of the most peculiar events in the Gospels. What was going on there? Did Jesus just lose it with an inanimate object in the same way that I get frustrated when the internet plays up or the TV refuses to respond to the instructions I send… Continue reading Cursed

Blocked care and the church

Child psychologists working with families where the child has experienced significant trauma sometimes talk about a concept called “Blocked Care.” The concept is particular associated with Daniel Hughes.[1] Blocked care/parenting is a state parents can enter when prolonged stress suppresses their capacity to sustain loving and empathic feelings towards their child. Broadly, this happens almost… Continue reading Blocked care and the church

This is the moment

Spot the story arch between Mark 10 and Mark 11. At the end of chapter 10, Jesus has been interrupted on his journey through Jericho by a blind man crying to  receive his sight. Healed of his blindness, Bartimaeus now follows Jesus, joining with his disciples. When we get to chapter 11, we discover where… Continue reading This is the moment

Loose lips … careless talk is costly

There was a campaign during World War II with the theme “Loose lips sink ships.”  The point was that unguarded comments might give away intelligence to the enemy enabling U-Boats to target trans-Atlantic crossings.  It became a bit of an Anglo-American proverb, a reminder that careless talk is costly. It’s a proverb that Joe Biden… Continue reading Loose lips … careless talk is costly

Promoting female Theologians: When encouraging others is not tokenism

The other day, I shared a list of female theologians and authors.  I don’t normally open up the comments section on Faithroots, not because I’m against free speech and discussion but because I don’t think those things are dependent on whether or not I open comments. People are free to debate and disagree to their… Continue reading Promoting female Theologians: When encouraging others is not tokenism

Finding joy – an answer to exhaustion

I recently shared a few articles about the Christian Sabbath. In one, I talked about how we shouldn’t be looking at how many meetings a person attends on a Sunday but whether the Sabbath is fulfilling its intended purpose.  My dad who has served as a lay pastor (unpaid whilst continuing in secular work), itinerant… Continue reading Finding joy – an answer to exhaustion

I want to see (Mark 10:46-52)

Jesus is passing through Jericho with his disciples and there’s a blind man begging. It seems that his status is so lowly that he doesn’t even have a first name that he is known by. He is referred to by his surname “Bartimaeus” (Timaeus’ son).  Although his physical eyes are blind, he shows signs of… Continue reading I want to see (Mark 10:46-52)