Tanya Marlow – on the Bible, suffering and the messy edges of life
Posted in Bible, Culture and Society, suffering, theology on May 22nd, 2013
I don’t know what to write without it sounding trite. Sometimes silence is better, and I hesitate to add my noise to the mix. But sometimes the words can help us pause. **** Bangladesh For the last couple of months, I have had Isaiah 3 rattling around my head. It is a [...]
Posted in Ministry and Calling, Spirituality and discipleship on May 21st, 2013
What we think of as our greatest achievements, may, in the light of eternity, be nothing; what we think of as our weakness may, in the light of eternity, be our greatest achievement. I’m delighted to be over at Bible Reflections today, writing why living our ‘Plan B’ may not be such a bad thing, [...]
We have been best friends since we were sixteen. (That’s a lot of years). We joke about how we live parallel lives – but that may just be because every time we speak we say, “yes! That’s exactly how I’m feeling too!” and we laugh and suddenly the world feels different, because we thought we [...]
Posted in Bible, Five minute Friday on Apr 12th, 2013
You would think it would be easy to be in the here-and-now when you are housebound. My ‘here’ is very comfortable: lemon walls, white cupboards, two pillows on my bed, the birds starting to sing for morning. Spring is tentatively tiptoeing in, bruised by all the snow and rain. But the ‘there’ creeps [...]
Posted in Bible on Mar 21st, 2013
Today I am angry. I am angry at the politicians who are meant to look after the most vulnerable in society who are taking money away from them and giving it to the super-rich. This is nothing new, but everything in me screams, ‘This should not be.‘ When I rant this at him, my husband [...]
Posted in Bible, Spirituality and discipleship on Mar 14th, 2013
It is hard for the rich to be generous. This sounds counter-intuitive. Surely it’s harder for the poor to be generous? When you have so many extra resources you can spare them, you can afford to be more generous than those who have little. This is true, yet it’s often the poor who [...]
Posted in Bible, Spirituality and discipleship on Mar 7th, 2013
With all the action in the first chapter of Ruth – the deaths and disasters and beautiful friendship of Ruth and Naomi – this is a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ verse: “The Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them.” (Ruth 1:6) I stare at that one [...]
Posted in Concrete words: childhood and maturity on Mar 4th, 2013
The car pulled up to the church, and the driver helped me out. I stepped onto the path, my silk-white high heels making the tiniest crunch on the gravel. And then I looked down at my dress. My dress! At some point on the journey it had turned yellow. It was bright yellow. My dress [...]
Posted in Bible, Spirituality and discipleship on Feb 21st, 2013
I am itching to dig a little into the Bible. I want to hear the whisper of God in the words and lives of Bible characters. Over the next few weeks I will be doing a series on the book of Ruth, to look again at the story breathed out by God and let it [...]
Posted in God and suffering - Our Story on Feb 5th, 2013
Seth Haines is a true Renaissance man: formerly in Christian ministry, now lawyer, poet, editor, writer, musician, husband, father. I read his perspective on doubt and suffering voraciously. He’s not one for easy answers and his words always lead me to better theological reflection and that deep comfort that I know to be true. (I [...]
