Some Links You'll Enjoy

Penelope Swithinbank

1 “Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome,” diagnosed the psychotherapist. I was disbelieving. I am a Christian – a Vicar’s wife – actually, clergy myself. WE trust in Christ, don’t we? We don’t get PTSS. And what would the church say? Friends, family, other Christians – what example was it setting to them, to be off work for 2 years now?

Penelope Swithinbank writes on Tanya Marlow’s blog. Joy and peace are Christian imperatives, sometimes given to us, sometimes found at the end of a long journey. We can be so impatient with the process of suffering that we do not give ourselves or allow others sufficient time to grieve. Penelope’s blog tracks this journey.

2 Kathy Escobar: Tortoise or Hare? The Gift of Rising Slowly. (It’s so beautiful I am going to excerpt a chunk…but pls. click through to read the whole piece.)

The tortoise is dedicated to one step at a time, slow and steady, with one foot in front of the other. A little movement is better than nothing. Chip away at it instead of trying to knock it all down at once. Do what you can to stay on the path. Celebrate any movement. Stay the course. Stop and smell the roses. You’ll get there eventually.

Yet I keep learning Jesus seems much more like a tortoise than a hare. When the wind is howling, Jesus is asleep. When the crowd is clamoring for his presence, he’s nowhere to be found. When the Empire is ready to strike, Jesus is silent.

In downward living, tortoises win.

Hares won’t last.

The hare will burn out, become discouraged and frustrated, and get angry with God and themselves for not “succeeding” in the way they thought they might.  Tortoises will stay the course, weather the storms and keep plodding along at a steady, slow pace.  They will succeed by finding God in the midst of the journey, not just at the end.

I am finding that when I slip and trip, I can get back up and put one foot in front of the other. I can keep walking instead of expecting myself to sprint to make up for my misstep. I am learning to live in the paradoxes of my own life and the lives of others. I am developing resiliency and the ability to bounce back from conflicts, instead of letting them pull me under.

I am slowly giving up the desperate quest for a quick God-high and am noticing the beauty and power of a day-in and day-out rhythm of a simple, no-gimmicks, spiritual walk on the downward path.

3 Yeah, sadly I have found this to be true—track the unpleasant and personal  commentator down by his IP address, and it’s likely to be someone you know!!

The Day I Confronted my Troll. The Guardian.

4 Do you trust your financial advisor?

Hmm. This shocking personal essay I’d bookmarked detailed how advisors in the venerable Goldman Sachs make decisions based on their best interest—not yours.

The New York Times—Why I am Leaving Goldman Sachs