Introducing Streams in the Desert

Contemplative prayer, prophetic imagination, poetry, the radical gospel.

Going down stone by stone,
the song of the water changes,
changing the way I walk
which changes my thought
as I go. Stone to stone
the stream flows. Stone to stone
the walker goes. The words
stand stone still until
the flow moves them, changing
the sound – a new word –
a new place to step or stand.

Wendell Berry

Welcome. I’m glad you’ve found your way here. As so often, the right poem blesses the way. Stone to stone the stream flows…. Stone and water. Word and Spirit. New places to step or stand as we go. May it be so!

In these newsletters I want to write about the streams that have nourished my life and my work. Streams of contemplative prayer, poetry, prophetic imagination, the radical gospel, psychotherapy and spiritual direction. Streams that have converged and deepened and refreshed and bubbled up and blessed over many, many years. 

I’ve been hanging out by these streams for a long time now: sometimes dangling my feet, sometimes drinking deeply, sometimes stubbing my toes, sometimes swimming, sometimes washing my wounds, sometimes alone, sometimes with others, sometimes personally and sometimes professionally; often amazed by the provision of water even in the driest seasons.

Perhaps my motivation to write, like that of many writers, is partly selfish. I want to go on working some things out in the mysterious and satisfying way that comes when we engage in the creative process. I want to have a reason and a readership to make me do it. Secondly, I want to encourage those of you struggling, like me, on the edges of the church and the edges of faith.

If you’re on the inside edge, you may be just barely hanging on as you pray and long for a church that is more contemplative, more imaginative, more courageous. If you’re on the outside, that edge may be a curiosity about this seemingly outdated and yet somehow compelling faith. You may feel drawn to something beyond a free-floating spirituality, something that will root you in a tradition with enormous gifts of wisdom, life-giving practices and community.

Religion, it seems, is making a bit of a comeback. We are realising how much we need structures to support our growth, soil to sink our roots into, company to keep us faithful. I give thanks to those who remain faithful to the church, but - in my neck of the woods - resources are scant, numbers dwindling, morale low. On the other hand, where numbers are high, there is often a sort of loud-selling belief that drowns out the still, small, radical voice.

And yet, honestly, where else do we gather to generate an alternative vision, learn to perceive differently, live differently? I think this might be one reason places like Substack are so popular. But I want to advocate for the church and its renewal - and for its particular potential for our time. Among other things, we need inspiration and community that is rooted in both timeless wisdom and the local. I want to add my voice to the many out there who are reimagining the church and the world with courage, compassion, creativity, curiosity and prayer.

Through the many seasons of my life, I have been stubbornly determined to find the deep wisdom of the Christian tradition that I belong to and to relish its many resonances in other places. As for the tradition itself, I’ve not been disappointed. At heart, it is rich with story and music and ritual and practices and wisdom and prayer worthy of any true seeker. And yet, I’ve often found that people and voices beyond the church represent the deeper truths of my faith more eloquently than the church itself. I love putting the two in conversation because I think both benefit.

The prophet Isaiah, speaking for God, said:

I am about to do a new thing; even now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness

   and streams in the desert.   Isaiah 41

We need that ‘new thing’ urgently! I’m trying to follow the joyous streams of Life that flow, as they often do, in unlikely places. I want to share what comes with anyone wandering by, in need of a bit of refreshment. And I want to allow the depth and force of the prophetic imagination to challenge and energise.

THE PLAN

Grow as you go, said my kind Substack coach. That has taken the pressure off me to be perfectly clear from the outset and to just get going! I don’t know where this will go, nor how it will grow. For now, here’s the plan:

Weekly: On Fridays, I’ll post the content of a contemplative prayer service I lead each week. That will include scripture, reflection, poetry, a blessing. I’ll offer the outline of it for those who might like to use it for their own personal prayer or group. The themes will reflect the church year or the seasons of nature.

Fortnightly: At least every two weeks, I will share writing inspired by the gospels, poetry, theology, psychology, spiritual direction, nature and my own practices. I will explore how all these, in conversation, might inform our lives, faith and ministry and to further my thoughts on the prophetic imagination.

Monthly: I preach from the Church of England lectionary about once a month. I’ll post these sermons, too.

Thanks for coming along so far. Shall we gather at the river?