Ever since I can remember, I have loved singing to God. When I was a child, I would put on kids’ praise and worship cassette tapes (yes, I am betraying my age here) and sing my lungs out. I know that I sang my lungs out because my parents would tell me. In no uncertain […]
Author: Steph Penny
Creative Compost
I wrote a blog earlier today. And it stank. It stank like a bucket of prawns in the sun. It stank like a drain. It stank so much it took my mind off the stinky cat litter in the next room. It stank like a compost heap. Why am I writing about a stinky blog? […]
I Wanted A Family
Some of us wanted to have a family. We wanted a partner, children, grandchildren. We wanted to live a life surrounded by our loved ones. It is painful to live without the longed-for family. For single people, longing to find a partner, to love and to be loved by just one person, it can be […]
Is Singledom Temporary?
‘When are you going to get married?’ Society, especially Christians, seem to view singledom as a temporary state. Singles are constantly inundated with questions about their love lives and relationship plans. I remember, when I was single, random strangers would ask invasive questions about blokes on my horizon. Like it was any of their business. […]
Go With The Flow
When I wake up on my writing day, my brain is often awash with creative ideas and projects. I sometimes have several competing blog ideas swirling around in my head. It can be hard to know which one to blog. And it is not just blogging that fires up my creativity. There is the allure […]
Happy Mother’s Day
To those who have never borne children But have carried a life inside them, Growing, growing, Only to have it snatched away Before its time. To those who have never known The sensation Of carrying another But who wanted it, Wished for it, Planned for it, Grieved for it. To those who have loved children, […]
10 Things I Love About You: An Open Letter To COVID-19
Dear COVID-19, It seems only yesterday you came into my life. You have been here for a couple of months now, and while our relationship is still new, I feel as though I am beginning to get to know you. You have changed my life. Of course, COVID-19, it is tempting to treat this letter […]
Lament and Repent
As much as people have been panicking lately, we have seen acts of incredible kindness of generosity. It is a silver lining of crisis. Unfortunately, we have also seen some of the worst of human behaviour. I think this says a lot about humanity – and how pandemics can pull the curtain back on our […]
Jesus in Isolation
Now that Easter has passed, I find myself thinking about Jesus and his times of isolation. I must have isolation on the brain. I wonder why. In these trying times, it can be tempting to think others who have gone before us have not experienced this hardship. When it comes to Jesus, we may be […]
Faith in a Time of You-Know-What
Ever since the you-know-what hit mere weeks ago, I have seen an escalation of anxiety in the world. The presence of a pandemic, coupled with social isolation, has served to heighten the anxiety of many people. This has me thinking about fear, lament and faith. What exactly does it mean to have faith in a […]