My arm is in a sling. I can’t use it. I can’t drive anywhere. I can’t wash the dishes. Cutting up food is out. I can only eat things that can be prepared and consumed single-handedly. I can’t even shave properly. And don’t ask me about showering and toileting. I’ve been typing all week with […]
Author: Steph Penny
I Screwed Up Mother’s Day
Whoops. I’ve screwed this up, haven’t I? Yup. Must have missed the memo. Or had a momentary lapse in concentration. Apparently, I am rostered on to serve at church this Mother’s Day. OK, I know it doesn’t sound like the crime of the century. Or any kind of crime at all. The fact remains I […]
A Wobbly Day
It wasn’t my church’s fault. They were doing a beautiful thing. A good thing. It’s not their fault I got sideswiped. The last worship song had ended and the congregation was seated. Then came the announcement from the stage: ‘Today we’re having a baby dedication.’ Oh crap. I felt the first hint of a wobble. […]
Time to Retreat
I walk through the door, greeted by half a dozen cheerful voices. Heads turn and acknowledge me with a smile, some with warm greetings. I hug those I know and beam at those I haven’t met. Gratefully, I accept the offer of a cup of tea and ease myself into a comfortable-looking chair. One by […]
Multiplication Challenges—Or Are They?
‘How do you deal with being childless at church?’ a friend recently asked me. ‘Do people put pressure on you to “Be fruitful and multiply”?’ I nodded emphatically. ‘You betcha. Happens all the time.’ Her eyes widened. ‘How do you deal with that?’ It’s a good question, isn’t it? What is the best way to […]
The Voice of Parliament
As Australia moves on from Easter and into national debates around the Voice of Parliament, we cannot help but contemplate affliction. The affliction of our First Nations people is in our faces, confronting us with the brutal reality of their mistreatment, abuse and abandonment. Stan Grant, Q+A presenter on the ABC and Aboriginal Christian man, has felt […]
His Disfigurements
‘We looked down on him, thought he was scum. But the fact is, it was our pains he carried— our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed […]
3 Things I Do When I’m Stuck Creatively
Writer’s block is a common affliction amongst writers of all levels of experience. I’d happily bet good money on a similar ‘block’ effect happening to creatives of all sorts: musicians, poets, painters, graphic designers and filmmakers. It’s like accidentally stepping into a mud pool and getting stuck in mud halfway up your leg. Budging out […]
Singledom in the Church
‘So much of the church,’ said Desiree, ‘is about marriage.’ Desiree was giving a talk on singledom at C3 Ballina*, and I love that the first thing she does is acknowledge how much of church life is focused on and revolves around couples. (Disclaimer: Desiree also references my book, Surviving Singledom, so I am somewhat biased […]
Welcoming Vulnerability?
Why do we struggle with vulnerability so badly? I find myself constantly coming up against the vulnerability of mystery in my life: the mystery of why I was single for so long (it felt interminable at the time), the risk of pregnancy going badly wrong, the insanity of chronic illness, and the way God sometimes […]