An emergence!
Hello, my friends,
Some of you may remember that I had a long-awaited Sabbatical back in June-August 2021. After a month of holy play and listening, I was able to gather bits and pieces from 10 years of prayerful missional thinking and capture it in line and chapter. The result was Shaped by the Spirit: Being Formed into an Outward-Focused People.
After six months of journeying with one publishing house – at the end of which they decided we weren’t a match – the Spirit led me to SPCK (through prayer – crazy story), a publishing company based in the UK, who have said YES, we’ll publish your book.
So… drum roll… in a year’s time - May 2024 – Shaped by the Spirit will be released into the world.
A Book, a Writing Space, a Longing
Shaped by the Spirit is (will be) a book. But it is also a longing, and this writing space has been created to make room as we explore this communal longing and intention together. The book’s eventual release has just propelled me into action.
I don’t know about you, but I want to live responsively to the Spirit’s shaping touch. That’s why I love this picture.
The water’s swell and push shapes the curl of the wave. The Spirit’s tug and pull shapes us into the likeness of Christ. That’s what I long for us all – that we would look more like Jesus each day.
Do you resonate with that longing?
Monthly Musings
I’m planning to release some Spirit-shaped thoughts each month – during the second week of each month. This will be part of the free subscription, open to everyone. If you are interested, please go ahead and…
Here are some recent ponderings:
The other day I was messaging with Amy Boucher Pye, the author of 7 Ways to Pray and the being-released-right-now Transforming Love. She wrote how she was being attentive to a friend’s advice and “seeking to go at the speed of joy.” I love that!
The speed of joy.
The pace of peace.
It’s been an intense and challenging year so far. The workload has been daunting, the pace demanding and the expectations constant. Throw in there a few complex relationships, and there has been many a day when I’ve felt grabbed from all sides. I’m not generally an anxious person, but there have been days when anxiety has tightened its fist in my belly. The other day, in an undisciplined moment, I opened a WhatsApp message rather than let it sit. Anxious fist. I had to reach out in my mind’s eye, gently placing my hand on someone’s wrist and whisper, “You cannot steal my joy. You cannot snatch my peace.”
In response, the Father and I went for a walk. It soon started to rain, a cold stream falling weakly, backlit by morning light. Autumn leaves swept past like gymnasts twisting in the breeze.
Wrapped in my jacket, I started to sing, pausing as an older man walked past with an understanding smile. Finally, the speed of joy, the pace of peace. Time to breathe and be, to pray and pause, to listen and lean into the things of the Spirit.
What’s your speed of joy? Your pace of peace?
What’s to Come?
More news about Shaped by the Spirit, the book.
More musings in Shaped by the Spirit, the writing space.
And hopefully, more interaction between us all as a community as we communally long to be Shaped by the Spirit.
Thank you Kate. I love the way you put words together. You do it so thoughtfully, but out of a mind with years of disciplined soaking up of the word patterns of the writings of others and led by the Spirit to make your own wonderful and unique contribution.
I am so looking forward to the book, Kate. I have been so blessed by interacting with you and hearing your stories, testimonies and academic advice. It meant a lot to me and helped me grow so much.
Blessings