G is for Growth

Welcome back.. sorry for the lack of words about F is for family but I do hope you have managed to experience family in some way over the last two weeks.

As we come to G is for Growth I do want to say that I am passionate about seeing more Renew centres this year popping up everywhere because we all need to attend to wellbeing and because there are still those who have no family and no-one knows their name.

But this blog is not about growing a movement or seeing the charity expand .. that's God's business not mine.

This blog is about the sort of growth I long to see in my own life and life of those around me in 2023. This is about the growth of fruit in our lives , about flourishing and about deep rootedness in God's love.

I do like my alliterations and there were plenty as I began to ramble in the vlog whilst looking round my somewhat messy garden.

There was the s for seed .. the seed of Shalom that only God makes . This wellbeing movement is all down to Him and Him alone. He is the author of peace . He is love . It is Him we need . We can't make seeds and bulbs.

Then there was the s for soil .. the environment in which peace grows . Our lives , our homes , our Renew spaces. I will reflect on this more next week so please do share any thoughts you have.

The S for seasons was another one . I like that the garden is not always fruitful .. it is "fruit in Season"( Psalm 1) and I am reflecting on what season I am in and whether I need to get better at waiting and preparing my life for God's word and wellbeing. It also means there are times for mess.. which I am glad about !

But the S I am thinking about most as a New Year begins is the s for Structures. The trellis that my climbers grow up , the support that my tomatoes will need... this sort of support structure makes me think of the values I live my life by.

I have been looking again at my RULE OF LIFE.(https://www.northumbriacommunity.org/who-we-are/our-rule-of-life/what-is-a-rule-of-life/)

This is not a set of rules but a sort of support structure for growth. For me being present , being prayerful and being in partnership provide me with a way to reflect on what is happening each day and on my choices and attitudes.

I will be giving this some more thought to my rule of life over the next few weeks and would love to share more about this in some way if that was of interest to some of you. Get in touch if you think a Renew Wellbeing Rule of Life training webinar or booklet might be helpful. I have a sense that God is wanting us to deepen the grasp we have of His shalom as the charity grows, to deepen our roots .

So what is your garden or an outdoor space near you teaching you about growth? How can you apply that to your life this year?