Received: 2026-07-31 16:03:22

I’m currently sending my debut novel to agents and it’s my dream to be an author. Please pray that God provides a YES (if it’s his plan) with the right person and helps me stay calm throughout this stressful process. Less rejection more protection and celebration please!

My favourite time of the day right now is between 5-6am. (I know I’ve instantly lost many of you… but stick with me!)

At 5:00 it’s still completely dark. So dark it could be the middle of the night. But it isn’t. It’s actually quite close to dawn. Everything outside is quiet, still. Except for birds. The air feels fresh. And then… gradually over the course of the next hour or so, the sky starts to morph from black, to navy, to deep-hued blues and purples, sometimes even shades of green, then slowly turning pinky red, orange, yellow… Eventually the sun breaks through in a big brilliant burst. Which is gorgeous, and maybe the more impressive moment. I do love that. But to me the best magic is in that hour before, when we actually move from dark to light. Lately I find myself just wanting to stand in awe, in that in-between space, to watch it roll through. It stirs something deep inside of me. Something that speaks ‘God.’ The slow tender move from dark to light, with the promise of more. It echoes something deep and true, and to me, it’s worth the early wake up. 

So I’d love to throw more words in here, to describe and analyze it, prescribe some kind of response for us all – because that’s what I do. But it’s not really what dawn and the sunrise do. They just are. So instead I just want to invite you into a bit of open-ended visual wonder with me. To sit through the move from dark to light, believing that God is closer than we know… in case it might speak anything to you too. 

So, let’s.

Contemplations
Greeting the Dawn

Ready for what's next?

Guided Prayer
Loving Kindness Prayer

I want you to simply picture yourself, either as you are now, or maybe a younger version of yourself. See yourself in your mind, and just try to hold yourself with a soft, open, and loving heart. And now imagine yourself literally being held, cupped by God’s great big hands. 

Reflection
Tactile Prayer | Autumn Leaves

Autumn is absolutely incredible in all of its colourful splendor. But of course, those colours are actually a signal that we are headed for the dead cold of winter. As the season changes, this is the time of year, as someone has said, when the trees are showing us just how beautiful it can be to let dead things go. 

Contemplations
Examen | The Garden of Your Soul

“The Examen.” This is a practice that combines prayer and reflection that essentially distills to two questions: “Where did I sense God? And where did I sense God missing?” 

At Southridge, we believe that LGBTQ+ people are deeply loved by God and are full image bearers of God, each bringing unique value to our community. In that spirit, everyone is welcome to belong and participate in the life of our church.  

As a fully-inclusive Jesus-centred church, LGBTQ+ followers of Jesus have full and equal opportunity to participate in baptism, membership, leadership, employment, and marriage.

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