Jenny’s letter 27th July
Dear Friends,
Last Sunday we reflected on Martha and Mary, and the challenge Jesus gently offered: to choose what is better—to sit at His feet, to be still, to listen.
I encouraged us all to try putting God first, to dare to be silent rather than fill every quiet moment with noise. I wonder how you’ve got on with that over the past week?
It’s not easy, is it? Silence doesn’t come naturally to most of us. Yet the more I try to create space for it, the more I realise what a gift it is. Stillness slows us down just enough to hear the whisper of God that so often gets drowned out in the hum of daily life.
This past week I was blessed to spend time at Foxhill, our diocesan conference and retreat house—twice in fact, both times as part of my Pastoral Supervision work within the diocese. Foxhill is a deeply special place for me. It’s where I prepared for both my deaconing and priesting retreats, and it continues to be a space where I encounter God in simple, quiet ways.
Although the meetings I attended were work-related, in amongst the conversations and reflections there were precious moments of pause. I found myself grateful again for the stillness that Foxhill seems to offer without asking much in return. Just being there is a kind of prayer.
Sadly, the woodland walk is currently closed to visitors. I suspect Ros, who got hurt some years ago when we were walking Logan, was not the only person to injure themselves on the uneven paths within.
That space has often been a sanctuary for me—a place to wander and pray. It’s a pity you cant go there now, but it reminded me that stillness isn’t confined to trees and birdsong. It can be found wherever we allow ourselves to slow down and become aware of God’s presence.
And then there was Friday, which was a very different experience. (You didn’t expect me to get through the newsletter without some reference to Cricket did you? It’s not a new interest – my love of the game began in my teenage years.) I spent Friday watching the remarkable Joe Root at the crease, scoring 150 runs. Statistically, he’s the best English batsman ever and currently the second-best ever batter in the world. What a day! It was warm, it was loud, it was definitely not quiet—but it was also wonderful.
Oddly enough, even there, in the noise and energy of it all, I saw something of what we’d been talking about on Sunday. Joe Root, totally absorbed, completely present, unhurried and attentive—it reminded me of how being fully present is itself a kind of stillness. Psalm 46:10 comes to mind: “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Stillness doesn’t always mean silence. Sometimes, it means being so fully in the moment that we become aware of God—even in the cheers of a cricket crowd or the swing of a bat. So, whether your week ahead is filled with noise or peace—or most likely a mix of both—may you find some space to be present, be still, and know that God is with you in all of it.
With love and blessings,
