Hi folks, and Happy New Year!

In this episode, I'll be sharing poems that I feel have a vibe of moving forward with hope, as well as processing the past in a positive way.

Some of them are from my new book Gone Before: A Grief Journey in Poems, which is a collection of the poems that I wrote as a vital part of my grief and healing after losing my Mum in 2020. I hope they will be helpful to anyone else who has lost a loved one, too.

Welcome to episode 10!

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You can find the book (in ebook form) here.

You can check out my Etsy shop here.

Hi folks! In this episode, I'll be sharing poems that explore God's faithfulness to me, and talking a bit about my experience of that through the 32 years I've been a follower of Jesus – and how He's there for you, too!

I'll also be sharing the results of the questionnaire – huge thanks to everyone who filled it in! – and, based on those results, my plans for future episodes of This Now. (I'd still love to hear your feedback, though! See contact details below.)

I hope this episode will help you to find Jesus, and His love and faithfulness, in whatever season of life you may be in right now.

Welcome to episode 9!

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If you're interested in checking out the Lectio 365 app I mention, you can find out about it here.

Here's the video on Facebook.

And here are the slides I used in the video.

Although Mothers' Day was back in March here in the UK, for most of the world it was just around the corner when this was recorded.

For our May episode, This Now seeks to offer comfort to those for whom this day is challenging or painful.

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PRACTICAL ADVICE:

1) Before the day, think about how you're likely to feel

- Then plan to put things in place that will help you with those feelings
- E.g. calming experiences, supportive people, etc.

- Plan to avoid people or situations that will not be healthy for you at this time

- Give yourself permission to opt out of situations, gatherings, etc.

- Have a planned answer if you don't want to talk about things
- E.g.: I'm doing as well as can be under the circumstances - how are things with you?

2) Remember it's absolutely fine to do whatever you need to do to pass the day in a healthy way:

- Spend the day alone, remembering the person you've lost

- Talk to people you trust

- Cry if you need to, either alone or with others

- Meet up with other people who are in the same position as you are

- Do something that you feel honours your experiences

- Do things that make you feel connected to the person you've lost

- Skip the thing altogether!
- Again, give yourself permission to opt out.

3) Remember there's no right or wrong way to handle your pain!

- It is your pain - find what works for you

- Nobody else gets to decide how you should feel

4) Remember it's okay to not be okay!

5) Be kind to yourself

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LINKS:

Here's the Mothers' Day Resources Page.

Here are the slides used in the livestream.

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Here's the This Now Questionnaire.

Here's the Whole Hearted final cover image.

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Here's the livestream on Facebook.

Here's the livestream on YouTube.

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If you have any feedback, please contact me through my Facebook page Ruth Fanshaw, Writer, or email me at ruth@originaltextpublications.com.

You can find out more about me and my work at my website, ruthfanshaw.com.

As Easter draws nearer, 'This Now' meditates on seasons of suffering, and how we can meet Jesus in them.

Why does God allow His people to suffer? How can we find purpose and meaning in the things we go through?

And in all of this... where is Jesus?

This episode, we'll explore how Jesus is right there with us in our suffering, and how we can experience His faithfulness – through everything.

This Easter – let's meet Jesus.

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Here are the links I promise you in the podcast:

Here are the memes I used during the livestream.

Here's a page where you can see the new cover for Whole Hearted.

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Here's the livestream on Facebook.

Here's the livestream on YouTube.

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If you have any feedback, please contact me through my Facebook page Ruth Fanshaw, Writer, or email me at ruth@originaltextpublications.com.

You can find out more about me and my work at my website, ruthfanshaw.com.

Hi folks! I'm very happy to introduce to you my first interview guest, Luke Wilson.

We talk disciples of the Apostle John, doctrines, and Dan Brown - and possibly get a little controversial in places.

I've always found Luke's blog, 'That Ancient Faith', very helpful and thought-provoking. Luke has a way of taking fairly complex theological ideas, unpacking them, and making them easy to get our heads around, and I do recommend reading him.

For those of us who are Christians, our faith is obviously central to helping us make the most of the seasons of our lives, and I hope Luke's work will help other people as it's helped me.

Hope you enjoy this episode, and finding out more about Luke and his work!

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Here are the links I promise you in the podcast:

Luke's book 40 Days with the Fathers.

And here's a review of it.

Excerpt from review:
"Luke writes his book… in a way that is very conversational, so that the average Christian can read it and get things out of it. I would encourage my 13 year old daughter to read '40 Days with the Fathers'… I give a heartfelt recommendation..."

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Luke's website, lukejwilson.com.

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Luke's facebook pages, Luke J Wilson, Author and That Ancient Faith.

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Luke's blog, That Ancient Faith.

The particular post I mention is in 2 parts: here's part 1, and here's part 2.

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This Interview:

Here's a link to the video on Facebook.

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If you have any feedback, please contact me through my Facebook page Ruth Fanshaw, Writer, or email me at ruth@originaltextpublications.com.

You can find out more about me and my work at my website, ruthfanshaw.com.

Hi folks! 'This Now' will be a little different this month...

Healing from romantic heartbreak is my main area of experience and expertise, so I want to do a Valentine's Day Special, to reach out to people for whom Valentine's Day is NOT fun.

When we've been hurt, occasions like this can be especially challenging and painful – but healing CAN be found!

I know, because I found it.

I'd love to share some of my journey with you, to help you on your own journey.

For now, though, let me just say that God cares about your suffering more deeply than you can imagine, and He DOES have good and fulfilling future for you!

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I believe that much of the material may be more widely applicable – for instance, the stuff about God's love for us - but the focus is definitely on sharing my journey out of romantic heartbreak in the hope of helping others who are still on that journey.

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This hour-and-a-half special episode was originally recorded on 10th February 2022 as a livestream on Facebook and Youtube.

There are some places where the sound gets a bit stuttery, because of issues with the livestream. (There's also a recurrent tapping noise, and I have no idea what that was!) I do apologise for this.

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Here's the livestream on Facebook.

Here's the livestream on YouTube.

Here's the link to the Recommended Resources page.

Here's the link to Luke Wilson's website, and here's his blog.

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If you have any feedback, please contact me through my Facebook page Ruth Fanshaw, Writer, or email me at ruth@originaltextpublications.com.

You can find out more about me and my work at my website, ruthfanshaw.com.

Hi folks! In this episode, This Now looks ahead to the New Year and the future!

The beginning of the year is often a season of hope and change. We'll be looking at how we can make the most of this season by receiving God's light into our lives and doing our best to bring light to the world around us.

Let's move forward and embrace all the good things God has to give us!

Welcome to episode 4!

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Links:

The Gate of the Year meme

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This episode was originally recorded on 6th January 2022 as a livestream on Facebook and YouTube.

Here's the livestream on Facebook.

Here's the livestream on YouTube.

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If you have any feedback, please contact me through my Facebook page Ruth Fanshaw, Writer, or email me at ruth@originaltextpublications.com.

You can also find out more about me and my work at ruthfanshaw.com.

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Happy New Year, folks!

Hello folks! I’m Ruth Fanshaw. Welcome to my writer podcast, This Now, in which I share pieces of my work that I hope will help you make the most of whatever season of life you’re in.

This episode is mostly light-hearted and festive in tone, though it does touch on God's faithfulness, the deeper meaning of Christmas, and the serious issue of homelessness.

Welcome to episode 3!

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This episode was originally recorded as a live stream on Facebook and YouTube, which went out on the 2nd of December 2021.)

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If you'd like to play along with the 'Scale of Santas' game, you can find the graphic here.

Here's the livestream on Facebook.

Here's the livestream on YouTube.

And my interview on the Coffee with Jesus podcast can be found here.

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If you have any feedback, please contact me through my Facebook page Ruth Fanshaw, Writer, or email me at ruth@originaltextpublications.com.

You can find out more about me and my work at ruthfanshaw.com.