Blog: Mel's Muse

Diary Of An Introvert: Laid Low By Day

I recently wrote a post on the subject of wearing a ‘mask’ to convince others that we’re feeling fine when, in fact, we are not – Facing Up To The Face Beneath The Mask. And I wonder, is the ‘new normality’ brought on by Covid 19 having a good effect...

Posted at 15:56pm on 4th August 2020

Three ‘light Bulb’ Insights From The Screwtape Letters By David Trim

What follows are the 'light bulb' insights from The Screwtape Letters, written by David Trim, a much valued member of the Book Club I lead.

1. To consciously direct our prayers to God “Not to what I think thou art, but to what thou knowest thyself to be” [in Ch 4]....

Posted at 15:46pm on 25th July 2020

Book Club Discussion: The Screwtape Letters By C.s.lewis

Click here for the List of Questions

Suggested by a member of my Book Club, despite the fact that most of us had read it many years ago, The Screwtape Letters proved to have lost none of its appeal. Apart from one lady, that is, who abandoned it on page thirty,...

Posted at 19:36pm on 14th July 2020

Book Club Questions: The Screwtape Letters By C.s.lewis

The questions below are those I raised for the Book Club I lead. Click here for the discussion we had subsequently. Quotes from the book are in bold italics.

CHURCH: Chapter II
One of our greatest allies at present is Church itself. Screwtape goes on to talk about a liturgy which...

Posted at 19:28pm on 14th July 2020

Equality For All

Thinking about the death of George Floyd, and the resulting protests against ethnic injustice, I’m reminded of a story from my childhood, which I’ve told in my latest book, Picked For A Purpose. It’s Christmas, a year after the end of WW2, and we are living in Dover next door...

Posted at 19:11pm on 4th June 2020

Come Holy Spirit

The aim of my book, Picked For A Purpose is to show each one of us the purpose that God has for us, which is to bear fruit for him. That fruit is to show love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. But he doesn’t expect us...

Posted at 11:38am on 31st May 2020

How To Plan A Funeral In The Coronavirus Era

Before the days of lockdown - due to the coronavirus - planning a funeral following the death of a loved one might have been perceived as a positive and constructive experience. Although not intentionally so, making funeral arrangements, whether for burial or cremation, could be seen as a welcome distraction...

Posted at 17:54pm on 18th May 2020

Bereavement: How To Deal With Denial, Grief & Anger Following The Death Of A Loved One

In these times of Coronavirus, many of us are suffering the death of a loved one. I wrote last time about Looking After Yourself following bereavement, and pointed out - from my own experience - the trauma of having to break the news of that loss to another family member. ...

Posted at 15:14pm on 17th May 2020

Bereavement: Looking After Yourself

Last time we looked at Bereavement: Coping With The Initial Shock, using my own experience following my daughter’s death, and quoting from the book I wrote some years later. What I learned was that numbness and denial, disbelief and a wandering mind, are common experiences when we first learn of...

Posted at 15:27pm on 12th May 2020