A personal update
From news hound to occasional spiritual muser
Hello friends. It’s been exactly a year since I ended up in A&E due to concerning symptoms following the second diagnosis of lobular breast cancer last Maunday Thursday. Despite umpteen investigations, they have still not been adequately explained, possibly due to peculiarities of this sub-type of cancer. The symptoms wax and wane, but in the past few weeks some have intensified, especially in my gut. One consequence of this is that I have stopped taking two possible culprits, ibuprofen and diclofenac, which I’ve used regularly for years to manage severe migraines. On Monday I had to go through a horrendous attack without that relief, which was not much fun! I am lucky to have a great GP who is trying to navigate the disintegrating NHS system and deal properly with these issues, but there’s no certainty. I am still joyful, grateful to be alive, loving the bloom of spring, and glad to have had a year off the pressure of work to focus on the health of soul and body.
All of this to say, it’s unlikely I’ll be returning to my previous occupation of journalist any time soon. When I started this Substack in 2022, it replaced my old Wordpress site where I had updated interested people on my latest articles in the Christian press. Since 2009 the writing side of my work has covered either news within the Christian world or mainstream news from a distinctly Christian perspective. With a background in mainstream newspaper journalism there was demand for this skill, despite the oversupply of keen wannabe writers, although there’s little money in it, as journalism continues to struggle in the online world. Keeping up with the news takes a lot of time, and properly researched articles do too - so I’m just not able to manage this at the moment. I would also struggle to keep to deadlines as my health is so up and down. In the past year, any spare energy I’ve had has been put into the hard work of regular exercise, making very healthy food, and a lot of prayer.
So you may have noticed that my writing on this Substack has moved away from the news and the intensifying culture wars and taken a more spiritual turn. This kind of writing does not take as much effort as proper journalism, as I am just collecting my thoughts from my real life - the books I read, the insights from prayer, inspiring stories I’ve come across, reflections on events, and so on. However there are a million and one people doing this, so my rarer journalistic skills are not being used much at the moment.
It’s likely that’s going to continue for the forseeable future. I apologise when there is a long break between posts. For those who are paid subscribers, I thank you, especially as none of my content requires payment to see it. I do understand if this is not what you signed up for, and I will not be offended if you choose to spend your pennies elsewhere!
We are at the dawn of widespread AI. Its effects on the media are likely to be extremely powerful at best, catastrophic at worst, so goodness knows whether I’ll even be able to earn an income as a journalist in the future. The news continues to prioritise the moving image rather than my speciality of words. It’s possible if I return to work I may have to adjust, whether to the changing market or to my own physical limitations. I put it all in God’s hands, I wish to serve Him in whatever I do.
I also feel a moral burden to cover subjects from a less impartial, more conservative perspective. I perceive deeply spiritual roots to our current serious political and ideological problems, and there is much to write about. For example, I am interested in how modern Christianity has adopted worldly liberal ideas and forgotten the denial of self, and wonder how this maps onto our individualistic, selfish and increasingly insane wider culture. This seems intertwined in many problems in both individuals and society. I hope I’ll be able to write about this in the future. But for the forseeable I will be jotting down my reflections drawn from my spiritual life, rather than going notebook in hand as a reporter. I hope to inspire and encourage you, dear reader.
I genuinely appreciate all your writing. Take your time, and I pray for your health and healing.
Spirituality seems to be the greater need of the times-young people have been captured into materialism so badly. The denial of self and the understanding that we are meant to be more for others is a very good cause to write about. Prayers for your health.