A sense of longing

Last year when I was planning this mini-mag, I strongly felt a sense longing. I felt it when I accidentally found myself looking at photos from previous years, longing for holiday, for freedom to go camping and plan happy times with friends. I longed for the cosy days we usually have sharing time in people’s homes in the winter, play dates with friends, long cups of coffee. I longed for the days when I could go to a cafe to write, surrounded by the noisy bustle of people enjoying time out and yummy cake. I felt a longing for a simpler life, when plans didn’t change in an instant, when activities weren’t adapted to be online and when it was possible to hug and be hugged.

Having created four mini-mags last year on the themes of hope, blessing, joy and Christmas, I was keen to have a bit more exploration of the Bible instead of just one or two verses.

This year I’m planning a series of mini-mags each exploring a psalm. The first one explores Psalm 13 and I’ve called it Longing, because, well, here’s the psalm:

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
    How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
    and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your unfailing love;
    my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing the Lord’s praise,
    for he has been good to me.

I love how honest the writer is, how brutal his language – Have you forgotten me, God?!

In this magazine, I’ve created 12 activities to help you explore this psalm and this theme.

The activities use the extras which comes with the mini-mag:

  • stickers
  • poster (in the middle)
  • postcard
  • blank greeting card and envelope
  • 3 sheets of craft paper

There’s a good variety of activities, including things to do outside, with options and ways to adapt the activities so they work for your family.

I’m not really expecting anyone to all of them, but hoping that the variety will mean everyone can find something for them, adults included!

The mini-mag comes with a web page with links including to a longing playlist and things to download.

Each individual order comes with the download Exploring longing in the Bible, which is an intergenerational resource with open-ended questions and a challenge around five stories in the Bible where people had to wait for God. It’s a great way to discover how God relates to his people and how we might respond to him in times where we are waiting and longing.

I really hope you enjoy using this mini-mag – when you buy a single copy (only £4), you even get a code in your receipt so that you can get a copy sent to a friend for FREE!

As usual, there is a discount if you buy a pack of 10 – only £24 – that’s only £2.40 per mini-mag! There’s so much inside, that is a total bargain!

To see what you get, follow this link