Travelling in ministry: Lift up your gifts

Thomas Swain, in the second of his fortnightly series, asks if British Friends can share themselves fully?

by Thomas Swain 28th June 2013

In the small groups that I work with helping Friends see their Spirit given gifts, I have found that British Friends are reluctant to own their own goodness and gifts. In a recent article in The Daily Telegraph, a headline proclaimed: ‘Boasting lessons for girls shy of success.’ It revealed how a private girls school is sponsoring a ‘blow your own trumpet week’ – where they hope to encourage self-promotion and celebrate success. While this seems to go further than I would hope for among Friends, we do need to claim for ourselves the abilities and Spirit given gifts that are ours to share. Is this being truthful?