{"id":28235,"date":"2025-08-01T08:00:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T07:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/?p=28235"},"modified":"2025-07-26T13:17:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-26T12:17:15","slug":"letter-from-revd-andrea-colbrook-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/?p=28235","title":{"rendered":"Letter from Revd Andrea Colbrook"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stepping Out of the Comfort Zone<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dear Friends,<\/p>\n

As summer arrives, many of us begin to think about holidays\u2014times to rest, recharge, and perhaps, even reluctantly, try something new. This year, on own family holiday, I found myself facing one of those \u201cnew\u201d experiences: my children were eager to explore some local caves in Mallorca. While they were buzzing with excitement, I\u2019ll admit I felt anxious as caves aren\u2019t exactly my idea of fun! Dark, damp, and unknown? I\u2019d rather be on a sunny beach with a good book.<\/p>\n

Then, I came across an article about bog snorkelling<\/em>. Yes, you read that right. It involves donning a snorkel and plunging into a freezing, muddy swamp to \u201cswim\u201d through thick, brown water. It\u2019s messy, it\u2019s cold\u2014and apparently, it\u2019s joyous! Participants describe it as a hilarious, unforgettable community experience. But for me? Absolutely out of my comfort zone.<\/p>\n

Yet as strange as bog snorkelling sounds, the message behind it stayed with me: sometimes joy, connection, and even transformation is found when we step beyond what feels safe and familiar<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t that what the disciples experienced after Pentecost? Just days before, they were hidden away in fear, uncertain and hesitant. But then, filled with the Holy Spirit, they found the courage to step out\u2014to preach, to heal, to build a new kind of community. They didn\u2019t stick to the \u201ccomfortable\u201d; they followed the Spirit into the unknown, and through it, encountered God in new and powerful ways.<\/p>\n

Comfort zones aren\u2019t bad. They\u2019re places of rest and safety, and we all need those. But God also invites us beyond them\u2014not to frighten us, but to show us that He is already there, waiting in the unknown. Whether it\u2019s a muddy bog, a dark cave, or a conversation with someone different from us, stepping out in faith can bring growth, surprise, even joy.<\/p>\n

So, this summer, whether you’re venturing abroad, exploring the local countryside, or simply taking a break from routine\u2014why not try something a little uncomfortable? Maybe visit a different church, talk to someone new, volunteer in a new way, or spend a few minutes in quiet prayer, listening for God’s nudge.<\/p>\n

You never know what you might discover. As the disciples found, and as I tried to remind myself before I spent a few hours exploring those caves\u2026 life in all its fullness often waits just outside our comfort zone.<\/em><\/p>\n

With every blessing for a joyful, surprising, Spirit-led summer,<\/p>\n

 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Revd. Andrea Colbrook<\/strong>
\nRector<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stepping Out of the Comfort Zone Dear Friends, As summer arrives, many of us begin to think about holidays\u2014times to rest, recharge, and perhaps, even reluctantly, try something new. This year, on own family holiday, I found myself facing one of those \u201cnew\u201d experiences: my children were eager to explore some local caves in Mallorca.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":28034,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-news","ctfw-has-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28235"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28235\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28236,"href":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28235\/revisions\/28236"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}