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Monthly Letter

Experiment with Love

March 2026

Years ago, when we were interviewing for a previous Rector, one of the questions we asked candidates was: ‘If every preacher only really preaches on one subject, what’s yours?’ The answer from our successful candidate? ‘God is Love.’

I suppose I remember that all these years later because it really made sense to me. I think there’s something for us all in this simple phrase, whether believer or not, because love is one of the few things that everyone agrees is a good idea!

Love is what we are made of, made for, and a powerful force we can connect with in our lives.

We are most ourselves when we are expressing love in the world: life works well; things go smoothly; problems get sorted out; we are working in alignment with God.

When we find ourselves fearful, we are disconnected from our real selves and from God, and life becomes a struggle in all sorts of different ways. It’s no surprise to me that the phrase ‘Do not be afraid’ crops up over 100 times in the Bible!

But there’s a lot of fear in our daily lives. Have you noticed that so many conversations these days, so many topics that come up, quickly spiral into fearful doom and gloom? As we look around the world we see division, distrust, and conflict. Look at the world news, the state of the NHS, dfficult family members or colleagues. It’s easy to fall into fear.

When we are anxious or afraid, it’s worth remembering that we have an unending supply of love at our fingertips. We can deploy it anywhere! And when we love in the face of an argument or criticism or anger, miracles can happen. Jesus’ words ‘Bless those that curse you’ are not about being nice, they are powerful instructions for how to make life work at its best. When we are afraid, we tend to make things worse. We pressure other people to be different, defend ourselves needlessly, or argue back, creating more discord in the world.

Love, on the other hand, leads to understanding, healing and greater connection often in unexpected ways. Try it, experiment. You might be surprised and delighted!

If you’d like to join me in experimenting with how to create more love and less fear in your life, take a look at www.lizziepaish.com/the-love-experiment-3/

Lizzie Paish, Breadsall PCC Secretary