St George's Church, Málaga

Fr Louis has recommended a book for us to read in Advent, 'Listening to the Music of the Soul' by Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani, Bishop of Chelmsford. The following review appeared on the Archbishop of York's website:

“'Listening to the music of the soul' is a wonderfully evocative phrase – but what does it really mean for the everyday anxieties of life? In this captivating Advent book, Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani invites us on the deepest journey of all: one within our very souls. To listen to the music of the soul, Bishop Guli writes, is to “connect in a meaningful way to our innermost being” – to release the pressure to be someone we are not, and inhabit our lives more fully, in deep and authentic relationship with God.

"Bishop Guli’s invitation is rooted in her own remarkable story. She arrived in the UK as a refugee forty years ago, following the murder of her brother in the wake of the Iranian Revolution. Growing up as a Christian in Iran and later fleeing to escape religious persecution, she knows exactly what it means to experience an identity shaped by complexity – and the struggle we all share to make sense of who we are.

"In a highly digital world of social media soundbites, polarized debates, and the demand for instant responses, Bishop Guli offers another way. This Advent, her invitation to us to pause and “listen to the music of the soul”, is a call to rest in life’s nuances, in the fertile spaces in between, where beauty and pain coexist – and where, in that very tension, we encounter God most profoundly.

"Relating her vivid life story to the biblical narratives of Advent, Bishop Guli encourages us to see our own journeys within the greater story of God’s unending love and His purpose for our salvation. Each chapter invites us to listen to a musical interpretation of its theme (accessible via QR code), whether flight, angels, or hope, and encourages us to respond in a way that is deeply personal. From Mary’s Magnificat and its hope for the overlooked, to the harmonies of silence and darkness, fear and hope, and light and space that accompany the season of Advent, Listening to the Music of the Soul draws into the beauty of God’s reconciliation with humanity through the birth of Jesus.

"The accompanying music to each chapter, whether familiar or not, becomes a companion to us on this journey, helping us tune our hearts to the deeper music of the soul. And in that inner music, we find ourselves drawn into the wider melody of God’s love, where our lives are held within the heartbeat of His eternal song of salvation".

Gulnar Eleanor "Guli" Francis-Dehqani is an Iranian-born British Anglican bishop. She became Bishop of Chelmsford in 2021, having previously served as the first Bishop of Loughborough, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Leicester.

BIshop Dehqani's book is available from Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.es/Listening-Music-Soul-Archbishop-Advent/dp/0281091331/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_es_ES=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.p8Z0sCAWtCn9isOsM16QINCgZzSqOs2WQODUooXmIyCBbBNuEljXUP2GDhW-pWL8Uffrk7rlmfTQ_Dpi09t22SH5YAbh4swskb3ybIN3Xyy_NR6pfSfwSgn1ozsSTy75.2_wTSjC85glIrep0sQow4pgxGnONm5Qvs4BYuLQk2O4&dib_tag=se&keywords=Listening+to+the+Music+of+the+Soul&qid=1763229912&sr=8-1">here .

St George's Church, Málaga

Recommended reading for Advent, 'Listening to the Music of the Soul' by Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani

St George’s Church and Salinas Congregation are developing a Mission Action Plan (MAP)