Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

‘…those who chase fantasies have no sense.’  Proverbs 12.11 Have you ever been attracted to computer gaming? For many people, it has become addictive; and they spend so much time in their fantasy world that their own avatar and those of their fellow players have come to seem more real to them than their own...

St Michael is an archangel, whose name means ‘who is like unto God?’  He makes various appearances throughout the Bible, from the book of Daniel to the Book of Revelation.  In Daniel, he is ‘one of the princes’ of the heavenly host, and the special guardian of Israel.  In Revelation, he is the principal fighter...

Have you ever wondered how you can be certain about who and what God really is?  One Christian put it this way: “I’m reminded of the story of the little boy who was out flying a kite. The wind was brisk and large billowing clouds were blowing across the sky. The kite went up and...

The Rectory St James the Least My dear Nephew Darren Beware of being invited by bishops to drop round for a chat. My first mistake was to answer the phone when he rang; what are answerphones for, but to avoid having to talk to anyone – ever. My second mistake was not to be able...

Women are more likely to fall down the stairs than men. The British Woodworking Federation (BWF) Stair Scheme has estimated that 38 per cent of women have a fall going up or down stairs each year, compared to 28 per cent of men. A recent study at Purdue University has been trying to find out...

Have you noticed that the exterior lights on many newer cars are smaller than they used to be? Many motorists are finding this difficult when driving in sunshine, as they still need to see what other cars are signalling to do. But the arrival of LED light clusters means that car manufacturers have been fitting...

Concentrated drafting work to prepare new pastoral guidance and other material needed for the Prayers of Love and Faith to come into use, is now underway. General Synod members recently spent time scrutinising the work which has taken place since the landmark debate in February that welcomed proposals to enable same-sex couples to come to...

Since the fighting broke out in Sudan this April, thousands have been killed and several million have been displaced. Ceasefire attempts by the warring parties – the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – have failed, and the conflict has now spread beyond the capital Khartoum to the south. It...

Bet you didn’t notice this, but dinner plates have got bigger. In the 1950s, a dinner plate measured 25cm across; now the usual is 28cm. And take a look at those very old wine glasses in the charity shops: our grandparents served wine in what looks like liqueur glasses to us now. These days, many...

Here is a sobering thought: it is not just your car’s exhaust fumes that damage the environment. It is also your car’s tyres. It seems that as rubber tyres wear down, they shed tiny particles that together with other car tyres, form vast clouds of toxic particles along the roads. These pollutants may be invisible,...

This autumn, do you feel overwhelmed with all the things that you need to get done? Then think of your life as an hourglass. There are thousands of grains of sand in the top of the hourglass; and they all pass slowly and evenly through the narrow neck in the middle. We are like that...

By Canon David Winter  What is an angel? Easy, people think: a shining figure with glorious wings, who appears from time to time to do some mighty work for God or bring a very special message from him. Well, that’s right in one sense (apart from the wings, which owe more to stained glass windows...