Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

Here is an edited version of Stephen Cottrell’s recent speech… Following Jesus isn’t easy. In the public square our words will often be misunderstood, misinterpreted and misquoted. People will think we’re woke, naïve, misguided, too left wing, too right wing, too liberal or too conservative. We will be applauded for taking a moral stand, and...

A recent study has found that just an hour a week of digging and shovelling could be enough to cut your risk of dying. Such ‘muscle strengthening exercises’ has been found linked to a 10 to 20 per cent lower risk of death from all causes. The study, recently published in the British Journal of...

This month marks 25 years since the funeral of Princess Diana on 6th September 1997. Prince William has described how his mother’s death was like an earthquake, the shockwaves taking time to sink in. When we remember the days leading up to the funeral, the whole nation seemed touched by her death. Over 32 million...

The Church of England’s General Synod has endorsed detailed plans designed to help the Church to reach net zero carbon by 2030. The Routemap to Net Zero Carbo by 2030, published this Summer, encourages cathedrals, churches, schools and theological education institutions to make changes to their daily activities to reduce carbon emissions. The Bishop of...

The Church of England’s General Synod recently welcomed the Church Commissioners’ and Archbishops’ Council’s long-term spending plans. The Archbishop of York said that the plans, which cover £3.6bn over the next nine years, amounted to the Church “putting our money where our missional mouth is.” The spending would “underpin transformation towards being a ‘Simpler, Humbler...

One hundred years ago, on 13th September 1922, the highest temperature ever recorded in the world was reported to be 57.7 Centigrade (136 Fahrenheit) in Al’Aziziyah in Libya. This stood for nearly a century but was challenged at various times and eventually decertified by the World Meteorological Organisation in 2012, which believed there was a...

A free service bringing the ancient monastic cycle of daily prayer to millions of modern listeners has recently broadcast its 1,000th episode. The Daily Prayer podcast* brings listeners together twice a day for the short traditional services of Morning and Evening. The podcast, available both via the Daily Prayer app as well as all major...

Last month I mentioned altar rails as being the visible barrier separating the Sanctuary where the Altar or Table is placed and the Chancel; where the choir may be seated. But there is more to the rails than simply separating these two areas in a church. In the early days churches did not have such...

Common houseplants are your friend if your home or office is near a busy road. A recent study has found that where houseplants are placed in a poorly ventilated room, they can suck up the nitrogen dioxide from traffic emissions by up to 20 per cent. The researchers at the University of Birmingham used peace...

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...

 Observations on our Christian faith Observations on daily life **  Observations on our Christian faith To pray is to lie in the sunshine of God’s grace. – Ole Hallesby Prayer is the breath of the new-born soul, and there can be no Christian life without it. – Rowland Hill Freedom comes by filling your mind...

Editor:  Local church life picks up again in September…when notices start flying around again… Real life extracts from church notices that didn’t come out quite right… * Announcement in the church bulletin for a National PRAYER & FASTING Conference:  The cost for attending the Prayer & Fasting conference includes meals. * Report in a church magazine:  Miss Charlene...