Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

Is your child naughty?  Consider getting a dog. A recent study has found that children who grow up with a dog are far more likely to be willing to share and help others. Researchers at the University of Western Australia in Perth have found that young children who live with a dog and who frequently...

One of the most famous hymns in the world came out of Brixham, near Torbay, Devon, in 1847. In those days it was a poor, obscure fishing village, and the vicar was the Rev Henry Francis Lyte. It was a discouraging place to be a pastor, but Henry felt that God wanted him there, and...

A tiny invisible thing that brings disease and death …. where have we heard that before?! But Louis Pasteur, who died 125 years ago this month, on 28th September 1895, was not interested in a virus from China, but in tiny living organisms that brought disease and death in other ways. Pasteur made some outstanding...

The Mothers’ Union wants to help families of key workers by offering them a range of free day trips/experiences and short breaks. It is appealing to MU supporters to help make this possible. As a spokeswoman for MU explains: “There has been an outpouring of compassion and care during the crisis from our hospital workers...

What do you do when you are persecuted for your faith during lockdown? Open Doors, which works with the Persecuted Church, has shared a story from their partners in Central Asia. It’s become sadly familiar to hear stories of Christian women around the world who are persecuted by their fathers or brothers. But Zebede is...

St Ceolfrith is a good patron saint for anyone who has studied hard for their profession, is strong in the face of tragedy, and who can also offer some homely care to others in need. This well-loved abbot of Wearmouth and Jarrow came from a noble Northumbrian family, and was ordained at Ripon when he...

‘…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...

The six African countries where Send a Cow works face devastation, not only by the pandemic, but also the huge swarms of locusts which have destroyed thousands of acres of crops. In response, Send a Cow staff have supported struggling communities by teaching them how to prevent the spread of the virus, as well as...

Very few people stand out as being incredibly good, but Vincent de Paul was one of them.  His life touched thousands of people, who were helped and inspired by his love and kindness. Vincent de Paul was born in 1581 to a Gascon peasant family at Ranquine. Educated by the Franciscans and then at Toulouse...

By Ellen Loudon, Canterbury Press, £12.99 If you’ve ever browsed the self-help sections of any bookshop, you’d be forgiven for thinking that all we need to do in order to have a better life is to work hard, take exercise and get thin. Yet Christian activism calls us to a bigger vision of what life...

We need our hedgerows back – urgently. They are part of ‘nature’s toolbox’ to help us reduce our carbon emissions. That was the recent message from the CPRE countryside charity which points out that there were twice as many hedges in England before the Second World War.  Since then thousands of kilometres of hedges have...

Christians Against Poverty has launched a new web page to help church leaders who may be feeling daunted during the pandemic. The page will “share our knowledge and experience to help your church provide crucial support to your community at this desperate time.” The charity promises that in the coming weeks, “we will be adding...