Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

Paul’s first missionary companion Would you have liked to go to Cyprus on holiday this year? If so, spare a thought for the Cypriot who played such a key role in the New Testament. He was Joseph, a Jewish Cypriot and a Levite, who is first mentioned in Acts 4:36, when the Early Church was...

Many of us actually like dandelions. Their amazingly cheerful colour always brings a smile to our faces. The not-so-neat-and-tidy gardeners among us can simply enjoy flowers where they grow. The name ‘dandelion’ apparently derives from ‘dent de lion’ – lions’ teeth, owing to the tooth-like shape of its leaves. There are many different varieties of...

Saturday 20th June was meant to be the day when MAF celebrated its 75th Anniversary of flying with a big celebration in London. Not being able to meet with its many supporters is bitterly disappointing, but MAF now wants instead to pray for its supporters, and to reassure them at this difficult time. As MAF...

Friend of St Francis of Assisi Antony of Padua knew St Francis of Assisi.  Both men were true followers of Christ in a time of great religious confusion and social turmoil. Like Francis, Antony (1193 – 1231) was born into a wealthy family. Antony’s father was a nobleman of Lisbon, Portugal, who sent his son...

Domestic abuse is soaring just now. Even as far back as early April, it was up by 30 per cent. No wonder, then, that charities are urging us to keep an eye out for anyone in danger.  The warning signs include bruising, repeated shouting and all types of controlling behaviour. If someone is in immediate...

‘A dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones. An’ I hear the word of the Lord!’ – (spiritual song by James Weldon Johnson) At this time of global pandemic, we live with stark reality of death and life. Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones (37:1-14) was given when God’s people were in exile...

One good thing about the lockdown is that you’ll have spent less hours stuck in traffic this Spring. Recent research has found that in 2019, car-using commuters lost an average of 115 hours stuck in traffic. No surprises that London was the most congested, with people losing 149 hours over the year. After all, London...

According to handicraft expert Kirstie Allsopp, a missing button was the number one reason why 350,000 tonnes of wearable clothing may end up in UK landfill this year. But that was before lockdown.  Now you have time to make do – and mend!  Rescue and reuse your clothes.  After all, it saves money and the...

Many churches around the country have responded to the crisis by either running their own foodbank, or helping supply a local one. The need is all too clear: recent figures from a YouGov poll done for the Food Foundation suggest that since the lockdown began, 1.5 million people in the UK have gone one whole...

English Puritan church leader If Richard Baxter were alive today, he would probably be contributing to the Thought for the Day on Radio 4, because he had a gift for the sound-bite. Try these memorable quotes:  Preaching a man a sermon with a broken head, and telling him to be right with God is equal...

Terry Waite spent four years in solitary confinement in Beirut. He says: “In isolation, it is easy to become introspective and depressed. All of us, when we are honest and examine ourselves critically, will discover things about ourselves of which we are not especially proud. I had to learn how to grow a greater acceptance...

Having just one soft drink a day in middle-age could increase your risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke. Recent research has found that the sugar-laden drinks raise cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of clots that cut off blood supply to the heart or brain. It was found that daily consumers of soft drinks...