Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

Last year saw a steep rise in redundances among the over-60s, and a lack of proficiency with digital work tools such as Zoom helped contribute to the problem. The number of workers over 60 who were made redundant increased from 8,000 between April and June to 31,000 between July and September – twice the percentage...

– the saint for a Leap Year  There is a saint for Leap Year: he is St Oswald of Worcester, who died on 29th February 992. His family story was extraordinary, and full of some surprising ‘leaps’, all by itself.  It provides a tantalising glimpse of what happened to at least one of those pagan...

By Stephen Cottrell, BRF, £7.99 When we look at the life of Peter – fisherman, disciple, leader of the early Church – we find somebody who responded wholeheartedly to the call to ‘come and see’. Come and meet Jesus, come and follow him, come and find your life being transformed. This book focuses on Peter,...

The natural environment can make a real impact on your mood. Mountains can leave you feeling more optimistic, while the ocean can help boost your inspiration. A recent study at Goldsmiths University of London found that water is most effective at increasing positive emotions, such as happiness and inspiration.  Woodlands can help you forget your...

The Rectory St James the Least of All   My dear Nephew Darren I appreciated your recent concern when you heard one of our parishioners had slipped on a gravestone. Your desire to help was entirely commendable, and I do know that sending your own church’s health and safety officer to give us some advice...

** Hymns for seasoned citizens The Old Rugged Face Precious Lord, Take My Hand, And Help Me Up It is Well With My Soul, But My Knees Hurt Nobody Knows the Trouble I Have Seeing Amazing Grace, Considering My Age Just a Slower Walk With Thee Count Your Many Birthdays, Name Them One by One...

Editor:  Lent is a time for taking stock of oneself spiritually. It is a time for ‘walking in the wilderness’ in preparation for Easter.   With this in mind, we offer: The devil wrestles with God, and the field of battle is the human heart. – Fyodor Dostoevski The fundamental deception of Satan is the lie...

1          The naming of Jesus 1          Have you ever wondered where the name ‘Jesus’ comes from? 2          Basil the Great – champion of the Church 2          Basil and Gregory – lives of costly discipleship 5          Simeon Stylites – one of the weirder saints! 6          Epiphany 6          Where did the Wise Men come from?...

Matthew and Luke tell how the angel instructed that Mary’s baby was to be named Jesus – a common name meaning ‘saviour’. The Church recalls the naming of Jesus on 1st January – eight days after 25th December (by the Jewish way of reckoning days).  In Jewish tradition, the male babies were circumcised and named...

The name Jesus is a transliteration of a name that occurs in several languages. It is of Hebrew origin, ‘Yehosua’, or Joshua. There is also the Hebrew-Aramaic form, ‘Yesua’. In Greek, it became ‘ Ἰησοῦς’ (Iēsoûs), and in Latin it became ‘Iesus’. The meaning of the name is ‘Yahweh delivers’ or ‘Yahweh rescues’, or ‘Yahweh...

Basil was most people’s idea of the perfect diocesan bishop. He was a theologian of distinction, who as a monk devoted himself to much prayer and teaching. He leapt to the defence of the Church from the persecution of the Arian emperor Valens, but also appreciated great secular literature of the time, gave away his...

‘Discipline’ is now virtually a banned word, along with ‘risk’, ‘problem’ and ‘failure’. They seem to have been replaced respectively by ‘focus’, ‘safety’, ‘challenge’ and ‘opportunity’. On the occasions when we do recognise and applaud the virtue of discipline, it’s usually in the lives and activities of soldiers, police officers, dressage horses and the dog....