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It was: 200 years ago, on 11th May 1820 that the British Royal Navy sloop HMS Beagle was launched. This was the ship that took the naturalist Charles Darwin on his scientific voyage around the world (1831-36). Also 200 years ago: on 12th May 1820 that Florence Nightingale was born. This Italian-born British social reformer...

‘God is our refuge and strength,     an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way     and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea…’ Psalm 46:1,2 “In this time of great uncertainty, at MAF UK we have felt God draw us to these precious verses from Psalm 46, and I wanted to remind...

by Canon David Winter Later this month the Church calendar celebrates the lives of John and Charles Wesley.  John’s great gift to the Christian cause was the little matter of founding the world-wide movement known as Methodism. His brother Charles had an equally profound impact through his hymns. He actually wrote over 6,000, most of...

By Pat Palau and Peggy Sue Wells, Lion, £7.99 What scares you to death? Probably coronavirus, just now.  For everyone whose life has been crippled by anxiety, here is a book about finding freedom. Pat Palau provides practical, tangible ways to make progress. Fear incapacitates; it strangles the life out of us. Her book guides...

The recent guidance preventing clergy from entering their own churches, even to just livestream an act of worship, has prompted a series of imaginative alternatives. “Not being able to use our church buildings is, of course, a huge loss to us all,” one says, but on the other hand, “streaming worship from home shows that...

Amid the current coronavirus pandemic, we all live with fear and uncertainty. How do we deal with fear? ‘I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.’ (Ps 34:4). In this psalm, David expresses real fears. He was on the run from Saul, who was trying to murder him!...

Augustine, a 6th century Italian prior, holds a unique place in British history. He became the ‘apostle to the English,’ although it was with great reluctance. In 596 Augustine was chosen by Pope Gregory to head a mission of monks whom he wanted to send to evangelise the Anglo-Saxons. Augustine was not a bold man,...

One good thing about staying at home is that you cannot be tempted by food that you see in restaurants, bakeries or the shops. This may be a good time to lose that weight you’ve been trying to shift for years. One good way of doing it seems to be the 5:2 diet. A recent...

Church Mission Society has opened a space on its website for anyone to use.  It explains: “Our world, and our lives, have changed radically. Are you sad? Angry? Scared? “Well, then you’re not alone. Lamentspace is a place where we share our grief with God and each other. About the big things as well as those that may...

When the WHO (World Health Organisation) decided to make 2020 the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, they based it on the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth on 12th May 1820. But with the arrival of the coronavirus, it is a remarkably apt year to celebrate all that nurses do for us. As the...

When TV presenter and celebrity Carolyn Flack took her life in February 2020 the world was shocked and saddened. How could someone so young, beautiful and successful do such a thing? It seems that the pressure of an impending court case, the vitriol she received online, and her own inner pain had become too much...

Josephine Butler is the ‘saint’ for anyone who believes in social justice.  This remarkable 19th century clergyman’s wife became a renowned campaigner for women’s rights and for putting a halt to human trafficking. Josephine was born in Northumberland in 1828, the daughter of a wealthy family of liberal politics and committed Christian faith. They had...