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(Lk 11:1b)   Well Lord God, here I am, believing in you, trusting in Jesus, knowing that you sent your Spirit to connect us. But sometimes the signal seems weak, As though I’ve wandered out of range.   Lord, I want to grow closer, to hear your voice and know your guidance in the nitty-gritty...

How is Prince Harry doing? Well, life is a bit different for him, but on average, around one in five British men loses close friends within a year of becoming a father. Yet young parents struggle more with parenthood without the support of close friends, according to the Movember Foundation charity.  It urges men to...

Back in 2002, one year on from 9/11, the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, reflected on the terrible attack.  All these years later, we think it is worth looking back on what he said.  We have run this long, for you to cut as you like. ‘For myself, the view of the skyline...

Call for churches to act as safe havens in hot spots for serious youth violence Bishop calls for churches to garden for mental health Church of England announces up to £155m investment in mission and ministry  Ecclesiastical Insurance launches Parish Pixels   Children with mental health issues turned away A guide to making our church...

It was 40 years ago, on 27th August 1979, that Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, was killed by an IRA bomb on his fishing boat Shadow V off the coast of Ireland in Donegal Bay.  He was Viceroy of India (1947), Governor-General of India (1947-48), First Sea Lord (1955-59) and mentor of the...

On consecutive days this month (27th and 28th) the Christian Church celebrates, a mother and her son. The mother is Monica, and her son is Augustine. The story of their relationship and how, after a long process, they both came to share the same Christian faith is a moving one, and perhaps has a message...

Take, Lord, and receive all my freedom, my memory, my intelligence and my will – all that I have and possess. You, Lord, have given those things to me. I now give them back to you, Lord. All belongs to you. Dispose of these gifts according to your will. I ask only for your love...

The old adage that dogs take after their owners may be more true that we realise.   For a new study has found that when dog-owners suffer from on-going anxiety, so do their dogs. Scientists measured the concentration of cortisol, a stress hormone, by taking a few centimetres of hair from a number of dogs and...

The Bible Society’s Open the Book (OtB) programme offers primary school children an opportunity to hear the major stories of the Bible through the academic year. It is a three-year rolling programme of chronological stories.  Volunteers from local churches present the stories during assemblies using drama, props and costumes.  OtB meets the criteria used by school inspection...

The robin sang, the flowers bloomed all nature played its part, The only discord in this scene was man’s reluctant heart. The Creator’s manual he ignored so a path of pain he trod, Thinking that he knew the best man turned away from God.   The mess we’re in has been self-made, all answers lie...

When a close friend dies, it hurts. Very much.  But now an analysis of bereaved people has found that women suffer more, emotionally and socially, than men do, when they lose a close friend. Women friends can take up to four years to recover, probably because women tend to share tighter ‘socio-emotional’ bonds with one...

After St Paul, who was the most influential Christian writer ever?  St Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430), whose feast-day is on 28th August.  He lived and wrote in a time of social and spiritual chaos.  The Roman Empire was collapsing, the world was about to slide into the dark ages and the Church was...