Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) is concerned that many people mistakenly think that keeping their homes too clean is damaging. So, they do not wash their hands after using the lavatory, handling raw meat, playing with pets, picking up dog poo, coughing, or handling dirty clothing and household linen. The Society stresses that...

How often do you think about the air quality within your own home? The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has found that many of us are living with ‘indoor pollution’.  It has recently issued advice on keeping kitchens and bathrooms well ventilated to combat the problem. Nice warns that bathing, cooking, cleaning,...

‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God’ (Matthew 5:8). Simon Stylites was a Christian, living in Syria around 400 AD, who wanted to be totally pure in his devotion to God. In order to avoid distractions, he lived in the desert on top of a pillar for 37 years. Now is...

Mothers of young children aged from new-born to six-years-old feel guilty about taking time away from their children in order to exercise. But mothers have a greater influence on their offspring’s activity levels than fathers do, and it is important that children grow up with exercise seen as a normal part of the family routine....

This well-loved, world famous Christian hymn began in Sweden, moved to Germany and Russia, and thence to England and the USA, where it became world famous as the signature song of George Beverly Shea in the great Billy Graham Crusades. In about 1887 Carl Boberg was a young lay-pastor in Sweden, walking home from church...

The Church of England has published social media advice aimed at tackling offensive behaviour and misleading content and encouraging a positive atmosphere for online conversations. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, unveiled the Church’s first ever social media guidelines at Facebook.  The guidelines encourage positive engagement across all national social media accounts run by the Church of...

Here is a very simple tip for appearing confident or in charge of a situation:  tilt your head. Researchers have found that tucking your chin and lowering your head by just 10 degrees makes you appear far more dominant, even if your expression stays neutral. The reason seems to be that tilting your head creates...

An extensive presentation on safeguarding in the Church of England was given by the lead safeguarding bishop, the Rt Revd Peter Hancock, Bishop of Bath & Wells, at the recent meeting of the General Synod. He said that while “the need for compassion and pastoral care is clear,” it is “action that will bring reform,...

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.  Ephesians 3:17-19 How can you describe the indescribable? How can you measure the...

 Three-quarters of toddlers are eating too much.  Their parents are feeding them ‘healthy’ fruit-based snacks which are in reality three-quarters sugar. A Public Health England (PHE) investigation has found that the market for baby ‘finger food’ such as dried fruit and oat bars, is rapidly expanding – we spent £100m on such products last year. ...

The General Synod of the Church of England has voted overwhelmingly in support of a new deal to co-ordinate and improve the approach to the care and well-being of clergy. Members voted to adopt a covenant committing parishes, dioceses and the wider church as well as individual clergy to sharing responsibility for the welfare of...

If you manage it only about once a month, you are not alone.  Nearly half of us are so busy with work and other commitments, that seeing family and friends has become a rare thing.  It is thought that an increase in social media is responsible for the decline in face-to-face interaction. But according to...