Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

By Wendy Billington, BRF, £8.99 This book is a Christian view of retirement.  Attitudes to retirement vary, and in this book Wendy Billington draws on her pastoral skills and life experience to ask the question: what is a Christian view of retirement? If we believe that life is a gift from God, should we not...

Thomas, one of Jesus’ 12 apostles, was an impulsive, confused, honest sceptic.  Jesus could understand and work with such a man.  Thomas’ impulsiveness was evident when Jesus prepared to visit Lazarus in Bethany.  It was a dangerous trip to make, because of the Jews, but Thomas urged his fellow disciples: “Let us also go, that...

William Archibald Spooner, university lecturer, dean and priest, was born 175 years ago, on 22nd July 1844, in London. Known for his absent-mindedness, he sometimes mixed up the syllables of words, to comic effect.  These are now known as spoonerisms. Spooner was an albino and suffered from defective eyesight. He studied at New College, Oxford,...

St. Elizabeth of Portugal (1271 – 1336) could be the patron saint of all well-to-do women who have compassionate hearts.   As wife of Denis, the King of Portugal, Elizabeth became a byword for her acts of piety and charity to the poor.  She founded convents, hospitals, and shelters for prostitutes.  After Denis died she became...

July 4th is a special day in the USA and has been for 343 years. It is Independence Day, when they celebrate the Second Continental Council which declared the 13 American colonies were free of English rule. They were later joined by others, eventually forming the nation we now know as the ‘United States of...

By John Elliston,  Kevin Mayhew, £2.99 Pain is inseparable from the human condition. For some it becomes a constant companion with whom an unequal battle is fought. The author explores the phenomenon of pain and places the whole into the context of belief in a loving God. Christian theologians have grappled with the existence of...

These days, lawyers and politicians are held in the lowest esteem by the public, along with tabloid journalists and estate agents. St Thomas More was both a lawyer and politician, who is today much admired for holding steadfastly to his faith-based principles. He lived in dangerous times, when anyone, even queens, who displeased King Henry...

When Torch Trust was born 60 years ago, a vision burned to see God’s Word in action, to enable all with sight loss to be fully able to play their part in a Christian community and to grow in faith. From humble beginnings in 1959, and a family motivated by their love both for God...

Have you ever noticed how life-enhancing good ministers are? St Boisil (d.c.661) should be their patron saint. He did nothing spectacular, but he did everything that mattered. Boisil was a monk who became abbot of Melrose, in the Irish monastic tradition.  Boisil knew about God – he had spent years in study, and this earned...

Where do you go on your summer travels?  If you enjoy including a Christian element to your trips, such as making a pilgrimage, or visiting places rich in Christian history, then St. Willibald (d. 876) is the saint for you this month.  He was one of the most widely travelled Anglo-Saxons of his time. Willibald...

An astonishing fact about our secular age is that “religious music is absolutely everywhere, all the time.” So says Ivan Hewitt, former presenter of BBC Radio 3’s Music Matters. Hewitt believes that there is some significance in this.  He wrote recently: “I would say it shows that in a stressful age, people have developed a...

Martha, Lazarus and Mary Childlike in simplicity Prioritising Peter’s Vision A Garden Mystery Wonder Glory Quiet Peace ** Martha, Lazarus and Mary (John 12:1-8) Martha welcomed and worked hard And worried about so many things, Especially that Mary didn’t. Lazarus lived again and found fame, And shared supper with the guest Who called him from...