Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

Negative thoughts can actually harm you, physically.  In a recent study by the universities of Exeter and Oxford, it was found that if you listen to that critical inner voice, you will end up with an increased heart rate, consistent with feelings of being under threat and distress. On the other hand, positive thoughts have...

I remember vividly a simple poster I saw on the notice board of our local Methodist Chapel. It had a silhouette of three crosses on a hill, and underneath the words, ‘FOR YOU’. Nothing fancy or clever, but a clear presentation of the Easter message, and it struck me deeply. At Easter our thoughts are...

Mark, whose home in Jerusalem became a place of rest for Jesus and His 12 apostles, is considered the traditional author of the second gospel.  He is also usually identified as the young man, described in Mark 14:51, who followed Christ after his arrest and then escaped capture by leaving his clothes behind. Papias, in...

I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women. How the mighty have fallen! 2 Samuel 1:26 A lament is a passionate expression of grief, a heartfelt cry of sadness. Here David, who composed some of the most memorable...

Our roads are full of holes.  Potholes.  There is now a two and a half times greater chance that your car will be damaged in a pothole than there was 13 years ago. One in five local roads in England and Wales is in a poor condition, and road resurfacing has declined, according to the...

The Rectory St James the Least of All My dear Nephew Darren My generous offer to take last week’s marriage service for you in your church, so that you could attend your weekend plumbing course, proved most unwise.  You may now be qualified to unblock church hall kitchen sinks, but I will not be taking...

Tertullian was born in Carthage, North Africa, about 155 AD. He had pagan parents and his father may have been a centurion. Carthage was a prestigious Roman colony and Tertullian was given a good education in Greek, Latin, literature, history and philosophy. On arrival in Rome, Tertullian probably worked as a lawyer. In Rome, he...

Plans to encourage the Church of England’s one million regular worshippers to be more confident in spreading the Christian message in their everyday lives were given the backing of the General Synod in February. Members of the General Synod welcomed the Church of England’s campaign Motivating the Million, which is aimed at helping congregations in...

Jesus’s death on the cross, and His resurrection on Easter morning are both part of the redemption story.  Paul links them in this way: ‘He was delivered for our offences [the Cross] and raised again [the Resurrection] for our justification’ (Romans 4:25).  Charles Wesley does likewise in his glorious Easter anthem. Christ the Lord is...

Do you ever worry about burglars, or being physically attacked? Probably.  It seems that 14 per cent of us believe we WILL be a victim of crime this year, 52 per cent of us would not be surprised to become a victim, and only about one third of us are confident that we will NOT...

If you have ever been in trouble for simply doing good, then Zita is the saint for you.  Born in 1218 to poor but devout parents in Monsagrati, Zita was sent at the age of 12 to work as a servant for the rich Fatinelli family in nearby Lucca. Zita was pious, generous and hard-working....

Root-to-flower eating is the latest craze in many British restaurants, as more and more waste-conscious chefs aim to use the whole plant instead of throwing away the leaves. So now you can enjoy carrot tops, beetroot stems, cauliflower leaves and cucumber flowers.   As one chef says: “Most plants are all edible.  But what we usually...