Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

– ageing in perspective By Harriet and Donald Mowat, BRF, £8.99 What has been the purpose of our lives?  As Christians, ageing gives us the opportunity to deepen and even transform our spiritual understanding. The Freedom of Years helps those who want to undertake the journey by examining the ageing task, the inevitable changes and...

I saw the summer flowers on a bright and sunny day, I heard the sound of birdsong as they fluttered on their way I thought all this was science, only nature’s rules at play – And that was such a shame. I saw the stars of winter shining in a velvet sky I knew creation’s...

Here are some tips which may prove useful. What is the source?  Have a good look at the website where you found it, including the About Us section.  Is it really a news site? Are other stories from this site believable?  Can you find this story and the other stories on the site anywhere else?...

St Alban should be the patron saint of anyone who impulsively offers to help a stranger in need… and finds their own life turned upside down as a result. The story goes that Alban was a Roman citizen quietly living in England in the third century.  Then, miles away in Rome, the emperor, Diocletian ordered...

– couples, conflict and the capacity for change By Natalie Collins, SPCK, £10.39 All of us will have had experience of supporting a friend or family member through the turmoil of a bad relationship.  But could some of the more difficult times of argument and conflict be more than they appear? Is there something more...

John the Baptist is famous for baptising Jesus, and for losing his head to a woman. He was born to Zechariah, a Temple priest, and Elizabeth, who was a cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus.  John was born when his mother was advanced in years, and after the foretelling of his birth and the...

– encouragements for living, working and being By Samuel Wells, Canterbury Press, £12.99 In the spirit of the popular poem ‘Desiderata’, world-renowned ethicist, theologian and preacher Samuel Wells offers eight exhortations in this extended meditation on being alive in the world and making our way through life. Each exhortation is simple and direct – be...

A student called ‘Wright’, so they say Wrote ‘right’ in a wrong kind of way His teacher, inflamed Then loudly exclaimed “Right Wright, write ‘right’ right, right away!” By Nigel Beeton

Britain is in the midst of a loneliness epidemic.  A survey by the Jo Cox Commission in 2017 revealed that nine million of us in the UK are affected by it. So, no wonder that last year the Government even appointed the world’s first loneliness minister, Tracey Crouch.  And no wonder that the Marmalade Trust...

The two most famous apostles are remembered this month, for they share a feast day. St Peter (d. c. 64AD), originally called Simon, was a married fisherman from Bethsaida, near the Sea of Galilee.  He met Jesus through his brother, Andrew.  Jesus gave him the name of Cephas (Peter) which means rock.  Peter is always...

Peace between neighbours near, Peace between kindred here, Peace between lovers dear, In the love of the King of us all.   Peace man with man abide, Peace man to wife allied, Mother and bairns to guide, And peace of the Christ above all.   Bless, O Christ, bless my face, My face bless every...

Like Peter, Paul (d. c. 65) also started life with another name: Saul.  This great apostle to the Gentiles was a Jew born in Tarsus and brought up by Gamaliel as a Pharisee.  So keen was he to defend the god of his fathers that he became a persecutor of Christianity, and even took part...