Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

Following publication by the Committee of Advertising Practice of new standards protecting children from irresponsible gambling advertisements, The Bishop of St Albans, The Rt Revd Dr Alan Smith, said: “While I welcome the proposals, these new standards are, in fact, another lost opportunity in the fight against problem gambling. “With little consequences for companies flouting...

Editor:  As the church year does not change, much of this material has appeared before.  The articles on ‘Fooling Around’ and ‘Mary Magdalene’ are new this year. NEW*1  Fooling around 1          April Fool’s Day 2          Hugh of Grenoble – the saint who fought corruption 3          Richard of Chichester – wanting God more clearly, dearly and...

With Easter in mind… With our Christian faith in mind…  Miscellaneous observations on daily life   With Easter in mind… Who delivered up Jesus to die?  Not Judas, for money; not Pilate, for fear; not the Jews, for envy; but the Father, for love! – Octavious Winslow The world cannot bury Christ.  The earth is...

by Canon David Winter I was about six when I began to enjoy April Fool’s Day. My older brother was very clever at appropriate hoaxes, not only deceiving me but also mum and dad. On the whole my childish efforts were encouraged. The day was full of laughs, even at school, where the teachers would...

In years gone by, the rules surrounding April Fool were this:  between midnight and noon on 1st April, everyone is ‘fair game’ to be made a fool of.  It is the morning of the practical joke.  But the aim is not just to discomfort the victim: he must be tricked into taking action himself, sent...

Murky crimes committed by various church leaders, local shops in trouble, roads needing repair, and hospitals in a sorry state…. wanting to retire, but the law said no… it seems that Hugh of Grenoble was dealing with 21st century problems in the 11th century. Born at Chateauneuf in 1052 as the son of a knight,...

The Contemplative Response Faithful Grandparents The Sacred Art of Joking Recovering from Depression Locked in Chase The Lion The Identification Principle ** The Contemplative Response – leadership and ministry in a distracted culture By Ian Cowley, BRF, £8.99 Here is wisdom and sustenance for all Christians who struggle to maintain a still, quiet centre in...

Egg Church notice:  This being Easter Sunday, we will ask Mrs Cusworth to come forward and lay an egg on the altar. ** The bishop’s visit A bishop was visiting a small church in his diocese for Easter.  He wanted the young people to understand what he had to say about the Good Shepherd, so...

By Ian Cowley, BRF, £8.99 Here is wisdom and sustenance for all Christians who struggle to maintain a still, quiet centre in the midst of a 24/7 contemporary culture shaped by worldly ambition, consumerism and information overload. Cowley explains: “I find that three particular words – achieve, acquire, indulge – seem to point to the...

By Anita Cleverly, BRF, £9.99 Here is a call for grandparents to understand and step into the hugely influential role they can play in the lives of their grandchildren. Arguably, there has never been a more important time to find meaningful ways of passing on faith from one generation to the next, and Anita believes...

Ever wonder where the prayer … ‘May I know thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, and follow thee more nearly, day by day’ comes from?  Richard of Chichester, a bishop in the 13th century, wrote it. He began life as Richard de Wych of Droitwich, the son of a yeoman farmer.  But Richard was...

By James Cary, SPCK, £8.99 Every few weeks a politician, pundit or soap star causes a media storm by making a gaffe or tweeting a joke that some people do not find funny. Comedy is very hard to get right and yet we think it’s important to have a sense of humour and not take yourself too...