The unexpected knock, the sudden uncertainty, the surprised smiles, the rush of relief mixed with excitement. “You came!”

When you had given up thinking that they would come and were settled into the ache of the hope you could not let go of, that perhaps they might. When you had put the thing you had left by the door to give to them, back into the drawer with a mental note that you knew where it was, if that day ever came. When, in busy times you did not give the thought time to surface, but it did every time you paused, or looked out. That’s when it came…

What should we do when we are offended by the gift and we know that there are strings attached? Some would say that the perfect gift is one given generously, where the recipient feels no pressure to return the favour and has done nothing to merit their receipt of it. It comes at just the…

As the son of a preacher my childhood Sundays were spent driving around the North Yorkshire Dales to cold chapels and warm kitchens. The smell of the hymnbooks, the wheezing of the harmonium, the sight of the tables spread with food, and the gentle earnestness and generous hospitality of the dales folk are still etched in my mind.  Today most of the chapels are closed. Only last week, I helped to move furniture from one that held its last service just a month ago. This caring Christian presence at the heart of every community is disappearing fast.

“God loves you just the way you are, but He loves you too much to let you stay that way.” Deep inside each of us is the need to know that we are loved and to feel accepted for who we are. Most would agree with this statement, and yet many of us carry the…

What is more important to you, safety or goodness?
“Ooh!” said Susan… “Is he—quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
“Safe?” said Mr Beaver;… “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
The idea that “good” might not be “safe”, and that “safe” is not automatically “good” comes as a surprise in today’s safety-conscious world, where safety has become synonymous with universal good. CS Lewis, however, had encountered the God of the Bible and used this experience to form the character of Aslan, the Lion-King of Narnia. The fact that so many children, and adults too, have been absorbed in, and enriched by the complex characters portrayed in his Narnian tales suggests that his characterisation describes a reality that resonates in human hearts and minds.
The writers of the bible, present us with a God who they are struggling to comprehend, let alone describe or interact with in a positive way.

Significance (noun) 1. The quality of being worthy of attention; importance. 2. The meaning to be found in words or events In Memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) The passing of someone who has been significant in our lives, even when it is expected always comes as a shock. Our world changes as…

When we stop and consider the impact we or others have made on this earth, our first thoughts go to how we have spent our hours alive; the time we have invested in our children, our careers, our communities; what we have given to others, what we have left to those who will come after us. We give little or no thought to the impact that how we die will have. But when we look at the news or read history, we all want to know how someone died. Whatever we think now, actually it does matter. Perhaps how we view our own death is as important as how we choose to live.

Isn’t it strange how quickly the world can change? It changed in the winter of 2020 with news reports of a new disease in a place far away on the opposite side of the globe. But within weeks it wasn’t just there, it was here too. A sinister threat with the power to harm health…

Its spring and time for newness. The re-emergence of life from the weight of winter, the lifting of the burden of restriction and the hopefulness that this dark season is coming to its conclusion together draw our eyes and hearts towards the new horizon. We have felt the earth shake, seen normal life reduced by…

“But, is it safe?” The question, perhaps, that is on everyone’s lips. Is the vaccine safe? When will it be safe for lockdown to be lifted? Can it be safe to travel to other countries, safe to go out for a meal, or to be out at night? Safe to send our children to school, or our young people to university? The world does not feel very ‘safe’ anymore.