Who could have missed the T-shirts and placards a couple of weeks ago bearing the slogan ‘Je suis Charlie’ (‘I am Charlie’), expressing solidarity with the staff of the magazine Charlie Hebdo following the gruesome attack on their offices which left several of their colleagues dead and a nation in shock. Other similar acts of
Read moreWe are familiar with the idea that location is, if not all-important, at least highly important. Most of us put a lot of thought into where we choose to live, and then put a lot of energy into making our homes look as we want them to. The value of a property is affected dramatically
Read more‘The Theory of Everything’ is the current film telling the story of the relationship between theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking and his first wife Jane Wilde. I presume it takes its title from Hawking’s search – shared with other physicists – for a single unified theory to explain the essential workings of the universe. I am
Read moreIt’s the start of another new year… so, what’s new? Traditionally this is a time for fresh resolutions. Perhaps to exercise more and eat less? To watch less television and read more? To do those jobs we’ve been putting off for weeks, months or even years? To get in touch with a friend or relative
Read moreThe terrible shootings at the Army Public School in Peshawar, Pakistan on Tuesday morning remind us that ‘peace on earth’ seems to be just as far away as ever. Is it even possible? And yet we all have a longing for peace. Even those who fight do so because they want to bring about their
Read moreYes, that really was the headline in a newspaper this week: “Jesus Christ plays for Chelsea say 1 in 5 kids”. This was swiftly followed in the online version by: “1 in 4 kids think the shepherds found Jesus using Google maps. 1 in 10 think Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was in the stable. Half
Read moreI read this week that the opening line of “Hark, the herald angels sing” was originally “Hark, how all the welkin rings”. No, I hadn’t heard of a welkin either, but my dictionary tells me it means “sky, upper air.” Well, at least that makes sense. I understand that it was the preacher George Whitefield
Read moreThirty years after the original recording, Bob Geldof has revived Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? – in order to raise money for the West African countries affected by Ebola. It is easy to be cynical about such “celebrity activism”, dismissed by some as patronising and pointless – and it is hard to tell
Read moreI had completely forgotten about the Rosetta space mission, until the news eleven days ago that the Philae probe had successfully landed on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (clearly not a name chosen for publicity or fame). I don’t blame myself for forgetting, though. After all, it was over ten years ago that Rosetta left earth – but
Read moreOne of the blessings of studying in fellowship groups the Bible passage that was preached on the previous Sunday is that it gives us another opportunity to discover fresh insights in the same part of God’s word. In my case, I get to write the sermon and produce suggested Bible study questions, and then to
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