Have you ever contacted an organisation by phone, online or email and received an automatic response such as “Good customer service is very important to us and we aim to respond to you within 2 working days. However, we are currently experiencing a higher volume of emails so please bear with us if we are unable to respond to you within this time”. Sometimes with a…

A colleague I worked with some time ago was a frequent user of this expression and in a moment of frustration, I snapped, “Well why don’t you ask Him then?”  The look on his face was priceless. After preaching at a country church one Sunday, I received a telephone call (no number identified) and was…

Though not an avid watcher of the 2024 Olympics, I am interested in how Team GB is getting on in the various categories. There have surprises and disappointments, especially for any contestant who has trained hard but failed to meet their personal expectations. On social media, there are lots of “thumbs up” for those who…

Even people not interested in football have probably not avoided the euphoria that accompanied the Ipswich Town football team’s promotion to the Premier League. Following on from that, there have been details of large sums of money spent on bringing new players to join the team. As I read of these ‘transfers in, I wondered…

I remember the following story by a man who was an elder in a church that was a few miles away from his home. One dark and stormy night, he was putting on his coat and his wife asked him where he was going. He replied, “To the Prayer Meeting”.  She responded, “Is it worth…

One Saturday, several years ago, my wife and I were confronted with what, at the time, we considered devastating news. The following day, we attended the usual church services “putting on a brave face” The evening service was a special occasion that was preceded by a prayer meeting for the few who attended. My thoughts…

I read the following extract from an American Facebook post. For those unaware of American driving, a “stick or stick shift” is a manual gearbox instead of an automatic. “As I was pulling into work, I was following this car. The sign in the back window says, “Learning stick sorry for any delay.”  Knowing this…

I recall a work colleague telling me that driving home after a holiday, he came across a long line of traffic following an accident. He stopped in plenty of time, but unfortunately, the vehicles behind did not. His car was shunted into the cars in front of him, but because the car he was driving…

Some years ago, I visited a Christian couple whose daughter had been murdered.  During our conversation, he mentioned that his best friend, having heard the news, telephoned him and during their chat said, “Don’t worry, brother, Romans 8 verse 28,” Aware of this verse I asked him what his reaction was, and he replied, “I…

I recall a business colleague once saying to me, “That the faults we see in others are often a reflection of our own faults”. About an hour later in our conversation, he asked, “What would you say are my faults?” I suppose many Christians have a “soft spot” for the disciple Peter, especially while in…