I guess most readers of these thoughts either go on holiday sometimes or used to do so. I wonder if you prefer to plan holidays to new places so that you can explore another part of the world, or whether you like to go to familiar places?  On one of my holidays this year I…

Last week I wrote about the National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast and the encouragement it is to know that, through that event, Christian influence is expressed to those in positions of leadership in our land, affirming MPs and members of the House of Lords in their work and Christian faith.  The theme of the main talk…

Of recent years I have watched the Annual National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast, and this year it was held, as usual, in Westminster Hall, 7on July 7th. 650 parliamentarians and church leaders gathered for worship, prayer and to listen to the speaker, Clare Williams- Sarpong, from the Oxford centre for Christian Apologetics. She spoke on the…

In 2003 a series of 4 TV programmes was recorded entitled “Grumpy Old Men”. The title was taken from the 1997 film which starred Jack Lemmon. In the TV programme, narrated by Geoffrey Palmer, a number of famous men between the ages of 35 and 54 aired their grievances about various aspects of modern life…

I wonder how often it is that you receive a handwritten letter these days? And how often do you write a letter to friends/ family members? I have to confess that I contact people mainly by email, text or phone call now and it is quite rare to receive a handwritten letter. Postage costs have…

As I write this TFTD the news bulletins are telling us about wildfires destroying large areas of land in Europe, Canada and the UK due to the long period of draught. One of the most distressing aspects of this situation is the evacuation of people from their homes. There have been clips of people sleeping on…

Growing sweet peas has become something of an annual ritual for me. In February, when the weather is cold and rather miserable, I buy 2 packets of sweet pea seeds. I sow them in compost in a tray placed on the spare bedroom window sill and wait to see the first signs of growth. By…

This week I’m continuing to look at some of the issues raised by Sir Gareth Southgate in respect of young men, inspired this time by the TV programme which was shown recently, “Changing the Game for Young Men”. In this programme he asks how we can build a positive culture around young men when many…

Following retirement from his post as England manager Sir Gareth Southgate was asked what he would do next. He said that he wanted to spend time thinking about that, and shortly afterwards he was asked to give the Dimbleby lecture in 2025. As I listened to him delivering that lecture, I felt it was a most…

One of the distressing items that sometimes comes up on the news is a report on a medical facility where standards have fallen far short of what is required and harm has occurred to individuals whilst they are vulnerable, sick and in need of professional care. This “thought” is not intended to undermine the serious…