In 2010, for the first time, World Homeless Day was held. Unusually for special days, this one does not have a theme although it could be argued that its very name is its theme. The website gives a simple overview and can be found at www.worldhomelessday.org – it states the purpose of the day. “This…
When Julien Alfred won a gold medal in the 100m at this summer’s Olympic games it was an Olympic first. Many other athletes won gold medals, but she had not. Three other countries achieved their first gold this year, namely, Botswana, Dominica and Guatemala, and three other countries won their first medal of any colour,…
You do not need me to tell you that green plants move in the direction of sunlight because they need the light to photosynthesise; the process that is they key to their life. After a week away in Scotland recently, where the weather was less than ideal, my return to my usual walking routes soon…
It is quite likely that a church near you will be celebrating Harvest Thanksgiving sometime in late September or early October. Despite the all-year-round nature of harvest the traditional celebration is fixed following the end of the cereal harvest. Raspberries, potatoes, fish and fuel are all very well but the place of bread in the…
Today’s reading is Joshua 24:19-24 It may not be your experience but making choices can be difficult. The more indecisive we are, the longer we spend looking at arguments on both hands. ‘On the one hand this and on the other hand that’ goes the dilemma. People who have found their way to faith in…
A river in flood is powerful and daunting; to cross safely is risky and requires good local knowledge. According to the bible, as the leadership of Moses gave way to that of Joshua one of the new leaders first tasks was to get the people across the Jordan into Canaan, their ‘Promised Land.’ The vision…
I am not sure why, but I have always subconsciously categorised bees as good, wasps as irritating and hornets as outright dangerous. I am irrational; bees are lethal to those who react badly to stings, wasps are important pollinators as are hornets, which also have a part to play in balancing other insect populations. They…
In today’s reading [Colossians 1:21-23], we find Saint Paul writing about alienation from God because of what he calls our ‘evil behaviour’ (NIV(UK)). The way we think, act, live, our instincts and everything are a problem in our relationship with God. We are our own worst enemies in making it difficult to see and hear…
The Prayer Handbook points out that today is kept, in the Catholic Church particularly, as the Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary. It is the day when the mother of Jesus ‘fell asleep’ and of her bodily assumption into heaven. That language is outside my comfort zone and for years would have deterred me from…
An unexpected benefit of spending weekends with our daughter and son-in-law is getting to see new places. They are not new of course, just new to me. The latest discovery was walking by the river Darent and discovering a great viaduct, towering over a country lane. Later in the following week I caught up with…