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…

A recent incident reminded me of a young Welshman who attended our church before being promoted to a position in Cardiff. We had enjoyed his company in our home on many occasions, so a few years later while he was visiting London, he thought he would call and see us (in Felixstowe) “on his way…

I recently completed my latest long distance cycle ride – from Newcastle to Edinburgh. The road started easy and flat following the east coast out of Tynemouth, past various castles along the coast – Warkworth, Dunstanbrugh, and Bamburgh, before we took a short detour to Holy island and Lindasfarne. Our third day saw us cross…

Sometimes it is the small and seemingly irrelevant details in a Bible passage that can prove the most interesting. Take, for instance, the example of Joseph from the Old Testament. You will almost certainly remember his brothers selling him into slavery when they got the opportunity to do so. That opportunity arose when they were…

The Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 made it unlawful to discriminate against people living with disabilities. 30 years on we have made great strides, but we are still not quite there. As somebody who regularly pushes a wheelchair, I have come to be a bit of an expert on just how inaccessible some “accessible” toilets…

Saturday afternoon I was in the kitchen pottering around and a smiley face appeared at the window – my four-year-old neighbour. Waving to him and looking out past him, I motioned to him to stay where he was as I made my way to the front door. We greeted each other and I scoured the…

Mark 6:31: He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. Mark chapter 6 is a busy narrative and it provides the seeds for this third in my summer series of thoughts. Jesus…

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…

A novel I read some time ago contained a story of a town in the USA where a well-known character, called Ike, lived. He had always been known by that name, and no one had bothered to find out his birth name. One day, his brother moved to the town and was so much like…

There has been a vogue for repurposing phone boxes. Since the advent of mobile phones, the iconic red phone box has often been left unused and even vandalised. However over recent years they have received a lick of paint and a new lease of life. Many village streets have a lending library of books or…