As I look back over a long life. I recently recalled a few changes that have occurred in the church. In our late teens, my older brother and I attended an elders meeting, somewhat nervously, to ask if it would be possible for the church to purchase a piano to use for youth meetings. With…

Two weeks ago today I was sitting anxiously at home awaiting news of the birth of our 1st grandchild in London. The day dragged on and the evening came. There had been various messages about progress, and by 11.30pm I was exhausted! Our other son lives in Australia so he took over the “sideline encouragement”…

Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.      (Acts 4:36-37) What do we learn here about Barnabas? Firstly, his real name was Joseph. Secondly, he was a Levite, that is that he…

My husband and I have just returned from a few days in Aldeburgh. I’m telling people that we were on a “Good Food Holiday”. We treated ourselves to lunch each day we were away. This was bliss for me as I didn’t have to cook or wash up and I enjoyed being able to rest.…

When I think of October, I think of the colour orange – pumpkins, leaves changing colour, sunsets and marigolds – the flower of the month. Marigolds are amazing little flowers that originated from the Americas in the early 1600s. Their vibrant colours reflect the colours of the sun – they are like a burst of…

Geoffrey Chaucer’s works from the fourteenth Century give us the origin of the phrase, ‘mighty oaks from little acorns grow.’ We usually take that as an encouragement to have high expectations even of things that have humble beginnings. A recent expedition to the park at Helmingham when the gardens were closed because of adverse weather…