Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France, was born 250 years ago, on 15th August 1769. He is considered to be one of the greatest military leaders in history, but his origins gave no hint of what was to come. He was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, an island which up to the year of his birth had...

How will you become a better person than you are now?   Have you ever denied yourself in order to try and please God?  No matter what your dedication, it is unlikely that your efforts will ever have outshone those of Rose of Lima (1586 – 1617), who in 1671 became the first saint of America,...

(Lk 11:1b)   Well Lord God, here I am, believing in you, trusting in Jesus, knowing that you sent your Spirit to connect us. But sometimes the signal seems weak, As though I’ve wandered out of range.   Lord, I want to grow closer, to hear your voice and know your guidance in the nitty-gritty...

How is Prince Harry doing? Well, life is a bit different for him, but on average, around one in five British men loses close friends within a year of becoming a father. Yet young parents struggle more with parenthood without the support of close friends, according to the Movember Foundation charity.  It urges men to...

Back in 2002, one year on from 9/11, the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, reflected on the terrible attack.  All these years later, we think it is worth looking back on what he said.  We have run this long, for you to cut as you like. ‘For myself, the view of the skyline...

Call for churches to act as safe havens in hot spots for serious youth violence Bishop calls for churches to garden for mental health Church of England announces up to £155m investment in mission and ministry  Ecclesiastical Insurance launches Parish Pixels   Children with mental health issues turned away A guide to making our church...

It was 40 years ago, on 27th August 1979, that Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, was killed by an IRA bomb on his fishing boat Shadow V off the coast of Ireland in Donegal Bay.  He was Viceroy of India (1947), Governor-General of India (1947-48), First Sea Lord (1955-59) and mentor of the...

On consecutive days this month (27th and 28th) the Christian Church celebrates, a mother and her son. The mother is Monica, and her son is Augustine. The story of their relationship and how, after a long process, they both came to share the same Christian faith is a moving one, and perhaps has a message...

Take, Lord, and receive all my freedom, my memory, my intelligence and my will – all that I have and possess. You, Lord, have given those things to me. I now give them back to you, Lord. All belongs to you. Dispose of these gifts according to your will. I ask only for your love...

The old adage that dogs take after their owners may be more true that we realise.   For a new study has found that when dog-owners suffer from on-going anxiety, so do their dogs. Scientists measured the concentration of cortisol, a stress hormone, by taking a few centimetres of hair from a number of dogs and...

The Bible Society’s Open the Book (OtB) programme offers primary school children an opportunity to hear the major stories of the Bible through the academic year. It is a three-year rolling programme of chronological stories.  Volunteers from local churches present the stories during assemblies using drama, props and costumes.  OtB meets the criteria used by school inspection...

The robin sang, the flowers bloomed all nature played its part, The only discord in this scene was man’s reluctant heart. The Creator’s manual he ignored so a path of pain he trod, Thinking that he knew the best man turned away from God.   The mess we’re in has been self-made, all answers lie...