Francoise Fenelon, a writer, poet and Archbishop in France, in the 17th Century, once said: “The more you say, the less people remember.” I recently discovered this was one of my Grandpa’s favourite quotes. My Grandpa passed away when I was a teenager. From what I remember of him, he didn’t say very much at …
If you followed the recent Wagatha Christie case, you will have seen how far a person might go, and how much they are willing to spend, simply to try and protect their reputation. In a way, it is not that surprising, considering what it says in Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is more desirable than …
One of the most positive ways in which we can use our words, is to encourage others. Therefore, this is the first topic I would like to look at in this blog series – What’s in a Word? I’ll be exploring the following: (1) what encouragement actually is, (2) how we can get better at …
Words matter – a lot. In fact, Jesus said that, one day, all will have to give an account, for each careless word they have spoken. Matthew 12:36 That includes the words spoken on an evening out. Words muttered under our breath. Words shouted in anger, when we’ve reached our limits. Every word, spoken without …
I thought everything would feel easier after Christmas, once the colossal to-do list had been completed. However, our first couple of weeks back into school work have not been easy. Rather than a completed to-do list, I now have a list of all the ‘do after Christmas’ items, that got pushed back to make way …
It seems as if not a day goes by that my children don’t fight or shout at each other, usually for very minor reasons. I’ve tried so many things. We’ve gone through bible studies on kindness. We’ve had sticker charts, where they get stars for speaking kindly and encouragingly to one another. We’ve tried punishments …
With Christmas fast approaching, we’re being bombarded with all sorts of messages, encouraging us to seek perfection. “Shop here and find the perfect present.” “Order your food from here for the perfect Christmas meal.” “Discover decorations that will make your home perfect for the festive season.” For most people, there is a lot of pressure …
My husband and I have an unusually large number of children (5 in a country where the average is about 1.9[i]). This is highlighted by the reaction people have when we meet them in the street. Rarely can I go out without at least somebody stopping to ask me: ”Are they all yours?” We have …
In early 2020, before the first lockdown, I was at a comedy club, with a couple of good friends. One of the comedians performing that night was from Malawi. He joked that he needed to go back home to see what a stable government looked like! The Malawian government is not known for its stability, …
Have you ever had a really bad cut at the hairdressers? It’s happened to me a few times, where it’s been cut too short, a strange shape, or even wonky. Once, one side was about an inch longer than the other! If you’ve been there, you know the feeling: frustration, regret, disappointment. But then you …