The other night I woke up suddenly at midnight with this thought running through my head; “Am I permanently damaging my children by not giving them pocket money?” Suddenly I was full of doubts about my parenting. Am I too controlling? Am I too stingy? I couldn’t get back to sleep. Eventually I decided to …
Ehud is described in most Bible translations as simply being left handed (Judges 3:15). However, scholars suggest that the original Hebrew phrase used literally means “shut up in his right hand“. Evidently his right hand was damaged in some way that made him unable to use it properly. Unfortunately it is likely that, in his …
Tomorrow is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. Here in Wales the sun won’t rise till past 8am and will be setting just after 4pm. One good thing about such a late sunrise is a lot more of us are awake to enjoy it than in the summer …
The book of Judges in the Bible makes for a very engaging read. I still clearly remember the first time I ever read about Gideon. I was on the London Underground, jaw wide open and could barely contain my excitement as the story unfolded and Gideon’s army got smaller and smaller. The Judges were leaders in …
Roughly a year ago, reporters latched onto a story about a primary school in one of the most deprived and densely populated neighbourhoods of Bradford. What was special about the school was the massive turn-around they had achieved – from being under special measures, to being rated ‘good’ by Ofsted. It is now in the …
What is your beauty regime each morning? In ancient times, people would crouch over an incense burner, whilst holding a sheet over themselves like a tent. (I don’t know about you but this makes me very grateful for eau de toilette.) This was among the number of beautifying techniques it is likely that Esther would …
Of the 11 brothers of Joseph, it was Judah who came up with the wicked plan to sell him as a slave to passing traders and make a profit (Genesis 37:26-27). It was Judah who denied his daughter-in-law her right to marry his son, leaving her a childless, bereft widow (Genesis 38:11) It was Judah …
The English language is full of proverbs reminding us we are short on time and ought to act NOW… ‘There is no time like the present’ ‘The early bird catches the worm’ ‘Never put off until tomorrow that which can be done today’ …to name just a few. But what does the Bible say? Proverbs …
“Sleep that knits up the ravelled sleave of care, The death of each day’s life, sore labor’s bath, Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course, Chief nourisher in life’s feast.” Shakespeare wrote these insightful words back in the early 1600’s – long before the influx of medical research on the topic of sleep. He was already profoundly aware of …
Recently the BBC published an article on the special relationship between cycling and suffering. The writer interviewed various professional cyclists who described their battle in coping with the pain that high intensity exertion brings about. Perhaps unsurprisingly, most said that the majority of the battle takes place in the mind. Alex Hansen holds the record …