Apparently, bumble-bees were once called humble-bees. Darwin, and others, referred to them as humble-bees simply because, as they fly, they hum. ¹ Over time, the use of the prefix bumble became more popular, partly with the help of Babbity Bumble’s appearance in Beatrix Potter’s ‘Tale of Mrs Tittlemouse’. Was it the advent of Potter’s notorious …
“Ask the green plants of the earth and they’ll teach you… Who among all of these doesn’t know that the LORD’s hand made them, and that the life of every living thing rests in his control.” Job 8-10 ISV Did you know, the soil in the rainforest is not actually very fertile? Because of …
We’ve had a Jubilee-themed week, which started on Monday morning with this lovely book. It covers some of the important moments in the Queen’s life, and how, through it all, her faith in Jesus, has been her anchor. In the evenings, I shared the story of Queen Esther, from the Bible, with my two …
At the start of this series, I began with an imperative – do not waste the gifts and talents God has given you. In this blog I feel led to clarify that imperative – accumulating ‘achievements’ is not the same as using your gifts. Last week, in our church bible study, we looked …
Noah’s Ark is one of the most famous Bible stories there is. So much so, it has inspired innumerable baby toys, accessories, and children’s clothing. The idea of a floating zoo is novel and child friendly. But the whole story is actually quite a sobering tale of wickedness, hard work, and salvation. God …
Upon the recommendation of a trusted friend, this year, we are doing a ‘names of Jesus’ advent calendar. It has not disappointed. On day 5, we read: he is the ‘light of the world’. Both the Old (Isaiah 9:2) and the New (John 1:4-5) Testament describe Jesus as light shining in the darkness. …
“She took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate… and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God” Genesis 3:6, 8 Shame has a way of making us want to hide away. We don’t want our …
It’s been a while since I last blogged. In fact, it’s the longest break I’ve had since I started nearly 4 years ago. Why? Well, honestly, I’ve been toying with the idea of giving up. Starting the blog was a challenge. Keeping it going has not been easy. I’ve made lots of mistakes. I wish …
St Valentine is bizarrely relevant this year – he was martyred in 270 AD for performing illegal marriages. At that time, marriages were banned for what was, perhaps, a less compelling reason than a global pandemic. Emporer Claudius II had believed that marriages were responsible for less soldiers joining his military campaigns, so he tried …
Being stuck in a perpetual groundhog day, makes conversation hard. I try to keep in touch. I know it is good for all our sanity. I know it will keep the relationships stronger for when we can finally meet up… but what do you talk about? ‘Have you been up to much?’ ‘I went for …