This morning I came home from the allotment covered in mud. It was on my face and in my hair too. Not a pretty sight. Sticky, dirty, brown mud is something most sane people avoid. But growing among all that mud were these tasty strawberries. So many that today we’ve made jam, compote and jelly …
Have you struggled with comfort eating during lockdown? I know from personal experience that although it can make me feel better in the moment, later it generally leaves me feeling worse. It causes discomfort and bloating in the short term, as well as guilt and regret! And if we persist, the pounds will start piling …
It was 10 years ago this month that I first made the commitment to follow Jesus and became a Christian. Shortly after, I wrote a poem that I remembered recently and managed to dig up from an old iPod touch (remember them?) Over the last year I’ve been attempting to write some more poetry and, …
A few days ago I was listening to the UCB 2 radio station. The song ‘Miracle’ by Mosaic MSC came on. The chorus goes: “I see a miracle, in an empty graveThe one we thought was deadHas come to life again” It suddenly hit me how miraculous it was that Jesus came to life again …
During this time of social distancing and self-isolation, I have had to break a number of commitments made to others. Visits I’ve been looking forward to have been postponed indefinitely. Everyone understands why though. Relationships remain intact – from a distance. Have you ever broken a commitment to someone? Was it easy to explain? Or …
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 …
Some mornings doing family worship with the children can be such hard work. Simply gathering the energy to even get started can feel like an internal battle. There are times I’ll sit in the lounge and have to call for the children to come more than once. When I finally start reading our Bible story, …
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 …