Thought for the week

Two dear friends have died. It has been a sad time but also good to remember them and the friendship we enjoyed. Both were Christians – disciples of Jesus – and had enjoyed long and active lives. It is a great blessing to have good friends and to be able to encourage one another through…

David Whalley died recently aged 72. He had spent almost 40 years with the Royal Air Force Rescue Service. He was a legend of mountain rescue having attended more than 1,000 incidents and 80 plane crashes. He was also a passionate mountaineer who climbed Scotland’s 282 Munros (mountains over 3000 feet) seven times and went…

On 8 May there will be celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. On 8 May 1945 the Allies formally accepted Germany’s unconditional surrender of its armed forces and the surrender of all German military operations. Adolf Hitler, the Nazi leader, had committed suicide on 30 April so his successor Karl…

My wife is not well, and we often go for a short drive in the car. Sometimes we go to a forest drive near where we live. We sit and look out on the hills and trees. It is a peaceful place and the new leaves on the trees are beautiful. Because it is quiet…

Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore was one of the two astronauts who spent over nine months in space before being rescued. Butch and Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams became stranded on the International Space Station after technical issues with their return capsule. They were supposed to spend 8 days on the ISS but ended up being there for 286…

The resurrection of Jesus transformed his first disciples from a spirit of defeat and despair into people of joy and hope. This transformation explains why they changed the world as they proclaimed the wonderful message of Jesus and the resurrection. They faced great opposition from their own people, and from the Roman world, but were…

Easter is a very special time for Christians when they remember the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. The last week of Jesus’ life was spent in Jerusalem and was a time of great contrasts. On Palm Sunday he entered Jerusalem in triumph to the acclamation of thousands of people who had come to…

One of my favourite days of the year is the first day of British Summer Time. This year it was a beautiful sunny day, and the bright colours of the spring flowers were resplendent. As my wife and I go to the evening service at our church we know it will be light when we…

The Six Nations Rugby Championship this year was won by France who were just one point ahead of England although England narrowly won their match against France. England had a new captain this year. Maro Itoje, the captain of Saracens, plays as a lock and has won 90 caps. Maro is a Christian and said…

The numbers of children and young people in the UK experiencing mental health difficulties have risen at alarming rates over the past decade. Around 200 children in an average secondary school in England currently have a mental health problem. Why is this happening? The Covid pandemic seriously affected children and young people when their schools…