Thought for the week

The Brazilian footballer Roberto “Bobby” Firmino has had a very successful career. After playing in Brazil and Germany he signed for Liverpool in 2015 and now plays in Saudi Arabia. He has represented Brazil 55 times scoring 17 goals. He grew up in a poor family in Brazil. His father, Jose, was a street vendor…

The Bible is a source of comfort and strength to people all over the world. In the Bible God speaks to us. He reveals his own heart and character and speaks to our hearts. Psalm 23 was written by David and is one of the best-known passages in the Bible. It has been a help…

In the past week we have remembered those who died in the two Great Wars of the 20th century. Remembering those who died is important. The scale of the losses was terrible. In World War I 20 million military personnel and civilians died. In World War II between 40 and 50 million died. It is…

We are living in days of great stress that affect the whole world. The Covid-19 pandemic took the lives of many people and those who lost loved ones still feel it keenly. The wars in Ukraine and Sudan and more recently in Gaza have involved destruction of whole communities and the deaths of many men,…

The autumn leaves are beginning to fall. Once again, we are witnessing the spectacular autumn colours – yellows, browns, and red. On bright sunny mornings the kaleidoscope of colour is glorious. This is one of the ways in which the great God of creation tells us that he is there, and this is his world.…

We have recently celebrated National Adoption Week which highlights the many families who have adopted children and the need of many children today to find a loving home. Luke Bacon, who was adopted as a baby, is now married to Becci. They have two daughters and Luke is curate at St John’s Church, Chatham. From…

We live in a world of seemingly irreconcilable divisions and conflicts that take or spoil the lives of many ordinary people. So, it is very encouraging to hear of a Palestinian Christian mother, living in Bethlehem, who has taken steps to bridge one of the great divides in today’s world. She is building relationships with…

Everything was dark and little made sense when 27-year-old Andrii Smolenskyi finally regained consciousness. “The whole mission was just a dream,” he thought to himself as he lay in bed. “Why’s it so dark?” Andrii, still groggy from having just woken up, thought the blanket was draped over his head. “Then I realized that I…

When 15-year-old Elianne Andam left her Croydon home last Thursday morning to go to Old Palace of Whitgift School no-one could possibly have known that she would not arrive at school or return to her home. When Elianne was on the bus a boy tried to give a bouquet of flowers to his former girlfriend,…

Christians love to sing of about their Saviour, Jesus Christ. They find great help and encouragement in singing hymns that express their faith in Jesus. Singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs together with other Christians lifts their spirits. Many Christian hymns and songs focus on the life experiences of Christians in this world. A hymn…