Thought for the week

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…

When Michael Sheen, the Welsh actor, walked into a post office in Port Talbot and asked to withdraw £100, 000 the young lady behind the till said, “That would be nice!” She thought he was joking! But Michael was filming a new Channel 4 documentary about his “Secret Million Pound Giveaway.” This is a two-year…

The Spring is coming. God’s creation is coming to life all around us. The lovely sunny days we have enjoyed lift our spirits as we anticipate the longer, warmer days ahead. The snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils are flowering, and the buds are on the magnolia trees. People are out walking and cycling; children are playing.…

When you are discouraged where do you look for encouragement? The short, dark days of winter are difficult. World news is overwhelmingly bad news. There is trouble everywhere and world leaders don’t seem to know what to do. The lives of many people are desperately sad. Reading the Bible lifts our spirits, but it’s a…

The third anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion will be marked on 24 February. Ukraine has lost 43,000 soldiers killed in action and 370,000 more have been wounded. Almost half of those who have been wounded have returned to service. Russia has reported 198,000 deaths and more than 550,000 wounded. Since last September more than…