Thought for the week

Last Sunday Christians around the world remembered the Day of Pentecost when in the first century the Holy Spirit came upon the Christians in Jerusalem. Before he died Jesus had promised his disciples that the Holy Spirit would come to them. He said, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor…

King Solomon was famous for his wisdom. When he became king, in succession to his father David, God said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Solomon was young, just 20 years old, so he asked, “Give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right…

This Spring in Britain has been the driest in 69 years. Some areas have received significantly less rainfall than average. Many rivers have reached exceptionally low levels and reservoirs are noticeably lower than usual. Water companies are beginning to prepare drought plans. Half the people in the world experience severe water shortage for at least…

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…