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Joseph was an honourable man
The Christmas story is about ordinary people whose lives were transformed by the extraordinary birth of Jesus. One character in the Christmas story who tends to be in the background is Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. The Gospels show him to be an upright, loving, and spiritual man. In our society there is a…
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Bob bought a Bible
Bob Yerkes died recently. Bob was a legendary American stuntman who began a life of acrobatics in the circus as a teenager and went on to work as a stuntman in such films as Back to the Future, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, and Hook. He said, “I started tumbling down…
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The sinking of The Lisbon Maru
A documentary film has been released recently called “The sinking of the Lisbon Maru”. The documentary was made by the Chinese director Fang Li and tells the story of the rescue of British Prisoners of War by Chinese fishermen on 1 October 1942. The armed Japanese troopship “The Lisbon Maru” was carrying 1816 British prisoners…
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We will remember them
The annual Remembrance Day is very important. It is right that we remember the many people who died, or were seriously injured, in the two World Wars of the 20th century and the many smaller wars since, and even today. Remembering them is an opportunity to reflect on what happened and to try to learn…
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Pray for the suffering people of Sudan
The catastrophic civil war in Sudan has received very little attention from the media. Until 2011 Sudan was the largest and one of the most geographically diverse states in Africa. Sudan is both an African and Arab country. Over 97% of the population are Sunni Muslims with a small Christian minority. Since 1983 the military…
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Where is your treasure?
In the Western world inheritances are larger than they have ever been. The general increase in prosperity and especially the significant rise in the value of family homes mean that many older people have sizeable estates. Some are asset rich but cash poor. Children may anticipate becoming much better off when Mum and Dad die.…
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The changing of the seasons
Once again, the colours of the autumn leaves are resplendent. The yellows, browns and reds are brilliant especially in the low early morning sun. God has made our little earth a very beautiful place which stands out in the vast universe he created. We have every reason to thank him for his wonderful kindness to…
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The joy of Gospel music
Black churches in Britain are growing. Whilst there has been a drop of 5% in church attendance generally there has been an 18% increase in Black Majority church membership. In London 48% of all churchgoers are now Black. The London Borough of Southwark has the largest concentration of African churches anywhere in Britain with an…
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Remembering October 7
Some major atrocities are remembered simply by their dates. 9/11 is identified with the attack on the twin towers in New York when 2977 people were killed, making it the deadliest terrorist attack in history. In response the United States launched its global “war on terror” in which many more people died. Now October 7…
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Pray for those in authority
Life for the first Christians was very difficult because they experienced great persecution. Jesus was crucified on the authority of Pilate, the Roman Governor. The Apostle Paul was imprisoned and then executed by the Roman authorities. The Roman emperor, Nero, falsely blamed Christians for the great fire of Rome in AD64 and commanded that many…