Thought for the week

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…

Sam Lilley was an American Airlines pilot who died on 29 January in in the midair collision between an American Airlines passenger plane and a U.S. Army Black Hawk Helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, DC. Sam was 28 years old. Around 9 pm his Flight 5342 collided with an Army Black…

The red and green Eddie Stobart lorries are a familiar sight on British roads. The company, which now has 2700 lorries, started in Cumbria in 1957 delivering loads for local farmers. It was soon offered a contract with ICI and adopted the red and green livery for its lorries. They gave each lorry a name,…

On 27 January 2025 there was a commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp. All Auschwitz survivors were invited to the commemoration. The German Nazis murdered 1.1 million people in Auschwitz, mostly Jews, but also Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war and people of other…

Arthur Blessitt an American evangelist has died at the age of 84. Arthur came to personal faith in Jesus when he was 7 and became an evangelist when he was 15. After being ordained as a minister he devoted his life to street evangelism. He had a very unusual way of engaging people and telling…

Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States of America, has died at the age of 100 years. He came from Georgia, where he had been a peanut farmer, and became the State Governor. He served one term as President from 1977-1981 following the dark days of the Watergate scandal. Political observers, who look…