‘Wear Your Faith Fortnight.’ Christians across South Yorkshire are being encouraged to wear a symbol of their faith for the two weeks either side of Halloween. People sometimes say that faith should be a private matter. That is to misunderstand the very nature of the Christian faith.
Read MoreWhy do so many young people still flock to university? It’s the human drive to improve oneself, to learn, to discover. Sheffield has a simple, safe, homely feel. It’s been my home for 30 years.
Read MoreI flicked through the pages of The Sheffield Star this week, and if I’m honest, my heart sank. But a newspaper that only printed good news stories wouldn’t be telling the whole truth.
Read MoreThere are congratulations and celebrations in the air around Sheffield. So who, or what has top place in your affection and attention?
Read MoreWord of the year 2022 is the most alarming: “permacrisis” defined as “an extended period of instability and insecurity.”
Read MoreI turned the corner at the top of my road this week, to be greeted by a blazing message that cheered my heart. A local house has joined the Streets of Light initiative, shining a message from their windows that brought a flash of good news into my otherwise troubled heart.
Read MoreFor many in our nation, Her Majesty the Queen was rather like everybody’s favourite granny, a constant figure of wisdom, kindness and good humour, in an age of uncertainty.
Read MoreA bible Proverb implores God’s people to “speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.” That’s easier said than done, isn’t it? Most of us are passionate about a fairer society, but we probably take very little action towards building one.
Read MoreWhat am I supposed to do about it? No doubt many of us feel this way about the present crisis in Ukraine. It affects all Europeans, it challenges our safety, our economy, our future. Yet, it is easy to feel powerless, merely observers not participants, as we watch a few very powerful players on the world stage.
Perhaps, like me, you are struggling to find an adequate local response to an international issue.
Read MoreDo you ever feel powerless, like a boat without a rudder, when you hear the international news headlines? This week there has been much talk around my family dinner table of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Read MoreI have a water bottle on my desk with the slogan ‘half full / half empty’. It helps me to keep perspective and choose to count my blessings, rather than get stuck in every day’s woes. The prophet Isaiah in the Bible paints a picture of the effect of God’s good news coming into apparently baren places and people.
Read MoreThis week in my household we opened the first doors of our advent calendars with great anticipation. The word “advent” means “expectant waiting.” This season is marked by waiting and anticipating something big, something better.
Read MoreFew things bring our country together these days. This week, England is united by football and our shared experience of COVID. We can be good news people in the midst of a bad news world.
Read MoreThe effects of the COVID pandemic run long and deep. However, there is a second pandemic running alongside that may be just as widespread and damaging: we are in the midst of a crisis in mental health.
Read MoreAsk any Sheffielder over a certain age about Whitsunday, it was one of the highlights of the year. in 2021 one church threw a party like the old days, for the local neighbourhood whether they had a faith or not.
Read MoreA lot can happen in a year and a lot can be lost. Many are struggling with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many are grieving and experiencing loss. Bring God the pain, be honest, but don’t walk away then.
Read MoreCan all your worries add a single moment to your life? Worry is placing your emotions at the mercy of an event which hasn’t happened and may never happen. Is there more solid ground to build our thoughts and dreams upon?
Read MoreToday is Halloween. Everywhere I go, I bump into fake cobwebs, dangling skulls and carefully branded orange and black products. It’s something we’ve all grown up with, but I wonder if you’ve ever stopped to think about what you are joining in with?
Read MoreLife has limiting seasons. Times when we find we can’t do what we always did. Times when the tide goes out all of a sudden and I feel myself grounded. How can we learn to live through such times?
Read MoreThis week my family were invited to a good friend’s allotment in Sheffield to share their abundance of food in a barbeque. It got me thinking about the kind of “soil” that’s deep within our hearts.
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