‘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 MoreThis week my church waved off 21 teenagers to join thousands of others in a national Christian youth festival. As I waved my teenagers off, I was so grateful for all youth providers in our city investing their time and wisdom into the next generation.
Read More“What are you doing this weekend?” “Oh, I’m mountain-biking from Chatsworth to Sheffield.” You guessed it, we’ve hit the peak charity fund-raising season. What motivates a person to raise money, or volunteer previous time and energy, on behalf of others?
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 MoreI’ve been thinking this week about unsung heroes. What would you and I chose to mark, to celebrate as worthy, within our own Sheffield region?
Read MoreAs Easter approaches, something unusual is underway which is unifying our city in a new way. Prayer. The Arise Sheffield initiative is inspiring thousands of followers of Jesus from across 100+ churches to walk along, and pray for, every single street in our city.
Read MoreIn many ways the Bible proverb is true, “there is nothing new under the sun.” This worries me as our region and nation embarks upon yet another year of austerity, and tough times.
Read MoreConfidence, initiative, teachability and tenacity. These words may sound like clues to a crossword puzzle, but in fact they are the goals of a ground-breaking youth employment scheme taking shape in Sheffield.
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 MoreI wonder if you know that the Christians in our city region are always praying for you? It is their speciality.
Read MoreSheffield boomed and bounced to the sounds of Tramlines two weekends ago. We are rightly proud of our home-grown festival. This week I waved off about 25 chirpy teenagers to another kind of festival.
Read MoreThere is a groundswell insisting that our public figures should better uphold our nation’s values, such as truthfulness and looking beyond one’s own interest to seek the mutual flourishing of each other and our communities.
Read MoreI work alongside several qualified youth workers. They tell me stories of what everyday life can be like in our city’s big secondary schools. It is easy to moan, opt-out or worry about the state of the world. It’s better to ask what we can do positively to improve it.
Read MoreDo you fancy a new neighbour? Or a road trip to Poland to collect an unlikely cargo? This week I chatted to a local friend from my church who is preparing to receive a Ukrainian refugee family to live with them, for however long or short it may be necessary.
Read MoreOne thing lockdown showed us was the loneliness in our cities. It proved that living disconnected lives comes at a cost. A national initiative is launched to form Britain’s biggest ever street party over the bank holiday weekend to connect together and to serve their neighbourhoods.
Read MoreAnything else lasting? A cultural change means a new kind of behaviour becomes normal.
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 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 MoreI’ve been thinking about the simple, salt-of-the-earth local life. Let’s go grassroots. There’s something very special about the longevity of local sports and children’s teams.
Read More
