Last year, I got to know a young man who was begging close to where I worked. He was a real character, never short on stories or quips for passers-by. He told people that he needed money for accommodation. Fairly regularly, I used to make him cups of tea and talk to him. I always… Continue reading Homelessness is more than house-lessness: re-thinking kindness #3
Competition, duplication and saviour myths: re-thinking kindness #2
I was at a conference this week where the CEO of a homelessness charity said: ‘I was a corporate banker for a couple of years before I started working in homelessness. In my twenty years in this work, I think there is more competitiveness in the charity world than in banking.’ In the profit-making sector,… Continue reading Competition, duplication and saviour myths: re-thinking kindness #2
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‘If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you’ – rethinking kindness #1
I saw these words on a wall of a centre for homeless people I visited this week. I think they display a realism and wisdom which is helpful for everyone seeking to help people in need. The centre helps people with some of the most complex issues imaginable. But I was struck by the perseverance and… Continue reading ‘If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you’ – rethinking kindness #1
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Purpose and hope: how faith has changed me – by Andrew Ryland
About 2 years ago I wrote a blog post about how I became a Christian. My intention was mainly to be transparent about why I chose this path with family, friends, colleagues and those in my social networks. I hoped to inspire a few people along the way. I had an amazing and overwhelmingly positive… Continue reading Purpose and hope: how faith has changed me – by Andrew Ryland
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Young people are dying for hope – Easter is more relevant than ever
Unforgiveness, pain, hatred, anxiety, gang violence... These were some of the issues that young people in our youth group wrote down as examples of things which spoil and scar our world. Perhaps most precious were the things written down which were too personal to share publicly. These were folded over. Each one was nailed to… Continue reading Young people are dying for hope – Easter is more relevant than ever
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A great gift to the Church: ‘Paradoxology’ by Krish Kandiah [Review]
The Bible is central to the Christian faith. But it’s also long, complex and parts of it are offensive to many people. And that includes a lot of Christians… I have always found much of the Old Testament difficult, especially books like Joshua which contain so much God-instructed genocide. What are we to make of… Continue reading A great gift to the Church: ‘Paradoxology’ by Krish Kandiah [Review]
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‘If the grain of wheat dies, it bears much fruit’ – Remembering Oscar Romero
Today is the anniversary of the assassination of the Oscar Romero, the Archbishop of El Salvador. He was murdered by government agents while presiding over mass on the 24th March 1980. He was shot dead at the altar in the chapel of the hospital in which he lived. Romero had used his position to speak up about the… Continue reading ‘If the grain of wheat dies, it bears much fruit’ – Remembering Oscar Romero
