"Forgiveness is not easy, but it is the path to healing. It was not easy for Nelson Mandela to spend twenty-seven years in prison, but when people say to me what a waste it was, I say no, it was not a waste. It took twenty-seven years for him to be transformed from an angry, unforgiving… Continue reading ‘The Book of Forgiving’ by Desmond & Mpho Tutu [Review]
Category: Ethics & Christian living
How should our faith affect the way we live?
This morning I listened to a short reflection* about how small actions can make a big difference. The example used was how significant it was for Desmond Tutu when as a young boy he saw a white priest doff his hat in courtesy to his mother who was a domestic worker. Growing up under apartheid in South Africa… Continue reading How should our faith affect the way we live?
Psalm 23 Antithesis
Photo by JESHOOTS.com on Pexels.com The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest. It makes me lie down only when exhausted. It leads me into deep depression. It hounds my soul. It leads me in circles of frenzy, for activities sake. Even though I run frantically from task to task, I will never get it all… Continue reading Psalm 23 Antithesis
National Day of Fasting, April 4th: spiritual resources for justice
Photo by jamie he on Pexels.com Friday 4th April is the National Day of Fasting. I want to encourage anyone who is reading this to join the fast and stand with those experiencing hunger in the UK today. In the last few weeks, End Hunger Fast has achieved an incredible amount for a truly grassroots… Continue reading National Day of Fasting, April 4th: spiritual resources for justice
What would you include if you could write your own obituary?
What do you really want to be remembered for? What legacy do you truly want to leave? Actually sitting down and writing your own obituary is one of the exercises recommended at the end of the first chapter of the book God of Surprises. I am currently re-reading it for Lent. The author, Gerard Hughes explains:… Continue reading What would you include if you could write your own obituary?
Justice, mercy and humility: three ways to a transforming Lent
I see Lent as an opportunity to realign ourselves. A time to re-commit to an integrity between who we are on the outside and who we are on the inside. To seek a wholeness between the person that we present for the world to see, and the person we are when no one sees. And faith… Continue reading Justice, mercy and humility: three ways to a transforming Lent
Relief and Hope in South Sudan – by Anna Chilvers
Anna Chilvers manages Tearfund’s emergency programme in the Juba area of South Sudan. Here she talks about not only their response, but more strikingly the response of local people and churches. Radical sharing The assessment we did in Katigiri (100km west of the capital Juba) at the end of January has led to us intervening there.… Continue reading Relief and Hope in South Sudan – by Anna Chilvers
R&R’s Advent Challenge 2013
Photo by Hakan Erenler on Pexels.com What does Advent mean for you? Advent is a time of waiting, of anticipation, to prepare for the celebration of Christmas. If I am honest, rather than a time of waiting, it is a time normally smothered with extra busyness, more spending and an anxiety about getting more things done.… Continue reading R&R’s Advent Challenge 2013
It’s a 2 poppy day
This November I'll be wearing two poppies - the regular red poppy and the white peace poppy. White Poppies White poppies were first distributed in 1933 by the Peace Pledge Union (PPU) and are intended as a challenge to the 'continuing drive to war'. In my recent post on Syria I quoted the founder of… Continue reading It’s a 2 poppy day
Our Addiction to Self-Promotion
A few years ago I was asked to speak at a conference for youth and community workers. The person who had invited me didn’t know me well but had been involved in an online campaign that I had helped start. I soon realised my host was under a misapprehension that I was a lot more well-known than… Continue reading Our Addiction to Self-Promotion
