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Songs for the children
You can imagine the excitement when we were given songs and scripts to learn in the weeks leading up to the big event, so we could proudly perform in front of our families and church members.I recently revisited the church we used to perform in and some of the memories of these performances came…
Catherine Burt
God’s follower, society’s leader
Margaret was born in New York on 20 June 1860. When she was five her father died and her mother decided to return to Scotland, where Margaret and her sister received an upper-class education at a school that Margaret felt “trained girls to be ridiculous snobs”. This was her first taste of class…
Transforming Scotland: update on Public Leader: Scotland 2019
The 24 hours that we spent together, which was themed Transforming Scotland, were packed with helpful teaching, practical seminars and personal testimonies from Christian public leaders. Among those who spoke were Brian Souter, the founder of the Stagecoach Group; Dave Richards, rector of St Paul’s…
Looking back at a year of public leadership
But 16 inspiring public leaders, who are serving God in healthcare, law, filmmaking, the charity sector and other places in public life, responded to God’s prompting and decided to spend a year with us, to develop their leadership skills and dig deeper into God’s plans for them and their areas of…
God, the ultimate director
I grew up without a TV and barely any films. At the age of 11, the only films I had seen were The Sound of Music, Flipper, some cartoons, a couple of Dutch movies for children, and an incidental scene of Schindler’s List. It’s incredible the extent to which these films influenced my household. When…
Public leaders meet with representatives at Stormont
On the Monday, 3 December, the Parliament buildings at Stormont hosted Public Leader: Northern Ireland's participants. We got all dressed up and enjoyed a Christmas dinner and great craic with each other and with three of Northern Irelands MLAs. The second half of the evening saw the politicians…
Psalm 126
If the previous Psalm expressed patience in exile, this one focuses on restoration “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.” The Psalmist looks back to God’s great acts of salvation in the past…
Advent reflection: Love
God is lovePretty simple reallyCos God gives us perfect love freelyPerfect love in the shape of a cross means my wrongs get crossed offHe gave up His crownCame down from above to do what we couldn’tThat’s gospel, good news, that is perfect loveBut to do life in Christ who paid our feeIs to do life…
Dai Woolridge
Advent reflection: Joy / Myfyrdodau’r dyfodiad: Llawenydd
‘Tis the season to be jolly’, say the words of the old song. In the misdt of the hussle and bussle of endeavouring to ‘get everything done’ for the big day, it’s easy to forget that Christmas is a festival of joy. But there is more to the joy of this festival than keeping a smiling face or making…
Menna Machreth
Advent reflection: Peace / Myfyrdodau’r dyfodiad: Tangnefedd
There is no doubt the world is in a state of disarray, pain and uncertainty. Every manmade system is starting to wobble – political, financial, social, relational, moral, name it. And statistics don’t lie: people in the world are far more unhappy than they have ever been. Suicide, depression,…
Christopher Vaz
Advent reflection: Jesus / Myfyrdodau’r dyfodiad: Iesu
Jesus was mighty in word and in deeds and knew why He had come to earth. Mark talks about Jesus, after He had healed many, going to a solitary place to pray. The disciples find Him and want Him to perform more miracles. But note His response: “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I…
Jos Edwards
Psalm 127
Psalm 127 begins where we all should: with God "building" and "guarding", not with ourselves and what we want to do. It starts with the call to be part of what God is already doing, not with what we do for God. This work of God involves both the local and personal ("the house") and the public and…
Promoting educational diversity
The parties have all made pledges relating to education and schools in their manifestos, but are these promises and commitments missing key issues at this election? Here are a few questions to help you think about some underlying issues, as well as to ask your candidates if you get the chance.
Labour, Rabbi Mirvis and fearlessly speaking out
For many watching the interview, having heard the critique of anti-Semitism by a wide range of Jewish groups, it might be hard to understand why Mr Corbyn did not apologise. Instead, he insisted on his own virtue in standing against racism and his willingness to talk to Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis to…
Danny Webster
Psalm 128
It’s sometimes harder to read Psalms about prosperity than those about suffering. While we can echo the Psalms of lament, recognising the suffering in the world, we sometimes struggle to affirm words like this verse above. Even if we are doing quite well, we know that others are not. When we read…
