In this warm reflection, Angie invites us to pause and rediscover the beauty of thankfulness, not just as a holiday tradition, but as a daily act of faith. From cosy homes and shared meals to the quiet wonders of God’s creation, she reminds us that gratitude changes how we see the world and lifts our […]
It sounds like a fairy tale beginning yet it is true to say that, ‘once upon a time’, products were made to last and in times of scarcity, people needed to make things last. Nowadays, partly due to rapidly changing technologies, ‘planned obsolescence’ and customer expectations for the latest model, things we buy have much […]
Some people are born into families where there is no shortage of money and the advantages that it can bring – housing in a ‘nice’ area, lifestyle and educational opportunities. Others are born into poverty or war-torn countries, perhaps with physical disabilities that make life even harder. It seems an injustice that some have an easy life full of advantages whereas others have few or none.
Everyone loves it when the bunting comes out, joy is in the air and it’s time for the celebrations to begin. Most people know when and what to celebrate from the smallest to the biggest of reasons. What have you celebrated recently? Anniversaries, rites of passage, achievements, memorials or perhaps just being alive! Life is certainly richer for celebrating with others good things in their lives or perhaps your own.
The Lord doesn’t say ‘if you pray’, for we all do, don’t we, at some point, in some circumstance, even if it’s not a daily ‘thing’? Did you do so today, in some long past crisis, perhaps just yesterday or maybe you will some day? The content of the prayer is less important than the fact that you want, or have had, a conversation with God. Susanna Wesley had 19 children, nine of them dying as infants – her life was hard and she had little time to herself. Famously, she would withdraw for prayer every day by sitting in her favourite chair and pulling up the kitchen apron over her head so the large family knew she wasn’t to be disturbed! Do you have a time and place for prayer or is it any time any place? Jesus liked to go to the Mount of Olives, the privacy and quietness of olive groves and gardens.
Thankfully there doesn’t seem to be a wrong time or place for sincere prayers to God our Father for he always wants to hear from his children. Prayer can be silent or spoken, alone or with others, and although no prior appointment is required, there is a need for a genuine heart.
