It’s ‘impossible to read without encountering hope’.
I was so thrilled by these words! They were written by one of the very first people to read my novel – a dear, retired pastor friend who I had nervously approached to endorse the book. His words now appear inside The Healing, and on its back cover, and I was thrilled because they highlighted the message I wanted the book to convey… Read More »
Last Monday, it was International Women’s Day where we celebrated half of the world’s population. Today is Mothering Sunday and/or Mother’s Day, whichever you prefer. As an actual woman, it felt pretty good having two days devoted to me in a seven-day period. As a freelance writer, pre-Covid, I used to spend a fair chunk … Read more …
Last week, my three-year-old grand-daughter was turned away at the nursery school gate because someone had tested positive for coronavirus. The situation was explained carefully and kindly to her, and she said, ‘OK.’ But on the way home she commented dolefully to my son, ‘Daddy, I like school.’ She was missing learning and meeting friends, … Read more …
Over the last year, many of us who are parents have been more up-close and personal with our children than ever before. Often it has been a real challenge, particularly with home-schooling, and I think we are all more grateful to teachers now than we were before! We are also more aware of our spiritual … Read more …
‘Children are resilient.’ How many times have we heard this said about the fallout from divorce or separation? But in saying this, are we minimising God’s order in creation? Are we saying it’s not really that important for children to grow up with two parents, mum and dad, who both have equal but different roles … Read more …
There’s a scene playing in my mind. It’s been coming and going for a while now. The setting is a wood in springtime, a classic fairytale style wood. Wild and leafy, the green air is alive with birdsong and flecks of pale sunlight, and deep through its heart runs a beaten track. Enter an old … Read more …
Whenever I speak publicly about porn, I tend to get two kinds of people who want to speak to me afterwards. One is people who are struggling in that area themselves, and the other is people who are desperate for someone to help them talk to their teenager about porn. It’s not an easy conversation … Read more …
1 – 7 April 2019 is National Autism Awareness Week, a nationwide effort to promote awareness, acceptance and appreciation of everyone on the autistic spectrum, helping them achieve the highest possible quality of life. According to the National Autistic Society, there are more than 700,000 people in the UK on the autistic spectrum. At one … Read more …
We all like to play with sticky snow that makes snowballs, and lament wet snow that cannot hold together. Fuller Youth Institute has developed the theme of ‘sticky faith’ for young people. They’ve developed it because the church is losing young people when they leave, what has been referred to as, the goldfish bowl of church and are thrown into the open sea of the world – and their faith doesn’t stick. Read More »
Before I had my children, I had it all planned out. I would be a loving, affectionate parent, while at the same time setting clear boundaries for my kids. Good routines would be established early on, so that my offspring would grow up secure and well-equipped to deal with whatever life might throw at them. … Read more …
