I’d only planned to help the ones who are very confused, beginning with Elsie. That was before I found out that the old man had seen me.
It was lucky for me he got a water infection. Otherwise I wouldn’t have had a clue what he’s been saying. The manager asked me to check on him. The doctor had been in two days earlier, and started him on antibiotics. I found that pregnant carer Kylie in the room with him, the one who’s already got two sons by different men… Read More »
Introduction
Some years ago, I walked with a close friend across the Swiss Alps from Chamonix to Zermatt. By day, we travelled along steep and sometimes dangerous paths with breathtaking views. By night, we enjoyed the hospitality of alpine huts and inns, with excellent food and comfortable beds. Each night, I read from a few pages torn from a scruffy paperback of the Psalms. Those pages consisted of Psalms 120-134, the Psalms of Ascents written for pilgrims on a journey… Read More »
Introduction
Since 1965, the Hollywood blockbuster The Sound of Music has, rather like Marmite or peanut butter, divided people into two camps: those who love it and those who don’t. For those who love it, the story and its songs have provided a soundtrack of joy for decades and still offers a feel-good factor today.
I remember the first time I watched Maria singing and swirling atop that iconic mountain as the film began… Read More »
Foreword: 1982
I was crossing the line, drifting into a peaceful sleep, when I heard the phone ring. I looked at the clock on the bedside table. It was 12.30am. Who would be calling at this time of night? Irritated, I went downstairs and lifted the receiver, my sleepy ears still not prepared to hear the voice on the other end of the phone.
‘Hello, this is the transplant coordinator at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.’
My heart started beating rapidly and an unexplainable swell of heat hit all parts of my body… Read More »
THE OLIVE PICKER
SHE WAS HOT; she was tired. Everybody had stopped because of the heat of the day, and it was time for food. She raised her head upwards and the light of the sun winked through the trees, its mottled shadows spreading over her skin. One step higher, one further extension of her right arm, and she would reach a plump cluster of green olives.
She stepped, she stretched, she clasped and pulled, then sudden triumph. Some fell to the ground on the fabric laid out to catch the fruit… Read More »
Part One
Love
Chapter One
Amalric Faceby settled in his chair. The age-loosened wooden joints shifted slightly, causing it to strain to one side, but he’d learnt to compensate and didn’t mind the familiar bother of it. He adjusted his position to correct the leaning and let the chair hold him with its arms and high back. He felt as one with it; like him, its legs were scarred with burns and it creaked the wear and tear… Read More »
Introduction
Now Is the Time
Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. (1 Timothy 4:12, NLT)
It’s fair to say, my primary school football team wasn’t very good. We had lost… Read More »
Introduction
The idea that people can talk with God as a friend, instead of only praying to Him in a formal setting, may seem to some a little irreverent, or even impertinent, but in essence, it is just another way of praying to God. There are books already that give advice on how to pray, and many with prayers for people and situations. We also have the Lord’s Prayer as a gift from Jesus so that everyone has a template on how to start praying, and we can read testimonies and personal prayer stories from… Read More »
1
Germinating Process
I believe the journey of our faith begins as soon as we come to a realisation of our existence in the world, even without a clear knowledge of our exact beliefs. We are trained to join in with our family’s religious practices and rituals, if they have them, whether we agree with them or not. As we know, most faiths have traditions and practices to perform when a child is born into a family… Read More »
Chapter One
North Norfolk coast, England, September 1880
The thing about a long brisk walk, thought Isabella as she got dressed, is that it can be a marvellous antidote to hopelessness. It is action, and that is something.
She set out as soon as dawn’s orange light brightened the sky and before anyone else was awake… Read More »
