Thought for the week

Joe Rogan is a popular podcaster and announcer for the mixed martial arts organisation Ultimate Fighting Championship. Joe spent his early childhood in Newark, New Jersey, and had a difficult upbringing under his father, whom he described as extremely aggressive and physically abusive. Joe’s interactions with his father were traumatic for him. His parents divorced…

Water is very precious and is vital to sustaining life. Our little planet seems to be unique in the universe because of the abundance of water. However, a recent United Nations’ report says the world has entered an era of “global water bankruptcy” – we are consuming more water than the natural world supplies. Three-quarters…

The United Nations marks 27 January as an annual International Day of Commemoration to remember the victims of the Holocaust. 27 January is the anniversary of the liberation of the largest Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, by Soviet troops in 1945. The Holocaust was one of the most evil events in human history in which 6…

A recent Songs of Praise programme focussed on the influence of the Bible on people in difficult situations. They told the story of John Borland who in 1940, at the age of 20, was captured by the German forces and spend five years as a prisoner of war. After the successful Dunkirk evacuation John and…

As a New Year begins most of the world news is bad, but there are also less well-reported stories of remarkable love and kindness. The story of Manoly Viravong and Veronica Buttigieg is wonderful and so encouraging. A few years ago, Manoly and Veronica met for the first time one summer at a mutual friend’s…

The birth of Jesus brought great joy to Mary and Joseph, but it also involved great trauma. The news that Mary was pregnant seriously threatened her reputation for purity and integrity in her home village of Nazareth. The circumstances of the birth were extremely difficult as Mary gave birth to her first child in a…

This week many people around the world will remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. One in three of the people in the world professes to be a Christian and many others will join them in singing carols and hearing Bible readings about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem more than 2000 years ago.…

Mary and Joseph lived in the small Galilean village of Nazareth. Joseph had known Mary from a very early age, and she had been promised to him in marriage. She was still in her teens, and he was the village carpenter. They loved each other very much and were looking forward to being married and…

Christmas is a busy time. The season has a momentum of its own as we are swept along with the pressure of getting everything ready for the big day. It is easy in the busyness of it all to lose sight of the things that matter most and, when it is over, to feel a…

The birth of Jesus Christ really is a cause for great celebration! His coming into the world has changed the lives of millions of people for the better. His birth was foretold in detail by prophets who lived more than 600 years earlier and their prophecies were fulfilled. The prophet Micah foretold where he would…