Author: Peter

  • The beauty of autumn

    The autumn leaves are beginning to fall. Once again, we are witnessing the spectacular autumn colours – yellows, browns, and red. On bright sunny mornings the kaleidoscope of colour is glorious. This is one of the ways in which the great God of creation tells us that he is there, and this is his world.…

  • The gift of adoption

    We have recently celebrated National Adoption Week which highlights the many families who have adopted children and the need of many children today to find a loving home. Luke Bacon, who was adopted as a baby, is now married to Becci. They have two daughters and Luke is curate at St John’s Church, Chatham. From…

  • I started to look at them as human beings

    We live in a world of seemingly irreconcilable divisions and conflicts that take or spoil the lives of many ordinary people. So, it is very encouraging to hear of a Palestinian Christian mother, living in Bethlehem, who has taken steps to bridge one of the great divides in today’s world. She is building relationships with…

  • Challenge accepted!

    Everything was dark and little made sense when 27-year-old Andrii Smolenskyi finally regained consciousness. “The whole mission was just a dream,” he thought to himself as he lay in bed. “Why’s it so dark?” Andrii, still groggy from having just woken up, thought the blanket was draped over his head. “Then I realized that I…

  • Our faith in the Lord is strengthening us

    When 15-year-old Elianne Andam left her Croydon home last Thursday morning to go to Old Palace of Whitgift School no-one could possibly have known that she would not arrive at school or return to her home. When Elianne was on the bus a boy tried to give a bouquet of flowers to his former girlfriend,…

  • He will hold me fast

    Christians love to sing of about their Saviour, Jesus Christ. They find great help and encouragement in singing hymns that express their faith in Jesus. Singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs together with other Christians lifts their spirits. Many Christian hymns and songs focus on the life experiences of Christians in this world. A hymn…

  • “I need to know where I am going.”

    The husband of a good friend of ours died recently. He was elderly and in the last years of his life had suffered from dementia. His wife lovingly cared for him and said she was overwhelmed with the support from the NHS and friends and neighbours, especially in his last few weeks. Most of their…

  • Losing touch with the living God

    A few days ago, my wife and I visited North Wales. In beautiful sunny weather we drove through the mountains of the Snowdonia National Park. The mountains towered above us and looked majestic. Sheep were peacefully grazing on the hillsides. The mountains provided a backdrop to the beautiful coastline with its lovely beaches which were…

  • Searching for happiness

    Someone has said that Jesus never met an unimportant person. Large crowds of ordinary people followed him and gladly listened to his teaching. His life was very busy, but he was always ready to spend time with people and to give them his undivided attention. When sick and needy people were brought to him, he…

  • Try praying!

    A few weeks ago, I was driving behind a local bus and noticed an advert on the back of it which read “Try praying.” When I got home, I looked up the Try Praying website. It said, “Does anyone listen when we pray? Is there anyone there who cares about our lives? Most people pray…