One of the perks of being a minister is being involved in the marriage of a couple. Weddings are rightly a huge celebration where a couple commit to sharing their life from this point on together. While individual vows may vary, they all contain the same essential points. Out of love for one another, they…
DetailsA lot of the great stories in the western world have at their heart the quest, a journey towards a specific goal. From the first examples of “The Iliad” and “the Odyssey” to modern day classics like “The Lord of the Rings”, a hero will be called to set out on a quest. They will…
DetailsOne of the big debates in our house at Christmas is which person in the Richard Curtis film “Love Actually” has the best story? Obviously, there is a right answer, (Colin Firth), but a lot of the comedy in the film comes from what being in love makes people do. Love has this ability to…
DetailsIt can be pretty easy to miss the joy of Christmas. Given the number of things to do, it can seem like a giant hassle as we try and get all the gifts, food and events sorted out among the throngs of people all trying to do the same. Or, alternatively, we can become sickened…
DetailsI write these blogs every week in the hope that someone might get something out of them. In truth, I have no idea how, or even if, they are received. And it occurs to me that using the word “hope” in these circumstances has become how we understand hope today. Someone mentions they are going…
DetailsNostalgia isn’t what it used to be. As humans we have a tendency to look at our world or our lives and lament the way things were. We look back into our past with affection and wish that things today could be more like the way we remember them. Because the world has changed from…
DetailsTwo of my kids have just sat their year 12 History exam. It’s fascinating to look at how the actions of humanity have shaped and affected our world. Wars can be traced back to human action, whether it was to increase someone’s empire, enrich a nation or settle a long-held grievance. Similarly, some people live…
DetailsFor centuries, the problem of finding out your longitudinal position had baffled the greatest minds. While it was easy to find your latitude through observing the position of the sun during the day or the stars at night, finding your longitude remained elusive. The greatest scientific minds thought that if one method worked for latitude,…
DetailsThere are some pretty exclusive clubs in the world with highly restrictive conditions that prevent the majority of people becoming members. It may be you have to earn a certain amount of money, be successful in some area of life, be related to a member of an important family or have to be invited by…
DetailsIt begins early in life. At school we are grateful we are not like “those kids”. If we go to University, we are grateful we are doing a decent degree, unlike “those students”. At work, we are grateful that we don’t do “that job”. In our lives we are glad we don’t live “there”. We…
DetailsThis week we witnessed athletics history being made when the Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge ran the marathon distance in under two hours. The thing is though, he didn’t just wake up that morning and decide to have a crack at it. It was the result of months and months of planning, preparation and training. All…
DetailsIn the novel, “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy”, Douglas Adams addressed the size of the universe in these terms, “Space is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mindbogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist, but that’s just peanuts…
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