Saturday, July 26, 2025

Learning Lessons from the Four Seasons

 




All photos courtesy of Unsplash

The church where I am a member hosts an event for people with memory problems once a month. The aim is to support the carers and individuals increasingly struggling with cognitive-related issues. It’s a great morning and seems to benefit all who come.


At the start, someone does a brief session to ensure everyone is orientated - time, day, month, year, place, season, etc. Most of us need help identifying the season at certain times of the year (usually at the beginning and the end of each season). 


In the United Kingdom, we have four clearly defined seasons, as do ‘most countries at a similar latitude (the same distance away from the equator) to the UK. Other parts of the world may only have two seasons - a winter and a summer, or a wet and a dry season 1. I find it fascinating that despite all the climate change that is suggested, discussed and debated, in the main, seasons are still the same as defined in one of the oldest records of human history, the Bible. Genesis chapter 8 verse 22 records the promise of God to Noah (after the worldwide flood - another event that reoccurs in the history of many ancient civilisations) - ‘While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease’.

SHARE:

Thursday, August 08, 2024

The world's best selling book!






All photos courtesy of Unsplash

When I wrote this piece, I was about to go to the airport to board a flight from Wellington, New Zealand, to the UK via Sydney, Australia. We were travelling home to Liverpool in the North West of England. Home is a wonderful place to be with your own ‘kith and kin’. It is never more appreciated than when you are away from them. Though we were not looking forward to the 30 hours of travelling, the anticipation of seeing our family and grandchildren again makes up for any minor discomfort.

Carole (my wife) and I had been away for about five weeks. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the southern hemisphere. The plan was to visit some churches in Australia and New Zealand to speak at conferences and seminars on the world’s best-selling book, the Bible.






All photos courtesy of Unsplash


It never fails to amaze me how timeless and cross-cultural the Bible is. It addresses the most profound issues that we as humans grapple with, such as:


Where do we come from - our origin?

Why do evil and suffering exist?

Why are we all mortal beings who eventually die?

Where do our consciousness, identity, creativity, and intelligence come from?

Why is there order and design?

Why are we all morally aware of right and wrong?

Why do we need help to do what is right?

Where did the universal concepts of love, hope and peace come from?

SHARE:

Thursday, September 15, 2022

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 1926 - 2022


Photo courtesy of Ards Evangelical Bookshop


Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II
1926 - 2022


“To what greater inspiration and counsel can we turn than to the imperishable truth to be found in this treasure house, the Bible.”

We are deeply saddened by the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. Only eternity will reveal the blessing of having upon the throne, a Sovereign who recognised the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus Christ.

She had the privilege of being brought up by parents who knew the Saviour. Her father, King George VI was known to be a regular attender of Bible teaching meetings before he became King.On one occasion, her parents were on a state visit to Canada. His hosts had arranged for a well-known Native American, Chief Whitefeather, to sing for them, assuming he would choose a traditional native song. Being a Christian himself, he chose to sing his favourite hymn, I’d Rather Have Jesus.

SHARE:
Blogger Template Created by pipdig