Search results for .ovi
Two-tier asylum system could soon become law
On Tuesday, 7 and Wednesday, 8 December, MPs gave final speeches and contributions to the bill. Listening to the debates, what was clear was a cross-party effort to raise different concerns and propose amendments that would significantly improve the bill and its treatment to those most in need and…
Alicia Edmund
Assisted suicide would lead to more suffering, not less
The Bill proposes that “a person diagnosed with a terminal illness is given the choice to end their own life by means of medication provided by a doctor for that purpose”. It defines someone who is terminally ill as “having a progressive disease which can reasonably be expected to cause their…
Shanley McConnell
It’s Christmas, but not as we know it
The queues became long as supplies ran out and fear took hold. Suddenly an angel appeared and said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people – today in a lab, a solution to Covid has been found.” And when they heard the news, the people rejoiced and…
Peter Lynas
Expect the unexpected this Christmas
Despite my gloominess, I’ve been challenged this week to remember that Christmas is about the unexpected. The Christmas adverts might make us think that Christmas always goes to plan, but most of us have a story of when our best Christmas plans were interrupted. I remember one Christmas when I was…
Richard Powney
Light in the darkness this Christmas
At the best of times Christmas is difficult for people who have been bereaved. It brings together family and friends in happy occasions, where the absence of those who used to join us is sorely felt. It’s said that grief is the price we pay for love and it’s also true that the happier the memories,…
Rev Canon Yvonne Richmond Tulloch
Following Jesus’ call to welcome
I did not know what it was like to go and try and make my home in a culture that was not my own, communicate in a language that was not my heart language and step out on my own to live in a country miles away from my family and friends. This experience showed me the amount of bravery and courage…
Anna Seevaratnam
How to respond well to scandal and crisis
But it is also a very natural one: we can’t imagine our church ever being the subject of an investigative podcast or an independent safeguarding review. The problem is that the same would have been true for many members of Mark Driscoll’s Mars Hill, Steve Timmis’ Crowded House or Jonathan…
Ed Shaw
2022: West Africa set to become hotspot for Christian persecution
Sahel Islamist extremists are gaining ground, not only in Nigeria, but also in the Sahel region of sub-Saharan Africa. In Burkina Faso, jihadists targeted Christians in the north of the country in 2021, forcing churches to close and meet in secret. Attacks ranged from bombings, killings,…
Andrew Boyd
My top 7 discipleship habits
Sharing Jesus with those who don’t yet know Him is an essential part of my everyday practice as His disciple. Being a Christian convert from a Hindu background, this could be through my mission work (I’ve been a mission partner for many years) or through everyday encounters with people, which are…
Usha Reifsnider
Being Jesus' feet on the street
We’re one of the oldest Pentecostal churches around. Being right on Northumberland Park, near Tottenham Hotspur football stadium, we get heavy footfall, so we try to engage with the community in practical ways and let people know we’re here. The local community is diverse, made up of a range of…
Helen Locke
Being human: How performance culture affects our mental health
I have. I remember being at university, lying in bed and feeling this heavy weight on me. I couldn’t seem to find the strength to make it through another moment, let alone another day. I had just found out that my house in London was about to be repossessed, while I was at university all the way in…
Kheri-Ann Wiggins
Garden parties and rules that apply to other people
On 20 May that year I was a little distracted as I was driving my wife to hospital for the second time that day. Earlier I had to wait in a corridor while she was assessed and we were then sent home. The following morning my daughter was born and when she was two hours old, I said goodbye to her…
Danny Webster
Serve the story
Perhaps you think this is awfully postmodern of me, swapping story for truth. It possibly is. But before you sigh and stop reading, don’t. I’m a young person and young people are postmodern (although often unwittingly and certainly not exclusively). I suppose we could apologise for the…
Archie Catchpole
Recovering addicts require our support and prayers
The latest statistics in Scotland have shown the worsening scale of addiction deaths and related problems in the country. In 2020, 1,337 people died from drug-related issues, the highest number registered since records began; the issue has been described as “a national shame” by Scotland’s drugs…
James Loney
How we can support Christians in Afghanistan, where faith is costliest?
Last week Open Doors published their annual report of the top 50 countries where Christians experience persecution based on their faith. As a country where religious freedom is virtually non-existent, North Korea has sat at the top of the World Watch List for the past 20 years. However, following…
Nicola Martin
