How much do you earn when you’re sleeping? If you’re like most people, then the answer is likely nothing. However, there are people who do actually earn money whilst they sleep or when they’re not actively working. Does that sound intriguing?
“What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30)
“We dwell in Him…” (1 John 4:13)
Images of the recent fire, which tragically consumed a 24 storey block of flats in West London, have shocked the nation. The massive inferno broke out at the Grenfell Tower block in the early hours of 14 June, causing many fatalities.
Bunabhainneadar Tennis Court on the road to Husinish, North Harris, has featured on a recent Jaguar advert. A visitor to Harris had driven past the court and tweeted a photo to Andy Murray, suggesting that it should feature on the ATP World Tour. Murray responded to her tweet with, “Is that even real?”
Stornoway Historical Society is an organisation, formed in 1992, who seek to advance the education of the public about the history, heritage and culture of both Stornoway and the wider Island.
Last year, I came across one of their lectures online, which was fascinating viewing. I was never interested in history in school, not that I was interested in much else, but on the back of the lecture, I decided it was about time I made my debut at one of their meetings.
That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine…” (Ephesians 4:14)
Many people today react negatively to the words, “theology” and “doctrine.” They are said to involve dry, irrelevant matters, which have no bearing on real life. If that were true, it would be quite understandable why we might want to steer clear and focus our attention elsewhere. Then, there are others who would not consider theology and doctrine to be irrelevant, rather something only for the ministers, theologians and elders. It is not something for the laity, the ordinary man or woman in the pew.
Candice Millard, Hero of the Empire: The making of Winston Churchill (Penguin, 2016)
Winston Churchill, marked out for his extraordinary leadership in World War Two, is enduringly known as a great wartime Prime Minister. Candice Millard focuses on a lesser known period in an otherwise well-documented life.
“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” (Ephesians 2:19)
Physical Homelessness
One of the hardest providences we could ever experience, humanly speaking, must surely be that of homelessness. When we think of homelessness, our minds tend to be drawn to those sleeping rough on the streets who, for a variety of reasons, have found themselves at the extreme end of homelessness. They are more vulnerable to becoming victims of violent crime, more likely to develop physical and mental health problems and are isolated from much of society.
I recently watched an enthralling Gaelic documentary (with subtitles) about my home town, focusing on the lives of those born and brought up in Stornoway in the 1950’s. For some, it will be a trip down memory lane, whereas for others of us, it is a fascinating look into the distant past and how the older generation lived their lives in their formative years.
Continue reading “Bha mi Latha Samhraidh/When Stornoway was Dancing”
New Year is traditionally a time where many of us make New Year’s resolutions, in one form or another. The majority of resolutions quickly fall by the wayside, and in many ways, there is nothing to stop us resolving on a particular course of action at any point in the year. However, there is something about a New Year that can give us more of an impetus than at other times, as it provides us with a blank slate. Depending on your character, perhaps you are more likely to achieve something substantial if you set goals for the year.
One of the best resolutions we could make at the beginning of 2017 is to become more familiar with the Bible, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). Continue reading “Bible Reading Plan for 2017”
Last year, I came across an app called 1 Second Everyday. The app is based upon the principle of chronologically recording one second of your life, via the camera on your phone, each day for an entire year. The app allows you to edit a one second snippet from any video you have recorded during the course of the day. The idea is to record a video from your own perspective, as you experienced it, almost as if from your own eyes. This results in a six-minute video of your year, capturing your experiences and the people in your life.
