Author: raymond

Advent, like Lent, is a time to prepare. And for things as auspicious as the birth and the death of the Son of God, these penitential purple Christian Seasons gives us time to consider our sin and repent. (We shouldn’t

Has the world changed? I watched Prime Minister’s Questions Time this week – the sides have swapped, some faces have moved, but how different was it from a year ago? But there is a difference, a change – even if

At a funeral this week, two people wore Manchester United football shirts, and the order of service featured a photograph of the deceased alongside the 1991 European Cup Winners Cup. He was a big fan, often taking the coach from

Do you think I could be a farmer? I could buy a farm, and a tractor. I’m not sure about animals, but I could plough (with my tractor), sow (with my tractor), let things grow and then harvest. Jesus warned

Someone told me a couple of weeks ago that I can’t have tuna on my pizza. But I like tuna on my pizza – tuna and pineapple. Am I wrong? Have I missed something? It’s not as if you physically

I have a tree my garden. I chose it, I planted it, and I watch it. It grows very slowly, unlike some other plants (notably the weeds and the leylandii hedge) which grow much too quickly. My tree just gets

Have you read (or watched Ridley Scott’s film version of) Andy Weir’s “The Martian”? It’s Science Fiction, of course, but it is also a study in crisis decision making. Of all the things going on, what is the most important

Last month was the centenary of George Mallory’s failed attempt to climb Mount Everest. While touring the USA, drumming up support, he was asked by reporters ‘Why?’ Well, why would you want to climb a mountain where the air is

“These are the Good-Old-Days – just wait and see.” (Wait, by Steve Turner). These days we mostly seem to reflect on how bad things are now, and how no-one is really getting to grips with the problems, and how much