cyberfizh

Luke 18: 9-14 (The Message) Jesus told this story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people: “Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax man. The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: ‘Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven…

Antonio Stradivari: Beachcomber and Violin Maker The Italian violin maker Antonio Stradivari was a poor man. But his violins are the most prized ever made, because of their rich and resonant sound. A Stradivarius cannot be duplicated and can easily sell for 13 million pounds! What may surprise us is that these instruments were not made from treasured pieces of wood; but discarded timber.…

Antonio Stradivari: Beachcomber and Violin Maker The Italian violin maker Antonio Stradivari was a poor man. But his violins are the most prized ever made, because of their rich and resonant sound. A Stradivarius cannot be duplicated and can easily sell for 13 million pounds! What may surprise us is that these instruments were not made from treasured pieces of wood; but discarded timber.…

Antonio Stradivari: Beachcomber and Violin Maker The Italian violin maker Antonio Stradivari was a poor man. But his violins are the most prized ever made, because of their rich and resonant sound. A Stradivarius cannot be duplicated and can easily sell for 13 million pounds! What may surprise us is that these instruments were not made from treasured pieces of wood; but discarded timber.…

Singing is good for the Soul There is a saying, “Singing is good for the soul.” Well, it’s true. Health experts agree and here are the most common reasons why: 1. It’s a mood-enhancer: Singing releases endorphins and makes you feel uplifted. 2. It improves your breathing: Singing gives the lungs a workout and aids circulation. 3. It’s a stress-reliever: Singing allows the flow of blood and…

The greatest story ever told for every age and taste! Offered in peace and joy for Christmas...

The greatest story ever told for every age and taste! Offered in peace and joy… In those days, a decree went out from Emperor Augustus. He ordered that all the world should be registered. Everyone had to register in their own town. So Joseph the carpenter, descended from the house of David, went to Bethlehem. He took with him, Mary, his wife. For she was expecting a baby and had received…

“O come, O come, Emmanuel”; “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”; “Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending.” Even the traditional hymns of this season convey a sense of hopeful longing in Advent. It is a season that begins in the dark and recognises that though Christ has come, his work remains unfinished. Advent acknowledges our world’s brokenness and tragedy but still has hope for God’s future. There…

“O come, O come, Emmanuel”; “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”; “Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending.” Even the traditional hymns of this season convey a sense of hopeful longing in Advent. It is a season that begins in the dark and recognises that though Christ has come, his work remains unfinished. Advent acknowledges our world’s brokenness and tragedy but still has hope for God’s future. There…

“O come, O come, Emmanuel”; “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”; “Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending.” Even the traditional hymns of this season convey a sense of hopeful longing in Advent. It is a season that begins in the dark and recognises that though Christ has come, his work remains unfinished. Advent acknowledges our world’s brokenness and tragedy but still has hope for God’s future. There…

There is a saying wrongly attributed to both Mark Twain and Abraham Lincoln, that was penned by author Maurice Switzer in 1907: “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than speak and remove all doubt.”   The older I get the more I find that John’s Gospel, as distinct from Matthew, Mark, and Luke, speaks to me more and more. John 6 is a prolonged reflection on Jesus as the ‘Bread of…

It’s funny how the same word can mean different things in English like, ‘Spam’. Some will think of Spam as the canned meat invented in 1937, which came from a shortening of the term, ‘spiced ham’, and because it was processed, was excluded from rationing in World War II.  For a generation, Spam became one of the staple foods in their diet. Some joked that the letters stood for, “Something Posing…

My Hometown I grew up in a small market town in Hampshire. We had our own General Hospital, where my father was a ‘Male Nurse’, as he was described then. We had a weekly Farmer’s Market where you could see livestock driven through the vibrant High Street, full of shops and banks. We had our own Police Station, Magistrate’s Court, Fire Station, and Cinema. These are now but a memory. I wonder…

The unique message of Christianity is that God has moved into the neighbourhood in the frail and vulnerable tent of humanity.

Past and Present Tents In years past I have spent too many family holidays in tents that are being battered by the wind and rain. Driving tent pegs back into soggy ground for fear of being blown away by the time the sun comes up – I know just how vulnerable, fragile, and collapsible a tent can be! I sometimes remember this when I read the opening chapter of John’s Gospel. Rich in imagery and…

The ITV drama 'Mr Bates vs The Post Office' tells the true story of the Post Office Horizon computer scandal spanning over 20 years. But the real events and the ITV drama point to a question for everyone: 'What do we do when systems fail?'

The Drama of Mr Bates vs the Post Office The ITV drama production ‘Mr Bates vs The Post Office‘ tells the true story of the Post Office Horizon computer system scandal spanning more than 20 years to the present day. This is commonly described as one of the ‘biggest miscarriages of justice in British legal history’ and saw hundreds of subpostmasters wrongly accused of theft, fraud, and false…