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Sandwiched between a coffee shop and a pub near St James’s Park tube station in London, stands an unremarkable looking building. With a plain black door and frosted glass windows there’s nothing to suggest that it’s a building of any great importance. Yet for 66 years it provided a London home for the British government’s […] The post Hidden in plain sight appeared first on Turn the Page.

Some weeks ago my email account was hacked. The hacker sent dozens of emails from my account all of which bounced and rapidly filled up my inbox. In the course of a few days over 6,000 arrived. Fortunately, my email software spotted what was going on and once I’d sent a few spam emails to […] The post Spam filter for the mind appeared first on Turn the Page.

Marking two weeks since the shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern addressed the nation. Thrust into the global spotlight she has shown herself to be a remarkable leader, combining the deepest compassion for the victims with steely determination to effect real change and prevent a repeat. In her address she said, ’extremism in all […] The post Why the world needs more extremists appeared first on Turn the Page.

On the day that the UK was meant to be securing its freedom from the EU, chaos and confusion continue to reign. This week one newspaper seemed to plumb new levels of despair with its headline that because of Brexit even Easter would have to be cancelled. Fortunately, the detail of the story revealed that […] The post Finding the freedom that matters appeared first on Turn the Page.

As a nine-year-old boy the future Archbishop of Cape Down, Desmond Tutu, had an experience that changed his life forever. He was walking along the street with his mother when they were approached by a white man in a black suit. Under the rules of apartheid, it was expected that Desmond and his mother would […] The post Stepping into the gutter appeared first on Turn the Page.

While most of us will be familiar with the phrase ‘going the extra mile’, it seems to be one that has passed by our local water company. They recently came to install a new water main to the houses in the road opposite where I live. Inevitably this involved digging up the road. After several […] The post Going the extra mile appeared first on Turn the Page.

Once again, the world is stunned by the horrific events that unfolded in Christchurch, New Zealand, last week; and once again I’m reminded of the wise words spoken by a Muslim shopkeeper who welcomed me to his store in Pakistan a few years ago, ‘We were all created by the same God. The most important […] The post My brother’s keeper appeared first on Turn the Page.

A few years ago some friends of mine travelled to Colombia to help with the refurbishment of a children’s centre in one of the poorest districts in the city. But a brief inspection of the building revealed a problem with the ground floor toilets – they’d never been plumbed in! Rather than being connected to […] The post Is your plumbing connected? appeared first on Turn the Page.

There are many reasons why I could never be an atheist. Here’s one of them. Imagine if you will two laptops advertised for sale. They’re identical in every respect apart from the operating system. The first has been programmed by the brightest minds and runs on the fastest chip with the latest software. The second […] The post Intelligent Design appeared first on Turn the Page.

A few years ago I was treated to membership at a local country club. Entering reception for the first time I remember being warmly greeted by the receptionist, and shown into the lovely bar and restaurant which opened out onto a terrace overlooking the gardens. I imagined taking a seat on the terrace with a […] The post No pain no gain appeared first on Turn the Page.

I’ll never forget the day my school celebrated it’s 125thanniversary. There was much excitement because in honour of the occasion we were to be visited by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. (The Queen was patron of our school but I’m guessing she had something else on that day!) In advance of the visit the […] The post Who can meet Jesus? appeared first on Turn the Page.

I once went to visit a friend at university.  At the time she was sharing a house with four male students.  I’ll never forget walking into the kitchen and being greeted by a scene of utter devastation – the sink was piled high with dirty crockery, and on every counter were plates with the remains of previous […] The post Does anyone care about the mess? appeared first on Turn the Page.

I sometimes come across the view that religion is damaging for human beings and should be removed from the world. There are some who would go so far as to say that teaching religious faith to children is tantamount to child abuse. That’s certainly the view expressed by the famous and influential scientist and atheist […] The post Is religion good for your health? appeared first on Turn the Page.

Beloved of car owners around the world the very first Haynes Manual was published in 1966. Its author John Haynes had developed an early passion for cars, missing rugby at school in order to convert an Austin 7. The interest generated when he came to sell the car prompted him to write a small booklet […] The post Manual for life appeared first on Turn the Page.

Valentine’s Day is big business. In 2017 the UK alone splashed out nearly £1 billion on celebrating love. As humans we long to love and be loved. Sadly, our longing for romance means that catfishing – using a fake identity to contact another person – is also big business; and with a quarter of us […] The post Let love be real appeared first on Turn the Page.

This week Donald Tusk caused a storm by wondering aloud about the special place in hell reserved for those who campaigned for Brexit. Now while Donald may be relishing the thought of people in hell, Jesus was rather less enthusiastic. He urged us to do all that we could to avoid it. On one occasion […] The post A special place in hell? appeared first on Turn the Page.

It’s a commonly held assumption that all religions are just different ways to God. After all, why should the claims of one religion take precedence over all the others?   The problem with this proposition, however, is that different religions have radically different notions of what getting ‘to God’ means. For some there is not […] The post The way, the truth and the life appeared first on Turn the Page.

The British adventurer Ernest Shackleton once placed the following newspaper advert: ‘Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success.’ It was certainly not an advert that could be challenged for inaccuracy or hype! This was an expedition that would […] The post Advert for the adventurous appeared first on Turn the Page.

For several years my family and I took our summer holiday in the small village of Nethy Bridge in the Scottish Highlands. We would often drive through the forest and the foothills of the Cairngorm mountains, following the road as it twisted this way and that. We’d catch glimpses through the trees of a loch […] The post Making sense of our lives appeared first on Turn the Page.

Lying mortally wounded on an Afghan battlefield, Lance Corporal John List felt his life ebbing away. But he had reckoned without the courage and dedication of Able Seaman Kate Nesbitt, a medical assistant with the Royal Navy. With no regard for her own safety she raced 70 yards under heavy fire and spent 45 minutes […] The post Courage under fire appeared first on Turn the Page.