Turn The Page

In a few weeks’ time Artemis II will blast off taking people back to the moon for the first time in over 50 years. While they won’t land on this occasion, they will be paving the way for others in years to come.  It was John F Kennedy who announced to Congress on 25th May 1961 that America would have men on the moon before the end of that decade. The following year he visited NASA for the first time and noticing a cleaner carrying a broom asked what he was doing. The cleaner replied ‘I’m helping put a man on the moon.’  Too often in life we can resent those who seem to have greater prominence that we do. But this man understood that while his job might have seemed insignificant his role was vital if the goal was to be achieved. I’m reminded of a poor woman Jesus noticed putting her only penny into the Temple treasury in Jerusalem. She didn’t have much but understood her tiny offering was supporting a vast enterprise – a place where people could draw near to God. So, no matter what you

In James Cameron’s film Titanic, Bruce Ismay, the Managing Director of the White Star Line declares, ‘This ship can’t sink!’ With a line that sends shivers down the spine the ship’s architect replies, ‘She’s made of iron Sir, I assure you she can’.  I’m reminded of this episode as yet another luminary of the Christian world turns out not be as perfect as we had hoped. For decades Philip Yancy inspired millions of Christians around the world. His book What’s so amazing about grace? sold 15 million copies. But then suddenly came his recent confession. An eight-year affair with a married woman. Pain, hurt, and disillusionment have followed. But like Titanic there is no such thing as a perfect, unsinkable human being. Titanic was made of iron, and humans have a corrupt heart, an accident waiting to happen. The prophet Jeremiah once declared, ‘The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure’. If someone like Yancy can be deceived by his heart, then all of us should beware. Ismay was so confident

I wonder what you long for in life and how you cope with disappointments when dreams don’t come true? This week Timothy Chalamet finally won a Golden Globe on his fifth nomination. How did he deal with the disappointment of walking away empty-handed so many times? Well, his father taught him always to be grateful for what he had rather than what he didn’t. It was great advice. A life focussed on what we don’t have will be one of disappointment and frustration. But one focussed on what we do will bring peace and contentment. In the Bible St Paul writes of having discovered a similar secret to living a life of fulfilment. Like Chalamet he was using the gifts that he had been given to work towards a prize and doing so with a heart full of thanksgiving. But unlike Chalamet there was no possibility of disappointment because the prize had already been won. Paul’s prize was the gift of eternal life made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus. No wonder he was thankful. No wonder he was content. How

I moved home on 2nd January. This seemed like a good idea back in September. But as the weeks rolled by and the busyness of preparing for Christmas picked up, I became less sure. You see the issue was not just that I was moving but that I was downsizing from a three-bedroomed house with a large loft to a two-bed flat with limited storage space. I simply couldn’t take everything with me and after fifteen years there was an enormous amount to sort through. I was shocked by how much s I had accumulated that I didn’t need and never used. The effort of sorting through it all was exhausting but ultimately liberating. I’ve arrived in my new home lighter and freer. So, perhaps moving on 2nd January was a good idea after all. It’s that time when we make our new year resolutions and decide to leave some things behind. I’m encouraged by some words of St Paul who urged Christians in Colosse to rid themselves of bad habits and old practices, and put on instead more godly characteristics of kindness, compassio

In these days of polarisation and division we would do well to remember the origins of the American festival of Thanksgiving. It was the spring of 1621 and only half of the Pilgrims who had arrived aboard the Mayflower were still alive. Their chances of survival seemed slim, but providence was on their side. Seemingly […] The post Thanksgiving appeared first on Turn the Page.

Once again evolutionary scientists are scratching their heads trying to find the reason behind one of our most common behaviours – kissing. We’ve been doing it for a very long time, and not just humans but animals as well including wolves, prairie dogs, polar bears and even albatrosses. To be fair the scientist’s definition of […] The post Kissing appeared first on Turn the Page.

Near the main entrance of Westminster Abbey lies The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. Brought from the battlefield of the Western Front and buried ‘amongst the kings’ this unknown soldier represents the countless thousands who gave their lives in the First World War. His body was laid to rest on 11th November 1920 in the presence […] The post We will remember appeared first on Turn the Page.

As he nears the end of his life Anthony Hopkins has made this candid assessment about the prospect of dying: ‘We are all going to die eventually, aren’t we? And now my thing is, screw it. Who cares. Nobody really cares. We all think we do. It’s all a dream within a dream. So, I […] The post The Big Secret appeared first on Turn the Page.

In a world of spin doctors, fake news and social media driven conspiracy theories it’s getting harder to know what is true and what isn’t. The danger is that we doubt everything and trust no one and, as we are seeing across the free world, that leads to increasing fragmentation and division. Having a truth […] The post Finding the truth appeared first on Turn the Page.

After two long years the hostages taken by Hamas have finally been returned. For the families left behind it has been two years of longing, waiting and hoping. No wonder there has been such an outpouring of joy and celebration as those who have survived have been reunited with their loved ones. The emotions have […] The post Homecoming appeared first on Turn the Page.

I remember once sitting with the parents of a four-year-old who had tragically died. A bright and bubbly little boy he had complained one day of a headache and within 48 hours had died from viral meningitis. It was a catastrophe and there were no words to say. We sat for a while in silence […] The post No words to say appeared first on Turn the Page.

It’s seventy years since the first TV advert was broadcast in the UK. In the years since billions of pounds have been spent by advertisers with ever more imaginative ways of grabbing our attention and persuading us that our lives will be diminished without their product. Sadly, the truth is that most ads overpromise and […] The post Those promising adverts appeared first on Turn the Page.

In the UK the tectonic plates of political life are shifting, and no one quite knows what the landscape will look like when they settle. With resignations and defections, the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition must be feeling distinctly nervous as they break for their party’s annual conferences.  Two thousand years ago political […] The post A new king in town appeared first on Turn the Page.

After 35 years in ordained ministry, I was given a three-month sabbatical and on day one flew to Scotland to stay by the sea. One sunny afternoon, I took a walk down to the port and set off along the harbour wall without a care in the world. The wall was not fenced in on […] The post Look up appeared first on Turn the Page.

On 8th May 1945 Victory in Europe was declared. In the UK people poured onto the streets, and from the balcony of Buckingham Palace the King and Prime Minister joined in the celebrations of a hard-won victory over tyranny. But Europe was a continent in ruins. Some regions were on the brink of famine and the […] The post Now let’s win the peace appeared first on Turn the Page.

On Christmas Day 1859 Thomas Austin, a British ex-pat, gave Australia a gift they have never forgotten. He was missing his old hunting traditions and so asked his family to send him 24 European rabbits that he could breed for hunting. Sadly, he seems to have forgotten that rabbits breed like…well like rabbits. Genetically disposed […] The post Breeding like rabbits appeared first on Turn the Page.

A place for everything and everything in its place. This is the rule by which I try to live my life. It means that I can tell you exactly where things are in my house. This applies to the important stuff like keys, wallet, and passport but also the less important like Sellotape, hole punches, […] The post A place for everything appeared first on Turn the Page.

Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ was so powerful that a number of those involved turned to Christ during its filming. One of those was the actress Sabrina Impacciatore who played the part of Veronica, the woman who steps out of the crowd to wipe Jesus’ blood-stained face as he makes his way […] The post Veronica appeared first on Turn the Page.

Stranded in the Atlantic Ocean RMS Titanic was facing her final few hours. Her hull breached by collision with an iceberg she was shipping more water than she was designed to hold and going down by the bow. On board chaos and confusion reigned with some saying everything would be OK with this unsinkable ship, […] The post Let the light shine appeared first on Turn the Page.

On 1st April 1957 the BBC scheduled an edition of its iconic Panorama programme. The subject was the harvesting of the Swiss spaghetti crop. It was narrated by perhaps the most famous broadcaster of the day Richard Dimbleby. While his serious tones described the process of picking and drying the spaghetti, the film showed a Swiss […] The post April fool? appeared first on Turn the Page.