Everyday Life
By Liz Hinds
Everyday LifeSep 06, 2021
Do pets go to heaven?
We had to say goodbye to our gorgeous golden retriever, George, after he had been a large part of our lives for nearly fifteen years.
It finally got me
After avoiding it for two and a half years I tested positive for Covid. Research shows that people over 60 are more likely to suffer Covid brain fog so you know what to blame for this!
You got a friend in me
If a friend is someone with whom you have a close, loving or intimate relationship, then I can count my friends on the fingers of one hand.
Does God make mistakes?
I was born with eleven toes. Was that God's mistake?
The devil in the details
Or God in the detail? Which one's for you?
Be like seaweed and cling
Even when we're old and grey there is one hand we can cling onto.
It's not what you wear ...
It's the way that you wear it. Does what you wear matter?
Growing up in the Bronx
From New York gang member to travelling evangelist via NYPD.
Are you a sheep?
If you were an animal which one would you choose to be?
We've got to talk about Simon
Was Simon zealous about hygiene? Are you a shade or sun person? Listen in to find out more!
New every morning
Each day brings a fresh chance, a new beginning.
You're nobody till somebody loves you
And other untruths we tell ourselves.
Jubilee
You can't rely on popularity. One day you're the favourite, the next you're the villain. Are there any exceptions to the rule?
Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heart sick
"Do you want to get well?" That's a strange question to ask an invalid but often our response to questions is unexpected.
Can't buy me love
Long before the Beatles sang it a tax collector in Jericho discovered that money isn't always the answer.
The right to the pursuit of happiness
Is happiness something we can find? And if so where do we look?
Bindweed of the brain
Bindweed in the garden is notoriously hard to get rid of. Left on its own it can kill plants or reduce growth but just cutting off the shoots won't help. The roots go deep and spread. Rather like those negative thoughts we have about ourselves.
Mother
Something a little different. Two scriptures and two monologues from Mary, mother of Jesus.
Slapping comedians and other upsets
We know violence isn't the answer but is it ever justified?
Missing Mum
If we miss our mothers or never knew them, or if it seems we’ve lost them to a fog of dementia, we can turn to God safe in the knowledge that his love is stronger, that his compassion and forgiveness greater, that he will never forget us.
What's in a name?
If I were called Tiffany would I be a different person now?
It's not fair!
Why do bad things happen to good people?
Giving it up
Whatever you're giving up for Lent don't give up hope!
To be a refugee
As Russia invades Ukraine and thousands of people flee their homes I'm thinking about an earlier refugee, and how he might have been treated.
Storm warning
Storm Gladys is coming. That was my grandmother's name and if this storm is anything like my Grandmother, you'd better watch out!
Ever been rejected?
“To be a writer is to embrace rejection as a way of life.”
So said a famous American writer but do lots of rejections make you immune to pain?
Telling tales
We all do it.
Where we're going not where we're from
My ancestral home is a castle. Or a dilapidated house in a village depending which branch of the family tree you follow.
The Welsh Valentine
In Wales we have our own patron saint of love but we also have a lot of other saints, perhaps where you might least expect to find them.
Gardening for beginners
Advice #1: getting rids of weeds is a full-time job.
How to change the world
How Jesus tells us we can change the world.
A good resolution
Trying to not be shy is like asking a tiger to resolve to be rid of his stripes. So what's a more achievable resolution?
The Difference
What difference does a baby born over two thousand years ago make to the world? To you?
Mary's Boy Child
The grungy chaos of birth, and an heroic young woman
But who is my neighbour?
On Thanksgiving morning we woke up to the news that 27 people had died trying to cross the English Channel. What should our attitude to them be?
Little Things mean a Lot
Kathy Kallen sang that in 1954 - no, I don't remember her but I do remember the song - but have we lost the art of appreciating the small things of life?
What would Jesus do?
Are you frustrated by the news you hear every day? It's so unremittingly bad. What can we do as Christians? What would Jesus do?
We are family
Church in its best version is family, the sort of family you'd choose for yourself.
A trip in space or food for your children?
When children in the first world go to school hungry. What can we do?
Let it go!
From Elsa to CS Lewis, thoughts on autumn and letting go.
Follow that dream!
We owe a lot to people like Dr Martin Luther King who followed their dreams and made life better for us all. But what about our own dreams?
Talking to God
Are you a good pray-er? I don't think I am.
Memories are made of this
What will you leave behind when you're gone?
Beauty out of rubbish
A cross made of driftwood and old rope, a window made of discarded glass. Beauty out of rubbish.
Our Father?
When your experience of fathers is bad how do you relate to Father God?
An answer to prayer
Or just coincidence? How easy do you find it to trust God?
It's all about me
How I became a Christian in 8 minutes.
Enjoy yourself - it's later than you think
Does God really want us to enjoy ourselves?
It's good to talk
A bit late in life but I finally realise that it IS good to talk.
Are my feelings justified?
Sometimes your emotions get the better of you despite your best intentions.