Journalists love it; particle physicists hate it: the Higgs boson named as the God particle.   Currently I’m reading an excellent book on the hunt for the Higgs boson:  The Particle at the End of the Universe  by American scientist Sean Carroll. It’s basically the story of the largest machine ever built, the Large Hadron Collider, a ring of 27 kilometres buried 100 metres underground on the French–Swiss border.   A huge enterprise, both in hard cash and personnel, such is the

As my family know only too well, I am a slow driver. So slow that I frequently have to pull in to allow tractors, even cyclists, to pass.   This week I was reminded why I tend to drive so cautiously, as I reviewed the ministry of a young vicar in a neighbouring deanery. It was his father who originally signed me up for a police driving course.   Way back in 1971 I had just passed my driving test — first time, I hasten to add. However, my driving experience was limited to just

The Gospel – that is, the cross and resurrection of Jesus – stands everything on its head. It overturns all our assumptions and turns life the right way up.   This morning, as part of my daily discipline, I’ve been reading Psalm 44. As ever, it’s brutally honest. The central cry is simple enough: “Lord, we’ve been faithful — so why has everything fallen apart?”   The psalm begins conventionally enough. It praises God for past blessings – the gift of the land, victory over ene

The correct answer to this question may well save your life – and possibly the lives of others.   There you are at 38,000 feet. Suddenly the cabin air pressure drops and the oxygen masks fall. You’re travelling with a child or someone with a disability. What do you do?   The answer, repeated in every pre-flight briefing, is simple, if counter-intuitive: you look after yourself first. You put on your own mask, then you help your companion. By caring for yourself, you are bette

Our daughter lives a very sad life.   Last night she and her two secondary-age children went to bed at 9.00 pm. Yet this morning they were up, dressed and breakfasted, by 6.45 am.   Why so early? They could, of course, have waited until this evening – but the risk was far too high of overhearing the result. It was even splashed across the front pages of the  Daily Star  and the  Daily Mail !   So, eight hours after the rest of the nation, they finally discovered in watching t

It has to be one of the most boring chapters in the whole of the Bible — and yet it came up in conversation only yesterday.   I’m talking about the opening chapter of  1 Chronicles , which I’ve been working through with my BRF Guidelines . It’s simply a list of names — 187 in total — most of them entirely unknown to us. Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshek, to name but four. And it doesn’t stop there: the next eight chapters continue in the same vein. Page after page, name after name.

My balance is poor — very poor — and it’s time to do something about it.   I’ve known for some time that things have been getting worse. Walking downhill is awkward; I automatically reach for bannisters when they’re available. Yet, up to now, it’s never really worried me — as long as I can run in a straight line for my weekly ParkRun and turn left when required, I’ve been content! *   But the time has come to act. To counter the inevitable effects of the ageing process, my ph

What happens when Christians find themselves divided over what each believes to be a matter of fundamental truth?   That’s a big question. Does it lead to schism — further fragmenting the Church — or do we simply learn to live uneasily with the elephant in the room?   For several years, the Church of England has wrestled with the issue of same-sex relationships — a subject that has stirred deep emotions and entrenched divisions. It hasn’t been easy.   This week the House of B

Two churches, yet in completely different settings — almost polar opposites.   On Wednesday daughter #2 was licensed as priest-in-charge...

The scam was so convincing I had to check it out.   On Monday I received a WhatsApp message, apparently from the very hotel in Bergerac...

“To be human is to ask: what is my life for? To be Christian is to hear: your life is for God.” So concludes philosopher, Dallas...

“Remember my chains!”   So the apostle Paul ends his letter to the church in Colossae: “I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand....

“Worship is God’s enjoyment of us and our enjoyment of him.”   So observes Graham Kendrick, one of the most influential Christian...

This morning, as I finished reading Psalm 121, a memory from some 65 years ago came vividly to mind: “The Lord shall preserve thy going...

. Back in 2010, when my new curate arrived, we drew up a 13-point working agreement. Point 12 was very clear: neither Phil nor any member...

But will the Hill Dickinson ever have a soul?   This Sunday Everton play their first proper match at their brand new stadium at...

I had to do a double take. This wasn’t your usual memorial plaque—it was an apology. A very public apology.   On Wednesday, during our...

Tomorrow marks wedding number four — completing the set!   In just 12 days, I will have conducted four weddings and a funeral. It began...

This news story immediately caught my attention—a gift for any sub-editor in search of a headline: Sex shop converted.   Castlegate...

The climax of my nostalgia week has arrived as today we head to Cumbria. We’re staying with an old athletics friend—Dave and I ran...