5 Writing Tips Gleaned Along The Way
There are loads of advice lists from writers out there. But I think I can safely claim to be a writer now. And bizarrely enough, folks do actually ask me for writing advice. So why not add to the plethora (after all, the internet’s revolution, as Clay Shirky astutely put it, was the shift from […]
Tentative Steps towards Civility #2: Generosity towards others’ motivations
It is unavoidable. Each of us is motivated by many different desires and concerns: some positive, some negative, some altruistic, some self-oriented or even selfish. The problem comes when we overlook that complexity
Tectonic words: a cry from the heart for substance
I wrote this a few months back – but have sat on it for a while. But somehow it feels more pressing than ever, amidst the drear of the daily news cycle that only alternates between triviality and the profoundest unease. In case you’re wondering, the image is of The Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland, […]
Tentative Steps towards Civility #1: If you must label, keep to ideas (not people)
Standards in public discourse have deteriorated. I hope that is something on which we can all agree. Jeremy Corbyn came to the Labour leadership promising a kinder and more respectful politics – but that’s not happened. Of course, it was not really in his gift. Nor was he ever likely to control his more radical […]
Revisiting the arable parable woods
A couple of years ago, I reposted a little thing I had written 5 years before, An Arable Parable. Now that I’m back at my parents’ home for a few weeks, I went for a wander in the field last night, in the perfection of a summer’s evening light. And it didn’t fail to inspire. […]
What to make of Orphan Black’s Clone Club?
For starters, I’m an unashamed fan. Orphan Black is fantastic TV. We’ve watched through the first 4 seasons now, but will have to wait until the release of the boxed set of 5 to see the conclusion of the matter (it is officially the last). It is totally addictive, cult viewing. Here’s the essential […]
Taking the UK’s social temperature: Spurgeons 2017 Parent Report
An old friend, Ross Hendry, is the chief exec of Spurgeon’s Children’s Charity, a UK organisation (no, that’s not him on the left, that’s Spurgeon). The charity was founded by its illustrious namesake, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, and continues today to do great work for the most deprived and at risk kids in the country. In […]
Q Combinations 16: Brassaï’s Grand Central and Emily Pfeiffer’s Blind Architect
I’m haunted by contemporary city life – the millions of parallel lives occupying the same square miles. Christopher Nevinson entitled one of his most striking paintings, The Soul of The Soulless City, and I was thinking about this recently. But then I came across this poem by the Victorian poet, Emily Pfeiffer, about whom I […]
The woman at the well: 5-times married… but with what significance?
It’s a much-loved story. It’s midday, baking hot, and deserted. Nobody in their right mind goes out then. Except a Samaritan woman. And Jesus. It soon becomes obvious why she does: safest time of day. But Jesus…? It’s not at all obvious what he’s up to.
Some thoughts on John Stott’s understanding of Christian Unity
IVP has been running a blog series on John Stott’s thought – they’ve produced a number of short videos about it, accompanied by relevant posts. So I was delighted to contribute, writing the article to accompany the great David Turner. It is a curious fact. John Stott was a life-long Anglican, resolutely committed to ministry […]
REPOST: A chance encounter with a great poet: Irina Ratushinskaya beaten but not lost
Having just heard of her death – see WAPO, Guardian, Wiki – it seems appropriate to repost my post from 2010. I can’t now remember exactly what I was doing that day, but back in early 1989, I had a couple of hours to kill in Oxford (it was probably on a trip to get things […]
Last Hope Island: Assessing the legacy Britain’s WW2 haven status
This is history writing at its compelling best. Lynne Olson has beavered away to find an original angle on an oft-told story and does it with such force of insight that one’s sense of the bigger story is given greater depth. Last Hope Island is simply one of the best books on World War 2 […]
