I’m not naturally a very sociable person. I once famously told all the girls at GAC that I hated meeting new people (not a very encouraging thing to say as a leader). However, it is true that I find any form of socialising tiring and draining particularly if I do not know the people well. Nevertheless, having grown up as a minister’s daughter the idea of having many people in and out of your house is a normal one. Growing up our dinner table frequently hosted our congregation, visiting missionaries and many of our childhood friends. Perhaps because of this I see that hospitality is a way of life despite my introverted tendencies. Butterfield seeks in her book to show that hospitality is indeed inevitably part of the Christian life.

Preachers sometimes act as if the present sermon or series they’re preaching is the most important thing you’ll ever hear. We may even say as much! In this case what I’m working on currently may not be the most important thing of all, but it’s certainly very relevant to this series on Christianity.

How much do you actually know about Islam, aside from dress codes and extremists? Perhaps, because we live in Northern Ireland, it is not something that you have encountered, or you don’t see much benefit in engaging with it.

Amy Carmichael gives an exceptional example of the set-apart life. From the time of her conversion to her going home, she poured out her life in service to the Lord and had little-to-no regard of human opinion.

The Webster Dictionary defines idolatry as “the worship of idols or excessive devotion to, or reverence for some person or thing.” God forbids idolatry, ‘you shall have no other gods before me’ Exodus 20:3

There is something incredible about fantasy fiction. Not only the ability to conjure up a new storybut to create a new world with different landscapes, creatures and dialects. None in my view have accomplished this so well as CS Lewis or Tolkien. Nevertheless, I do enjoy a venture into a new world and enjoyed my foray into Aerwiar, the world created by Andrew Peterson in his Wingfeather Saga.

A few weeks ago I grabbed a bag of popcorn and a bottle of water and was ready to settle down to enjoy another film in the Avengers franchise! Yes, you’ve guessed - Captain Marvel! This film is similar to most Avengers films in that it’s aimed primarily for late teens to young adults. With plenty of action-packed scenes, witty jokes and a star-studded cast, what’s not to love!

Voltaire, the French philosopher and sceptic of the 18th century, is reported to have said “If you would destroy Christianity you must first kill Sunday” the inference is that so long as men preserve and observe the one day in seven as a sacred day, so long will religious life be vigorous; and conversely, just in the measure that men secularise the Sabbath and make a common day of it, will they lose the sense of God and so lose religion.

All ethnic Jews can trace their roots back to forebears who were refugees and migrants. From their original temporary residence in Canaan, to their becoming refugees and then slaves in Egypt, right through to the 40-year trek that took them finally to a homeland of their own, they were 'of no fixed abode' and were often dependent on the kindness of pagan neighbours in order to survive. And God used that kindness - even from their erstwhile oppressors, the Egyptians - to sustain them. But how quickly Israel forgot.

Twenty minutes of mindless scrolling YouTube on my phone and I can’t even tell you what I’m watching anymore or why. It’s amazing how quickly time slips away without any purpose - films, music, video games, TV, books, magazines, social media, podcasts. We have more control over how we curate our content than ever before, so why does it often feel like we’re still failing when it comes to what we listen to and watch?