Sticks and Stones: Words and the Power of ForgivenesssAs a child, there was a popular refrain my school mates and I would sing – “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me.” Those words of defiance could be brazenly thrown in the face of a…
With Christmas on the horizon, children across the world are in a heightened state of anticipation over two central characters. Whether Jesus or Santa Claus has the pride of place in their hearts and homes, depends on what they have been taught and the traditions they have practised since birth.…
At this season of festivity and sentimentality, it’s easy to forget that there are those who struggle emotionally and financially around Christmas. This film reminds us that despite the tragedies and broken dreams that life invariably dishes out, it’s still a wonderful life. We all can do with a change…
Keeping It Real: Reclaiming Reality in 2019 As smart technologies and media platforms continue to proliferate, it is becoming increasingly difficulty to differentiate truth and reality from the fictional and fake. As 2018 draws to a rapid close, an analysis of how the culture has re-defined reality seems fitting. ‘Reality’…
Restoring God’s Blueprint for Marriage: for better or for worse… We are living in fickle times where fidelity in the broad sense of the word is no longer viewed as the essential component of marriage. Although serial monogamy has become the norm, it is still not the ideal most couples…
It is indeed ironic that on the days immediately following the public holiday of Thanksgiving which emphasises the virtue of contentment, we are encouraged to indulge in the vice of covetousness. ‘Black Friday’ and ‘Cyber Monday’ are approaching fast on Friday 23 and Monday 26 November 2018, and for many…
The world offers up an enticing smorgasbord of pastimes – all claiming to offer you an endorphin rush not to be missed. These thrill-seeking activities such as drug and alcohol use, casual sex, escapism though non-stop entertainment, offer much but deliver little in terms of long-lasting satisfaction. It seems our…
The BFF ideal vs a Culture which settles for fake friendships The title of Joe Battaglia’s new book ‘Unfriended: Finding True Community in a Disconnected Culture’ uses a word which until this modern age of Facebook, did not exist – the verb ‘to unfriend’. If it is possible to end…
A Clarion Call to Spiritual Etiquette: Addressing the Culture of Hate There are certain age-old values which will always withstand the test of time. How we treat one another is a far greater indicator of whether our society is civilised than the accessibility of modern technology and amenities such as…
Popular music anthems are typically dismissive of regretting the way one has lived one’s life, perhaps none so resonantly as Édith Piaf’s ‘Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien’ and ‘My Way’ by Frank Sinatra - both common musical themes for funerals. They convey the message that regretting is a waste of…
