Any love to spare?

There once was a man who had two sons. The elder one was in line to take over the family business. The younger, disillusioned with his lot, went off to a distant land. Sibling rivalry is nothing new, of course. Neither is parental estrangement or the presence of family conflicts. Read more…

Go compare

Whether it’s in the speaking or in the writing, I have often encouraged people not to compare themselves with others. Regularly using two favourite quotes to emphasise the importance if not doing so: ‘It is a mistake to compare the outside of other people’s lives with the inside of our Read more…

The big serve

One of the unexpected aspects of having Covid and the fatigue that has come with it (I got more than I bargained for in my recent trip) has been watching far more of Wimbledon than usual. One thing that struck me has been the players with ‘the big serve’: the Read more…

Levelling up

In previous posts, I’ve considered the topics of importance and status, last weekend I was humbled by the response to a Bible study on Acts 6:1-7 which explores these themes. (You may like to read the passage alongside this post.) The book of Acts tells the story of the early Read more…

Coping with criticism

For many people, the only way they know they’re doing a good job is when they’re not being criticised. We Brits aren’t that good at giving praise are we? But having had a recent rejection, I have been very touched by the many congratulatory comments received in the last few Read more…

Coping with change

‘Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes, Turn and face the strange’. In my last job I was (and knew I was) very fortunate to work alongside people who were supportive, encouraging and had a default answer of ‘yes’. The last three years have been a stark reminder that not everyone else is like that! Coping Read more…

Coping with rejection

‘Your writing is clearly very strong, and I thought it was a compelling novella…I hope you persevere, because I could see this doing well for someone!’ As far as rejections go, that was a very acceptable one. Two manuscripts have been doing the rounds of publishers over the last year. Read more…

What makes a person great?

Despite all the difficulties, the Olympics will, no doubt, produce moments of greatness. Great sportswomen and men at the top of their game. Gold medals. World records. Memorable moments. Whether it’s in sport or politics, businesses or churches, I imagine we can all think of people who are great. Some Read more…