Blame Game.

‘Feelings are a warning signal telling us that we need to do something. For example, if you are angry at someone for something she did, it is your responsibility to go to her and tell her you are angry and why. If you think that your anger is her problem and that she needs to fix it, you may wait years. And your anger may turn into bitterness. If you are angry, even if someone else has sinned against you, it is your responsibility to do something about it. Take responsibility for your own hurt and anger. Not dealing with hurt or anger can kill a relationship.’  Tina Sabatino. Read the rest of this entry »

Cliff Jumping.

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Simple.

My name is Keith Woodward and I am a Christian. The funny thing though is that it has taken me three and a half years to write that down. For the past couple of years that I have been writing the occasional article under the pseudonym Christian Young, a name given to me by a good friend and an early supporter of my work.

God has always known that I would be a Christian though.

And that I would eventually admit it. Read the rest of this entry »

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.

There is a beautiful expression in the English language used to describe someone who is a little less than gifted in the brains department on a particular subject and is ‘not knowing their arse from their elbow’. Whilst I apologise for the crudeness of the language, I can’t help but feel that this simple little phrase was written entirely with me in mind. Read the rest of this entry »

Honesty Policy.

Honesty is a funny thing depending on which side of the truth you are standing. We often find that the easiest way to get our three year old son James to leave the playground is to tell him that it’s closing. It’s one of those little lies that parents smile wryly at, sharing a knowing glance and often a shared pain.  We tell our doctor that yes we will cut down on the cream cakes because we realise our weight is important. Particularly for me as my wife is a doctor and I’m not too far from the truth when I tell people that I’m on doctor’s orders to lose weight, because every time I roll over in the night I squash her. We tell our wives we have changed our socks in the last three days and that the towel on the floor in the bathroom was there before we had a shower. Read the rest of this entry »

We’re Really Not That Very Fond of You.

I have an amazing flair for fashion which dates back to me being aged 15 and making a very conscious decision to rebel. I wanted to rebel against my parents, against my classmates and anything else that wasn’t me. I listened to heavy metal, shredded a pair of jeans, bought a leather jacket and put a bandana on. When I first met my wife Jenny, I was dressed in skin tight black and white jeans covered with buckles and zips. Going to the toilet was a nightmare. I wore tie-die shirts and braided my hair, colouring the braids alternately black and red. I looked amazing. Read the rest of this entry »

Death’s Hope.

At 96 years of age, a divorce and four wins over cancer Jenny’s Godmother died at eight this morning.

She was a fascinating person to know, her life having spanned such a tumultuous period of history. She was fiery, independent of thought and had been raised by a single mother who speculated in property. I never found out what happened to her father and find myself wondering whether he was a casualty of the First World War. I was somewhat in awe of her. Read the rest of this entry »

Clock Watching.

I’m at the end of a very long day in the office. A day when you needed one more member of staff, a chance to have a realistic lunch break and an afternoon coffee break rather than an afternoon of coffee withdrawal because it’s been eight hours since your last fix and I really, really, really need a shot now. I mean just a little one, just a sip. An espresso will do it, even just smelling my old coffee cup which is still sitting unwashed in the staffroom will probably do it. Not that I have a caffeine problem. Read the rest of this entry »

Run Away,Run Away!

It is often said that it is easier to run from something than to do it. That is no different for us as Christians. The biologist reading this might recognise it as the ‘fight or flight’ instinct. In my case rather than holding my ground and fighting for my dreams, I instead to prefer the act of running for the hills, tail between my legs. Surprisingly, given the amount of running I have been doing recently, I remain a somewhat portly character. Read the rest of this entry »

The Influence of Affluence.

It’s hard to watch someone in pain, doubly so when there are two people and you are close to both. So why was I so happy when the first person had to experience a little pain this morning? Read the rest of this entry »