Alannah Francis
-
How to stay faithful at work? One Christian's answer: 'There's an even bigger boss out there'
Packed trains filled to capacity, delays, engineering works and expensive fares â the journey to and from work is probably the least favourite part of the day for any commuter. But in the midst of all this, one man has been recognised for lifting the spirits of Londoners making their way around the capital.
-
The most popular names of the last 500 years: which biblical names made the top 25 and what do they mean?
With the rising trend of parents naming their children after the characters in popular films and TV shows, in years to come there's likely to be more Khaleesis, the title of the character played by Emilia Clarke's in Game of Thrones, than Kates in the playground.
-
Six steps to achieving your spiritual goals
We don't have to wait for a specific time of year to set goals or attempt improving our spiritual strength. In fact, waiting for a traditional time to make a change, whether that's a new week, a new year or a new month, is just another excuse for putting off what's necessary. Change is inevitable, but it's much more satisfying when it's on our terms.
-
3 questions to ask yourself before you complain about something
Brits are notorious for complaining - a lot. In winter it's too cold and when the rare heatwave occurs in summer, it's too hot, and the rain? Don't get us started on the rain. Moaning may be an unofficial British pastime but it isn't one that's confined to the island's shores, it's become a common habit worldwide.
-
5 ways that we can embody Christ's qualities in our lives
As we celebrate Jesus' resurrection, our minds turn to his risen body. During the homily on Easter Sunday, my priest spoke about how in our modern society, Christ has no physical body and no earthly voice - besides the ones we're prepared to give him to use.
-
Six Instagram accounts Christians should follow for a more inspiring and enlightening feed
Less than two weeks since he launched his personal account on Instagram, Pope Francis (@franciscus) already has 2.2 million followers. He's not following anyone on Instagram which is probably down to the fact that he's far too busy to spend time scrolling through the millions of selfies that are uploaded daily, but if he's not sure which of the approximately 90 million active users to follow, this list may help.
-
Re-reading the Easter story and other things you can do to keep that Easter feeling alive
The "welcome disruption" that Easter brings is in an official sense over, but just as we welcomed Easter's ability to reinvigorate our faith for several weeks, we should also make the effort to ensure that the Easter message is an ongoing catalyst for our faith.
-
4 benefits of worshipping in a church you don't attend regularly
Apart from weddings, funerals, christenings and carol services, I rarely worship in a church that's not my own and I'm guessing that holds true for many of us. And that's no bad thing, to be a contributing member of a church you need to show up in more ways than one. But there are some positives that we can take from finding ourselves in circumstances where we worship outside the above occasions in a church that we don't regularly attend.
-
Four ways to make the most of your alone time
Contrary to what we might initially think, spending time on our own does have its benefits. Taking a break from socialising can have positive effects on our emotional well-being and it can even improve the quality of our relationships with others.
-
Eternal, overwhelming and inexpressible: welcome to the biblical version of joy
God's version of joy comes without an expiry date.
-
Photo of coffee shop employees praying with grieving customer goes viral
A powerful moment of prayer between three coffee shop employees and a grieving widow has now been shared by thousands online after a customer captured the act and uploaded it to social media.
-
Three lessons on serving others we can learn from Jesus washing the disciples' feet
What Jesus did when he washed the feet of his disciples was to completely turn the feet-washing custom on its head. It's a powerful act and one that continues to astound us today.