Alannah Francis
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No time for a spiritual retreat? How to incorporate some of the elements into your routine
This week Pope Francis and members of the Roman Curia began their annual Lenten retreat in Ariccia. We might not be able to take a week off to focus purely on our faith at this time but we can adopt some of the Pope's practices into our Lenten observance.
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7 Bible verses which help us build up a picture of what marriage means
Marriage remains a significant aspect of Christian life but the way that it is valued has undergone a shift in wider society. Higher numbers of couples are moving in together and cohabiting for years before even considering walking down the aisle, if they contemplate it at all.
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What does the Bible say about beauty?
It's not controversial to say that our society is obsessed with appearance. In the UK alone, women spend approximately £12,000 on beauty and cosmetic products throughout their lifetime. Every purchase is an attempt to make themselves appear either slimmer, more tanned, younger and generally more attractive.
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How to remember what God has done in your life
One way to work on strengthening our spiritual lives is to meditate on the role that God has had in them. We can become so preoccupied with asking God to intervene in situations that we can can forget how far we've already come with his help and all of the growth that we've undergone as a result of his involvement.
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The problem with 'viral virgin' stories and publicising a woman's virginity
In Christianity. it's unquestionable that there is value placed upon sexual intimacy but what I find worrying about this trend of 'viral virgins' or the publicising of a woman's virgin status is that is has the negative consequence of placing value on the virgin and devaluing women with a sexual history.
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Struggling to find peace? Here's what the Bible says about it
Peace can mean different things to different people but it's something that so many of us long for. The recent popularity of mindfulness and meditation all points towards our unrelenting desire for a sense of peace in our increasingly hectic lives.
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4 fun ways to teach toddlers about Jesus
The prospect of being responsible for teaching children anything can be daunting. We're so anxious to get it right and for them to understand whatever it is we're trying to teach them. When it's hard enough work training a child how to use the potty, it can seem somewhat futile to try and teach a young child about Jesus.
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How we can learn to deal with difficult people by following Jesus' example
Throughout his lifetime, Jesus had to deal with a lot of difficult people. The different ways in which he navigated these encounters can provide us with tips and tools to incorporate into our own everyday interactions with others.
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Is there room for prayer in public?
Our modern lives seem increasingly busy and often leave little time for reflection. We can be pretty efficient with our time when it comes to binge watching our favourite Netflix series, scheduling in our gym classes or volunteering for overtime to impress the boss, but it seems that in the midst of all of this we're not devoting enough time to prayer.
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3 simple ways to fight loneliness
Despite the advancement of technology which aims to make us more connected than ever before, more and more of us are feeling lonely. So, what changes can we make to our lives now before loneliness takes hold?
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7 Bible verses on success
Success has different meanings to different people and sometimes our idea of success can be at odds with God's plan for us. It's not wrong to want to be successful but it is worthwhile reminding ourselves...
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What is the perfect age to get married?
Do you think there's a perfect age to get married? I'm guessing if you thought about it really carefully the answer would be no. However, there is an ideal age to get married and stay married, according to experts.