victoria 
It seems this year that Autumn is particularly spectacular. The horse chestnuts seemed to go brown overnight a few weeks ago, but nothing else had happened. Then suddenly, I woke up to find trees which were green yesterday are now a brilliant, bold yellow. Others look like they have been dipped in the Creator’s massive … Read more
Look out for special looking trees this Autumn and when you spot one, praise God for it. You could play Top Tree, a game where you see which tree is the most stunning over the Autumn period. This could involve taking photos of them, and if you play with different people, you could upload them … Read more
Write things you are thankful for with fridge magnets. You could use the words in a spoken time of prayer, for example before a meal once a week. I find this allows us to pray for things which we might not think are ‘important enough’ in a spoken prayer time, for example, I would thank … Read more
This year all three of the Autumn feasts in the Bible, known in Judaism as the High Holidays: Feast 1: Rosh Hashana Feast 2: Yom Kippur – The Day of Atonement Feast 3: Sukkot- The Feast of Shelters Each of these festivals can be found in the Old Testament, and it’s very likely that Jesus … Read more
I was recently looking at the Benedictus, otherwise known as the words Zechariah says on the birth of his son, John the Baptist in Luke 1:67-79. It’s a powerful passage, although not as well-known as Mary’s song a few verses earlier in the chapter. As I looked at it, I started to see connections with … Read more
I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a lot of conkers in my house this Autumn. It seems to have been a bumper year, and although I pretend I’m collecting them just because my daughters love playing with them, if I’m honest, they’re partly for me as I love the wonder of those beautiful … Read more
Use the contrast between the spikey shell and the smooth conker to reflect on God’s transforming work. Collect conkers still in their spikey shells. Invite everyone to carefully pick one shell up and hold it while thinking of something ‘spikey’ or not nice they would like God to sort out. This could be anything, for … Read more
Author: David Sims Illustrator: Becky Rawlins and Hope Gwilliam RRP £15.99 (it’s full colour and 124 pages long!) Published by: David Sims Perfect for: families with children age 7+ wanting a daily Advent devotional Best bit: gorgeous design and artwork, a delight for eyes! Worst bit: a lot of material, with choices, but some people might think … Read more
Title: Any time, any place, any prayer Author: Laura Wifler Illustrator: Catalina Echeverri Price: RRP £8.99 available for £7.64 Published by: The Good Book Perfect for: children aged 3 – 10 Best bit: awesome artwork from Catalina Echeverri, as always; my favourite is the Lord’s prayer page. There is also an art and activities book you can … Read more
Title: The tech-wise family – Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place Author: Andy Crouch Price: £8.44 Published by: Baker Academic (2017) Perfect for: families wanting to make technology work for them and not be central to their family life Best bit: fabulous section on Sabbath and also on developing the main area in the … Read more
Have you ever considered making a garden version of a psalm? This is the core idea of the Psalm 23 garden project, launched by the Bible Society. They are encouraging people to get involved in creating community gardens which embody Psalm 23, and in September, the Bible Society will have a Psalm 23 garden at the … Read more
Title: Investigate! Understanding God – The Christian Faith Author: Sophie de Mullenheim Illustrator: Sophie Chaussade Price: RRP £10.99 available for £9.67 Published by: Lion Hudson Perfect for: children age 7 – 11 wanting to explore different aspects of the Christian faith Best bit: fab cartoons of Thomas and Sophie who are the Investigators, plus brilliant links between … Read more