Before I lived in the States, homecoming was an old fashioned word describing a much appreciated return home after a long absence. The word might be written in a Victorian novel and the return, at least in my imagination, would be by horse or in a horse drawn carriage. I was a slow learner and [...]

Filed under: Anglo-USA, Bible, Christianity, Church, Holy Spirit, radical Christian life, teenagers by sian
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My British upbringing included participating in and attending the local village horticultural show. This was a community event which was put on, not with the goal of raising money but instead, to appreciate local gardeners and to perpetuate a delightful village tradition. Any money that was made was pumped back into the following year’s [...]

Filed under: Anglo-USA, Bible, Children, Christianity, Church, God's invitation to us, teenagers by sian
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I was under the impression that teenage rebellion was typical of the present but not of the past. It seemed that old, proper grandparents must have always been good and respectful and Victorians, at least the ruling classes, expected children to be “seen and not heard.”
It seems that teenage and younger children’s disrespect towards adults [...]

Filed under: Bible, Children, Christianity, teenagers by sian
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Yesterday evening, there was a celebration concert held at the local movie theater. It was a special conclusion to the “see you at the pole” prayer time at schools that took place early that morning. This event was sponsored by a new church and the focus on challenging the kids to commit their lives to [...]

Filed under: Bible, Christianity, God's invitation to us, following God, radical Christian life, teenagers by sian
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“See you at the pole” is an annual tradition in the US to show that Jesus still belongs in our schools. Since the sixties Bible teaching and prayer have been ripped out of public schools and any Christian activity is at least a small ray of light in what has become dark and secular.
Kids get [...]

Filed under: Anglo-USA, Bible, Christianity, God's invitation to us, faith, money, radical Christian life, repentance by sian
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Having said goodbye to my son Tom a couple of days ago at the University of Chicago, it is easy for me to sentimentalize the joys of motherhood and to remember the good times of wanting to hold on to him rather than remembering the times of frustration. Every mother has times when she feels [...]

Filed under: Children, Christianity, adultery, love/lust, marriage by sian
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Our son, Tom, is now beginning a new life at the University of Chicago. I am surprised that as his mother, I feel at peace about this transition.
I had the opportunity to visit the college and to enjoy the green and leafy quads; and old buildings, at least by Californian standards. It reminded me of [...]

Filed under: Bible, Children, Church, Student life, faith, prayer, teaching the Bible, worry by sian
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A few days ago I wrote about starting college in the early eighties. My best experiences at college were conversations about the meaning of life, why we were here and how we could make the world a better place.
We studied various political thinkers including Marx and we read George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty Four”, wondering whether [...]

Filed under: Anglo-USA, Bible, Cambridge, Christianity, My teenage years, Student life, money, war by sian
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I admitted in an earlier post “the round church” that my goals were focused on getting into college, being nice and receiving attention from boys with the hope that that one day I would get married. A further goal, once I got married, was to have kids. I appreciate that many women would consider me [...]

Filed under: Cambridge, Christianity, Church, My teenage years by sian
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When I was a new Christian I was selective about which parts of the Bible I would apply to my life. Part of the problem was that I had not read much of the Bible and although I had heard many good sermons, every aspect of life had not been addressed in the short time [...]

Filed under: Anglo-USA, Cambridge, Christianity, My teenage years, Student life by sian
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