karentaylor07

Resisting peer pressure

I wanted to look at one of the characters in the nativity story that often seems to be, at least in my opinion, a little overlooked. No, it’s not the donkey. I’m thinking of Joseph. Joseph was betrothed to Mary, they were due to be married. But then he finds out Mary is pregnant, andContinue reading “Resisting peer pressure”

Three trees

I wonder if you’ve heard the tale of the three trees. It’s not one I was familiar with until a few years ago. In my opinion, it’s a rather beautiful tale about ambitions and reality. There were three trees growing on a hill top. The first tree wanted to be a beautiful treasure chest whenContinue reading “Three trees”

Making the ordinary extraordinary

The fourth Sunday of advent is when some churches focus on Mary. Reading the gospels, all we know about Mary is she was a virgin pledged to be married to Joseph in the town of Nazareth in Galilee. She wasn’t remarkable, she had no special quality. She was ordinary. Except… Mary found favour in withContinue reading “Making the ordinary extraordinary”

The end of the chapter

Growing up, I read a lot of books. There was one by Roddy Doyle called ‘The Giggler Treatment’. The reason that particular one is relevant now is because of how Doyle uses the chapters. They were an extra comedy element to an already funny story. Some chapters were of a standard length. Some chapters wereContinue reading “The end of the chapter”

One life is as sacred as an entire planet

I was watching a programme today called ‘The Sarah Jane Adventures’. Its a Dr Who spin off aimed at younger children, and came out when I was at the right age to watch it so I was rewatching for the sake of something easy to watch. In the particular episode I was watching, Sarah JaneContinue reading “One life is as sacred as an entire planet”

I was listening…

Have you noticed how important it is to feel listened to? Often we can have a chat with a friend and we’ll both remember the gist of the conversation, but there will be some bits we won’t remember, that haven’t lodged themselves in our brains. And sometimes we can be thinking up a reply toContinue reading “I was listening…”

A light in the… fog?

A few days ago there was quite a heavy fog in the town where I live. (When I say heavy, I mean more than I’m used too, and it considerably restricted sight). I was giving a friend a lift somewhere in the afternoon when the light was failing, and that combined with the fog meantContinue reading “A light in the… fog?”

Mushroom or acorn

I recently had the opportunity to go away for a few days to a place surrounded by beautiful country side. While I was there, I met 2 people and we went for a walk together. It was November, but it was a beautiful crisp autumn morning. The leaves were crunching underfoot, there were squirrels andContinue reading “Mushroom or acorn”

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas

Did you write a Christmas list this year? You’re probably thinking, ‘another message about how Jesus is the best present ever.’ And yes, Jesus is the best present ever, but that’s not what this is about. As a child, I would love to go through the Argos catalogue and mark out a whole list ofContinue reading “I want a hippopotamus for Christmas”

I’ve started so I’ll finish

It’s a phrase from the quiz show, Mastermind. The contestants have a limited amount of time to answer questions before a klaxon sounds. If the host has started reading the question when it sounds, he says, “I’ve started, so I’ll finish” and finishes the question. Why is that relevant? Because even though time has runContinue reading “I’ve started so I’ll finish”