When Jesus walked the earth he didn’t hire a hall, put out some posters and hope the people would come to him. No, he put on his shoes and took to the road, meeting people as they worked, lived and played. Now and then he would drop into a synagogue, a place of gathering for learned discussion; then finish off his day having a drink with some friends at a local. Jesus went to where the people were.
Increasingly, in this ‘Internet age’, the people are found online. A recent survey suggests that your average Briton spends at least six hours online a week 1 - that’s far more than they spend in a church building. In response to this, a number of church and ‘para-church’ groups are providing - online meeting places - for Christians and those exploring their faith to gather. Continue reading ‘The Cyber Church’
Pantomime as we know it, is nearly 200 years old, and yet is still alive and well in humble halls and top theatres across the United Kingdom. It’s a curious British art from that just refuses to die.
Image courtesy of LollyKnit
Continue reading ‘Pantomime - theatre that refuses to die’
Even though we don’t like to admit it, Christmas is coming and presents need to be bought. If you are looking for a good book for children, apart from the usual sleigh bells and nativity tales, here’s my recommendation:
Title: What's Christmas
Written by: Alexa Tewkesbury
Illustrated by: Steve Boulter
For ages: 3 – 6
Publisher: CWR
Award winning author Alexa Tewkesbury has written an endearing tale challenging the traditional ways of telling the Christmas story. Snow Bear wants to know what Christmas is. She is given a series of explanations ranging from singing angels to the birth of a baby king. But what she really wants to know is what it all means. It’s only when Old Polar tells her about how much God loves us that she finally understands. The beautifully constructed text is matched by charming illustrations and a little bit of subversive humour (look out for the Puffin Guide to the North Pole!).
For all Centre for Lifelong Learning students who have been referred here for my non-fiction writing course, please head over to The Crafty Writer, my site aimed at developing writers - it’s jam-packed with articles and information on the business and craft of writing. In particular, check out my online non-fiction course for a taste of what I’ll be covering in the class.
You may find something of interest here on VeitchSmith too, but it’s much more of an eclectic mix of my articles and ramblings on history, culture, Christianity, health and more.
As a writer I believe that storytelling is one of the best ways to communicate the truth and fiction is not always the opposite of fact. Stories, whether fictional or otherwise, can help us view the world in a clearer way. Someone else who believes that is Raffi Shahinian. Raffi hosts a ‘blog carnival’ on his site Parables of a Prodigal World In it he presents a round-up of some of the most thought-provoking Christian writing on the web today. This week he has featured my ‘Tainted Gold’ Olympic article. So if you want to wile away an afternoon, drop by.
A Gardener’s Gospel - week 22
The Hound from Hell has struck again - the flippin’ dog has just decapitated my tiger lilies! I’m furious! There was a crop of about a dozen of them, in full bud and ready to bloom. Then this morning I checked on them and saw that all but one has had their heads chopped off. Chomped off, is more like it. I didn’t actually see the mutt do it, but I know it’s her. Last year I caught her in the act with petal entrails stuck to her muzzle. Last year I forgave her as she was only four months old, but this year I really didn’t expect it; I thought she’d grown out of it.
Continue reading ‘When the Enemy Strikes’
A Gardener’s Gospel - Week 21
One of the most depressing experiences I ever had was going to a Bonsai exhibition. There were rows upon rows of ‘adult’ trees – maples, oaks, juniper, cypress, beech - no bigger than table-top Christmas decorations. I was horrified to discover that some of these trees were hundreds of years old, but unlike their free cousins in the wild, towering proudly over the earth with their branches stretched heavenwards, these stunted trees would never be allowed to reach their full potential.
Image courtesy of Nicola Whitaker Continue reading ‘Bonsai Christians’
A Gardener’s Gospel - Week 20
I learnt gardening from my dad. When I was three we moved into a newly built house, or, as they say in these days of poor grammar, a ‘new-build’. Like most new-builds, the patch of ground attached to the house was more a builder’s dump than a garden, with broken bricks, cement powder and general rubble thinly covered by a layer of poor quality top-soil. Undeterred, or at least that’s how it appeared to my three-year-old mind, my dad set about turning the wasteland into a place where flowers could grow.
Continue reading ‘Passing it on to the kids’
Welcome to my site - I'm Fiona Veitch Smith, a freelance journalist, author, playwright and writing teacher. This site contains thoughts and articles I've written on a range of topics. I hope you find them useful.
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