In this extended conversation, Simon and Ruth discuss the theme of emotional dependency, where friendship turns into an unhealthy obsession with the other person. They share candidly from their own experiences of such relationships and how they found their way through the pitfalls to redeem what was good in the friendships.

As I pondered the brief for this article, a wry smile came over my face as I reflected on the title. Simply by removing one word, this article would be widely celebrated in today’s woke culture. 

Growing up, I lived opposite an incredibly house-proud lady. We could regularly see her, rain or shine, sprucing up the front of her home. She would clean the windows, ensure no weeds were growing, and even go out onto the pavement with a hard scrubbing brush to remove all the dirt from the concrete flagstones. I’m not going to criticise anyone for maintaining high standards of cleanliness, but it used to amuse us that the fastidiousness of her home didn’t match that of the homes surrounding it.

in this article Jon helpfully considers software for accountability purposes

Who sets our agenda, God or our smartphone? This is the challenging and timely question that Justin Whitmel Earley asks in his book, ‘The Common Rule’ tagged as a program of habits designed to form us in the love of God and neighbour. Earley writes the book as a response to the endless business of modern life and to fight back against the dominance of technology that seems to be all-encompassing in this day and age.

One of the best things I ever did to nurture my relationship with God was to attend a four-day silent retreat. Let me explain.