There’s a saying: ‘Kindness draws you to people, but patience keeps you there.’
If there was ever a story that lived this out in real time, it’s my story with Jane. And let me say this from the start: I never signed up for this alongsider journey. I didn’t want it. I didn’t pray for it. And for a long time, I certainly didn’t enjoy it.

Whether welcome or resisted, artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping society. With the anxiety and excitement this brings, the use of AI is becoming ubiquitous, not only in professional and academic contexts but also in the sphere of spirituality.

For a large chunk of my life, I never really felt known. I had friends but I didn’t feel free to be fully myself around them. I also didn’t relate to God as if he knew me. All that changed when someone got alongside me at university.

Discovering the Daily Examen a few years ago, I was sold on the idea of ending each day in prayerful reflection – preferably with a hot chocolate in hand and a lake in view – but as a mum of young boys it felt like an impossible luxury.

Many of us know a lot about prayer – its importance, the ‘right’ language and posture, the dos and don’ts – yet still find the practice itself strangely elusive and difficult. Jesus’ beautiful words in Matthew 6:5-8 offer gentle but profound guidance for anyone who struggles to pray.

Hygge. Wintering. #slowliving. These gentle trends invite us to settle into the season rather than resist it. After the bright, breathless rush of Christmas, in the frozen heart of midwinter, with digital noise pressing in from every direction, the pull towards softness and stillness feels irresistible.

Life is not all plain sailing. We all go through sorrow as well as joy. Some problems are more serious than others and there are many reasons why life might be hard. But, there is a particular pattern I’ve noticed recently.

As a Gen Z (albeit an older one), with experience of someone coming alongside me and of getting alongside others in my generation, I have noticed that we often approach faith curiously and with many questions.

Even lots of good things can feel like too much when they all come at once! I wonder if that’s how you feel about December. It’s definitely how I felt about November – that is, until a ping cut through all the noise.

I became a Christian in 1954, at the age of 19, at a Billy Graham rally in London. But it wasn’t until four years later, when Roy Rimmer (later to become my husband!) introduced me to Navigators Joyce Turner and Elizabeth Ann Horsford, that I learned to walk with Jesus every day.

Honestly, I love The Traitors. I especially enjoyed the recent celebrity spin-off and I’m now anxiously waiting for the next series. Perhaps it’s my personal connection to Scotland, where the series is filmed, or maybe it’s the grand castle, the dramatic music score, or the intense cliff hangers that drive me to keep watching.

My son is a Gas Safety Engineer. On his van he has a sticker which displays his certificate and number, showing that he is an approved contractor. Every 5 years he has to re-sit his gas safety exams and he must get 100% to stay approved.