January/February 2017

Both the Bible and our society have a lot to say about children, but sometimes parents and grandparents can feel pulled in multiple directions with all the expectations that society, family, and the church might have.

In this issue, we aim to tackle the problem head-on, with a series of articles on children. Lis Rowe begins by reminding us that even in our families, God comes first. Sheila Stephen adds some very practical advice on parenting in the pew.

Raising children isn’t easy for anyone, but some perhaps have it harder than most. To help us, Andrew Wilson offers reflections on parenting children with special needs. Dai Hankey also gives us a challenging perspective on raising kids in a sinful world, particularly on those occasions when faithfulness to God seems to clash with what’s best for our children. And if you’ve ever struggled with family worship, you’ll find a helpful article on that subject too.

There’s also plenty in this issue of the magazine on other topics. We’ve a round-up of the best books in 2016, a look at God’s work in Merthyr Tydfil, and some reflections on the ‘supernatural ordinariness’ of the work of the Spirit.

We also begin three new series that will run throughout 2017. Geoff Thomas, recently retired as pastor of Alfred Place Baptist Church in Aberystwyth begins his regular column with a conversation about the Bible. Nigel Clifford kicks off our series on The work of God in the soul of man with a look at predestination, while John Richards begins looking at ‘respectable’ sins, by considering jealousy.