There is something incredible about fantasy fiction. Not only the ability to conjure up a new storybut to create a new world with different landscapes, creatures and dialects. None in my view have accomplished this so well as CS Lewis or Tolkien. Nevertheless, I do enjoy a venture into a new world and enjoyed my foray into Aerwiar, the world created by Andrew Peterson in his Wingfeather Saga.

A wet February night at 10:15pm. YES at 10:15PM!! The
latest showing at a cinema I’ve ever been to...and probably ever will. Despite the time of night you
never really noticed 1. Because the film was superb
and 2. Because the VIP seating in Maghera is excellent. Quiet, Reclining seats, armchairs and its only an extra £1! the only downfall is that it’s in Maghera.... I’m sure Maghera is lovely but it’s a wee bit off the beaten track. However, would highly
recommend the VIP cinema its superb at no extra cost.

In January 2018 Rachael Denhollander was catapulted into the international eye through her powerful speech in the case brought before the American courts regarding Larry Nassar, the USA Gymnastics’ doctor, one of the most prolific sexual abusers in recorded history. Perhaps you remember the startling account of her bravery and her strength in fighting for all victims of sexual abuse.  

Our family car used to boast several road maps of Ireland which were laboriously puzzled over each summer as the McCulloughs winded their way across incredibly small roads with a caravan and roof box attached (such roads were not conducive for Gameboys or reading). Perhaps for you, your memory of maps is the dreaded task of map reader on a Duke of Edinburgh excursion. 

In standing firm, the Algerian Church has become an example for other Christians in the region, especially those from a Muslim background. Algerian believers are “all Muslim converts, but they’re not afraid; they’re resisting” the forced closures, Youssef described. “They want to keep their churches open, so it has given a lot of hope and also shown to the world that it’s possible: They’re not only willing to believe but they’re also willing to suffer.”

Bulgarians have known oppression from many hands. In the late 14th century, the Ottomans conquered Bulgaria, and the country was part of the Ottoman Empire for the next 500 years. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria came under the influence of another major power, Russia. The People’s Republic of Bulgaria, as the country became known after the Second World War, was ruled by the Bulgarian Communist Party from 1946 to 1989. This history has resulted in a significant lack of trust in government, authority and outsiders.

He has strengthened her faith in fire, it is stronger than steel.

In her hands, a weapon like no other;

The Spirit of God and he is like fire unquenching.

She is untouchable, as His child, and she is in battle for him.

Opposition is rising, and though her ranks may fail

The battle has already been won,

Jesus Christ is victorious.

Melbourne is the second-largest city in Australia and the capital of the state of Victoria. It has an ethnically diverse population of around 5 million people. Pre-COVID lockdown days, Melbourne boasted in the title of being Australia’s capital of culture, coffee, fashion, food, education, and sport. It still is the home of the famed Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and the Australian Football League (AFL). It still is home to 7 Australian universities and also five university satellite campuses. But where Melbourne was once known as the most liveable city in the world, pride goes before the fall, and it is now best known as the most locked-down city in the world!

I think it’s fairly safe to say that all readers of this review will not be shocked by the idea that tolerance could in fact be intolerant. After all, we live in a society where court cases arise from refusing to make a cake promoting gay rights, where banks have asked Christian charities to close their accounts and where Christian university groups across the UK have been forced to disband. D.A. Carson’s book could not be more apt to help speak a voice of biblical reason into the chaos of a society that has made so called “tolerance” its god.

This film like the other follows famous detective Hercule Poirot, this time to a wedding. Not just any wedding though, a wedding for the illustrious and wealthy Simon and Linnet Doyle. Poirot is attending a destination wedding (the worst kind!) in a small village in Egypt. The wedding reception and festivities, however, are aboard a luxurious boat steaming up the Nile River.

Andrea Levy was a British writer of Jamaican descent who poured her heritage and the history of her family’s home country into her writings. Though this is the first book I have read written by Andrea Levy I doubt it will be my last as her witty, yet strikingly blunt writing is compelling and thought-provoking.

DISNEY’S LIVE-ACTION remake of classic tale Beauty and the Beast has been one of the most hotly anticipated films of 2017. Such an enduring, enchanting tale could hardly fail to bring in the big bucks, and so it was little surprise that, in its opening weeks at the box office, it became the biggest film on the planet.

A 21-year-old Paul Simon would lock himself in the bathroom, sit alone with the lights off and play his guitar. It was while playing his guitar in the darkness he first sang, “Hello darkness my old friend, I’ve come to talk with you again”. 

We walk these crooked streets

Watching thick, throbbing veins pump black ooze

Throughout our tiny world like drainpipes.

They infect people, houses, even churches.

The symptoms of this disease?

Loss of sight and loss of life.

Before I went, I thought - Angola is a Christian country, do I need to go there? But being here over a year, I was like yeah, Angola still really needs the gospel.

Nadine Brandes stands up to many of my favourite dystopian authors in her ability to swiftly yet effectively create a vibrant and immersive imaginative world along with engaging characters who draw you deeply into their lives.

If you listen to Imagine Dragons lyrics, especially “Night Visions,” they are very honest about the nature of human existence. As we listen, it rings true with our own experience. But as we’ll see, the hope clung to is more sentimental and not so grounded in reality. The Bible shows us our problematic reality as well but also reveals God’s way of salvation from it.

It is an uncomfortable, painful, and sometimes even embarrassing experience to be a witness to the extremities of human emotion. In a culture where we are very guarded about our feelings and expression of them we can be lost for words when the agonies of someone’s heart are displayed. It is hard to understand and empathize. There is the fear that we will amplify the pain by trying to offer whatever inadequate comfort we can summon …

Rachel Platten had a dream to become a successful singer-song writer. For over a decade she tried to make this dream come true. She wrote a lot of songs. None of them were hits. She travelled across America and sang in small venues sometimes with an audience of just 20 people. She made many CDs of her music, but sold few. What was she doing with her life? She was 32. Most of her friends had solid jobs, houses and families while she was struggling to get by! She had written over hundred songs that no-one seemed to want to hear. Should she give up or keep on singing?