by Susan Barnes | 5 Jul 2023 | Articles
When I was a child, my mother would tell me she was looking forward to the shortest day of the year because the following days would start to get longer. I thought it odd at the time because I knew it would be several weeks before there would be a noticeable...
by Susan Barnes | 8 Dec 2022 | Articles
In the few weeks that lead up to Christmas, we often try to tell the whole Christmas story, which is quite a long story. From the angel’s visit to Mary telling her she would give birth to Jesus, until the family’s flight to Egypt, covers a period of two, maybe three...
by Susan Barnes | 20 Jul 2021 | Articles
Recently I wrote this article for Christian Today. Lately, I have happened across stories of ordinary, middle-aged adults coming to faith. These people had no real connection to a church or a believing community. I have found their stories fascinating and enlightening...
by Susan Barnes | 29 Jun 2021 | Articles
Recently I wrote this article for Christian Today. Sometimes we might wonder if our story is worth telling. We may have lived an uneventful life that doesn’t seem to have impacted anyone. We may have grown up in a Christian home, attended church every Sunday and...
by Susan Barnes | 11 May 2021 | Articles
Recently I wrote this article for Christian Today. “Helicopter parent” is a term that was first mentioned in a parenting book in 1969 but it became more widely used in the early 2000s when American academic administrators became aware of an increasing number of “Baby...
by Susan Barnes | 13 Apr 2021 | Articles
Recently I started a creative writing course. I’m currently studying storytelling and wrote an article about storytelling for Christian Today. As researchers and historians have studied ancient stories, they have discovered a common theme that occurs across cultures...
by Susan Barnes | 2 Mar 2021 | Articles
I wrote this article for Christian Today after I heard that 20% of gift cards aren’t used. Apparently, all we wanted for Christmas was … nothing. Twenty per cent of gift-card recipients are so prosperous they can’t think of a single thing they want to buy. We are...
by Susan Barnes | 2 Feb 2021 | Articles
I wrote this article for Christian Today about pursuing joy this year Is pursuing joy even a valid quest?At Christmas, we remembered the words spoken to the shepherds, “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for...
