Church of England abandons proposals for same-sex blessing ceremonies https://t.co/Vd5hZi21q2
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) February 12, 2026
Category :
(BBC) Church of England abandons proposals for same-sex blessing ceremonies
(Hopkins Medicine) Could Just 5 weeks of brain training protect against dementia for 20 years?
Adults age 65 and older who completed five to six weeks of cognitive speed training — in this case, speed of processing training, which helps people quickly find visual information on a computer screen and handle increasingly complex tasks in a shorter time period — and who had follow-up sessions about one to three years later were less likely to be diagnosed with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, up to two decades later, according to new findings published today in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research and Clinical Interventions.
This National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study is the first randomized clinical trial, and only study of its kind, to assess 20-year links with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, among adults who participated in the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study. Investigators enrolled 2,802 adults into this study in 1998–99 to assess long-term benefits of participants randomized to three different types of cognitive training — memory, reasoning and speed of processing — in comparison to a control group who received no training. In the three training groups, participants received up to 10 sessions of 60–75 minutes of cognitive training that took place over five to six weeks. Additionally, half of participants were randomized to receive up to four additional cognitive training sessions, or boosters, which took place 11 and 35 months after the initial training.
In this 20-year follow-up study, investigators found that 105 out of 264 (40%) participants in the speed-training group with boosters were diagnosed with dementia, which was a 25% reduced incidence compared to 239 out of 491 (49%) adults in the control arm. This was the only intervention with a statistically significant, or meaningful, difference compared to the control group.
A type of cognitive training that tests people's quick recall seems to reduce the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease https://t.co/1ntw4Q2cgE
— New Scientist (@newscientist) February 12, 2026
(Economist Leader) Takaichi Sanae, Japan’s Prime minister, is the world’s most powerful woman
The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has dominated Japanese politics since its founding in 1955, ruling with only two brief interruptions. Never has it won as decisively as it did in a snap election on February 8th, when it took almost 70% of the seats in parliament’s powerful lower house. Takaichi Sanae, the triumphant prime minister, now has a historic chance to transform her country. She must not squander it.
To live up to the expectations that her electoral gamble and huge victory have created, Ms Takaichi needs to think bigger and broader. She cannot treat her time in office as routine, focused on short-term relief to ease the pain of today; she must take Japan’s long-term demographic and economic challenges head on. She should also recognise that her country has a crucial role to play as a stabilising force in a turbulent world. And she must be a leader for all of Japan, not only for her right-wing loyalists. She must, in short, gamble all over again.
She has the backing. Support for Ms Takaichi came from across the country. The LDP secured 316 seats in the 465-seat lower house, up from 198, giving it a two-thirds supermajority, which will allow it to override an upper house it does not control. Ms Takaichi tapped into Japanese voters’ desires for both security and change. She offered hard-nosed realism for a hard-edged era. She also personifies a break with the old guard. She is the plain-speaking child of a middle-class family, not the buttoned-up scion of a political dynasty, like many of her predecessors. And she is a woman, the first to lead democratic Japan.
Japan’s prime minister has earned a once-in-a-generation chance to remake her country. Will she seize it? https://t.co/ywtiNsPrWq
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) February 12, 2026
(NYT front page) States Weigh Bills to Allow You to Make Your Own Electricity
As the Trump administration stymies hundreds of commercial solar and wind projects nationwide, legislators in 24 states want to literally put the power in the hands of the people by allowing modest solar energy systems on balconies, porches and backyards.
Last year, in an unanimous vote, Utah became the first state in the nation to pass a law allowing residents to plug small solar systems straight into a wall socket. These systems, which retail for around $2,000, produce enough electricity to power a laptop or small refrigerator.
In just a matter of months, legislators in 23 other states have announced similar bills, including California and New York. If passed, the legislation would eliminate one of the technology’s biggest barriers in the United States: homeowners or renters could install plug-in panels systems, in most cases up to 1200 watts, without approval from their local utility.
Proponents also hope the bills speed the development of a set of safety standards that could open the floodgates to wider adoption.
NYTimes: 24 States Weigh Legislation To Allow You To Make Your Own Electricity With Small, Plug-In Solar Power Systems https://t.co/4EU7CMaxaw
— PA Capitol News (@PaCapitolNews) February 11, 2026
A Prayer for the Feast Day of Charles Freer Andrews
Gracious God, who didst call Charles Freer Andrews to show forth thy salvation to the poor: By thy Holy Spirit inspire in us a tender concern, a passionate justice, and an active love for all people, that there may be one Body and one Spirit in Jesus Christ, our Savior; who with thee and the same Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
महान स्वतंत्रता सेनानी, समाज सुधारक, गाँधीवादी 'दीनबंधु' चार्ल्स फ्रीअर एंड्रयूज ने अपना पूरा जीवन भारत के लिए समर्पित कर दिया। गरीबों और दलितों के प्रति उनकी निस्वार्थ सेवा को देखते हुए गाँधीजी ने उन्हें 'दीनबंधु' कहकर सम्मानित किया। वे भारतीय स्वतंत्रता संग्राम के मुखर समर्थक… pic.twitter.com/4ObgZVndM5
— Akashvani आकाशवाणी (@AkashvaniAIR) February 12, 2026
A prayer for the day from the Pastor’s Prayerbook
Grant to us, O Lord, the royalty of inward happiness, and the serenity which comes from living close to thee: Daily renew in us the sense of joy, and let the eternal spirit of the Father dwell in our souls and bodies, filling us with light and grace, so that, bearing about with us the infection of a good courage, we may be diffusers of life, and may meet all ills and cross accidents with gallant and high-hearted happiness, giving thee thanks always for all things.
–Robert W. Rodenmayer, ed., The Pastor’s Prayerbook: Selected and arranged for various occasions (New York: Oxford University Press, 1960)
Winter Rays pic.twitter.com/D6Nj5slkeS
— Tim Scanlan (@TScanlanPhoto) February 12, 2026
From the Morning Bible Readings
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; never be conceited. Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
–Romans 12:9-21
I have photographed this little path in every season – in spring the banks are lined with new green, in summer foxgloves provide a welcoming party, and in autumn the leaves are a riot of orange. But even in winter, stripped of gaudy colours with only a soft, pale sunshine falling… pic.twitter.com/OPtoxXqAh4
— peaklass (@peaklass1) February 12, 2026
(Fortune) America borrowed $43.5 billion a week in the first four months of the fiscal year, with debt interest on track to be over $1 trillion for 2026
The first four months of fiscal year 2026 got off to an expensive start for the U.S., according to the latest estimates from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) .
The CBO released a report yesterday detailing that, for the first third of FY26 (which began in October), the U.S. government operated at a deficit, and so borrowed $696 billion. That included $94 billion in January alone, and works out to an average of $43.5 billion for each of the 16 weeks of the four months since.
While America’s government spending outweighs its revenue generation, its finances are also negatively compounded by the interest payments needed to maintain its debt. Total national debt now sits at more than $38.5 trillion. U.S. GDP is about $31 trillion, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
"America borrowed $43.5 billion a week in the first four months of the fiscal year, with debt interest on track to be over $1 trillion for 2026" https://t.co/2PBD5escW8 pic.twitter.com/rTJXR6L30A
— Scott Lincicome (@scottlincicome) February 10, 2026
(Church Times) Synod endorses new arrangements for independent oversight of church safeguarding
A new approach to outsourcing church safeguarding to an independent body was endorsed overwhelmingly by the General Synod on Wednesday afternoon.
Despite some speeches that called for a greater sense of urgency, or urged the Synod to revisit the idea rejected last year of also moving diocesan safeguarding teams to a new external organisation, members overall welcomed the latest thinking on independent safeguarding.
Dame Christine Ryan, the independent chair of the Safeguarding Structures Programme Board, which is piloting this work, said that, after months of conversations and consultation, it had become clear to her that the Church of England was “ready to change” and had a “deep commitment” to doing “what was right”. Nevertheless, actual change was happening far too slowly, she concluded.
Regulators, Parliament, and the public would no longer tolerate incremental improvements, she warned. She had, therefore, drawn up a new model for independent safeguarding which would simplify matters, restore trust, and end the “invidious” situation in which the Church acted as both “pastor and judge” in safeguarding cases.
A new approach to outsourcing #churchsafeguarding to an independent body was endorsed overwhelmingly by the General #Synod on Wednesday afternoon#churchnews #churchtimes https://t.co/hdXsDti9jm
— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) February 11, 2026
Wednesday food for Thought from Gerd Gigerenzer–On Leadership and self-protection
‘In large corporations and administrations, justification and self-protection have become the primary motive in place of achievement. In this world, intuition is not talked about openly, but relied on surreptitiously.’
–Gerd Gigerenzer, The Intelligence of Intuition (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2023)
Gerd Gigerenzer:
— GuruAnaerobic (@GuruAnaerobic) March 2, 2021
Why simple rules of thumb often outperform complex models.https://t.co/FrPo8Csqfd
(Washington Post) Adam Omary–The autism epidemic is a myth
For years, public health debate has often fixated on a supposed rise in the prevalence of autism. Various culprits have been named, including the well-investigated but unsubstantiated claim that vaccines cause autism. More recently, additional risk factors have been proposed — many by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — including maternal Tylenol use, food dyes and additives, chemical manufacturing agents and other possible stressors affecting perinatal development. Concerns about autism have been spotlighted within the larger Make America Healthy Again movement, motivated by a well-founded alarm over the nation’s devastatingly high burden of chronic disease and psychiatric illness. But there is a bigger problem with the autism epidemic: It doesn’t exist.
Autism diagnoses have indeed risen dramatically in recent decades. However, diagnostic criteria can change even when the underlying health phenomenon remains unchanged. The most recently released Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on autism, published last April, revealed a five-fold increase in the prevalence of autism between 2000 and 2022, from 67 to 322 cases per 10,000 children. But a large-scale study published in December, drawing on CDC data from 24,669 8-year-olds across the country, found that this dramatic rise may be entirely driven by children with mild or no significant functional impairment.Between 2000 and 2016, there was a 464 percent increase in diagnoses among children with no significant functional impairment whatsoever. In fact, during the same time period, there was a 20 percent decrease in the prevalence of moderate or severe autism,from 15 to 12 cases per 10,000 children.
There is often a lag of several years before such epidemiological datasets are released, and years more for researchers to perform statistical analyses, publish the findings and enter public policy discussions. We do not yet have data more recent than 2016 breaking down symptoms by severity level while controlling for other psychological factors such as intellectual disability. However, it is likely that the 74 percent increase in cases reported between 2016 and 2022 will reflect a continuation of the previous problem of overrepresentation of children withmild symptoms and no significant functional impairment.
The autism epidemic is a myth: The increase is only in expansive overdiagnosis of kids "on the spectrum," e.g. "Would rather be alone than with others,” “Has difficulty making friends,” and “Is regarded by other children as odd or weird.” Severe cases (no language, socially…
— Steven Pinker (@sapinker) February 10, 2026
A Prayer for the Feast Day of Fanny Crosby
O God, the blessed assurance of all who trust in thee: We give thanks for thy servant Fanny Crosby, and pray that we, inspired by her words and example, may rejoice to sing ever of thy love, praising our Savior; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
#OTD February 5, 1864:
— ☧ Today in Christian History (@HistoricalRook) February 5, 2026
Already known as a poet, Fanny Crosby, at age 44, writes her first hymn. Over the next 50 years, she composes more than 8,000 hymns, including classics like Blessed Assurance and To God Be the Glory, becoming one of the most prolific hymnwriters in history. pic.twitter.com/6qXrquEVwt
A prayer for the day from the Canterbury Convocation of 1862
O Almighty God, we pray thee, sow the seed of thy Word in our hearts, and send down upon us thy heavenly grace; that we may bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, and at the great day of harvest may be gathered by thy holy angels into thy garner; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ochtendrood, water in de sloot. Fijne woensdag😀 #zonsopkomst pic.twitter.com/T9bOZJMcRw
— Tjark Dieterman (@DietermanTjark) February 11, 2026
From the Morning Bible Readings
I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
For by the grace given to me I bid every one among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith which God has assigned him. For as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; he who teaches, in his teaching; he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who contributes, in liberality; he who gives aid, with zeal; he who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
–Romans 12:1-8
On Waterfall Wednesday we're sharing this view of Kisdon Force close to Pennine Way at Kisdon.
— Yorkshire Dales National Park (@yorkshire_dales) February 11, 2026
📸 Heather Proctor | #YorkshireDales #WaterfallWednesday pic.twitter.com/YrQYYaAWOz
(Telegraph) A Third of C of E clergy could be suffering depression
A third of Church of England clergy could be suffering from depression, according to a Church report.
Some 16 per cent of 500 clergy polled “show indications of probable clinical depression”, with a further 13 per cent showing “indications of possible or mild depression”, the Living Ministry report on clergy well-being from 2017 to last year found.
This could mean that around 6,000 out of the 20,000 total clergy within the Church are suffering depression.
The Covid pandemic, the cost of living crisis, wars, climate change and “social movements calling for gender and racial justice” are among the factors affecting clergy, according to the internal report.
Problems within the Church, such as dwindling congregations, safeguarding failures and the resignation of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury in 2024, also added to their stress.
We reported on these findings in 2024. Not to suggest the issues have been resolved but the Church has since announced a package including a rise in the stipend and funding for Clergy Support Trust & St Luke’s Healthcare.https://t.co/qbn7kO8kjv
— Madeleine Davies (@MadsDavies) February 10, 2026
(Hampshire Chronicle) Romsey Abbey recognised for its environmental targets
Romsey Abbey has been named a Demonstrator Church as part of the Church of England’s ambition to become net zero by 2030.
The abbey is currently working with two heritage consultancy firms to explore sustainable upgrades to its lighting and heating systems, with partial funding from the Church of England.
Jan Bartlett, lead churchwarden for the zero carbon initiative at Romsey Abbey, said: “The CofE’s Demonstrator Churches project aims to support high carbon emitting churches with zero carbon projects.
“Romsey Abbey is fortunate to have been selected for Demonstrator Church status and this year we will be receiving financial support towards the technical advice we need to take forward our heating and lighting projects.”
Abbey working towards a greener future is recognised by Church of England https://t.co/TMdfMT3U0v
— Hampshire Chronicle (@hantschronicle) February 9, 2026
(Gallup) American Optimism Slumps to Record Low
The percentage of U.S. adults who anticipate high-quality lives in five years declined to 59.2% in 2025, the lowest level since measurement began nearly two decades ago. Since 2020, future life ratings have fallen a total of 9.1 percentage points, projecting to an estimated 24.5 million fewer people who are optimistic about the future now versus then. Most of that decline occurred between 2021 and 2023, but the ratings dropped 3.5 points between 2024 and 2025.
Americans’ ratings of their current lives have also declined since rebounding in 2021 but not as steeply as their future life ratings. And current life ratings are not at a low point; that occurred in 2020, during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
These results are a part of the Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index. The 2025 results are based on data collected over four quarterly measurement periods, totaling 22,125 interviews with U.S. adults who are part of the Gallup Panel, a probability-based panel encompassing all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
AMERICAN OPTIMISM HITS RECORD LOW
— *Walter Bloomberg (@DeItaone) February 10, 2026
U.S. adults’ optimism about their future life fell to 59.2% in 2025, the lowest since Gallup began measuring nearly 20 years ago. Since 2020, future-life optimism dropped 9.1 points, equal to roughly 24.5 million fewer hopeful Americans.… pic.twitter.com/k6G253FfgC
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Presidential Address at General Synod
‘…I will work with you, Synod, with my fellow bishops, and with our national church bodies, striving to ensure that the Kingdom is being nurtured everywhere – in parishes, chaplaincies, cathedrals and schools, in the smallest and most fragile communities, as well as the larger and more confident expressions of church, wherever disciples seek to be salt and light.
I have always, in any leadership role, been committed to accountability and transparency. The way we treat one another, lay and ordained, through our various institutional processes, is vital to the health of our life together in Christ. We have too often failed to recognise or take seriously the abuse of power in all its forms. Robust and transparent processes are central to the health of any institution; proper process around appointments; clear guidelines around conduct and good processes for handling concerns, complaints and whistleblowing.
And nowhere is accountability more imperative than in relation to safeguarding, where in the past we have fallen tragically short. Safeguarding is a fundamental, non-negotiable responsibility, sharpened by our past failings and shaped by the work we still have to do. I am committed to bringing an approach of seriousness and focussed direction to all matters relating to safeguarding in all contexts in the church. This approach must be trauma-informed, put victims and survivors at the heart of all we do and be committed to proper independence.
I am grateful for the countless parish safeguarding officers, diocesan safeguarding professionals and the National Safeguarding Team and survivors and victims, who have worked and continue to work to make progress. Progress has been made, yet we are anything but complacent.
We must be wholly committed to listening to victims and survivors, to independent scrutiny of our safeguarding practices, and to delivering timely and robust trauma-informed processes. We must be willing, always, for light to be shone on our actions and our decisions. We can only begin to rebuild trust and confidence through openness and integrity.’
In her first speech as Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Dame Sarah Mullally called for an ‘independent scrutiny of our safeguarding practices’
— Rebecca (Bex) Chapman (@bexchapman3boys) February 10, 2026
Reporting on @ArchbishopSarah's 1st Presidential Address #synod @thetimes by @kayaburgess #GeneralSynodhttps://t.co/3Yq9S7FX7S
A Prayer for the Feast Day of Saint Scholastica
Assist us, O God, to love one another as sisters and brothers, and to balance discipline with love and rules with compassion, according to the example shown by thy servant Scholastica; for the sake of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
Today's the feast of St Scholastica, 6th Century founder of the Benedictine Order of nuns, and sister of St Benedict. She's on the early 16th Century screen at Wiggenhall St Mary the Virgin, Norfolk.
— Simon Knott (@SimoninSuffolk) February 10, 2026
Wiggenhall SMtV: https://t.co/8WH5rHAbTN pic.twitter.com/QExkYmRp8I
A prayer for the day from James Ferguson
O God, who hast sown in our hearts the precious seed of thy truth: Grant us to nourish it by meditation, prayer and obedience, that it may not only take root, but also bring forth fruit unto holiness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
#Brighton sunrise #UsualSeagull pic.twitter.com/typlLamFq6
— Stephen Royle (@Steveontour1) February 10, 2026
From the Morning Bible Readings
Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they are keeping watch over your souls, as men who will have to give account. Let them do this joyfully, and not sadly, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner.
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in you that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
I appeal to you, brethren, bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. You should understand that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon. Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings. Grace be with all of you. Amen.
–Hebrews 13:17-25
Guten Morgen und einen schönen Dienstag 😊 pic.twitter.com/Ex2JwZb7cG
— Renate Umundum (@RUmundum) February 10, 2026
(Church Times) If you fly St George’s flag, understand what the cross means, say bishops
The flag of St George is a symbol of “unity” and “inclusion” and “cannot be owned by any one group or cause”, a group of seven bishops has said in a statement to mark Racial Justice Sunday (8 February).
The statement was issued by the Church of England Bishops’ Working Group for Promoting Unity in our Nation, which was set up late last year by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York in response to concerns about the use of Christian symbols by far-Right pressure groups (Features, 6 February). The group is developing resources to help churches to celebrate St George’s Day (23 April).
The group is chaired by the Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Revd Martyn Snow, and its other members are: the Bishop of Kirkstall, the Rt Revd Arun Arora; the Bishop of Barking, the Rt Revd Lynne Cullens; the Bishop of Bradford, Dr Toby Howarth; the Bishop of Croydon, Dr Rosemarie Mallett; the Bishop of Willesden, the Rt Revd Lusa Nsenga-Ngoy; and the Bishop of Birmingham, Dr Michael Volland.
The statement acknowledges that “many in our communities are concerned by both the perceptions and realities of the issues of migration,” and calls for “mature debate on the different impacts of immigration (recognising that we cannot have unregulated borders). Alongside this we believe that our country must remain welcoming to those who are genuinely fleeing war or persecution.”
‘The cross of St George, the flag of England, should be celebrated as a symbol of unity in our nation, rooted in our Christian heritage.’
— The Church of England (@churchofengland) February 8, 2026
Read the joint statement from leading Church of England bishops. https://t.co/NDqK9AZFwF
The Church of England General Synod today opens amidst tremendous challenges and continuing disagreement
The Church of England General Synod opens in London today, with an agenda including the first address by the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally.
There will be a discussion on ending the Living in Love and Faith project, a church wide discussion on same sex relations and blessings, which reached an impasse over deep divisions.
Decisions remain to be taken on stand-alone services for same sex couples and whether same sex clergy may be married in civil ceremonies.
Other issues on the agenda are safeguarding, working class clergy, poverty and banning ‘oasis’ floral foam.
The Telegraph has published a chart showing a decline in the number of people on the electoral roll of churches in each of the dioceses, a long term trend.
February's General Synod opens today.
— The Church of England (@churchofengland) February 9, 2026
Here's what's coming up on the first day of the Church of England’s Synod.
📺 You can also tune in live to all the events this week at https://t.co/1Sfh2FBPZS.#GeneralSynod pic.twitter.com/DSZCfQDWDI
Congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks, winners of Super Bowl LX
From @TheAthletic: The Seahawks won their second Super Bowl title and avenged their agonizing Super Bowl loss to the Patriots 11 years ago. Seattle won, 29-13, after holding New England scoreless through three quarters.https://t.co/RXlQeMGgLj pic.twitter.com/zMOCkEoiSk
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 9, 2026
A Prayer for the feast day of Saint Ælfflæd
Heavenly Father, let our memory provide no shelter for grievance against each other, let our heart provide no harbour for hatred of each other, and let our tongue be no accomplice in the judgement of each other, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (moved from yesterday) [using a slightly edited form of a Celtic prayer].
Feb 8: Feast of Ælfflæd (†714), abbess of Streanæshalch (Whitby). Her father Oswiu, king of the Northumbrians, vowed to consecrate her in infancy to the religious life if he defeated Penda, pagan king of the Mercians. This he did. Cuthbert’s girdle cured her of paralysis. pic.twitter.com/P70HTNZaVf
— North Ages (@NorthAges) February 8, 2026
A prayer for the day from Christina Rossetti
Lord, because being compassed with infirmities we oftentimes sin and ask for pardon: Help us to forgive as we would be forgiven; neither mentioning old offences committed against us, nor dwelling upon them in thought, nor being influenced by them in heart; but loving our brother freely, as thou freely lovest us; for Christ’s sake.
Grey Skies. 8°C with an occasional ray of sunshine. Sheep on the hills. pic.twitter.com/RJBcLSmRo3
— Yorkshire Wolds Weather (@WeatherWolds) February 9, 2026
From the morning Bible readings
Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them; and those who are ill-treated, since you also are in the body. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for God will judge the immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, “I will never fail you nor forsake you.” Hence we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper,
I will not be afraid;
what can man do to me?”
–Hebrews 13:1-6
Good morning! #SunsetBeach @EdPiotrowski @medwick @DylanHudlerWXII @jamiearnoldWMBF @dogwoodblooms @marioncaldwx @Christina4casts @CMorganWX @AndrewWMBF @ScottyPowellWX @jgreenhillwx @TimBuckleyWX @matt_wx @clairefrywx @JustinMcKeeWx @StarboardRail @ThePhotoHour @LeeHaywoodWX pic.twitter.com/ffMwA6BjNQ
— Mark Moore (@MMoore_hoops) February 9, 2026
A prayer for the day from the ACNA Prayerbook
O Lord, our heavenly Father, keep your household the Church continually in your true religion, that we who trust in the hope of your heavenly grace may always be defended by your mighty power; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
'Light dawns for the righteous and joy for the upright in heart.'
— Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) February 7, 2026
Psalm 97: 11 pic.twitter.com/njgd2tbUJ1
From the Morning Scripture Readings
Remind them of this, and charge them before the Lord to avoid disputing about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. Avoid such godless chatter, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will eat its way like gangrene. Among them are Hymenae′us and Phile′tus, who have swerved from the truth by holding that the resurrection is past already. They are upsetting the faith of some. But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let every one who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”
In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and earthenware, and some for noble use, some for ignoble. If any one purifies himself from what is ignoble, then he will be a vessel for noble use, consecrated and useful to the master of the house, ready for any good work.
–2 Timothy 2:14-21
When an unknown Bird photobombs a Tiger in the mist
— Vivek Naik (@Vivektigershark) February 8, 2026
Panna tiger reserve on a cold January morning 2026#IndiAves #wildlifephotography #BBCWildlifePOTD #nikonindiaofficial #tigers #NaturePhotography #ThePhotoHour pic.twitter.com/8ec35w0KcT
