The Christmas carol speaks of ‘tidings of comfort and joy’ (‘God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen’) and these two things are often linked in the Bible. God promised through Jeremiah, ‘I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow’ (Jer 31:13), and Isaiah called us to...

I was fortunate to learn music at school. Starting with the recorder and going on to the flute, I learned to play instruments and read music from a young age. Music theory is the practical application of turning twelve notes into an endless variety of melodies in such...

Joy is much more than happiness. It’s defined in the dictionary as ‘a feeling of great pleasure and happiness’, but Biblical joy is not rooted in circumstances (or ‘happenings’). What happens to us often determines whether we feel happy or miserable; our moods change...