Category Archives: Personal

Personal

Anas al-Sharif: Assassinated in Gaza City

Leave a comment
Anas al Sharif: If this madness does not end…

Utterly disgusted today by the death of highly respected journalist Anas al-Sharif and his colleagues who have been a key source of honest reporting from the heart of Gaza City. Al-Sharif has been reporting the true horror faced by the Palestinian people in the face of the Israeli onslaught and genocide.

His assassination comes as Israel prepares to launch their assault on and occupation of the City. One of the strongest and most reliable voices on the ground has been silenced.

Israeli media describes al-Sharif as a terrorist leader, proudly declaring him to have been successfully ‘eliminated’ by the IDF.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

‘On Sunday, 10 August, an Israeli strike killed six media professionals in Gaza, five of whom currently work or formerly worked for the Qatari media outlet Al Jazeera and one freelance journalist. The strike, which has been claimed by the Israeli army, targeted Al Jazeera reporter Anas al-Sharif, whom it accuses, without providing solid evidence, of “terrorist affiliation.” Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns this disgraceful tactic, which is repeatedly used against journalists to cover up war crimes, while the army has already killed more than 200 media professionals. RSF calls for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to stop this massacre.’

Reporters Without Borders, 11th August 2025

Anas Al-Sharif: The Last Word..

‘In the minutes before he was killed, Al Sharif said on social media, “If this madness does not end, Gaza will be reduced to ruins, its people’s voices silenced, their faces erased – and history will remember you as silent witnesses to a genocide you chose not to stop.”‘

CNN, 11th August 2024

Five other men were killed alongside al-Sharif. Israel has given no indication of why they were targeted. Like every one of the 63,000 Palestinians killed in this conflict, each of them had a name and a family.

Source: Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF)

Correspondent Mohammed Qraiqea
Video reporter Ibrahim al-Thaher
Assistant cameraman Mohamed Nofal
Freelance journalist:  Moamen Aliwa
Freelance journalist, Mohammed al-Khaldi,

Freelance reporters Mohammed Sobh, Mohammed Qita, and Ahmed al-Harazine were all injured in the same attack.

Christians for Palestine

Praying for peace and justice in Palestine.

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

 

Personal

Gaza: Christians for Palestine

2 Comments
Horsham: 24th July 2025
Standing up for the people of Gaza

I was recently challenged by a Christian friend to explain why, over the last couple of years, I have attended a number of rallies in central London in support of the people of Palestine.

This post is my response.

A Disclaimer!

First, let’s be clear about something. Any large demonstration attracts people of diverse views. Some views expressed at these events are inconsistent with my own. I do not, for example support Hamas, and I do not advocate their political views or in any way support their strategic objective to destroy Israel. However, I am appalled by the deliberate actions of the Israeli government, directed towards the civilian population of Palestine, and in particular Gaza.

I do, on the other hand, support an organisation called ‘Christians for Palestine’, a small but strong group which is rooted in the Anglican Church in the UK, with supporters in most other denominations. The stated aim is to bring Christians together to join peace marches and protests for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. That, in a nutshell, explains why I have been on these marches. We normally meet before the event in a local Church or a park for prayer before joining the demonstration.

Check out Christians for Palestine Facebook page for events info

The Evangelical Narrative..

I’m frustrated by the views of some evangelicals. As Christian’s, their narrative seems to go, we should unquestioningly stand firmly with Israel.  Israel is God’s chosen people. Palestine is currently their enemy. Israel, they will say, is engaged in spiritual warfare against  Islam. From there, they jump to the assertion that the only viable position for a Christian is to offer absolute support to Israel.

This argument feels extraordinarily naive and simplistic. It is profoundly and dangerously flawed. It takes no account of God’s love for mankind which permeates Scripture.

7th October 2023

First things first. The events of 7th October 2023 were unspeakably evil. 1200 innocent people were murdered, and more than 250 kidnapped and taken back into Gaza. 75 of those hostages have died, some of them as a result of Israeli action. 148 have been released. The remainder are still in Gaza, either living or dead. The actions of Hamas on that day were wrong. They were disgusting. They were evil. They constitute a war crime.

Israel has the right to defend itself. They have the right to exercise military force to recover the remaining hostages in Gaza.

However… The Israeli Response

There is, of course, a big fat ‘however’.

Since 7th October 2023, more than 56,000 people have died in Gaza as a result of military action by Israel. Nearly 17,000 of those deaths were children (under the age of 16). We know that many more bodies lie unrecovered under the rubble cause by mass bombing and the deliberate or reckless targeting of civilian residential areas and infrastructure, including hospitals.

Behind these appalling statistics of deaths, lies an unspoken and largely uncounted number of men, women and children who have been injured and emotionally scarred by this ongoing horror.

Reuters reported that by January 2025, 60% of buildings across Gaza had been destroyed, with very few completely undamaged. The bombings continues.

A small and unconfirmed proportion of those killed were active Hamas combatants. The overwhelming majority of them were not.

Nothing in the events of 7th October 2023 justifies the extent of death and destruction, or the ongoing abuse and harassment of the civilian population of Gaza at the direction of the Israeli government under Benjamin Netanyahu.

Where’s the aid?

We now have the most extreme restrictions over civilian aid, with reliable reports that the majority of Palestinians now lack the basics of food, clean water and medicine. This is not the time to argue about whose fault that is. It is the time to do something about it.

People are dying of starvation and dehydration. People are being gunned down by Israeli forces whilst they are trying to collect food and water from aid collection points.

According to Save the Children:

“Since 27 May [2025], more than 500 Palestinians have been killed and at least 3,000 injured by Israeli forces while trying to access aid, either at or on route to GHF distribution points, or while attempting to approach the very few other aid convoys delivered by the UN or NGOs, according to OHCHR.”

“And to add to the dystopian horror show, children are also being killed and injured trying to reach aid – aid they have a right to.”

All this is avoidable, and it is obscene.

Enough!

For me, the only Christian response has to be to cry ‘enough!’ Of course, achieving a lasting peace is far more complex than it sounds. But it must surely start with a ceasefire. It must start with allowing food, water and medicine to people who are malnourished and dying.

Every nation should condemn the avoidable humanitarian disaster unfolding before our eyes in Gaza. In November 2024, they did.

A resolution was brought to the UN Security Council for a full and unconditional ceasefire. It was universally supported. Almost. Every member was in favour. Except one. The resolution  was vetoed by the United States.

Conclusion..

I am an evangelical. I try to base my views and conclusions on the Bible.

Scripture tells us that the kingdom of Israel had good kings, with whom God was pleased. But they also had bad kings, with whom he was not. Benjamin Netanyahu is not a king, but he is the worst of leaders. His conduct is ruthless, immoral and disgusting. It is offensive to any right reading of Scripture. He is responsible for the death of civilians on a vast scale. He is directing and presiding over preventable starvation and genocide. He is a war criminal.

In the face of all this we feel helpless. Apart from raising our voices and writing blog posts, there seems so little that we can do. Of course we can pray, and we must, but there are moments when we can also stand up and be counted.

So, I end with a question to my evangelical Christian friends who continue to stand unquestioningly alongside the government of Israel: ‘Yes, I was there. Where were you?’

Check out Christians for Palestine Facebook page for events info

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

Personal

Saint Valentines Day 2025

Leave a comment
Horsham: 13th February 2025

The origins of Saint Valentines Day are somewhat unclear. There are at least three Saint Valentines, all of whom were martyred. At least two of them have a back story which in some way hints at romance (the third Valentine lived in 3rd Century Africa but apart from his martyrdom, nothing more is known about him). Perhaps my favourite story relates to one of these Valentines, a priest who was arrested by Emperor Claudius Gothicus (who ruled from 268 – 270), for helping other Christians who were facing persecution. According to legend, just before his execution, he sent a note to his gaoler’s daughter for whom he felt some affection. His note was simply signed ‘Your Valentine’.

I sent my first Valentines Card to a girl in my class at school who I really liked when I was about twelve years old. It was probably one of the  most terrifying things I have ever done. Actually buying the card was terrifying enough, but the act of delivering it was even worse. My heart racing, I grabbed the opportunity to drop the card unnoticed into her schoolbag before lessons started whilst she was talking to her friends on the other side of the classroom. I had no idea what was supposed to happen next. Following convention, I had written her name in the card but signed it simply as ‘Your Valentine’. I still remember a sense of disappointment, tinged by a degree of relief, when she opened the card and told her friends that it had come from another boy in my class called Gary White. I’m not sure how Gary felt about it, but I never owned up. In the unlikely event that she remembers that moment, I guess that she probably still believes that Gary White was her first Valentine!

I’ve occasionally wondered what was in my mind when I decided to send that card to a classmate when I was 12 years old. I think in my heart, that Valentines card meant ‘I like you’, and ‘I want to be your friend.’

To the best of my recollection, apart from my 12 year old classmate, I’ve only ever sent a Valentine to one other person. She’s someone else I went to school with and I fell in love with her nearly fifty years ago. I’ve been married to her for quite a long time. She will receive a card from me again this year. It will probably be signed ‘Your Valentine’. I’m feeling pretty confident – to the best of my knowledge, my wife has never even heard of Gary White.

I’ve been nothing if not consistent since I was 12 years old. I’ve only ever sent a Valentines card to someone I want to be my friend. I’ve only ever sent a Valentine to someone I like.

‘(She) is my beloved, (she) is my friend.’ (Song of Songs 5:16 (NIV))

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

Personal

Today’s the Day – US Election 2024

Leave a comment
5th November 2024: Horsham
Today’s the Day

5th November 2024. Potentially the most portentous days of my lifetime. Today’s the day. 164.3 million voters will determine who is to be the 47th President of the United States of America. The Senate and Congress are also up for grabs. This is a big deal. I am not American. This is a huge moment for us all.

In 2016, Donald J Trump pulled off an extraordinary and unexpected victory in the presidential elections. Back then, I wrote that the people of America are entitled to make their own choice. As  Britons and Europeans, I suggested, it is not our business to express a view on who they should elect as leader. I held that position in 2020. I still do so today.

However, we all have  a vested interest in the result. For generations, America has built and sustained a position of influence and leadership of the so called ‘free world’. As President, the winner of this election will wield extraordinary power at home. They will also  have a powerful influence on international politics and diplomacy across the world. That’s why the outcome of this election is momentous for us all.

In 2020 I reflected that the political elite in America have the responsibility to put forward candidates for President who will uphold the Constitution, serve as strong and effective leaders at home, and provide positive influence on the world stage. Again, I stand by those comments in 2024. Therein lies the problem. In 2024, as in 2016 and 2020 they have abjectly failed to do so.

The Reject – Biden

After the uncertainties of the 2016 – 2020 Trump presidency, the appointment of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States brought some reassurance to the world stage, but after 4 years he has become an extraordinarily unpopular leader at home. I think it’s difficult to overstate the level of his unpopularity amongst his electorate. His pubic persona is weak. His grasp on leadership is shaky. His health is visibly in decline. He has failed to adequately address the issue of the southern border. His performance on the world stage has done little to boost him at home or abroad. He has built a strong economy, yet seems unable to capitalise on that. Most Americans blame him for price hikes and inflationary pressure on household budgets. From outside America, his determination to stand for a second term of office looked like disastrous misjudgment, gifting the Trump campaign an undeserved and massive early boost.

The choice 
The choice facing the American people is stark.
Trump

Let’s be honest, Donald J Trump is a pretty easy target. He was not, is not and never shall be fit for the role of President. He is a habitual and brazen liar. He is a narcissist. He is a manipulator. He is a convicted felon. He is a misogynist. He is a failed business man.  He has polarised the nation. He is visibly cognitively challenged. These things are, or should be, disqualifying. Seen from anywhere outside the MAGA bubble which he inhabits in the US, his continued hold over American politics is inexplicable. His place as Republican candidate in this election is nothing short of obscene. He is not fit to lead America. I could go on, but frankly he doesn’t deserve further attention. He is dangerously unqualified to wield influence on the world stage.

Harris

In the US, Vice Presidents are not intended to make any particular impression on domestic politics. They are expected to remain in the background. They have little public profile. Kamala Harris has filled that role to perfection. Biden’s withdrawal from the race opened the door to the somewhat bizarre insertion of Harris as candidate (completely setting aside the system of Presidential primaries which had nominated Biden – not Harris). Harris was largely unknown at home and abroad. There’s no doubt that her arrival transformed and energised the Democrat campaign. As a highly experienced politician and a black female candidate she should be a great option. There was a huge ‘honeymoon’ bounce in her favour (driven as much as anything by a huge sigh of relief that Biden had stepped down), but it hasn’t been sustained. There is, or should be, much to recommend her, but perhaps not surprisingly, she has struggled to distance herself from what is views in America as the toxic political legacy of the Biden administration.

The End Piece

So here we are. 5th November 2024.  My views are largely as they were in 2016 and 2020. The fate of America rests with the American people and it doesn’t really matter what I think.

The failure of the American political elite to produce candidates who can serve as strong and effective leaders of America, and as positive influencers on the world stage, is consequential. The choice is bleak.

On one side, there is a disfunctional convicted felon with an appalling track record who appears to be in cognitive melt down. On the other,  a relatively unknown Democrat who is doubtless a person of great integrity but whose best known quality at home and abroad is that she is not Joe Biden. Sadly, that is a quality which she shares with her opponent.

The outcome of the election is uncertain. American or not, we have reason to be concerned. This is a potentially momentous day. Optimism is in short supply.

Of course, Kamala does have one additional quality which might yet save the day. She is not Donald J Trump. That may just be enough. Perhaps there is a small opportunity for optimism after all.

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

Personal

Look for the special moments

1 Comment

Life is not always straightforward. It can get us down. I always tell people to keep their eyes open. Look for the moments which lift your spirits. Look for the moments which make you smile.

Yesterday I had a really busy day. I was tired and needed a few minutes of downtime. I went into one of my local coffee shops in West Street and ordered my usual flat white.

What happened next lifted my spirits. My coffee was passed across the counter. It made me smile.

#costahorsham

 

Personal

Changing Times

2 Comments

Horsham. 2nd January 2023

For the last few years I’ve been busy. Probably too busy. Around 8 months ago, I felt that God was telling me that I should put stuff down at the end of 2023. So, as of December, I have not renewed my contracts to teach English as a second language. I have set aside, for the time being at least, my responsibilities as an international coach with CCI Worldwide. On Friday, 5th January 2024, I will be putting down my role as Development Coordinator with Horsham Churches Together. Changing times.

You probably know Psalm 46:10 which says ‘Be still and know that I am God.’ As I write this, I’m reminded that in the original Hebrew, the verb which we translate as ‘Be still’, implies a relaxed calmness before God. To come close to that, we need to stop. We need to put things down – empty our hands – and wait on the LORD.

That’s what I’m doing.  Creating time to stop, to wait, to pray, and to listen. Time to be still. Time to be.

 

Personal

Fathers and Sons – A personal story

Leave a comment

I’m really privileged that my son and I occasionally go out together for a drink or a meal. Every one of those meetings is incredibly special. I always enjoy his company, and it’s particularly important to me because I never really had the opportunity to do that with my Dad. My Dad died several years before my son was born, so he never met his Grandad.

My father died around 40 years ago. If he had still been alive, tomorrow would have been his 100th birthday. A few days ago I was able to visit the Church yard where there is a small memorial to him. Years ago, I planted a small euonymous bush behind his memorial. It was important at the time because it was actually a cutting which I took from a plant which my Mum and Dad had given me when my wife and I moved into our first home. It was a special visit. It was worth the trip.

There were three special surprises. Firstly, the euonymous was still there, and it is flourishing. Second, the memorial is still there, looking pretty much as it did around 40 years ago. Thirdly, I realised that I still miss my Dad.

It turns out that there is no protocol to direct how we deal with a significant birthday for someone special who died so long time ago. Tomorrow, there won’t be a 100th birthday party. No celebration. I will remember him quietly. I suppose nowdays we might say I’ll be mindful of him.

Tonight happens to be one of those nights when I’m meeting my son for a drink. The timing has never been more special. I’m going to cherish this moment. Father and son. And probably, I’ll raise a glass to my Dad.