How true!
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "Where's the self-help section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
Are we too soft on our kids in church?
A man in Baltimore is facing arrest after he stabbed his son in the buttock for not taking his hat off in church. The stabbing occurred on Sunday in central Baltimore, after the father and son got into a row over the son's failure to remove his headgear. According to police reports, the 58-year-old father ended the row by leaving the scene, going to his car to fetch a knife, then returning and stabbing his son in the left buttock. The 19-year-old was taken to the University of Maryland Medical Center to have his injuries treated. The father was not identified in reports, as has not been arrested yet.
Some people are just naturals!!
What a great children's story and what an awesome cast! Thank you to the cast of the Panto and our church robber, ahh, I mean treasurer for helping out! Don't click the picture unless you want to see Chris going beyond the call of duty with his method acting!
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| From Church of the Nazarene Broadwalk Knowle Park Bristol BS4 2RD |
Psalm 27:10
When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me.
Shrove Tuesday - Pancake Day
Delia Online!!
Ingredients
For the pancake mixture:
110g/4oz plain flour, sifted
pinch of salt
2 eggs
200ml/7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml/3fl oz water
50g/2oz butter
To serve:
caster sugar
lemon juice
lemon wedges
Raisens!!!!
Method
Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl with a sieve held high above the bowl so the flour gets a airing. Now make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it. Then begin whisking the eggs - any sort of whisk or even a fork will do - incorporating any bits of flour from around the edge of the bowl as you do so.
Next gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, still whisking (don't worry about any lumps as they will eventually disappear as you whisk). When all the liquid has been added, use a rubber spatula to scrape any elusive bits of flour from around the edge into the centre, then whisk once more until the batter is smooth, with the consistency of thin cream. Now melt the 50g/2oz of butter in a pan. Spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in, then pour the rest into a bowl anduse it to lubricate the pan, using a wodge of kitchen paper to smear it round before you make each pancake.
Now get the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium and, to start with, do a test pancake to see if you're using the correct amount of batter. I find 2 tbsp is about right for an 18cm/7in pan. It's also helpful if you spoon the batter into a ladle so it can be poured into the hot pan in one go. As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter. It should take only half a minute or so to cook; you can lift the edge with a palette knife to see if it's tinged gold as it should be. Flip the pancake over with a pan slice or palette knife - the other side will need a few seconds only - then simply slide it out of the pan onto a plate.
Stack the pancakes as you make them between sheets of greaseproof paper on a plate fitted over simmering water, to keep them warm while you make the rest.
To serve, spinkle each pancake with freshly squeezed lemon juice and caster sugar, fold in half, then in half again to form triangles, or else simply roll them up. Serve sprinkled with a little more sugar and lemon juice and extra sections of lemon.
Fairtrade Fortnight 2009 (but why not threehundredandsixtyfivnight?)
Thousands of events from banana-eating competitions to fashion shows will take place across the UK over the next two weeks to encourage more people to buy Fairtrade and support farmers in the developing world.
Organisers of Fairtrade Fortnight, the Fairtrade Foundation, say that the credit crunch is making it even more difficult for poor families to cope with rising global food costs and even more vital that people buy Fairtrade.
“The Fairtrade Foundation’s message for Fairtrade Fortnight 2009 is that, while sales of Fairtrade products and awareness of Fairtrade has been growing apace in recent years, change is still not happening nearly quickly enough for the millions of the world’s poorest farmers who remain trapped in trade poverty,” said Harriet Lamb, CEO of the Fairtrade Foundation.
“The challenge now is to urgently scale up the reach and impact of Fairtrade so that by working together, we can succeed in tipping the balance of trade in favour of marginalised farmers and producers. Fairtrade Fortnight is an opportunity for us all to do something too by holding events at work, at home or in the community.”
The sale of Fairtrade products currently benefits 7.5 million farmers, workers and their families who live in impoverished rural communities in the developing world.
Over the next two weeks, debates on trade, climate change and ethical shopping will be held in Oxford, Cardiff, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Leeds. The Great Trade debates will explore the various issues in relation to marginalised farmers and workers and the role that Fairtrade is playing.
In addition, more than 20 farmers from Sri Lanka, Cameroon, Burkina Faso and St Lucia will visit schools, businesses and community groups across the UK to explain more about the impact Fairtrade is making on global poverty.
Staff at the headquarters of the United Reformed Church are supporting Fairtrade Fortnight by taking part in a worldwide banana-eating event which will see Fairtrade producers and supporters all around the world will eat bananas on Friday 6 March.
The URC’s Commitment for Life programme coordinator, Linda Mead, said the effort would highlight the plight of banana growers and show the Church’s support for the Fairtrade Foundation’s campaign to see the number of fairly traded bananas bought in the UK double by 2012.
“The trade has made big profits for banana companies, but this has declined rapidly. Most profit is now made at the top of the supply chain by increasingly powerful supermarkets. They squeeze farmers and plantation workers. A series of bitter battles between supermarkets has made conditions in the mainstream banana industry miserable,” she said.
“Fairtrade challenges these injustices, strengthens the position of marginalised farmers and workers and enables them to earn enough for today to invest in a better tomorrow.”
On the web: www.fairtrade.org
Interesting News
Ex-'hired killer' to ... 'man in a dog-collar'
Fri Feb 20 05:14PM
In the Vietnam war movie Full Metal Jacket, the bespectacled "Private Joker", played by Matthew Modine, is asked why he joined the US Marines. "I wanted to travel to foreign countries, meet interesting people and... kill them," he said.When I came to Baghdad last month and people asked me why I had come, I steered clear of the "interesting people" line.After five weeks in Iraq, however, I'd concede that such people are what makes the job most worthwhile.A few days ago, while interviewing people for a story on a women's charity, I met a man called Jusuf Bardilian, Father Jusuf Bardilian, in fact.A born-again Christian, he wanted to tell me his story, and what a story it was.As a young man in the 1970s he had lived what he said was 'a bad life', punctuated by alcohol, women and misdemeanours.Today, the smartly-dressed, rather rotund 56-year-old wears a dog-collar, and ministers to a congregation in the Dura district of Baghdad.I was interested to discover what had brought about the change."I was a hired killer," he told me, a response that stunned several people in the room and caused my interpreter to jump almost off his seat.He explained that one day in 1974 he had, for no apparent reason, entered a church, "felt the presence of God" and "experienced his power as if it was magic."The man had found faith and decided to follow God's will from then on, joining the church and eventually becoming a priest.Fast forward nearly 30 years. The toppling of Saddam Hussein, while welcomed by some, brought instability and lawlessness and saw fierce fighting between the country's rival Sunni and Shiite militias.Christians were targeted, and Jusuf, one of fewer than a million Christians in Iraq, was kidnapped, his church destroyed and his house ransacked.Eventually, a $12,000 ransom saw him freed. He declined to explain exactly who had paid. But, looking me in the eye with an intensity befitting a man who has suffered such an experience, he said it had only made his faith stronger."There is great pressure on Christians to leave the land of Iraq and go to Syria, Lebanon or Sweden and other European countries," he said."We say about Saddam that he was a dictator. But Christians did not suffer during Saddam's time as we are suffering now," he added, explaining that they had been allowed to live their lives as long as they obeyed the regime.To hear such talk may sound strange to some, but his words seemed sincere to me. Perhaps this is the reality of life in Baghdad -- a country at war, but not at war, and a people who live together, but don't.To a newcomer in Iraq though it was a reminder that wars affect individuals in different ways, uniquely to each, not all the same way.
"I am without a church but I am a servant. Each of us have our faith and I must serve God in my community," he said.
DL Moody - Love
Joy is love exalted; peace is love in repose; patience is love enduring; gentleness is love in society; goodness is love in action; faith is love on the battlefield; meekness is love in school; and self-control is love in training.
D.L. Moody
Galations - Love
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
Will the real "Prawo Jazdy" please stand up
Irish police have solved the mystery of a Polish recidivist who clocked up 50 traffic offences on different addresses and who was never caught, after one officer noticed his name meant driving licence in Polish.
An internal police memo cited by Irish papers on Thursday said officers taking details of Polish traffic offenders had been mistakenly using "Prawo Jazdy," printed in the top right corner of the driving licence, as the holder's name.
"Prawo Jazdy is actually the Polish for driving licence and not the first and surname on the licence," the police memo dated June 2007 said. "It is quite embarrassing to see the system has created Prawo Jazdy as a person with over 50 identities."
A police spokesman declined to comment on the reports.
About 200,000 Polish people flocked to Ireland during the boom years of its "Celtic Tiger" economy but a poll in November indicated a third of them planned to leave due to recession.
Can't argue with that!
I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places.
"There probably IS a God!"
The offices of the Christian Party were vandalised following the launch of a new bus advertising campaign proclaiming that there is a God.
The adverts were launched by the party last Thursday in response to the British Humanist Association’s bus adverts, which state, “There probably is no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”
The Christian Party’s adverts are displayed on 50 London buses and carry the slogan: “There definitely is a God. So join the Christian Party and enjoy your life.”
Police have launched an investigation after the front windows of the party’s London headquarters were found smashed in on Saturday morning. The police suspect the incident to be a religious hate crime.
Leader of the Christian Party, the Rev George Hargreaves, said the incident was a “sign of the times” but vowed to continue on with the campaign.
“I’m disappointed more than shocked,” he said, describing how in Scotland the Christian Party had experienced similar acts of violence when protesters tore down their campaign posters.
“It’s just a shame that people who are intolerant of Christianity feel that they need to destroy property and to be violent,” he continued.
“We are not phased by it. What was intended for evil will be used for good. If they break our windows, we will just put in new windows.
“We don’t have to get violent or angry about it. We just have to love the Lord, keep a good witness and the Lord will do the rest.”
The party is due to launch the same advert in a six-week campaign in Scotland, beginning February 24.Deuteronomy - openhanded
If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs.
Deuteronomy 15:7-8
Recession stops "Me Me Me" attitude - and that includes me!
The recession could be the trigger that British society needs to fix its selfish ways, says the head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales.
Speaking to The Times, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor said the economic downturn was an opportunity for the country to think about its values.
“It's the end of a certain kind of selfish capitalism,” he said. “This particular recession is a moment - a kairos - when we have to reflect as a country on what are the things that nourish the values, the virtues, we want to have ... Capitalism needs to be underpinned with regulation and a moral purpose.”
He hit out at the “me, me” attitude of modern Britain, saying people had come to regard their wealth as indicator of their worth.
“One feels very sorry for those losing their jobs but in times of recession people have to rely on friends and neighbours and families and things that really matter to them,” he said.
“That may be a good thing. I think people did lose their way a bit. It has been difficult to bring up children with the kind of values we want. Let's face it, we now have a ‘me, me' society, a more consumerist society, a utilitarian society, and our values and virtues have become diminished.
“Some of it has got to do with having too much. If your worth just depends on your wealth, that is not healthy. Your worth should depend on who you are.”
The Archbishop, who is soon to retire, also criticised the bonus culture of the big banks.
The finance industry, he said, was “so focused on money” and needed to be “underpinned by a moral sense and regulation that makes it clear money is only a tool for living”.
“I hope people have come to their senses. I don't know why they got such big bonuses. I would cut them out altogether.”A Different Take on the Bible
Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.
- Oscar Wilde
James - Take Note
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry...
— James 1:19 —
The Exotic Chip - I always thought there was more to it!
LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists say they may have found out why the great British chip smells so irresistible: a complex blend of scents that includes butterscotch, cocoa, cheese and flowers.
The aroma has been unpicked by food scientists at Leeds University.
"Whether oven-cooked or fried, the humble chip doesn't smell of just chips -- the aroma is much more complex and probably explains why chips are everyone's favorite," said Dr. Graham Clayton, who led the research for National Chip Week that started Monday.
"Aromas including butterscotch, cocoa, onion, cheese and would you believe ...ironing boards, all combine to help make chips one of Britain's iconic dishes," he said.
The Leeds scientists collected the aroma from cooked chips, then separated the different compounds for analysis by an "aroma-meter" machine.
Those that could be detected by the human nose were sniffed, and the type and strength of smell recorded.
The findings showed that chips that are cooked twice have more complex aromas, comprising bitter cocoa, butterscotch, cheese, earthy potatoes, onions, and flowers.
"Perhaps these findings will see chips treated like wine in the future -- with chip fans turning into buffs as they impress their friends with eloquent descriptions of their favorite fries," Clayton said.
Table Top Sale - This Saturday 14th February -
Valentines - TABLE TOP SALE - Saturday 14th February 2009
Church of the Nazarene, Broadwalk, Knowle Park, Bristol BS4 1BZ. Opposite Redcatch Park!
Time: 9 to 12 am
Location: Church Hall
Atmosphere: Very Friendly (sometimes silly)
Tea and Coffee: Excellent (and free!)
Time to do a bit of first minute Christmas shopping!!! Credit crunch friendly! Donations of goods, time or baked items always welcome. Come by for a free cup of tea or coffee and a natter. This is also a good opportunity to come and ask someone about the church and upcoming events you might be interested in, such as Friday Friendship or Children's Clubs.
| From Table Top Sales |
Be less selfish for children!
THE FRUITS of two years of research into ways childhood can be improved in the UK were unveiled this week. Parents need to love their children more and be less selfish, say independent researchers commissioned by the Children’s Society. Speaking on Monday about A Good Childhood: Searching for values in a competitive age, Lord Layard, Emeritus Professor of Economics at the LSE, and Professor Judy Dunn, of King’s College, London, said that English society had to turn away from selfishness if it wanted its children to be happy. Their research was “evidence-based”, and drew on the experience of more than 30,000 children, and professionals and other adults who had contributed to the Society’s Good Childhood Inquiry. “The cult of personal success is counter-productive, because there is only so much success to go round,” Lord Layard told journalists and children gathered in the Penguin office for the launch of the book on Monday. The children, assembled by the Society from a number of its projects across the country, looked wistfully out of the windows as heavy snow fell on the Thames embankment.
The report suggests that children’s happiness is most threatened by adults who aggressively pursue their own success; family breakdown; not being allowed to explore outside unsupervised; being pushed towards sex at an early age; too much television, video games, and advertising; not enough exercise; less belief in values such as generosity and fairness; too much emphasis on school league tables. As a result, there was evidence of increasing levels of mental illness among children, for which at least another 1000 therapists were needed.
Be grateful for children says report
A MIXTURE of “sentimentalism and panic” prevents a sensible discussion of childhood, the Archbishop of Canterbury says in an afterword to A Good Childhood, writes Bill Bowder.
Dr Williams commends the report, which, he says, asks “for a coherent vision of how human beings grow and become capable of giving and deserving trust, for unremitting advocacy on behalf of those who are growing up in poverty, for a systematic willingness to pay attention to how children and young people actually talk about themselves, and perhaps, above all, for a realistic and grateful appreciation of who and what our young people really are.”
In nine chapters, the contributors to the report consider what children want from their childhood, what is best for their happiness, and what happy children might do for English society as they grow up. Its main conclusion is that excessive individualism among adults damages children.
Among its recommendations are:
• both parents should attend parenting classes and consider the effect of a child on their relationship;
• parents should be prepared to be authoritative and set boundaries;
• parents and children should establish a good moral vocabulary;
• parental leave should be available for longer periods;
• parents and teachers should help children develop “the spiritual qualities of wonder and inner peace”;
• discipline in schools needs to be stronger and based on mutual respect;
• physical and psychological violence should be out of order at home and at school;
• sex education should be taught not as biology but as part of emotional development;
• a civil birth ceremony should be introduced as an alternative to baptism;
• free welfare support should be available to parents;
• child mental-health services need to be radically improved;
• the salaries of teachers in deprived areas should be increased;
• SATS and league tables should be abolished;
• alcohol and snack foods should not be advertised before 9 p.m.;
• no open spaces where children play should be built upon;
• a drive for apprenticeships should be begun.
The report suggests that children need freedom to explore, but instead they have less space to do this than in the past. The age when they are first let out on their own is now much greater than in previous generations.
There are fewer open spaces for them to go to, the roads are more dangerous, and 11,000 youth clubs can provide only 1.2 million places for the 4.5 million children between the ages of 11 to 16 that might need them. Proposals to impose curfews on children, ban them from parts of town, or expose them to ultrasonic deterrents are “out of order”.
The panel of researchers heard from children that “Some adults behave as if children and young people don’t matter, or seem to be cross with seeing groups of young children and young people in public.”
“That kind of attitude is unfair,” the panel agrees, but it also tells children: “When you are sharing space with adults, on a bus or in the street, make sure you don’t give adults reason to be upset or cross with you.” It also urges them to keep their friends, to enjoy seven hours of exercise a week, and to praise teachers when they are good.
One study in the report found that the more a child is exposed to the television and internet, “the more materialistic she becomes; the worse she relates to her parents; and the worse her mental health”.
A Good Childhood by Richard Layard and Judy Dunn (Penguin/ Children’s Society, £9.99 (Church Times Bookshop £9); 978-0-141-03943-5.
Working Together - Muslims and Christians
A group of young Muslims are backing a Church in Wales appeal for humanitarian aid in Gaza.
They have raised more than £1,000 for a mobile dental clinic delivering frontline medical aid around the bombed out streets of Gaza. The clinic, which has been funded totally by the Church in Wales since 2000, is part of the work of family health centres in Gaza run by the Near East Council of Churches.
Members of the Young Muslim Community Organisation in Newport, South Wales, held a bazaar to raise money following an appeal by the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, for urgent aid for the work of the NECC clinics. The appeal was intensified after a direct missile attack destroyed one of the family centres in Shij’ia two weeks ago.
Ifthir Ahmed, chair of the YMCO, said the group was pleased to support a Welsh appeal for humanitarian aid.
He said, “We read about the destruction of the family clinic and the invaluable service the mobile dental clinic provides for so many people in the Strip. We felt that some of the money we raised had to go to this very noble cause.
“The response and support we’ve had from the people of Newport has been strong. They felt the call for funds was going out to everyone in Wales, not just the parishioners of the Church in Wales, and as Welsh citizens we felt a duty to support a Welsh appeal.
“It's important that the people in Wales work together when we are trying to help the victims of man-made or natural disasters so that the recipients of the aid realise it’s from the people of one nation to another, not just from charities, even though charities are the front end of providing the relief.”
More than 300 people attended the bazaar last month. Activities included an auction, stalls, hot food and children’s games. Members of the YMCO will present the cheque to the Assistant Bishop of Llandaff, Dr David Yeoman on Tuesday.
More than £14,000 has been raised in the past month for the Church in Wales appeal. A large number of donations have come from parishes across Wales who have held collections, coffee mornings and concerts to raise money.
The Archbishop of Wales Dr Morgan said, “We are very grateful to everyone, from many faiths and backgrounds, in Wales who are pulling together to do what they can to respond to our appeal for immediate medical supplies for the people in Gaza who are in desperate need at this time. We hope people will continue to donate to the appeal and keep the region in their prayers.”
A Great Familly Movie from Disney - Bolt!
“For every laugh, there should be a tear” – these were the words of Walt Disney. And while there may not be a tear for every laugh (there are a lot of laughs) in “Bolt”, Disney’s latest animated work of art definitely hits the nail on the head.
More than a funny flick (which it is) and an action-packed CGI masterpiece (which it is), “Bolt” is a movie that reaches into the very heart of its audience. And it’s this ability to do so that will stick moviegoers to their seats and have them coming back for more. The script is superb.
We’ve all seen the trailers. Superdog Bolt is a genetically altered mutt with special powers, including incredible strength, laser vision, and a “super bark” that can lay waste an entire army. Or at least that’s what he thinks he is and how his TV show portrays him. Unknown to him, Bolt is just a regular dog (a cross between a white German shepherd and a number of other dogs, according to Disney) who has been raised all his life on a TV set, made to think everything happening to him is real (much like Jim Carrey’s “The Truman Show”).
"If the dog believes it's real, the audience believes it," the director of Bolt’s TV show says, pointing out the “depth of emotion never captured before" in Bolt's performance.
Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) believes with every bone in his body that he has to save his “person”, Penny (voiced by Miley Cyrus), and defend her from the evil schemes of the cat-loving “green-eyed man”, Dr Calico (voiced by Malcolm McDowell). So when Penny is “captured” in one cliffhanger episode, Bolt manages to break free from his Hollywood confines to attempt to rescue her – only to find himself boxed up and shipped off by mistake to the other side of the US – New York City.
Oscar Wilde - Shallow
Seriousness is the only refuge of the shallow.
- Oscar Wilde
(but there are exceptions)
CH Spurgeon - Laugfhter
There are also many expressions which may provoke a smile: but let it be remembered that every man has his moments when his lighter feelings indulge themselves, and the preacher must be allowed to have the same passions as his fellow-men; and since he lives in the pulpit more than anywhere else, it is but natural that his whole man should be there developed; besides, he is not quite sure about a smile being a sin, and, at any rate, he thinks it less a crime to cause a momentary laughter than a half-hour's profound slumber.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
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