Thursday, December 31, 2015

A Super December.

This Blog has had its second highest number of 'hits' in its nine and a half year history. Why not tip off your friends about 'the site to visit'.

Storm Frank.

Job-Blockers.

Older people job Britain 9.5 million

9.5 million older people in Britain are still holding down jobs. Express.

From a social point of view, this is highly undesirable.

Atheists At Christmas.

Robin Schumacher: You don’t have to believe in Christ to use the Christmas season as a reminder that there are people hurting in the world that need help. If you’re an atheist reading this, you might say, “What? I thought you Christians say I have to believe in God in order to have any kind ethics or morals and do good to others.”
If you’ve been told this by any Christian in the past, let me apologize to you. The moral argument for God should never be understood to mean that non-Christians can’t exhibit good moral behavior. Rather, it means that, without God, there is no way to ground objective moral values and duties. Everything becomes emotive, cultural, and subjective without God. Christian News.
So by all means, use the Christmas season as a time to find others who need help in some way and jump in and make a difference in their lives. But in the process, honestly ask yourself why you’re doing it (i.e. what’s wrong with not helping people?) and see where that exercise takes you.

Arron Banks.

Businessman Arron Banks used a New Year message to release a rallying cry to eurosceptics as he called on them to help "liberate the UK" by supporting his campaign in the European Union (EU) referendum.
His latest call for Brexit came after David Cameron hinted that Britain could be given the chance to leave the EU in just over six months.
Mr Cameron has promised to hold an referendum on the UK's membership of the EU before the end of 2017. Express.

England Triumph In Durban.

South Africa the best side in world cricket? Well, a rejuvenated England smashed them in a staggering 241 run victory. Even better than that is the fact that England is an emerging side of promise. Gone are the days of negative captaincy from Alastair Cook; Mo' Ali is turning into a genuine test standard spin bowler; we have an abundance of good seamers - even allowing for the inevitable retirement of Jimmy Anderson a year or so from now; Compton brings backbone; Bell has finally been dumped: Taylor has grasped his chance; Root goes from strength to strength and Ben Stokes is a great all rounder bringing balance to the eleven.
It has taken two years since the giant cracks began to first show in New Zealand - but that is now history.
The only concerns are how the England batsmen will stand up to Indian, Pakistani and Sri Lankan spinners out on the sub-continent. Who to open the batting with Cook is the only giant question to be resolved.
After two years of griping - I am delighted to be able to display some guarded optimism.

Germany: Making It Easy For The Hard Right To Flourish & Prosper.

Police in Germany are covering up the extent of crime committed by migrants, claim Bild - as country is revealed to have taken in 1.1 MILLION people during 2015 

Asylum seekers are being recruited as drug dealers and petty thieves, German newspaper Bild claims. This comes as Germany takes in more refugees from the Middle East and Africa than any other EU state. Mail.

Birdie.

What Was Christmas REALLY About?

Spot On, Vicar!

Oliver Letwin.

I suppose that most people will now be more than familiar with Oliver Letwin's racist remarks from back in the 80s. 
Putting aside the fact that he is now Chief Adviser to the PM, let us examine the rank hypocrisy which has emerged from the left and the leftist media in response to all of this. 
They pontificate and seem to be claiming some sort of moral high ground. Now let us consider the scores of Labour MPs over the years with a history of Communism - often as Stalinists or Trotskyites (I can't bring to mind any Maoists.). They joined Labour and the past was rapidly forgotten - expunged, as one might conclude.
Now, let us compare these two sins:
One is a set of unsavoury remarks - the other is having supported a political position which resulted in more than a 180 million deaths in the 20th Century. See what I mean about 'hypocrisy'?

Honours Abomination.

Dame Barbara Windsor? - Are they 'avin' a larf? Star of numerous, borderline sleazy films; more abortions than you could shake a stick at; adulterous relationships and described in the press as 'a gangsters' moll' because of her associations with the Kray brothers and other assorted gangsters.
The honours system stinks!

Iran Arrests 9 Believers For Celebrating Christmas.

Iran Arrests 9 Christians on Christmas Day for Celebrating Jesus Christ

The government of Iran reportedly arrested a group of nine Christians on Christmas Day for celebrating their faith at an in-house church in the city of Shiraz. Christian News.

Happily, Test Reveals That Our Pastor Is No Zombie.

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Will Corbyn Accept The Farage Challenge?

http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/630211/Nigel-Farage-debate-Labour-Jeremy-Corbyn-EU

Islam - The Religion Of Morality, Conscience and Compassion?

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/630147/ISIS-RAPE-RULEBOOK-SICK-FATWA-DAESH-ISIL-IS

Government Wrecking The NHS With Nursing Bursary Policy?

From: Rhys Mood, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Student Committee member, Yorkshire and the Humber Region.

THE Government has recently delivered a crushing blow to future nursing students by removing their bursaries – the financial support that helps many to complete their studies and go on to be nurses.
Without this essential support, many of us who are currently studying would not have been able to fulfil our dreams of becoming a nurse and we are worried about what this move means for the future of the NHS, our future colleagues and above all, patient care.
Student nurses are not like other students. Half our time is spent doing clinical work and our academic year is longer, giving us fewer opportunities to earn money in our spare time. We also tend to be older and many have families to support.
Taking away these grants and replacing them with hefty loans will only pile on more personal financial pressure to an already overstretched part of the health care workforce. Not only that but many may never be able to pay back the loans, which will not save any money in the long run and make little financial sense.
Student nurses are the profession’s future and their relationship with the NHS is critical. But this decision risks severing the critical link between the NHS and nursing students and in doing so the Government is effectively absolving itself of any responsibility to ensure that the right numbers of nurses are in the right place and with the right skills. With this move, they are also throwing student nurse training open to the market and this is very concerning.
We are disappointed that the Royal College of Nursing, with its long track record in nurse education, was not consulted on these plans and hope that we are allowed to work with the Government on a solution that looks at these very real risks and concerns and finds ways to mitigate them.
The future of nursing must be protected. Our patients deserve nothing less.
Read more: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion/yp-letters-crushing-blow-for-nurses-struggling-to-study-in-the-nhs-1-7647831#ixzz3vmyJ9zzJ

Adam And Eve Controversy.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3377487/God-Eve-Adam-s-PENIS-not-rib-claims-religious-academic.html

Pavel Srnicek - RIP.

Former Newcastle United goalkeeper Pavel Srnicek dies aged 47 after collapsing while out running.

As an old pastor I knew used to say regularly - "We are not promised tomorrow." Would you be ready if God called you right now?

Kempis - One Of The Truly Great Christian Writers.

EU - What They Do Not Want You To Know About Floods.

Russia Joke - Or Is It?

Russia is apparently planning to build permanent moon base.
When asked if they really want to live in a barren, lifeless landscape, Russians said, "No, that's why we want a moon base."

Our Wonderful NHS - 28th In The Western World.

The UK has fewer doctors, nurses, hospital beds and crucial medical equipment than most other wealthy nations, according to a damning report.
Research comparing Britain with 30 wealthy Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries places it 28th on the league table when it comes to healthcare resources.
There were just 2.8 doctors per 10,000 population in the UK in 2012, compared with an average of 3.2 doctors in other wealthy OECD countries,analysis by the Economist Intelligence Unit shows.
Meanwhile, the UK has 8.2 nurses per 10,000 population, compared with an average of 8.9 nurses among the 30 countries examined. Daily Telegraph.

Moody On Living.

Petrol On Its Way Down Again.

For so many families, petrol prices are the difference between surviving and falling into debt. This is wonderful news!

Persecution 2014. In 2015, Worse Rather Than Better!

Islam - Compassionate Religion?

Barbaric scenes of Indonesia's Sharia law: Screaming in agony, a young woman caned in front of a cheering crowd just for being near a fellow student.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3378338/Screaming-agony-young-woman-caned-cheering-crowd-just-near-fellow-student.html

Jehovah's Witness Badly Under-Sentenced.

Jehovah's Witness who choked girls as young as six for sexual thrills is finally jailed - after congregation covered up his crimes for more than 20 years

Ian Pheasey, 54, pictured, targeted a seven-year-old girl when she went to pick up a book from the library at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, in Warwick, where he worked. Mail.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3377449/Jehovah-s-Witness-strangled-girls-young-six-sexual-thrills-finally-jailed-congregation-covered-crimes-20-years.html

Birdy.

Stalinist Corbyn - Not As Cuddly As He Might Appear.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3378067/Hard-Left-s-Stalinist-plot-seize-control-Labour-Detailed-blueprint-Corbyn-s-supporters-try-oust-critics-policy-making-hold-Mao-style-political-education-activity-programme.html

... And New Year.


Christian Persecution In Islamabad.

Christian lady living in a slum in Islamabad, Pakistan
The demolition of Christian homes in Islamabad was defended in a report written by Pakistan’s Capital Development Authority (CDA) to the Supreme Court. The authority justified its actions to demolish slums in Islamabad where tens of thousands of the capital’s Christian population live by arguing that these “ugly” settlements are an eyesore to the otherwise affluent capital city and they threaten its strong Muslim majority. Barnabas Fund.

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

You'd Have To Be A Right Numpty To Claim That Jesus Never Even Existed!

SAMUEL SMITH , CP REPORTER
December 27, 2015
New Testament scholar and author Robert Hutchinson writes in a new book that recent archaeological discoveries and biblical scholarship prove not only Jesus' existence but that biblical accounts of his life and death are more accurate than secular scholars have led people to believe.
While atheist and secular scholars have over the last century progressed the idea that there is no proof that Jesus existed or that He was and acted exactly how He was depicted in the New Testament, Hutchinson highlights in his recent book, Searching for Jesus, various archaeological finds and research from the past few years that disprove the theories progressed by secular "mythicists."
Searching for Jesus(Photo: Nelson Books)
The discoveries that Hutchinson mentions in his book, he says, disprove theories by scholars such as Bart Ehrman and Robert Schweitzer, who in the early 1900s theorized that Jesus was nothing more that an apocalyptic prophet.
"There was incredible discoveries that were being made in New Testament studies that were just revolutionary," Hutchinson, a scholar who has spent years in Israel studying the New Testament, told The Christian Post in an interview. "I found that nobody was talking about this in the media. They were still repeating theories about Jesus and the gospels that are a century old — the idea that Jesus was a deluded fanatic, an apocalyptic prophet who thought the world was going to end in his lifetime."
One of the main arguments furthered by secular scholars is that there is no proof that Jesus or anyone else mentioned in the New Testament actually existed. However, Hutchinson wrote that discoveries of ossuaires (burial boxes) in 1990 and in 2002 make that argument moot.
In 1990, construction workers uncovered the ossuary of the high priest Caiaphas. After analyzation, Hutchinson said that almost all archaeologists accept the Caiaphas ossuary as authentic.
It is also believed by some scholars that an ossuary discovered in 2002 is the burial box of James the Just, who many Christians believe is either the half-brother or cousin of Jesus.
Although some New Testament scholars, such as Ben Witherington and Hershel Shanks, believe the James ossuary is authentic, others are not completely sold on its authenticity.
However, Hutchinson argues that the discovery of the Caiaphas ossuary and the potential authenticity of the James ossuary is enough to quell the secular claim that there is no proof that anyone mentioned in the New Testament existed.
"They are discovering archaeological proof, if it is authentic, then it is the first archaeological proof for Jesus. That's just really, really exciting that they are coming up with the burial boxes of people mentioned in the New Testament," Hutchinson said.
"A lot of what the people say in the claim that Jesus doesn't exist is that there is no archaeological proof for any of these people," Hutchinson added. "They said the same thing about Pontius Pilate, that there is no archaeological proof of him but in 1961 they uncovered an inscription in Caesarea, which proved that Pilate existed." Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/searching-for-jesus-archaeological-discoveries-prove-jesus-existed-atheist-mythicist-interview-153317/#pjopxKZcH8j79MFT.99

Birdy.

Premium Numbers - Hit 'em Where It Hurts!

If you find that a firm you deal with is using Premium Numbers for its contact calls - may I suggest that, in the future,  you buy goods from the companies that do not!

Vatican FORGETS What Jesus Was All About!

Floods: As Usual - Guess Where The REAL Blame Lies!

From: Arthur Quarmby, Underhill, Holme.
THE floods are not solely an Act of God; the Lake District is quite accustomed to very heavy rain. Much more responsible is the EU Water Framework Directive of 2000, which places severe restrictions on the dredging of rivers. In its comments on the repeated flooding, the Environment Agency makes no reference to this legislation. I wonder why not?
Read more: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion/yp-letters-flooding-victims-accuse-ministers-of-betrayal-1-7645929#ixzz3vgY8gPrX

Coulrophobia.

I am not coulrophobic (although I have met several who are.) To me, clowns are not, and never have been, funny in any way. They are an exercise in pointlessness and utter futility - unless entertaining children in the four to six age range.

Lemmy Dies At Seventy.

It is our duty, as Christians, to witness to an unregenerate world. I know nothing whatsoever about Lemmy and in my extensive and eclectic music collection, Motorhead only makes a rather trivial three appearances. Nonetheless, I grieve his death and am reminded of John Donne's 'No man is an island.' Whenever someone dies, the first question to myself is whether or not they have met our Living Saviour. If we know they have - then often, it is perfectly okay to shrug one's shoulders and state enigmatically, "Well, that's life." But if they rank amongst the vast numbers of the unsaved, then that death is an unmitigated tragedy. What is more, we must challenge ourselves by asking what we, as individuals, have done 'to witness to the nations' which is what Jesus required of us in His Great Commission.

BOO! (Better Off Out.)

http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/629950/Britain-EU-membership-4-5-billion-vote-leave

Cuban Persecutions.

cubaPlease pray for our brothers and sisters in the city of Santiago de Cuba where government officials have reportedly issued demolition orders to all churches in one neighbourhood.
Pastors and families living in the church properties targeted in the Abel Santa María area of the city have been told they are to be evicted. At least three churches are known to be under threat in Santiago, plus two more in Las Tunas province.
Members of Emanuel Church in Santiago have been holding a ‘sleep-in’ at their building since early November, in an effort to prevent it from being destroyed. Its pastor, Alain Toledano, said he believed communist officials, angered by the re-establishment of relations with the US, were launching a crackdown on ‘apostolic and prophetic’ churches.
Scores of churches across Cuba have reportedly come under pressure since new legislation was introduced in January giving officials discretionary powers to confiscate property. In some cases, religious groups have been given the option to stay – but only in return for paying high rent to the Government and submitting to Communist Party monitoring: most have rejected this option.
  • Please pray for our church family in Santiago de Cuba. Pray that the demolition orders will not be carried out and church families will not be evicted.
  • Pray that the church in Cuba as a whole will stand firm in the face of opposition from some elements of the Community Party.
  • Pray that the church in Cuba will experience unprecedented growth and liberty as the nation opens up to the international community in the longer term.
(Source: Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

Five Books In The Christmas Season.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/christmas-books-five-read-buy-gifts-christianity-theology-152701/#KCFZeK5EzzpowJVy.99

A Plea Unto The Lord.

Beware of New Year Optimism.

"Every New Year is the direct descendant, isn't it, of a long line of proven criminals?" OGDEN NASH (1902-1971)

The Oldest Are The Best.

Wind Is NOT The Answer.

Days when wind farms run at 10% capacity: Union say figures show renewable energy cannot be relied upon and Britain needs nuclear and gas-powered energy plants 

Wind turbines produced just 10 per cent of their energy capacity during almost a fortnight of the last three months, it was claimed yesterday. Mail.
Tidal barrages would work consistently - but windmills do not - and CANNOT!

Monday, December 28, 2015

Please, Dear Reader, Do Not Miss Out!

Guardian/Observer - Typical Garbage.

“Capitalism,” says Roberto Saviano, “needs the criminal syndicates and criminal markets… This is the most difficult thing to communicate. People – even people observing organised crime – tend to overlook this, insisting upon a separation between the black market and the legal market. It’s the mentality that leads people in Europe and the USA to think of a mafioso who goes to jail as a mobster, a gangster. But he’s not, he’s a businessman, and his business, the black market, has become the biggest market in the world.”

Nice One, Borat.

Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher 'give £670,000 to charity.'

SHAME On These Airports!

Visitors to Stansted must pay £2.50 for a maximum of ten minutes parking, even if they stop for just a few seconds whilst Birmingham charges £1 for the first ten minutes. (Leeds Bradford is, I think, £3 for a dropoff.)
There are many more guilty parties throughout the airports of the UK. (See above.)

Why Does This NEED To Be Said?


Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has told schools that they do not have to give 'non-religious world views' equal billing with the major faiths as demanded by campaigners. Mail.

Doctors - The Fact:

The UK is more reliant on foreign doctors than any other major EU nation with a third born overseas.

Now the question! - WHY?

World's Most Corrupt Nations Get Our Foreign Aid.

Mail.

Genuine Help - For Atheists.

Robin Scumacher: When was the last time you read a work by a Christian apologist such as William Lane Craig, Ravi Zacharias, or Norman Geisler that worked through the philosophical and evidential arguments for Christianity? Have you ever contemplated things like, because our world exists, something must have always existed, and when you point to the universe as that eternal ‘something’ you exhibit a lot of ‘faith’ in the process?
Also ask yourself: is the reason you’re an atheist really based on supposed evidence, reason, and such, or is it more emotive in nature and grounded upon personal things that have happened to you in the past? For example, a recent CNN article about Ted Turner described how he once dreamed of being a missionary, but watching his young sister Mary Jean suffer and die from a disease dramatically altered his early belief in God.
So there you have it – my do’s and don’ts for atheists this Christmas. If you’re an atheist, kindly consider these suggestions and see what following the recommendations brings you. Hopefully, they will provide a richer experience during this time than you’ve had in the past. Christian News.

How Big Is Your Beam? (Mote For KJV Readers.)

Uganda: Pray For Father and His Children.

uganda
Please pray for the safe return of three children in Uganda who have been kidnapped – because their father turned to Christ.
Our brother in Christ, Madengho Badir, says he has not slept since his three children, aged five, seven and ten, were snatched from their home in Kabuna, east Uganda, on Wednesday.
Madengho says he knows that their kidnappers are trying to force him to return to Islam. ‘I know God will answer our prayer, and I will get back my three children, since my only hope is in Jesus,’ he says.
Meanwhile, about 12 miles away, in Komodo, friends and family are mourning the death of a Christian policeman called Ismail Kuloba, who was shot dead last Tuesday. It seems he too was targeted because he had left Islam to follow Jesus.
Suspected extremists ambushed Ismail after summoning him on false pretences to deal with a ‘local land dispute’. When Ismail arrived at the scene, there was no such dispute – only a group of Islamist extremists, who killed him.
(Source: Morning Star News) Release Int.

Birdies.


Sunday, December 27, 2015

Honours Fiasco. (How Many UKIP Honours, I Wonder?)

Knighthoods should be for those who've served the UK with distinction. Lynton Crosby served the Tories with distinction. Not the same thing!

Hmm.

Survey: Most American Voters Want to Ban Syrian Refugees but Not All Muslims

Shiite Muslims march in Washington

A majority of American voters are against banning all Muslim refugees into the U.S., but more than half want to ban Syrian refugees specifically. Christian News.

Pray For Those Beset By Mega Amounts Of Flooding In The North.

BBC's Weak Science.

G Wright, Tadcaster.
I HAVE read your columnist Sir Bernard Ingham’s columns on the subject of global warning and was pleased that someone with a public forum was able to articulate views close to my own.
I have a scientific, technological and engineering background at very senior level and have worked with and employed sufficient so-called experts to know that one shouldn’t accept, as gospel, certainties promulgated as fact, no matter how erudite the source.
The BBC, which claims to be the broadcaster with the most integrity in the world, has much to answer for in the propaganda relating to global warming. Some months ago, there was a programme in which the BBC intended to convince spectics of the fact that CO2 caused global warming.
Fifteen people, said to be spectics, were brought into the studio where an experiment was set up to convince the doubters.
The experiment consisted of two large plastic containers, with thermometers, on which bright lights were shone.
The “scientist” then introduced an acid and a carbonate to produce CO2 in one container and – lo and behold – there was a greater rise in temperature in that with the CO2.
As any 15-year-old in my grammar school would have been aware, this would not have been surprising as the chemical reaction was exothermic.
Perhaps the “Mickey Mouse” science of the BBC is indicative 
of the decline in standards of basic science of the general population of the UK and, in particular the lack of any scientific background in politicians and polemicists.

UKIP Cheated In 2015 By A Corrupt Electoral System.

It no longer ever gets a mention in the 'two party' press, after fleeting references at the time, but I have not forgotten that UKIP were cheated out of 83 seats in the last election. 
I have not forgotten that Cameron refused to allow UKIP representation at the Cenotaph Service for our war dead by relying on arcane rules which could so easily have been changed. I have not forgotten all the Peers to which UKIP is entitled who have NOT been created 'within the gift' of our illustrious leader.

Parachutes.

'Just because nobody complains doesn't mean all parachutes are perfect.'
Benny Hill (1924-1992)

Revd David Holloway's Christmas Address.

Old News On EU Monies To Sway The 'In Vote'.

EU chiefs 'plan to bombard voters with propaganda.'

Leave campaigners call for donations as they warn there is no limit on how much the European Commission could spend on pro-EU leaflets and advertising.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/eureferendum/12070073/EU-chiefs-plan-to-bombard-voters-with-propaganda.html
EXACTLY as predicted on this very Blog over a lengthy period of time!

This Blog's Best Acting Performance Award 2015:

Mark Rylance for his outstanding portrayal of Thomas Cromwell in the BBC2 production of Wolf Hall. It's a crying shame that the man is an unrepentant leftie but, nevertheless, it is always the job of this Blog to attempt fairness.

Problem Solving In Larger Churches.

Economic Migrants - Brussels Lets Us Down! (Again.)

Fewer than 0.1 per cent of the asylum seekers who have made it to the continent since September have been sent back home, despite Brussels boasting it will get tough on economic migrants. 
At this rate, it would take an astonishing 143,000 years to repatriate the 1million refugees believed to have travelled to Europe in 2015 alone, if they all failed their asylum bids. Express.

Sangin.

I was horrified to see that UK Special Forces, namely the SAS, have been involved in firefights against the Taliban in a bid to secure the key city of Sangin. We have been told, ad nauseam, that British troops were only in Afghastlystan as 'advisors'. (Perhaps, even that would be a step too far.) We have had enough of our young men die in pointless fighting which has little to do with us. Cameron - you are not fit to be PM. 
We should not have a heavily weakened military. What we need is a strong military with the capability to defend the UK and its direct interests - ONLY!

Atrocity Kills Fifteen Christians In Nigeria.


http://www.releaseinternational.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/nigeria1.jpg
Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Nigeria’s Plateau state where gunmen have killed 15 Christians.
Fulani militants attacked two homes in Hwak Kwata-Zawan village near Jos on December 13. They also raided a compound where people displaced by violence elsewhere in the state had sought refuge.
In one home, a grandmother, Rose Monday, died trying to defend her three grandchildren. Two of the three children died: they were aged one and three. Their five-year-old sister, Anna, is being treated in hospital for gunshot wounds.
In the other house, Gyang Christopher Choji managed to escape but his son, his daughter and his daughter’s entire family were killed. Seven people died in the compound where people displaced from Bachi were living.
Gunmen had apparently visited earlier that day to survey the village while most people were at church – and had even asked local children for water. Release Int.

Worrying!

Drain the swamp? Some churches need to drain the pulpit! By  Alex McFarland , CP Op-Ed Contributor Friday, February 16, 2024 Though we may n...