Friday, June 30, 2017

Christians & Mental Health Care.

Emily Parker spoke with author, award-winning blogger and speaker, Emma Scrivener.
Emma Scrivener
Emma Scrivener
Over 1.6 million people in the UK are estimated to be directly affected by eating disorders and it is estimated that one in six people in the past week experienced a common mental health problem. Emma Scrivener is an author, award-winning blogger and speaker and Emily Parker spoke with her about her book A New Day and her own struggles with anorexia, anxiety, perfectionism and control.
Emily: What was your childhood like and what was life like for you before you became a Christian?
Emma: As you can hear from my accent, I'm not from England originally. I grew up in Belfast. I was the eldest of three kids. I have a younger brother and sister. It was a very happy family life; very secure, very settled. In our family, I was a typical eldest child. I was bossy and a perfectionist, liking things to be done in a certain way. My identity would have been in this idea of me being a good girl, being a leader, being bossy, keeping rules and doing things right. I was just very happy and very content with it.
Emily: How did you become a Christian?
Emma: I guess there were a number of different things. Mainly because I had a series of friends at school who were Christians and even though I came from a great family who were loving, there was something different about them. When I saw them and I saw the way that they dealt with life and the way they looked at the world, it seemed to me that this was something I wanted to be a part of. I guess growing up in Ireland, in the '80s particularly, there was a lot of focus on moralism and a lot of focus on sin and hell, and I was scared. I didn't have answers for death. I felt like I kept doing things I didn't want to do and so in some ways it seemed like an answer to me for that.
Emily: In chapter one of your book, you say that when you became a Christian you'd been told that everything would change, but it didn't actually change in the way you expected. What happened?
Emma: That's right. There were a number of things going on for me around the same time that I became a Christian. When I hit 13, some things in my life changed. I moved schools. I was bullied there; my body was changing, but it didn't feel it was like the women I saw on TV or other places. I didn't feel like I fitted in, in the same way as I had before. I guess I was finding out more about God, but I hadn't really got the whole picture. I'd understood about sin, but not so much about grace. I'd understood God to be someone who wanted me to keep rules. There were other things in my life too. My grandfather died and no-one had any answers for that. It all added up to this feeling of being messy and of being too much.
I had heard testimonies of Christians at church and youth groups and it was always a before and after story, with something like, I was into drugs or drink and then I met Jesus and suddenly everything changed; I no longer had any of these problems. Or, I had a stutter and then, overnight, I could speak. Or, I was this and then Jesus came and now I'm this. So I had expected this transformation along the lines of a new soul, new mind and hopefully better skin, but that would be a bonus. I was expecting life to get better in every possible way and me feeling like a better person. In fact, along with all the different things that were going on, I just felt more messed up.
I was the only Christian in my family. Even though my parents were generally supportive, it was something they couldn't understand, so it was something that made me feel different from them as well. I had heard that Jesus would save my life, but in some sense I felt like it made my life even more complicated. In some ways I felt like He was part of the reason that it was messed up.
That for me began a period where I really struggled with mental health. The biggest issue at that time was the way I was trying to deal with the mess that I felt that I was, internally and externally. It was my body, but also all the questions I had. The mess felt to me like I was fat and so losing weight seemed to be a way of cleaning myself up and that's what it did for me. So around about the same time I stumbled upon what felt like an amazing secret, where even though I couldn't control my world, and couldn't control all the ways that I felt it was messy, I could control my own body and I could lose weight. That was the beginning of a long struggle with anorexia. Then there were other mental health issues as well that came up around the same time.
Emily: That's an awful lot to have happened, in what I get the impression is actually a short amount of time.
Emma: It is, but I suppose what's interesting is that, although a lot happened, many of the things that happened, like moving house, moving schools, or death in the family, were just a part of ordinary life. When people develop mental health disorders as teenagers, we look for one particular reason, or a big trauma, but in my story it was just a series of different things that challenged who I was and then triggered things that were already latent in my personality. It was a combination of who I was, my circumstances and then discovering ways of coping with stress, or coping with life that were then very difficult to break.
Emily: You've talked about controlling your weight, what was the out-working of that at the time?
Emma: It was something that developed over quite a long period of time. We'd gone to the doctor for help and the doctor said, "You're just throwing up, there's nothing to worry about." Eating disorders weren't something that was talked about at the time. It seemed like something completely out of the blue, that didn't happen to families like ours. Cross Rhythms.

Pass The Bananas!

Chimpanzees cannot be legally defined as “persons”, a court in New York has ruled, but judges left the possibility open to elected law-makers. A Manhattan appeals court ruled 5-0 against the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP). The campaigners say they will appeal. 
The Christian Institute - 16th June 2017
 

After 13 million voted Labour in the General Election when the leading members of that party are indubitably fellow travellers to assorted terror groups - we must conclude that there are already a hefty number of chimps voting in the UK to add to the mad, the bad and the terminally simple.

'The Archers Is Real!'

An organisation so long divorced from country life that it thinks The Archers is real. Ian Coghill
In a blog for the GWCT website, published last month, Mr Coghill criticised the decision ..... BBC is “seen by many as institutionally biased against the countryside”.





“[It treats] it as one would expect from an organisation so long divorced from country life that it thinks The Archers is real, probably because it is made in Birmingham, which from a London perspective is practically a village,” he wrote.

Beauty Is Vanity.

Batten: Quit The EU Now.

Liberal & Leftist Logic.

England Has Too Many People!

RG Davis, Hawkcliffe View, Silsden. Yorks Post.

LAST week, my wife and I were on holiday, with our caravan in Scotland, near Kirkcudbright to be precise.

Unfortunately, I suffered rather a bad nose bleed. I attended the A&E Department of the Crichton Hospital in Dumfries. I was triaged after about 15 minutes and attended by a consultant after a further five minutes, and action taken to rectify my problem, which has proved to have been resolved. All this in the space of about 45 minutes.
What a difference to my local hospital, Airedale at Steeton near my home, which I have always been relatively happy with, apart from the last few years.
Here the waiting times have apparently “gone out of the window”. To me it is obvious why there is a difference. There are just too many people in England.
I think the whole of Scotland has a population in the region of seven million, which I believe is less than that of London.
We all hear about the problems with the NHS, police, schools, public services etc being unable to cope and being underfunded.
There are just too many people in this country of ours. Our politicians need to face up to reality and stop pussyfooting around the problem.
When are we going to have a leader who does something positive instead of talking? Theresa May has gone down in my estimation and needs to “put up or shut up”.
Jeremy Corbyn is certainly not the answer. Having given a speech at Glastonbury, where will he appear next – Blue Peter?

Birdie.

Gibraltar Under Threat By Spain.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/822769/Gibraltar-deputy-chief-minister-Joseph-Garcia-blasts-illegal-Spanish-military-threats
When will Spain grasp - Gibraltar belongs to Gibraltar.

We No Longer Need To Bail Out EU.


Oh Dear, Hugh. Any Other Insanity In The Family

Hugh Rogers, Messingham Road, Ashby. Yorks Post. THERESA May isn’t the most media-friendly or cuddly of politicians, but she is brave, sensible and forthright.

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Duckenfield To Be Prosecuted Over Hillsborough Disaster.

We all know that David Duckenfield, as senior Police Officer at the Hillsborough Disaster, made mistakes - as did other officers who will also now be prosecuted. They faced a situation that was new and did not fit into any guidelines.
 They did what they thought was best at the time - and were wrong.
They were acting under extreme pressure as a result of the foul behaviour of so many ticketless Liverpool fans - which made the situation extremely dangerous. (I have personally talked the matter over with several magistrates who lived along the route and saw for themselves precisely how out of control were the actions of so many hooligans.)
Just as this scouse riffraff had no intention of causing scores of tragic deaths - even less so did the Police who were trying to exercise a modicum of control.
The total absence of malice or intent should have put a stop to this appalling witch hunt 28 years ago. Duckenfield and others were left completely broken.
My Early Bird Prayer Group has been praying specifically for a lady officer from the disaster who, is what the Americans would call, 'a train wreck'.
If this is justice - include me out!

Mike Hookem MEP Slams Stupid Prosecution.

Mike Hookem MEP - 'Sending NI veteran to trial for a 43-year-old line of duty killing is an absolute disgrace!'

Mike Hookem MEP has condemned the decision of a Northern Irish court to formally charge a terminally ill, 76-year-old North Ireland veteran with attempted murder, as "nothing more a political witch-hunt aimed at appeasing Republicans.”
Mr Hookem's comments came after it was announced great-grandfather, Dennis Hutchings - who served in the British Army for 28 years - will stand trial for the 1974 killing of a man running away from an army patrol. 
The charges against Mr Hutchings were brought after a multi-year re-investigation of the case by the Northern Ireland Historic Enquiries Team.
Mr Hutchings was one of two soldiers who opened fire on John Pat Cunningham, 27, as he ran across a field to escape a Landrover mounted army patrol in County Armagh. The soldiers had been sent to the area following the earlier discovery of an IRA weapons cash. 
Speaking of the charges, Mr Hookem, said, "The persecution of Mr Hutchings is a national disgrace and is symptomatic of a political witch hunt aimed at appeasing Republican elements in Northern Ireland."
"I am confident that Mr Hutchings was acting in the line of duty when this killing took place and was doing nothing more that defending himself, his comrades, and his country from the significant terrorist threat the IRA posed.
"What the armchair heroes currently investing soldiers’ actions in Northern Ireland don't seem to understand, is that all the troops who found themselves involuntarily posted to the province during the 'troubles', were fighting a war. War is a dirty, brutal business and people get killed! 
"Mr Hutchings was a soldier in a bitter form of guerrilla warfare that saw over 800 British soldiers killed in the line of duty and he deserves the support of the nation he risked all to defend. 
"However, more troubling still is the question of where these investigations will end?
"The current witch hunt over historical 'crimes' in Northern Ireland has left every veteran who ever served in the troubles looking over their shoulder and waiting for a knock at the door.
"This is a disgraceful state of affairs when many of the Republican terrorists Mr Hutchings and his comrades risked their lives to defend us from are walking the streets, safe in the knowledge that they are protected from prosecution by the Good Friday agreement.
"The simple fact is, these investigations need to end and Northern Ireland needs the opportunity to heal the divisions of the past, not re-open old wounds."

I Shall NEVER Fly Quantas.

An Air Asia pilot who asked passengers to say a prayer when one engine exploded on a recent flight in Australia has been technically criticised with QANTAS personnel saying they would not advise passengers to pray and that the incident would be fully reviewed by the “Safety Bureau”.

(QANTAS is the airline that female evangelist Margaret Court got herself into deep water with, claiming she isn’t going to fly with them anymore due to their pro-gay policy. So their criticism of an Air Asia pilot doesn’t surprise us. After all, if there were only homosexuals on board, who did QANTAS think would be listening to any prayers from their airplane?) Creation Research.

A Sound Principle.

Leftists - I Was Prepared To Respect Your Rights To Opinions. Would You Respect Mine?

I Disapprove of What You Say, But I Would Defend to the Death Your Right to Say It - IF THERE IS A QUID PRO QUO.  ( A variation on Voltaire.)

I disapprove of:
High taxes.
High government spending.
The Nanny State.
Soft treatment of the criminal classes.
Atheism.
Your acceptance of the underclass.
Permitted, protected unemployment.
Unnecessary immigration.
Your destruction of the family.
Your bureaucracy.
Multifaith.
Multiculture.
The EU.
Comprehensives.
Policies which encourage single- motherhood.
Weak defence policies - and many more.
 
I accept your democratic rights to hold and proclaim this kind of politics however loathsome I find it.
Why do you shout me down; ban me from platforms; censor my views; attempt to silence me - especially in the proclamation of my Faith?
Why are you inconsistent in your attacks on Christians which are not balanced out where other religions are concerned?
CAN YOU NOW SEE WHY I CAN HAVE NO RESPECT FOR YOU WHATSOEVER?

Ohhhh .... Yes!

The Judgment Of God.

 It appears that John Mackay believes that Christendom is under The Judgment of God because of its acceptance of sin, heresy and blasphemy. If he is correct - as he may very well be - then The End Times really are upon us.
We need to pray that there really is 'a rapture' - a contentious scriptural point for some, perhaps - but one towards which I lean:
16) For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 
17)After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 
18) Therefore encourage one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4.
 
(Incidentally, I found the Nick Cage film on this topic unwatchable and artificial, consequently, I gave up viewing.)

Birdie.

Paddington Bear Dies, Aged 59.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4647020/Paddington-creator-Michael-Bond-dies-aged-91.html

Michael Bond, the creator of Paddington bear, died at home aged 91 yesterday following a short illness, his publisher HarperCollins said. Mail.

Our Armed Forces - Pared To The Bone.

Jonathan Arnott MEPVerified account @JonathanArnott  4 hours ago
Successive govs have enforced cut after cut upon our ArmedForces. Who do they think is going to believe this claim that 'defence is growing'

As They Criticise - Always Remember ...

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Scleroderma.

WEST Midlands MEP James Carver is supporting a campaign to raise awareness of a rare chronic disease which claimed the life of his first wife.
Mr Carver's wife Carmen died at the age of 42 from scleroderma in 2009 and ever since the Worcester-based UKIP MEP has been determined to ensure other sufferers receive crucial early diagnosis, and that money is raised for research to find a cure.
Scleroderma is a disease of the immune system, blood vessels and connective tissue. There are around 2.5 million sufferers worldwide, with 12,000 people currently living with the disease in the UK.
It is an autoimmune condition, meaning the immune system becomes overactive and attacks healthy tissue in the body.
Speaking ahead of Scleroderma Awareness Day, which takes place on Thursday, June 29, Mr Carver said: “Losing a loved one at such a young age, who bravely battled this illness on a daily basis, has, without doubt, proved to be the most defining moment of my life, and I am determined to do all that I can to help give patients, and their loved ones, the best opportunity to beat this wicked disease. Only by raising awareness, and funding, can we hope to find a cure.
“Awareness raising – and fundraising – has been going on all month ahead of next Thursday’s scleroderma awareness day and I hope that telling my and Carmen’s story will go some way towards helping spread the message more widely.”
Mr Carver made a lifetime commitment to raise money for the Scleroderma Society – recently renamed Scleroderma and Raynaud’s UK – and in 2012 he completed the London Marathon and raised more than £6,000 for the cause.
Speaking in the European Parliament earlier this month, Mr Carver paid tribute to the work of the charity and that of the Federation of European Scleroderma Associations in supporting patients and their loved ones.
Mr Carver had previously staged an awareness-raising event in the European Parliament in 2015, with medical experts and scleroderma patients speaking to other European MPs.
To make a donation to the charity, or for more details, visit sruk.co.uk. Worcester News.

Never Mourn When Drone Strikes Take Out ISIS Members.

ISIS Video Shows Brainwashed Children Murdering Captives by Shooting Them in the Head.

Another video created by the Islamic State terror group has surfaced showing two captured, brainwashed children, part of the so-called cubs of the caliphate, shooting two prisoners in the back of the head. http://www.christianpost.com/news/isis-video-shows-brainwashed-children-murdering-captives-shooting-back-head-189759/

Remainers Are FAILING Our Nation.

Tory Remainers fail British Tax-payers.

Some months ago UKIP made it very clear that the only EU citizens that should be given 'leave to remain' in the UK after it leaves the EU are those that arrived here before the triggering of Article 50. UKIP also made it clear that once the UK leaves the EU no benefits should be paid to any non UK resident relatives of EU citizens qualified to remain in the UK.
 
Theresa May and her Remain dominated government have just written a blank cheque with UK taxpayers' money to not only allow any EU citizens that come here before a yet to be announced cut off date to be given 'settled status' but for their relatives to join them, regardless of the size of their families, as long as they do so before the UK leaves the EU.
John Bickley, UKIP's Immigration Spokesman said, "Today we've seen a glaring example of why the Tories, Parliament and the Establishment cannot be trusted to look out for British citizens, going out of their way to unilaterally favour EU citizens by writing a blank cheque, using taxpayers' money, that will allow millions of EU citizens the right to live in the UK. They will have access to public services and benefits, although most of those dependents that arrive will not work and therefore not pay any contributions to fund public services. No other country in the World would allow settled immigrants the right to invite their extended family into that country and de facto be given citizens' rights and free access to public services and benefits. 
 
Quite frankly, this unjustified and uncosted move shows that the Government isn't be to be trusted with the Brexit negotiations and because of the Tories' own goal by calling a general election, that they should have won hands down, are displaying appalling negotiating tactics and guile. If a significant number of UKIP MPs had been elected (which a proportional representation voting system would have guaranteed) then UKIP would have stopped this embarrassing and amateurish example of 'caving in' at the first hurdle".           

Lechers And IQ.

UK - At Front Of US Trade Queue.


Senior Congressman confirms Britain 'ahead of the queue' for trade deal.


Published Jun 26, 2017
A senior US Congressman has said that Britain would be put ahead of the queue for a free trade deal with America.In a meeting with UKIP MEP Bill Etheridge, the first UK politician he had met with since his appointment to the trade role, George Holding said that the UK "would be better off outside the EU" and the UK would get a good deal with America.
Congressman Holding, who sits on the US subcommittee on trade, met with Mr Etheridge when he was in the USA to discuss key opportunities which will be made post Brexit.
"George Holding is one of the most important men on Capitol Hill when it comes to trade deals, and he made it crystal clear that the historic relationship the UK has with America will mean once we are free from Brussels we can establish a new deal which will benefit people both sides of the Atlantic," he said. 
"It was great news to be told on what I hope will become the UK's Independence Day, June 23rd, should Brexit negotiations actually go the way the people voted, that we have these opportunities which will benefit our economy.
"Instead of listening to the scare mongering of the architects of Project Fear, whose tales of woe were disproved following the vote, we should be looking to the great opportunities we have as a nation, free from the restraints of Brussels and able to embrace global free trade which will not only benefit people in the UK through things like lower food prices and a larger market for our goods but will also genuinely help people in the developing world.
"Just think of the huge markets we can have direct access to instead of cowering in fear at the thought that leaving the single market when statistics clearly show that the EU has shrunk as a percentage of the world economy.
"Philip Hammond and the other Remainers might be stirring the pot as we go into these negotiations but they are belittling our country with their weasel words and should be consigned to the tea room of inconsequence with the other people who got it wrong whilst those of us who see the potential of laissez faire economics get on with the business of getting the best deal globally."

The Political Left Understands Little.

The ongoing fight against the Jewishness of Jesus. By  Michael Brown , CP Op-Ed Contributor Thursday, December 28, 2023 iStock/Wirestock You...