The Mirror - An Exercise In Majoring On The Trivial. (No Wonder It Supports Labour So Fiercely.)

I made one of my rare forays onto The Daily Mirror website today.

DO take a look at the page which pops up by following today's url. Isn't this rag supposed to be a NEWSpaper?
http://www.mirror.co.uk/

Good News. Good News.

The idea of tens of thousands of former Muslims coming to Jesus Christ in North Africa within a few short years is mind-boggling. But entire mosques coming to faith? That news is even harder to wrap one's mind around, but it is in fact what is happening according to reports from a former church planter among Muslims in West Africa.

In the new book Miraculous Movements, Jerry Trousdale, now director of International Ministries for CityTeam International, records amazing and inspiring stories of faith among Muslim communities in North Africa. The author opens up a new world to Western readers, taking them into the heart of the "miraculous movement" of God in Africa that is transforming the hearts of Muslims.

Trousdale writes that "unprecedented" events are happening among the Muslim populations that his ministry and its affiliates are working among, including:

• Multiple cases of entire mosques coming to faith
• Thousands of ordinary men and women being used by God to achieve seemingly impossible outcomes
• Tens of thousands of Muslim background Christians becoming dedicated intercessors who fast and pray for the gospel to penetrate the next community
• Muslim people groups that never had even one church among them now have more than fifty church planted, and in some cases more than one hundred churches – within two years of engagement
• Former sheikhs, imams and militant Islamists making up 20 percent or more of the new Christian leaders in Muslim regions. (Christian Post.)

This Blog Does Not Usually Publish Betting Odds.

John Sentamu 11/8
Christopher Cocksworth 7/2
Richard Chartres 7/2
Nick Baines 6/1
Justin Welby 9/1
Nicholas Thomas Wright 10/1
Stephen Cottrell 12/1
Dr Graham Kings 16/1
James Langstaff 20/1
Tim Dakin 20/1
Dr Barry Morgan 20/1
John Pritchard 20/1
James Jones 20/1
Mike Hill 20/1
Peter Bryan Price 20/1
James Newcome 20/1
Paul Butler 20/1
Stephen Venner 25/1
Stephen Platten 25/1
Peter Forster 40/1
Our thanks to PaddyPower.

Eric Liddell.

Eric Henry Liddell. 16 January 1902 – 21 February 1945) was a Scottish athlete, rugby union international player, and missionary.Liddell was the winner of the men's 400 metres at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. Liddell's Olympic training and racing, and the religious convictions that influenced him, are depicted in the Oscar-winning 1981 film Chariots of Fire, in which he is portrayed by fellow Scot Ian Charleson.
I may have thought that he was a little over the top in his refusal to run his final on a Sunday - but what dedication to the faith: what evidence of integrity.
Compare to the Olympics this year, though. 'Let's forget ALL Sunday trading laws!"

Atheists, Agnostics and The Ambiguous Amongst Celebrities.

http://www.celebatheists.com/?title=Main_Page

Just so as you know! If those on these lists are pontificating - you will know that they may be safely ignored.

The Ubiquitous Mobile Phone.

Church Cheers You Up. (Or Maybe It Depends On The Church!)

Frequent churchgoers experience an average of 3.36 positive emotions per day compared with an average of 3.08 among those who never attend.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2120595/Going-church-makes-happy-says-Gallup-poll.html#ixzz1qHz2yTo4

New Study Makes A Mockery Of 'Global Warming' Theories.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2120512/Global-warming-Earth-heated-medieval-times-human-CO2-emissions.html

Minimum Alcohol Pricing Definitely Hits Ordinary People.

A minimum price for alcohol could add more than £200 a year to the average family's grocery bill, a report found.
Ministers are proposing to impose a 40p minimum price on booze as a way of combatting binge drinking.
But an analysis paper by researchers at the Institute for Fiscal Studies found it will also hit drinkers.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2120889/Minimum-alcohol-price-hit-middle-earners-hardest-plans-adding-200-family-s-grocery-bill.html

Who Could Argue?

Afghanistan - LEAVE NOW!

'Two British Soldiers Killed By Gunman Wearing Afghan Army Uniform At Nato Base.'

Church Schools.

'Church schools must robustly assert their Christian ethos in the face of challenges and attacks from secularists, a Church of England report has warned. Launched at Lambeth Palace on Friday, The Church School of the Future report says that the challenge facing all Church schools is to maintain their distinctive character in an increasingly fragmented education system and increasingly secular society."Church schools must be responsive to parents and the communities they serve while celebrating their distinctive Christian ethos," the report states.' (Christian Post.)

Unlike 'Christian Schools', many Church schools do not actively promote the faith. Some of course, do a mighty job but I fear that many C Of E schools are effectively indistinguishable from any other junior or 'apprehensive' school.

Electoral Boundaries.

To a UKIPite like me, the fact that electoral boundaries are unfair doesn't really carry too much significance BUT I always like to be on the side of justice wherever possible.

The Boundary Commission accepts that there are unfairnesses which need to be dealt with.

Problem is - for rather complex but nonetheless accurate reasons - the Lib Dems recognise that these would work to their detriment. Labour would lose significantly as they have enjoyed the fruits of these anomalies for decades so the Tories could potentially gain 30 seats under a more equitable system (Inasmuch as FPTP systems can ever be fair.)

So. I am going to have a little wager with readers that the Lib Dems will scupper all the plans for boundary changes. It will involve a certain dishonesty and broken promises as they will claim that when they agreed to this in the original coalition agreement it was linked to the UK implementing AV. Well. They lost that vote in a referendum. My bet is that they will now backtrack in a disingenuous manner.

Grammar School - New Places In Sevenoaks.

'Kent Council wants to proceed with plans to expand the number of grammar school places in the county amid growing parental demand for more selective education. In a controversial move, they are proposing to take advantage of new Government powers that allow existing schools to expand to take additional pupils. A report to be considered by the council on Thursday recommends opening a satellite campus for around 120 pupils a year in the town of Sevenoaks.'

If ONLY this were a wholesale move back to to the best, I would approve mightily. But it ain't. It's a 'one off'!

Sister Wendy Is Correct.

'Sister Wendy, the nun-turned-television-presenter, has warned that modern-day ignorance about Christianity and the Classics has left people unable to appreciate much of Western art.' (Telegraph.)

Stealth Inflation.

Groceries are shrinking while the cost stays the same – meaning shoppers face hidden price rises, a report has found.

Consumer watchdog Which? says there are now two fewer nappies in a pack of Pampers Baby Dry Maxi.
Jars of Loyd Grossman Balti Curry Sauce have shrunk from 425g to 350g and tubs of Dairylea Cheese Spread are now 40g lighter.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/news/article-2120056/Consumers-hit-stealth-inflation-groceries-shrink-prices-stay-same.html#ixzz1qCFhJKWi

The Hypocrisy Of Our Political Class.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2120303/The-hypocrisy-political-class--took-free-Press-expose-it.html

Rowan Williams: A Sadly Accurate Portrayal In The Yorks Post.

From: Alan Chapman, Beck Lane, Bingley.
Good news! The Left-wing Archbishop of Canterbury is to retire (Yorkshire Post, March 17). Not before time, Rowan Williams was a political appointment made by Tony Blair in the previous century. The plot was to spout misguided Socialist theory from the highest pulpit in the land.
Williams has been a disaster for the Anglicans – the CoE has lost 400,000 regular Sunday worshippers during his term in office, and I think it doubtful that the Church can ever recover. Rarefied ecclesiastical academic theory that 99 per cent of the population cannot understand has played a significant part in the public losing interest in church life.


Rowan wearing his socialist face.

Rowan Williams hardly ever questioned the reckless Labour government under Blair or Brown. He has repeatedly attacked the present government and doubtless will do so many more times before he hands in his rod and mitre for the final time.

He goes to a relaxing job at Cambridge University, another hive of Socialist influence, from which he can attack the coalition Government using his non-existent knowledge of business, industrial and commercial experience.

I pray that the Lib Dems in the coalition are not allowed to influence the selection process for the next Archbishop of Canterbury. Officially David Cameron will make the choice – I hope he is wearing a blue shirt, blue tie and blue suit on the day.

Be A Good Steward Of Your Money!

'A study from Which? has found that UK savers are missing out on as much as £13 billion in interest every year, by failing to switch their savings out of dead-end accounts and cash ISAs.
Some 41% of accounts are paying 0.5% a year or less, leaving savers losing a large chunk of their savings after inflation. And switching isn't quite the headache you may think.' H. Post.

'Happy Birthday Aries.'

With headers like the one above -  The Huffington Post really is going to have to do better! For perhaps 99% of the population, astrology is a game BUT according to the Scriptures, it is a dangerous one!

We Ought Really To Curse Hate-Filled Atheists BUT God Tells Us We MUST Love 'Em!

WASHINGTON – Thousands of atheists showed up at the National Mall Saturday for what they believe will be a game-changing event for secularists. Though the Reason Rally was billed as a celebration of reason and a "coming out" event for atheists, as opposed to an anti-religion one, some viewed it as the latter. "They said it wasn't going to be anti-God but all the signs are. So it doesn't fit because they're really not rallying for reason. They just say they are," said Tom Gilson, a writer and missions strategist. Richard Dawkins, author of the best-selling The God Delusion, was the most anticipated and well-known speaker at the rally. The Christian Post.

Syria - Taking Advantage Of The Chaos To Persecute Christians.

By Anugrah Kumar , Christian Post Contributor.

March 24, 2012|1:04 pm.

While the world is raising concerns over rights abuses by anti-government forces in Syria's ongoing violent conflict, few would even know that militant Islamists have expelled the majority of Christians from the western city of Homs, according to the country's largest church.

The Catholic news agency Fides says it has received a note from the Syrian Orthodox Church, which represents 60 percent of the Christians in Syria, about "an ongoing ethnic cleansing of Christians" by members of the a militant Islamist outfit, Brigade Faruq, which has links with al-Qaida.