Faith, hope and charity shops

Just got to blog about an article with such a great headline! Read Faith, hope and charity shops for a reminder of the benefits of using charity shops. It is extremely ethical:recycling what would otherwise have been discarded; it makes no global, third-world-sweat-shop-exploiting company richer; it releases funds for a range of needy causes. Charity shopping is also thrifty, and it restricts choice and thereby strikes a blow at consumerism.

The 10 most redeeming films of 2008?

What do irresistible robots, racist curmudgeons, and sensitive pachyderms have in common? They're all key characters in the ten films that Christianity Today has nominated as last year's best redemptive movies.

Espresso: the ideal beverage for a recession

The espresso is Italy's gift to the world and the ideal stimulant for the creative mind, writes Graham Farmelo in the Times Higher. I learned a number of new facts in this essay on the joys of espresso including the fact that the word "coffee" derives from the ancient Arabic "qahwat", meaning "wine of the bean".

I stand by my conviction that the espresso is, when well prepared, one modern culinary component that is impossible to better. Come to think of it, at around £1.30 a cup, it is probably the cheapest of all uplifting gastronomic treats, making it the ideal beverage for a recession.

Last year, Britons spent about £750 million on coffee, but only a small fraction of this on espressos. Think of the huge amount of money that would be saved if the majority of coffee-bar patrons switched to espressos from cappuccinos. The country's milk bill would fall and its carbon footprint would shrink too. Better yet, millions would appreciate the joy of savouring in a single shot Italy's greatest gift to the modern world.

Bible for Barack after Scripture-less swearing in

The Evangelical Alliance UK is sending President Barack Obama a new Bible after reports that one was mysteriously absent from his second swearing in. The new US President is being sent a copy of an edition of the Bible that highlights issues of poverty and justice: The Poverty and Justice Bible, published by Bible Society. This edition highlights more than 2,000 passages that speak of God’s attitude to poverty and justice. Prime Minister Gordon Brown was recently presented with The Poverty and Justice Bible at Downing Street, while in July 2008, hundreds of Bishops carried copies as they marched across Westminster in a campaign against world poverty.

Love Life Live Lent 2009 launched

Suggested acts of kindness in the third instalment of the Church of England’s Love Life Live Lent programme (launched last week) include having a clear out of unwanted clothes and toys and donating them to a charity shop, producing simple home-made gifts for Mothering Sunday, creating a prayer space in the understairs cupboard, making a bird cake or learning some basic first aid skills.

Checkout the Love Life Live Lent website to:
Find out more about Love Life Live Lent
Download support for churches
Download support for schools
Buy copies of the booklets

Reusable bags for Leics residents

Thanks to Helen for drawing our attention to Leicestershire County Council offering free reusable bags to residents of the county. The conditions are: limited of one bag per household; subject to availability; and offer available to Leicestershire residents only (excluding Leicester City residents).

For more posts on resusing bags, see: Wrapsacks ; A new way to bins the bags ; and Alternatives to the plastic bag.

The CyberHymnal website

The Cyber Hymnal has moved! Check out the new Cyber Hymnal website for lyr­ics, scores, MI­DI files, pic­tures, his­to­ry, and more for over 7,300 Christ­ian hymns & Gos­pel songs from ma­ny de­nom­in­a­tions.

Antidote to Blue Monday

The BBC reports today is "Blue Monday"- the date in January when psychologists estimate that post-Christmas gloom is at its worst. Surfing the Web, I found that the Daily Mail claims it is "going to be the most depressing day in history", with the credit crunch adding to the misery of cold weather, fading Christmas memories and broken New Year resolutions.

But for the Christian, Lamentations 3:22-24 gives the promise:

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.

Big Garden Birdwatch 2009

The Big Garden Birdwatch is the world's biggest bird survey, providing a vital snapshot of the UK's birds each winter. Help celebrate the Big Garden Birdwatch's 30th birthday over the weekend of 24-25 January.

All you need to do is watch your garden or local park for an hour on either Saturday 24 or Sunday 25 January 2009. Simply record the highest number of each species seen in your garden (not flying over) at any one time. You can download and print the counting sheet to help you keep a tally of what you see.

Checkout the Big Garden Birdwatch website for more resources.

A book a week in 2009?

Have you ignored the warning against making New Year resolutions? Did you decide that you wanted to "read more books" in 2009? If so, Penguin books have selected 52 "top titles to get you excited about reading all throughout the year".
Each month has suggestions in each of four categories: Must Read, Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise. Visit the 52 Books website or download and print off the reading list.

Ethical guide to fish

Last year it was reported that the anchovy is now a "fish to avoid" due to low stocks. In the perfect catch, Allegra McEvedy offers a definitive guide to which species of fish are safe to buy.

She recommends gurnard, black bream, coley (saithe), flounder and dab, as well as the more familiar mackerel, herring, sardines and pilchards. She also offers a recipe for a sustainable fish stew.

Hallucinations more common in heavy coffee drinkers

A study from Durham University reveals that people who drink more than seven cups of instant coffee a day are three times more likely to hallucinate than those who just drink one. Read the article 'Visions link' to coffee intake for the full story. Don't forget you can check out how much caffeine is in your cup.

Two Google searches equals one pot of tea

A physicist at Harvard University who researches the environmental impact of computing, has equated the environmental impact of running two searches using Google and bringing a kettle of water to boil. About 200 million Google searches are performed every day. Dr Wissner-Gross's study claims that two Google searches on a desktop computer produces 14g of CO2, which is the roughly the equivalent of boiling an electric kettle. So how many kettles of water have you boiled today?

Burns' big birthday

Two years ago Infusion organised a Burns meal - a introduction to the annual celebration of Rabbie Burns' birthday (and an introduction to haggis for some present!).

This year would be Robert Burns' 250th Birthday, and Scotland will be celebrating! If you'd like to find out more, check out these websites:

• The World Burns Club
• Robert Burns Country
• Robert Burns (National Library of Scotland)
• The World Famous Burns Supper website (warning: this is sponsored by a whisky manufacturer)

Public are still giving despite recession

Researchers at the ESRC Centre for Charitable Giving and Philanthropy report that the latest figures show that people are still supporting charities, despite the credit crunch. They conclude: "donors may have less money to spend, but all spending decisions are questions of priorities and they may not automatically tighten their altruistic belts first". For Christians, this time remains an opporunity to show where our treasure lies.

See also: Bad times are good for missions

Let it snow!

Fed up with the cold weather and having to defrost the car and/or watch your footing on icy pavements? Charlie English is someone who is obsessed with snow. In an article in today's Guardian, Secret lives of snowflakes revealed, he reviews a new book from a leading snow crystal scientist, published in a bid to persuade the world that no two flakes are exactly alike: Snowflakes by Kenneth Libbrecht. Check out the accompanying gallery of snowflake images.

Reflecting on the uniqueness of snowflakes (and ourselves) brought to mind:

Who has told every lightning bolt

Where it should go

Or seen heavenly storehouses

Laden with snow?

Who imagined the sun

And gives source to its light

Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night?

None can fathom

Indescribable, uncontainable

You placed the stars in the sky

And You know them by name

You are amazing, God

Incomparable, unchangeable

You see the depths of my heart And you love me the same

You are amazing God

Love Food Hate Waste recipe competition

As part of the Love Food Hate Waste Campaign, Leicestershire County Council is running a recipe competition to rescue your leftovers. The competition is looking for inspirational ideas to turn leftovers into gourmet cuisine.

There are five Categories in the competition; starters, main courses, desserts, snacks/light bites and Vegetarian. All recipes submitted must include at least one ingredient which is either a leftover or a forgotten food languishing at the back of your cupboard or fridge. The top 50 entries will be made into a recipe book and will all receive a goody bag, and there are shopping vouchers for the top three recipes.

All recipes will be judged on their innovative use of the ingredients and must be original. You can enter up to three recipes with a maximum of one in any category. Full details online here. The closing date is 13th February 2009.

Prayer on being made redundant

In response to the growing number of job losses, the C of E has followed up a Prayer for the current financial situation by publishing a Prayer on being made redundant:

Hear me as I cry out in confusion,
help me to think clearly,
and calm my soul.

As life carries on,
may I know your presence with me
each and every day.

Doing church differently

Cartoonist Dave Walker blogs about his recent visit to an alternative temple of worship: At the Apple store:

I went to the Apple store in London.

The worship space was brightly lit, and row upon row of devotees stood at wooden benches gazing in adoration at white machines of varying shapes and sizes. A glass staircase lead upwards, where further rows of worshippers were doing much the same as those downstairs. People wearing bright shirts stood behind other desks, and names appeared on large screens. In the upper sanctuary a gathering of the faithful sat on wide comfortable pews and listened to a sermon.

I found the whole experience quite baffling. I could not see any orders of service anywhere, so it was rather difficult to know what I should be doing. Eventually I plucked up the courage to approach a sidesman, who explained what the worshippers were all doing and answered some of my questions about the basic tenets of the faith. He took me over to one of the white machines and explained some of the ways in which I too could become a follower should I choose. There would of course be very real costs involved.

Wary of making a commitment on my first visit I thanked the sideman and explained that I was in a bit of a hurry. To his credit he did not seem to mind.

I left clutching a parish magazine and thinking that returning on another occasion might not be entirely out of the question.

On faith and faithfulness at the start of the year

On the first Sunday of the New Year my tiredness (and frozen limbs) gave way to anticipation as we started a sermon series on Joshua and sang songs of faith and commitment:

Lord will You be my vision, Lord will You be my guide? Be my hope, be my life, and the Way
And I’ll look not for riches, nor praises on the earth Only You’ll be the first of my heart

Everlasting God The years go by but you’re unchanging In this fragile world You are the only firm foundation

Though I feel afraid of territory unknown I know that I can say that I do not stand alone
For Jesus You have promised Your presence in my heart
I cannot see the ending but it’s here that I must start
And all I know is You have called me And that I will follow is all I can say
I will go where You will send me And Your fire lights my way

Resolutions 'bad for your health'‏

The BBC website warns that deciding to turn over a new leaf in the new year could do more harm than good. However, the chief executive of Mind, Paul Farmer, suggests that we focus on a few steps to improve all-round mental health in 2009:

• Being active - exercise releases endorphins and even a gentle stroll is beneficial for mental well-being
• Going green - evidence has shown that connecting with nature can boost moods
• Learn something new - it will keep minds stimulated and give confidence
• Give back to the community - it can be just as rewarding for you as those you choose to help

Sounds a bit like the focus of Infusion....