Diocese Election website

The Diocese of Leicester has developed an Election 2010 website, with links to Events, Resources and reasons to get involved:

The challenge to our churches in today’s sectarian society is not to retract into some sort of Christian ghetto, but to be outward looking and acting, especially in the process of democratic renewal.

'This must reach out to everyone and in some areas it will require a change in attitudes and behaviour from politicians, churches and local communities. The church is charged with having a prophetic voice – not always a way to gain popularity – which shows people and communities a way forward into a more just, fair and equitable society.

The 2010 General Election is an opportunity for the Christian churches to offer neutral, safe and open space to begin this process.'

The Believers: 60s Christian pop (radio play)

The Saturday Play yesterday on Radio 4 was The Believers, by Frank Cottrell Boyce, set in Liverpool, 1963. The Merseybeat boom is about to take off. And with it, The Believers, a Christian pop band determined to spread the Word. If only they were all singing from the same hymn sheet...

You can Listen again for the next six days.

I wandered lonely as a cloud...just before I tweeted and updated Facebook‏

"Tweet if you see a blooming daffodil" was the recent message from Cumbria Tourism. But this wasn't a call to twitchers. This was a message to the social media-savvy travellers who are fluttering around in the "Twitterverse".

The aim of Cumbria's "Daffs Watch" Twitter and email campaign was to pinpoint where and when people could spot daffodils coming out of deep freeze after the cold winter.

Help make poverty an election issue

Now the General Election has finally been called, Christian Aid are asking supporters to help turn politicians’ minds to the crucial issues of tax dodging and climate change, as part of Christian Aid’s bid to keep global poverty high on the political agenda.

They are not suggesting who you should vote for! However, they hope that every new MP will have been asked, repeatedly, about his or her views on climate change and tax dodging before they enter office. Every MP should be fully aware that ambitious action to tackle these issues is exactly what many of their constituents demand.

Join the Christian Aid Election Campaign Trail and keep up with developmrents by becoming a fan of the Christian Aid Facebook page or follow on Twitter.

Hedgehogs released into the wild after dieting success

Fourteen hedgehogs that became too fat to protect themselves from predators are being returned to the wild after being put on a strict diet. Hedgehogs usually live off their fat reserves in the winter, but the creatures at at the Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fife had become so big (after over-indulging on cat food) they were unable to curl into a ball to hide from predators. The 14 hedgehogs were among 70 that were rescued by animal welfare officers from the effects of this year's harsh winter.

See also: other blog posts about hedgehogs.

Artists honour Tunnock's treats in new exhibition

The Tunnock's teacake is a biscuit tin favourite and the ideal accompaniment for a fresh brew - but rather than eating it people are being encouraged to view it as art! A special exhibition celebrating "one of Scotland's genuine icons" is being held in Glasgow. Artists have been invited to honour the Tunnock's teacake, along with the caramel wafer and log and the humble snowball, in a show called Tunnocked.

Preparing churches for the General Election 2010

A General Election will be held sometime before 3 June 2010. Christians across the country will be campaigning for different parties or standing for election. Churches may host hustings meetings where candidates can be questioned by local voters, and voters will have the opportunity to decide who they wish to vote for, and which party’s policies most closely match their own hopes and values. Churches Together in Britain and Ireland has published a document, Faith in Politics, which covers a range of the most important policy issues, such as children and young people, criminal justice, the economy, education, environment, health, migration, poverty, and others. For each topic there are sections on subject background, the main issues, suggested questions to candidates and contact details for more information.

All the subject sections in Faith in Politics are available as web pages online, and additional material and links will be added as the election draws closer. The work comprises a series of articles on a variety of topics.

Carbon Fast: Make do and mend

Do you have clothes you could wear for longer if you gave them a little TLC? Spend some time doing old-fashioned mending. ‘1.2 million tonnes of clothing waste every year goes into UK landfills’ (UK government, Act on CO2). Methane – a potent greenhouse gas – is emitted in landfill sites. Reducing the quantity of clothes and other products we buy reduces the waste that ends up in landfills and also reduces emissions from manufacturing and transporting these goods.

Father God, please calm the unsustainable rate of consumption and transform us into people who are content with what we have rather than striving to own more and more. Amen.

www.tearfund.org/carbonfast

Sleep

Earlier Infusion blog posts have discussed sleep - here's a link to a blog post On Sleep which notes that "the Bible says quite a bit on this topic, probably because sleep is both a good teacher and a revealer of the heart":

1. 
Sleep is a daily gift from God (Psalm 127:1–2).

2. Sleep reminds us daily of our need for God (Psalms 3:5, 4:8).

3. Excessive sleep exposes sin and leads to poverty (Proverbs 6:9–11, 20:13).

4. Sleep is sweet when we are walking in wisdom (Proverbs 3:19–24).

5. Falling asleep provides an opportunity to examine our hearts before God (Psalm 4:4).


Swop clothes for chocs

During Fairtrade Fortnight, at participating Oxfam shops, you can swap a bag of quality donations for a delicious box of Cafédirect tea: http://tinyurl.com/yz9npwp

Win Chocolate for Fairtrade Fortnight

A competition for all chocolate lovers! All Divine chocolate products are Fairtrade certified and to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight 2010 Divine have a hamper worth £100, filled with all chocolate-y goodies to giveaway. Details of all Divine competitions can be found here.

Church leaders call for 'technology fast'

Church leaders are urging people to give up iPods rather than chocolate this Lent as part of a 'technology fast' to save the planet as well as our souls:

• TearFund Carbon Fast 2010 webpages
• Telegraph article

Shrove Tuesday

• Basic pancake recipe


• Give your pancake recipes a twist with these simple filling ideas


• How to serve Michelin-starred pancakes


• Pancake Day essentials


• What makes the perfect pancake?

A partner for your coffee

Like to partner an authentic Italian snack with your coffee? The first Cafédirect recipe this year is for a delicious Coffee & Almond Biscotti. They are easy and quick to make so try them out, share with friends over a morning coffee or after dinner espresso and tell Cafédirect what you think! Get the recipe!

The Big Swap - Fairtrade Fortnight 2010

For this year's Fairtrade Fortnight we're asking the nation to join us in The Big Swap. For two whole weeks we'll be asking you to swap your usual stuff for Fairtrade stuff. Your usual bananas for Fairtrade bananas, your usual cotton socks for Fairtrade cotton socks, and your usual cuppa for a Fairtrade cuppa. This means that every time you go shopping, you can use your wallet to make a stand.

The Big Swap website is the home of all things swap, a hub for all your swapping needs. It tells you how to get involved, what you can swap and most importantly, how to register them. Because we need lots of swaps made. One million and one in fact. Every swap will be proof that the people of the UK want producers in the developing world to get a fairer deal.

Host a Cafédirect Tea Party this Fairtrade Fortnight

This Fairtrade Fortnight (22 Feb - 7 March), Cafédirect are asking tea drinkers to 'turn over a new leaf' and make The Big Swap to Cafédirect and our fantastic range of teas. Tea Parties are a great way to get people together, have some fun and try some truly exceptional tea. That's why they've created some fabulous kits packed full of everything you need to host your own Cafédirect tea party! Each kit is full of ideas to liven up your party, posters to promote the party, recipes to try as well as three packs of tea (English Breakfast, Earl Grey & Everyday Tea) - definitely enough tea to go around! Party guests will also receive money off coupon to use when they next go shopping! Join the Tea Party on Facebook, follow Cafédirect on Twitter and read the blog so you don't miss out on these fantastic kits!

10 Tools for Lifelong Learners

Do your New Year resolutions include the usual "self-improvement resolutions"? If so, here's a list of free educational resources and start planning! There are free audio book classics, language lessons, university lectures, film libraries and more.

Bought the clothing – now get the franchise!

From the Rohan website: Lots of us have spent many happy hours in Rohan Shops, some of us may have dreamed of owning our own.

Interested? Please click the link & register your interest prior to the official launch of the Rohan franchise opportunity in January 2010.

Virtual book: Handel’s Messiah

For many people, listening to Handel's Messiah is part of their Christmas ritual. The British Library has recently added Handel’s Messiah (from the draft score of the composer’s most famous work), using the BL's 'Turning the Pages™' system to view great books and magnify the details.

Happy Christmas!

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

The USB-heated mouse

Feeling the cold?

Stay warm while you surf the web with a USB-heated mouse!

Karaoke Carols

The Rejesus site has a new front page and additional content for Christmas. This includes Karaoke Carols: enjoy a carol service in the comfort of your own computer screen with a choice of 10 karaoke carols.

Interactive guide to Doctor Who and his regenerations‏

The Guardian has published a complete interactive guide to Doctor Who and his regenerations. As we prepare for the departure of David Tennant and the arrival of Matt Smith as the 11th incarnation of the Doctor, it looks back at how his predecessors met their fates.

Researchers report big drop in Christian adherence in UK

The Church Times reports that a new study suggests that belief in God in the UK continues to lag a long way behind the United States. In the US, 61 per cent of those surveyed said that they had “no doubt” that God existed; in the UK, the percentage was just 17. In the US, just four per cent said that they were not religious at all: they don’t believe in God, attend religious services, or even identify with a reli­gion; in the UK the percentage was 31.

The figures come in a paper by David Voas and Rodney Ling, to be published in British Social Attitudes: The 26th report, to be released on 27 January. The US figures are based on the American General Social Survey 2008; the UK ones come from the 2008 British Social Attitudes survey, which interviewed 4486 people.

Open University Christianity survey

In the 2001 Census, 71.6% of people in the UK described themselves as Christians, but only about 15% of these said they belonged to, or were active members of, a church.

The Open University has developed an on-line survey which has the objective of improving understanding of what it means to be a Christian without a church. Hopefully, we will soon have a better idea of what people mean nowadays when they describe themselves as Christian.

You can share your views, and learn about other people, in this anonymous survey:
http://www.open2.net/survey/history_of_christianity/embed.html

The Nativity Play

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

International Tea Day

Today is International Tea Day - please ask the top 5 British tea brands to go Fairtrade and make every cuppa a fair cuppa.

The Make It Fair website has now launched - check out http://www.makeitfair.org.uk/ to find out about our new tea campaign!

Guardian guide to freebies

Why waste your hard-earned cash when people are queuing up to give you stuff for nothing, says Huma Qureshi in The Guardian's guide to freebies.

Is cyberchurch a viable option for Christians?

EN asks if if an exclusively online church is a viable option for Christians? The article is written in the context of a rapidly growing movement promoting the idea of an exclusively online church. The Church of England and the Methodist Church have already launched versions of online church, and in March of this year a group committed to the development of online churches met in London.

Read the full article Cyberchurch - the future church? which addresses some concerns about online-only and emphasises the importance of the local church and the necessity for all Christians to belong to a local church.

The Wave: march and pray for climate justice

March and pray for climate justice on Saturday 5 December, in London, as part of The Wave. The Wave is organised by the Stop Climate Chaos coalition ahead of the crucial UN climate summit in Copenhagen, and tens of thousands of people from all walks of life are expected to flow through the streets of London to demonstrate their support for a safe climate future for all. Paricipants are asked to wear blue or bring blue banners to join the blue wave.

There will be a church service at 11am, at which Archbishops Rowan Williams and Vincent Nichols will be speaking. This will be followed by a fun and peaceful march around the Thames.

The flexitarian

The BBC website discusses the rise of the non-veggie vegetarian:

"vegetarianism used to be simple - its protagonists foreswore the flesh of any dead animal. Today there are "veggies" who eat fish, and people who eat no meat but don't call themselves vegetarians. What happened?"

What to remember during the silence

David Winter, on Thought for the Day last Saturday, talks of the challenge: 'I never know what to think about during these silences'. He says "it would be inappropriate to tell other people what to think about" but it is important to reflect on what we do think about during the annual collective silence.

He concludes: "To remember, and then forget what we have learnt, is an unforgivable waste of the God-given gift of memory. The Hebrew and Christian Scriptures constantly call on us to remember - events, outcomes, people, tragedies, blessings - but not just to remember. Genuine, profound remembrance brings the past into the present so that the present may be changed....... The precious gift of memory is a means, not an end in itself. We remember the past, but in order to transform and renew the present".

US judge bans Christian car plate

A US judge has ordered South Carolina not to issue a vehicle number plate with a Christian image and slogan. The state legislature had approved a licence plate with a cross in front of a stained glass window and the words "I Believe" written along the top.

Whatever happened to the teapots?

In the 1980s, Roger Law and Peter Fluck of Spitting Image went to Stoke-on-Trent to get some Margaret Thatcher teapots made. Now Mr Law, in the Radio 4 show Whatever Happened To The Teapots?, has returned to meet the potters to find out what has happened to their industry.

Whatever Happened To The Teapots? is broadcast from Monday 9 to Friday 13 November on BBC Radio 4 at 1545 GMT. You can also listen to the programmes for seven days after transmission on the BBC iPlayer.

20 years ago

@ProQuest "tear down the wall" and they did: see news report from Berlin on 9 Nov 1989

Free Audio Book: Desiring God

During November you can download the Desiring God audio book for free from Christian Audio.

It's the last day of autumn!‏

According to the Dorset Cereals website, today is traditionally the last day of autumn? This is because it is as the midway point between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. Dorset Cereals run a simple pleasures blog and suggest "Why not take time today to celebrate all the pleasures of autumn one last time, with a leaf-kicking, conker-gathering walk in the park?" See also:

• great places for a walk today
• nature-spotting tips

Twinings competition

Twinings are inviting tea-lovers to describe their favourite Everyday moment on the Twinings Discoveries blog; they will send you "a little something" if they like your suggestion best.

Also, the famous Twinings shop on London's Strand has just been renovated, with a new tea-tasting bar. For example, you can try out the autumnal infusions – like Blueberry & Apple or Camomile & Spiced Apple.

Wallace and Gromit's 20th birthday present from Google

Google, it seems, loves Wallace and Gromit as much as the rest of the world. Today marks the twentieth birthday of the first public airing of the plasticine duo and Google UK has honoured their achievement with a homepage illustration. Nick Park unveiled Wallace and Gromit to an unsuspecting public on this day in 1989 at an animation festival. Their public debut was the 22-minute romp A Grand Day Out, later broadcast by the BBC - and so a UK institution was born.
[From The Guardian]

Eat for the environment

Read about how "scoffing fish can save ecosystems" in Eat for the ecosysytem.

Make do and mend?

BBC News reports that although repairing gadgets can save cash, many people would rather replace their broken appliances. So the BBC decided to find out whether it is worth giving these broken gadgets a new lease of life with a little help from a traditional repair man. Read the story and the accompanying advice from Which?

Calculate your personal carbon footprint

The Guardian's quick carbon calculator enables you to calculate the impact of your travel, home and shopping habits with our simple carbon footprint calculator. You simply drag the sliders to the left or right based on your spending and lifestyle patterns to compare your footprint to the UK average and other countries around the world.

• Find out more about the calculator's methodology
• Get some quick tips on reducing your footprint

Best time to meet?

A new study says 3pm on Tuesday is the best time to call a workplace meeting as most prospective attendees will be free. The hour in question is an office diary sweet spot - representing a confluence of employee availability, motivation and willingness, say those responsible for the finding.

Keith Harris, of online scheduling service When Is Good, has analysed 100,000 responses to 34,000 meeting requests sent by When Is Good users, and 3pm - particularly on a Tuesday - is the time which has the most acceptances. Conversely, the worst time to plan a meeting is at 9am on a Monday. Then, just one in three people will readily accept, compared with about half for an afternoon meeting.

Communicating God’s love through ice-cream

Young people in Coventry Diocese are about to blend their love for God with their love of ice-cream by opening an ice-cream parlour, to give away ice-creams and host events for young people in the area who fancy a fun flavour of Church life.

Meanwhile, in Chester Diocese a Christian Union wants to run the Sock Project to communicate God’s love to their school using sock puppets, running events and film-based discussions, and performing random acts of kindness in the school lunch hour.

These are two of 84 ingenious new evangelistic projects to receive a pump-priming grant of up to £3,000 from the Church of England’s Youth Evangelism Fund (YEF) in 2009. The fund is supported by the Archbishops' Council (50 per cent), the Henry Smith Charity, the Laing Family Trusts, and the Jerusalem Trust.

Launched in 2006, the YEF grew out of a report presented to General Synod in 2002 entitled Good News for Young People: The Church of England’s National Youth Strategy, which included proposals for a Youth Evangelism Fund. It aims to enable more young people to connect with the Gospel and develop faith within the life of the Church by allowing the young to share faith with friends in ways that make sense to them. Each year for five years, eight to 10 dioceses are receiving YEF support to resource new ideas for mission.

Wild Vision Tour Autumn-Winter 2009/2010

John Beatty is widely acclaimed as one of the most exciting and stimulating nature, travel and adventure photographers to have emerged in recent years. With over twenty years of assignments to his name, John’s work has taken him from the peaks of all the Greater Ranges to the American Deserts, to the teeming wildlife of East Africa and the wonder of the Galapagos Islands.

This autumn/winter he will be touring with his show Wild Vision: Images and Stories from the Wilderness. He will be appearing at Loughborough Town Hall on Thursday 4th February 2010.

10 best chocolate dessert recipes

To celebrate Chocolate Week, check out these delicious chocolate dessert recipes:

• Chocolate roulade recipe
• Chocolate and black cherry marquise recipe
• Hot chocolate pudding with fudge sauce recipe
• Chocolate, hazelnut and Amarula cheesecake recipe
• Chocolate tart recipe
• Chocolate and cardamom pots recipe
• Chocolate trifle recipe
• Chilled mocha souffle recipe
• Chocolate and orange brioche pudding recipe
• Chocolate, coffee and mascarpone torte recipe

The Teasmade is back on the boil

The Telegraph reports a revival for the great British Teasmade. Swan have revived the Teasmade by popular demand. The author writes of 'the charming paradox at the heart of the Teasmade [it is] a "labour-saving" device that really just transfers the labour from morning to evening'.

"In its curvaceous new form, with an LCD face like a blue moon and a swanky reading light, the Teasmade is not a bit like its squat old self with the funny little silver pipe sticking out of the top. It looks as if it might play music or make bread. It is unrecognisably lovely. The ceramic teapot wouldn't look out of place in Fortnum's."

Blog Action Day 09‏ (the ecocidal moment)

Today is Blog Action Day - an annual event that unites the world's bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day on their own blogs with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. Blog Action Day 2009 will focus on climate change and will be the largest-ever social change event on the web. Follow the action on Twitter in anticipation, with updates from around the world every minute.

I've chosen to post a link to an essay from the Archbishop of Canterbury on the ecocidal moment. In this he discusses his view that the climate and financial crises reveal an amnesia about the human calling:

The Christian story lays out a model of reconnection with an alienated world: it tells us of a material human life inhabited by God and raised transfigured from death; of a sharing of material food which makes us sharers in eternal life; of a community whose life together seeks to express within creation the care of the creator. In the words used by both Moses and St Paul, this is not a message remote from us in heaven or buried under the earth: it is near, on our lips and hearts. And, as Moses immediately goes on to say in the Old Testament passage, "You know it and can quote it, so now obey it. Today I am giving you a choice between good and evil, between life and death … Choose life."

[The Guardian article is an edited extract from the 2009 Operation Noah lecture]

Fairtrade Chic

The Fairtrade chic website describes itself as "your guide to buying fairtrade products and services in your country and area". The website aims to provide information about why you should buy Fairtrade, what products are available from fairtrade producers, and where in your area or online you can buy the fairtrade products.

Chocolate: the terrible truth

"There is nothing quite like it... Chocolate. A remarkable product. Sold all over the world in vast quantities. But there is a problem. You can't see it when you buy your favourite snack but there is a terrible truth..."

Read more in an article by Ruth Dearnley, CEO of Stop the Traffik.

Songs I Sang At Sunday School

Songs I Sang At Sunday School is a collection of 16 songs from yester-year, dusted down, and rerecorded with a modern edge.

"Many of us were shaped by the songs we sang at Sunday school, songs which established biblical truths in our lives and taught us the basics of the Christian faith. How good would it be to hear those songs again? Well now you can!"

Authentic Music returned to the studio and re-recorded 16 Sunday school favourites. The strapline is: "Prepare to have memories revived, and get ready to worship agan as you enjoy the songs you sang at Sunday school".

Give this Christmas away!

The campaign dates for Operation Christmas Child 2009 are 1st - 18thNovember. Check out where to take your boxesand gifts to include in your boxes.

This year there is also a Give This Christmas Away group on Facebook for suggestions for how we can give some of our Christmas away for those less fortunate than ourselves

New Fairtrade Towns website

A new Fairtrade Towns website has been created to enable supporters from around the world to share ideas and inspiration. Communities across the world are working to promote Fairtrade in their area, in order to enable more farmers and workers to get a better deal. In the process many communities are meeting goals to become recognised as a Fairtrade Town. On the website you can find resources and top tips from over 600 Fairtrade Town campaigns in different countries.

“…if I owned a chocolate company...”

Today is National Poetry Day.

Divine, the chocolate company owned by cocoa farmers, is delighted to announce the eighth annual national Divine Poetry Competition in association with Christian Aid. This year the mouthwatering theme is “…if I owned a chocolate company...” and the guest judge is top author Anthony Horowitz. This hugely popular nationwide competition which attracts thousands of entries each year. is open to all ages. The deadline for entries is Monday 21st December and the winners of great Divine prizes will be announced at the end of January 2010.

Divine and partner Christian Aid are asking aspiring poets to write a poem imagining how wonderful it would be to own their own chocolate company. They are asked to consider what sorts of delicious chocolate products they would make & sell as well as thinking about how they would ensure the cocoa farmers received a fair deal. Alternatively entrants can think about what it would be like for cocoa farmers to own their own chocolate company (like Divine) and what this would mean for the lives of their families & communities.

Sing Hallelujah

Sing Hallelujah is a nationwide project which encourages people to find their voice and discover the joy of singing through Handel's famous "Hallelujah Chorus". Sing Hallelujah is a project from the BBC, led by BBC Radio 3, and English National Opera (ENO).

Everyone from beginners to established choirs is invited to learn the Hallelujah Chorus, with the help of the BBC and ENO, and encouraged to perform the work during November and December 2009 to help mark the 250th anniversary year of Handel's death.

Day of prayer on climate change

Sunday 4th October is the suggested date for a Day of prayer on climate change. Churches are invited to set aside time to pray on this crucial issue. Prayer and other resources are available for download.

The day is promoted by the Environmental Issues Network, of which A Rocha UK is a member. The Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Revd James Jones said, "I urge all Christians to pray for the earthing of Heaven on this day of prayer. Each day I make my own prayer with these words: Holy Jesus, Son of Man, come in glory and renew the face of the earth."

10 of the best secondhand bookshops

The Guardian highlights ten superb secondhand bookshops. These include the Infusion favourite Scarthin Books in Cromford, Derbyshire:

It lures the nervous in with reassuring new titles – 40,000 across the range – then seduces them with the “aroma and mystique” of a similar number of secondhand books interpersed among them. This is a labyrinth – 13 rooms, cubby-holes crammed with volumes, plus an organic cafe, the walls of which are lined with literary curiosities. A children’s room contains 9,000 books old and new. There’s a large ­collection of secondhand sheet music and ­antiquarian treasures.

What does your bookcase say about you?

As Ikea's Billy bookcase enters its fourth decade, the BBC website ponders why we display our reading material rather than just store it away.

If you printed the internet.....

If you printed the internet.... is a set of visualizations of what it would take to print the entire Internet. It is astonishing that, in only fifteen years, hundreds of millions of us have created this repository of knowledge from scratch, without centralized management, and mostly without remuneration.

Recycling clothes

Oxfam and M&S joined forces earlier this year to launch the M&S and Oxfam Clothes Exchange, the biggest programme in the UK to encourage consumers to recycle their clothes. The M&S and Oxfam Clothes Exchange was set up in January 2008 and has already raised a staggering £2m for Oxfam's charity work. Anyone donating an item of M&S clothing to Oxfam will receive a £5 voucher to use on their next purchase of £35 or more on a range of goods.

The Story of Creation (via Twitter)

If God tweeted the story of Creation…

Note the entry for Day Seven: [no tweets]

Reasons to be cheerful; sharing faith in everyday life

Spend a day with the Bishop of Leicester reflecting on how it is that we can both enjoy and share our faith more fully in everyday life. This year the guest speaker at the Bishop's Lay Congress is the Rt. Revd Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Reading. Bishop Stephen has worked in parishes in London and Chichester, as Pastor of Peterborough Cathedral, as Missioner in the Wakefield Diocese and as part of Springboard, the Archbishop's evangelism team. He has written widely about evangelism, spirituality and discipleship, including Hit the ground kneeling: seeing leadership differently and Do nothing to change your life.

Reasons to be cheerful; sharing faith in everyday life will take place at Samworth Academy, Leicester on 14th November. There is no cost to attend; tea and coffee will be provided - simply bring your own lunch. To book your place, use the Booking Form (Print, complete & return to Church House).

Claim the coast!

From The Ramblers' website:

Did you know that there is no general right to walk along the coast and on beaches in England? The Marine and Coastal Access Bill, which will create a coastal path around England, is currently being debated by MPs in the House of Commons. It is essential that MPs support this Bill so it becomes law.

The Ramblers are therefore encouraging walkers in Britain to show Parliament how much we all love the coast! To take action: upload your seaside snaps onto Flickr! The best photo will win a personalised OS map; and 12 runner-up photos will be used in a calendar for the Ramblers 75th anniversary.

Shame we are so far from the coast here in Leicestershire!

Launde Abbey restoration gets the go ahead

The Synod of the Diocese of Leicester has approved the project to save Launde Abbey, following fundraising and much prayer. Visit savelaundeabbey.co.uk for full details.

The Launde Prayer

Father,
Here may the faithful find salvation
and the careless be awakened;
Here may the doubting find faith
and the anxious be encouraged;
Here may the tempted find help
and the sorrowful comfort;
Here may the weary find rest
and the strong be renewed;
Here may the aged find consolation
and the young be inspired;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jesus more likely to shop at Asda or Aldi

Yesterday the Bishop of Reading bemoaned the Church of England's middle-class "Marks and Spencer" image. The Right Rev Stephen Cottrell, described his frustration that the established Church is regarded as the option for the highly educated or “suited and booted” only. Jesus, he said, would probably have shopped at Aldi and Asda. He said that church was “not about how you look, what you do, how you sound, how well you sing”. It should be a place “where people can be just as they are,” he said.

Bishop Cottrell was speaking as churches of all denominations prepare to mark “Back to Church Sunday” next weekend, with thousands of people expected to receive personal invitations from friends to give church another go.

The Dan Brown Sequel Generator

Slate offers a nifty tool to create a plot for the next Dan Brown conspiracy-thriller-novel. Just plug in a city and a sect, and their computer will do the rest!

Hymns - ancient or modern?

In this week's edition of Sunday, Roger Bolton discussed the good and the bad of church music with Stewart Townend and Nick Page (author of Now let's move into a time of nonsense). You can listen again here (between 28 and 34 minutes into the programme).

Pray the Bible

An online edition of Matthew Henry’s Method of Prayer is available on the Internet. Matthew Henry's method, quite simply, is to “pray the Bible” and so the website is full of prayers composed almost entirely of Scripture. In addition to prayers of adoration, of confession of thanksgiving and intercession, in addition to prayers for many occasions. These include: morning and evening, and for Sundays and more specifically: “For Those Weighed Down and Burdened” or “For Those Who are Sick and Weak.” If you want to grow in your practice of prayer - and who doesn’t? - do check out this site today.

Creation

All across the UK the posters are going up announcing the UK opening of Creation on 25th September. The film Creation explores the different sides to Charles Darwin - the man who some believe had ‘the biggest single idea in the history of thought’. Even today, Darwin’s legacy is at the centre of contemporary debate about our understanding of who we are and what it means to be human. This film explores the implications of Darwin’s theories, and the way that tragic events in his family life influenced his doubts about God. Creation is based on the book Annie’s Box by Randall Keynes (Darwin’s great-great-grandson). It is an emotional journey into the grief that shaped one of the great scientific minds of the last 200 years.

This film is guaranteed to spark many conversations about God, Darwin, evolution, Christian faith, suffering and the nature of humanity. Damaris are delighted to provide a host of relevant outreach resources, including downloadable clips from the film, specially created videos, guides for outreach events, home groups and church services. They are all completely free thanks to the support of the film's distributors, Icon.

Leicestershire Walking Week 2009

Leicestershire Walking Week, from 19 - 27 September, offers a fantastic opportunity to get healthy, have some fun and meet new people. The Walking Week launches this Saturday at 10am in Watermead Country Park, just off the A46 near Syston, with a choice of walks around the country park and ones radiating off into the surrounding countryside or into Leicester city. There's a 5 mile walk along the river to Belgrave Hall where the Good Food Fair is taking place, or an 8.5 mile walk exploring the Soar valley downstream.

Walking Week is organised by the Leicestershire County Council in partnership with local walking and heritage groups, district and borough councils, Leicester City Council and the NHS Leicestershire County and Rutland. A total of 78 walks are on offer, including walks for people interested in ghosts, history, wildlife or pubs, and walks suitable for dog owners. Leicestershire has a 3,000 kilometre network of footpaths. The council wants to promote walking as: an easy way to get fit, a chance to leave the car behind and help reduce pollution, a good way to explore the countryside and learn about nature and history, and a chance to get sponsorship for good causes. For a full list of walks see: www.leics.gov.uk/walkingweek

Group exercise 'boosts happiness'

The BBC website highlights a new study which suggests that exercising together appears to increase the level of the feel-good endorphin hormones naturally released during physical exertion. Exercising alone seems to result in a lower level of endorphines.

"But more generally we know from experience that exercising in groups is good for people at many levels, it's motivational, it's social. Groups sessions really do work."

The kindness of strangers

The self-styled "water pilgrim", Maxim Laithwaite, has walked more than 600 miles and climbed the equivalent of four Mount Everests over the past two months. Throughout this time he has relied on strangers to provide him with food and shelter. Refusing to beg, he has used a simple phrase to prick the conscience of people he meets: "I'm relying on the kindness of strangers as I make my way". These 12 words have opened doors, literally, to homes of people just five minutes after meeting them. His strategy is not to knock on doors but to engage people he meets about water conservation, the issue for which he is raising money. Read more on Water Aid.

Churches take to the airwaves to extend warm welcome

As half a million people across the UK are set to receive personal invitations ‘back to church’ in the next few days, thousands more will be hearing their invitation over the breakfast table or on their drive home, thanks to a ‘time share’ scheme being used to help churches spread their message on commercial radio. A professionally-produced syndicated radio advert has been created as a way of highlighting the warm welcome awaiting those who return to services on ‘Back to Church Sunday’, 27 September. Read full story.

See also: Half a million to be invited Back to Church

Green cleaning products

In the first of a new series of videos in the Guardian, Lucy Siegle discusses the merits of greener, and even homemade cleaning products. Lucy's new video series is part of a boost for green living content on the website as part of the re-launch of environmentguardian.co.uk.

Bless you!

The FIEC (Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches) grouping of churches has published a document called Blue Pages Extra - Influenza Pandemic Arrangements, outlining advice in relation to swine flu. Topics covered include Medical matters, Possible curtailment of activities, Hygiene on church premises, Communion services, Staffing the church programme, and Pastoral issues.

See: also Online copy of complete Blue Pages Extra and Church of England advice on swine flu.

Treasures on Earth

An article by John Piper on “Treasures on Earth” from the journal Tabletalk, is now available to download.

See also other posts on credit crunch and faith.

CS Lewis: Beyond Narnia

If you enjoyed The Narnia Code earlier this year, you may also be interested in viewing CS Lewis: Beyond Narnia - an engaging biography" of the creator of the land of Narnia and the magical beings who dwell there. It was filmed in Oxford, where C.S. Lewis lived, worked and imagined the tales that make up the Chronicles of Narnia.

Life's little pleasures

The author, playwright and broadcaster JB Priestley published a book in 1940 entitled Delight. In it he Priestley's enumerated 114 "delights" - including fountains, photographs, charades, smells, walking in a pine wood, bragging, comic characters, dancing and buying books.

Fifty years later, the idea is being revisited in aid of the charity Dyslexia Action and the London Library. In Modern Delight a collection of authors, entertainers and national treasures reveal the little things in life that make them happy. Read more about the project and the other "delights" suggested by Radio 4 listeners: http://is.gd/34kIr

"Let nothing be wasted"

In today's Thought for the Day, Bishop James Jones discussed the vast amount of food we waste in the UK, linking this to the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand.

"Long before people realised the earth wasn't a limitless larder and centuries before the word 'sustainability' appeared on anyone's lips Jesus was warning against a lifestyle groaning with greed and waste."

Swap a book at work

Get your workplace reading by setting up a bookSWAP shelf. This is a simple way to run a small lending library, broaden everyone's literary horizons, and get some good discussions going in the workplace. The website offers ideas on how to run a Swap a Book scheme in your workplace. It is simple to set up and easy to run, as staff get to find out more about each other and enjoy their time at work, whilst employers benefit from having a more literate workforce. So - if you’ve read a good book lately, pass it on for others to enjoy.

Making Autumn resolutions

"God approves of New Year’s resolutions. And mid-year, and three-quarters year, and monthly, and weekly, and daily resolutions. Any and all resolutions for good have God’s approval—if we resolve by faith in Jesus"

John Piper suggests making some autumn resolutions - as the unplanned life can easily settle into fruitless routine, and the drifting life (the coasting, que-sera-sera, unreflective life) tends to be a wasted life... Read the rest of the article.

Portable espresso machine

If espresso is the ideal beverage for a recession, then a portable espresso machine is possibly one of the best gadgets ever.

You prime it up like a bicycle pump then add hot water to the coffee and....hey presto! No self respecting student or traveller should be without one.

World's Biggest Coffee Morning

Be part of Macmillan Cancer Support's World's Biggest Coffee Morning. Have fun with your family and friends and join thousands of others in changing the lives of people affected by cancer. To take part, simply register to hold a coffee morning and Macmillan will send you everything you need to make your coffee morning a success. Choose a date: the official day is Friday 25 September, but you can hold it whenever you want really.

Last year, more than 45,000 people held coffee mornings and, together with their family, friends and colleagues, raised over £7.5 million. If you need some inspiration and ideas for snacks and drinks at your coffee morning, here are a few to get you started.

How many cups of tea do you drink a day?

The Tea Appreciation Society recently asked its Facebook Fans: "On average, how many cups of tea do you drink a day?". The results revealed that most people drink 2-3 cups a day, with an overall average of 3.658657 cups.

Did Jane Austen visit the Rohan shop?

Rohantime tweeted Did Jane Austen shop at Rohan? The story? Jane Austen's brother Henry was a partner in a bank at 10 Henrietta Street, which is now a Rohan shop. Henry lived for several years above the bank (where the green plaque is) and Jane would stay with him when she came to London on business.

Can the internet cure insomnia?

One out of 10 Britons can't fall asleep at night. But new online treatments for insomnia may mean that a cure is just a few clicks away? While some sleep experts say automated systems can help make insomnia treatment widely available, others think effective treatment requires the human touch.

See also other posts on sleep.

Archbishop's environment videocast

The Archbishop of Canterbury encourages ‘response to God’s hope for us’ in an environment videocast. Launched last week, the Ready Steady Slow videocast is available on the http://www.whywearewaiting.com/ website and on YouTube. In it, the Archbishop shares his concerns for the planet in a new videocast encouraging viewers to sign up in advance, via the Internet, to the Church of England’s environmentally-themed online Advent calendar for 2009, with its daily green challenges and thoughts.

Win a tea party!

Dorset Cereals are offering the opportunity to win one of 15 gorgeous wicker hampers filled to the brim with a fantastic selection of Clipper teas, coffees and chocolate drinks. Play the spin the bottle game and you could instantly win one.

How Sunday trading changed the UK

Fifteen years ago, Sunday trading laws were introduced that led to a national love affair with shopping. There's a thoughful article on the BBC website discussing this.

Still shopping ethically during the recession

A recent poll of Friends of Cafédirect asked them if they were still shopping ethically in the recession. By an overwhelming majority, 77% are still shopping ethically, 21% do sometimes and only 2% have stopped shopping ethically in the downturn.

Love the Midlands? Or prefer to leave?

In Home is where the heart is? unless it's in the Midlands, the Guardian reports on a survey that finds that three-quarters of the Midlands' population would leave tomorrow given half a chance.

Skyride Leicester

On Sunday 30th August, much of Leicester will be closed to motor transport for Skyride Leicester. This is one of five Skyride mass-participation cycling events, where the streets of major cities are closed to other traffic and cyclists take over. Each is a great day out for the whole family where you can meet members of the GB Cycling Team, experience live entertainment, take part in challenges and tricks and - fingers crossed - soak up the sunshine!

The Skyride Leicester route will be open and free of traffic from 10am until 4pm.Highlights of the route include: Leicester's cultural (and traffic light!) hub, the Golden Mile, Historic Belgrave Hall, the eye catching and iconic Space Centre, Abbey Park, and Belgrave Hall gardens (home of the Skyride Entertainment for the day).

Tea pickers lose jobs to machines

Cafédirect has tweeted that tea pickers in Kenya are losing jobs to machines. More than 800 tea pickers have been sent home after a multinational company in Kenya introduced tea picking machines. The workers of the Eastern Produce Tea Company in Nandi were ordered to vacate company houses immediately and those defying the directive were warned that they would be arrested and charged with trespass. The company’s decision protests from the Kenya Plantation and Agriculture Workers Union (KPAWU).

A top manager at the tea company told a government official that the firm had cut spending by half since it started using machines in some tea estates. He praised the machines, saying they could be manned by a few people and dismissed union leaders’ concerns that the quality of tea could be compromised.

National Forest Wood Fair 2009

The National Forest Wood Fair 2009 will take place on Bank Holiday Monday (August 31st) at Beacon Hill Country Park, Woodhouse Eaves. It will be the 5th National Forest Wood Fair and it will include:

• live demonstrations of woodworking skills, craft displays and chainsaw sculpting.
• the opportunity to find out more about woodlands - from tree planting to felling. Talk to the experts and watch forestry in action including timber processing and horse logging.
• a Food Area with a great selection of delicious locally produced food.
• and also .. a lumberjack show, longbow displays, charity auction and a fascinating programme of talks on trees and woodland.

The Contemplation Couch

Earlier this month Bishop Tim Stevens and Revd Tim Blewett sat on the Contemplation Couch in the centre of Leicester to highlight the Save Launde Abbey campaign. Braving the rain, the two Tims and their supporters appeared on the BBC, and used the opportunity to explain the value of Launde Abbey as a Retreat House. The appeal has so far raised over £580,000 of the £1 million needed to save the Abbey.

How to cook in a tiny kitchen

Although British homes are getting smaller and smaller, it is still possible to cook in a rabbit-hutch sized kitchen . . . Advice from Katherine Whitehorn, author of Cooking in a Bedsitter - a classic text (recently republished) which assisted many a student in their first foray into self-catering.

Recycle thoughtfully and environmentally

The Guardian's EthicalLivingBlog is encouraging us to resist the dubious temptation of free air miles in exchange for your old mobile phones, as there are plenty of creative ways to recycle your used handset instead.

No time to exercise?

Struggling to fit exercise into your daily routine? Here are two schemes to help:

• Natural England’s Walking the way to Health programme encourages you to enjoy your local natural spaces and benefit your health by taking part in health walks. As the largest national body promoting and setting the standards for led health walks, WHI aims to encourage people to do regular short walks in their communities. Over 525 local health walk schemes are supported – find your nearest using the Walk Finder.
• The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy recognises we all lead busy lives and that it is hard to find the time to take up an intensive exercise regime. Their leaflet The Lazy Exercise Guide identifies a number of activities you can easily build into your daily routine.

Tea and Biscuits on R4

In Tea and Biscuits, broadcast daily from 3.45-4.00pm on Radio 4, you can listen to Hardeep Singh Kohli as he joins people as they meet and indulge in that very British ritual: a cup of tea and a biscuit.

The 2011 Trust

2011 will be a significant year for the Bible with many projects happening through the 2011 Trust to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, which was completed in 1611. There have been few more important single publications and its impact through history has been colossal. The aim of the Trust is to celebrate its impact in history and on language, particularly in this country, but also throughout the English speaking world.