Discipleship is the Key, Thought for the Day

"Key to the mission of the Church is not “evangelism” but discipleship. We are not to evangelize and colonize the world, but to influence our neighbors, co-workers, and relatives in such a way that they pattern their life and lifestyle after Jesus. Our goal as the presence of Jesus in the world is to influence people to follow Him as Messiah, Rescuer, and Restorer. Of course, in this process we will proclaim, explain, and bear witness to the amazing, (un)offensive news that is found in Jesus and His teachings. The mission of the ekklesia, though, is to step into people’s lives and show them a better way of living and being human through Jesus. We are not simply to talk at them about their sin, Jesus’ death and resurrection, and possible heavenly bliss (or other place) after they die." Jeremy Bouma

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Number of Scottish people who described themselves as British on the increase as campaign for independence turns off voters. Daily Mail

  Survey finds number of people saying they are British has increased to 23%

  The Scottish Social Attitudes study revealed that the figure was 15% in 2011

  Those who describe themselves as Scottish has dropped from 75 to 65% 

  Figures come five weeks before Scottish independence vote in September 

More people in Scotland are describing themselves as British - and fewer as Scottish - as the campaign for independence turns off voters.

The Scottish Social Attitudes survey found that the number of people who say they are British has increased from 15 per cent in 2011 to 23 per cent, while those who say they are Scottish has dropped from 75 to 65 per cent.

The rekindling of a sense of British identity is the latest blow to Alex Salmond’s independence bid, just five weeks before the referendum on September 18.

It appears to be most pronounced in women, just 27 per cent of whom back separation, compared to 39 per cent of men. This 12 point gap between the sexes is double that of 2013.

The First Minister was routed in a TV debate against former chancellor Alistair Darling last Tuesday and has been struggling to turn around opinion polls that predict Scots will vote against breaking up the UK.

When respondents to the survey were presented with a range of options from ‘Scottish, not British’ to ‘British, not Scottish’, the most popular choice was ‘equally Scottish and British’ (32 per cent) – its highest level since 1999.

The number of people who said they were ‘British, not Scottish’, fell to 23 per cent, its lowest level in 15 years.

The annual survey of 1,339 people saw a small increase in support for independence in the last year, from 36 per cent to 39 per cent, but revealed growing anxiety about how a Yes vote would affect Scotland..

Some 38 per cent fear its voice in world would be weaker – up from a quarter in 2013 and 22 per cent in 2012.

While 44 per cent believe the economy would be worse – up from 34 per cent in both 2013 and 2012.

Mr Salmond’s blokeish attitude has been widely cited as a reason that women have been put off voting for independence.

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Further Reading

Beyond the Scottish Independence Question, Looking at a Greater Devolution in The United Kingdom, A Perspective,

British security on alert as migrants aim to ‘live like a king’ in the UK, Daily Express

 More than 2,000 people are now crowded in, most of them ­desperate to reach the UK.

Meanwhile, the deputy mayor of the port wants the French border moved to Dover for one month – to make the British understand the sheer scale of the problem faced by his town every day.

There is such alarm at the growing numbers of migrants using ­Calais as a base to make a bolt across the Channel that a Home Office source said “physical security has been increased and beefed up”.

The tent city is home to those from countries including Syria, Sudan, Iran, Afghanistan, Eritrea, and Ethiopia.

Many fight to stow away on lorries bound for Britain each night. French officials say the town is overrun because the UK is a land where the penniless could “live like kings”.

The word about easy-to-obtain benefits and “paradise” conditions for migrant families has spread to the world’s poorest countries. It is estimated there have been 12,000 attempts to cross the UK border via Calais in the past year.

The lure of a new life across the Channel has seen families live in unimaginable squalor at the camp in woods near the port. Numbers are swelling by the day.

“Why is England so attractive for migrants? In their original countries people are saying that if you go to England you will have everything – a house, money, a job; your family will be able to join you. Right or wrong, it is what is said. They might leave with three pounds but, when they arrive in England they can make £50-a-week on the black market, so they are happy – they are kings.

“The bottleneck here is caused because England is too attractive, too easy. They have nothing to lose – except their lives.”

Inside the camp, men, women and malnourished children live on top of each other in tarpaulin tents with no running water.

The clamour for the front of the queue when the nightly scramble begins to sneak on to lorries bound for England means violent clashes often erupt.

Comment:

We need to secure our borders, and if people want to come and live here, they must be willing to work and integrate into society, rather than expecting a life of freebies

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'He made us laugh, he made us cry': Obama leads tributes to Robin Williams as the beloved comic is found dead in apparent suicide at his California home following a long battle against depression , Daily Mail

The legendary comic actor was found dead at his home in Tiburon, California

The Marin County Coroner said the cause of death was believed to be suicide due to asphyxia

An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday on the comedian

His third wife Susan Schneider said: 'I lost my husband and my best friend, the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings'

President Obama said: 'He made us laugh. He made us cry. He gave his immeasurable talent freely and generously to those who needed it most'

Williams had battled depression for years

He won an Oscar for the 1997 film Good Will Hunting

President Obama has led the tributes to Robin Williams after the comic genius was found dead aged 63 from an apparent suicide in his home, police in California said on Monday night.

Praising the Oscar winning actor's versatility, the president issued a touching statement, speaking volumes for the comedian and his huge impact on American culture throughout the past 35-years.

'Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a bangarang Peter Pan and everything in between. But he was one of a kind. He arrived in our lives as an alien - but he ended up touching every element of the human spirit.

'He made us laugh. He made us cry. He gave his immeasurable talent freely and generously to those who needed it most - from our troops stationed abroad to the marginalized on our own streets. The Obama family offers our condolences to Robin's family, his friends, and everyone who found their voice and their verse thanks to Robin Williams.'

And in the wake of the Oscar-winning actor's tragic death on Monday, Zelda Williams has tweeted a poignant quote about her loss.

She posted a exerpt from Antoine De Saint-Exupery's novella The Little Prince which read: 'You - you alone will have the stars as no one else has them... In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night... You - only you will have stars that can laugh.'

She finished the post with the words: 'I love you. I miss you. I'll try to keep looking up, Z.'

Comment:

I was saddened this morning,  to hear of the tragic alleged suicide of the Comic genuius and talented actor Robin Williams,  to me and many people Robin Williams will always be known as Mork from Mork and Mindy,  his many films and tv apperances from comedy roles to more serious and sometimes darker acting roles from one hour photo to Law and Order Svu,  were thought provoking  and challenging, he made us laugh, he made us cry,  he challenged us with his acting skills, like many he faced challenges and suffered from depression, unfortunately  despite his fame, he took his own life at the relevant young age of 63,  He touched my life though I never  knew him personally, because of his film and tv performances like many I felt I knew up,   he was a great man who tragically took his own life after a battle with depression,  Robin Williams we will miss you.

Top Tories tell PM 'get involved' and launch air strikes to stop ISIS slaughter in Iraq

PRESSURE is mounting on David Cameron to allow Britain to join US air strikes on Islamic militants to stop the brutal ethnic cleansing sweeping Iraq.

As The UK prepared to ramp up its aid mission to help tens of thousands of stricken Iraqis, Boris Johnson became the highest profile politician to publicly call for British military action insisting it’s “time to get involved”.

The London Mayor accused the world of “watching a catastrophe unfold” as ISIS fighters massacre women and children in northern Iraq.

“I am certain that it is time to get involved, and to support the American-led operation,” he said.

“We have to act because this is a humanitarian crisis.”

He was joined by the former head of the army Lord Dannatt who claimed troops may be needed “on the ground” in Iraq to help target air strikes.

The interventions, which pile further pressure on the Prime Minister to return from holiday to deal with the deepening crisis, came after the former head of the Australian army, Peter Leahy, warned it could take '100 years' to defeat the threat from radical Islam.

Professor Leahy, a leading defence and strategic analyst, said the fight against Muslim extremists would be "paid in blood" and would require pre-emptive as well as reactive action.

He said: "We are in the early stages of a war which is likely to last for the rest of the century.

“We must be ready to protect ourselves and, where necessary, act pre-emptively to neutralise the evident threat. Get ready for a long war.”

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Comment:

I believe we in the UK,  have several  options in regards into dealing with Isis

·        Supporting the Americans and the Kurdish Peshmerga with Istar ( Intelligence,  Surveillance , Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance) using RAF and Army units such as Reaper Drones, Sentinel R1 and Shadow R1 Aircraft which could be based in Cyprus,  and SAS assets based in theatre this would also include Hercules and C17’s for Air Supply and Voyager’s  for refueling other aircraft.

·        Using SAS and other Special Forces to train the Kurdish Peshmerga and also equipping the Kurdish Peshmerga with better weaponry and vehicles

·        Using Tornado and Typhoon Aircraft for Air Strikes, and Apache Helicopters for Close Air Support plus support units

·        Using all of the above  plus “ boots on the ground “  such as the 3 Commando Brigade, 16 Air Assault Brigade or the Brigade of Gurkha’s plus support  units

Spectator: If Scots Vote NO, Blame Alex Salmond.

Spectator: If Scots Vote NO, Blame Alex Salmond.: There were numerous critics, many of them quite vociferous, of the early part of the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, which was l...

Operation Sealion by Leo McKinstry: A new look at why the Nazis didn't invade Britain, Daily Express

THE Daily Express columnist argues that British ruthlessness, political nous and an uncompromising spirit forced Hitler to dither and finally fail in his planned invasion

England faced one of its tensest ever periods in the summer of 1940. Much of Europe had fallen to Hitler, and it was believed that invasion by the Nazis was imminent.

While Churchill was a popular figure as Prime Minister, there had been several difficult periods, not least the near-annihilation of the British Expeditionary Force at Dunkirk and the loss of virtually all of their equipment.

By rights, Britain should have been invaded and conquered as its neighbours were and German plans were drawn up for such an assault, codenamed Operation Sealion. And yet, standing alone against the German threat, it remained impregnable, and Operation Sealion never took place. Why was this?

In his immaculately researched and gripping work, Leo McKinstry paints a vivid picture of what was happening in England. After the outbreak of hostilities the previous year, an uneasy state of tension had existed, namely the so-called “Phoney War”, in which the country sat ready for action but nothing seemed to happen. All the while, Hitler planned his campaign.

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