The top 10 most beautiful villages in the UK

The top 10 most beautiful villages in the UK


It’s still 1943 in Tyneham, where time stood still when the army told everyone to leave because they needed the surrounding hills for training. Most weekends and throughout the summer school holidays the village is open to the public and you can stroll along the main street, between the abandoned stone cottages and poke your head into the old schoolhouse and church.

Government has 'no plans' for national register of faith leaders

Government has 'no plans' for national register of faith leaders

A Home Office Minister has confirmed the government has no plans for a national register of faith leaders.

Last month, the Sunday Telegraph said it had seen a leaked document which suggested priests, rabbis and imams would have to sign up to a list as part of plans to tackle extremism.

The newspaper said the register would be compulsory and "require all faiths to maintain a national register of faith leaders" and that the government will "set out the minimum level of training and checks" that faith leaders will have to go through.

Responding to the article, a spokesperson from the Catholic Church said that it had not been consulted on the proposals and another anonymous source said the proposals would be "firmly resisted".

The issue was raised in a written question by UKIP MP Douglas Carswell.

Faith leaders 'registering' to thwart extremism

Faith leaders 'registering' to thwart extremism

Priests, rabbis and imams as well as other religious leaders will have to join a national register for faith leaders as part of the Home Office's plan to tackle extremism.

Those on the list will be subject to training and security checks.

The controversial proposal, seen by The Sunday Telegraph, was leaked in a draft of the government's counter-extremism strategy.

The document is due out this autumn.

It says it will "require all faiths to maintain a national register of faith leaders" and that the government will "set out the minimum level of training and checks" that faith leaders will have to go through.

Registration will be compulsory for any faith leaders that want to work in the public sector, including universities.

In practice this would cover almost all faith leaders as many people often deal with the public.

A spokesperson from the Catholic Church said that it had not been consulted on the proposals and another anonymous source said the proposals would be "firmly resisted".

If, Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you   

    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,   

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

    But make allowance for their doubting too;   

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

    Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

    And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;   

    If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;   

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

    And treat those two impostors just the same;   

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

    And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

    And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

    And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

    To serve your turn long after they are gone,   

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

    Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,   

    Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

    If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

    With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,   

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,   

    And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

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Source: A Choice of Kipling's Verse (1943)

Hillsong United - "Scandal of Grace" (Live at RELEVANT)

André Rieu - Waltzing Mathilda (in Australië)

Healing, A Story, Mark 5 34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has [l]made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”

It’s the early hours of the morning, and you have not slept because of the pain, you have woken up several times during the night and it seems you have only slept for a few moments,  you’re tired,  you are angry and you feel like crying all the time,  the house is silent and you look at your alarm clock and it’s only 6 am.

You had a wonderful dream last night,  in that dream you dreamt that you were well again, and all the wasted years because of your health had been forgotten.  You decide because you’re awake to go to the kitchen and make yourself  a cup of tea,  while you make your cup of tea,   you put the TV on , just for some background noise,  and for a moment you cant remember what day of the week it is, The Calendar says it ‘s Sunday,  and although you’ve not been for a few weeks,  in your heart of hearts you know you need to get to Church again.

You know that your friends and family at Church are praying for you,  you’ve been messaged on Facebook,  and people have rang and emailed you, people have dropped in and seen you.   But you feel isolated and alone,  every day is tough and sometimes it’s a battle even to get going and do the simple everyday things,  like shopping.   You feel some sudden pain, and then go some medication.  You start to cry,  and you feel a peaceful presence in the room,   you know that it is the Holy Spirit,  you feel at real peace for the first time in months.

You mind wanders back to that day, when you first become ill, and you think about the Hospital Appointments, Tests,  X-Ray s,  The Doctors Appointments,   everything is  a series of increasing grey flashbacks,  you feel a tear then another tear, then some more tears run down your cheek.

You read your Bible and turn to Psalm 23,

Psalm 23 New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

A psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

2     He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

3     he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths

    for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk

    through the darkest valley,[a]

I will fear no evil,

    for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

    they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me

    in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

    my cup overflows.

6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me

    all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord

    for ever.

You have read this Psalm  100’s if not 1000’s of times,  you start to recite the words,  The Lord is My Shepherd,  and in saying these words,  it becomes a prayer.   You feel a glimmer of faith raise in your heart,  and you turn to Romans 10:17

Romans 10:17New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

You hear noises in the house and realise that everyone else is waking up,  you hear shouts, moans and groans,  as the rush begins for the bathroom,  you dry your tears, and go to the Kitchen and start preparing breakfast.

After breakfast, you go to get yourself ready,  and once you’re ready, you pray the almost identical prayer that you constantly pray,  “ O Lord,  if it be your will, Heal me”

You sit in the car,  and because of the noise and banter ask everyone to be quiet,  suddenly you’re hit by a wall of silence and some looks of concern,  to stop the silence,  you put a cd on in the car,

And you hear these words being sung:

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found;

Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears relieved;

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares,

I have already come;

’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,

His Word my hope secures;

He will my Shield and Portion be,

As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,

And mortal life shall cease,

I shall possess, within the veil,

A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,

The sun forbear to shine;

But God, who called me here below,

Will be forever mine.

 When we’ve been there ten thousand years,

Bright shining as the sun,

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

Than when we’d first begun.

The journey to Church seems to be over just as it started ,  you arrive at Church, and people come to you smiling and welcoming you,  you feel the warmth of their love for you,  and you know that love, care for and support you.  You know that Jesus died for your sins,  and that He rose again,  you’re justified and being sanctified .  You sit in your normal seat, and as the Pastor gets up to lead the service,  He says he needs to read Psalm 23, you start to cry,  you feel a hand reach out and touch your left hand.

The Worship Group get up to lead the Worship, and the first song they sing is Amazing Grace,  you start to cry again,  you sit down, and you feel an arm around your shoulder.  The Worship ends,  and the Pastor announces that there is a guest speaker,  you have never seen this speaker before and can’t recall his name.  He asks everyone to open their Bibles and asks everyone to turn to Mark 5v 21 -42

Mark 5:21-42 NASB

21 When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He [f]stayed by the seashore. 22 One of the synagogue [g]officials named Jairus *came up, and on seeing Him, *fell at His feet 23 and *implored Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will [h]get well and live.” 24 And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.

25 A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, 26 and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse— 27 after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His [i]cloak. 28 For she [j]thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will [k]get well.” 29 Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. 30 Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” 31 And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” 32 And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has [l]made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”

35 While He was still speaking, they *came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?” 36 But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, *said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only [m]believe.” 37 And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and [n]James and John the brother of [o]James. 38 They *came to the house of the synagogue official; and He *saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing. 39 And entering in, He *said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.” 40 They began laughing at Him. But putting them all out, He *took along the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and *entered the room where the child was. 41 Taking the child by the hand, He *said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded. 43 And He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that something should be given her to eat.

The speaker starts to read those powerful words of life, and asks everyone to read V 25 -32

25 A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, 26 and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse— 27 after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His [i]cloak. 28 For she [j]thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will [k]get well.” 29 Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. 30 Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” 31 And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” 32 And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has [l]made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”

You start to read it with everyone else,  and you mind goes back to when you were a Child in Sunday School and hearing the story,  your mind wanders and imagine that you’re there,  the speaker says that God is a healing God and because of Jesus’s work on the cross and your sins are forgiven, and sickness, illness will be healed because of Jesus,  you know one day it will be,  but It can’t be now.  

An appeal is made for people to come forward for prayer for Healing,  you struggle to your feet, and you’re crying,  he asks you why you’ve come forward  for prayer, through your tears,  you say I want to be healed, you expect  a dramatic prayer, and he says  “ Your Faith has made your well,  go in peace and be healed of your affliction”  You feel a little bit disappointed,  then you notice your pain has gone,  you feel like skipping then you want to dance,  a burden has been released , as you realise that you’re healed.

It's been over a month, since that wonderful day,  days of peace, blessing and encouragement, every day that you feel the sunshine and rain on your face, is a day of freshness, that you've not experienced for so long,  each day you feel stronger and things that held you back for so long, have gone,   you know life is so much better than it has been before,  you now feel that you want to help others be healed to.

This is a fictional story, and is not meant to be used as testimony

Be Blessed Today

Blair Humphreys

Southport,  Merseyside