Views, Visions and Values.

Wednesday 12 September 2007

Today's Word from Joel Osteen. " Be a Prisoner of Hope"

Be a Prisoner of Hope

Today's Scripture

“If you will be a prisoner of hope, God will restore back to you double everything that was stolen” (Zechariah 9:12).

Today's Word from Joel and Victoria

Are you in an emotional prison today? You may not have thought about it that way, but if you are holding unforgiveness or bitterness towards someone who has wronged you—whether it was five, ten, or thirty years ago—that is an emotional prison. The Word of God promises that if you’ll step out of that prison and become a prisoner of hope, God will restore back to you double for your trouble! That means if someone does you wrong, instead of getting negative and bitter, your attitude should be, “They just did me a favor. They just qualified me for double.” That attitude will make you a prisoner of hope. When you’re a prisoner of hope, you simply can’t stop hoping. You are locked in! Lock into that attitude of victory that says, “I will not be defeated. It may look impossible, but I know God can do the impossible. They may have treated me wrong, but I’m not worried. I know God is my Vindicator. It may be taking a long time, but in due season I know I will reap if I just don’t give up.” Stand in that place of hope knowing that you will come out with twice the peace, twice the joy, and twice the victory today!

A Prayer for Today

Gracious, Heavenly Father, today I choose to release those who have wronged me. I know You are my Vindicator. You are my Redeemer. Today I choose to be a prisoner of hope. Teach me to see others the way You see them today.

In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Joel Osteen Ministries, 3700 Southwest Freeway, Houston TX 77027 .

Social Networking, Excellent Story from the BBC's Bill Thompson

Social net offers new perspective

Social networking has extended friendships around the globe

Columnist Bill Thompson asks whether social networking could underpin a new politics of connection.

When BBC reporter Michael Buerk brought us film of the starving children of Ethiopia in 1984 it motivated the country to action. In 1985 Bob Geldof and Midge Ure's Live Aid raised millions of pounds, and the attendant publicity put humanitarian aid onto the agenda of the senior politicians of the day, forcing Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her Foreign Secretary Geoffrey Howe to take seriously an issue which they had not, hitherto, seen as a high priority.

Twenty years later Geldof was at it again, though the cultural and political impact of Live 8 was diminished for many by the sight of too many millionaire rock stars seeking to revive their careers on the back of the world's poor.

But something else had changed. In 2005 we didn't need the Six O'Clock News to bring us pictures from Darfur or Bangladesh, and we didn't need the journalistic talents of Buerk and others to tell the stories in a way that made it impossible not to respond.

The internet, through the web, instant messaging, email and its other applications, had brought the world into our living rooms - and our offices, classrooms, cafes, clubs, bars and railway carriages. The last decade of the twentieth century saw a transformation in the forms of communication available to the lucky billion with easy access to the network, and the impact on the way we perceived the world was immense.

Read More, from Bill Thompson's story here:-

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6989327.stm

Tuesday 11 September 2007

Whatever next, " A tax to park at Tesco ?."

I used to believe that the Tory Party, were the party of low or lower taxation, unfortunately this is no longer true, due to their proposals to introduce "Green or Environmental friendly, Taxation."

I'm generally apolitical, although I hold strong and long held opinions, basically if the Tory Party win the next General Election, we could see a reduction in general taxation, IE Income Tax and National Insurance Contributions, on the other hand we could see a eye watering increase in "stealth tax's " although in fairness, the Tory Party have said the Green Tax's will fund a reduction in General Taxation, this may be true, but it could be the case we could be paying more taxation under a Cameron Government than a Brown Government.

Now Tories want us to pay for parking at the supermarket by JANE MERRICK - Last updated at 08:52am on 11th September 2007
Free parking at supermarkets, garden centres and DIY stores would be scrapped under a Conservative plan to tax pollution. David Cameron says the move would encourage families to use small shops on the high street and curb the growing power of food giants. The Tories claim it would also help the environment because shoppers would ditch their car and use public transport.

"Home, from Home."

While reading today's Daily Mail, I read this interesting story of David and Jean Davidson, who for the last 22 years have lived at a Travelodge !

The couple who stopped off at a Travelodge - and stayed 22 years By PAUL SIMS - Last updated at 13:13pm on 11th
September 2007 .

David and Jean Davidson in their "Home from Home."

For most of us who visit a Travelodge, it is a fleeting pleasure. Park the car, go to bed and get away as early as possible in the morning. But for David and Jean Davidson, it is home.
They arrived in 1985, and enjoyed it so much that they never left.

Read more of this interesting story at Daily Mail website:-

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=480999&in_page_id=1770

Joel Osteen "Today's Word, Step Out of the Boat"

Step Out of the Boat

Today's Scripture

“And Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’ He said, ‘Come!’ So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and he came toward Jesus” (Matthew 14:28-29 AMP).

Today's Word from Joel and Victoria

Why do you suppose Peter wanted to get out of the boat? Why did he all of the sudden think he could walk on water? Well, you might say, “Joel, it’s because he saw Jesus open the blind eyes and cleanse the lepers.” Yes, that’s true. But the other disciples in the boat saw the same things. Why didn’t they want to get out? I believe it was because Peter understood that it was his time. He stirred his faith up. He believed at that moment that he could do what God placed in his heart. Jesus said, “Peter, do you want to get out of that boat?” He said, “Yes, I do.” Jesus replied, “Well, come on out.” Notice that Jesus didn’t say, “Peter, stay in that boat. Don’t you know I’m the Son of God?” No. He said, “Peter, I like your attitude of faith. I like the fact that you believe you can do great things.” I encourage you today to have that same kind of boldness. Start believing that your time is here! All the dreams that you’ve buried, those desires that you thought would never work out, it’s time to start believing again. It’s your time, and it’s time to step out of the boat!

A Prayer for Today

Dear Father, today I choose to believe Your Word. I believe You are faithful to complete the good work You’ve started in my life. I choose to hear Your voice and step out of the boat. Thank You for bringing to pass the dreams in my heart. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Joel Osteen Ministries, 3700 Southwest Freeway, Houston TX 77027.

Saturday 8 September 2007

UK 'facing casual labour upsurge'

Prime Minister Gordon Brown must act before employers turn most workers into "casual labour", the leaders of the UK's biggest union have warned.

Unite general secretaries Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley said increased use of temporary employment agencies were pushing down wages and eroding rights. Mr Simpson called the situation "one of the biggest scandals you can imagine". Unite will argue for tougher laws to protect agency workers at the TUC conference, which starts on Monday.

According to TUC research, temporary staff are on different rates of pay to those with permanent jobs in half of all workplaces. It also says that, in 25% of workplaces, temporary workers are not entitled to contractual sick pay and, in 14%, do not receive any holiday pay.

Read More:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6979020.stm from the BBC News Website

Comment:

It's time that Agency workers were treated fairly and with respect, instead of being treated as " a cheap and second class employees." I agree wholeheartedly with Unite's stand and campaign, and speaking from personal experience. I know the frustration and disappointment of this type of employment can bring, and I decided that some time ago, that I would no longer be treated this way, and am now studying for an HND Computing (Information Systems) course

Venturing into unreported China

China has pledged more freedoms for reporters ahead of next year's Olympics, but when the BBC's Dan Griffiths travelled to the countryside to investigate reports of unrest he was detained and questioned.

China wants to keep reports of rural unrest under wraps

The village of Shengyou is a three hour drive south of Beijing, deep in the countryside surrounded by fields of maize.

A traditional landscape found across this vast nation - but everything is not as it seems.
My taxi driver tells me that the police have set up checkpoints round the village. He refuses to go any further - so I go the rest of the way on foot. I walk down a narrow lane with broad poplar trees on either side. A small tractor chugs by, the driver stares at me - foreigners are rarely seen around here.

Round a bend in the road, I see two white vans. Several policemen are standing beside them. They look as out of place in rural China as I do. The questions come thick and fast. What am I doing? Where have I come from? Who is my contact in the village?

Over the course of the next few hours they will ask me this last question again and again. From nowhere a black car pulls up and I am ushered inside.

Read More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6983247.stm from the BBC News Website.

Comment:

Although China is an economic powerhouse of the World Economy, it's still not a democracy, and although in theory a Communist Country, there is a great deal of underhand and dishonest dealings both in Public and Private life, and as we see in this story from the BBC News Website, a great deal of unrest is occuring in China, due to amongest other things greed.

According to the World Governance Indicators report, Chinese citizens have very little freedom, out of a scale of 100%, they have a freedom indicator of 4.8%, compared to other countries freedom indicators for example Cuba at 7.2%, Russia at 24%, Canada at 94.2% and Denmark at 100%.