way out west

Amazing maggots!

It's long been known that Maggots can not only clean infected wounds by dissolving and eating necrotic tissue... even wriggling off the wound themselves when it is is sterile... they also secrete a "cocktail" of chemicals that fight infection... antibiotics if you like... what has just been revealed is that that secretion is capable of fighting even the toughest infections including 12l strains of MSRA and C-Difficille!

From Medical news today

The antibiotic, named Seraticin™, is derived from the maggot secretions of the common green bottle fly (Lucilia sericata) and scientists hope to develop it into an injection, pill or ointment... Scientists from Swansea University... have purified Seraticin™ and undertaken the study of its structure and the mechanism by which it prevents infection. The next steps will be to complete the identification of the compound and develop a way to synthesise it. It can then be tested on human cells and eventually in clinical trials in order to determine its medical effectiveness and properties as a novel antibiotic.

MRSA infections cause suffering, amputations and death, not to mention the estimated £1 billion cost to the NHS. Between 2002 and 2006, 6,201 deaths in England and Wales involved MRSA and 15,683 deaths in England and Wales involved C. difficile. The rapid rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria means that scientists urgently need to find a solution.

Once again Creation proves to have the answer for man-made problems!

Technorati Tags: Culture: News

Summer Delight - 13th August

Technorati Tags: alt.worship: Family: Pilgrimage: Poetry: Prayer: Spirituality: Worship

Larry Gross on how not to be a Christian Poser!

Came across this post from Larry Gross on d2k on loving the people and place where you live... for me this is key to real incarnational faith... God loved the world so much that he sent his son - God incarnate... we love as God loved us - incarnationally and sacrificially... surely this is the message of the Gospel, echoed in the mission of the church (1 Thessalonians 2 etc.) - sorry if this doesn't fit with the whole dualism/total depravity thing, but it seems to me clear that God LOVES the world (not the same as LIKES all of what the world has become on our watch) and we are called to do the same... anyway loved this post - Thanks Larry (excerpt below)...

If you can’t love the people God placed you in contact with… you’re a poser in desperate need of a serious kick in the head by the Boots of the Gospel of Peace. Do you think we live where we live by some freak accident? Do you think you’ve been placed near that guy who really pisses you off because God is mad at you? Do you think your nemesis exists purely for the Devil’s enjoyment? Nope.

I live where I live because God has called me to love the people I’m near. Nobody I live near is an accident. The people in my neighborhood who tick me off are here to remind me that I must rely on the Spirit to love this person and respond winsomely to their barbed attacks. My multiple nemesises exist to remind me that I must find my worth in God and God alone.

To stop being a poser, I’ve realized that I must fully live my theology. I’ve realized that working out my salvation with fear and trembling equates to getting my butt out there in the world and actually working out what I believe in the LIVING of life

Technorati Tags: Blogging: Culture: Emerging Church: Mission: Missional: theology

The Seeds of Exclusion

The Salvation Army have published a new report on Homelessness this month, called "The Seeds of Exclusion"...

A new generation of children risks becoming socially excluded and even homeless unless urgent action is taken to tackle poor and abusive parenting head on, a report warns.  This stark warning comes in The Seeds of Exclusion, a new report by The Salvation Army based on in-depth interviews with nearly 450 people currently receiving help in its homeless centres across the UK.

The report found that a very high proportion of homeless people surveyed had a disruptive childhood, and suffered abuse and problematic relationships with their family and friends both now and in the past.  Nearly 30 per cent were homeless before they were 18, some on more than one occasion. Those who had poor relationships with their parents were more likely to be have been homeless as children.  Traumatic experiences and poor childhood relationships with parents are key. Poor relationships with one's father as a child were common among homeless people charged with criminal behaviour as an adult. A poor relationship with one's mother was linked specifically to antisocial behaviour throughout life.

The Seeds of Exclusion study also discovered that homeless people have a much higher level of severe and untreated mental health problems than has been previously documented. Two thirds (65 per cent) screened positive for two or more psychological problems such as personality disorders, a range of mental illnesses, drug and alcohol abuse.  Only one in ten (11 per cent) of those surveyed had access to mental health care.

The study by The Salvation Army found that the gap between leaving 'controlled' environments such as prison is not being effectively bridged. A quarter of interviewees had come almost directly from places like prison or a mental health unit.

The full report is available to download on the Salvation Army Website - Here

Technorati Tags: Church: Culture: Mission: Missional: News

Rene Padilla - CMS Missiologist in Residence Autumn 08

Rene Padilla is coming to the UK to spend 5 months as CMS Missiologist in residence (staying at the new CMS Mission House)... As well as being a leading voice during the Lausanne Congress, planting churches amongst slum dwellers and drug addicts,  developing a network of student ministries in Latin America and being Emeritus President of the Kairos Foundation (promoting reflection on integral mission in local churches) Padilla is president of the Micah Network, about which he says...

The Micah Network is an encouraging sign of the present-day awakening of the social conscience among evangelicals around the world. Its major strength is that it provides a unique space for evangelical Christians from all over the world to grow together in their understanding and practice of Christian discipleship in a global world affected by consumerism, injustice, and oppression.

My hope is that it will find ways to strengthen practical partnership across national borders in order to counteract the negative aspects of globalization and to globilize human solidarity.”

During his time in the UK he will taking part in several events including "Enough is Enough Revisited" on the  25 October "In a global community, how do Christians define and live 'enough'? A day of reflection on community, food, travel, creation and time." and "Tomorrow's world" A residential weekend, 21-23 November 2008 at Windmill Farm, set in lovely countryside five miles from Faringdon, Oxfordshire - "a chance to hear and interact with one of the leading thinkers of our time."

For more information visit www.cms-uk.org

Technorati Tags: CMS: Community: Culture: environment: Mission: Missional

Censorship

Dave Walker, of Cartoon Church and cartoonist in residence at Lambeth 08, has been effectively censored by a cheap and cowardly method... a "cease and desist" notice which means that unless he could fund a long and expensive legal battle he has no choice but to remove his truthful reportage... see the story on "Thinking Anglicans" and if you want to read the actual posts that had to be removed then, "praise be to Google" for their cache!  Click here for the direct links to the cached posts.

Strangely it seems Dave has been forced to remove the post explaining why his other posts have been removed!  So the censors don't want their censorship to be public knowledge eh?  Shame that the internet just doesn't work that way!  But if this post disappears you'll know why! ;-)

Technorati Tags: Anglican Church: Blogging: Church: News

Set Sail - again

St Brendan-esque quote from Mark Twain... with thanks to Rick Meigs - the Blind Beggar

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Technorati Tags: Blogging: Missional: Pilgrimage: St Brendan

Has Banksy been revealed?

According to the Sunday Mail their 'investigation',

...has uncovered compelling evidence suggesting that the artist is former public schoolboy Robin Gunningham... The only concrete clue until now has been a photograph taken in Jamaica four years ago of a man with a bag of spray cans by his feet.  Gunningham’s former school pal Scott Nurse said: ‘He was one of three people in my year who were extremely talented at art. I am not at all surprised if he is Banksy.’  Records reveal Gunningham once lived with artist Luke Egan, who later exhibited with Banksy. Mr Egan initially denied knowing Gunningham but later admitted he had lived with him.

The 2004 Photo - Banksy?

However they also report that...

People who know Gunningham are now unable to say what has become of him. His father Peter, who lives in Kingsdown, Bristol, denied that the man in the photograph was his son, and his mother Pamela was surprised by the picture, then denied she even had a son, let alone one called Robin.

Even the Beeb are reporting the story... So... we're all wondering "Is it true?"... or more to the point "Does it matter?"

Technorati Tags: Art: Culture: News

More Anglican... er... lunacy

Sorry, I couldn't think of anything else to call it, perhaps strangeness would be better?... Having been away on Holiday I'm catching up with Blogs and the goings on of the Anglican "communion"... ht to Steve for this article (and I, as he suggests, read it with a small pinch of salt as it's source is the Telegraph!)... OK so here is my reading of what the "Flying Bishop of Ebbsfleet" is saying...

1. He "might" be going to "convert" to Roman Catholicism over the issue of Women Bishops - insidentally didn't many do this over the ordination of women but end up coming "back" once the furory had blown over/the end of the world had not come etc. etc.?
2. He "plans" to take 120 of His parishes with him!  It's not clear whether he has asked them if that's what they actually want!
3. He wants the RC Church to allow these new RC Parishes to continue to use the Church of England's Buildings!  Really?
4. He wants the RC Church to allow these new RC Parishes to continue to use the Church of England's Liturgy but "be" Roman Catholic???

Hmmm sounds like someone aims to both own and eat Gateaux!  Perhaps he could run his new Diocese the same way Ebbsfleet United run their football club... i.e. by selling control to 50,000+ random internet users... they could then vote on his sermon topics, Diocesan policy, budget, which vestments he wears for any particular service, etc.  it would seem to be more realistic than what the Flying Bishop is suggesting... or maybe all Parishoners should be able to choose which Bishop they want, maybe they could choose not to have a male Bishop, or one who is married, or one with a beard, I for one would not want to be under the Episcopal oversight of a Bishop who wears socks and sandals at any time.

Technorati Tags: Anglican Church: Culture: News

Rumours!

Over the last week in Telford a story has been spreading, the story was that an attempted child abduction happened in a supermarket.  The toddler, a girl, disappeared, her mother raised a hue and cry and the Shop was closed up.  The child was found in a toilet with a Polish couple who had cropped her hair and dressed her in boys clothes.  I had heard this story several times over the week from reputable people, as had Lou who had been told it was in the paper last week... then today this appeared on the Shropshire Star web site...

Store child abduction is denied Telford police today moved to quash rumours of an attempted child abduction at a Telford supermarket. Police say there is no evidence to back the rumours that a toddler was snatched in Asda’s Donnington Wood store over the weekend. Chris Ammonds, Telford police spokesman, said: “We’ve had no calls about any such incident. We’ve checked with the store and other agencies. “We therefore believe it may be a rumour that has got out of hand.” A spokeswoman for Asda added: “There is absolutely no truth in this story.”

What worries me is who on earth started this rumour, and how quickly and comprehensively it spread!  The fact that the rumour blamed a Polish Couple is deeply worrying... Someone it seems is rabble rousing in our town!

Technorati Tags: Culture: News: Telford