Community Marriage
M.O.T. asks the right questions Marriage
M.O.T. asks the right questions Relationships
need a check-up, just like cars do. A new book from
Church House Publishing, which provides a down-to-earth
guide to preparing for marriage, was launched recently at
a Wedding Show in As the
author of Growing Together, the Rev. Andrew Body, says,
the slim paperback is not a compendium of the right
answers to all the issues that might arise, but a guide
to asking some of the right questions. The book is
designed to be useful to couples whether they have
enrolled in a marriage preparation course or not. Each
short chapter ends with a list of “things to talk
about and share” which helps readers to focus on the
issues covered. The book identifies key areas which
couples need to consider if their marriage is to stand
the test of time. They include having children, money,
commitment, sex, conflict, faith and communication.
Andrew Body's experience as a Relate counsellor enables
him to tackle these areas in plain words and with
sympathy. There
is a special chapter for those who are starting again
after a relationship has failed. This section mentions
the reactions of a woman to the forms that a vicar
usually asks couples in that situation to complete. At
first she though it was “raking up the past”,
but she realised that it was in fact another way in which
she and her new partner could be totally honest with each
other. Andrew
Body also stresses that what we bring from the past
doesn't have to be negative. He tells of an elderly
couple, both widowed after happy marriages, who had high
expectations of their new relationship. They had to work
at the fact that it was new and not just a replacement
for the old. Each had to learn to talk about their
deceased partners without the other feeling that
comparisons were being made. They said of their new
marriage: “it isn't better or worse – it is
different.” The
book is available from bookshops, price £6.99 Ecology
alert: the other three R's People
who care about the environment say that in this context
the three R's are Repair, Re-use and Recycle. To see how
important these three R's have become, consider the
following facts. In one year – * The *
Every family in the *
Supermarkets in the Large
amounts of waste are, of course, produced by industry.
There are now over 100 'waste
minimisation clubs' across On the
domestic front, people are becoming more waste-conscious
and local authorities are creating better recycling
facilities. But only about 12 per cent of household
rubbish is currently recycled or composted, with 86 per
cent going to landfill or incineration. The
Furniture Recycling Network (FRN) is the umbrella body
for about 300 local recycling projects that collect
unwanted furniture (free of charge) and sell it on to
people on low incomes. Unlike some materials that face a
problem of not having an end market when recycled,
furniture is in heavy demand from low-income households.
FRN estimates that donated furniture is worth about £13
million annually. Many members report that demand exceeds
supply by up to fifty per cent. For
addresses of local projects, the FRN can be contacted at
The Old Drill Hall, 17a FA
Cup Final Stuart
Weir of Christians in Sport looks forward to the big day... Saturday
21 May is FA Cup Final Day. As a child I remember it as
the highlight of the year, watching TV for hours, taking
in all the build-up, the previews and then the game
itself. There
have been epic Cup Finals over the years – The
Stanley Matthews Cup final in 1953 when he inspired The
Tottenham Hotspur supporters celebrated Ossie Ardiles
leading them to a Cup-final in the 80s with, “Ossie's
on his way to Wembley his knees have gone all trembley”.
It will be more difficult for the ditty-writers this
year, seeking a rhyme for the Millenium Stadium in The FA
Cup Final now has to complete with the Champions' League,
the UEFA Cup, the Premiership and the League Cup but it
still retains a unique place in the heart of the fan for
whom – like many a player – being part of the
cup final is the highlight of ones life. BBC
TV's current football team includes two people who have
experienced that special moment – Gavin Peacock and
Garth Crooks. Gavin played for “Obviously
playing in the cup final is the culmination of six months
hard work in cup games and everyone's dream to get there.
It was a tremendous experience to play at Wembley and I
loved every minute. In the first half we were doing well
and at one stage, I got hold of the ball, outside the
box, knocked it onto my left foot and hit it. I thought
this is going in. It dipped over Schmeichel's hand and
hit the bar. “Just
to play in the Cup Final, was great for me even if I did
not win it. But then you play in it and it's gone. If
that is just what you are hanging your hopes on, any
success is just momentary.” "I
know that God has a plan for me in my life. That He is in
control. No matter what happens if I am trusting in him
and we go through lean periods and through injury periods
and all that. I think God does carry us through these
periods and it is only when we look back that we've
learned from it in that respect. “I
don't think that we can say it's totally OK all of the
time and fine all of the time because it's not. You
still, as a Christian, have your ups and downs but the
good thing is that whereas maybe someone who doesn't have
our faith have the same downs and perhaps their whole
world would fall apart because that is what they are
leaning on. I'm leaning on God and He never falls apart."
Garth
Crooks played in two cup-finals in the 80s. for Tottenham.
He scored what he describes as the forgotten goal in the
1981 Cup final. That was the year that Ricky Villa scored
two including arguably the best ever Cup final goal.
Garth says “My goal was just as important but no one
remembers it!” At the
height of his career Garth was aware of something missing
in his life. He accepted an invitation to church. “The
sermon really challenged me. I felt reduced from the
celebrity footballer that I thought I was - to something
quite insignificant in comparison with the Almighty. I
just sat there and said, 'I'm sorry! I'm sorry!' Up to
that point I had always looked on God as one of the lads.
Now I realized who I was dealing with”. It was a
life-changing moment. www.christiansinsport.org.uk
A
rose named Salvation... The
Salvation Army has had a rose named after it. Rosa
Salvation was first unveiled by BBC Breakfast presenter
Natasha Kaplinsky at the Chelsea Flower Show, and
appeared in the Salvation Army/Buildbase garden. It was
bred by Harkness Roses, and the Salvation Army will
receive a percentage of proceeds from sales of the new
plant. The money will be used to fund projects in the In
both quality and profusion of bloom, this new rose is a
rising star for the future. Its prettily formed urn-shaped
flowers are glowing amber infused with apricot, and they
release a rich, fruity perfume. /Salvation/ is an ideal
choice for planting out, as well as a delight to cut for
indoor decoration. Flower-bearing
is in clusters, usually between 3 and 7 blooms per stem,
and repeat blooming is recurrent for as long as the
growing season continues. Growth is compact, sturdy and
bushy, ideal for general planting in groups, for bedding
and for borders. This is an excellent colour to combine
among the pinks and blues of summer flower borders.h80cm
x w60cm *Price Per Rose: £7.95* Well
dressing in Derbyshire This
ancient custom of 'dressing' wells is only found in or
around the borders of Derbyshire. At its simplest, it's
the art of decorating spring and wells with pictures made
from growing things. No two villages dress their wells in
exactly the same way, and dressing a well can take up to
seven days of work, with a whole team of people, to
achieve. Some villages carry out their preparation in
secret, while others invite people to watch as they dress
the wells. This month you can go and see: ... Who
will help us win our local Pub Quiz? A team from a |