Have a look in your wallet: any £20 notes with the image of Edward Elgar on them will not be legal tender after June 30 this year.

This means that shops no longer have to accept the notes, and it is up to banks whether they agree to swap notes after this date.

From July 1 only notes with the image of Adam Smith, the Scottish economist, will be legal tender. These notes came into circulation in March 2007.

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As we haven’t had any comical articles lately, today I intend to resolve that! Below are a few amusing church signs that I found. I hope they bring some joy to you and yours today and this coming week!

 

Before ending this article, I’d like to ask you to remember Chile in your prayers. The recent earthquake has left hundreds dead and seriously affected the country’s infrastructure. Today also officially begins a 3 day period of mourning (Link).

Have a great week, and God bless.

Let me see the devil beat that!

Garbage Truck.

One day I  hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving  in the  right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space   right in  front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and   missed the  other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his  head around  and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved  at the guy.  And I mean, he was really friendly.

So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and   sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now   call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run  around full  of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of  disappointment.

As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and  sometimes   they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish  them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other   people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take  over their day. Life's  too short to wake up in the morning with regrets,  so..... 'Love the people who treat you right. Pray  for the ones who don't.'

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!

Have a great week!!

Countless times in the past, I have written the TFTW based on something not-so-great that has happened to me, and has thoroughly tested my patience and even faith. By sharing these experiences, I firmly believe that this allows God to work through me, and us all to benefit (maybe you can learn from my mistakes, silly choices, or my occasional impatience regarding God’s word!). Well, last week, guess what? Nothing “not-so-great” happened! Actually, last week was a fabulous week, and tomorrow’s one of the biggest days of the year for me. Here enters the problem – What do I write for this week’s TFTW?! Lol. *Brief panic attack*

Well actually, no. Not a problem at all – let’s not forget who our God is! After some quiet reflection, the topic of for this week’s article was as clear as a bright summer’s day. The topic? The Good and the Bad.

Have you ever recognised that sometimes you cruise through life and everything’s great, and other times, life is just plain rough? Why can’t it always be great? Why can’t we always get what we want, how we want, when we want? .. Simply put, that’s just not how it is suppose to be (in this word anyway). You won’t always have good times, but you’re also unlikely to always have bad times. Life, and especially a Christian life, is about taking the good with the bad. Job is one of the most perfect examples of this fact. Defending the Lord, to his wife, Job said “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10). This is an amazing passage, because even as Job was being tested beyond anything anyone had ever imagined, he still defended the Lord’s actions with an undying faith. His eyes remained focused on the Lord in times of prosperity and times of hardship. He accepted the good and the bad/adversity. No wonder the Lord could say, “There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.” (Job 2:3)

May we all strive to be like Job, and accept the good and the bad/adversity. And through it all, give thanks and praise to the most high. After all, admittedly, bad times purify us, build character, transform us, and ultimately, make us ready for our eternal homes.

“MENTAL health experts say there could be a link between surfing the net and depression.

British scientists found that the longer people spent online, the less likely they were to be happy.

But it was not clear whether using the internet causes mental health problems - or whether people with mental health problems are drawn to the internet.

Ironically, psychologists at the University of Leeds used the internet to quiz more than 1300 people aged between 16 and 51 over their web use.

Study leader Dr Catriona Morrison said: "There was a high correspondence between the amount of time spent on the internet and levels of depression.

"The internet now plays a huge part in modern life, but its benefits are accompanied by a darker side."” Full Story

*eek..

“If heat rises, wouldn’t heaven be hotter than hell?” – I saw this quote a few days ago and I can’t help but say that it made me chuckle. After all, heat does rise, but I’m sure hoping that heaven isn’t hotter than hell! Apart from this obvious reaction, this quote lead to me reminiscing about times as a teenager in Sunday School, when we hotly debated topics such as (i) the existence of heaven and hell, and where exactly they might be (for example, is heaven above the clouds? The upper mesosphere maybe?); (ii) whether people spend eternity in hell, or if God gives them a break after a while (we *did* debate this!); and even, (iii) where do we go when we die – do we stay in a ‘waiting area’ until Judgement Day, or do you get judged at the moment you die?

All these were very interesting topics for discussion on Sunday mornings, and indeed still remain somewhere lurking in the back of my mind, and maybe also in the back of yours. One thing I’d like to point out however, is that right now, we have much more pressing matters to attend to. For example, our ministry and mission in this world. Rick Warren captures the meanings of these two words aptly in his statement, “Your ministry is your service to believers, and your mission is your service to unbelievers” (Purpose Driven Life). Fulfilling these aspects are critical purposes for our lives. These require us not to get unduly preoccupied in topics that add little value, and might be considered esoteric (such as the positioning of hell, or the temperature of heaven!). Instead however, we are to focus on living for Christ now, in everything we say and do, and our service to others is a key part of that.

I leave you with a few questions for this week therefore: Who can you serve in this coming week? Whose life can you touch in a Christ-like way? What is your ministry for this week? And what is your mission?

Finally, something disposes of Titanic! Here’s a excerpt from the BBC:

Sci-fi spectacular Avatar has surpassed Titanic to become the highest grossing movie of all time, figures from distributor 20th Century Fox show.

Avatar's worldwide takings in just six weeks stand at $1.859bn (£1.15bn), versus Titanic's $1.843bn (£1.14bn). ...

Earlier this month, it became the fastest movie ever to achieve $1bn (£623m) in ticket sales around the world, and took over second place from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

It has proved a worldwide sensation, dominating the box office from North America to China and Russia.

The science-fiction adventure, about a disabled marine who infiltrates a race of giant blue aliens, mixes live action with digitally-created performances.

It was reportedly the most expensive film ever made, with a budget of at least $300m (£185m).” BBC article

Only 300m? A bit surprising.. I’m not that pleased about it taking over from a LOTR though! *Arg*

A seven-year-old west London boy has now raised more than £130,000 for Haiti quake victims in a sponsored bike ride.

Charlie Simpson, from Fulham, had hoped to raise £500 by cycling five miles (8km) around South Park on Sunday for Unicef's relief efforts in Haiti.

A day after his five-mile ride Charlie said: "My legs are a bit sore after the ride, but it was really fun."

His effort led to donations pouring in on the JustGiving website from as far away as New Zealand and Hong Kong.

Charlie, who went back to school earlier, is still unaware of how much he has raised but Unicef said he will be told when he visits its office later.

Charlie's father Dan Simpson said: "We cannot believe the incredible response from the UK public.

Source: BBC

Fab!

Hey all! Hope you had a nice, peaceful weekend.

This week’s article links to a set of photos from Haiti that I came across a few days ago. I found them very moving and I know you will too. I implore you, if you can help, please do.

Haiti 6 days later (in pictures)

I read a quote recently saying, “Before the earthquake, Haiti was one of the poorest nations in the world. About 70% of Haitians live on less than $2 a day, and now they have lost everything.” (Ref)

I can help, you can help, we can help. If we truly believe in the Body of Christ and our duty to our fellow man - we must help.

Here are a few inspirational stories regarding Haiti, people’s efforts for Haiti and amazing rescues.

Seven-year-old raises £30k for Haiti | Telethon raises 'record' $57m for Haiti victims | Haitian man rescued from rubble after 11 days | Earthquake survivors get solar-powered audio bibles | Haiti quake: Survivors' stories

Have a great week and God bless!