Westminster Abbey unveils David Hockney’s glass window tribute to Queen

Spanning over eight metres high, the new work is the 81-year-old’s first in stained glass.

Designed on his iPad and set in Hockney’s Yorkshire birthplace, it reflects the Queen’s love for, and connection with, the countryside.

 

Hockney was commissioned to create the window to celebrate the Queen’s reign.

The brightly-coloured abstract window of yellow, red, blue, pink, orange and greens, features hawthorn blossom and stands out in its historic setting.

Hockney told the Press Association that the iPad was “a natural thing to use” because it is “back-lit like a window”.

The much-loved artist, who recently broke his own auction record with a £21.1 million painting, said that designing his first stained glass window “was a challenge” adding: “I’ve learnt something about glass.”

He said of wanting to depict the countryside: “Landscape is nature. The previous window put up in here was also nature, lilies.

“I chose the hawthorn which is (for) four days (like) the moment when champagne looks as though it’s been poured over all the bushes.

Victoria Jones/PA Wire

 

“It’s a rather celebratory thing. It’s the height of the spring and summer”.

The artist said of the window’s Westminster Abbey home: “I know this is a historic place and I know it’s going to last.”

Hockney once said that he turned down the chance to paint the Queen because he was “very busy…

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Man Barges into Church, Confesses to Cold Case Murder

Man Barges into Church, Confesses to Cold Case Murder



Last week, a man barged into a Connecticut church and confessed to a four-year-old murder that had gone cold. 


William Leverett walked into Open Gate Ministries Church pastored by Michael Trazinski last Wednesday and told the parishioners that he was responsible for the killing of 54-year-old Melissa Millan in 2014.


When the pastor heard Leverett’s confession he said he knew “Justice needed to be done.” 


The pastor and two other church members took Leverett, 27, to the Simsbury Police Station and had him turn himself in.


According to the arrest warrant affidavit released Monday, Leverett walked into the precinct and said, “I’m here to turn myself in for the murder on Iron Horse Boulevard almost four years ago.” 


Fox News reports that in his full confession the man told police that he went to the trail that night looking for “human contact” after going to a treatment meeting for sex offenders.


Leverett was a registered sex offender who had been charged with sexually assaulting a child in 2009 in Colorado and according to his confession, he was scared that a woman he had met would find out.


He told the police he was “embarrassed and scared and figured that if I just killed somebody, it would make all that go away and I wouldn’t have to explain myself.”


Then he ran into Millan, a mom of two, jogging on the trail and decided to take…

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Franklin Graham Slams ‘Anti-Christian Bias, Fake News’ in Claims of 200 LGBT Protesters at Event

(Photo: Billy Graham Evangelistic Association)Franklin Graham preaching at the “Festival of Hope” which took place September 21-23, 2018 in Blackpool, U.K.

Franklin Graham has slammed news reports claiming that hundreds of LGBT protesters came out against his three-day evangelistic event in Blackpool, U.K.

The preacher said that while there were around 39 protesters on the largest night for the “Festival of Hope” outreach event over the weekend, that is a far cry from claims that “up to 200” showed up.

“I guess fake news is everywhere — it’s in England too! As word got out that I was coming to Blackpool to preach the Gospel, some were against us coming and tried to stir up opposition and protesters. But what they intended for harm, God used for good. We had thousands attend the events this weekend and hundreds of lives were changed by the power of the Gospel!” Graham wrote Tuesday on Facebook.

(Photo: Facebook/Franklin Graham)LGBT protesters outside Franklin Graham’s three-day evangelistic event in Blackpool, U.K., September 21-23, 2018.

He said that overall, there were only a “handful” of people protesting outside, despite what the Blackpool Gazette has reported. At the same time, close to 9,000 attended the “Festival of Hope” over nine days.

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German bishops apologise for thousands of sex abuse cases

The report released on Tuesday concludes at least 3,677 people were abused by clergy between 1946 and 2014.

“Sexual abuse is a crime,” Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who is also the head of the German Bishops Conference, told reporters.

 

“I’m ashamed for so many (of us) looking away, not wanting to recognise what happened and not helping the victims. That goes for me as well.”

The apology came on the day Pope Francis acknowledged the sex abuse scandal rocking the Catholic Church was driving people away. He said the church must change its ways if it wants to keep future generations.

The report on sex abuse in the German Catholic Church found that more than half of the victims were 13 or younger and most were boys.

Every sixth case involved rape and at least 1,670 clergy were involved. Some 969 abuse victims were altar boys.

On average, the abuses happened multiple times over a period of at least 15 months.

The German Bishops Conference released its report on Tuesday, but it had already been leaked earlier this month and was heavily criticised for the lack of transparency and the church’s refusal to let the researchers access original documents.

Instead of looking at the original church files, they sent questionnaires to the dioceses, which then provided the information.

The report was commissioned by the German Bishops Conference and researched by experts from the…

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Bishop warns of cuts to police

Rt Rev Christopher Lowson was responding to comments by the county’s chief constable who has said there will be stark choices unless further funding is available.

The budget is still being set but the chief constable has warned of possible cuts to road policing, crime investigations and community and neighbourhood policing.

 

Bishop Christopher Lowson said: “I am willing to be a voice to ensure where possible Lincolnshire and its police officers get a fair deal and we do not lose further police from our communities.

“From a young age, I was taught if I was in difficulty I could always approach a police officer – less money and less services means there may be no-one to approach.”

Bishop Christopher said the situation was a wake-up call for the community and government.

The bishop visited local schools in Spalding in the south of the county this week and was welcomed and hosted at St Mary’s Cowbit by the school’s mini police. The initiative involves senior school pupils meeting local police and they are given a uniform with a role in the school to promote good behaviour.
 
Bishop Christopher added: “The mini police are just one example of community based policing that is so valuable.

“A thinner blue line in our county would be a loss to the community.”

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and…

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$18 million worth of cocaine found in bananas

Speaking to the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, President Trump stated that American culture is built on “deep faith.”

For evidence, we could point to Rolling Stone‘s headline: “A Christian Singer Is Bigger Than Drake and Ariana Grande This Week.” Lauren Daigle’s new album topped records by Drake, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj on the Billboard 200.

Or we could note Pew Research Center’s report that more than 70 percent of Americans identify as Christians. America’s largest religious demographic is “Evangelical Protestant” at 25.4 percent.

However, America’s second-largest religious demographic is “Unaffiliated (religious ‘nones’)” at 22.8 percent. This is a larger percentage than “Catholic” (20.8 percent) or “Mainline Protestant” (14.7 percent).

As a sign of our troubled times, the Washington Post reports that homicides in Washington, DC, have now surpassed the number of people killed in the city in all of 2017. As another sign of the times, a group of protesters heckled Sen. Ted Cruz and his wife inside a Washington restaurant, forcing them to leave early.

And authorities say bananas donated to a Texas prison had nearly $18 million worth of cocaine hidden in the boxes.

Is culture like the weather?

As God’s people living in a fallen world, God’s word calls us to embrace a transformative balance.

We are warned to “touch no unclean thing” (Isaiah 52:11, quoted by Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:17). Much of our culture is off-limits for sincere followers of Jesus.

As D. A. Carson notes in his perceptive Christ and Culture Revisited, some evangelicals liken the culture to the weather–we can’t change it, so we should focus on individual souls and leave society to itself.

However, others claim that we earn the right to share Christ with people by first responding to the systemic issues they face–poverty, sex trafficking, and so on. We must engage culture to engage those affected by culture.

Both…

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Protestant legacy ‘has enduring effect on secondary schooling’

Many more young people attend secondary school in countries where there is a historical legacy of the Protestant religion.

This is despite nearly two centuries of secularisation and a dramatic expansion of government-provided secondary education since the mid-20th century.

 

At the start of the Reformation in 1517, initiated by Martin Luther, Protestantism made strenuous efforts to expand schooling.

Luther demanded compulsory elementary education for boys and girls from all social classes.

Other German Protestants soon developed a comprehensive system of schooling, including a system of secondary education.

The German reforms quickly became a blueprint for education across many other countries in western and northern Europe.

Britain exported Protestantism to its colonies around the globe, which profoundly shaped their educational systems as well.

Here too, Protestants introduced mass education, including formal education for women as well as for marginalised groups, including slaves.

The Protestant missionaries in the British colonies were also the first to provide post-primary education.

As a result of these reforms, school enrolment rates were substantially higher than in colonies of, for example, Spain and France.

However, from the 19th century Protestantism’s influence on schooling had strongly waned – first in traditionally Protestant countries and, further to…

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Church of England will send first refugee chaplain to Calais

Canon Kirrilee Reid will leave her current post as the rector of a rural church in Perth and Kinross to boost the presence of the Church’s Pas-de-Calais Chaplaincy team.

The Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe, Rt Revd Dr Robert Innes: “I am delighted that we have been able to appoint Kirrilee to this strategic post at a crucially significant time for the Pas-de-Calais chaplaincy and the people it serves.

 

“Kirrilee brings extensive experience of the Church, a passion for social justice, and sustained involvement in working with migrants and refugees to her new ministry.”

The post of chaplain and refugee projects officer is intended to boost co-ordination between both sides of the England Channel, to ensure migrants and their families receive the care and support they need.

A similar role was created in Kent by the Diocese of Canterbury three years ago.

Picture: Premier’s Rosie Wright in the ‘Jungle’ migrant camp in Calais in 2016

 

The new role is thanks to a partnership between the Church of England’s Diocese in Europe and Diocese of Canterbury, as well as the Anglican missing agency United Society Partners in the Gospel (USPG).

Currently the rector of All Saints in Glencarse, Canon Reid was born and raised in Australia where she was ordained in twelve years ago. She has recently completed a sabbatical working with refugee…

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Catholic Church urged to clarify ‘structural impediments’ to child protection

Christopher Jacobs said “there is a degree of urgency for this information to come out” as his clients believe the Church poses “clear and present danger to children”.

The Church’s attempts to build effective mechanisms since the Nolan Report in 2001 are “clearly not working”, he said.

 

His comments to a preliminary hearing at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) on Tuesday came as the Catholic bishops of England and Wales ordered a thorough review into safeguarding procedures.

Mr Jacobs, from Howe and Co, representing 36 anonymous core participants, told the preliminary hearing: “Those who instruct me take the view that the evidence so far presents a picture of the Church as a clear and present danger to children as it is structurally organised.”

He said the Church should give an official statement answering the concerns ahead of a public hearing into the Archdiocese of Birmingham beginning on November 12.

Mr Jacobs said: “Does the Church accept that thus far it has been unable to implement consistent and uniform child protection across England and Wales as a result of its structure?

“If it is accepted there are structural impediments to providing children protection theChurch should be asked to state clearly if it believes that the structural obstacles can be overcome in an acceptable time frame.

“There is a degree of urgency for this…

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TREM 26 September 2018 Daily Devotional – Men Ought To Pray and Not Faint

Topic: Men Ought To Pray And Not Faint [TREM 26 September 2018 Daily Devotional]

“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” Luke 18:1

Many times people get weary about the basics of our faith. The fact that you fasted last month, week or year does not stop you from fasting. The fact that you have not seen the manifestation should not in any way deter you from praying.

Jesus in our scripture above made a very profound statement: “… Men ought always to pray …”. He did not say sometimes or when a need arises but ALWAYS. What does ALWAYS mean? Always means ALL THE TIME. Now this negates what many have considered the “time of prayer” – morning devotion, evening prayers. While those are very important, that is not the only time to pray.

This will look difficult or impossible if your understanding of prayer is a time to kneel down, close your eyes and pray. But that is not it. Prayer is talking to God. It is born out of relationship with Him. Just like you can spend hours talking or chatting with a friend, God wants you to be able to talk to Him all the time without getting tired. There is a time to kneel down to pray but that is not all. You can pray in the shower, you can pray will driving, you can pray even in the office while a meeting is on. It is communication with God.

Don’t misunderstand me, that does not remove the time you devote to stay in His presence to pray. It does not remove the times you separate yourself and stay before God. Don’t turn your hour with God to a word of prayer because I said you can pray anywhere. However, prayer is not limited to the hour before bed or the 1st hour of the day. It is having a constant and consistent communication with God where He talks to you and you also talk to Him – it is a two-way communication.

I encourage you not to get too busy to pray. Remember, men ought always to pray and not faint.

Further Reading: Luke 18:1-5

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Isaiah 1-2; Evening- Galatians 5

“If you missed yesterday devotional click HERE to read TREM Daily Devotional by Dr. Mike Okonkwo’’

Written by Dr. Mike Okonkwo; Is the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM); a versatile man of God with over 30 years of dedicated service unto the Lord.

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