| A life made shining new |
 Alcohol, drugs and money had wrecked Billy Gilvear’s life. But God brought him hope and healing, writes James Hastings
The silage tank seemed a suitable place for Billy Gilvear to end his life. After years of mixing with celebrities and rock stars, his life was in the gutter. He once appeared at the MTV Awards and shared a stage with legendary group The Bee Gees. Now, he was hopelessly hooked on drugs, his wife had left him and he was virtually penniless and homeless.
“I decid...
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| News in brief |
Prayer time
The Global Day of Prayer organisation has called for 500 days of prayer across the UK, starting on August 1
It wants churches to get organised and choose one day each month on which 24 people agree to pray for an hour each. And it’s encouraging individuals to stop and pray the Lord’s Prayer every day at noon.
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| Back to Church Sunday |
Next month sees Britain’s churches gear up for a special Sunday.
There are many people who used to go to church – maybe as children to Sunday School, perhaps, or as young people or adults – but over the years they’ve lost the habit. Perhaps they’ve moved house, or become too busy with family life.
So Back to Church Sunday on September 26th is aimed at people like that. With the theme ‘Come as you are’, churches all over the country are preparing to welcome people back.
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| Light in the darkness |
A Welsh Bible in Braille means the world to some people, writes Richard Franklin
When Rhian Evans was told she was going blind and that her eyesight would get progressively worse as the years went by, she knew that the day would eventually come when she would no longer be able to read.
Then Rhian was in her 30’s and she loved books. She worked as a librarian at Trinity College in Carmarthen in Wales.
“It was very sad when I had to give up reading,” Rhian tells me, &l...
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| Bright lights, dark streets |
I t’s a step into the unknown for a West Midlands pair, writes Ian White
Two young teachers are “leaving behind their lives” to pioneer a home for recovering female drug addicts in New York City.
And despite facing brand new territory, Gemma Till, 28, and Lea-Ann Jones, 25, believe God has been preparing them for the daunting challenge ahead.
The volunteers, who have already given up salaried jobs, left their comfort-zone of close family and church life in the West Mi
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| Just bin it |
“Knife bins are making a difference and helping to prevent youth crime,” according to Michael Smith, founder of Word  4 Weapons.
Inspired by the increasing numbers of stabbings and killings among young people across the UK, the charity focuses on encouraging young people to get rid of their weapons and embrace a positive lifestyle.
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| He's on His way |
It’s a familiar image to any proud parents – until you look a bit more closely, and notice the baby  has a halo.
It’s the latest Christmas campaign from ChurchAds.net, the churches’ creative team which aims to get people thinking about Christ at Christmas.
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| Real Lilfe - The Yellow Shirt |
I loved my yellow shirt.
It defined me; and I was wearing it when I met my future wife. Not that marriage featured in my game plan, of course; “commitment” wasn’t in my vocabulary.
It was due, in part, to a tense relationship with my dad.
I can’t blame him. He was a good father and wanted the best for his kids. Life dealt him a bad hand, that’s all.
He belonged to a competitive family. His brothers and their children “did well” and he wanted to be like them. But he was unlucky.
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| A new perspective |
 Phoebe Mould tells the story of how she realised she needed to walk with God
I became a Christian in 2003. It was a time in my life when I thought I just needed to make a few adjustments here and there to find purpose – change my job, buy a car, acquire a boyfriend.
But one morning I walked past a church building on my way to work and there was a notice outside, giving details of their lunchtime talks, which read: ‘Walk With God’. Something within me knew, without a dou
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| What Jesus did |
Aged about thirty, Jesus began three years of activities that changed the course of world history. And if you are now  a Christian, it is likely that what he said and did will change the course of your story too.
In Nazareth, the town in which he grew up, Jesus was making a name for himself as an inspirational speaker. In the synagogue, he preached a rousing sermon about a kingdom that God planned, in which poverty would be eradicated, oppression ended, and everyone would know that God was pl
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| Transformed - Abused, addicted - and rescued |
Faith Dixon should be in prison or dead. Everything was against her, and she sank as low as anyone can. But her life was changed, and she’s a powerful witness to the grace of God.
Faith came to the UK when she was 11 to join her mother, who was already living in this country and had two other children. Her mother’s partner started molesting her, and when she told her mother she was thrown out onto the streets, aged only 13. A victim of the care system, she then went through 10 di
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| Kind of funny |
 Funny man Andy Kind is the clean winner in the smile stakes
The 29-year-old has the last laugh on those who say only blue will do when it comes to raising a chuckle.
Andy is a professional comic who swears his favourite “f” word is funny – and the audiences agree.
Already a favourite on the BBC and the Edinburgh Festival, Andy – a devout Christian – is laughing all the way to the top of his profession.
He is one of a new breed of comics who champion w
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| Ask Y |
WHERE GOD-QUESTIONS ARE PUT TO THE TEST
This month’s question…
I hear Christians often talking about ‘holy’. Does that have anything to do with real life?
A great question. And when it comes to “real life”, to talk about God being ‘holy’ has everything to do with it.
The focus Jesus gave was on “real life” being about knowing – as a friend – the God who made us. And experiencing his help to live the kind of life he has in mind for us. All of which involves taking into account “what
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| Seriously Funny |
Do you think that religion is about knowing all the answers, getting everything right and being just that little bit better  than other people? Anyone who’s genuinely tried the Christian life knows that that isn’t really what it’s like at all. But there are two writers and speakers who put into words the puzzles, worries and irritations of faith today better than anyone else. Their names are Jeff Lucas and Adrian Plass, and they’ve just written a book together.
Serious...
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| Christians Against Poverty |
Getting into trouble with your finances is easy to do, especially if no-one has ever shown you how to manage your money well.
In most cases the problems are not serious. People just need an easy system to keep an eye on what is coming in and what is going out without making life more complicated. With direct debits, credit and debit cards and joint accounts, keeping control is easier said than done.
The good news is that Christians Against Poverty have such a course – done in three
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| Words of the Wives |
Half the world is female – and women figure prominently in the Bible, though usually from the man’s point of view. But a  new book by daughter and mother Abby and Michelle Guinness lets us hear what some of them might have been thinking.
King Solomon was famous for writing the book of Ecclesiastes, and for his wonderful Song, a celebration of love – and for having many wives and concubines. This may have been how one of them reflected on his death…
Isn’t it
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| Food for thought |
 Mike Woods will celebrate his 47th birthday this month with a delicious cake – despite two of his children suffering potentially fatal nut allergies.
Mike quit as managing director of a bakery only last year after more than two decades in the food industry to devote his expertise into pioneering a ‘nut free’ cake business.
And, in spite of the recent recession, he believes God has provided the funding, premises, equipment and staff for his dream to become reality. Indee
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| CultureWatch DVD Review |
Once again, “Release the Kraken,” echoes around Mount Olympus and Perseus takes to the skies o n his flying stallion.
Louis Leterrier’s remake of the 1981 fantasy adventure pits the Greeks against all the gods, sets Perseus (Sam Worthington) against his father (Liam Neeson) and upgrades the hero’s help from a twittering owl to Gemma Arterton.
This is how Worthington summarised the film at its UK première: “It’s me in a dress with a rubber sword k...
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| Footballers under pressure |
 England crashed out of the World Cup after a dismal showing. One suggestion is that they were just too tired, writes Stuart Weir
This month sees the start of the Premier League and domestic football season. “What?” I hear you say. “It’s only five minutes since the World Cup final!”
Football certainly has become an all-year-round activity.
It is generally agreed that too much football is played - taking its toll on players’ bodies - but the commercia...
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