iBelieve August 2012 taster by New Life Publishing Co

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iBelie e AUGUST 2012 • Issue 7 • £2.90

THE CHRISTIAN LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

VIEWS

MILTON JONES IS A ONE-OFF! WHY A MAXI DRESS IS ESSENTIAL FOR SUMMER

Joyce Meyer says don’t fear Soul searching with RT Kendall Be loud and proud urges Carl Beech

Natasha Beding ﬁeld HOW POP STAR KEEPS HER SQUEAKY CLEAN IMAGE

FEED A FAMILY FOR A FIVER y(7HC0E9*MKMKKO( +"!:

Plus... a simple salad recipe & BBQ fish tips

Contents

iBelieve August 2012

Pam Rhodes is still on song

INTERVIEWS

54 I wanted more than

Natasha Bedingfield How the pop star backs up her down-to-earth image with her convictions

REAL LIFE

12 ON THE COVER 18

fame Former child prodigy Dax O’Callaghan on his latest work

11 Ex-robber who now

ON THE COVER Dubbed the ‘sultan of surreal’, Mock the Week star Milton Jones reveals his faith

helps cops Darrell Tunningley found out how to change when two ladies from church melted his heart

28 I’m not angry at losing

Still on song after 25 years Songs of Praise presenter Pam Rhodes says her role has been a compelling experience

James The death of Sadie Hurst’s young son devasted her. But she hopes his story will bring hope

48 Medals don’t define me

British Paralympic hopeful AnneWafula Strike is on a mission that’s bigger than her athletics career

FASHION

21 ON THE COVER Live

life to the max! We look at this summer’s wardrobe essential

I was a top model but hit rock bottom Jennifer Strickland reveals how her life changed after finding God

Perfect gift ideas for garden lovers

Why I keep a clean image

DON’T OUR SUMISS SUBSC PER R IP OFFER TION S SEE P5 ... 0

Make a maxi-mum impact this summer!

33 Healthy recipes

iBelieve

FOOD

Why I believe... Health visitor and minister’s wife Jackie Williams

family for a fiver A tasty pasta dish

44 ON THE COVER Fear not,

33 ON THE COVER Feed your 34 ON THE COVER Hail

Caesar! iBelieve chef Emily Roberts loves the simplicity of a classic salad

36 ON THE COVER Give it a

grilling Top tips on how to barbecue fish without things going wrong

ADVICE

God’s on your side Wise words from popular evangelist Joyce Meyer

58 ON THE COVER Be loud

and proud just like me, says men’s minstry leader Carl Beech

FEATURES

26 Savings grace! Despite the

8 Gifts Great ideas for garden lovers 15 Rest days We look at the

16 My favourite things Christian

30 Devotion Knowledge may mean

VIEWS

iReview We choose a great read and top CDs for the summer

economic climate, it’s wise to save

Mandy Smith Our agony aunt helps you solve your problems Know what’s good for you Dr Sharon Kane’s tips on healthy eating

9 How nation was brought to

its knees Why the miracle of Fabrice Muamba is a lesson for football

ON THE COVER I hope I finish the race well Bible teacher RT Kendall does some soul searching

stunning Portugese city of Guimarães

singer Philippa Hanna makes her choices

power but it needs to include love

52 How to... Tell a joke 53 Motoring We take the Citroen DS3 for a drive to see what it’s like

Why medals don’t define Paralympian

iBelieve Magazine is published by New Life Publishing Co, PO Box 777, Nottingham, NG11 6ZZ. PUBLISHING Tel: 0115 824 0777 Email: info@ibelievemagazine.com www.newlifepublishing.co.uk Editor: Peter Wreford All content is copyright and must not be reproduced without prior written permission from the Editor. All rights reserved Printed by Buxton Press, Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6AE. The acceptance of advertising does not indicate editorial endorsement. We welcome your letters and comments regarding any of the issues raised within these pages. Write to the Editor at the above address. Back copies are available while stocks last, at cover price plus £1.00

NEW LIFE

iBelieve

from the editor Has anyone ever thrown a pair of pants at you while you were happily going about your day job? Possibly not. Find out what happens when faith meets fame in the music industry and get Natasha Bedingﬁeld’s take on that rather unusual event – that way you’ll know what to do if it happens to you! Another star whose life is a bit unusual is Milton Jones. Dubbed the ‘sultan of the surreal’, the Christian comic is more famous for splitting sides than hairs, but make no mistake, his faith is as vibrant as his shirts! Once you get past the hilarious hairdo and the aloof stage demeanour, Milton is as endearing and interesting a comedian as you could ever hope to meet. You’ll doubtless be ‘What’s great delighted to know that we’ve picked up about both Milton’s top tips as well Milton and as suggestions from comedians the world Natasha is over and put together that they’re a fascinating guide to full of fun as help you tell a joke. What’s great about well as faith, both Milton and which makes Natasha is that they’re full of fun as well as them perfect faith, which makes them perfect for for iBelieve’ iBelieve where we’re all about Fun, Family and Faith. Neither of them takes life too seriously, but they’re well prepared to stand up for their personal convictions. Faith doesn’t demand that we abandon everything we enjoy. On the contrary, Jesus said he came to give us life, and life to the full! And true faith doesn’t need to fall to pieces, whatever life may throw at us. Sadie Hurst’s story is well worth reading as she coped with the death of her son after years of struggling with cancer. Far from doubting, Sadie says it was her faith that got him – and her – through.

Interview

Natasha BedingďŹ eld

Keeping it clean

iBelieve

Pop is littered with stars whose squeaky clean image turns out to be too good to be true. Not so Natasha Bedingﬁeld the down-to-earth singer who backs up her convictions with action. Mark Wreford reports

atasha Bedingfield’s brand of sugary-sweet pop music forced its way into homes around the globe when she burst onto the scene six years ago. At the time, she was the first English female solo artist to top the US charts for nearly two decades, and her success paved the way for a glut of British popstrels to take the world by storm. What’s a little different about Natasha is that her ‘good girl’ image – unlike so many before and after her – was more than a mere façade. In fact, she undermines many of the stereotypical assumptions about blonde divas with teen audiences. And how many rock stars have you heard of that take a year out of their career because it’s all become a little too self-centred? What’s more, Natasha’s pop career is firmly rooted in her Christian faith. She formed part of DNA Algorithim with her siblings and sang with Hillsong London. That’s not to say that she doesn’t have to cope with the rather unusual challenges of fame. “I was singing at a radio show

ABOVE: Kristin’s biography. BELOW: The singing star published a Christmas CD

in New York, and a boy threw his boxer shorts on to the stage,” she remembers. “I picked them up and they were still warm! That’s gross. Do you think people take knickers to throw, or do they whip them off in the front row? Maybe he was wearing a kilt.” Clearly there’s something a little different about this cockney lass whose vocal talents have earned her comparisons with Amy Winehouse and Joss Stone, but whose lifestyle speaks of something more positive. “From a young age, I was aware of a spiritual dimension,” she says carefully. “It’s a very private thing. Creatively it’s helpful for me. Faith is personal and it comes out in the music. “British music feels real and organic right now,” Natasha says. “Music is easiest to listen to when it comes from a place that is truthful. “When Amy Winehouse sang Rehab, it was wonderful to listen to because it felt as if it came from a real situation. I couldn’t pull that song off. I studied psychology. I could have ended up in rehab but probably as the therapist!” Actually, therapy is something Natasha knows a

Natasha has had plenty of hits

iBelieve

my favourite things Shefﬁeld singer and Christian chart favourite Philippa Hanna explains what makes her tick…

Special shop

I’m not a big designer girl and I love vintage shops where you can get real bargains that you won’t see many other people wearing. I love shopping for clothes like any girl!

Bible verse Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”

Sweetest smell I absolutely love Amor Amor. It’s really sweet and makes me feel all nostalgic but I have no idea why!

Top of the chocs It’s got to be a good old classic Daim bar. They’re really chompy and tasty and I can’t get enough of them!

Desired destination

It has to be Greece. It’s hot and sunny and isn’t as touristy as other places. I love the culture, the language and the food. What a great place to spend a few days relaxing with family! 16

iBelieve

Food

CUT OUT AND KEEP RECIPE PAGES

O F P RE SI C ZZ AG IP L ES IN ES ST G AR SU T MM H ER ER E



High five A great recipe

to feed your family for just a fiver

Broccoli & pesto pasta

f you’re after a cheap dinner to fill up a few, why not go veggie for a night and try our broccoli and pesto pasta dish. Trust us, it’s delicious! All you’ll need is a large broccoli, fresh basil, some grated Parmesan, 500g of pasta – whatever shape and sort you prefer – and four tablespoons of green pesto. The first thing

to do is chop the broccoli. Cut the end off the stalk, chop little florets off the head and then slice the thick stalk up thinly. Next, pick the basil leaves off the stalks, chop them roughly and get rid of the stalks. Now’s a good time to grate your parmesan too. Bring a large saucepan full of water to the boil and pop in the broc-

coli stalks and pasta and cook it for as long as the pasta requires. When it’s got two minutes to go, add the broccoli florets. When the time’s up, drain the pasta and broccoli in a large colander and put it back into the pan. Add the basil leaves, half the cheese and all the pesto and give it a good stir. Serve and sprinkle over your remaining cheese. You might like to serve it with side salad, or some runner beans and carrots.

\ iBelieve

Interview

A real one off!

iBelieve

ABOVE: Milton Jones during a round of ‘Spinning the News’ on Mock The Week

ABOVE: BBC Radio 4 comedy series aired in 2003. BELOW: Two of Milton’s DVDs. His popularity grew out of his decision to hold on to his convictions

Milton Jones is the saviour of the oneliner! Dubbed the ‘sultan of surreal’, he’s known as much for his unusual approach to fashion as he is with wonderful wordplay. If you’re ever going to try to be funny, steal his jokes. He’s a Christian, he won’t mind…

ilton Jones told his first joke to a light fitting at the tender age of eleven. From then on, he knew he was meant to be a light entertainer… If you’re a fan of better jokes than that lame attempt, you’ll probably have heard of the wild-haired ‘lion whisperer’ Milton Jones. The genius within some of the most exotic shirts to have graced the set of BBC’s comedy news quiz Mock the Week is genuinely funny, as the thousands who have seen him tour can attest. Milton’s approach to clever comedy is a little less average, however. Heavily inﬂuenced by his Christian faith, his language is distinctly less colourful than his shirts. He relies rather on wordplay and smart puns to tickle the intellectual funny bone of the masses. It’s a style which has helped form his popular approach, but it grew out of his unwillingness to divorce his convictions from his comedy. “I’m a Christian, so

I don’t swear or blaspheme,” he explains. “When I started stand-up I found I needed to be as accessible as possible. Even early on I picked up gigs that other comics wouldn’t have been asked to do: schools, some charity gigs. I was comfortable with it. “If you’re able to develop a style out of being clean then you can be accepted by a wide variety of people. “I can’t see the point of shocking people for shock’s sake. If you are going to be shot for something, make sure it’s worth being shot for. The danger of shock tactics is that you paint yourself into a corner. The next thing you do has to be even more shocking. Where does it end?” A married father of three, Milton is as likely to play a stand-up routine in a church as he is a top theatre. He originally thought about being an actor but got his big comic break at the 1996 Edinburgh Festival. He scooped the prestigious Perrier Best Newcomer Award and followed it a year

iBelieve

Interview

ABOVE: Pam Rhodes with her Songs of Praise co-presenter Aled Jones. RIGHT: Pam has been on the show for 25 years

Fronting Songs Of Praise has been a compelling and powerful experience, says presenter Pam Rhodes

Still on song after 25 years

he may have interviewed some of the world’s biggest names but it is the ‘ordinary’ folk who Pam Rhodes really enjoys meeting as part of her role in Britain’s longest running religious series, Songs Of Praise. Pam, who has been presenting the much-loved Sunday afternoon treat for 25 years, says that working on the show has been a great pleasure and has enriched her life in more ways than she could ever 42

iBelieve

have imagined. “I’ve absolutely loved working on Songs Of Praise,” she smiles. “It’s a lovely show and has really enhanced my life and faith. I’ve interviewed all kinds of famous people which has been wonderful but it’s the ‘people next door’ that I’ve really loved meeting. “Every ‘ordinary’ person is extraordinary and as an interviewer, it’s been such a great pleasure. The privilege of my position means that I’m able to ask people the

questions that most people would never normally ask and get right to the nub of the matter. “The fact that people are so generous and trusting about what has happened to them in their lives is incredibly humbling and a great intimacy is usually created with them as a result of my interview.” The TV presenter says that the show has only helped to strengthen her faith. Being constantly exposed to the power of faith

Motors

French fancy!

itroen was once known for oddball cars. Many were groundbreaking – such as the big DS of the 50s, with technology light years ahead of the rest – but they were packaged in a way that can be nicely summed up as quirky! Over the past two decades, however, they haven’t been as exciting as the days of the 2CV, and Citroen started to lose ground – its Berlingo and C4 Picasso aside. The French firm began to get a reputation for offering motors from the boring bargain basement floor. With the original C3 in need of replacement, which was as dull as it was dire, something needed to be done. So, welcome to the DS3. It’s a small hatchback that has quite radical looks. And Citroen have continued that rebellious streak by replacing its chevron logo at the rear with a new DS badge – which it also does on its standard squared off sports steering wheel. The looks are quite radical too; certainly a lot different to the slabby C3. The Bpillar, for example, (that’s the one midway

along the car) gives the appearance of disappearing into the roof. And for all those who love bling, you can ask for the DS3 to come in a host of colour combinations. The black roof adds to the feeling that the small Citroen has lost its top. It is certainly a statement piece. Inspired I reckon, by the Mini, it’s the perfect alternative for those who want something a bit different from the all-too-common little BMW. And it’s also a little cheaper. Prices start about the same (£12,000), but Citroen still loves discounts, so you’ll pick up a better bargain than from Mini. It really does look different and I like the fact that it’s one in the eye for its rivals Mini and Fiat 500, where both makers have fallen back on retro looks as they seem to fear daring and forward-looking exteriors. Even the properly-integrated LED daylight running lights are dramatic! Inside, the looks aren’t quite as radical, but they are modern. The plastics also boast a quality feel, something Citroen has fallen down on in the past.

The interior isn’t huge, but there’s more room than in a Mini. My test car came with the 1.6 diesel engine but for my money go for the basic petrol if you really want a DS3. The diesel is flawed around town. With long gearing, you feel like a sitting duck leaving roundabouts in second gear. You’ve got to work hard at the gears around town in the diesel – it’s much better for motorways. The nose of the diesel also feels heavy. Coupled with steering that doesn’t inspire, the understeer will scare the life out of you if you try to push it too hard round even the slightest bend. I’d also say the clutch pedal’s too high to be comfy and the seatbelts don’t adjust, which is odd. I guess that’s to accommodate those funky B-pillars. The steering wheel and seat adjusted in my test car, but without the belts adjusting it failed to be comfortable. And the driving position feels more like an MPV than a sporty little number. The DS3, then, is like a French fancy. It looks tempting, but bite into the cake and you find something a tad more ordinary than you were expecting!

Photography: David Blakelock

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VIEWS

Joyce Meyer says don’t fear Soul searching with RT Kendall Be loud and proud urges Carl Beech

MILTON JONEF!S IS A ONE-OF WHY A MA XI DRESS IS ESSENTIAL FOR SUMMER

Natasha Beding ﬁeld HER HOW POP STAR KEEPSAGE IM N EA CL Y SQUEAK

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