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Team Talk
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Becoming a Christian
There is no set formula to becoming a Christian, but many people have found saying this prayer to be a helpful first step to a relationship with God
Lord Jesus Christ, I am truly sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. Please forgive me. I now turn from everything that I know is wrong. Thank you that you died on the cross for me so that I could be forgiven and set free. Thank you that you offer me forgiveness and the gift of your Holy Spirit. Please come into my life by your Holy Spirit to be with me for ever. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen
Extract from Why Jesus? by Nicky Gumbel published by Alpha International, 2011. Used by kind permission of Alpha International
’ talk‘ Team talk TEAM TALK Princess sees her learning difficulty as a ‘gift’
Claire Brine gives her take on a story catching the attention of War Cry reporters
IT’S only natural for Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi to think about the arrival of their first child and wonder which of them he or she wiil look like most. But, according to Hello! magazine, the royal couple are also wondering whether their baby – due in the autumn – will take after them by developing dyslexia. It’s a condition that both parents live with, and is thought to run in families.
The Queen’s granddaughter told the magazine that, in her experience, having the learning difficulty was never a ‘lesser than’ scenario.
‘It was always about what you could do,’ she said. ‘Never about what you can’t.’
Beatrice went on to explain that she wanted to change the narrative on dyslexia, because it is limiting to see it as a negative condition which affects people’s reading, writing and spelling. It was always ‘Even referring to it as a diagnosis I feel does a about what disservice to the brilliance of some of the most fantastic minds that we have,’ she said. you could do A bit of googling reveals that some of the ‘fantastic minds’ whose dyslexia hasn’t held them back include Steven Spielberg, Muhammad Ali and Keira Knightley. Even Albert Einstein is believed to have lived with the condition.
On another occasion this year when Beatrice spoke out about her dyslexia, she revealed that while she had ‘wished it away’ as a child, she now saw it as a ‘tremendous gift’.
It’s a perspective I find interesting. I suppose there are lots of experiences that we go through and, at the time, wish we didn’t have to. Life can be hard, and many of us want it to be easy. But I also know in my own life that some of the most painful circumstances have led to beauty that I couldn’t have imagined. I would never have chosen for my dad to die when I was a teenager, but as a result of his death I grew even closer to my mum, sharing honest conversations with her that I would not change for the world.
When life is unpredictable and appears unkind, I hope we have the courage to look for another perspective. Because we don’t want to miss out on finding a tremendous gift.
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