Rick Warren returns to pulpit after son's suicide!

Nearly four months after his son's suicide, popular pastor Rick Warren returned to the pulpit Saturday afternoon at the Southern California megachurch he founded.

 

Warren, dressed in his usual casual black T-shirt and jeans, took the stage at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. with wife, Kay Warren, and was greeted with a long standing ovation by the congregation.

A shout of "We love you!" came from the crowd before Warren began.
"I love you, too," a smiling Warren replied. "Have I told you lately that I love you?"

It was the first time Warren had taken the Saddleback pulpit since his 27-year-old son Matthew shot and killed himself on April 5.

In the sermon, first in a series called "How To Get Through What You're Going Through," Rick Warren said he had the perfect role model for his struggles. "God knows what it's like to lose a son," Warren said.

He remained mostly composed, but choked back tears at times, including when he thanked his surviving two children.

"How proud I was of Amy and Josh, who for 27 years loved their younger brother," Warren said. "They talked him off the ledge time after time. They are really my heroes."

He delivered a formal, prepared speech with notes and quotes from Scripture but often broke off to talk frankly about his son.
"I was in shock for at least a month after Matthew took his life," Warren said.
But, Warren said he was grateful to come from "a family of spiritual redwoods."
"Satan picked the wrong team to pick on," he said.


Warren has been an essential figure in the modern, megachurch brand of Christianity.

His multimillion-selling book "The Purpose Driven Life" made him a national star in the realms of religion and self-help, and he delivered the opening prayer at President Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration.

Saddleback, the church he founded in 1980, has grown to 20,000 members, according to Warren's biography on the church's website.
But in April, Matthew Warren, after a lifetime of struggle with depression, shot and killed himself in what Warren at the time called "a momentary wave of despair."

"For 27 years I prayed every day of my life for God to heal my son's mental illness," Warren said.

But Warren said Saturday that he intended to turn his grief into a message of service and hope.
"God wants to take your greatest sorrow and turn it into your life's greatest message," he said.

Austrian flap over bell dedicated to Hitler!

Like many others in Austria's countryside, a tower bell above the red-tiled rooftops of Wolfpassing village marks the passing of each hour with an unspectacular "bong." But this bell is unique: It is embossed with a swastika and praise to Adolf Hitler.

 

And unlike more visible remnants of the Nazi era, the bell was apparently overlooked by official Austria up to now.
Ensconced in the belfry of an ancient castle where it was mounted by fans of the Nazi dictator in 1939, the bell has tolled on for nearly 80 years. It survived the defeat of Hitler's Germany, a decade of post-war Soviet occupation that saw Red Army soldiers lodge in the castle and more recent efforts by Austria's government to acknowledge the country's complicity in crimes of that era and make amends.

Some of those efforts have focused on identifying relics of that time and ensuring they're either removed or put in historical context. As an example, officials often cite government moral and material support for the restoration of the Mauthausen concentration camp, where a museum documents atrocities for school children and other visitors.

The Wolfpassing bell pays homage to Hitler for his 1938 annexation of Austria, a move supported back then by the vast majority of the nation's citizens. It describes Hitler as "the unifier and Fuehrer of all Germans" and says he freed the "Ostmark" — Nazi jargon for Austria — "from the yoke of suppression by foreign elements and brought it home into the Great-German Reich."

a visitor looks at a crematory of the former Nazi concentrate

Local historian Johannes Kammerstaetter says most villagers would have known about it. But village mayor Josef Sonnleitner asserts even the villagers had no clue until the first media reports last month on the "Fuehrerglocke," or "Fuehrer Bell."

"Nobody cared until all this publicity," he said on the telephone. He refused a request for a longer interview, saying he was busy for the next two weeks with haying.

In any case, the government's recent sale of the castle — with all its historical trappings — has suddenly made the bell an issue beyond the sleepy village of 1,500 people about 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Vienna.
In a country particularly sensitive about suggestions it has not fully faced its Nazi past, officials are scrambling for explanations of why the bell apparently evaded notice for so long. They also are under pressure to justify a ruling by the government agency in charge of historic monuments that it must remain part of the castle as part of its heritage— despite the refusal of the new owner to say what he plans to do with it.

Propagating Nazi values or praising the era is illegal in Austria. Kammerstaetter, the historian, has formally asked state prosecutors to examine whether the government's sale of the bell is a criminal offence. He says the change of ownership could constitute a case of "spreading National Socialist ideology" on the part of the government agency in charge of state-owned property

Raimund Fastenbauer

 
Raimund Fastenbauer, a senior official of Vienna's Jewish community, invokes other concerns, noting that other Hitler-era relics like the dictator's house of birth in the western town of Braunau have become a magnet for neo-Nazis.
"I think the best thing would be if the bell disappeared and was buried somewhere," he says.

For its part, the government says that the sale was legal, along with the decision to keep the bell in the belfry as an integral component of the castle.
Economics Minister Reinhold Mitterlehner says the agency overseeing the sale was not aware of the inscription.
He notes in a letter to Kammerstaetter that "the bell up to now was neither publicly displayed nor generally accessible," adding that he does not see the sale as constituting a criminal offense.

Ernst Eichinger, a spokesman for the agency responsible for government real-estate, says that with a portfolio of more than 28,000 buildings — many of them huge — "we cannot search every centimeter" before a sale.
Concerns are heightened by the lack of clarity about what the new owner, Tobias Hufnagl, plans to do with the relict. Two web domains linked to him or his holding company, hufnagel.cc and thinvestments.com, did not open.
Sonnleitner, the Wolfpassing mayor, says has not been able to directly contact Hufnagl, despite weeks of trying.

In a terse email this week responding to numerous Associated Press queries seeking permission to film the bell and asking about its fate, Hufnagl said he had "no interest" in exchanges with the AP.

A 'Skinny Mirror' that has been acclaimed to make you look TEN POUNDS lighter!

Entrepreneur Belinda Jasmine has come up with a cunning alternative to cosmetic surgery - a mirror that makes people look almost a stone slimmer than they actually are.


 

And on reflection, this invention could be a girl's new best friend.
The Skinny Mirror uses curved glass to trick users into appearing up to 10lbs lighter, delivering a welcome boost of self confidence.

The concave curve in the glass has been specially designed to flatter, promising to give users a spring in their step after they see their fine-tuned reflection.
Graphic designer Belinda claims her invention, which is priced at around £116, is a safe alternative to cosmetic surgery and cosmetics - and says her motto 
is 'you only look as good as you feel'.


 

The company describe themselves as 'a new company on a mission to increase people's confidence and self-image with an every day traditional furniture piece that gives you a "not-so-traditional" perspective.'

After carrying out studies, the company found that our self-image is directly tied to our energy levels, feelings of competence and ‘perceived’ attractiveness.

'Nothing is more gorgeous than the self-assurance that comes from feeling good in your own skin.

'The Skinny Mirror compliments you every time you look in it, boosting confidence and improving self-image before you walk out the door,' they say.

'It’s the same feeling you get when someone tells you, “You look nice today”.
'Some customers claim with daily use of The Skinny Mirror, they have become less obsessed with losing weight and more focused on eating healthy and exercising, resulting in healthier and happier weight loss.'

As an avid surfer and health enthusiast, Belinda's was fed up with not feeling like she looked good in any of her outfits and believed she had a 'fat mirror'.
Although she knew it was the mirror that made her look bigger, she still found herself believing that she was bigger then she actually was.

 
 

She puts this down to body dysmorphia - a common condition where a person does not see what they actually look like when they look in the mirror.
She explains: 'I used The Skinny Mirror prototype for weeks before I committed to do start The Skinny Mirror company. 


'Over time, I felt how it affected my self-image. I stood up taller, felt sexier, and wanted to dress cuter. It was important for me to make this available to individuals so that they too might have an improved body-image

'The mirror has had plenty of attention online since it surfaced on the Kickstarter earlier this year, with some applauding it for giving women a confidence boost every day, but others saying it deceives

As Belinda states in her company philosophy on the website: 'If we can give you a little extra confidence before you take the world on in the morning, we’ve done our job.'

Critics of The Skinny Mirror - which is hand crafted in the United States - have said that it is a deception of what you truly look like.
One blogger known as The Shrinking Geek, wrote: 'Is it lying or motivating? I think it is both and the harm or usefulness come in its use.
'Stores that use these mirrors should be ashamed but for the average person, if you have a real truthful mirror and the Skinny Mirror, enjoy.
'Personally, if I had the money, I might get one because I think this is a safe little lie we can tell ourselves.
'So much of our day is filled with us hating ourselves in private that a secret mirror might be a the treat we need to keep going.

2face & Annie Idibia's 4 year old daughter makes Nollywood debut!

Four year old Isabella Idibia has followed her mother's footsteps

 



She made her acting debut this week in the movie 'Unconditional' produced by Uche Jombo. 


Pic Below: Isabella on set recently. 

 



Cute Isabella Idibia is obviously making her parents proud.

 

 

DJ Khaled's Marriage Proposal to Nicki Minaj: "I Was Serious"!

DJ Khaled is reportedly putting his heart on the line all in the name of Nicky Minaj! While at MTV News on Thursday, July 25, the 37-year-old recorded a special video message to the "Super Bass" singer, confessing his major crush on her. 

 

"Nicki Minaj, I’m at MTV, I’m going to be honest with you; I love you. I like you, I want you, I want you to be mine," he said in the video.
  "Only reason I'm not telling you this face to face is because I understand that you're busy." 
He continued, "I feel like you need a man like me in your life … we got the same symptoms, we’re both suffering from success. [If] you gotta take your time and think about it, I understand, but I know I have to be here today to let you know how serious I am and how serious this is to me."

The hip hop star finished the video with a very public, if not romantic, proposal: "Nicki Minaj, will you marry me?" he asked, flashing a reported $500,000 10-carat ring for the singer.



While Minaj, 30, hasn't responded to the proposal yet, he told a U.S based magazine exclusively at a screening of Magic City for friend, rapper Rick Ross, on Friday, July 26, at Eventi Hotel in N.Y.C. that he was 100 percent serious in the video.
"I want to marry her! I was serious," he told Us, adding that he hopes to hear from the former American Idol judge soon. "She can take her time and think about it. At least she knows how I feel now."

On July 26, Khaled posted a screenshot via Instagram of Minaj from his "Take It To The Head" video and captioned the pic, "Beautiful."

JUSTIN BIEBER Caught in the Act!

Here it is ... hard proof Justin Bieber is a revolting, germ-spreading spitter.


The photos were snapped Thursday in Toronto, where Bieber was perched atop his hotel balcony. We can't tell what, or who, was directly under him as he dropped his saliva-bomb.

It is worth noting ... hordes of fans were gathered outside the window of his hotel room all day -- he even posted a Bieberview pic on Instagram. 

47 year old grandma says she wants cosmetic surgery to make her look older!

This woman is the mother of former Channel O VJ Nonhle Thema's baby daddy, Arthur Bolton. 




Grandmother Anne Bolton wants to have cosmetics surgery to make her look older because at 47 years old, she hasn't seen any sign of aging; no wrinkles, no greying hair, no sagging.



The mother-of-four says she is constantly being mistaken for a woman half her age, and says looking like a 20-year-old is actually ruining her life - and now she's thinking about having cosmetic surgery to make herself look older. Anne says that her youthful looks have ruined a marriage and two long-term relationships, as younger men constantly chat her up
You think she looks way younger than her age?


She also believes jealous friends have abandoned her because she makes them look older.



Her eldest son, who has recently become a father, hates being seen with her after being mistaken for her boyfriend.

Anne's son Arthur Bolton with TV personality Nonhle Thema and their son.

Now size eight Anne fears her youthful looks will mean a lifetime of loneliness because she only ever gets chatted up by toyboys she has nothing in common with.

She says: 'Everyone wants to look younger but I'm not joking or exaggerating when I say looking young is ruining my life. I would do anything for a few wrinkles to look my age.
'Why I have none is a mystery to me but the older I get, the bigger the problem becomes for me. I need someone to invent the reverse of Botox because I'm desperate to look older.'

Anne married her first husband at the age of 24, but within a few years they were bickering over her looks.

She said: 'I was in my late twenties but my husband noticed much younger men looking at me and he started to get jealous.
'I wasn't interested, but as the years passed I remained looking the same age and he looked older, which led to even more rows.
'We were the same age but he hated people thinking he'd married a younger woman so I did my best to dress older.'
Eventually it drove them apart. And despite having two sons together - Arthur, now 25, and 19-year-old Kevin - they got divorced when Anne, who also does some work as a TV extra, was 32.
Four years later, she embarked on a long-term relationship with her second partner, who worked for the Royal Mail.

He was just two years older than Anne who, at 36, was often taken for a twenty-something.

She says: 'At first he loved it and complimented me on my appearance. He said he was proud to be with me.
'But soon the looks from younger guys triggered arguments. But what could I do about it?'

The couple had two sons - Joshua, now 13, and seven-year-old Jacob - yet even being a busy mother-of-four took no toll on Anne's looks.
She reveals: 'When he was 42 I still looked 22. People didn't believe I had four children.
'He hated people asking if he was my dad or brother. I could see the way things were going again.
I would have changed it if I could, only there is no operation to make you look older.'

After five years together, the couple split up and Anne feared she would never find love again.

She says: 'I was only chatted up by young guys. At first it was flattering but then it got boring.
'They want to talk about cars and nightclubs but I needed something more. There's no way I would date someone the same age as my son. Toyboys do not interest me at all.'

Eventually, aged 42, Anne met a 32-year-old.
He was mature enough for her yet, she hoped, young enough not to be concerned over her looks. But she soon faced exactly the same problems.

She said: 'People would stare at us as if we shouldn’t be together. He even got called a dirty old man. Nobody would believe I was a decade older than him and men would approach me to chat me up when I was with him because they thought he couldn't possibly be my partner.
'It became a nightmare. I was even accused of being a gold-digger because it looked like I was with a much older man. It was driving us both mad. It led to rows. It was like history repeating itself.'
Earlier this year, after five years together, they split up. Anne revealed: 'Once again I found myself alone. I was heartbroken that my life was being so badly affected by the way I looked.'

She has since struggled to meet any men her own age but has no shortage of offers from men 20 years younger.
She says 'People think that must be great but I am a grown woman with four sons. I don't want to date a kid. I want a real man, but men my age don't want to date me because it makes them look like perverts. I feel caught in a trap and I don’t know what to do.'

It's not just her love life that has suffered because of her youthful appearance. Anne used to enjoy shopping trips with eldest son Arthur, but he got fed up of his mum being mistaken for his girlfriend - making it impossible for him to meet anyone either.

Anne says: 'Girls just assumed he was taken. He found it embarrassing to have to explain to them I was his mother.
'I couldn’t believe that me looking young was stopping both me and my son from meeting anyone.'

Friendships have also been wrecked by jealousy over her looks. She says: 'As they started to look older and I just looked younger, my friends saw me as a threat to them.

'Their husbands would tell me how young I looked and it annoyed them so they stopped inviting me out. It wasn't my fault but what could I do?
'Women my own age think standing next to me makes them look old. I can see them looking me up and down - I've even been called a bitch.
'So I have to hang around with much younger women. They are good fun but deep down we're not into the same things. Some are younger than my son but what choice do I have?
'Because of the way I look I don’t feel I fit in anywhere - with young people, or those my own age. I bring out the bitchy side in women so I'm scared to try to make new friends.'

Anne, who uses just soap and water and Palmer's face cream, has even started examining her face in the mirror in the hope of finding a wrinkle.

She admits: 'Most women dread them while I am desperate to find just one. But my face and body are totally smooth.
'I’ve lost count of the times people have asked me if I could bottle my secret and sell it - I'd be a millionaire if I could.'