Seven up…

1) What To Do Instead of Freaking Out – Emma Scrivener with some earthed wisdom.

2) Free eBook: ‘Not Yet Married’ – This weekend only you can download Marshall Segal’s new book free of charge. As the commendations put it, “For years, I’ve longed for a book I could recommend without hesitation to single men and women. My wait is over. This is a book not just about waiting well or about preparing for marriage. This is a book about God and his glory, before it is a field guide for the not yet married. That will be its sticking power.”

3) GAFCON 2018 – This past week saw the largest gathering of Anglicans for 50 years, the third Global Anglican Futures Conference (GAFCON), held in Jerusalem. If anything, the gathering has demonstrated that those participating see the network as much more than a mere one-issue “ginger group,” as it was infamously described in General Synod in February. The week concluded with a fairly extensive closing statement, a Letter to the Churches, which you can read here. Headlines include urging the Archbishop of Canterbury to invite to the 2020 Lambeth Conference the Anglican Church in North America and the Anglican Church in Brazil, as well as the formation of nine strategic international networks focused on different areas of ministry. Some of the English delegation (which included only 2 current English bishops, out of the 333 international bishops present) share their thoughts on the positivity of the statement in this short video here. Another notable development for Brits was Rico Tice’s explanation of why he’s resigned from the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Evangelism Task Force.

4) Actor Chris Pratt talks about God at MTV Awards and gets 30 million views – Pratt’s speech as he picked-up MTV’s Generation Award this week saw him unashamedly share his Christian faith through 9 Jordan Peterson-style ‘tips for life’, ranging from the goofy to the quite stunningly sublime. The link above includes some thoughts on how to engage with Pratt’s speech at youth groups, etc.

5) Tim Keller in Parliament – In an address to the National Prayer Breakfast in Parliament, attended by Prime Minister Theresa May, pastor and write Tim Keller spoke to 140 MPs about the importance of Christians standing apart from culture – and being legally protected to be able to do so.

6) Diversity in the Local Church – Adrian Reynolds reports back from this week’s City to City Conference which addressed the topical issue of church diversity, especially in the spheres of ethnicity and class.

7) Do You Have A Favourite Poem? For something a bit different, spend half an hour trawling through the most delightful comments section you’ll ever see.