Seven up…

1) Spiritual Disciplines for Dark Days – Some helpful and helpfully honest reflections on forming disciplines that help us through this difficult season, when we’re all prone to discouragement, despair and division.

2) Bridgerton, Beauty, and #RelationshipGoals – Maybe you’re one of the 63 million households worldwide who, since Christmas Day, have been streaming the escapist world of Bridgerton on Netflix? I’ve been glued to The Queen’s Gambit so haven’t given it a watch, but a bit like Game of Thrones, I know people who’ve hit the ‘fast-forward’ button fairly regularly, as well as people who have switched off after one episode (for a range of reasons!). This reflection on the series from Alianore Smith, including Bridgerton’s attraction and it’s unspoken questions, seems helpful.

3) Be part of singing a new song for Easter 2021 – but register today! – Really appreciated Joyful Noise’s ‘Comfort and Joy’ song over Christmas. This explains how to be part of their Easter 2021 song, but you need to respond today, Sunday.

4) Let us redefine evangelicalism after the Trump presidency – Good to see Gav Calver of the Evangelical Alliance reflect in yesterday’s The Times on the way this ‘E-word’ has become distorted for us in the UK by its status in the US (if you hit the paywall, Gav has tweeted the article text here). It remains a tricky word to use outside of ‘in house’ conversations, and even amongst Christians in the UK is often defined stylistically rather than theologically. (Frustrating to see The Times add to the confusion by mistakenly using the word ‘evangelism’ in the headline too, but perhaps symptomatic of the religious illiteracy that surrounds such topics in the public square.) Also reflecting on the situation, but from that side of the pond, is Russell Moore, who has been vilified for speaking out against a politicised distortion of Christianity in his nation. This article, which he published last week, is well worth a read.

5) Joni Eareckson Tada COVID Health Update – I was sharing a bit about Joni in last week’s teaching at church from James 1, and hadn’t heard she’d struggled with COVID. Incredibly encouraging as always.

6) A Pox on All Our Houses – Appreciated this conversation between Glen Scrivener and Paul Blackham on how the Church is responding to the pandemic.

7) Man Shovelling Snow on a Unicycle Dressed as Darth Vader with Flaming Bagpipes – For something a bit different, I’m guessing you probably didn’t realise how much you needed this in your life until you saw it, right?

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