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That Happy Certainty - Gospel | Culture | Planting
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Introducing Christmas Carols Radio

Everyone loves a good Carol Service, right?

Once that crisp December feeling is in the air, there’s few things more ‘Christmassy’ than trotting off to the local church, with candles out and mince pies warming, and then belting out all the classics: Hark the Herald Angels, O Little Town of Bethlehem, and, of course, O Come All Ye Faithful.

Well, now imagine if that carol service experience had been bottled up and condensed into an online radio station! Ok, so you’d need your own tea lights and mince pies, but imagine if, in just the click of a button, you could stream pure unadulterated Christmas into your very own lounge, or have it on in the background whilst you’re on the computer.

Thankfully, that dream has now been made a reality by a good mate of mine and all-round-legend, Ben Vane, with the recent launch of Christmas Carols Radio! Having previously worked for Capital and Heart FM, Ben set up the station after three years of planning with his wife, as well as the help of his sister, Emma Vane, who is a voice artist and actress working in radio and television.

Ben describes Christmas Carols Radio as “like a rolling Carol Service”: back-to-back carols, intermingled with occasional Bible readings from the Christmas nativity story (courtesy of Emma) and short reflections (courtesy of Ben, combining his vicar-training and love for radio!).

And thankfully it is totally free to stream.

Listen to Christmas Carols using the button below, and why not share it with your friends and loved ones this Christmas too. You could even have it on in the background whilst you’re unwrapping presents and tucking into the turkey!

Ben also manages to present on Premier Radio in his spare time, running their Hope in the Night show.

 

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December 5, 2014by Robin Ham
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15 excellent videos for Christmas & Advent 2014

** Click here to read my 2015 list. **

Increasingly many churches and individuals are putting time and energy into making creative film pieces for the Christmas season, whether to be played at Carol Services and the like, or shared online. After last year’s collection, here’s my 2014 list:

If you know of any others that are worth sharing, do pop them in the comments below.

1. Santa vs Jesus – Glen Scrivener

Thought-provoking spoken-word piece taking a look at popular conceptions of God.

2. God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman – Beat Convention (Andy Dykes)

Andy Dykes is church mission worker in Carlisle who has put together a new twist to this traditional Christmas carol.

3. Come Home for Christmas – UCCF

Spoken word piece musing on the idea of ‘going home for Christmas’. Often ‘going home’ doesn’t live up to expectations, or just isn’t an option for some of us. What if there was another home we can go to?

4. Joseph – Spoken Truth 

Dai Woolridge’s 2013 piece – I really enjoyed this. He’s also got the Christmas Chord – both available here.

5. The Christmas Story – Children from St Paul’s, Auckland.

Very cute and fun – I can imagine using this in family events. If you’re a big fan of Flight of the Conchords you’ll probably particularly enjoy it…

6. Christmas in a Nutshell – Dan Stevers

Dan has a number of visual text pieces set to music, including this one. More available here.

7. Christmas in Dark Places – Glen Scrivener

Glen’s 2013 piece takes seriously the fact that sometimes Christmas just doesn’t feel that merry.

8. Mary, Did You Know? – Pentatonix

Stunning acapella version of another Christmas classic that leaves you with the resounding question, ‘Who is Jesus?’

9 & 10. Mikey the Penguin & Tommy the Tiger – St Andrew’s the Great, Cambridge & St Thomas’ Norwich

You’ve got to be pretty speedy to do a carol service promo video based on the John Lewis advert, so well done StAG and St Thomas’!

11. That’s Christmas – St Helen’s, Bishopsgate

A stimulating piece filmed on the streets of London, from a few years ago.

12. The Power of Love – Christmas Starts With Christ

A short and simple, but clever and thought-provoking film.

As Steve Clifford from CSWC says, the film is a response to the various supermarket Christmas ads: “Each ad is trying to claim they have the ‘magic’ of Christmas and that if you shop with them then you will experience it. But it is not celebrities singing about turkeys, nostalgic chocolate bars or happy penguins that lie at the heart of Christmas.”

13 & 14. Hallelujah & Go, Tell It On the Mountain – Cloverton

Cloverton have a habit of impromptu coffee shop Christmassy gigs, and here’s their popular reworked version of the Leonard Cohen classic Hallulujah from 2013, with new lyrics, and this year’s Go, Tell it on the Mountain.

15. The Story of Trees – Dave Crofts

Spoken-word piece from Dave Crofts & Christ Church Central, telling the story of Christianity, the story of Christmas, through the story of trees. Bet you didn’t see that coming!

 

Let me know in the comments below if you’re aware of others that should make the list!

For a few more short films, check out my list from 2013.

On a similar vein, check out Christmas Carols Radio, a great online radio station playing carols interspersed with encouraging Christmas Bible readings and reflections. More on that later!

 

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November 27, 2014by Robin Ham
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If I Should Die Think Only This

Another excellent spoken word short-film from Glen Scrivener, this time for Remembrance Day.

For more info see here.

 

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November 4, 2014by Robin Ham
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About Me

Hello, my name is Robin. Welcome to That Happy Certainty, where I write and collate on Christianity, culture, and church-planting. I’m based in Barrow in South Cumbria, England, where my family & I are part of Grace Church Barrow.

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“If we could be fully persuaded that we are in the good grace of God, that our sins are forgiven, that we have the Spirit of Christ, that we are the beloved children of God, we would be ever so happy and grateful to God. But because we often fear and doubt we cannot come to that happy certainty.”
- Martin Luther

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