Seven up…

1) What are the bishops saying and doing in response to the end of LLF? – Ian Paul examines the House of Bishop’s statement and prayers as part of their conclusions in the Living in Love & Faith project.

2) The Gospel in Wingfeather – We’re loving Andrew Peterson’s Wingfeather books before bed in our household. This is a great reflection on the way in which they tell ‘the better story’…

3) To the Bored All Things Are Boring – Fascinating piece.

4) He Has Time – Jamie MacDonald – Trigger warning: sexual abuse. This is a stunning song that addresses sexual abuse through the lens of faith.

5) UK Church Decline and Progressive Ideology – This came across my path this week, even though it was first published in May 2022.

6) A Tale of Two Privileges: or, the Existential Choice for the Church of England – Joshua Penduck offers a witty but telling reposte to the situation facing the Church of England.

7) Chili Klaus & Boys Choir On Fire 🔥 – For something a bit different, this will transform your carol services next year… keep watching!

Seven up…

1) Celebrating the life of Brother Andrew (1928-2022) – Brother Andrew, best known as ‘God’s Smuggler’, also the name of his incredible biography, has died aged 94. He founded Open Doors and they testify to God’s work in his amazing life here.

2) ‘Who Am I?’ Faith in Kids material – “Our confused culture is asking children to create their own answers to that question. This pressure to decide everything for themselves robs them of the secure identity that God has given them.” The YouTube teaser looks fab, but the material itself is immense. This 7-week suite of resources helps open up positive conversations with families – study notes, all age talks, activities, visuals, questions and parents handouts to help church communities take on their kids’ biggest questions.

3) BeReal: Authenticity in the Social Media Age – Liam Thatcher reflects on the significance of this popular new photo app offering the chance to ‘BeReal’.

4) Living for Jesus at work – This collection of advice, wisdom & guidance looks like a really helpful resource from Evangelical Alliance, seeking to equip people to live out their Christian faith in their workplaces.

5) Managing Complex Change – I don’t know where this has come from this, but this shows the power of a good diagram to communicate. What is needed to manage complex change – and what happens when one element of the process is missing?

6) Top 5 Heresies Among American Evangelicals – The State of Theology report by Ligonier Ministries has some fascinating findings from a US audience. The write-up from Christianity Today above notes some of the most significant data.

7) Superman Cyclist – For something a bit different, Italian cyclist Michael Guerra’s application of physics and aerodynamics is pretty nuts…

Seven up…

1) Queen Elizabeth II – Lord Michael Farmer writes about remembering her as ‘Elizabeth the Faithful’. Stephen McAlpine reflects on Elizabeth’s funeral calling it ‘One Last Magnificent Porous Day’. Bishop Graham Tomlin reflects on what the nation’s response to her death might mean, arguing it reveals a ‘latent spirituality in the UK’. Peter Stanford reflects in The Guardian on our approach to grief.

2) Pray for Iran – In light of the protests and violence in Iran after the death of Zhina Mahsa Amini, Christians around the world are looking for ways to pray for Iran. This prayer was shared by Elam Ministries, who are serving the Church in Iran. It was written by Asrin, an Iranian Christian leader who, like Zhina Mahsa Amini, is Kurdish and so understands the repression that both Kurds and women have faced in Iran over many decades. You can read the original prayer and learn more about Elam’s work here.

3) How Much Time and Energy Do We Waste Toggling Between Applications? – Interesting tech perspective on how much we ‘toggle’…

4) Divine comedy: the standup double act who turned to the priesthood – This is a fascinating account of Christian conversion, more so because it’s in a UK national newspaper. This paragraph especially stood out: “Recently Jack has started picturing his life as a great house comprised of many rooms. There are rooms for your friendships, your love life, your career, rooms that you put signs outside declaring: I do not want this changed by my religion. Gradually, though, God starts knocking on the doors of more rooms, asking to join you in there, too. “And it’s difficult and painful and annoying,” he told me. But God’s presence also changes your experience of the rooms. You realise this was how they were supposed to look all along. You realise they have become brighter.”

5) Otherness with Jen Wilkin – Fascinating discussion on this podcast about family discipleship on the ‘otherness’ we experience in all seasons of life.

6) 9 lessons from the most watched sermon ever – I got the chance to reflect on Archbishop Justin Welby’s sermon from Monday’s funeral. Here are nine lessons I wanted to take away.

7) How to keep the seat next to you empty – For something a bit different, this seems to work on buses, trains and planes… but what about church?!