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.

Seven up…

1) The Greatest Event in the World – Tidy little video from Christians in Sport, perhaps to use in church or similar picking up on the World Cup theme.

2) Grenfell Tower One Year On: an Interview with Those on the Frontline – Heart-wrenching interview with two Christians who witnessed the aftermath and relief efforts of Grenfell.

3) Free album: Holding Fast – This collection of songs was curated for The Gospel Coalition’s Women’s Conference and has some excellent artists on it – you can download it for free for a limited time.

4) The Magical Birth Canal – Powerful little video that’s been doing the rounds on social media this week.

5) Rachel Jankovic: Community and Accountability – Ok, so Zoe pointed this in my direction and reckons it’s a must-watch for those discipling women – although much applies to the whole church. It’s a 44-minute talk given by author Rachel Jankovic, taken from the women’s pre-event at a conference called Grace Agenda 2018, but essentially here’s the rub: if you care about Bible reading, developing church communities of accountability, and growing disciples that persevere in the task of immersing themselves in God’s word, then I think this is worth 44 minutes of your time. It’s certainly got us talking in our house.

6) Asking Questions in Leadership – Michael Hyatt explores the importance of this topic with a series of short exploratory articles, e.g. how do we ask better questions and create a culture of curiosity in our leadership?

7) The science behind why ‘Three Lions’ is the perfect World Cup song – For something a bit different, because I assume you’ve all got this on repeat ahead of Monday night?!

On the Blog this Week:

Creature Of The Word: Church-Planting with Luther

Seven up…

1) Joy Through Suffering – An Interview with Paul Perkin – Powerful interview with Paul, speaking a few days after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. Paul died and went to be with the Lord in April 2018.

2) Moving our Congregations to More Effective Evangelism – The reality is many of our churches grow through ‘transfer-growth’ rather than new believers. This has some helpful wisdom on encouraging people to ‘get out into the world’.

3) How Tolkien created Middle-earth – How do you create a whole new world? Interesting article about a new Tolkien book and exhibition in Oxford.

4) The failed abortion survivor whose mum thought she was dead – Just remarkable.

5) Liz Vice’s New Album – Vice’s debut album, There’s A Light, was one of my favourite recommendations a few years back – particularly because at the time you could download it for free on Noisetrade. As Vice explains, that record was “supposed to be a one-off thing—that we give away for free, that talks about Jesus, proclaims the gospel. Making music that isn’t cheesy, shove-it-down-your-throat, unrealistic kind of music. Then it just took off.” Now you can listen or purchase the follow-up, Save Me.

6) Why Most of What You Believe About Poverty Is Wrong – Mez McConnell shares his experiences as he reviews a recent influential book by Mauricio Miller and evaluates its impact for ministry.

7) The Weird, Dangerous, Isolated Life of the Saturation Diver – For something a bit different, when did you last consider what it was like to be a saturation diver…