The Saturday Refill – 7 Links for the Weekend (20/2/16)

Plunge that press, stir those granules, or order another sugar-bomb-in-a-cup-with-your-name-scribbled-on (depending on where you’d place yourself on the coffee-snob spectrum of course). Here’s 7 links for the weekend:

1) You wouldn’t notice unless you were looking for it – A powerful and personal testimony from Emily, a Christian living with a long-term muscular neurological disorder. Encouraging to read of her trust in God, and eye-opening to see what others are going through.

2) The First Question Every Sermon has to Answer – A simple but important word to preachers (myself very much included) from Chris Green, a church leader in London and one of my lecturers when I was at theological college.

3) How to Commune with Christ on a Crazy Day – Some good advice for when it’s been a bit manic.

4) What Conservative Gay Christians Want – I find it really encouraging to see this sort of article in The Spectator. In all the debates about sexuality it often seems like we forget these voices.

5) Order, Freedom and Human Flourishing – In the delightful world of the Church of England, we had the razzmatazz of General Synod this week. Archbishop Justin Welby’s opening address has raised a fair few questions, not least regarding his remarks about the need to balance order, freedom and human flourishing. Ian Paul weighs in with some important points.

6) Death, the Prosperity Gospel and Me – A fascinating article from Kate Bowler, a Canadian academic who has spent her life studying and writing about the ‘prosperity gospel’, the idea that God wants to bless us with health and wealth in this life. The twist on this is that she writes through the lens of her own cancer diagnosis. Moving yet disturbing – and very perceptive.

7) Monty Williams’ Speech at his Wife’s Funeral – Monty Williams is a former professional basketball player and now coaches for NBA team Oklahoma City Thunder. On February 10th his wife was killed in a head-on car crash, after another vehicle lost control and crossed lanes. What he says is just remarkable. (If you want to see the full version, use the link above.)

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