Wow, July is here. Apologies for no Refill last week. Some weeks that just has to happen! Anyway, here’s your seven up…

1) Act to Stop Europe’s most extreme abortion law being introduced to England and Wales – Most babies survive outside the womb at 28 weeks. Only 1% of women support the relaxation of abortion limits from its current 24 weeks. 70% of women want a tightening of limit. 59% want it at 16 weeks. The most common limit in the EU is 12 weeks. It’s not too late to contact your MP on Sunday night or Monday morning to ask them to oppose sex-selective abortion upto 28 weeks as part of an extreme amendment to the Domestic Abuse Bill. This Right to Life site has made it really easy to do so using the link above.

2) Shepherding: The Work & Character of a Pastor – I often appreciate these online journals from 9Marks. This seems a ‘good-un’, focusing specifically on the work & character of the pastor. Have only so far had a look at David Mathis’ article ‘Drinking from the Fountain of Mirth‘, which was refreshing.

3) National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast 2020 – Catch up on this week’s PPB – normally taking place with hundreds gathering in Westminster, but this time gathering online. Appreciated Bishop Graham Tomlin’s words and orders led by various Christian MPs. Worth sharing with your local MP, if you haven’t already.

4) We Have A Lamb – This is stunning from Phil Moore, Glen Scrivener & friends. Share away!

5) Crosslinks Online Summer Meeting – This is a great opportunity to listen and learn from Christians around the world as they reflect on how suffering and hardship strengthens faith and advances the gospel. Crosslinks is an international mission society working principally within the worldwide Anglican Communion.

6) Re-Opening Church Buildings – Bit of a collection here. Carey Nieuwhof in the US asks ‘Should You Close Your Church Building After Re-Opening It?‘ and suggests perhaps ‘yes’. Johannes Mueller reflects on two months of being back in church buildings in Germany with ‘Thoughts on worshipping after the Lockdown‘. Meanwhile, Premier Christianity picked up on why some Christian leaders are taking legal action against the British Government’s response to Coronavirus in regard to Christian public worship. John Stevens responds by explaining why he doesn’t think the restrictions have been a ‘a Fundamental Breach Of Our Religious Liberty?

7) Keeping the faith: religion in the UK amid coronavirus – For something a bit different, this is an interesting photo essay of different religious practice across the UK through lockdown.

Quote of the Week: 

“Many churches in UK today will not be reopening for public worship. Some can’t, others aren’t ready, others have decided that it is better for the body to remain online for the moment. If you are not meeting, don’t feel inadequate or second-class. The Lord is still with you. You can still hear his word, pray, praise him & encourage one another. You can still honour and glorify him. You can still reach your community with the gospel.”

– John Stevens

Sharing is caring. Know someone who might find these links a blessing? Why not forward it on?

Seven up…

1) How To Have a Gentle Answer – Always enjoy reading Scott Sauls – and this is timely.

2) 50 Countries Affected by Covid-19 Sing Amazing Grace – It’s always moving to hear Christians from different countries and languages expressing our unity in Christ. Thanks to my father-in-law for sending me this. I think he and my mother-in-law are actually having a secret competition as to who can send me the most links that I actually share here over the course of a year… what he doesn’t know is that my mother-in-law bribes me with M&S Yum Yums…

3) 10 Thoughts on Evangelism in Lockdown – Jeremy Marshall is always worth listening to on sharing our faith, because he just does it – and so creatively and ‘outside-the-box’ too.

4) 5 Bad Morning Habits You Should Quit Right Away – Yeah, so a lot of (simple) wisdom here! Hadn’t come across this site before, but looks great.

5) The Habit Podcast – If you’re a Christian and you enjoy books, then I think you’ll enjoy the Habit Podcast. I’m particularly looking forward to listening along to Michael Ward on Narnia, Karen Swallow Prior and Leif Enger.

6) A Thinking Person’s Checklist by Alan Jacobs – This is very interesting. When it comes to thinking, genuine discussion & debate, or understanding each other, I don’t think many of us would say we’re exactly rolling in an abundance of them in 2020. So this a helpful and perceptive ‘checklist’.

7) Until This Shadow Gives Way – Scraping the barrel here, but for something a little bit different, this is my once-a-decade public display of affection for Mrs H, to mark our ten-year wedding anniversary! As part of our marriage prep, we read a book called This Momentary Marriage, which unpacks how human marriage has been created by God to be a little picture of the stunning eternal grace-soaked commitment of Jesus to his people – and one day the ‘shadow’ of human marriage will give way to the Reality. So, ten and a half years ago, as I prepared to ask Zoe to marry me, I thought it’d be fun to write her a little song, which I called ‘Until this Shadow Gives Way’. Thankfully she cared more about the sentiment than the voice! Ten years on, we’re very aware we’re but novices at living out the wonder of grace amidst the messiness of life and the murkiness of our human hearts. But by God’s grace, it’s been such a privilege to get to try and display the gospel to each other and to the world in these early years. Oh for five more decades! So, to celebrate I had fun digging out some old video clips and freshening up the song with a new bridge and verse, reflecting on a decade – with no small musical help from the legendary Ewan Jones. Of course, these are just a ‘highlights reel’, rather than ‘warts & all’, but the point of the song to say isn’t to suggest a human marriage can satisfy, but to say that human marriage was made to point beyond itself to a divine relationship that can. So whether you’re single/married, and whether you wish you were/weren’t/somewhere in the middle, I’d love it if it helped lift your eyes to the ‘eternal romance of heaven’ and the God who says, ‘My life for yours’.

Quote of the Week: 

“Those days when I feel like my day was just so unproductive, more often than not I look back and find that I never made a plan for the day. Just taking 10 minutes to look ahead at your calendar, write down one or two things you need to get done, or just having a goal for the day will do wonders for making your days more successful.”

– Reagan Rose

Sharing is caring. Know someone who might find these links a blessing? Why not forward it on?

Seven up…

1) A Spiritual Health-Check from Rico Tice – This is a great idea and a fab evangelistic resource to share – a challenge for anyone to take a ‘spiritual health-check’, as Rico reflects on the experiences and wisdom of Christian medics.

2) George Floyd and Me – Thank you Shai Linne for writing this. When someone says ‘Black Lives Matter’, if your instinct is to say, ‘Yes, but all lives matter,’ then this is well worth a read. I mean, it’s well worth a read even if that’s not your instinct.

3) ‘Dazzlingly diverse and at times infuriating – going to church is what I’ve missed most during lockdown’ – Great to see a perspective like this – on why church matters – in the Independent this week, where church is actually a community.

4) Numbers by Glen Scrivener – This very powerful and sobering spoken word piece from Glen at Speak Life released yesterday and challenges our perspective on the abortion epidemic: “And when COVID is done / May the numbers not numb / May we wake from our slumber / And number each one.”

5) J.K. Rowling Writes about Her Reasons for Speaking out on Sex and Gender Issues – After getting embroiled in a Twitterstorm (is anything else possible on Twitter?!), the author of the Harry Potter series published online this personal but substantial 3,700 word essay. Carl Trueman provides perceptive commentary from an orthodox Christian perspective on Rowling’s piece and the furore that followed. The headline in the New York Times’ coverage will probably be mined for years by preachers: “Harry Potter Fans Reimagine Their World Without Its Creator”.

6) Grieving well: My story – I appreciated this personal reflection from Phil Knox. May be helpful to share with those going through similar experiences.

7) Post-lockdown Church – For something a bit different, many churches are in the midst of scratching their heads as they consider preparing to open their buildings for private prayer. So as we seek to adhere to the ever-changing Government guidelines, you’ve probably got to laugh to stay sane (and stay safe, of course)!

Quote of the Week: 

“So awake my soul. Make each figure strike, Like spurs in my flesh, to stir me afresh, To see galactic worth distilled in each daughter of earth, in each son meant for birth. And near infinite crime in snuffing them out. Let me shout to the skies with full-throated cries, and—desperate—despise, when the least of them dies. “

– Glen Scrivener

Sharing is caring. Know someone who might find these links a blessing? Why not forward it on?

Oh and for a bonus, here’s a little insight into life at home for us…