No Refillage last week due to half-term holidays, so here’s this week’s seven up…

1) Five Keys to Sharing the Gospel with Your Secular Friends – This three minute video from Dan DeWitt is full of good stuff. We watched it at one of our midweek discipleship groups as part of a series on sharing the Christian faith. Dan leads the Center for Biblical Apologetics & Public Christianity at Cedarville University.

2) My Quiet Times Are Anything but Quiet – Yes! How often, when we think of reading the Bible individually, do we think of it as “dependent on a really specialized kind of moment — a moment that seldom (to never) graces our own life”? But for most of us life is rarely like that. So rather than “trying to create the perfect circumstances wherein Bible reading might flourish”, what if we instead looked at how we could make it happen “in this life, with these obstacles”? This is written for mothers, but we could all take a long swig.

3) John Stott’s Simple Secret for Spiritual Productivity – I’d come across Stott’s technique before, but I like the way this piece reflects on how we might explore putting something similar into practice, even if can’t be exactly the same.

4) Interview with Aladdin actress Naomi Scott – Thanks to Compassion for this wide-ranging interview with Naomi Scott, a Christian and Compassion ambassador who is in our cinemas at the moment in the re-make of the Disney classic. Here’s a snippet: “But no matter what happens, no matter what somebody says about me on Twitter, whatever the future holds, to know that that doesn’t define me is incredible. To know that doesn’t inform my identity in any way shape or form (although it’s easier said than done sometimes). That’s going to be the thing keeping me going.”

5) Free eBook: James for You by Sam Allberry – I love these devotional expositional books. Great for feeding, reading and leading! The Good Book Company are giving away Sam’s book going through the book of James – and I’m reliably informed it’s a particularly brilliant and practical guide, so I’m signing up!

6) Theresa May’s Resignation: In Politics & Churches It Is Too Easy To Think That Challenges Can Be Solved Simply By Changing The Captain – John Stevens offers some timely reflections.

7) The Shores of Normandy by D-Day Veteran Jim Radford – For something a bit different, as we remember 75 years since D-Day, this video caught my eye. In 1944 Jim Radford was a 15 year old ‘galley boy’ serving with the Merchant Navy and on the morning of 6th June, his first deep sea trip took him to Normandy to help build the Mulberry Harbour, allowing the Royal Navy to transport people and resources onto the beaches.

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Seven up…

1) The Whole Bible in 12 Verses – If you had to choose 12 Bible verses to summarise the whole story of Scripture, which would you choose? Here’s Andrew Wilson’s choice dozen.

2) On What Can Miserable Christians Sing (with Carl Trueman and Matt Merker) – I’ve been pondering the theme of lament recently, so this is a helpful listen. It’s a fruitful conversation with Carl Trueman, whose important essay of the same title a few years ago (found in his book The Wages of Spin) argued that there was a dearth of lament within the modern-day Western church. So what? He argued it was leading to “an insipid, trivial and unrealistically triumphalist Christianity”. Reflecting practically on the article with him are podcast hosts Mark Dever & Jonathan Leeman, as well as congregational songwriter Matt Merker.

3) Sermon Notes Guide for Young People – Are there tools we can use as churches to help people engage more during preaching? Obviously a lot of that rests on the preacher themselves, but Trinity Church Scarborough have created this sheet for their teenagers to use during the sermon – and they’ve kindly made it widely available. I’m guessing they then create opportunities for the young people to share their reflections. Of course, you could argue that such a handout is just as effective for adults too, and perhaps more so than a series of printed bullet points. It also works as a healthy checklist for the preacher as they prepare their sermon.

4) What we need to Confront about Christianity – I’m excited about Rebecca McLaughlin’s new book, Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion – it looks like a great resource to pass on to those who aren’t Christians, as well as giving confidence to those who are. This engaging conversation between Rebecca and Gospel Coalition podcast host Collin Hansen sees the author reflect on perceptions of Christianity in the West, differences between Christianity in the UK and US, and how we might respond to our cultural moment as a Church.

5) Satan Will Sing You to Sleep – A powerful challenge about spiritual indifference.

6) A Pastor’s Restoration Process: Journey to Healing Through the Eyes of Those Closest – This is a fascinating set of interviews. Darrin Patrick was the lead-pastor of The Journey Church which he helped plant in 2002. After being confronted about an emotional affair and various leadership failures in 2016, Patrick was fired but placed in a restoration process. Three years on, Ed Stetzer seperately interviews Darrin, his wife Amie, and another pastor, Gregg Surratt, about his role in that restoration process.

7) Danny Day Care – For something a bit different, check out what happens when Scottish trials cyclist Danny MacAskill is invited to do your child-minding…

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Seven up…

1) What terminal cancer taught me about life – Such a brilliant piece on such a difficult subject – suffering, death & the gospel – and so good to see it in The Spectator. Thanks, Jeremy Marshall!

2) ‘I did the right thing’: Richer Sounds boss has no regrets – Fascinating piece in The Guardian looking at how one Christian businessman has chosen to make some radical and generous decisions. We often talk about the gospel shaping lives which in turn shape society, and this is one clear example.

3) Footballers who love Jesus – After the remarkable Champions League football results from the week before last, maybe someone you know will be encouraged by hearing the testimonies of Spurs’ hat-trick hero Lucas Moura or Liverpool wonder-manager Jürgen Klopp?

4) Being Pro-Life when Abortion is in the News – In the last few weeks, eight American states have passed laws to restrict abortions. At least in the UK the press coverage of this can often paint these decisions as indefensible. Here’s a helpful summary of some of the main arguments for a ‘pro-choice’ position and how those who are pro-life can respond. I also came across one Twitter user asking her pro-life friends, “what have you *personally* done to support lower income single mothers?” The responses on the Twitter thread are really quite heart-warming…

5) How Mark Dever Passes Out Authority – This is a fascinating look at how one senior pastor ‘distributes authority’ in his church. Really worth thinking about.

6) 101 Small Ways to Share the Gospel – If nothing else, this impressive list will get you think creatively and intentionally about all of life as an opportunity to help someone else take a step towards better understanding the gospel.

7) The greatest kit launch that never happened – For something a bit different, this is admittedly a little bit niche. You need a decent knowledge of English football and to have got wind of the failed FYRE festival (not to mention the Netflix documentary charting its disastrous journey). But credit to Southampton FC! Personal favourite moment: when McFarmer accidentally calls Portsmouth FC. And if you’re not impressed with that, go on, here’s another: the Brexit-themed British Eurovision Song Contest Entry that didn’t make the cut. Can’t have done any worse than the official offering…

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