Seven up…

1) Is there any justice for survivors of abuse? – Rachael Denhollander – Rachel Denhollander is remarkable. She was the first gymnast to go public with allegations against former US gymnastics team doctor, Larry Nassar, in 2016. Two years later Nassar was imprisoned for 300 years for molesting gymnasts. Denhollander was in the UK this week and gave this interview on Saturday night as part of Pillar & Step events, promoting the case for Jesus Christ. It’s a powerful and brave testimony on suffering, justice and forgiveness. The content of the interview includes references to abuse of a sexual nature.

2) Ukraine Crisis – How Psalm 31 is bringing comfort – This is moving from Bible Society in Ukraine. Also some amazing Bible outreach stories from Ukraine compiled here.

3) The good news of your God-given limits – Yes! Word!

4) Go Ahead. Pray for Putin’s Demise – I think this is really helpful from Tish Harrison Warren on the imprecatory psalms in the Old Testament: “Very often in the imprecatory psalms, we are asking that people’s evil actions would ricochet back on themselves. We are not praying that violence begets more violence or that evil starts a cycle of vengeance or retaliation. But we are praying that people would be destroyed by their own schemes…”

5) Making Meaningful Connections – Really appreciating these training videos on sharing your faith from A Passion for Life. This from Lizzie Smallwood is a really winsome, engaging & challenging 15 minute watch.

6) Podcasts for Church Leaders (2022 Edition) – Grateful to Joel Murray at FIEC for compiling this list.

7) Any member of Nsync that isn’t Justin Timberlake at a Justin Timberlake concert – For something a bit different, this tickled me…

Seven up…

1) How to Talk to Kids About the War in Ukraine – Some helpful pointers from Justin Whitmel Early.

2) Christian Charities Working in Ukraine – Christian organisation Stewardship highlight a number of their Christian partners working in Ukraine. Also, the Sanctuary Foundation also hopes to support new arrivals from Ukraine in the UK, as the UK government’s humanitarian sponsorship programme is designed. Register your interest here.

3) What’s the deal with Lent? – Some Christians mark the season of Lent, some don’t. Here’s a few thoughts about Lent, with a daily prayer for the season.

4) How to Nurture a Faith-Sharing Culture – This new book from James Lawrence and CPAS looks brilliant: “What if evangelism was a ministry of the whole church, not just a few? What if it was central to the life of a church rather than something done on the margins? What if it was part of the ‘way we do things round here’?” That’s the aim of this resource, a straightforward guide to nurturing a faith-sharing culture in your church, congregation, fresh expression or church plant. And CPAS have 3000 free copies to give away if you’re the leader of an Anglican church, Fresh Expression or church plant in the UK or Ireland. Register above.

5) Putin’s Spiritual Destiny – Fascinating take on the spiritual motivations behind Putin’s horrific actions in Ukraine.

6) New Album from Kingdom Kids – If this first track on Ephesians 1 is anything to go by, this seem like a fab new kids album from Kingdom Kids.

7) Top 5 wickets of Shane Warne – For something a bit different, this showcases one of the greatest bowlers in cricket history, Shane Warne, who died suddenly aged 52 this week.

Ok, it’s been a while since we ‘refilled’, but we’re back. Better late than never. Seven up…

1) Ten Hard Lessons from Decades of Failures and Mistakes – I appreciated these ten sentences from Pete Scazzero, author of Emotionally Healthy Discipleship.

2) Encanto and the Miracle of Empathy – The latest offering from Disney has filled our home and car stereo repeatedly over the last few months – and we love it! I enjoyed this reflection from Shigé Clarke on why this family movie is such a good family movie.

3) PreachingHacks – Whether this is the best title or not, there is some very helpful wisdom on preaching in this Twitter thread. Or for another preaching piece, try ‘The Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Your Sermon‘ – always fascinating to see how different people approach sermon preparation.

4) Everybody Loves Bavinck – If you’ve never heard of Herman the Great (as some like to call him), this is a great intro piece which explains why Bavinck’s work is increasingly giving helpful categories of thought to twenty-first century theologians and pastors, despite most of his own life occurring in nineteenth-century Netherlands. Grateful to Dan Strange for introducing him to me a few years ago…

5) Evangelists or Public Advocates for Christianity? – This clip from singer Dua Lipa’s interview with comedian & chat show host Stephen Colbert has prompted a lot of discussion & debate about how Christians might share their faith. And so it makes perfect fodder for a Speak Life podcast discussion, hence the link up top.

6) Reports of the Church of England’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. Here’s where it is thriving – Encouraging reading from Bishop Ric Thorpe & John Valentine.

7) February – For something a bit different, remember everyone – it is February!