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…

Wow, so we’re in June – where did that come from?! And another crazy week.

Seven up…

1) Ethnicity and Covid-19 – Where Next? – Really helpful and challenging article from Jason Roach, a medical doctor and church pastor. You can also watch Jason talking with Richard Awoyemi and the Speak Life team talking about ‘George Floyd, Race, and the Church’.

2) A Liturgy for a Time of Widespread Suffering – I’ve written about Doug McElvey’s Every Moment Holy project before. Here he shares a new ‘liturgy’ suited for days like these. I loved this: “In times of distress let us respond, not as those who would instinctively entrench for our own self-preservation, but rather as those who—in imitation of their Lord—would move in humble obedience toward the needs and hurts of their neighbourhoods and communities. You were not ashamed to share in our sufferings, Jesus.”

3) A Response to the George Floyd Situation – Pastor Tope Koleoso from Jubilee Church London addresses the George Floyd situation in the USA. Well worth eleven-minutes of your time.

4) Self-Care in Times of Racial Tension – Helpful word as we discern our own thoughts and know our own hearts amidst all that’s going on around us.

5) Ecclesial Distancing and Theological Retrieval – I appreciated this post from Ollie Lansdowne on ‘theological retrieval’, which I think basically means reading the dead guys/girls and what they wrote about life as Christians in their time and space, and letting that encourage us as we read the Bible, rather than thinking we’re the first ones to face life or open up the Scriptures. He also shares about New Whitchurch Press, and all the works that have been written in previous eras about Christians facing plague.

6) Pastoring and Posturing – Social media is a medium where the temptation to virtue-signalling is rife. Four helpful questions to ask as we’re inclined to post or share or tweet.

7) Malcolm Corden Teaches Donald Trump How To Hold the Bible – For something a bit different, James Corden’s dad, a retired Christian book-seller, and his slot on how-to-hold-a-Bible, was brilliant on Corden’s Late Late Show this week – “…comes with a side of salvation”.

Quote of the Week: 

“Are people of colour in our congregations not only visible, or even listened to, but aware that their voice makes a difference? What evidence would they see of that? When have they been given responsibility on the basis of their character and coached towards competence? This begins when white majority cultures resolve to meaningfully relate to and invest in people of colour. Significant change always starts with the leadership. Their actions – spoken and unspoken, whether at the microphone, in meetings or at mealtimes – set the tone for what is really endorsed and what isn’t.”

– Rev Dr. Jason Roach

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

Seven up…

1) George Floyd Left a Gospel Legacy in Houston – Ugh. What words? But some words are better than no words, right. Michael Lawrence also asks how these horrific moments might feature in our church gatherings.

2) Rose Petals feat. Dee Wilson – This was released in May last year, but the events of the past week, above, show it’s just as needed in 2020. Breath-taking lament.

3) A Closer Look in The Mirror (and the Light) – Some thoughts and lessons for church leaders to take from the long-awaited conclusion to Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy of novels (I’ve not read the last one yet).

4) Online Preaching Workshop – Keswick Ministries ran a ‘online preaching’ workshop with communications expert Richard Garnett a couple of weeks ago. This is about preaching online, not simply an online workshop on preaching (although it is online!). You can watch the video now, but a second workshop has now been planned which you can book in on here. Join the DANCE…

5) Hope in the Midst of Grief, Depression & Loss – Interview with Rick & Kay Warren – I haven’t got to this yet (one of those weeks), but I’ve been told it’s a very helpful watch by at least two people and only one was my mother-in-law.

6) Seven Reflective Questions for Church Leaders based on the Lumino Bible Society Research – Ok, this is something I wrote, but it’s published somewhere else, so it can count, right?! Bible Society recently published a set of data based on YouGov survey research into UK attitudes to the Bible. I blogged about it previously, but Ian Paul encouraged me to extend the post over on his blog, and so I’ve re-shaped it into 7 Reflective Questions around the question of how we grow ‘Bible confidence’, and I think it’s a much better piece.

7) Building the Perfect Squirrel-Proof Bird-Feeder – For something a bit different, this is definitely better than it sounds.

Quote of the Week: 

“If you fast-forward 2,000 years, there’s another innocent sufferer whose blood spoke of better things than Abel’s. … Jesus’ blood says he can redeem us through these dark and perilous times… I have hope because just like Abel is a Christ figure, I see my brother [Floyd] as a Christ figure as well, pointing us to a greater reality. God does hear us. He hears his cry even from the ground now. Vengeance will either happen on the cross or will happen on Judgment Day.”

– Pastor Patrick Ngwolo

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