Seven up…

1) Wholeheartedness in Ministry: An Interview With Chuck DeGroat – I reviewed Chuck’s perceptive book on narcissism in the church a few months ago here. Part of his recommended ‘solution’ to a culture of narcissism is a culture of ‘wholeheartedness’ – this is a really nourishing 15 minute interview with Chuck where he unpacks that idea.

2) Christmas Music – On the look out for Christmas music to play in services or online events? EMU Music have have made their lyric videos downloadable here, including their new Christmas song, Maker, Made a Child. I love this delightful new song, ‘Comfort and Joy’, from Joyful Noise. These can also be downloaded at Music Ministry’s ‘Songs for Streaming’ section. The Church of England has also released over 70 hours of music, including carols, for services – see here.

3) Downloadable Kids Books Graphics from Good Book Company – This is fab. Free downloadable artwork of TGBC’s brilliant children’s books – perfect for retelling the stories online, etc – including Christmas-themed ones.

4) The Beautiful Story – This powerful thirty-minute video seeks to make a positive case for the ‘traditional’ sexual ethic, setting it within the wider narrative of the Bible. Produced by the Church of England Evangelical Council and full of personal testimony, it’s an engaging resource for churches as they take part in the C of E’s Living in Love & Faith listening project. Ian Paul explains why he likes the video here. Lee Gatiss also offers some initial reflections on the LLF material.

5) Life in the Shadow of Death – a conversation between John Lennox and John Wyatt – Internationally-renowned Professor John Lennox speaks honestly in this compelling conversation with his friend Professor John Wyatt, a medical expert, about the reality of death. They engage with the big questions about science, the pandemic, suffering and the case for hope in Jesus.

6) What the Original Really Means: An Exegetical Parody – Useful word for preachers. The original says…

7) The Thanksgiving Song – For something a bit different, this is a very cool music video and will give you a little glow amidst all the strangeness of lockdown life. And it that doesn’t do it for you, this is a Twitter thread about rhetorical devices in Taylor Swift lyrics…

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

We’re all familiar with the Christmas story, but do you know the ‘story behind the story?’

If you were following this blog last Christmas, you may recall we trialled a daily email Advent devotional, ‘Finding Hope Under Bethlehem Skies’, which journeyed through the book of Ruth.

We’ve now edited this, added reflections for Sundays, and turned it into a limited print-run in order to raise funds to support Barrow Foodbank and church ministry here in Barrow.

Finding Hope Under Bethlehem Skies contains twenty-five daily devotions that take us on a surprising Advent journey. Each one contains a reflection, a question/prayer and a suggested response song, which links to a Spotify playlist.

Click on the still below to watch a little video.

You can access the Spotify playlist here.

12 Revelations of Christmas (12RC) seeks to help young people engage with the Christmas story by using Augmented Reality (AR) to bring it to life on a device.

12 REVELATIONS OF CHRISTMAS:
Apple/Android
Free

Bringing Christmas to you

AR is an increasingly popular technology for smartphones/tablets. It uses a device’s camera to overlay a digital environment, e.g. characters or a scene, onto the ‘real world’ (the Pokemon Go app is a popular example). 

12RC has been produced by Missional Generation, who want to help the Church see screens as an opportunity for missional engagement with the Christian faith, rather than something to be fearful of. 

12 Devotions, Endless Possibilities

The app offers 12 exciting digital AR experiences each bringing to life a different aspect/theme of the Christmas story. These are triggered by using the camera to scan one of 12 printed cards. There are also 12 optional downloadable devotions to reflect on afterwards. These cards and devotions can be bought from the Missional Generation website as part of their 12RC resource box.

The beauty of AR is that it offers countless creative opportunities, depending on where you place the printed ‘trigger’ cards. 12RC could be used around a church building, for a school ‘prayer space’, in the home, or even by setting up a geocaching Christmas journey through your village or town.

Have A Go!

To sample it today, download and open the ’12 Revelations of Christmas’ app, allow it to use your camera, and place your phone over the image of the gift in this article – and tap the ‘present’ three times on your screen.

For downloadable devotions & more info: 

www.missionalgen.co.uk/12-revelations-of-christmas/

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A version of this article was first published here in the December Issue of Evangelicals Now and is shared here with permission. EN is a monthly newspaper published in print and online, offering a biblical perspective on current issues and insight on what’s happening with God’s people worldwide. Online subscription is just £10 p/a with print & online combined for just £18. Order a free sample or subscribe here.