The Sunday Refill (6/8/17) – 7 Links For Your Weekend

Pick a card, any card…

1) When the Darkness Doesn’t Yield – A helpful piece on how we can persevere through times of dark and seemingly unending sadness.

2) Three Ways to Squirrel-Proof Your Staff Meetings – Most of us spend a lot of time in meetings, and yet most of us probably rarely consider how we can make them better. Here’s a few little tips.

3) How to Read the Bible for Yourself – Wanting to help someone begin to read the Bible for themselves? Wanting to do that a bit more yourself, but not sure how to start? John Piper offers three steps.

4) Dunkirk – If, like hundreds of thousands of people, you’ve seen the new film Dunkirk this week (or if you plan on seeing it soon) then these articles may be a helpful way to reflect on the experience: Firstly, this is an in-depth review on the significance of the movie. Secondly, this piece highlights that the gritty reality of battle that Dunkirk captures is one that Christians are called to everyday. Thirdly, quite a few people have pointed out that there’s no mention of the fact that King George VI had requested that Sunday 26th May be a National Day of Prayer in England, ahead of the evacuation. To be fair, Nolan’s film avoids pretty much all political context, choosing to focus on the action on the ground/sea/sky instead. But if you weren’t aware of that aspect of the history, this article is a helpful introduction. Finally, this short video about how Hans Zimmer creates tension with the Dunkirk soundtrack is geeky but fascinating.

5) Radical Christian Inclusion…? – Having been on holiday during the Church of England’s recent General Synod in July, it’s taken me a while to get my head round what happened and how people are responding. Rob Munro explains why it may have been a watershed moment.

6) Hope for the Poor – Bishop Philip North’s sermon at this week’s New Wine conference has rightly been making waves in the media this week, after calling out a neglect of the urban poor in much Church planning and strategy. It’s definitely worth reading and considering. Of course the hope is that this now leads to action in our church culture. You can also read how the talk was picked up by The Telegraph and the popular Archbishop Cranmer blog.

7) Five Writing Tips Gleaned Along The Way – I love Mark Meynell’s writing. Here he shares some wisdom picked up from his years of experience.