You should definitely check out two new bloggers who would be fun to read. They may be medical students, but contrary to the stereotype they’re actually quite interesting.
Also, both Northerners, which causes amusement for me when they read the Bible. They love Jesus and as you can see love swimming…
When I started to flick through this new book from The Good Book Company, I was excited by the thought of getting into the Bible, even though this book is aimed at families with pre-school children, it just looks great fun!
This is a new series of Bible study notes for parents to do with their children. Each session consists of an ‘appetiser’ introduction with ideas for chats and games, a main course with prayers, Bible story, and sticker time, and a snack time, a little nugget to keep kids thinking.
There’s a page at the back where you can photocopy and cut out the little snack nuggets and take them out with you during the day… I’m 24, and I think this sounds fun… in fact I might just have to start making babies (after getting married) so I can do it with my kids!!
The notes are written by Alison Mitchell and Jo Boddam Whetham, and produced by The Good Book Company. They’re just £5, which is a bargain with the stickers and fun stuff to do. You can get your hands on one of these from the 1st February… do it!
Read online sample (pdf)
Apparently there are 63,779 cross-references in the Bible… if you showed that visually it would look like this…
Biblical Cross References
Recently at Cornhill we had Mark Meynell from All Souls lead some sessions on Postmodernism. Here’s a few little quotes or references which I liked…
“My secret is that I need God–that I am sick and can no longer make it alone. I need God to help me give, because I no longer seem to be capable of giving; to help me be kind, as I no longer seem capable of kindness; to help me love, as I seem beyond being able to love.”
Douglas Coupland – Life After God
Simplifying to the extreme, I define postmodern as incredulity towards metanarratives.
Lyotard – The Postmodern Condition
A heart that’s full up like a landfill,
a job that slowly kills you,
bruises that won’t heal.
You look so tired-unhappy,
bring down the government,
they don’t, they don’t speak for us.
I’ll take a quiet life,
a handshake of carbon monoxide…Radiohead – No Surprises
An update from Matt Chandler, including this quote from Richard Sibbes, The Bruised Reed:
Nay, after conversion we need bruising, that reeds may know themselves to be reeds, and not oaks; even we need bruising by reason of the remainder of pride in our nature, and to bt us see that we live by mercy; and that weaker Christians may not be too much discouraged, when they see stronger ones shaken and bruised. Thus Peter was bruised when he wept bitterly. This reed, till he met with this bruise, had more wind in him than pith. ” Though all forsake thee, I will not,” &c. Matt. xxvi. 35. The people of God cannot be without these examples. The heroical deeds of those great worthies do not comfort the Church so much as their falls and bruises do.
“Life’s greatest happiness is to be convinced we’re loved”
- Victor Hugo -
Hugo was a self confessed “Free Thinker”… he points to a deep human need, the desire, fulfillment and security that comes from being Loved.
He’s right. But there’s only one lover who loves perfectly, who doesn’t make us earn his love, doesn’t begrude or get bored of loving, who doesn’t love to be loved back.
Jesus is the lover who brings happiness, who convinces us, and secures our identity – Loved by Christ.
“If the pastor is not the chief repenter, the Gospel is a theoretical solution to the theoretical problem of sin for theoretical sinners, if there are any present.”
- Jack Miller
Echos of Luther’s first thesis, All of Life is Repentance…
“The Christian cannot be satisfied so long as any human activity is either opposed to Christianity or out of connection with Christianity. Christianity must pervade not merely all nations but also all of human thought.”
“I’m so thankful for the active obedience of Christ.
No hope without it.”
Bishop Alf Stanway speaking to prospective ordinands…
“If other people knew you the way God knows you your failings; your thoughts; your sins what secretly goes on in your mind that no-one else knows about; would they trust you with the kind of work that God trusts you with? God has supreme confidence in His Grace. He’ll take the likes of you and me and Paul and give you the privilege of being His saints and fellow workers.”
Last term we had a reading week at Cornhill… we were given the choice to read The Unquenchable Flame by Mike Reeves, or You Can Change by Tim Chester… I had wanted to read both, but chose the former.
As it happens, I didn’t read it then anyone… I filled my week up with other things… but I did finish it soon after! It’s a whilstle stop tour of the Reformation in Europe from the pre-reformation indulgences to the post-reformation Puritans and everything else in between.
Reeves keeps his good humour and slightly zany approach to historical theology. The main players and events are introduced in a novelistic kind of way, you feel a certain attachment and fondness for Luther as he drinks beer and Calvin as he’s hounded across Europe.
For me the best bit is the chapter on the English Reformation and the focus on William Tyndale. It’s the best because I live in England, it feels that much closer to home… this man died for the sake of the gospel and that I might be able to read the Bible in English!
“If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy that driveth the plough shall know more of the Scripture than thou doest.”
“Lord, open the King of England’s eyes”
You can buy the book on Amazon, currently for just £5.64 – Bargain!!
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You may well have seen this already but I found this article...
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