Category Archives: Collection of Webs

Collection of Webs: May

I can’t believe it is June already! When did that happen? Well here is a monthly collection of webs where I share with you what I have been reading on blogs, articles, books and what I have been watching or listening to. If you have missed any collection of webs this year you can find them all on this page.

Blogs Posts from friends:

My friend Ali has been writing about “Transition”. She is leaving UCCF staff and her blog posts are reflecting on her 3 years as a staff worker. Here is one of my favourite posts on her series: Awkward Moments

James Watts has been writing a great little piece on the Screwtape letters, but it is his own version called: Screwtape proposes a toast

Tanya over at Thread writes about being a Couch Potato vs Workaholic. I found this very challenging and helpful!

Blog Posts Out There:

Andrew Wilson over at Think Theology writes about Feminism: Baby and Bathwater.

Paul Miller writes about his experience of being offline and without any internet for a whole year: When I left the internet I expected my journal entries to be something like, “I used a paper map today and it was hilarious!” or “Paper books? What are these!?” or “Does anyone have an offline copy of Wikipedia I can borrow?” That didn’t happen.

Wendy writes about Women and the OT: The Old Testament gets a bad rap among progressive Christians at times. Some refer to its texts revealing harsh treatment of women as “texts of terror.”

Books:

I have now finished reading Cloud Atlas. Which was a rather interesting read. At points I was rather confused, but in the end I have to say that it was well written and rather clever!

I have also finished reading Serving without Sinking which I have reviewed here.

I am now reading Blue Like Jazz. And I am still dipping in and out of War and Peace…which will take me ages to read.

In the Garden:

I have started a little blog series about our garden which you can check out here: Green Fingers #1, Green Fingers #2

Posts on my blog:

Church is a hospital: I wrote a guest post over at my church’s blog.

I reflected on Bank Holiday Monday – a bit of fun writing!

I wrote about M.E awareness week which I discovered produced a lot of thoughts and comments from people.

I wrote about a true story of healing and faith in my church.

What have you been up to this month?

Collection of Webs: April

Here is a monthly collection of webs where I share with you what I have been reading on blogs, articles, books and what I have been watching or listening to. If you have missed any collection of webs this year you can find them all on this page.

Blogs Posts from friends:

Bryony writes about her Church Youth Weekend away: If you have Jesus, then you have everything you need for life. Not just today, not just in this moment, but for your whole life. (Amen to that!)

I am currently studying 2 Timothy with Bish at the moment, so it’s always great to see him blog about it. Here is a cracking post about maturity: “Wisdom is chewy.
Wisdom is slow-cooker.”

Emily unpacks the story of Elijah when he stops to rest under the broom tree. Its a great little post to encourage you!: “I know the journey is too great for you. Here, eat this, and drink a little of this water.’

Mike Shaw writes about students and their final year exams, an encouraging post in a season of exams and anxieties for students: “So as many students enter their final year, their priority has to be cross shaped, not exam shaped.”

Tanya wrote an amazing and challenging post on Disability living allowance in the UK. This is certainly worth a read: “It is plain misleading, and the truth of what is happening is being buried under debates about Wizard of Oz songs in the charts.”

Blog Posts Out There:

An article about the Archbishop of Canterbury’s daughter and her battle with depression: “Christians who suffer from depression find themselves “suffering quietly and in fear of what their friends would say”, she said.”

What happens when you really disconnect? “By the end of nine days, I felt empowered and enriched. With my brain quieter, I was able to take back control of my attention.”

Pam writes about Naming the Top: “I’m sure Jesus mentioned something about arguing who is the greatest”

David Murray writes I’d rather be a godly administrator than an ungodly minister: “You spend your week filing papers, printing reports, chasing up bad debts, putting stamps on envelopes. Then you go to church on Sunday and you see a man leading hundreds in worship and prayer, and preaching inspiring sermons. It’s pretty obvious who’s pleasing God most isn’t it?”

Books:

I finished reading Life of Pi! Which I really enjoyed, I haven’t seen the film yet but I really want to! I think its such a clever book and lots of themes can be drawn out from it!

I’m now reading Cloud Atlas which is a fun and really different book. I am only a quarter of the way through but I think all the lives of different people will link together throughout the book!

I’m also reading Serving without Sinking by John Hindley which has been an encouraging read. Its been focusing me back onto Christ which is certainly what I need!

In the Garden:

We have started gardening this year. Already planted: Carrots, potatoes, garlic, broccoli and leeks in the raised beds. In the green house we have Aubergines, Peppers and Tomatoes! Already some of the potatoes and garlic are showing leaves above ground which is very exciting!! I hope to give you updates on these as the year goes by.

Posts on my blog:

Stewarding, Strife and Smiles: My account of the challenges of stewarding at a conference.

Two Years of Marriage: What I have learnt in my marriage so far.

Introverts at a Conference: How an introvert can survive going to a conference!

Collection of Webs: March

Here is a monthly collection of webs where I share with you what I have been reading on blogs, articles, books and what I have been watching or listening to.

Blogs Posts from friends:

My friend Ali has started blogging again over at Redeeming Clouds. It’s a great read and worth having in your bookmarks.

My friend Emily has been writing a series about how she isn’t a morning person. A really good little series to read.

Tanya writes a cracking post on penguins and parenting. It’s heart-wrenching and you may cry at the end!!

Blog Posts Out There:

Creative People Say No: Saying “no” has more creative power than ideas, insights and talent combined. No guards time, the thread from which we weave our creations. The math of time is simple: you have less than you think and need more than you know.

10 Time management Rules you are breaking: A helpful list of being more productive.

God will find you in your dark place: When you’re in a dark place, God crawls into the darkness with you, tells you He’s with you, and then he holds you till hope begins stirring in your soul.

Books:

Finished Miranda: Is it just me? Which was delightful, funny and full of good little stories. Certainly a feel good book.

I finished Reading Dangerous Calling by Paul Tripp – one of the best books on pastoral ministry that I have read so far. Challenging, insightful and helpful!

Also finished reading Real Marriage: by the Driscolls which was an interesting and also helpful read in places.

Now I am reading Life of Pi, which is a fantastic read so far.

I am also on Good Reads if you want to find out more about what I am reading or what I am going to read etc.

Posts on my blog:

Do Check out my Black Mirror Series that I wrote last month.

6 Questions for Christian Leaders

Jesus or Cheesus?

Collection of Webs: February

Here is a monthly collection of webs where I share with you what I have been reading on blogs, articles, books and what I have been watching or listening to.

Blogs Posts from friends:

Elli posts on Defining Terms and she remarks: “So, here’s the deal. I’m giving myself a new label, one that to some is going to sound the epitome of oxymoronic, but I don’t care. I’m a Complementarian Feminist.”

The Importance of Adam written by Glen: “You might ask, “What on earth should we say to our scientifically minded friends who laugh at an historic Adam?”  Well I’d simply ask them about their belief in Christ. With 1 Corinthians 15 open I’ll say, “Here’s the bible’s logic: if Christ rose, Adam fell. Let’s ask whether Christ rose…”

Matt Herring has posted some fantastic photo’s up from the street. He is a really good photographer, so please do check the rest of his blog out!

Tanya writes about how she became a feminist: “A feminist is someone who believes in the equal worth of women and men and also sees a world where women aren’t valued equally. I have always been the former; now I am becoming the latter.”

Blog Posts Out There:

3 reasons I’ll be reading Rob Bell’s new book: A rather interesting article from the Gospel Coalition:” I expect Rob’s book will prod me toward better and more beautiful ways of presenting the truth.”

Are you worshipping the idol of open options?: As I stood in line, I actually started to think, Maybe I want 140-degree coffee too. Maybe, I thought to myself, my choice of milk temperature up to this point has been catastrophically naive. Suddenly, his choices made me unhappier about my own. I began to covet. I wasn’t sure what I wanted anymore. I became anxious and indecisive. I wasn’t sure I was ready to commit—either to my kind of coffee or to his. Was this really freedom of choice, or slavery to it?

Books:

I finished reading Game of Thrones book 3 part 1, which was very enjoyable. I am now reading Miranda’s book: Is It just me? I love it. It’s so funny and so Miranda!

I have also read a booklet on how to deliver a TED talk to help me shape my own talks and ministry. It’s a good little book with helpful ideas. Bish wrote a review here.

Watching:

Been watching a bit of Black Mirror on channel 4. It’s quite Sci-fi and dark, but very interesting to watch. I hope to write some reviews of that soon.

Watching TED talks has been a lot of fun, some inspiring stuff on there.

Posts on my blog:

1. Out of the Heart and onto the blog

2. The Glory of God

3. Guest Post on God and Suffering

4. The Spirit of Sonship

Well that’s me. What have you enjoyed this month?

Collection of Webs: January

So I saw this idea of doing a blog round-up through Tanya and I thought it was such a fun way of doing Collection of Webs. But this time it will be monthly and include lots of other little things like books being read and films watched etc. Hopefully this will be a bit of fun.

Blogs Posts from friends:

Bryony chats about the Gospel in the Job center – some great reading here: “I have really noticed that the job centre communicate a clear ‘gospel’ story (or worldview) that is completely in a realm of its own.”

Dan Hames shares a quote on: What to do when you just can’t pray.

Bish shares some reflections on the early Christian Unions: The story is the same today – there’s a legacy to inherit, but the Christian Unions are built on Christian freshers turning up in halls and standing together. We stand on the foundation of home churches and youth work, we stand on the work of God in people.

Ellie shares her thoughts on Purity.

A poem written by my husband about taking communion.

Blog Posts Out There:

An article on how men see women and sports. This was really insightful and interesting: The way we consume iconic national events like the Super Bowl better depicts what we really believe about women than does anything else. For in the invisibility of normality, there we find our idolatry.

Mike Reeves writes about why not having Adam and Eve is actually bad news for the Gospel.

A good post on Luther and his way with colourful words…

Books:

I have set myself a mini project this year which is to read War and Peace. I have just finished book 1 out of 15. Its going well and I hope to finish it before the year is up. But there some people in the world that read War and Peace more than once!

Also reading:

Game of Thrones book 3 and

Where is God when it hurts by Philip Yancy.

Music:

Currently enjoying some songs by Bethel and Boy and His kite.

As well as Rend Collective Experiment

Watching:

Extremely loud and incredibly close

Also loving Miranda, Call the Midwife and Ripper Street.

What are you enjoying at the moment?

Favourite Posts on my Blog:

1.Can we know God?

2.The Heat of Love

3.No Airbrush Please

4.The biggest problem in Church

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Here are some great blog posts on the internet at the moment:

Death to January – Blog post by Emma Scrivener: “A time of fresh starts, resolutions and beginnings.  But how do you make them, when you’re in the same body, with the same mind, the same relationships, the same job (or lack of), and same struggles? This month it’s harder to trot out the same excuses.”

Is the bible a book about God? – Written by Dan Hames: The Bible is specifically a book about the Son of God. So long as we say that the Bible is a book about ‘God’ in the abstract, and not fighting hard for the centrality of Christ to the Bible, we’re depriving him of his rightful place, and ourselves of vital spiritual sustenance.

Welcome to the Crazy Church Family – by Bryony Young: “I have come to the conclusion that my Church is simply a glorious ruin. Glorious because we aim to glorify God and a ruin because we are still a work in progress.”

Boots – by Tanya Marlow: “Most days I am actually okay about being ill; I kind of accept it and get on with life. It doesn’t feature much in my thinking. Today is not one of those days.”

Three is the Loveliest number – Article by Mike Reeves: “For the health of the church and our faith, we must be proud of who our God is. And since the Trinity is no mere theological icing resting atop our God—since the living God is Trinity—we must be resolutely and thoroughly Trinitarian in all our ways and thoughts.”

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Around the web over the last couple of weeks:

Talks from Transformission – This year was on adoption and it was so heartwarming.

The heart winning Trinity – Mike Reeves does some short talks on the Trinity. Wonderful stuff

Please don’t balance – A post by Peter Mead as a result of listening to Mike Reeves at Transformission

Dirty dishes and Marriage – Could the boring-repetitive tasks of marriage and family life—dishes, laundry, ironing, vacuuming, picking up clutter, chauffeuring—be the birthplace of joy and wonder?

Don’t Despise yourself – A great post by Emma

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So what has caught my eye on the web over the last couple of weeks? Well let’s have a look:

“You can’t have a child” – facing the consequences of infertility or singleness – a great blog post over at Woman in London. A real heart-rending issue and she writes really well about it.

Preaching in a Vacuum - a Post by Mike Shaw about how Preachers are preaching to a certain culture and group of people.

The God who Gives to Give – Dave Bish posts about “the Father who gives authority to his Son, and the Father gives people to his Son, and then the Son gives Eternal Life to people.”

Evangelism: It ain’t Rocket Surgery – Written by Glen Scrivener on why Evangelism isn’t actually that hard.

And for the last link, I found this video on the Power of the Pentatonic scale – its is truly brilliant:

 

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Its been a while since I have done this, but lets look around the web and see whats going on!

A world with no Page 3 girls? Ellie talks about how she would like to see this happen.

Those who play video games are easy targets for pastors. This pastor writes about why this shouldn’t be so.

Another post by the same guy above (called Stephen) has written a post on leading your small group like a Ninja Warrior. It made me laugh!

Are Introverts taking over Twitter? Post by Tanya Marlow.

Bryony Blogs on 10 reasons why you should support a Relay Worker.