Best kids DVD movies 2009

1. Bolt
its hard to fault Pixar – I don’t think they are the masters of Computer Generated Animation and i don’t think they have made a duff movie yet. This is a winning combination of a cute canine hero, a plot involving getting lost (see finding nemo), some lovable character (Rhino the pet hamster in [...]

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Big question…

Just come off the big questions.
I had so many things I wanted to say but in the cut and thrust of the “debate” / “chat show” only managed to get a few words in. Didn’t manage to mention Jesus which I am upset about. I had a whole argument about Jesus saying “ Two sparrows [...]

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Living with No Line on the Horizon Special Edition

I have lived with this album for nearly a week now. Listened to U2 talk about it on Radio 4. Had on constantly through Spotify and now have finally bought the thing on ITUNES. I even went the whole hog and bought the special edition.
You need to remember I have been a fan since Unforgetable [...]

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Best Christmas Presents for Pastors

Christmas is such a busy time for church leaders, they work hard all year  and while everyone else is having a winter break it¹s often a pastor¹s busiest time of the year. Here are some gift ideas for you (your homegroup, your prayer triplet, your youth team, your eldership etc) to give to your local [...]

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Survivors

We had the first installment of the new BBC mini series survivors.
It kicks off with a similar plot line to I AM LEGEND – with a deadly bug that wipes out 90 per cent of the population of planet earth getting wiped out. It’s a scarily realistic premise with a killer flu bug turning into [...]

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Human – the killers

One of my favourite bands has released a new single:

It’s a cracking tune combining a New Order vibe with a kind of Bruce Springsteen stadium sound.
There has been some controversy about the lyrics…
Are we human or are we…. some say denser some say dancer…
Well Brandon Flowers has made it very clear [...]

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Barack Obama !

So american history has been changed forever. Just 40 years after the civil rights movement saw the assasination of Martin Luther King – American elects its first African American President. Here’s a little video I made from my time in Grant Park, Chicago yesterday.

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World Opportunities Week Day 3

Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Hebrews  13
,
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Brothers, Strangers, Prisoners, Sufferers: What is the [...]

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WEA World Congress update – things to pray for.

EA Zimbabwe
Goodwill Shana President Evangelical fellowship of Zimbabwe encouraged me to pray for his country. He told me about the real trouble with getting basic provisions like food. The education system is badly effected by the recent troubles, the teachers mostly have gone overseas, those that remain are severly underpayed, transport to schools is an [...]

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Top 10 books on the emergent church

1. The Church in Emerging Culture, Leonard Sweet (Ed), Emergentys, Zondervan
This book is authored by a great team of writers including author and thinker Leonard Sweet (Author and thinker), Andy Crouch of Christianity Magazine, Professor and reformed theologian Michael Horton, Frederica Mathewes-Green (an Orthodox believer), Erwin Raphael McManus from Mosaic church and Brian D. McLare. [...]

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Gone Baby Gone

It’s been a while since Ben Affleck has been in a good film.
Good Will Hunting – was a great way to make a debut
Changing Lanes – was an interesting piece
Sum of all Fears – was pretty poor
Pearl Harbour – was awful
Dare Devil- was worse than it should have been
But when he gets behind the camera [...]

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Essential reading for Preachers

I try to read at least one book on preaching a year. I want to continue learning how to stay faithful to the text and continually rethink how best to stay connected to the culture. Here are some of the best books I have read over the years.
1. How to Read the Bible for All [...]

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The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

A review by Joel Kandiah (aged 9) and Krish kandiah (aged 36).
This is fictional story based on the best selling children’s book by the irish Writer John Boyne. It tells the story of a friendship developing between Bruno the  8 year old (he’s 9 in the book) son of Nazi Concentration Camp commander and Shmuel [...]

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bloggers day

It would be great to see you at our bloggers day in September please let people know about this opportunity to explore the implications of blogging. It will take place at the Evangelical Alliance HQ, Whitefield House, 186 kennington road. email a.lilley@eauk.org for more information.

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Best kids movies on DVD in 2008

Here’s my pick of the best kids movies on DVD in 2008. I am thinking of primary school aged children. There’s a similar list for 2007 and i have just made a 2009 list.
1. Wall-e
Irresistably good movie – even my two year old loves it – Wall-e was one of her first words! OK so [...]

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Phelps Olympic Powerhouse

(click for more olympic stories)
If like me you have been blown away by the phenomenonon that is Michael Phelps you might be interested in this story from the Guardian online. What does the man eat to give him all the energy he needs to become the greatest Olympian of all time (in terms of his [...]

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Rebecca Adlington Powers to Gold

What a race! Everyone was expecting Katie Hoff the american swimmer to win and despite swimming a tactically flawed race Hoff had it in the bag until the last 5 centimetres! We were always taught to dive for the tape in our school athletics, to remember that the race is not over till the end. [...]

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Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince

The New Harry Potter movie is on it’s way, coming to a cinema near you in  November. In the mean time, there is a great trailer to watch. I love the idea of a collection of memories that other people can enjoy – it’s kind of a mix between the crystals in the Christopher reeve [...]

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Essential Texts for Theological Undergraduates

1.  N.T. Wright: The New Testament and the People of God.
Christian Origins and the Question of God v. 1 (Christian Origins & Ques God 1) by N.T. Wright
“A must read introduction to an appropriate methodology for theological / biblical studies”
This is a landmark book providing a brilliant epistemological and methodological foundation for theological an biblical [...]

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Fresher generation

Thought you might like to see Miriam and my new article in Christianity Magazine. It’s about how churches can get involved in helping students make a good transition to university life and is linked to our book FRESH.

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