Something different this time around...the video for the latest Mumford and Sons song, "Believe".
It's a poetic articulation of the challenges facing belief for young people today. Worth a look. What do you think?
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Latest Pilgrim books available
The final two books in the Pilgrim: a course for the Christian journey series have been released.
Following the order of issues in the Catechism, the final two books are The Bible and Church and Kingdom. These use ...
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Answering the tough questions
Question and answer sessions are an essential part of any state school Religious Education teachers methodology. They tend to allow us get to the point. The itch gets scratched!
With Episcopalian Questions, Episcopalian Answers, Ian Markham (Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary) has written a slim volume that does just that. He provides brief answers that manage to
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Selma - Film review
Everyone loves a movie with a message, especially when that message is something uplifting or inspiring. Sometimes, though, the message can overpower the film, or more to the point, the message is something we could all agree with, but the film itself does not do that message justice. I'm not pointing any fingers (cough* Invictus), but does a movie like Selma live up to the message it carries?
Read MoreMoses on the big screen- Exodus: Gods and Kings
With Darren Aronofsky's Noah earlier in the year and now Ridley Scott releasing his version of the Moses story, Exodus – Gods and Kings, Hollywood has gone mad for biblical epics. Noah saw some significant creative additions to the plot: rock monsters assisting in the construction of the ark and Noah facing an Abraham/Isaac style test of faith to name a few. How does Moses fare?
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the line separating good and evil
This quote from the densely written Gulag Archipelago gets to the heart of things. What do you think?
Read MoreAnglican Prison Chaplaincy - Information Session
Prison ministry is an important outreach ministry of the church providing pastoral and spiritual care to those incarcerated as a result of either making poor decisions in their lives, mental illness or from unfortunate circumstances. The prison chaplain brings a message of nonjudgmental and unconditional love, offering Christ's message of reconciling grace and hope.
If you would like an outlet for your gifts in pastoral care, or like to journey with prisoners into the redemptive love of Christ, come along to St Francis College, Milton Road, Milton, on Saturday 29 November from 10.00 am to 11.30 am to learn how you might be part of this vibrant ministry team of chaplains.
Read MoreAdd to your Advent calendar
I sound like an old man when I say that, once upon a time, advent calendars didn't just contain chocolate! Now, these 'Countdown to Christmas' calendars are all the rage and sell in every shop from Woolies to Coles to...everywhere!
Here's a resource that can value add to those calendars if they're all that's available to you.
Read MoreInterested in improving your work with youth, children and families?
From 2015, St Francis Theological College will begin offering subjects especially targeting those ministry areas. You can work towards a diploma or audit subjects (reduced fees and optional assessment).
And what’s on next year? “Youth Culture and Mission” will use an adjusted timetable that won’t require weekly lectures. Jonathan Sargeant will be coordinating the subject.
Want to know more? You can read all about it here.
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The Faithful Families blog
Research suggests that if you want the faith of children to grow it needs to happen primarily in the home. It's great to have supporting programs happening in the parish but the home is the locus.
Taking this seriously, Stephen Harrison has created the Faithful Families blog, weekly resources to help families grow faith at home. Every idea is simple and easily used.
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Aunty Jean's Christmas Cafe
Religion: a matter of faith
Anglican perspective on ABC local radio
Local ABC Radio has recently started a series of radio conversations to help the general public have (a greater) awareness of different faith perspectives. This is in coordination with the Toowoomba ‘Model City of Peace and Harmony’ initiative. Jonathan Inkpin has become the Christian participant (specifically as an Anglican)...
Directing the spiritual life
The MEC Spiritual Direction Formation Program is an ecumenical program that offers participants the opportunity with experienced spiritual directors to both discern the call to the ministry of spiritual direction and develop the skills necessary to assist others in discovering the sacred in everyday life.
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How One Church Is Finding Faith Through Art
My colleague Stephen Harrison and I have long been interested in ways that we can learn about faith through the arts. A little while back we wrote some of that work up. That work was aimed at schools but I'm always excited to see worshipping communities doing the same thing.
Read MoreThe Jesus Dojo
Imagine a world where we shifted our mindsets about worship: from worship services to service worship?
What if we gathered together to encourage each other towards love and good deeds by actually doing love and good deeds together in the name of Christ?
Jon Humphries shares:
"What if our worship was spiritual and faith practice joined as one? Where we listened for the Word of God who is Jesus as we reflected on Scripture by living out the teaching, by actually feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the imprisoned, setting the captives free, helping the blind to see and proclaiming the time of the Lord's favour?
I love Mark Scandrette's concept of the 'Jesus dojo'. The idea of making faith an actual practice, where we practice our faith by exercising our faith in loving service to God and others at the same time in real and practical ways, is pretty inspiring.
The problem is that it requires me to step out of a perfectly safe boat (even one which seems to be slowly sinking) and step out with Jesus onto the water. What if I don't have enough faith and sink?
We all know what the right answer. I just would love some people to step out with me."
www. Anglicannews.org is a service that aggregates news from around the Anglican communion into one easy site, making it simple to keep up to date with the Anglican Church around the world.
As well as listing the news, you can sign up for a daily email that means you get a reminder of what's going on and where.
One of the by-products of a site like this is that you can glance over its contents and get an interesting picture of what the Anglican Church is all about. What does it think is important? Where do its values lie? One answer to that question is found here.