All Editorial articles – Page 59
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Issues
Between hell and high water
I’d like to talk a bit about… hell. Specifically, how we talk to children about it. Let’s be honest, this is tricky and might be the end of my career, but, well, here we go!
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BlogBig Question: If God made everything, who made God?
Look around you. How many ‘made’ things can you see? The smart phone in your hand, the cake you just ate, the bus you just got took to school... the list goes on. If something has been made, then it needs a ‘maker’. Your phone was made by the technical wizards at whichever company created it, the cake was made by your gran, the bus was made by a team of mechanics. But who made God?
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Faith at home
Bricklayers united
Here is a story for you to tell at home, perhaps at bedtime or as part of a Godtime during your day. Enjoy creating the character of Jacob, and encourage the children to join in with what Shem says every time. You could also use this story during a children’s session.
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IssuesBridging the gap
The transition point between primary and secondary school is where the church loses so many children and young people. So what to do about it? Rev Bob Mayo has some ideas
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IssuesReal Life: “I felt God press the pause button on my full-time ministry”
I grew up in a loving and caring Christian home, where the Bible was valued and praying together as a family was a regular occurrence. Through Sunday school, the kids’ and youth work at the Keswick Convention and regular Bible reading at home, I grew to love Jesus from a young age. I knew that one day I wanted to be one of those youth leaders who looked cool, dressed confidently and could teach the Bible one moment and be completely daft the next.
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IssuesParable: A cake of mistaken identity
Xander loved baking. Whenever he had any spare time, he was in the kitchen, giving new recipes a go or trying to get the hang of piping buttercream. He drove his dad spare - there were never any eggs left for him. And Xander was terrible at clearing up. Whenever he hit the kitchen, he would leave behind a trail of flour, dirty bowls and crusty cake tins. However, Xander’s dad had to admit, the cakes were amazing.
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BlogCraft: Elijah and the prophets
At the centre of this story is the meeting between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, where each contingent calls on their god to set fire to a sacrificed bull. Only Elijah’s God sends down fire, showing his true power. Here are some ideas to help children explore the story from some different angles!
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BlogJustice: Energy drinks vs Renewable energy
Every month we pit two topics against each other and ask Google which one is most popular with online searches. Which are your young people talking more about?
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Faith at homeEat, Sleep, Worship, Repeat
Gathering together as a family to worship god in the home through prayer and engaging with the bible is an important part of Christian parenting, why then, Gareth Crispin asks, do so few people do it?
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Faith at homeForming faith rituals: Summer holidays
What word would you choose to describe summer holidays? Wonderful? Relaxing? Memory-making? Long? Stressful? Childcare? Expensive? Exhausting?
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IssuesMentoring: Faithfulness
I was about 10. We were on holiday and my brother and I were playing on the campsite playground. Throughout our childhood we were like cat and dog, always bickering and fighting. Being four years older he always won. On this occasion, however, some random kid picked up my bike as if to take it and was intimidating me. My brother waded straight over and well and truly told him where to get off, until the kid backed off and left us alone. I was gobsmacked. I realised that, underneath everything, my brother loved me - which meant standing by me when things got serious. It was a picture of what it means to be faithful to someone.
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BlogGames: Summer games
If you’re doing some summer outreach or putting on holiday clubs, then you might have more children or young people than usual and access to larger spaces (or the great outdoors!). These games are ideal for those kind of situations.
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IssuesLessons from the higher tour
Over the last decade, it seems as if the Church has backed away from big-scale evangelism. But as J John brings the gospel to the Emirates Stadium, The Message’s Tom Butler reflects on last year’s Higher Tour and asks whether large evangelistic events have a place in 2017
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Blog
School’s work: Third-space schools’ ministry
Dream: think strategically and with vision about our work in schools.
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IssuesFirst Word - July 2017
One of the odder character traits I’ve developed over recent years is wearing my socks inside out. It was recommended by a colleague who described it as a “marginal gain” a la British cycling, with the idea being that the socks become a tiny bit comfier, as the stitching is on the outside rather than the inside. And, despite initially mocking him for this ludicrous assertion, I’ve followed suit pretty much every day for the last two years. You can’t put a price on comfort.
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IssuesTrump and the Paris Climate Agreement
Donald Trump, the most powerful, if controversial, leader of the moment has made a decision that neglects our global community today and our future generations tomorrow by declaring that the US will be withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement.
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IssuesHigh youth turnout in election
In a night of political shocks and wildly inaccurate polling, one of the most notable trends is the reportedly high turnout among young people. YouGov’s figures estimate that roughly 59 per cent of 18-24 year-olds voted , a huge rise on the 43 per cent who votes in 2015. Lord Ashcroft’s polling data reports that 67 per cent of those votes went to Labour.
