The Northern Lights have been able to be seen in Northumberland this week...how about this for a spectacular local picture taken from the Nastro facebook page....

I thought this was brilliant....especially Grandpa Elliott, what a fabulous voice!

HT: Elaine Luff

This is a good summary put in visual form.....

The Kingdom of God is not just about the future - somewhere to go when we die - it's about now.  Jesus came, died and rose again so that God's justice, mercy and forgiveness could be freely offered to all of creation.  Heaven and earth becoming one with Jesus as King.  A close God not a distant one...a personally involved God not an indifferent one.  Freedom for the captive, healing for the broken, comfort for the lonely....and dignity for all!!

Now that's good news and something worth shouting about!!

HT: Mission Britain

Have you ever read one of those really annoying 'management' books that try to brainwash you into the false hope and blind belief that positive thinking alone will solve all your life problems and help you find success and riches beyond your wildest dreams?

If you have, and, like me, you find them shallow and unrealistic, then you might want to put 'Jolt' by Phil Cooke on your 'best to avoid' list.

But if you did, then you would miss out on a well written book, which, against my better judgement, I must admit I found challenging at times, that is, when I wasn't cringing at Cooke's sometimes sickly 'you-can-have-it-all-like-me' confidence.

The basic premise behind the book is that we all need a kick up the backside, a jolt, to shake us up, realign our thinking and make us realise that the world is changing around us whether we like it or not. Media and technology are taking over our lives, and we need to take back control and 'adapt to the turmoil' or get washed away by the tidal wave of emails, updates and constant streamed information.

The secret, he feels, is to understand and harness the power of change. As he writes, "We don't have to trade our freedom for connectivity, our values for financial success, or our devotion to God for our commitment to technology. Perhaps more important, we can actually embrace the radical disruption and make it work for us."

How? By 'jolting' specific areas of your life, waking you up to the destructive effects of bad habits and practices that dampen your motivation to change, and ultimately hold you back from being a success.

What I did find refreshing was that Cooke was clear and upfront about his faith as a Christian, not in a preachy or pushy way, but with sincerity and honesty, acknowledging his spiritual walk as an important contributor to his success in business and life.

If you want a motivational book that will challenge your thinking, then this is a book for you. However, I found it disappointing, because I was hoping that, as a Christian, Cooke would bring a different perspective, one in which embracing change leads us to appreciate and value what we have rather than just feed our desire for more.

But he didn't, which, for me, is a shame.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the US Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

This short video has been 'floating' around Facebook for the last few days.

I thought I would share it here - because it sums up where I am at the moment in so many ways...

Thoughts?

How cool is this?

HT: Ben Luff

Here is an interesting infographic about the differences between being predominently left or right brained:

Two posts on Facebook this afternoon have got me animated.....

The first was a friend who posted a link to an article on Tall Skinny Kiwi's blog entitled '9 reasons NOT to plant a church in 2012'.  The other was the posting of a YouTube video from NewForms Media, via Mission Britain/ SimpleChurch UK, called Dandelion Wind (see below):

What TSK writes makes a lot of sense, and I think we, the church, need to take notice of his warning.  I especially think this is the case over here on the right hand side of the Atlantic pond, specifically as far as I am concerned, here in the UK.

If the vision that is given in Dandelion Wind is to happen in this increasingly post-modern and post-Christian culture, then I feel we need to accept that 'church' planting, as in setting up a bunch of Christians as a new church in a new place to be a catalyst to reach the surrounding community, just doesn't work in the same way that it used to do.

Unless, of course, you are satisfied with occasional addition rather than dandelion multiplication.....

We need to think again.  We meed to find a 'new' way to communcate the love of God in Jesus to our increasingly God-less nation.

The answer?

How about we focus on planting Jesus into people's lives as TSK suggests and then see what happens....who knows, we might see 'Dandelion Wind' multiplication after all....just in a way that we didn't expect.

Thoughts?

What an incredible world we live in....

As detailed on the YouTube page:

17 Countries. 343 Days. 6237 Photographs. One incredible journey. Follow the adventure at http://kienlam.net/around-the-world and http://kienlam.net

After I quit my job last year, I packed a bag, grabbed my camera and bought a one way ticket to London. 17 countries later, I compiled this time lapse of the many amazing places I came across.

Original Music: "Places and Faces" by William Lam. Will is an extremely talented musical composer whose range is barely touched in this composition he wrote specifically for the video. He's also my little brother. Visit http://kienlam.net to download the MP3.

This short video was posted by a friend on Facebook - have a look and see what you think....

It is also posted on the website for 'The Centre for a New American Dream' who introduced it as follows:

In this short animation, psychologist Tim Kasser discusses how America's culture of consumerism undermines our well-being. When people buy into the ever-present marketing messages that "the good life" is "the goods life," they not only use up Earth's limited resources, but they are less happy and less inclined toward helping others.

The animation both lays out the problems of excess materialism and points toward solutions that promise a healthier, more just, and more sustainable life.

What do you think?

Personally, I think it would be hard to develop 'intrinsic values' within a secular culture that encourages an unhealthy obsession with the 'self'....but when you consider it from a Gospel and Kingdom of God perspective then it all sort of makes more sense...creativity and generosity rather than consumption and greed....sounds like heaven to me :)

HT: Darius Namdaran