A brief thought about reading the Bible

Far too often I assume that I already know what the Bible is going to say. After all, I’ve known these stories since I was a kid, I’ve read them and studied them as an adult, I’ve taught these passages to others. This is particularly true of the gospels.

So imagine my surprise at being surprised on reading John 18:15-16 and seeing that John “was known to the high priest.”

MIND BLOWN!

How was this a detail I had never noticed before?! It’s part of one of the most famous passages in the Bible! I am frequently too confident in my own abilities as a Bible student to actually see what is in the text. Shame on me that I still have this attitude. But also praise God who is still able to surprise me with the glories of his word and his plan!

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For those of you who are interested in this detail I discovered for myself: let’s do a little bit of unpacking.

• The unnamed disciple is probably John who tends to obscure his involvement in the story (See John 19:26) and also turn up with Peter before all the other disciples (See John 20:3).

• How was this disciple known to the high priest? Well it’s not 100% clear if the high priest refferred to here is Caiaphas, who was currently serving in the role, or Annas, ex-high-priest and current father-in-law-to-the-high-priest. Either way it’s likely that he’d be known to both, whichever is particularly intended here. It’s unlikely that their lives crossed at work - I can’t see either Annas or Caiaphas buying their own fish - ad they probably weren’t chummy not least because Jesus and John are besties and the high priest is has been trying for a while to kill Jesus. They could be related; there is at least one John in the family (Acts 4:6) and names tended to be passed down. But that would make it strange that Luke doesn’t mention this while John and Peter (together again) are on trial in that chapter. Although it would make it super awkward if they were!

• Why does it matter? It’s not a big deal in the story but it does shed light on why John would include different details in his account. For instance it is only John who knows that Peter cuts off Malchus’ ear, no-one else knows his name but they do know that he’s a servant of the high priest. It also might explain why no-one challenges John as being a disciple of Jesus in the way that they do Peter. He’s known to them in a different context and might even enjoy some privilege there - after all they let a stranger in on his word.

I love the little details in the Bible, and I’m so glad that the Spirit included them. They humble me, allow me to see the reality of te events and people in the Bible and they glorify the God who pays attention to every little detail of our world.

5 Books Every Sunday School Teacher Should Read

What do we want for the kids in our classes? For them to become children of God and to grow in their love for him and in the likness of his son. That’s thankfully not a burden we have to bear alone but it’s also no small task. Here are 5 books that helped me to aim for that goal when it was hard:

1. The Jesus Storybook Bible
   There are so many good children’s Bibles out there but this one is my favourite because of how it puts Jesus at the centre of evey story. Jago’s pictures are gorgeous and it’s easy to read with a small child but I find it so useful for myself, it demonstrates and inspires me to look for the Gospel in whatever passage I’m teaching and Sally Lloyd-Jones has done a fantastic job of explaining complicated yet necessary theology in a beautifully simple way. She says: “I couldn't rely on jargon. A little child has no concept of what sin is, for instance. I had to find other ways to describe it. I wrote that: sin is not just about breaking the rules, it's breaking God's heart; it's like poison that makes your heart sick and stops it from working properly; it's like running away from God and hiding in the shadows.” And that’s inspiring too; how can I tell them the gospel in a way they’ll really understand?

2. Digging Deeper into the Gospels
   There is actually a mini series of Dig Deeper books co-authored by Andrew Sach all of which aim to eqiup you with the right tool kit for understanding the Bible and those tools are super useful! The most obvious application is in reading those passages that you’ve never really understood why they’re there but’s it’s also so helpful with those passages you teach repeatedly, is there a depth to them you’ve been missing and have you been teaching them correctly? Dig Deeper with Nigel Beynon has a chapter dedicated to each tool and is a useful reference, my actual preference is seeing Exodus explored with these tools in Dig Even Deeper, with Richard Alldritt, and Mark’s gospel (which to my shame I had always considered the least interesting Gospel!) in Dig Deeper into the Gospels with Tim Hiorns.

3. The Chronicles of Narnia
   So this is a cheat because it’s actually 7 books but it’s also really a place holder for any children’s fiction with a Christian perspective. I would encourage any children’s worker to read or re-read a book which does for them what Narnia does for me. It helps me to feel like a child re-encountering the wonderof Jesus in the same way that the children discover Aslan. I never read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe without remembering when my best friend said “I think Aslan is sort of like Jesus” and thinking why had I never seen that before. Books that take us back to being a child (even if that book wasn’t part of our childhood) and that help us to experience aspects of God’s character differently to normal are brilliant for helping us understand, and plan for, the children we serve. CS Lewis himself wrote: “No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally -and often far more-worth reading at the age of 50 and beyond.” What more of a recommendation do you need…

4. Basic Christianity
   John Stott’s introduction to the Christian faith is excellent, it’s deep but simple, short but comprehensive and very readible. It makes a great example of the kind of books that help to remind us of why we’re writing lessons on Judges or cutting out crafts on a Saturday night - this is what we want them to know, this is the gospel they need. It’s a great tool for re-centering our teaching and our lives around him. Other books that would fall into this category are Timothy Keller’s The Reason for God, CS Lewis’ Mere Christianity and the Case for Christ by Lee Strobel, which are all great. I realised that this list was very white-western-male centric and so looked around for some similar books from different perspectives; if you know of any please leave them in the comments - I would love to add them to my reading list.

5. Serving Without Sinking
   The previous books have all been about helping you become better at teaching Sunday School. This one is for you as a Sunday School teacher who is doing the best they can to serve Jesus and his church in this way. When it’s hard, when you don’t have the time, when expectations are too high, when it’s only hard work and not any fun, then this book is for you. John Hindley explores some of the reasons why service might have become a burden and how to find the joy again. I have found it so helpful in giving me a better perspective on what I’m doing and why. And you definitely don’t have to wait until it feels hard to read this.

I hope these five books encourage you; there are so many more I want to recommend and even more that I want to read. Please share books you’ve found helpful in the comments.

5 Organisations every Christian should know

In 2008 journalist Matthew Parris wrote this after visiting the work of Pump Aid in Malawi:

“Now a confirmed atheist, I’ve become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people’s hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.”

He’s writing specifically about the effect of Christian charities in Africa but I believe that the good that specifically Christian charities do extends beyond one continent. Without making conversion conditional for help they see the value of a person made in the image of God, the beauty and usefulness of the world God made and the desire to share God’s justice and mercy with everyone. So here are 5 Christian charities doing just that.

1. Wycliffe Bible Translators
   There are so many good Mission organisations out there it was hard to pick just one. I’m giving the shoutout to Wycliffe as they do they crucial job of making sure that every language group gets a Bible in their own heart language to learn about and hear from God in the way they understand best.

2. Hoveraid
   When was the last time you saw a hovercraft? There not a thing of the past instead they do the job of taking missionaries, Bible translators, school and medical equipment, technical supplies and so much more out to the hardest to reach places, where ther isn’t even enough room for a plane to land (if a plane can land MAF will probably also be there). Hoveraid’s aim is to reach the unreachable.

3. City to City
   Every Christian needs God’s word, the basic things of life, and the church. City to City is a church planting and resourcing network that aims to help local churches reach urban populations, which in 2050 will be nearly 70% of the world’s population. With their support new and existing churches will be equipped and trained to bring the gospel to workplaces, families, schools and universities in cities across the world.

4. Youth for Christ
   The scope of YFC is narrow in that they focus on teenagers but wide in that they run youth groups with local churches in juvenile halls, schools, communtiy centres and churches in more than 100 countries bringing the good news that Jesus is for them to millions of teens.

5. Mercy Ships
   The Africa Mercy is a floating hospital: able to bring highly qualified staff, the latest technology and practices to coastal regions of Africa. The ship is equipped with clean water, reliable electicity and easy communication across departments which isn’t true of many land-based hospitals in poorer communities. Much more than bringing medical help they also bring hope and a future to those rejected and stigmatised by their illness or injury.

Obviously this is only scraping the surface of all the charities who share the love of Jesus in word and action across the globe. In an attempt to capture the scope of the work I chose one from each of these categories: Mission, Aid, Church growth, Youth work and Medical Aid. They’re all worth your support and I’d love to hear about where else God is working, leave a comment and leet me know.

5 Podcasts You Should Listen To

I would not have described myself as a podcast person. My radio channels of choice have always been music based and I rarely listened to the radio. I have tried various e-readers but found they pale in comparison to an actual physical book.

So what converted me to the point where I not only listen to some but have 5 I want to share?
Washing the dishes.

Having something that is more than background but actively engages my mind while I scrub pans has meant I’ve been known to say ‘It’s not your turn to wash up, it’s mine’ just because I have a podcast lined up. So here is what’s been keeping my kitchen clean and my mind active:

1. The Bible Project
   I was already a fan of their videos when I started listening to this. It’s so good than when an episode outlast the time it takes me to do the dishes - which is often - I will continue to clean the house so that don’t have to press pause. I have a binge-y approach to podcasts so I like to look for a miniseries, on the wisdom books or the tree of life, and listen to all of those over a few weeks then wait a while and find a different theme. Their deep dives into the Biblical Theology that unlies the videos is well worth a listen however fast or slow you consume it.

2. Knowing Faith
   This is probably my favourite. I arrived late to the party and loved it so much I listened to 2 years worth in about 6 months and was devastated when I caught up and had to wait a week for the next episode to come out! Why is it so great? Well, the hosts (Jen Wilkin, JT English, Kyle Worley) love what they’re talking about, they’re not afraid to disagree with each other and stay friends, they have the best guests, they make big theological ideas accessible without talking down to you: they’re like real people!

3. 5 Minutes in Church History
   This is a fun one. They literally only take 5 minutes but they pack in all the info. They’re so short I will use them as an oven timer and listen to 5 or 6 while something bakes. There’s a lot of the reformation, so Calvin and Luther, but also the less famous including Lady Jane Gray (she’s just my fave), and Francis Grimké. It’s fascinating.

4. Pass the Mic
   Is the podcast arm (wing?) of The Witness. They cover a lot of current events, pop-culture and the church all from the perspective of Christians who want to hear Christ first on everything. They also have super interviewees - Leslie Odom Jr and Michael B Jordan so you know this is no lightweight podcast but something you can get your teeth into. They have other podcasts too that I haven’t listened to but I want to, maybe they’ll end up on a future top 5 list.

5. The Bible Recap
   This podcast is designed to accompany your daily Bible reading, they have a plan in their show notes. So, I’m not actually following it at the moment - it’s waiting until I’ve finished my current reading plan. At the moment I’m listening to the odd episode that covers whatever book I’m psyching myself up to write a study on. The episodes are short (about 8 minutes) which is the perfect length for when you’ve finished reading the Bible passage, but also means that when you just dip in and out you haven’t had the study prepared for you but you’ve got enough to give you momentum to look deeper into the passage. There are some intro episodes you should listen to before you start - a kind of top tips and enthusiasm builder for the not undaunting task ahead. And a high mark of quality is the acknowlegement that you need to find your best fit - which is what you get here.

These are my top 5 and, since I’m now a podcast person, what else should I be adding to my list? Let me know in the comments below

5 Helpful Apps for Christian Living

I have a love/hate relationship with my smartphone.
It doesn’t fit in any of my pockets but Whatsapp is by far the easiest way to contact my friends and family (we live in different countries so tradional calling is expensive). It is far too easy for me to waste time on fb or youtube, but its addictive nature and Duolingo have definitely helped me to learn German. None of these things are sponsored; simply things I personally have found helpful.
So here are 5 apps that have helped me embrace the blessings of the smartphone.

1. Read Scripture
   There are many Bible Reading apps out there: I like this one as you can choose your plan and if you’d like to read everyday or go at your own pace, choose what time you want to be reminded and select a font size. I love it because at the beginnin of each book they have the relevant Bible overview video from the Bible Project and for the longer books they’ve also included some of the theme videos. This is super helpful for me as it helps me to not just read (most days) but to engage with the passage and the God behind it as well. Check it out for yourself here.

2. Prayermate
   As the name suggests this app is here to help you pray. I find it an easy way to organise, when I tell someone I’ll pray for them I can add them to a list of my choosing and set how often I want them to come up in my rotation. I don’t use it every day but on the days where we don’t have somthing specific on our hearts it’s really helpful. You can also add prayer requests from organisations like Open Doors and Christians in Sport; individual churches can even share their prayer lists via this app.

3. Verse Locker
   One of my failures in children’s ministery is that I put less effort into learning memory verses than the kids teaching do. Verse Locker helps with this by somewhat gamifying the process: I can unlock badges for when I have memorised >10 or >50 verses or five verses from the Pentateuch or Wisdom books or the Gospels. And I love me an app that can put my overly competative spirit to good use.

4. Logos
   Even on the free version they have a ridiculously large numer of books available, modern releases from NT Wright, classic christian lit like Augustine’s Confessions, numerous translations of the Bible, RC Sproul’s Crucial Questions booklets, making this a super useful teaching-preparation tool. A mobile phone is a little small for this amount of reading so downloading the app on a tablet or laptop is probably easier (either that or I’m showing my age).

5. A Podcast App
   I don’t have a strong preference for which one you use. I use Podbean which gives me access to my top 5 Podcasts every Christian should listen to… The subject of my next top 5 list.

5 Black Christians You Should Know

One of the joys of being part of God’s family is that our brothers and sisters come from all over the world and from all throughout time. Hearing from those that are from a variety of cultures enriches how we see them, see ourselves and see God too!
As I write people all over the world are marching in support of the Black Lives Matter movement so, I’ve chosen to highlight 5 Black Christians whose lives, voices and theology matter to God and should matter to us too.

1. The Witness
   In their own words they’re a ‘Black Christian collective that engages issues of religion, race, justice and culture from a biblical perspective.’ Because there are many contributors, its perspective is as wide as it is deep and you can read about current events, the arts, church leadership and the family. If you’re on the lookout for excellent Christian blogs then you need to subscribe here: https://thewitnessbcc.com

2. Augustine of Hippo
   Augustine probably makes it on to most lists of Christians you should know, and he absolutely should; he’s so formative to how the church has discussed theology and Christian living. I wanted him on this list because we tend to look back on church history and only see white men. Augustine is a reminder that North Africa and the Middle East were the cultures where the creeds were formed and where the earliest matyrs and theologians lived. (And yes, despite what most paintings of him would have you believe, he’s from Algeria, of Berber ancestry and was certainly black.) Even if you can’t face the entirety of his Confessions it’s long been public domain and is worth dipping into. Or grab a biography - there are literally tons!

3. Thabiti Anyabwile
   From theologians of long ago to those of today: Anyabwile caught my attention as a writer on the Gospel Coalition. I find his blogs very easy to read without being emotionally or spiritually light; which I guess comes from being a pastor and very grounded in the practicalities of theology. While his books are still on my reading list, the titles fill my heart with joy. If you’d like to join the ones on my list are ‘Captivated: Beholding the Mystery of Jesus Death and Resurrection’ and ‘The Life of God in the Soul of the Church’

4. Conrad Mbewe
   We’re returning to Africa now but in the modern day. Mbewe shares his life and experience as a pastor, university director, lecturer, father and birdwatcher in Zambia on his blog: A letter from Kabwata. It’s a great thing to hear the experiences of someone who’s life is so different to mine but also so encouraging that those experiences are soaked in biblical worldview, yes, even the birdwatching.

5. Rosa Parks
   A list like this wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t mention the US Civil Rights movement. I would recommend King’s ‘Why we can’t wait’ to anyone who wants to understand the historic and current struggles of black people in the US. But Rosa Parks’ book ‘Quiet Strength’ resonnated with me more. It introduced me to someone who was fairly ordinary and yet did extraordinary things, not limited to her involvement with the NAACP but also in her work with young people - something close to my heart.

This is only a short top 5 so there isn’t room for more than an honrable mention for H.B Charles Jr, Desmond Tutu, Harriet Tubman, Kirk Franklin, Sojourner Truth and so many others. Who would have made it into your top five? Let us know in the comments below.

The Re(dis)organised Sunday School Blog

I’ve reorganised!
It’s a new site with updated pictures to get a whole new look. The content is the same as what you’ve always been used to - Bible based lessons for pre-schoolers, children and youth - where you can choose the activities, games, songs and teaching that best suits your group.

We also have helpful ‘How to…' list on a wide range of important topics.

New material will be added regularly (and if anything is missing; just leave a comment) - watch this space!

Have a look round

and see what’s new