A regular Friday round-up of articles which I have found interesting / thought-provoking / challenging / amusing during the week, pointing you in the direction of some stuff you might have otherwise missed.
This week: Influence, being human, crashing waves and Owl City.
Stop The Traffik: Are You An Influential Person?
Think about your daily routines and all the people with whom you come into contact. Everyone, no matter what their occupation or lifestyle, has the ability to generate change by engaging with people who may not necessarily be aware of the issues surrounding human trafficking, how it affects them, and what they can do to stop it. read more
The View Form Here: One life at a time
Are you like me? do you harbour dreams of changing the world, influencing significant people and seeing lots of people come to faith through your endeavours? What if it isn’t meant to work that way? read more
Inspire: ‘It was a complete miracle I survived’ says Paralympian medal hopeful
It was a complete miracle that I survived the accident. I know that God had a hand in that.
I also know that by me not dying, I still had a purpose here. There is a reason for me to be here and it completely changed my perspective. It changed me as a person and I committed my life to him in the ambulance. read more
New Scientist: Olympic blade runner challenges our view of humanity
THE original Olympic games were religious ceremonies. At the 2012 London games, we worship such “deities” as peace, excellence and the future. Squint, and you also see worship of mortals pushing towards demigodhood, athletes who represent humanity trying to become more than human. read more
Guardian: The trouble with atheists: a defence of faith
The funny thing is that, to me, it’s belief that involves the most uncompromising attention to the nature of things of which you are capable. Belief demands that you dispense with illusion after illusion, while contemporary common sense requires continual, fluffy pretending – pretending that might as well be systematic, it’s so thoroughly incentivised by our culture. read more
Newslite: Crashing waves top list of our favourite noises
Brits have voted the sound of waves crashing on rocks as their favourite ever noise, in a study to discover the nation’s best-loved sounds. The runner-up was the sound of rain lashing against the windows – something Brits have had plenty of chance to enjoy over the recent wash-out summer. Other popular sounds in the resulting list of the top 50 sounds, included the crunch of treading on snow, a giggling baby and sizzling bacon. read more
BBC iPlayer: Beyond Belief – Baptists
Ernie Rea is joined by three prominent Baptists: Dianne Tidball, Ruth Gouldbourne and Peter Morden to discuss the history of the Baptist Church and its significance today. This year marks the 400th anniversary of the first Baptist congregation in England and Baptists form the biggest Protestant denomination in the world but what do they stand for? Ernie’s guests discuss the often bloody history of the Baptists from their origins as a persecuted dissenting movement in the seventeenth century. And they consider what Baptists contribute to Britain today. Are they still a voice of protest, speaking out for justice and for religious freedom? hear more
Christian.co.uk: Owl City: Fireflies, Good Time & In Christ Alone
I’ve been praying a lot for wisdom and direction. You can get lost in a whirlwind of success especially now with a top 10 single. There’s always that temptation of seeing that as something that I did. [God]’s been teaching me humility. At the end of the day Good Time is just a song and it’s not going to be on top [of the charts] forever by any means. Just enjoy the moment for what it is and don’t lose your footing. He’s given me a real peace about that which is great. read more