I have often said that if two aliens were to come to Earth and split up to study the Christian Internet on the one hand vs the Christian TV and Radio scene on the other they would come to staggeringly different conclusions.  On the so-called “Old Media” the scene is dominated by a wing of the church that is almost entirely unrepresented in the list that follows.  How fascinating that the top Christian blogs reflect a very different collection of people.  I have some theories as to why which perhaps I will talk about sometime, but of the top 50 Christian blogs according to Kent Shaffer’s recent list, a staggering at least nineteen are from the Reformed wing of the church.  I should say that I have only spent a short period of time attempting to categorise these blogs, so do feel free to point out any errors!

An issue that every Christian should be aware of is the need for our society to be accepting of people of all faiths and of none.  In many parts of the West today (including the UK) many Christians would also consider hiding their religious identity.  This is an interesting article to read as we consider how we can show a form of solidarity (without compromising our beliefs) with those from diverse backgrounds:

Today, there are approximately 3 million Muslims and 5 million Jews living in the US and both Muslims and Jews continue to face significant discrimination. Hannah Rosenthal, President Obama’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, recently cited a study indicating that “Muslims and Jews are more likely than adherents of any other tradition in the US to conceal their religious identity.”

Muslims and Jews still aren’t considered true “Americans” by mainstream society, despite the fact they are the two most successful religious groups in the country in terms of education and wealth. According to Gallup, the two most highly educated religious groups are Jews and Muslims, among whom 61% and 40% respectively have a college degree, compared with 29% of Americans overall. These facts carry across gender lines as well, with Muslim females being the second-most educated religious group in the country, after Jewish females. Both groups also have household incomes above the American average.

via Muslims and Jews in America: The Most American of All? – Inside Islam.

First things first, apologies for this blog suddenly sounding like a tech blog.  But, Apple users like me are used to upgrades and the like being really simple.  This is true for the move to IOS 5 but only if you follow these steps and have the confidence to do so.  It will take a while (maybe more than two hours) but you will have time to do other things while you wait.  Also, this will be the last time you will need to tether your phone!

Unlike most upgrades, however, this one will actually wipe your phone so if you don’t want to lose your data make sure that you do the following:

1. Update your Mac Software by clicking on the Apple at the top of your screen then-software update.
2. Connect your computer to your iPhone and iTunes should open.  If asked to update your iOS say “NO” at first.
3. Right click on the iPhone in iTunes and click “Transfer purchases”
4. Click on Apps and make sure they are synced NOTE if you have done step 3 correctly many people more techie than I assure me that you will NOT lose data even if you are warned that you might.
5. Sync and back up your phone
6. NOW, tell it to update your iOS and follow the directions
7. When your iPhone boots with iOS 5 and has no music, photos or apps do not panic, your job is NOT done yet
8. Allow your iPhone to restore itself from the back up and resync your iPhone and then apps.  You can begin to use it during this process but should not unplug it.
9. Ensure that all your devices have been upgraded to Lion or iOS 5
10. Visit http://me.com/move and upgrade to iCloud
11. When your iPhone has finally finished synching its apps, photos and music, in iTunes on your computer adjust the settings there and tell it to “back up to iCloud”

One feature that could perhaps confuse precisely because it is so easy is the new messaging system.  Once you have signed in with your existing iTunes account, you will automatically begin using Apple’s new messaging system within your normal texting app when you can.  You can totally disable SMS but that is not the best idea. Instead, as and when your friends who have iPhones update to iOS 5, when you try and send them a text message, your iPhone will intelligently route that message via their new system.  No PINs to give out, no need to login, nothing.  If you allow read receipts when setting it up your friends will even be able to see when you have read their message.

For months, UK iTunes users have wondered if Apple’s new service which allows you to re-download your purchased music to any device you own would launch in the UK.  Well, I can tell you that I just downloaded the latest version of iTunes here in London and it has now added this service to my Mac.  It doesn’t work for films yet, and I hope it will at some point, but this is major news for anyone with a UK iTunes account.  Chances are you have bought stuff maybe even years ago and deleted it by accident.  This new service shows you all the files that you have paid for that are not on your computer.

Now, we are all just waiting for the release of IOS 5 later today which will, among other things, back up your entire iPhone or iPod through the internet.   No more loosing your photos and video if you loose your phone, for example.

This article makes an interesting point about the unintended consequences of technology for the global church:

Recently I met with members of the Digital Bible Society. DBS specializes in collecting and distributing Bibles and theological material in closed countries. They distributed Chinese language materials 10 years ago on tens of thousands of CDs.Today the team at DBS prepares gigabytes of the Bible, Christian books, and videos like the Jesus film, and puts them on e-readers and microSD chips. Today’s Bible “distributor” can hide a microSD chip in a sock, bringing biblical material into highly dangerous countries.When I met with DBS and some other ministries, they showed me an incredible array of James Bond-like devices that people around the world are using to smuggle these materials to dark places.One man talked about being interrogated by secret police for meeting with people and giving them Bibles. Then, through a thick Arabic accent, he said to the group, “H.264 and EPUB are gifts from God.” I agree.1

via Christian perspectives on art, movies, music, culture, and the world..

It is sad that a true desire for excellence seems to be very rare today. We would do well to look at what we can learn from the most successful company of our era: Apple.  Here are some comparisons between the values Apple embodies, and those of  many companies today:

 

Be passionate	Be rational
Lead, don’t follow	Be cautious
Aim to surprise	Aim to satisfy
Be unreasonable	Be practical
Innovate incessantly	Innovate when necessary
Sweat the details	Get it mostly right
Think like an engineer and feel like an artist	Think like an engineer and feel like an accountant

The bottom line: Apple’s unique success is a product of its unique values–which are uniquely innovation-friendly and customer-centric. . . Imagine if Apple’s passions were the norm rather than the exception. What if the world’s leading insurance company or publisher or bank or airline or hotel chain was driven by these ideals? What if you encountered them every time you talked to someone at the Internal Revenue Service or had to apply for a building permit? OK, now I’m hallucinating. But I still can’t help but dream of a world in which Apple has become a lot less exceptional because its core values have become a lot less exceptional. Apple may have patented a lot of things, but it hasn’t patented the values that made it, for a time at least, the world’s most successful company. Apple is proof positive that innovation matters now!

via What Makes Apple Apple | Management Innovation eXchange.

There is no question in my mind that Steve Jobs played an immense role in shaping society’s attitude to technology.  I think it would be hard for anyone to argue against the idea that the world is a better place because of what he contributed.  Human beings have incredible potential to leave a lasting impact for good.

It seems to me, reading this following piece on how and why Steve Jobs was adopted at birth, that today he might well have been at risk of never making it into the world.  What a waste it is that so much human life is terminated.  How wonderful is adoption in its ability to give an unplanned baby a new chance, and give the joy and responsibility of parenthood to a couple who might never know it.  I am glad that when Steve Jobs was conceived adoption not abortion was the solution his natural parents sought.

Another great short piece that helps understand the role that Steve Jobs played in shaping our culture was recorded by Steven Fry when Job’s announced his retirement.

Steve Jobs has died of cancer. I think a suitable way to remember him today is to read this quote from him in 2005, not very long after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. There is no doubt that he made a massive impact in those “extra” years since the diagnosis to which in the end he would succumb:

“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday youll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that Ill be dead soon is the most important tool Ive ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didnt even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctors code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought youd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.I lived with that diagnosis all day.

Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I’m fine now. This was the closest I’ve been to facing death, and I hope its the closest I get for a few more decades.

Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept: No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven dont want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Lifes change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true. Your time is limited, so dont waste it living someone elses life. Dont be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other peoples thinking. Dont let the noise of others opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

via Text of Steve Jobs Commencement address 2005.

 

“You can’t just ask customers what they want . . .By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.” Steve Jobs http://bbc.in/p7tvSf

“It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”  BusinessWeek, May 25, 1998

“That’s been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”

BusinessWeek, May 25, 1998

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.”

Wall Street Journal, May 25, 1993

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For several years now on September 11th, I have re-posted this article with minimal edits. In many ways, nothing much has changed as the years have gone by. I think therefore that this is for me the most appropriate way to mark the ten year anniversary of the most shocking event of my lifetime.

The world will never forget 911. Each year I say it, but it still feels in a way like yesterday, despite the fact it is an age ago. We now live in the post 911 world. I am not American, and until early 2003 I had never been to New York. On 9/11, I didn’t lose a loved one or a friend. But I remember seeing the second plane hit the building live on TV and, just as promised, it was a day that changed history.

It was a day that marked the expansion of the global village. Somehow the world seemed to immediately know something had happened- it was as though a sharp intake of breath occurred simultaneously around the globe. I remember sensing that something had happened from inside my room in the office I then worked in. For all of us, work was immediately forgotten. As I went out of my room to find out what it was that I somehow knew was wrong, a colleague told me what had happened and we all went upstairs to watch the terrible events unfold. Holidays were canceled. Business trips were prolonged or postponed. We all remember where we were that day and how we headed for our homes just as quickly as we were able to.

It was a day when family and friends were suddenly more valued. In a moment security could never again be taken for granted. In 2003, when I first wrote this article, here in the UK we were still awaiting the attack we had all felt in that moment to be imminent, and which our leaders were telling us was inevitable. In the end, we were spared by something of a miracle the same extent loss of life when Islamic extremists attacked our underground system. If their devices had been more potent, every person on each of those subway trains would have died, possibly with even greater loss of life than New York had experienced. At another point, the conviction of those responsible for a liquid explosives plot to destroy multiple planes over the Atlantic reminded that the risk has not gone away.We would be foolish to conclude we are now safe.

It was a day when a war was declared that by our own admission can never be won. It was a day that we all pray will never be surpassed in the sheer scale of its cruelty, although the same evil displayed has been amply displayed since in various attacks.

It was a call to fight, but also a call to reach out. It led immediately to many unanswered questions- How could people act in this way? Why was anyone willing to be sympathetic to the views of such men? Why was condemnation not forthcoming from every member of the world? Why do some people still hate Americans? Why are some apparently respectable Muslims at least partly sympathetic to the terrorists?

What really saddens me to this day is that even such an act, or acts such as torturing and murdering schoolchildren, are not enough to make every single person throughout the world state “this is evil and we renounce it totally” I hope that today brings shame to those who in the past have toyed with terrorism- the Irish Terrorists and those who funded them, for example. For Irish terrorism and other groups around the globe helped to lay the foundations and show the way for small groups of people to hold the entire world to ransom. I may not have been in New York before that event, but I had previously felt the blast wave of two IRA bombs in London.

In the end 911 was, however, a single day. A very important day, but it was nonetheless just a day. Part of history that can never be erased but just one day. We have had evil days before and we will have them again. Without minimising the pain of this day, or for a moment suggesting that we should turn back the clock or stop commemorating it, it was just a day. Somehow such days must be integrated and life must continue, as indeed it has.

I am glad that for my family this date in the year we also have positive connotations to remember it by in the future. Today is also the anniversary of the day my brother got married. I am glad that this was on 9/11 because why should we let the terrorists totally occupy the territory of one of our 365 days? Do they also now own another one after 3/11 in Spain? What about 7/7 when they attacked London? Can nothing good ever happen again on 9/11? They got their wedding cheaper because most people did not want to marry that day.

I thank God today, a few hours before Americans will awaken to 911 for all the marriages that have taken place on 9/11, for all the babies that have been born, for all the human achievements that have been completed, and in short for all the lives that continue this 9/11.

Our very resilience and determination shows that terrorism will never beat the human spirit. Sadly, one of the costs of living in freedom is that evil men will always have the opportunity to strike again. I am glad that I am not one of the leaders responsible for trying to minimise our risks. It is very easy to criticise, but today of all days lets pray for wisdom for Obama, for Cameron and for all other world leaders.

News reports this morning are of a quiet night. We are thankful to God for that. And we are grateful to God for the tools he has used, the robust police response. I support the incredible work by them over the last few nights. As they have been given more resources they have restored order. They have done so in a way that has remained essentially British. Their restraint in not asking for things like water cannon has been admirable. I would not have been so patient. The lack of reports of police brutality has been striking. Many of them have been sleeping in police stations for a quicker response if needed. All of them have had summer leave cancelled. The Specials, our volunteer police force have reported for duty. David Cameron’s leadership over the last couple of days has been outstanding. We are a peaceful nation, in which events from the last week are unprecedented. May God restore order fully. Pray that last night’s peace continues.

But may we as a nation rally together afresh. May the value of community building organisations like the Church be appreciated once more. May the gospel have free reign. And may many reach out to Jesus after the shock to all of us that these terrible scenes on our TVs have been.

And on that note, I am planning on returning to my blog break unless there are any developments to report. Guest posts and re-runs will resume on Monday.

God has been opening doors for Christians in the UK to speak to the media, and to build relationships with local authorities. This evening, my pastor Tope Koleoso was on Sky News. I think he did a great job:

Overnight we had the best bit of good news in a few days. London was relatively peaceful. It seems the strong leadership decisions made by David Cameron yesterday worked. Large numbers of police on the streets proved a deterrent. There were outbreaks of looting in other parts of the UK, however, so this situation is not over. More details at BBC News – UK riots: Trouble erupts in English cities.

As things begin to calm down, communities will rally together I am sure. Let’s pray that churches will take the opportunity to connect well with their local authorities and help build social cohesion in the future. Personally I think the current situation is largely about criminal activity. But as the dust settles we will need to begin to turn our gaze to building a strong inclusive society.

British citizens should be very encouraged by the statements from Cameron and the Police this morning which are very welcome and suitably robust.  To double the number of police seems sensible. If the police feel the army is not needed then I am good with that! We must all support the police and all the actions necessary to control this.  Good too feel that we are being well lead as a nation today.

Here is the full text of David Cameron’s statement:

‘I have come straight from a meeting of the Government’s Cobra committee where we’ve been discussing the action that we will be taking to help the police deal with the disorder in the streets of London and elsewhere in our country. I’ve also met with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner and the Home Secretary to discuss this further and people should be in doubt that we will do everything necessary to restore order to Britain’s streets and to make them safe for the law-abiding.

Let me first of all completely condemn the scenes that we have seen on our television screens and people have witnessed in their communities. These are sickening scenes, scenes of people looting, vandalising, thieving, robbing, scenes of people attacking police officers and even attacking fire crews as they’re trying to put out fires. This is criminality, pure and simple and it has to be confronted and defeated. I feel huge sympathy for the families that have suffered, innocent people who have been turned out of their houses and to business who’ve seen their premises smashed, their products looted and their livelihoods potentially ruined. I also feel for all those who live in fear because of those appalling scenes that we’ve seen on the streets of our country. People should be in no doubt that we are on the side of the law-abiding. Law-abiding people who are appalled at what has happened in their own communities.

As ever, police officers have shown incredible bravery on our streets in confronting these thugs, but it’s quite clear that we need more, much more police on our streets and we need even more robust police action and it’s that that I’ve been discussing in COBRA this morning. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner has said that compared with the 6,000 police on the streets last night in London there will be some 16000 officers tonight. All leave within the Metropolitan Police has been cancelled. There will be aid coming from police forces up and down and the country and we will do everything necessary to strengthen and assist these forces that are meeting this disorder. There has already been 450 people arrested. We will make sure that court procedures and processes are speeded up and people should expect to see more, many more, arrests in the days to come. I am determined, the Government is determined that justice will be done and these people will see the consequences of their actions.

And I have this very clear message to those people that are responsible for this wrongdoing and criminality. You will feel the full force of the law. And if you are old enough to commit these crimes, you are old enough to face the punishments. And to these people I would say this. You are not only wrecking the lives of others. You are not only wrecking your own communities, you are potentially wrecking your own life too.

My office this morning has spoken to the Speaker of the House of Commons and he has agreed that Parliament will be recalled for a day on Thursday so I can make a statement to parliament and we can hold a debate and we are all able to stand together in condemnation of these crimes and we are able to stand together in determination to rebuild these communities. Now, if you will excuse me, there is important work to be done.’

This morning, Tope Koleoso was on Premier Gospel speaking about how Christians can get involved with the clean up. You can download audio of Tope’s interview

Jubilee Church has a page with a further comment from Tope and a call to prayer and response. It is time for the church to pray, to speak out, and to act, as I also posted about earlier this morning. It should be noted that of course my plan is offered as suggestions, and some aspects of my plan may not be practical or even wise. The general point is we need a more aggressive response, how we do that is down to the authorities.

Glad to hear that special constables are being asked to report for duty, and employers are being asked to release them.

The situation this morning is absolutely terrifying. BBC News and the Guardian have live news sections that make frightening reading. The most concerning thing is that there seems that the authorities are struggling to control the situation. Now I am no expert in civilian unrest but here are my suggestions for the crisis meeting that the government are having later this morning.

It must be stressed that what is happening has NOTHING to do with protesting injustice. It has NOTHING to do with race. It has NOTHING to do with politics. It has nothing to do with cuts or poverty. These people are thieving pure and simple. It is a tiny proportion of our proud nation. Control must be restored and restored quickly and the perpetrators brought to justice.

It should be noted that of course my plan is offered as suggestions, and some aspects of my plan may not be practical or even wise. The general point is we need a more aggressive response, how we do that is down to the authorities. This would especially be true of getting the army out, alternatives might be better. I am very glad to hear today that all voluntary special constables are being asked to report for duty, and employers are being asked to release them. Statements from Cameron and the Police are very welcome and suitably robust.

Further Update (11th August) I am of course thrilled that many of my specific suggestions have proven not necessary. The general idea of a more robust police response without army involvement was the right choice by Cameron, and I am glad it seems to have worked so well. I leave these suggestions unchanged for historical integrity reasons. Some of them definitely reflected my emotional state early one morning, rather than a carefully thought through response:

1. We must declare a state of emergency and consider if it is necessary to call in the army to the streets of the UK. David Cameron should appear on the steps of number ten and state this personally.  This can and should happen this morning. It is not a declaration that the police have failed, it is a measured response to protect our nation.  A nationwide curfew may need to be declared for tonight since the works of darkness are performed in darkness.  Each day thereafter a decision should be made as to whether a curfew is still required.

2. The rules of engagement must be immediately and publicly changed. The nation should be warned that water cannon, Tazars, tear gas and possibly (and only in extreme circumstances) even guns will be used against any group that is menacing or property, our livelihoods, and our lives. Kettling can and should be used rather than allowing gangs to roam unchecked, even driving them along a high street as business after business is destroyed.

3. RIM Blackberry must immediately and publicaly close down their BBM instant messaging service in this country. They must also turn over to police all their records so that the authors of messages that have incited to violence can be brought to justice.

4. Arrest anyone who has incited to violence on Twitter, Facebook or elsewhere online (all of which are more public so easier to track than blackberry’s messages) should be rounded up and arrested.  Such errant accounts should be taken down and replaced with a message that shames their owner.

5. A police website should be set up for members of the public to upload photographs and video of the looters. All existing photographs and videos of looters should be placed on this website where it is then made possible for pictures to be tagged by people who do not have to give their name. When tagged the actual name of the person itself should not be shown publically on the site but they can be marked as “1 name suggested X times” or “3 different names suggested.” Thus the community can help the police locate these people and arrest them.

6. Sensible Community leaders from all areas such as my pastor should be given opportunities to address the nation via our news channels. We need compelling voices for unity and peace to be given a channel to communicate. It is critical that politicians in particular unite and do not use this mindless violence as an opportunity to score points against each other.

7. Road blocks should be placed around key commerical areas and access to them be controlled. Photographs, and searches can be required for entry and exit.

8. Petrol stations must be immediately required not to sell petrol in cans. Lockable caps for fuel tanks should also be made available free to allow the nation to reduce access to petrol for the gangs.

9. A website should be set up for requests for help, and offers of help to be exchanged so that the community can rise and help victims of this atrocity. In the absence of a website such requests could be made through Twitter. This seems to already have begun as riot clean up is trending. Speaking personally if anyone in the Enfield area needs help I am very happy to broadcast that via my twitter feed, and I know many members of our church are happy to help in whatever way is needed.

10. A clear declaration should be made by the government of who is in charge of the ongoing security operations and how different services will be co-ordinated.

Finally I do have an 11th point.  It is a point that in the not very distant past would have been top of the list for any such plan.  But I know that it might not be seen very well by the authorities.  Great to see then Justin Bieber make this point this morning on Twitter and to see the simple phrase “Pray for London”  trending there as a result.  We should call the nation to a day of prayer today.  Christians, who read this post from wherever you are in the world, I do call you to PRAY not just for London but for our nation.  We cannot let destructive elements destroy our society.  Be under no mistake, these elements are in the minority but a very dangerous anarchy has been released.   Our God has delivered our nation before and days of prayer played a part in that.  Please join us in prayer.

May God deliver our nation, and use this crisis as an opportunity to call many to himself.

MEDIA RELEASE

The leader of Enfield’s largest multi-cultural church has condemned the recent violence in Enfield and across London as “deplorable”.

Pastor Tope Koleoso stated:  “This seems to have been motivated more by greed and a desire to loot than any form of protest.   I am certain that people from outside our area caused the vast majority of the violence.”

Mr Koleoso heads up the team of pastors at Jubilee Church London, which meets at Cineworld in Enfield. He added: “As a leader of a multicultural church with members from different cultures and ethnicities, I am aware that the recent shooting in Tottenham was a trigger to the initial rioting, but urge all people to have patience as those events are investigated, and not to use them as an excuse for disorder.”

He said that he and other church members have been meeting with other local community leaders and some of the shop-owners who were seriously affected by the looting.

“Everyone we have spoken to is united in their condemnation of these events and support for the police as they work to maintain order.”

Jubilee Church is now offering a team of volunteers to serve any Enfield shop owner with clean up operations once they are allowed access, or the community in any other way.

Mr Koleoso explained: “Enfield is a peaceful area of London where black and white live alongside each other in harmony.  Our church is an expression of that where many nationalities worship together. We work with youth in the Enfield community and are involved in other outreach projects. Just hours before these events around 100 of our youth and adult members returned from a youth festival in Norwich where they had been contributing to social action projects.”

Anyone in need of such assistance should email Jubilee Church via the website at http://jubileechurchlondon.org.

I am getting messages from different members of our congregation who say that gangs are smashing things up yards from their home, or in once case actually at the foot of their flats. Buildings have been looted in Enfield Town, and it seems also on the retail park where our church is based. Please pray for safety for all our people, and for those we live amongst. We do not want any injury or loss of life, and we want the damage to the area we love to stop.

As Tope Koleoso put it on Facebook,

Let us not give our town over to the Enemy but commit it to the hands of God. Let all Jubilee people pray now for Enfield and for the homes and properties of all people, including the Police.

Enfield is not far from Tottenham where scenes of carnage happened yesterday. People ask why is this happening at all? It was all triggered by a fatal shooting of a man they were trying to arrest by police. We were all shocked by the scenes of terrible fires, and by the attempts to stir up racial unrest. We have some members of our congregation who live in Tottenham. All I can say is that it is obviously all a million miles away from the genuine inter-racial unity we experience at Jubilee. Truth be told, Enfield is a very quiet place and I am sure that most if not all of the trouble makers have gone there from outside.

May God deliver us in our time of need. Would you please stand with us right now?

During Adrian’s month away from the blog, he has hand-picked a selection of the most popular posts of the year so far to re-run.

Today we feature, “10 Ways a Christian should respond to the earthquake in Japan.” As the world was reeling from the astonishing news from Japan, this post proved quite popular as it attempted to think through how Christians should respond:

10 Ways a Christian should respond to the earthquake in Japan

As Japan braces itself for a possible further serious earthquake, and deals with the consequences of such massive devastation caused by the last one, not to mention the risk of a major nuclear incident, how should Christians respond?

The rest of this article is available by following the link above.

I suspect that by now almost everyone who reads this blog will already know that John Stott passed away two days ago.

It is impossible to overstate the influence Stott had on the evangelical world in the 20th Century. I thought I would here share some quotes and a round up of useful links form around the net. John Stott Ministries has a website where you can read more about him. Third Way have a comprehensive interview with Stott from 2005.

John Piper’s personal reflection on Stott’s life is probably the best place to start:

“John Stott turned the words of Bible sentences into windows onto glorious reality by explaining them in clear, compelling, complete, coherent, fresh, silly-free, English sentences . . Yes! This is what I was starving for and didn’t even know it. Amazing! Someone is telling me what these sentences mean! Someone is making light shine on these words. It is shining so bright, I can’t sleep in this light! I am waking up from decades of dull dealing with God’s word. Thank you. Thank you. I could care less if you tell me any stories. I want to know what God means by these words!.”

Justin Taylorwrote a very good article about Sott which included the video I have also embedded below. He quoted John Stott’s final published words, at the end of his last book, The Radical Disciple, published in 2010:

As I lay down my pen for the last time (literally, since I confess I am not computerized) at the age of eighty-eight, I venture to send this valedictory message to my readers. I am grateful for your encouragement, for many of you have written to me. Looking ahead, none of us of course knows what the future of printing and publishing may be. But I myself am confident that the future of books is assured and that, though they will be complemented, they will never be altogether replaced. For there is something unique about books. Our favorite books become very precious to us and we even develop with them an almost living and affectionate relationship. Is it an altogether fanciful fact that we handle, stroke and even smell them as tokens of our esteem and affection? I am not referring only to an author’s feeling for what he has written, but to all readers and their library. I have made it a rule not to quote from any book unless I have first handled it. So let me urge you to keep reading, and encourage your relatives and friends to do the same. For this is a much neglected means of grace. . . . Once again, farewell! (pp. 136-137)

Here are a few quotes from John Stott that various people have shared on Twitter that give a good insight into the way he thought:

• “In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it?”
• “Worship without theology is bound to degenerate into idolatry. On the other hand, there should be no theology without doxology.”
• “It is impossible to be truly converted to God without being thereby converted to our neighbor.”
• “Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us, we have to see it as something done by us.”
• “Every Christian should be both conservative and radical; conservative in preserving the faith and radical in applying it.”

The Christian Post quoted a colleague, “I’m not certain that John Stott would want people to remember him,” and gives a detailed account of his life.

Christianity Today has a very helpful article, which includes the following excerpt:

“Conservative evangelicals were a despised minority when Stott was ordained, without a single bishop in the Church of England. In response, Stott showed his ingenuity as a social entrepreneur. He was never one to keep his convictions to himself, nor to consider a situation hopeless. Instead, he fostered organizations meant to encourage younger evangelical clergy, and he helped organize and renew evangelical conferences.

Most of all, he served as a model of confidence and intellectual strength. “I remember reading his books as a young student,” says Old Testament scholar Chris Wright, whom Stott later chose to lead Langham Partners International, the Majority World ministry of biblical scholarship and preaching that Stott started as a result of his global travels. “They were so clearly argued you felt that you had a case.”

Stott believed in the mind as a gift from God. In an evangelical world tempted to rely on proof texts and emotive stories, Stott drilled down deep into Scripture to display its power. Many people, hearing Stott preach for the first time, said they had never heard the Bible expounded with such clarity and depth. His passion was to learn what God said, and to let it shape life. Stott’s preaching and writing renewed faith in the inspiration of Scripture—not only because he defended it, but because he displayed it.

At the same time, his practice of evangelism demonstrated that “plain, ordinary Christianity” could appeal to all classes of people. What evangelicals most treasured—the person and work of Jesus Christ, and the Scriptures that testified to them—he showed to be potent resources for winning the world. Largely through Stott’s leadership, British evangelicalism was transformed from a defensive backwater to an engaged and significant movement.”

Tim Challies shares some highlights from Twitter, while the Gospel Coalition posted an article from a British Minister that states, “To ministers like myself, perhaps it is John Stott’s concern for careful, faithful and meticulous exposition of the Scriptures that will be his lasting legacy. For him, preaching was not just an ‘add on’ to the busy life of a minister but a huge privilege and a solemn responsibility.”

British Newspapers have posted obitaries including the following:

• The Guardian: “Though the name of the Rev John Stott, who has died at the age of 90, rarely appeared in the UK national press, in April 2005 Time Magazine placed him among the world’s top 100 major influencers.” (This is not the time for us to speak about the perenial bias of the media against Christians, but I do hope that the media will pay attention to other evangelical voices God will raise up. ) The piece goes on,  “He insisted that Christians should engage in “double listening” – to the word of God, and to the world around them – and apply their biblical faith to all the pressing issues of contemporary culture. “
• The Telegraph: “When Stott was ordained at the end of the Second World War, the evangelical wing of the Church of England was small, introverted, backward-looking and divided. Fifty years later there was an evangelical Archbishop of Canterbury; several diocesan bishops of similar convictions; and in all parts of England a network of dynamic churches inspired by the evangelical spirit. “

There is an official John Stott Memorial that has been set up that includes an online memorial book. Notable quotes from that page include:

• Billy Graham who described Stott as “the most respected clergyman in the world today”
• New York Times columnist David Brooks who wrote that if evangelicals chose a pope, they would choose him.
• Don from Indonesia, “Through his books, I felt he was like my spiritual father. Sad that he’s now gone but also glad as he is now receiving the prize and also for his everlasting legacy.”
• Phil, who served on staff with Stott in the 1970s, “Uncle John leaves this world a much better place due to his humble, dedicated service to God.”

I am very grateful to God for the numbers of you that faithfully keep coming back to this blog and reading. Till now, unless you are on Twitter there has been no easy way to allow you a voice. Now that Facebook have introduced a new commenting system, I have decided to trial this for a while and see how it goes. One thing I like about this system is that commentators are risking their online Facebook reputation by what they say, and as a result I trust will be wise in what they say. The anonymous comments that can bedevil other systems should hopefully be less of a problem! Anyway, I am a little nervous about this, but we will see how it goes, I can always pull the plug.

So, to make use of this first comments box, why don’t you take the opportunity to introduce yourself, say where in the world you are from, and what kind of church you attend if you do?