eBook Deal: Serving without Sinking - just £1

Many of us are serving, and feel like we're sinking. We feel joyless, weary and burdened.

John Hindley shows how Jesus was telling the truth when He offered people an "easy yoke" — a way of serving Him that is joyful and liberating. He explains why serving is so often joyless — and how our identity in Christ changes everything.

If you are serving, but sometimes feel as though you're sinking… you need this ebook!

Get the ebook version for just £1 at the checkout using the discount code sws0411.

Offer expires at midday on Thursday.

Encouragement from the Kibera slum, Nairobi...

We're so excited to be partnering with Kipepeo Designs this year, promoting the cards that they make in the huge Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya. The cards are lovingly handmade by ladies who live in the slum bringing them a vital source of income - and they are proving incredibly popular!

But the other side of Kipepeo's work is sharing the gospel with the ladies who work there and we are thrilled that they're finding our Good Book Guides useful for doing that. Here are some shots of Margaret, Philgona, Patricia and Millicent studying the Bible before work, looking at the last hours before Jesus' crucifixion in Luke 22-24:

We are so grateful to God for this opportunity not only to support these ladies financially, but also with resources that will help them grow in their knowledge and love of Jesus. Please join us in praying for these ladies and for the work of Kipepeo in the Kibera slum.

See our range of Kipepeo cards HERE.

Manic Monday

We tend to think of ourselves in terms of what job we do, or what we have achieved, or in relation to the people around us. But Paul tells us to find our identity elsewhere:

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation – if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. - Colossians 3 v 21-23

This is a description of who you were, and who you’ve become in Christ. How does that make you feel?

What difference would it make to you if you remembered and believed verse 21 — all day, every day this week — about the non-Christians around you?

According to this passage, what is the one thing we do this week?

The gospel reconciles us to God and makes us holy—and it keeps doing so. It’s amazing — all we need to do is hang onto it!

Based on an extract taken from Explore Daily Bible Reading Notes

Aren't They Lovely When They're Asleep - just £4.99

This week has been, for many children and families, a half term break from school. The summer seems so long ago already and the struggle to get the children back into a routine took longer than expected, especially if you had a child changing schools as I did. The darkening mornings also provide little help in encouraging everyone in the house to leap out of bed of a morning.

As parents of two senior school boys, the ever decreasing time my wife and I get to spend alone challenges many of the practices and routines we have developed over the years. Later nights and those long school days take their toll on us all in the household. Tiredness sets in for the children before us ...... just! So how can we look after them and their needs without burning out ourselves?

As our children grow, the problems and challenges don’t go away (sorry those who haven’t got there yet!), they just change. Even when our children grow into adults there remains a parental concern about how they are doing and what they are up to. Well so my mother tells me (quite often).

But whatever position or situation we find ourselves in, we know we have the example of the ultimate parent in our loving and gracious God. Whatever we go through, much help can be found in his Word, the Bible. But how can we pull all that Godly advice together?

Ann Benton in, Aren’t they lovely when they’re asleep? does just that, helping us learn six key parenting concepts from a biblical perspective and with a God’s-eye view of ourselves.

Find out more HERE and pick up a copy for just £4.99 until midday on Monday using the code asleep1014 at the checkout.

Christianity in the News 30.10.2014

Two per cent of Anglican priests don't believe in God, survey finds

Houston mayor who subpoenaed pastors is flooded with up to 1,000 Bibles

In expansive Pakistan, Christians struggle to find space for cemeteries

Christians of Mosul Find Haven in Jordan

Disclaimer: The Good Book Company is not responsible for the content of external sites and does not necessarily agree with the content of articles listed.

Tricky Trailer

Available to pre-order HERE.

Five Things to Pray on Halloween

It's Halloween on Friday (it will also be Reformation Day, but our local shops don’t seem to be stocking too many Martin Luther outfits). Whether you think the festival is horrendous, harmless, or somewhere in between, why not make sure you’re praying about it… here are five pointers from Colossians:... continue reading

Churchianity is not Christianity

Jesus takes on church-ianity

There’s one self-cure religion that looks really great, and is very popular in the western world. I know that, because I used to be part of it.

I call it “church-ianity”.

It’s very easy to go to church, sing hymns and enjoy the buildings… but still rely on your own guesses about God, rather than listening to Jesus. And it’s very easy to go to church, do good things and try to obey God… but be relying on these things to cure your sin-disease.

But only Jesus can save, not church. Going to church doesn’t cure you. Trying very hard to obey the Ten Commandments doesn’t cure you. Only Doctor Jesus can do that.... continue reading