Moving on...

To my ever decreasing readership, the time has come to try something new, so onwards into tumblr territory... for some reason i've become frightened to post on blogger, feeling like i need to write some massive long in depth spiel per post to make it worth while...

 It feels a bit like switching from facebook to twitter, tumblr is a bit shorter and a bit more concise.

Anyways, if you want to follow me as i jump ship the new blog URL is:http://joshjohn.tumblr.com/

It's been fun blogger, but it's time to move on

On A Mission - Baliva

My friend Baliva has just released his new single "On A Mission"

Baliva is from Zim and has been making music for awhile. This single precedes a forthcoming album which if based on the quality of this single will be worth grabbing when it's released.

You can download the single here: http://baliva.bandcamp.com/

You won't be disappointed!

Hillsong - Cornerstone

Hillsong have now released their new album "Cornerstone" and i'm thoroughly enjoying it at the moment.

Criticism has often been levelled at Hillsong that perhaps their songs are "wishy washy" with the content of the songs being low instead focused more on the music.

They seem to have shifted their approach slightly with this new album and the title track shows that they're keen to have Jesus and the work of the cross at the centre.

It's well worth checking out and i'm sure a few of the songs will be popping up in church song lists worldwide.

The Cross Of Christ

A kind donation of some book to the Church office has meant that i have some new reading material. I'd always been recommended John Stott's "The Cross Of Christ" but never got round to reading it.

Therefore i'm delving into this book each day and grasping again the centrality of the cross.

From what i've read so far this is going to be a fantastic read...

"Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast
Save in the cross of Christ my God;
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood"

Music Stand The Guide

We unfortunately seem to get through a lot of music stands at Reading Family Church... it has lead to us having to commission the above video to try and inform people of the correct way of setting up and packing away a music stand...

Enjoy

Caius May Ball

On Tuesday Claire and I travelled across and up to Cambridge for a present from Dan & Zoe (my brother & sister-in-law). The present was tickets to the Caius May Ball.

We'd both been to the Reading Summer ball but this was quite a different animal. With all food & drink free (i got to eat some python paella!), a multitude of bands/comedians, a casino, arcade and loads more. There was definitely a few inches added onto my waistline,

The plan was to stay up til 6am but we sadly lasted only til 3am.

It was a great evening getting a glimpse of what felt like another world.

Big thank you to Dan & Zoe for the gift, it's fantastic getting to do stuff with your siblings, plenty more to come in the future

Worship Dance Styley

We've tried using beats & loops ourselves at RFC, but what these guys are coming out with are on a completely different level.... definitely something to aim and reach for.

I'd come across these songs a few months ago but it seems they've uploaded 2 newer versions of the songs they did.

I absolutely love what they've done, the songs sound so fresh, why stick to the same old sounds eh? Do check it out, you won't be disappointed!

The World's Smallest Car Chase

This is pretty darn cool...

Extended Family Moments

Last weekend, Claire & I travelled to Cheltenham to celebrate her Dad's 60th Birthday. It was a pub quiz night and our table amazingly managed to win! It was a decades based one so Claire and I weren't especially helpful until the 00s. 

It's great getting to share these kind of memories with my newly extend family and sharing in the laughs, celebration and obviously the washing up! 

Looking forward to many more years of this kind of stuff...

Ipod Magic

This is fantastically entertaining to watch... Magic through technology?

Pinterest

I've recently got into pinterest, and found yet another social network site with bubbling potential. Obviously it's not that new a site but i guess the vast majority of people a) don't know what it's use is or b) have never heard of it.

I guess it's a combo of twitter & facebook with a very specific focus on sharing of images over statuses etc...

Anyways i've found it really useful for the design aspect of my job where i can easily keep track of what's going on in the world of design/graphics/etc and grab lots of inspiration... + it's all in one handy place.

If you're on there do give me an add!

Faith, Religion, Morals, Ethics

Some of you may have noticed the 4thought.tv videos that are going round. These videos are 1-2mins long where a person gives their view on a topic. There are 6 people for each topic all going various view points.

Here are a few interesting topics (there's plenty more on the website)

Is abortion ever justified 
Are Christians the new persecuted 
What relevance do Jesus and His teachings have in todays Britain 
How Racist Are We?
Is Faith A Remedy For Depression 
Is Homosexuality A Sin 

It's interesting how these videos help capture a breadth of opinions on issues that make the headlines. These opinions range from the extreme to the apathetic, the heartbreaking to the disappointing.

Do check them out, it's worth seeing just what does Britain think on these issues.

P.S

This video on "Is Faith A Remedy For Depression" caused a response from a guy from my gap year church called Will Van Der Hart (who is now Vicar at St Peter's Church in Harrow). Will has run conferences on mental health issues as well as writing a blog on the topic and you can find his response here.

Why Pray?

Symphony

I'm a big fan of Louie Giglio's "Indescribable" DVDs, his latest one is called "Symphony" which i'm guessing has a musical focus...

The clip above isn't actually from the DVD but it's the same talk that is used on the trailer for the DVD. A great mash up moment...

This is the blurb from the video
"2012 DVD release from the Atlanta-based pastor, speaker and founder of the Passion Movement. Continuing in the tradition of the inspiring talks How Great Is Our God and Indescribable, in Symphony (I Lift My Hands), Giglio takes viewers from the ends of the universe to the depths of the seas and shows how all of creation is united in their praise of the Creator. And yet God, who spoke the vast universe into being and cast stars into the far reaches of space, is intimately involved in our lives and will carry us through our darkest nights."

Ships In The Night

One of my favourite singer songwriters is a guy called Mat Kearney. My brother bought Mat Kearney's first album a long time ago and some of the songs on that album are still some of my favourites even now (Undeniable is a fantastic tune). He's went quite mainstream and  his songs have featured on various big shows like Grey's Anatomy.

Anyways he just released his new single "Ships In The Night". Love the video and how it was shot, i really love the message of the song (you don't often get songs talking about the realities of marriage and fighting for it)

Do check it out

A Quick Giggle

It's going round a bit, definitely my favourite cat video...

Cornerstone

An trend running through the global church it would seem is that the hymns are being rediscovered. With new tunes added and fresh arrangements we're seeing this happening more and more.

One new redo is Hillsong's "Cornerstone" which is the title track for their forthcoming album. Using the verses of "On Christ The Solid Rock" they've given it a new tune and then added in a simple chorus.

I really like what they've done with it and can see churches really grabbing hold of it. See what you think of it below

Bible to Beats

 

My good friend Mark shared this fantastic link of the bible being spoken over hiphop beats. 

Here's the description:

"Streetlights is the world’s first urban audio Bible, combining the authentic Word of God in the New Living Translation with a dynamic musical score influenced by the cultures of the inner city. Top recording artists, accomplished music producers, and professional videographers unite to bring you word-for-word Scripture recited to industry standard, street-credible beats. Through this relevant and engaging format, people of all literacy levels will be able to hear, understand, and internalize the Word of God."

A fantastically refreshing way of meditating on scripture. Do check these tracks out...

Hearing For The First Time...

Do you remember hearing the first time you breathed? Maybe the first time you heard a dog bark? Or even just the wind blowing? I can't and it's probably why i take my hearing for granted. The video above captures the moment a 29 year old womans hears for the first time... a radically life changing moment where suddenly the world is more vibrant and colourful than it used to be

This is what the woman Sarah Churman wrote afterwards on her blog:

 "Lady Gaga sounds horrible on the radio! Just sayin'. Sloan just kissed me good night...kisses sound all smacky like...weird." She adds: "As I sit here beating the keys on the keyboard (not really, it just sounds that way); Skittles the Lovebird has been chirping, it's so cute. :) I guess I'm keeping her up. Well, my hubby is in bed...guess I should join him. I'm thinking I'll leave the device on and listen to him snore. I have to be the only wife that's looking forward to that. God IS good. Thank you to everyone who has kept up with me on this journey...thanks for the prayers, support, etc. Can't wait to get up tomorrow and hear the girls' giggles."

Scripture #2