The Final Countdown

After quickly developing a potato chip addiction after moving to Britain, thanks to conveniently placed stashes of Salt & Vinegar delights in just about every petrol station in the country, something had to happen. Now after a gruelling year of proving myself stronger than the salty sensations, I'm happy to say that I'm just about to come to the end of a one year potato crisp fast (RESPECT!), and yes, I must say I am indeed counting the days. Walkers, you will be mine...oh yes, you will be mine.

www.walkers-crisps.co.uk

A New Ad from Mac's Christmas Series...

I couldn't help myself!

Logos for Mac

Can't wait to get my hands on this...

Heart Support

This is an interesting site I stumbled across the other day.

www.heartsupport.com

Rising Again

The RISE guys have recently announced that they're currently in the process of re-thinking, re-wiring and re-launching the label, branching beyond the printed tee and odd accessory to become a high-end, premium streetwear label and a fashionable force to be reckoned with a la RISE 2.0

With a new site to go with the upcoming new collections, not only will wearing RISE gear be a more pleasurable experience than ever, but online purchasing will be quicker and simpler too.

Get you gear and meet the RISE Family at www.rise-worldwide.com

45 Days

The band DemonHunter have recently released a documentary film called 45 Days, which premiered at Mars Hill Church in late November. The footage is amazing, and the band have chosen not to use any of their own music for the soundtrack, even though the documentary is about them...hmm...sound weird? ...well, it's weird in a refreshingly good way.

To be honest, I'm not a big fan of the band, but this project looks amazing from start to finish. With amazing footage, great content and a suprising musical score, the trailer had me asking for more. Preview it below, or check it out at www.45daysfilm.com

Junk Pride

I first heard about the Junky Car Club about a year ago listening to a podcast interview with founder Mike Foster. Being someone who never really went down the gotta-be-into-sports-and-flash-cars-cause-I'm-a-guy-and-that's-what-we-do route, and having been the proud owner of a number of junky old cars myself, the word kinship immediately sprang to mind. Only the difference here is that loads of the junksters who are part of this odd movement actually ARE into cars, and that's the whole point!

The club was established in the spring of 2006 when Mike decided to sell his fully loaded Infiniti G35 sports car to drive a junky 1993 Toyota Camry. The decision was an act of rebellion against consumerism and came out of a desire to give more to worthy causes. Mike made the switch, and then began to enlist his friends and associates to join him in this experiment of driving with less and giving more. Excited and enthusiastic about driving junky cars, these guys aren't embarassed, ashamed or self-concious about their beaters...instead they practice JUNK PRIDE.

While consumeristic culture promotes the new and the shiny, the Junky Car Club exalts the ugly and the dented, and they've made a conscoius choice not to care less about the brands and the latest models, letting their lives and self-worth be defined by what they do, and not what they drive.

Next time I get myself a car, it might well be a junkster...

www.junkycarclub.com

The New Face(s) of the American Church

The American church is currently undergoing some major renovation work thanks to a new wave of innovative Christian leaders and spokesmen. Dedicated to reclaiming the dignity of the Christian faith, redeeming the reputation of the righteous, and giving the world something more to look at than twisted televangelism and perverted prosperity preaching, these fresh-thinking Christians are changing the face of the church.

Here's just 5 of the names that keep popping up all over the place at the moment, and although they have different viewpoints on a whole heap of theological and cultural issues, these guys are not only a breath of fresh air, but some of the key players helping shape what's become known as the emerging church.

Name: Rob Bell
Age: 38
Family: Wife & kids
Books: Velvet Jesus, Sex God, Jesus Wants to Save Christians
Ministries: Mars Hill Bible Church (not to be confused with Mars Hill Church!)
Links: Nooma, Mars Hill Bible Church



Name: Cameron Strang
Age: 32
Family: Wife
Books: RELEVANT Magazine, RELEVANT Books, Neue Quarterly
Ministries: RELEVANT Magazine, Neue





Name: Jay Alabamy Haizlip
Age: 44
Family: Wife & kids
TV show: The Uprising (from Steelroots)
Ministries: The Sanctuary Church, The Uprising is Here





Name: Mark Driscoll
Age: 38
Family: Wife & kids
Books: Vintage Jesus, Death By Love, Vintage Church etc.
Ministries: Mars Hill Church, The Resurgance, Acts 29 Network





Name: Shane Claiborne
Age: ?
Family: Intentionally Single
Books: The Irresistable Revolution, Jesus for President etc.
Ministries: The Simple Way, Another World is Possible

Hey Ho Oslo!

I had the privilege of visiting a snowy Oslo for a couple of days this week for some meetings with New Generation leaders from Scandinavia, and managed to squeeze in some JD ribs at TGI Friday's and a quick pit-stop at my favourite Oslo store, Stress, on Karl Johan Gate. Here's a few pics of some of the latest from Adidas and Vans...not least a swanky bench with built in mag holder.

Spread the Word with NGUK

The New Generation Bible Project is growing by the day, with new orders coming in from all over the UK, and now fresh new NTs being printed and shipped to Russia, Switzerland, Germany and Romania. With earlier versions already available in Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Russian and English, the number of Bibles distributed by young NGers across the world in the last few years is right around the 200 000 mark. Not bad, but still it's just the beginning. Join the move at www.newgeneration.co.uk

Poke Your Eyes Out with Blindin!

Check out this fresh new Midlands-based company providing everything from web, print, branding and clothing to advertising, photography, music, video and all things IT. Not only are these guys simultaneously creative and technical, but they're even friendly! All this topped off with claims that they're so good you'll be poking your eyes out. Find out for yourself at www.blindin.com

Text & Context with Piper & Friends

Today I watched some good conversation between some favourite church leaders from the States making waves through the Acts 29 leadership network and The Resurgence. For some deep insights from the likes of theologian and pastor John Piper and his younger Acts 29 cohorts Mark Driscoll and Matt Chandler, check out the Q&A session from the Text & Context conference on The Resurgence

Skateboarding in Stereo

Co-captains Jason Lee and Chris Pastras at Stereo Skateboards have finally seen the light and re-released a couple of the best skateboarding films ever made as a 2-pack on DVD. Tincan Folklore and A Visual Sound are packed with good skating, arty clips and stills and random shenanigans, accompanied by smooth jazz and slick guitar licks from the likes of legendary skateboarder Tommy Guerrero. They are without a doubt two of the most groundbreaking boardriding flicks from the 90s and definitely worth adding to the collection.

They may not climb quite as high the up the Top 10 list as Jason's other dvd releases such as "My Name is Earl", but it's good to see he hasn't forgotten his roots amidst all the prime time favour and fame. Go get a piece of the good stuff at www.stereosoundagency.com

Martin Smith's Compassionate Art

Delirious' Martin Smith has managed to assembly somewhat of a Gospel/Worship dream team for a project called CompassionArt, which has been launched with a cd and accompanying book with material that came out of a retreat earlier this year where the artists came together for a week of prayer and songwriting in the Scottish highlands.

Mr. Smith has managed to convince each of the heavyweights to give away the rights and royalty money from each of the songs written for the project to charity, in an attempt to combine art with compassion and generate money for causes like Stop the Traffik and Hand of Hope. Word has it that even Coldplay's Viva la Vida release was put back by a week to accommodate the Abbey Rd. studio time needed to complete the project. Next thing we know Ringo and Paul will be contributing to the project!

To find out more, go to www.compassionart.tv

All Neue Quarterly

Yesterday my subscription to the all new ministry resource from Neue kicked in and manifested itself in the mailbox in the form of a brand-spanking first edition of the Neue Quarterly. Conveniently, it found it's way to my porch the afternoon before my day off work, so today, I'm reading Neue...

To check out the accompanying site, or even better, to order your own copy and start supporting these guys, go to www.neueministry.com

Brad Meets Brighton

Yesterday morning began way too early for my liking with a 4am rise and 5am departure (large coffee in hand) for the south coast of England and a session at Youthwork the Conference in Eastborne. The snow didn't help the journey much, but 28 chapters worth of Acts on the iPod, some good company and a successful workshop had me feeling good about the day again.

Once northbound again the road signs got me thinking that a fish n' chips stop at the famous Brighton Pier up the road might help make the 3 hour journey home feel a little less tedious and give me the pleasure of crossing off yet another city on my neverending list, so right about lunchtime we rolled in to the seaside town to find they'd even turned the sun back on for our arrival. Impressed by the arty vibe and surprised by the chic, we wandered on to find the not-so-bad-after-all pier and the seaside painters and studios adding their charm. A vinegar-saturated parcel and a Starbucks freshly brewed later we made a fews stops in some pretty fine sneaker stores and walked back to the car negotiating and navigating our way through the narrow alleys and the nooks and crannys of the bright Brighton lanes.

Generally impressed but disappointed at not bumping into Mr. Cave (who subsequently had a gig at a local venue later in the evening) we got back in the car for a few more hours of driving (and traffic jams) before joining another Australian and his buddies at the Dominion Theatre for some premium London worship Sydney style and a surprise dose of Ed Young. All in all a pretty nice day, I'd recommend anyone to stop by Brighton next time you're down that way.

The Peasant Princess

Mark Driscoll's latest series on love, lust, marriage and sex is making waves in the blogosphere and helping people all over the world come to terms with this ever-relevant topic. To check out the video podcasts, view the site and play a game of Whac-a-Fox, go to www.peasantprincess.com

Pics from One 08 London

Here's a few pics from the One 08 London event late last month.

The Uprising Is Here

Skateboarding legends Jay Alabamy Haizlip, Christian Hosoi and Brian Sumner's reality tv show The Uprising is now broadcasting at SteelRoots. With 4 episodes online so far the series is in full swing, and I must say I'm impressed with the quality of the production, the editing, the skateboarding and even the ultimate fighting....not to mention loads of inspiring clips showing the boys engage with skaters, bums and random teens, sharing their faith and praying with many. The Uprising is definitely a first when it comes to combining good skating and good times with some spiritual content and purpose. Check it out at www.steelroots.com