Blog

We think we know what poverty is. We look at the news and we're convinced our definition of poverty is correct. But is it?  www.rhythms.org/poverty  Check out this video to think about poverty in it's most full sense. Poverty is not just a lack of stuff or resource but it a separation from others, from our maker and from basic human needs....

We are looking for the curious and courageous, the activists and adventurers...  We live in a world affected by so much injustice and poverty, and it needs people who will step up and use their ordinary lives to make an extraordinary difference. Tearfund’s Emerging Influencers Programme is for exceptional individuals who have the potential to bring real change through their sphere...

Imagine if I told you that a perpetrator of mass injustice was roaming freely across the globe – forcing people to flee their homes, taking food from the tables of starving families, spreading infectious diseases. We wouldn't stand for it - as human beings, we’re programmed to hate injustice. Petitions would be drafted, MPs bombarded with emails, Will Young would write...

Fairtrade is brilliant. It gives me loads of satisfaction to be able to buy a product from a shop and know that the money I've spent is going to the right places. Through Fairtrade certification, workers who have been part of production are paid fairly for the work they've done and the money is distributed to benefit local communities as a...

From my bedroom window, I can see the building site for a house. Aside from some awkward moments involving me, some bad dancing, open curtains and builders, it’s been fun watching the progress from foundations and scaffolding to a roof and the anticipation of windows. Often when we think of the story of a house, it begins when people live in...

This month I was going to write about New Year’s resolutions and share lots of my thoughts on how we could live in a way that is in step with the great commandments… then I realised that I have no ideas, thoughts or words that are anywhere near as good as Jesus’ mandate that we see in Isaiah 61 and...

With a new term only days away, there is a sense of excitement for lots of students around the country. At the same time, for myself and many others, there is a yearning for something more this year, to see our own lives changed, and to see God move in our cities. As crazy, glorious, exciting, and frightening as it is, I...

After a year of painstakingly long deliberation I have made the decision to go to University this September. This decision has not come easily to me, as I'm sure the word 'painstakingly' suggests and a part of me still wants to curl up in a ball and hide from the big bad world of university for another year. Why? Because I...

“The world has enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed.” Mahatma Gandhi   Are we really aware of the way in which we use the world’s resources and the way they get from the ground into our homes? Have we made the connection between how we live and the impact this has on the world’s poorest? Are we ready...

I was listening to a talk recently and the speaker shared this thought and it sparked multiple thoughts in me, tangents springing from tangents. Needless to say, I think I missed the next few points from the speaker because I was enjoying playing thoughtful fireworks with the quote above! It made me start thinking about my vision, my dreams, the vision...

There is enough food in the world for everyone, but tonight 1 in 8 people will go hungry. How is it possible that we can send people into space, facetime people on the other side of the planet, but people are still going without enough food? We have a unique opportunity to stand up and be the generation that sees the starts...

The Clapham Sect were individuals from the early 1800’s who came together as a group of people who passionately believed in a big gospel; a restorative gospel.  They were people with a holy dissatisfaction at churches that were becoming stagnant, and a world that had a huge blind spot to needs and brokenness.   This group of men and women was made up...

A manifesto. Noun: A public declaration of aims, intentions and motives. This video is an unashamed declaration of the kinds of disciples we want to be. It unites us around the calling of God to live different. "We need a generation who will walk this land differently..." Watch the video and if you believe in this generation, in their power for good, sign...

  I count myself blessed to know that I look back at my three years at uni without many regrets. There were ups and downs but both were character defining and have shaped me into the person I am today. There is probably only one thing I would go back and change: my attitude toward my time. It would not be uncommon at...

We are part of a world that tells us we need stuff. We need to be the fastest, best, most cool, up-to-date and happy. Without stuff our lives are sure to be more difficult, frustratingly slow and ultimately less meaningful. We are the generation of fast fashion, fast food and fast broadband. We have been convinced by a society that buys a...

‘I’d have given you anything you asked for because you came here to ask for something outside of yourself.” In a culture where the only things that students are known for campaigning and petitioning about student loans and debt, what happened to students who changed culture and pressured parliament on behalf of others? I think we forget too easily the revolutionary...

I was in Starbucks the other day buying my usual tall hot chocolate, extra hot, with cream, when I decided to do something a little extraordinary. There were amused faces, surprised voices and bemused smiles… I’d like to think that I’m a pretty generous person. I like to buy my friends’ coffees when I can and I enjoy being able to...

We love films and stories where people discover that they are able to do more and be more than they could imagine. Gladiator is the story of a slave, who became a gladiator, who defied an emperor. Coach Carter shows a basketball team that everyone has written off, win the league. Then we have the classic comic films where Spiderman...

Over the past months we've been working really hard developing a brand new website and app that starts a new conversation about what it means to follow Jesus, love justice and dream God's dream for the world. We're calling this Rhythms because we believe that by building small, every-day actions into our lives, we can change the world together. We're currently putting the final touches...

Pancake day! A big decision for today is: which fillings to buy? Do you prefer sweet or savoury pancakes? We could go for the classic lemon and sugar, or have a full blown three course meal all wrapped in pancakes! Another decision today is which pancake party to attend. This probably isn’t such a major decision as it’s very likely that...

I love to watch programmes about people doing extraordinary, often wacky and mostly crazy activities. Last week I wanted a programme about three British guys who raced professional long-distance skiers to the south pole. 30 days of cold and skiing, dragging their kit behind them – bonkers!  I listened to an incredible lecture from a guy who walked the length of the...

This year, for the first time in my life, I decided to make a New Year’s Resolution. I wanted to do something achievable, so giving up chocolate was out of the question! I wanted to do something that would help me see more of the world Jesus is hoping for. So I decided to invest in a rhythm of saying thank...

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7vHCU9z6eQ 560x315] Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way! Holidays are coming and the team is very excited about a Christmas of fun, laughs and food. This Christmas is particularly fun for the Tearfund Youth and EmGen team, who have some new members of the group. For me, it has been an absolute privilege to be part of a team who firmly...

Last month we chatted about an ancient practice of rhythms that would revolutionise our world, deepen the way we understand mission, and change the way we go about our every day lives.     What if we took this call to transform the rhythms of our lives seriously both as individuals and also as communities of like-minded followers of Christ?   We often get together...

Get up. Brush your teeth. Shower. Go to lectures. Hang out with mates. Eat tea. Catch a movie. Head out for drinks. Bed. Is this it? Absolutely! This is life as we know it and it’s an opportunity, moment by moment, to live imaginatively and radically. This is the start of a conversation that we believe will change the way we think...