“The story of Christ’s birth is a subversive story of an upside-down kingdom” says the introduction to Advent Conspiracy. “It’s a story of promise, hope, and a revolutionary love that is still changing the world to this day. So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists. And when it’s all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and this empty feeling that we somehow missed its purpose.”

If you and your church want to take a stand against the empty consumerism of the modern Christmas without coming across as spoilsports, Advent Conspiracy have a load of useful resources. There are sermon notes, posters and flyers, and a whole website of alternative gift ideas at rethinkingchristmas.org.

Have you seen our new online ordering system?

It’s been several months in the making, and should make ordering materials from us easier, clearer, and more user-friendly. Have a browse, and let us know what you think!

Our new Christmas booklet for this year is Real Christmas, a stylish silver title for adults. Order online, or call us to order now on 020 7730 2155 (UK), and download the matching invites, posters and powerpoints from our Chrismas site.

We took delivery of our new catalogue the other day, with bright new graphics from the designers at Yeomans. It’s a bit of a departure from our normal style, but we’re really pleased with the way it’s turned out. 

It will be available in the next couple of weeks as we ready the next Interact mailing. If you want one ahead of time, you can call us on 020 7730 2155 (UK) and we’ll put one in the post.

DesktopLive! is an open source computer programme from the team behind Life Changing Words, that delivers a new background to your computer’s desktop every day. Like Life Changing Words, each desktop wallpaper features a daily Bible verse. It’s easy to download and use, is available in 12 languages, and just launched a new version. Download from www.lcwords.com, where you can also sign up for the Life Changing Words daily Bible email service.

17/9/08 UPDATE: the service has just been updated with new graphics. These will be used in DesktopLive!, and ecards and posters.

Colin Greene (SGM Lifewords‘ Head of Mission and Theological Development) and Martin Robinson have just written a new book looking at the future for the Bible, Church, and Mission in “post-postmodernity” … Definitely worth a read. The chapters on Cultural Engagement and Biblical Theology are particularly thought-provoking. You can get the book from Amazon or Paternoster … or check out the Metavista website to find out more about the book, and the wider conversation around the issues.

The new Life Changing Words site has just launched. Click here to visit, and sign up for our daily Bible email service.

Day by Day is a long running and popular pastoral title, with verses for each day of the week. It’s been a favourite with chaplains for a long time, as a simple leaflet that can be left for those going through a hard time.

We’ve updated the graphics with sunlight on the front and moonlight on the back, keeping the tone of the original version and bringing it up to date.

Day by Day is in stock, and you can order it here.

When we started our historic churches initiative, many practitioners suggested that we try and produce a generic church tour leaflet. Many churches have lots of visitors, but do not have the time or the expertise to create guides to the church building, or specific visitor materials.

Look Around You is our response - a guided walk around any church building on a pocket-sized fold-out card, using prayers and reflections to help visitors to engage with the spirituality of the place.

Look Around You is available to order now, and is already in use in a number of churches and cathedrals. To stock up before the summer season, visit our online ordering pages here.

The latest short film is live on Hopeinfo.co.uk, the public face of Hope 08. Run by the Christian Enquiry Agency, Hopeinfo is hosting a series of films throughout the year, all around the theme of hope. The latest, ‘Big Hope’, tackles the question of the afterlife.

All the films are available to download, should you wish to show them in your church or use them as conversation starters.

A further series of films is available from the Reaching the Unchurched Network, through their iMatter series.