Great Glocal Resources from 2021
As we wrap up 2021 and prepare to step into the new year, I want to share some of the best glocal (both global AND local simultaneously) resources from the past 12 months. These are resources that I have personally found helpful and have shared with others in my weekly email newsletter entitled The Glocal Brief. (Interested in receiving that email resource? You can sign up at the bottom of this post.)
These resources - from around the world and across the internet - will help equip you to live the life of a Glocal Christian.
What does it mean to live glocally?
It means to hold in tension both a global perspective and local engagement. It means learning from other contexts but not neglecting our own neighborhood.
Living glocally means engaging the global mission of God within your own pocket of God’s Creation.
As we each learn to live glocal lives as image bearers of our glocal God, dive into these resources and tools as we step into 2022!
Glocal Books:
Color: God’s Intention for Diversity. Written by two amazing leaders and friends, Dr. Carla Sunberg and Dr. Dany Gomis. They bring together their diverse backgrounds and wisdom to cast a beautiful vision for the Bride of Christ in the 21st century.
Radiant Church: Restoring the Credibility of Our Witness. Speaking of the Bride of Christ, Rev. Tara Beth Leach shares an honest and authentic reflection of the best and worst parts of the past and present of the Church. But she doesn’t stop there. This book shares how Christians can live fully into our identity and calling as followers of Jesus.
Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition. Quite simply, I have never read a better book on the history and importance of hospitality as Christians.
Becoming Whole: Why the Opposite of Poverty Isn’t the American Dream. If you are interested in poverty alleviation, this book provides a deep dive into the theological basis for wholistic approaches to journeying with those facing the injustice of poverty. (Also, it was written by one of the co-authors of When Helping Hurts.)
“Here Are Your Gods”: Faithful Discipleship in Idolatrous Times. By one of my favorite authors, Christopher Wright, this book focuses on idolatry and why it mattered in the Bible as well as why it matters today - including how it is embodied in the world we find ourselves in.
Glocal Podcasts:
BibleProject. One of the best Bible resources you can find online - and their podcast is awesome!
Tattoos & Jesus Podcast. With lots of talk about coffee, counseling, and Christianity, Tattoos & Jesus is a funny and insightful intersection of faith and mental health. Hosted by two Christian therapists, this is one of my favorite new podcasts in 2021.
New Creation Conversations. Hosted by a pastor that I greatly respect and admire (Dr. Scott Daniels), this theology resource provides you with a peek into some of the brightest minds in the Christian faith at an easily accessible level.
Throughline. From NPR, Throughline gives detailed looks into our history and how it impacts our world today. It’s like a fun weekly history lesson where you are sure to learn something and be challenged in your thinking.
The Holy Post. Skye Jethani (an awesome Christian author and speaker) and Phil Vischer (an equally awesome guy and Veggie Tales co-creator) include friends and Christian leaders in hilarious and/or insightful conversations about Christianity and culture.
Glocal Apps:
Streetlights Bible. My favorite Bible translation and resource. Period.
BibleProject App. Releasing at the beginning of 2022, I’m really excited for this new resource!
Common Prayer Devotional. One of my favorite daily devotionals, you can get the (really big) print copy or download the free app for daily prayers, Scripture passages, and quotes from Christian fathers and mothers.
Glocal Online Resources:
With God Daily Devotionals. From Skye Jethani (of The Holy Post podcast), this is a great devotional. I get the daily email but there is also an app. Skye’s description sums it up well: “The daily devotional for people who hate daily devotionals.”
Goats and Soda. This is a great online resource from NPR that provides stories and in-depth reporting on a variety of topics from around the world. Rather than never-ending breaking news stories, these are stories about health, poverty, brokenness, and hope in communities across the globe.
Makoto Fujimura. My favorite artist and a great theologically-minded individual, Makoto is an amazing example of a Christian transforming a “secular” sector through excellence in his craft and holiness in his character. Check out his personal website here as well as these multiple videos from his partnership with Fuller Seminary.
Those are my favorite glocal resources from 2021 and I hope they equip and prepare you for living a Christ-centered and glocal life in 2022!
Happy New Year!
Do you have a glocal resource or two that you think others (including me!) could learn from? Comment below and I’d love to check them out.
