life, oh life

There are so many things i want to blog about but just dont have the the time. but heres a list of all the things on my mind, in no particular order.

Avenue Q: West End Thearte show, hilarious, but got me thinking about political correctness.....

Fifteen: went to the Jamie Oliver resturant in london, good food, good chat, got me thinking about valuable friendships, adn what it means to be a friend, a good freind, or aqaintances.

Slavery: well it has been 200 years since it was outlawed in UK, mant issues here to do with my own culture, heritage, history, freedom, oppression, guilt, compensations, education, theological relfections on slavery.

Job: hmmm, finding it hard, but trying to work through issuse

Chester: good friends, legacy(!), love, learning experiences....

youth work: being a better youth worker, justice to my young people, capable, able, qualified to make a difference? hmmm

Relationships: marriage, single (for now) new friends in london town maybe? (see pic)

Church: fellowship, friends, family. where do i stand?

Jam: i gave it up for lent, i'm doing ok now, but has been hard.

i think thats about it.

Will elaborate on some, will update progress with others, but so much to think about just needed to get some of them off my chest

Jesus, YouthWork, Jam

Jesus, youth work and jam.

My top 3

all are combined, influenced and driven by each other, and kind of sum me up! (well only a bit!)

Jesus

Went to a debate my church does once a month, they get guest speakers in (Steve chalk is coming soon!) and we discuss difficult issues that effect our lives. This month; War is ok? I went in thinking I already made up my mind. War is bad! But when I left I came out thinking... hmmm, maybe its actually ok. This is not because I'm easily influenced, but rather, I closed my mind to what war was, and how maybe its more about defending the defenseless. Looking out for our brothers and sisters. Jesus never said go and kill each other, but he said love them. Now does that mean I show love by defending people, even stopping others from hurting them?

Some of the jury are still out on that one...

YouthWork

WOW! Where do I begin? Its tough! Challenging! Frustrating! Inspiring! And rewarding! Sometimes all on the same day!

Really finding it hard at the mo. Don't think I was really prepared for full time ministry. Didn't have a good transistion period from student to responsible adult. I've spent the last 5 years 'finding myself' developing, arguing, battling, crying and trying to make sense of the world after puberty, and uni helped with that, full time employment just hasn't sunked in yet.

There is so much responsibility!

I can handle it, just not sure how (that's where Jesus and Jam come in!)

Jam

Jam is such a saving grace. It keeps me amused, keeps me engaged and lightens my world! (and yes I am talking bout the sticky, sugary stuff that come in jars!) I got so much jam for xmas, I cried! Finally!

Jam features heavily in my minisrty too. The young people think I'm nuts, my residential for the 8 year olds features a jam hunt (a team building game I designed) and I pray that they find it fun and amusing.

A good friend of mine used fruit as his thing. Every year at Quinta there was somesort of fruit contest and the young people loved it! So its not as mad as you think! It keeps me sane!

current mood: frazzeled

Staff Christmas Party....

Everyone is mad

the evening was really good, with an aray of talent form songs to monologues and games and poetry

I had fun..

and i got jam...

It really made my night.

Its the small things in life that i love and appreciate. to you it may only be jam, but for me, you have tapped into a little treasure!

I like, no LOVE jam!

;o)

I'M PREGNANT!!

Well, I'm not but if I were, would you give up your chair for me?
If you could clearly see that I was pregnant, and just not eaten too many pies, would you offer you seat on the bus or train?

Well I thought I would, but before I could say anything, the pregnant woman ask a guy if she could have his seat! And he got up (not that he wouldn't the shame on London underground would have been too much!)

I was so shocked!

At first I was like 'oh my word, I can't believe she ACTUALLY asked him! But after some thought I was like 'you go girl! Be the powerful independent pregnant woman! whoo whoo whoo!

I sometimes give my seat up, but most of the time I think I need it more! I can't stand up for long periods of time, especially if it is a crowded bus or tube. I hate it!

are we now living in a society where we no longer think of our neighbour, where pregnant woman are demanding their right to sit?

Are we a generation with no manners?

Have we all been dragged up?

Everyone believes in their own rights. What's in it for me? I'm the most important person!

Chivalry is dead, do you agree?

Graduation

Man alive!

I'm a graduate!!

how mad is that?!!

had such a wicked time in Chester! I felt like a film star (and looked like one)

Parents were pleased.

gonna have to send like a million photo's to various family members across the globe

But it feels like the end. There is no more lectures, no more essays, no more late night conversations about God with jam and cheese sandwiches, no more randomness.

it is finished.

My friend said to me, she refuses to believe that those were the best days of her life, because God is bigger than that.

He is moving us on from the good, to the better to his best!

nice one!

in the words of D:Ream (for all those who remember them!)

Things can only get better!

Youth Work Conference

So it was my first time at the youth work conference, and me and a friend from London came up to the one in southport.

It was good.

there were times when I felt really frustrated with some of the talks, but that's always the way, with things like that. The weekend got better as it went on.

Was great meeting up with Chester friends. Having deep and meaningfuls, and late night talks about life, and God and work and jam.

It wasn't so good for networking. I cant make the Eastbourne one cos its the reopening of the church that I work for is the same weekend and I kinda need to be there.

However, it was wonderful to be in the presence of God, and actually not thinking about work.

a good rest was needed.

Just need to implement some of the things I heard, that's gonna be fun!

Emerging Church

Was sitting in the pub with some friends at the youth work conference in Southport, and got talking to Mark, the Diocese Youth Worker for Chester. We were talking about emerging youth culture and the emerging church movement. If I remember correctly his argumnet was that nothing is really emerging anymore. Its all old, as old as youth work has been. When youth work first start way back in the 50's it was new for that time. Everything was funky and relevant. Youth work has evolved somewhat since then. He said that the emerging church has come out of emerging youth work. It was the youth workers of the 50's that were thinking outside the box, and making church relevant for young people at that era.

that's exactly what's happening today.

So many churches have, fresh expressions, and alternative services for young people, so much so that they are now old. There are only so many times you can use multi media in your youth work, that it eventually becomes the norm. Its no longer new. Its no longer emerging.

that I agree with to a degree.

Emerging church is only new if you have not experienced anything like it before. The church I work for are starting up 'Alternative Services' for our youth. This involves, big bands, and fancy multi media, big PA and guest speakers. For some, this is an average Sunday night youth service. For this church, its radical! My aim is not just to stick to the bigness and spectacularness (!) of the service, but to also re explore Liturgy. To have a very high mass service with bells and smells, or to do meditations, or to sit in silence in candle light, or to have a Monk lead prayers. All this alongside the big band senario.

The other thing is, and this is something I'm beginning to get my head round more, is emerging church is more than multi media, or meeting in a pub. Its about rediscovering Christ, its about becoming a christian again and again. If you hold a church service in a pub, your not necessarily an emerging church, your church, just one with a different venue!

so it got me thinking, have we emerged so far that we actually have regressed?

for example.... The classic song by the legend Graham Kendrick, Shine, Jesus Shine, has come back to be one of the best worship songs. 15 years ago it was done so much that it became cringey and I would frown and hide in embarrassment whenever it was sung. But as the years have passed, it is actually a really good song (dare I say...)

the things of old, are now the things of new.

I believe that there are Christians out there, (me being one of them) wanting to go back to the early days of Christ, when he was around and be like the early church. Follow in their exact footsteps. Taking example of the church in Acts and living and loving one another, like Christ asks.

Are we emerging?

youth work

oh my life!

when your training to be a youth worker, you dont really grasp just how hard it is. My training was fantastic and i'm more than pleased that i did it (thanks to Dot and Rich)

but...

oh my life

this is for real! i wont be leaving in December, i wont need to think about an exit statergy for at least 3 years, there is no qualified youth wroker to take me through supervisions.... in fact i AM the qualified youth worker

i just cant get my head round it!

what have i done.......

ack... but you know deep down I'M LOVIN IT

bloody londoners!

21 years i've lived in london! 21 years and not onece have i had anything nicked! until now!
went into starbucks on Tottenham court road, was sitting mindin my own bees wax, got my bag to put my book away and get my notebook out, pu my bag down for like 30 secs, when i looked round it were gone!!

bloody londoners!

i was a little shaken up but gutted at the same time.

not really bothered about the bag, it was old, and dirty, not bothered about purse, although it was new, i can get a new one, cards can be canclled and things replaced.

not bothered bout keys, can get new pair cut,

most botherd about my BOOK! i was 1 chapter from the end! although i can get another copy, just feel unsatified, like, someones taped over the end of your favourit film with Eastendres! (thanks mum!)

It was a book by shane clairborne a challenging speaker i heard at greenbelt, talking about radical christinity and how we should love people to death!

after the incident i went to hillsongs church and it was praise night, so i gave it over to God. My prayer is whoever took my bag, that they will read the book, and it changes thier life!

thats all