It's great to know that there are people listening to me when I talk.
I moaned a lot that we didn't get a summer, nothing quite near it! So today, it was cold. I didn't quite realise how cold until one of the girls came in this evening and said it was snowing! We've got winter, proper. It hasn't snowed in October for ages... we might evenr get snowed in as it gets colder. Germany won't be the only place I see snow this winter!
God listens...
My housemate and I had made a pact that we wouldn't turn the heating on til the end of October... I was chatting to Dad about being cold and he suggested it might be a good idea to switch the heating on last night as it would be freezing. Better a heating bill than a plumbers! We did, got too warm, but it seems that had I not spoken to my Dad I wouldn't have even guessed it'd snow tonight.
Dad listens... and not just to me, but also to the weather (when I'm watching Home and Away).
I'm incredibly blessed to have many, many people who do listen to what I say. But I'm especially blessed to know that God listens and so does my Dad.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Questions without answers
Lots of 'what ifs' and 'whys'... I can't answer them, or if I do I say, I haven't been there, or I don't know.
This last weekend I've been away with my old church (or sending church, or parents church, or family church)... any way I grew up in this church. I got to hang out with the 'next' generation. My parent's friends children were the young people and they had a great idea of what we were talking about.
Two of my passions worked on this weekend, young people and eradicating the word 'stuff' from my vocabulary. So we eventually got to the tangible about Christianity with two different groups.
The funny thing about youth work is the way that as soon as you introduce someone new to a group, leaders-wise, suddenly the young people wake up and start to answer the questions you've been trying to get them to answer for months! Liz said "you are so much better than me" I responded "I'm so much different from you". As we both grow in ministry, we'll find the things we are good at, and things we need to work on. Sometimes I love growing up other times i dislike it intensely.
In other news, I pedloed for the first time ever this weekend, and am watching The Day After Tomorrow, which is making me feel freezing!!
This last weekend I've been away with my old church (or sending church, or parents church, or family church)... any way I grew up in this church. I got to hang out with the 'next' generation. My parent's friends children were the young people and they had a great idea of what we were talking about.
Two of my passions worked on this weekend, young people and eradicating the word 'stuff' from my vocabulary. So we eventually got to the tangible about Christianity with two different groups.
The funny thing about youth work is the way that as soon as you introduce someone new to a group, leaders-wise, suddenly the young people wake up and start to answer the questions you've been trying to get them to answer for months! Liz said "you are so much better than me" I responded "I'm so much different from you". As we both grow in ministry, we'll find the things we are good at, and things we need to work on. Sometimes I love growing up other times i dislike it intensely.
In other news, I pedloed for the first time ever this weekend, and am watching The Day After Tomorrow, which is making me feel freezing!!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
I've always thought of you as...
My sister said something to me a few days ago which has been wanderng around my head ever since.She said to me "I've always thought of you as a chunky ring person". We were having a discussion about the ring I'd just brought, a beautiful thick mother of pearl ring. She's right, she knows me quite well it would seem.
It kind of tags on to something I've been thinking about when it comes to God.
I think I'll be pleasently surprised when I meet God (which isn't any time soon... this isn't morbid). I have pictures of God in my head, but they are limited by what I've experienced, what I can see around me and what I've read of the Bible. I know that God is bigger than all that, but my mind can only handle it in very small bites.
The season we are coming in to has become famous for ignoring God, my hope is that I'll see God and all my "I've always thought of you as..." statements will be smashed and redifined, from heaven's perspective, not my own.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Hype
Relaity programmes are rife at the moment and I just caught the end of last nights X Factor, helpfully replayed on ITV (you know, instead of putting on sport at a sesnible time). It makes me very glad that I have absolutely no desire to be on Television at all.
Girls in absolute hysterics at being kicked off the show, yet they all had perfectly reasonable jobs else where. In fact they were the better band, with an imaginative name, left in the competition is "Girl Band"... seriously? Before X Factor the 4 girls were hairdressers and will probably be hairdressers again eventually.
The hype is all too much, I think we're only in the second week of live shows and we already have crying? We never quite get 'hype' right do we?
NB - I stand corrected we're only on the first week and the girls weren't hairdressers, they look like hairdressers. Thanks L
There wasn't enough hype about the Singapore GP the other week... floodlit driving? What were they thinking? 5-10 years ago they would have got away with it. But now, in the age of ecological enlightenment Formula One decides to race at night? Not a clever move, I wonder why some didn't boycott. And today in Japan Bridgestone are running 'green' tyres. Enough to make any sane person scream. I hope they don't do any night races soon.
"I'm not hyping it up" - some thing I've heard recently, but then there was some significant hyping... Church haven't got it right either. We try.
Autumn has arrived in Luton, SLR out and taking some pictures of the red leaves covering the back wall of my garden. SLR isn't digital though, so we have to wait very patiently for the film to be developed. If the photo's are any good I'll post them It's been a long time since I used a film camera. I also have made pumpkin based food stuffs. Pumpkin pie is quickly becoming my own little tradition.
Girls in absolute hysterics at being kicked off the show, yet they all had perfectly reasonable jobs else where. In fact they were the better band, with an imaginative name, left in the competition is "Girl Band"... seriously? Before X Factor the 4 girls were hairdressers and will probably be hairdressers again eventually.
The hype is all too much, I think we're only in the second week of live shows and we already have crying? We never quite get 'hype' right do we?
NB - I stand corrected we're only on the first week and the girls weren't hairdressers, they look like hairdressers. Thanks L
There wasn't enough hype about the Singapore GP the other week... floodlit driving? What were they thinking? 5-10 years ago they would have got away with it. But now, in the age of ecological enlightenment Formula One decides to race at night? Not a clever move, I wonder why some didn't boycott. And today in Japan Bridgestone are running 'green' tyres. Enough to make any sane person scream. I hope they don't do any night races soon.
"I'm not hyping it up" - some thing I've heard recently, but then there was some significant hyping... Church haven't got it right either. We try.
Autumn has arrived in Luton, SLR out and taking some pictures of the red leaves covering the back wall of my garden. SLR isn't digital though, so we have to wait very patiently for the film to be developed. If the photo's are any good I'll post them It's been a long time since I used a film camera. I also have made pumpkin based food stuffs. Pumpkin pie is quickly becoming my own little tradition.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Going the extra mile
Being in Leicester is always really interesting... As a class we are very small, so our discussions tend to be deep and meaningful (ususally over food).
This last day or so has been intense discussion-wise. It's the last proper time we see everyone who has started at the same time as us, some crazy people will graduate in a year or so. Others will take their time and maybe never graduate... I think I fall some where inbetween.
I'm dissatisfied with my performance so far, I could do better. I'm starting to realise that (unsurprisingly) I really need help on this one. I really need guidance and most of all I really need someone to spell check my work before I hand it in.
It's great to see people who are really passionate about their own young people while they are here. Stories of lads who've drastically changed whilst in a youth workers care, youth workers who go the extra mile to make sure that the young person they are dealing with achieves as best they can.
I just wish I could write well, even if it was only for a day a week. Then at least I'd pass essays the first time round!!
This last day or so has been intense discussion-wise. It's the last proper time we see everyone who has started at the same time as us, some crazy people will graduate in a year or so. Others will take their time and maybe never graduate... I think I fall some where inbetween.
I'm dissatisfied with my performance so far, I could do better. I'm starting to realise that (unsurprisingly) I really need help on this one. I really need guidance and most of all I really need someone to spell check my work before I hand it in.
It's great to see people who are really passionate about their own young people while they are here. Stories of lads who've drastically changed whilst in a youth workers care, youth workers who go the extra mile to make sure that the young person they are dealing with achieves as best they can.
I just wish I could write well, even if it was only for a day a week. Then at least I'd pass essays the first time round!!
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