Youthblog

Details here for a Youth and Community worker in Oxford (one year contract)

I am considering doing a piece of research on the needs of Church volunteer youth leaders and importantly too, attitudes, fears, hopes and potential barriers of adults in the church in regard to working with young people.

Can anyone point me to any existing work?

I have had a friend request on Facebook, nothing too unusual in that. But in this case I do not know the person, nor have ever met them but they proport to be called, "Ian Macdonald"

This seemed to me a very spurious reason for seeking friendship, thus I was going to reject it on the same basis that people who have the same size feet as me ... or equally also do not play the banjo would not be accepted unconditionally as FB buddies.

A thought occurred though that prevented the deletion. Supposing it's me from the future (some sort of storm in the space time continuum that I inadvertently wandered/wander into) and I have an important message for myself in order to stop me doing that again, or to enable me to write the greatest selling Worship song of all time (or something).
I'd be foolish to reject an important friendship request from my duplicate future self.

Admittedly the picture accompanying the request doesn't look like me BUT I'd have to do that in order not to freak my past(present) self out.

I may also need to stop drinking quite as much coffee (something my future self may also be wanting to point out!)

It was good to hear Mark speak at Greenbelt and am thus really looking forward to Thursday at CMS for a longer fuller engagement with what he has to say. See you? there!

I'm back! Furthermore I'm mostly ready for September and everything that the 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' has in store.

Our BIG family adventure of taking 'Charlie van Bus' to mainland Europe was a blast and we had the (cue *Jeremy Clarkson voice* ) besten Urlaub ...... auf der Welt.
Admittedly things didn't get off to a flying start when we were parked up at the entrance to Dover docks at 5am with water and steam (in Biblical proportions) spewing forth from the radiator. But then again being broken down is not as bad when you can sit in the back and brew up, which we did. Two cans of Radweld* and vast amounts of water later though Charlie was patched up enough to board the Ferry.

We made it to Paris** (smells a bit, very expensive but the tower thing was impressive) and on to Germany where I managed to negotiate a replacement radiator (a Kuhler).

Our travels and visitations in Germany were wonderful, with much family fun, adventure and humour. My German served us pretty well until we were down in the mountains where we encountered a man who spoke a deep Bayerish dialect and it was akin to being barked at by a Teutonic bloodhound-esque Geoffrey Palmer, I was reduced to nodding.

We called in to Oberamagau as a sort of faith pilgrimage, but not having tickets to the actual play we encountered only a lovely German town largely spoilt by nature of being a myriad of tacky tourist fly traps selling quasi religious plastic and hastily carved artefacts.

Everywhere else though was great and we caught up with friends, visited really cool places and generally had the best time. Highlights included:
> Being atop the Zugspitze (highest mountain in Germany) and taking in a little sledging.
> Enjoying a day at one of the lakes (the German equivalent of the beach) and being able to hire my exact same model of Kayak, yay
> Spending time at the Wellarium, a massive outdoor swimming pool complex, even having it virtually to ourselves once (I think the rain and thunderstorm had dissuaded others).

On the way back we decided to avoid France as much as possible and headed up through North West Germany staying in the last possible German city, Aachen, before 'doing' Belguim and emerging into France at the last possible moment to find Dunkirque ... in order to be evacuated by Norfolk Lines Ferries.

All told about 2500 miles of adventure and encounter.
A thousand wonderful shared family memories and prolonged resulting humour.
Die besten Urlaub ...... auf der Welt!

*other emergency radiator sealants are available

** Ah yes, the question of how did all my French learning pay off? Well .... better than it was but SO far to go, but at least not the stereo-typical 'shout in English' Brit abroad.

The pre-eminent immensity that is Greenbelt, is imminent!

Tomorrow sees the start of the 2010 festival, "the art of looking sideways"

The forecast for Cheltenham is fantastic for the four days of the festival! However the rain we've absorbed this week is due to continue right up to the wee hours of tomorrow morning ... after which dawn should break to reveal sunshine and happy days for the festival. This though will not allow sufficient time for the ground to dry and vehicles may not be allowed onto the camp-site in order to prevent quagmirification (made up word).

If you are going, I'd REALLY recommend finding a trolley or a wheelbarrow and lots of bungees and straps just in case as multiple walks to the car to fetch equipment is not a great prospect, given the distances involved. (I used to use a cycle trailer).

So in summary: Possible early chaos peaking mid afternoon giving way to harmony and happiness by early evening. Tempers light to moderate, rising before expected lows at BST 21:30.

Anyway see you at the Chai Chapel, The Tiny Tea Tent or 'The Jesus Arms' .... oh or at Charlie bus in the disabled camping area if we can get on site.

Happy days!

While I'm not blogging I thought I'd also post this feel good, laugh out loud, spooftastic, trend video. Getting barrelled when the tarp is epic, enjoy:

ht and thanks to the Chris

Ok, I'm not officially blogging yet so consider this a a post-ette or a blog-lite ahead of the formal return to business next week. The reason I have emerged early from hibernation is a rubber band! Not one that my colleague has flicked at me to get me to turn the German radio station down but news of a whole new trend that's coming your way.

Ladies and gentlemen I present .... *drum roll* bandz!

The BBC cover it here but I thought I'd give you the heads up so you can *cough* rush out an be ahead of the trend.
(For those on a budget, follow the Postman (sorry, Postperson) and collect the dropped bands, wear them and claim they are a limited edition rubber band shaped 'Silly Bandz')

Youthblog trend prediction:

September to December 2010:
Trend curve accelerates in UK and peaks with Christmas sales

January 2011: Brief spike as kids show off their Christmas acquisitions before waning into irrelevance.

February 2011: Forgotten completely

April 2011: Major Christian events promoting them in the shape of the cross, the Bible and various worship leaders

As usual the blog is closed for maintenance (of the author) during the month of August and there will be no new writing until 1st September .... I look forward to catching up with you then OR in fact before if you are at Greenbelt.

We'll be setting off in Charlie (the V-dub van) for some of the time which'll be so cool, but I'll also be at work catching up with reading, writing and planning. I'll also be MUCH less active on Scrabble so my beloved nemesi, please be patient.

Shalom

PS Spammers, here's an idea! Why don't you take a little time off too!!!!! (Thank you)

Join the initiative, more here

Apologies for the tardy approach to blogging over the last few days, my wind down to the annual August blog sabbatical seems to have kicked in a little too early. Having set that though there is a real dip in blog readership in July as holidays and preparation for camps kicks-in big time! Facebook has been the source of the most interaction at the moment, and in fact silliness. Yesterday a sort of a hum emerged in my mind (ht to Winnie the Pooh) relating to the camper van and I posted it. I was most amused to have a similarly lyrically framed response .... that inevitably led to further ripostes. As it amused me, I'll post them here (my scribblings in 'normal', responses from Stu (der autostuhlmeister) in italic!

Owning an old V dub van's no vacation
It's a battle ... with oxidisation
and tackling the rust
is an absolute must
That's the dawning realisation!

Owning a VeeDub you see
Is no excuse for poetry
so don't go on and on
about the problem its become
and enjoy how free you can be!

My brief rumination in verse
was not a moan nor anything worse
a mere mental note
to re-undercoat.
(The van is fantastic, of course)

Now when you are needing a rhyme
Be careful and do take your time
What rhymes with worse
Is of course 'curse'
Which is not good at the end of a line

A liberal approach to Rhyme's best
as Lear at el will attest
two linking lines
is blinkingly fine
But the last can have more random-ness

For the diaries, some key dates for 2011 if you are within the Diocese of Oxford:

DEPTH 4, the retreat for employed Youth and Children's workers. 29,30th (31st) March

The big equipping, encouraging and enabling day for youth and children's work June 18th

Yellow Braces: July 8th-10th

Diocesan Taize trip: July 23rd - Aug 1st