June 2007 Archives

I have recently been approached/Spammed by Scripture Tea! If you are keen to have inspirational messages on your beverages then you know where to go!

I'm with Marx though on his embracing of coffee and rejection of Tea. (I think that's what he meant by 'Proper Tea is theft')

Mark Yaconelli is running a day of "Reflective Practice" on the 1st September 2007 in Putney. If you want to know more then you'll need the flyer! Download file

Everyone should have a great repertoire of cool memories from the past. (Those who know me will know that 'memory making' is part of my youth work philosophy). Anyway I came across the picture below and thought, 'How Cool is that!'
What a great memory to have, the day you were pulled over by a Police Motorcyclist AND an unmarked Police car for driving a Dodgem Car around town! Whoever you are, I salute you!

I’m in London today for a consultation on confirmation which I’m looking forward to.
Getting here though was not without its comedic value!

The following rant warning was issues at 09:55. Storm to gale force rant with occasional humour …..

I turned up at Newbury station bright and early with my trusty folding bike (proper bikes not being allowed on morning commuter trains). I purchased my ticket (for which I was overcharged for by £5) and folded myself into the ‘child seat’ (I was assured it was an adult seat but you’d have needed to have been a child to be comfortable) and we tootled off to Reading where I could pick up the ‘fast’ train to London.
I arrived at Reading and ran (carrying the folding bike) to platform 5 making it with seconds to spare for my intended train (Yay). But the digi-board said it was delayed by 10 minutes (boo). Thirteen minutes later when we were told that the train was approaching the station they informed us that there would be a platform change and it would be arriving into platform 9. I jogged, still carrying HEAVY folding bike to platform 9, making it onto the platform AS the train arrived (yay) BUT I couldn’t actually get on as it was full with people sitting, crouching, leaning and standing! However at this moment there came a welcome announcement, “There is a second London train approaching platform 5!” This being my cue to leg it back down the stairs, through the tunnel, up the stairs and onto platform 5. I arrived only to watch the doors close before I reached the train and this service eased out towards London. GGGGGrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Fortunately there had been so many delays that several late trains were in the proximity of Reading Station and I was informed that in a few minutes there would be another train coming into Platform 5. Just at the allotted time there was an announcement “Platform change, the London Paddington Train will now be departing from platform 9!” Aaaarrrghghghg, sprinted with bike and rucksack down, across, up and made it onto the train THAT was also packed.
I managed to find a spot to perch myself in the luggage shelves (a step up from the folk leaning against the toilets I thought).
Arrived half an hour late BUT a train is not considered late until its over an hour late (and that has to be the train you were on, the fact that the train I was supposed to be on had no room has no bearing whatsoever!)

“Let the train take the Strain eh!”

Haynes, famous for their Auto Manuals have diversified into other areas. Below is the press release for their Teenagers Manual! (This isn't one of my japes, check it out here)

"Wouldn’t it be good if teenagers were like cars? Reliable, undemanding and cheap to run. Put them in the garage and forget about them at night. Sadly, they’re not. The teens are a tumultuous period – physical, social and emotional growth can lead to problems, confusion and even dangers for parents and teenagers alike. However unlike a car, they do not come with an owner’s manual . . . until now.

Haynes is renowned worldwide for its car and motorbike manuals and the new Haynes Teenager Manual will help you take pride in your teenager as it develops into a classic model. This new book follows the format for which Haynes is famous – practical instructions written by experienced professionals ........ " (I haven't included the next bit as it descends into unhelpful labelling)

No the title is not a mistake, someone googled (presumably as a typo), "what is the purpose of goog community youth work?"Weirdly, Youthblog came up twice in Google's top ten answers to this question!!!!

Anyway, keep up the goog work eh!

I had a great time last night at a Youth Service/Youth fellowship. It was a mix of being in the church for worship with a break in the middle (great idea, if leaders of adult services read this!) for food and malarky. The worship was fantastic (great vocals and band) and included a song written by the young people which was really catchy and had great energy too, it was a bit surreal in part BUT avoided the usual cliche'd stuff. The Chorus was:

"I’m a happy hippy hippo
In my camper van
Praising Jesus day and night
He’s a special man"

As this has been buzzing round my brain for the last 14 hours it's sparked some thoughts. I imagine that there MIGHT be some who would struggle with this as a piece of worship but then I thought: Supposing you were to do some market research among people who can't speak Christian subculture fluently, and have the words above .... alongside the following examples of more "serious" worship writing, then asked which made the most sense? (I think this would be fun to do)

"Who is like unto him
Never ending in days
He is the lord"

"The name of the lord is a strong tower
The righteous run into it
And they are saved"

I'm reckoning that Happy Hippy Hippo has the most clarity!
Thanks to all at the IMPACT group for a GREAT evening (sorry I had to leave a bit early).

OH and on a related theme, If Cartoons got saved?

There is so much of the internet that is proof positive that some people have WAY too much time on their hands, this video that Marko unearthed is a brilliant example of that but it is Genius! (How may of the films do you reckon you've seen?)

Really good paper on learning and Emotional Intelligence in work with young people!

"I am in fact not very confident that we have it in ourselves to re-engage in the near future to any substantial degree with children, young people and people in the 20-45 age range, but would always be glad to be surprised on this one"

David Deeks, General Secretary of the Methodist Church

Woooa, that's a quote! Scary, honest? defeated? Reading the related article in Youthwork magazine it's clear that the Methodist Church do care about young people but are struggling with vision and resources. I believe that Methodist churches can (and in some cases are) ENGAGE. I hope and pray that mission and young people become a bigger priority not a lesser priority in light of the challenges faced.

*Please note the photo is of Wesley, not of David Deeks (More confusingly the first picture of Wesley I found was of Wesley Snipes!)

Welcome to Youthblog airlines, this is your Pilot speaking. Emergency exits are located here, here and here and in the unlikely event of a problem with Firefox we have a back up system provided by Microsoft. We will be cruising today with a nice positive attitude and I am not expecting any turbulence (although one can never predict what will happen in the comments). For those (un)lucky enough to have a Windows seat (or those in first class with an i-seat), here is what you might expect to see:

There's a new online Magazine for teens called Streetbrand. It's very cool in that is actually an online magazine, i.e magazine format and page turning etc BUT readable. It's a Christian, youth culture mag and this is what the editor has to say about it:

"My name is Kofo Baptist and I attend Powerhouse Church in London; my husband is a youth pastor in the church and I have a heart for youth work. About five years ago, I got the idea to do a faith-based youth culture magazine; a publication that would be more than just a good read. I was tired of seeing boy/girl crazed, sex-oriented magazines with little to say to young people about achievement, purpose, spirituality or the importance of having a voice on critical issues of concern"

Moorlands college (as attended by 12.35% of Youthblog readers*) run a course called ELIVATE. It's a distance learning course that also include two residential weekends. It revolves around three focuses, Bible, self and mission. Definitely worth checking out!

If you want to explore 24-7 prayer and Bolier rooms more then here's a programme of stuff that's happening that may be useful. Download file

Additional: If you are in an Anglican church and know your Diocesan Youth Adviser then I could do with some info on them! I'm part of the team organising the DYO conference this year and we are collecting skills that DYO's hold (they are often to shy to 'fess up to all their abilities) and any funny info, skills, history (as they are too smart to want to tell me). Ta muchly

Youthblog wishes you a pleasant onward browse

(* This figure has its roots very firmly in the fact that 78.2% of statistics are made up on the spot)

Do fewer young people today have a best friend? The Guardian looks at the evidence.

Have you seen Technorati today? New Layout, thumbnail of blog, a chart of those who have 'Favoritted' the blog AND the ability to search for articles within a particular blog. Nice!

AArrrgghhh I've been pulled into the dark side of blogging, the place where boring chronological narration rules and the humdrum experiences of one's life are posted in the absurd belief that they will be of enormous interest to millions of people. I'm going to have to go with it for a moment though and ............ write about my weekend. (any readers who do not wear slippers and don't always religiously ask for de-caf coffee, may wish to switch off at this point).

On Saturday I went for a bike ride! Normally I wouldn't mention this but I thought it's title and organisation (by Newbury cycling group, SPOKES) was quite witty. In an ironic (and shorter) tribute to the famous end to end ride in the UK, we did "Worlds End" (really is a village in Berkshire) to the John O' Gaunt pub in Hungerford, which including the journey out from Macdonald Towers and back was a pleasant 37 miles.

On Sunday morning (note clever chronological device to frame the writing structure) I was preaching by the river in Pangbourne. This was not some mad and maverick act in order to convert the ducks but part of a combined Churches together and Scouting Centenary service. I had a great time and it was a blast to be part of a fun outdoor service. I was introduced as the celebrity guest???!!!!!! LOL! You heard it hear first, there is now such a thing as a 'z' list celebtrity! (Mind you Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher were in Pangborne a couple of days before so maybe I was restoring some balance).

Sunday afternoon, we took all the offspring (including one we seem to have acquired for a week) to a Roman re-enactment thingamajig. Lots of impressive Roman soldiers firing some nasty looking weaponry*, there was a Roman encampment, a Roman operating theatre and the like. They were all very passionate about understanding the whole Roman thing and producing an accurate portrayal. At one point they got all the kids doing Roman drill and it was hilarious to see the young people having a fab time WHILE being shouted at in Latin. (I'm sure that the more well schooled readers of this blog (for the record, not me) will only associate being shouted at in Latin as a bad thing!). If you get chance to see LEGIO SECVNDA AVGVSTA in action, then I recommend it, they Saxa!

Don't know why I wrote all that but I think it's got it out of my sytem and you will not have to endure similar postings such as "My quest for socks at Marks and Spencers" for a while.

*Even though the weaponry was very nasty they elected to fire onions instead of stones (this presumably wouldn't have killed anyone, just made them cry)

Great reflection from Brian Draper thinking about TV's, Big Brother

"In fact, for all its predictable superficiality and editorial manipulation, Big Brother remains intriguing (to some) because it commits to the long haul and allows space for its wannabe cast to forget about performing and start developing relationships - betraying themselves and others through what they say, dividing the group with arguments and acts of selfishness, and occasionally reuniting it with heart-warming flashes of grace. Although it appears that the contestants are as shallow as the popular culture they are helping to dramatise, in the end they really can’t help being themselves. Which begs the question: If we can’t stand them for who they are, how can we, as the Church, ever hope to love the millions they represent in the ‘real’ world?

God, who could have switched off from us years ago, doesn’t miss our own simplicity, stupidity and occasional duplicity. But thankfully he’s willing to look beyond the impressions we create of ourselves, to the heart of who we are. And that’s surely what we all need, whether we seek it on the TV or not: a healthy dose of reality"

Reading the Church Times today I ended up cracked up with Laughter!

On page 3 of said newspaper is a full page article on the controversy revolving around the Playstation game virtually set in Manchester Cathedral. There is some outcry that shooting Aliens in Cathedrals is not something that Anglicans would do. Meanwhile (detailed on page 4) over at Norwich Cathedral they called in a pest controller to deal with a pigeon in the cathedral which should not be there, (presumably because it had avoided paying by flying in). The pest controller being a practical kind of fellow, reached into his pest-control bag, removed a gun and shot it!

The irony of one Cathedral being up in arms about armed gamers shooting non existent aliens while another cathedral is calling in people to shoot actual pigeons, was I thought, quite funny!

(See also Dave Walker on the Manchester controversy)

(Some of the detail is hard to see in the picture but the cargo on the van is two Portaloos (Or Turdis's, as the blue ones at Greenbelt are 'affectionately' known)

Sorry for the lack of posts but I've been immersed in the "Listen to the Voice" conference at ONE OF the Centre Parcs! Blogging has been difficult for three reasons: 1. Centre Parcs charge mega bucks for wi-fi. 2. I've been really busy and 3. It's tricky to reflect on a conference that you are still at! (Chinese proverb: "If you want to know about water, why is the fish the last one you ask?"*)

I'll write up some of the stuff including Richard Sudworth's excellent presentations on enabling interfaith dialogue among young people, when I am clearly more think able to! It was humbling to hear Doreen Lawrence (Stephen Lawrences mum) speak and inspiring to hear the Archbish of York. Oh and if anyone logs on who attended my 'Spirituality of Young People' thing and wants a Pdf of the Powerpoint then please e-mail me!

One quote that is really sticking in my mind is from Bob Mayo would said something along the lines of:

"In the gap between the life we live and the life we hoped for is either transformation or despair"

* I know the obvious answer is that fish can't talk!

I committed major muppetry today, I mean major complete uber-muppetry!

But first the context: On returning to Church House after the ordination on Friday there was a message from Phil Rankin asking a BIT of a favour. He was going to struggle to get to England on Monday to present a thing on 'Spirituality and Young people' at the Listen to the Voice conference at Centre Parcs. So, as I was going anyway, could I cover it instead? At this point I made my first mistake, I said "Yes!"
Now this was a bit of an error as I was busy all day Saturday and all day Sunday. So at 9pm on Sunday I wrestled all the offspring into bed and sat down to prepare a seminar on current research into the Spirituality of young people.
At midnight I crawled into bed with the cunning plan of setting off early and having a bonus two hours at Centre Parcs to fine tune the Powerpoint and the patter. So up at 06:00 out the door by 07:00 I was. Now my head had been so full of seminar that some of the smaller organizational details had passed me by without realising!

Thus it was that on the stroke of 11am, 160 miles later I arrived at Centre Parcs, Elveden Forest (Yay) on to be told that they had never heard of the "Listen to the Voice" Conference. A bit of head scratching later and they found out why, I was supposed to be at Centre Parcs, Sherwood Forest 110 miles from where I now was, (and where I could have already been at IF I'd been aiming for it), DOH!

So an extra 2.5 hours driving, no prep time left BUT I made it and the seminar went OK!
(and as an added bonus, it has given lots of people a laugh!)

Fab day at the Cathedral yesterday and I'm pleased to report that Bishop John is properly Inaugutated in what was an uplifting and wonderful celebration.

In terms of the Processing, job done! It turned out to be more of a dignified amble that the lofty idea I held about processing. (I think in order to put people at their ease in future they should not mention the word "Procession" and just state that "You will be part of a group who amble into the Cathedral in a dignified group!")

As Christchurch Cathedral is not a great design if you want more than 20 people to be able to see what is happening at the cross (middle), the place was decked out with BIG flatscreen monitors with cameras relaying the action. With everyone else inside the cathedral, the processions were lined up outside ready to amble in. The outside camera was apparently relaying pictures into the cathedral and I was amused to find out later that for a moment all the monitors in the Church had been a close up of me laughing! (which when I was told, again made me laugh)

On a serious note: I am genuinely excited about Bishop John and what he will mean to the diocese, I look forward very much to serving the diocese with him at the helm.

* Photo by KT Bruce (and copyright), more pictures here
** Zac, My apologies, I failed to wear a sword (but I was tempted)

I'd really appreciate prayer for my wife Jo on Saturday, won't go into details here if that's ok, JUST pray as the Spirit leads.

Thank you

I'm looking forward to this, especially IF it's as good, clever, funny and thought provoking as Bruce Almighty.

On Friday it is Bishop John's inauguration at the Cathedral, this is a BIG event and an exciting day for the Diocese! As part of the service three of the Licensed Youth Ministers are in the procession into the Cathedral, Simo, myself and Lizzie. So a question? How do you process? Any wisdom out there and stuff that I should know? Going through my mental list I know I can march, I can walk, I can definitely saunter but I have no available data on the act of processing!

Anything else I need to know? Should I carry a Skateboard as a badge of office? Would I be ceremonially incomplete if I'm not wearing a sword (actually it'll have to be a light sabre as I have one of those). Would anyone like to award me a medal before Friday to make my hoody look a little more distinguished?

This piece (below) is an e-mail that Kurt sent to his team as an informal blog policy! Much wisdom therein, I commend the idea to the house :-)

"Hey team,
Since almost all of us have blogs, I thought I'd send this friendly reminder. In this case, 'friendly reminder' is actually more like "blog policy".
Remember that students and even some parents are reading your blog....so:
- Use wisdom in what you post. Don't post subject matter, Youtube videos etc. that you wouldn't be comfortable letting a student or parent see. What may be innocent humor to you and your friends may not be as appropriate for the students reading your blog.
- Use wisdom when linking to other people's blogs. Don't list blogs of people who you don't trust 100%. The students and parents who read your blog will likely click to read the blogs of your friends.
- What you post is permanent. In a real sense, your blog is the same as writing a book, writing a column in a magazine etc. Once you post something, it is 'on the record'. So be smart and safe.
- Remember, you are a minister at Saddleback Church and a representative of Christ. Your blog is a reflection of your character, our church and our Lord".

Also: If you are looking for further reading on blogging policy, integrity etc then this piece over at TSK and the links at the base of the post are HIGHLY recommended.

I was amused to stumble across a sheet of A4 at home in which my 10 year old daughter had scribbled 12 cartoon 'snapshots' of Church. I'm sure Dave can handle the competition, so here are a couple of them :-)

A bit of a thread is emerging out of the comments on the previous post. I happened to mention that Phil had discovered "You can call me Al" (Paul Simon, Graceland) could be sung to "Over all the Earth"
This led to Tanya flagging up "Amazing Grace" to the tune of "House of the rising Sun" while Alison revealed that her Church do The Lords prayer to the "Sound of Silence"
My example is also based on "Amazing Grace" which is GREAT to the tune of "The Lion sleeps tonight"

So other examples please AND they must GENUINELY fit without massive vocal acrobatics ......

Greetings and I hope the transition into Monday has been a gentle one. Traditionally this is the day when I just list everything from my e-mail In-box that I don't know what else to do with, so why should today be any different?

Tomorrow is our Diocesan meet up of Employed youth workers/ministers, if you are coming PLEASE Let me know so that i can appropriate the appropriate quantity of lunch. Thanx :-)

For those of you admitting to watching Big Brother (and for the rest of you) there's a rather good piece on the Ethics of it (or lack thereof) on the BBC website. This could be the basis of an excellent discussion.

A web site that have asked for a plug: Churchlender doesn't actually lend you a church BUT it aims to enable churches to share resourses and stuff.

A request: Michael from New Zealand is after some job descriptions and the like for detached youth work projects. Can you help? (e-mail me and I'll pass them/your contact on).

Amusing Me: Phil has discovered that you can sing Paul Simon's "You can call me Al" to the tune of "Over all the Earth" I'm not musical enough to attempt this BUT I really want to be in a church in the next couple of weeks where they morph one song into the other :-)

And finally:

This is picture is dedicated to anyone who just doesn't know which way to turn at the moment and is looking for a sign:

Youthworkers everywhere, read cartoon then laugh or cry as appropriate: