June 2009 Archives

I had a very interesting meeting this morning with Ann Memmott who is our Diocesan adviser on Autism. We had a useful discussion on the issues and challenges faced by those on the Autistic Spectrum in their encounters with church.

Ann has written an excellent paper on working with people with ASD and you'll find it here. I'm reproducing with her permission though the excellent summary as I know a lot of our groups/projects involve young people with Autism or Aspergers.

"Almost 35,000 people in Oxford Diocese are on the autism spectrum, people of every age and background and intelligence level.

10. Support: Find a quiet caring person to be aware of us, someone ready to lend a little assistance if we need it - but within safe guidelines, especially if one of us also has Vulnerable Adult status"

Youth work specifics that we talked about included:

i. Meeting earlier in the day is better than later
ii. Flag up what you are about to do/change
iii. Know that young people with Autism experience a high level of bullying
iv. Socially, ASD young people will be a considerable way behind their peers

and lastly

v. Support the whole family

Additional: Ann has done a piece of work where she has looked at some teaching material and noted what would and wouldn't work with an ASD young person, makes for an interesting guide if anyone would like to know more about this.

I loved this! Great article from the BBC relating to the 30th anniversary of the iconic Walkman. A teenager is given one to use for a week in place of his usual ipod. Made me laugh, made me feel old.

Captains Log supplemental: This post seems to be leading to a bit of a nostalgia-fest (always a good thing). I thought this picture might be a useful fusion of old and new:

I'm still working away at the Garden and hope to complete the second piece of decking before I disappear off to Taize. I've been gathering material for the supports of this new section, a bit of skip-surfing has produced some bricks and some really great metal mesh that'll make creating a concrete barrier much easier, nice!

I'm also really chuffed with the planting table that enjoyed a previous career as a Pallet.

We have an old parasol base that has ceased to function properly. It's one of the plastic ones that you fill with water to act as a weight, however it's so cracked that the water just escapes. So, last night I poured some quick setting concrete powder into it and it is now useable again.

(Best bit of recycling though has been discovering a broken marquee is a skip that was the same design as the one we use for Yellow Braces. I thus gleened some useful spares)

I greatly fear I am turning into an amalgam of a Womble and Bob the Builder!

My weekend started off with visiting a Youth drop-in which was fun. Much silliness and good conversation while munching through a box quantity of ice-lollies from a well known frozen food store that we worked out cost 4.2p each! A spontaneous game emerged too which involved trying to throw Jenga pieces onto the top of the giant Jenga stack in such a way that it knocked your opponents pieces off, while they were also attempting this. (Not very successful!)

From there I went onto an inter-church Youth evening in Reading called "Raw Worship!" It was great to catch up with a few folk over a burger and listen to the bands warm up. Sadly didn't get to stay for the acts as I'd taken my eldest along on the basis it was the sort of thing he loves, but it turned out if wasn't. He went and stood by the car and refused to budge as it was too loud.

Sunday morning was a home match and I was roped in to doing some 'magic' at Sunday School. I'm hoping there is no come back from one of the "DO NOT try this at home" type tricks :-)

Sunday evening saw me up in rural Oxfordshire playing rounders on the grounds behind the community hall. The church in the village has an excellent relationship with a great bunch of young people but was struggling to find enough volunteers to keep the work going. They put together an advert for a sessional worker though and found someone local who is GREAT. So, the evening was a chance for the young people to 'interview' the worker and begin a conversation about how September onward could be shaped.

Picked this up from Chris's site, this is the coolest Gymnastics/Free Running I have ever seen. Somewhere beyond astounding!

I couldn't believe it when I heard this morning that Michael Jackson had died. I'm currently working from 'my' coffee shop where his Music is playing and much of the conversation is about his life and music. I feel a greater sadness than I would have expected, something that seems to be echoed in overheard snippets around me.

His music was rarely far away from the charts in my teenage years, while his dancing was what I secretly aspired (utterly unrealistically) to.

Michael Jackson it seemed spent his life searching for the childhood he never had and longing to be accepted, leading to the very public mess of the last few years. His death though will draw a media line over this aspect of his life I hope, and he will be remembered as an extraordinarily talented entertainer who not only sold sixty five million copies of one album, but still had sufficient clout to sell a fifty night residency in the hope of seeing what he did best, great, great, feel-good high-energy pop music!

" ....... Gotta Hide Your Inhibitions
Gotta Let That Fool Loose Deep Inside Your Soul
Want To See An Exhibition
Better Do It Now Before You Get To Old
'Cause We're The Party People Night And Day
Livin' Crazy That's The Only Way

So Tonight Gotta Leave That Nine To Five
Upon The Shelf And Just
Enjoy Ourselves/Yourself C'mon And Groove (Yeah)
Let The Madness In The Music Get To You
Life Ain't So Bad At All
If You Live It Off The Wall Life
Ain't So Bad At All (Live Life Off The Wall)
Live Your Life Off The Wall (Live It Off The Wall) ....."

I guess quite a few people will know that CYM* have had a major reduction in the places it has to offer next year. Until yesterday though I had not comprehended the scale and implications of this (both for CYM specifically and for university places in general).

Nationally the government has reduced the money it pays per student by 10% and even more seriously, capped the number of students each university can take, with severe financial penalties if this number is exceeded. This is a dramatic shift from the policy of increasing the number of young people who go to university. A policy which the universities have been investing in and gearing up to.

For CYM as an external provider linked to a university that has to make job and course cuts, their resultant number cap has been more dramatic. CYM will not be able to offer places to those who last year would have sailed in, also churches that have advertised and only now found a potential worker/student no longer have a course for them to go to.

On the basis of the very streamlined intake CYM will, I should think, have to radically re-engineer, in the medium term, to continue.

Looking wider as well though, August and September could be really tough for those who get their A level results with significantly less university places, and in some cases, courses that no longer exist. The clearing process may have very little to offer this year.

Young people are already bearing the brunt of growing unemployment, this dramatic change of policy is only going to make that worse!

*Centre for Youth Ministry

I forgot to pick my daughter up from youth group prompting a call from the youth worker.

The circle is now complete, the one time youth worker who is now the parent that drove the youth worker mad!

Cue: Elton John singing the Circle of Life

I thought I had invented a word today but sadly not! I came up with 'Miscontent' to explore a particular idea but it is Googlable, however only as an alternative rendering of discontent.

The context was wanting to do a piece of reflective work with Youth workers of the Diocese. Steve Tilley had recently flagged up a quote that has been on my mind for a few days, axiomatically observing that,

"In churches there is not a culture of being critical about things you are enjoying!"

It struck me that this was a useful truism and wondered about how critique could therefore be encouraged of that which wasn't bad, failing or un-enjoyable. Thus 'miscontent' was born. The idea was trying to identiify events or situations that you were not discontent with, but somewhere on the margins of your thoughts or feelings there was a mis-content, a feeling that, as good as it was, there was a need for re-examination or change.

Given the number of events, organisations and strategies that carry on until the point where they don't work, I think the quote and the idea of mis-contentment is really interesting.

We had a good conversation around this. I still don't know if it's useful but hey I'm going to play with this idea and be critically thinking about various projects over the holidays (or, I guess therefore, my summer of miscontent)

The vast majority of young people's work is delivered by volunteers, so the image of volunteers and of volunteering is an important conversation to be having. There has been some discussion about men now being less willing to be involved in work with young people as there might be a negative perception of them/their motivation. There is also I sense a reluctance to work with older adolescents becuase of cultural stereotyping and fear.

What is interesting though is two recent stories regarding the image of youth-work(ers) in the paper, one conveying a negative image and one portraying a much glossier front!

Firstly the Phone company (Phones 4u) that used a negative caricature of a Scout leader as a rather boring, friendless character in order to promote it's business. Eventually, in response to complaints, removing the advert from circulation.

While a more positive image of volunteering might be found by the story that flagged up that Natalie Suliman, the 'face' of M&S is passionate about voluntary youth work, and continues to actively lead a young women's group, fab!

So, if you're looking for a figure head for a Church youth-work volunteer recruitment drive ......

I would like it minuted that I showed a great deal of humour restraint recently!

Pedalling through Oxford I encountered a traffic jam only to discover that the cause of it was our I.T support guy from Church house, his car having broken down in the middle of the road. I leant the bike against the wall, made suitably sympathetic comments and helped push the car up a side street out of the way.

The humorist in me wanted to say, "Have you tried switching off and then re-starting it!"

Twyford are looking for a part time 'Youth Discipleship Worker' to join their well supported and energised Youth work. I'd be grateful if you could e-mail the attached on to any networks or contacts that are relevent. Youth Discipleship Worker Ad 06 09.pdf

Calling all employed youth workers in the Diocese of Oxford. This Tuesday is the network gathering of practicioners at Church House. If you haven't booked in yet, please do .... it won't be the same without you, or you!!

I've finished the first half of the decking, the first of the two 3.6m x 3.6m sections is now covering the uggeeerly patio and more importantly the annoyingly high water-table fuelled swamp. This also means an ecologically friendly territory share, with the frogs having exclusive use of the sub deck marsh, while the humans enjoy some atop deck conviviality.

I'm hugely relieved it all worked as it involved quite a lot of problem solving as I went along as well as more than a little improvisation :-)

Anyway in a Blue Peter stylee I present the 'Before' ...............

and then of course, the 'After' ................

In a definite break from the norm I haven't creosoted the decking, I've used some new-fangled nonsense. In the background though you'll see a pallet that I rescued and re-cycled into a planting table, which is very much in the creosote club!

Doh! Turned up for my appointment today in the vampirical cave of the Medical centres' Phlebotomist only to discover I was supposed to have eaten nothing for the previous sixteen hours. (Eating being the thing I had singularly failed to have failed to do)

I now have to go again tomorrow but cannot find an appointment in a similar vein (pun intended) until 2pm, so no breaky or lunch for me which is tough enough, but no coffee either! aarrghghghhghhh

I'm after ideas for our Diocesan camp. We normally try and align ourself with a campaign of a particular charity or issue as part of living out Kingdom and Justice. The plan I had has gone lopsided ellipsoid!* Any suggestions?

*pear-shaped

The conference that FYT flagged up now has a name, it's called "Shalom"
It is for Christian's working with young people who are at risk and will bring together employed and volunteer practitioners, project pioneers, thinkers and leaders in the field for a gathering and networking event designed to explore this important area of youth work.

The gathering will be held in St Paul's Centre, Bordesley Green, Birmingham on September 2 and 3, 2009.

A booking form and further information can be downloaded from here

This event is designed to be a meeting of hearts and minds to consider how shalom, a Hebrew word for peace that implies justice and wholeness, might be developed in work with young people in socially excluded situations. In these challenging economic times, the timing of the conference is designed to offer support and cohesion across the Christian faith-based sector.

The gathering will cover topics relevant to the development of shalom in challenging youth work situations. Workshops, key note inputs and space for spiritual reflection will be on offer. There will also be opportunities to share good practice and innovation with delegates expected from across the country.

Shalom is a partnership event organised jointly by: Church Urban Fund, East to West, Frontier Youth Trust, The Living Well Trust and Worth Unlimited.

The conference fee of £55 includes main meals and refreshments. A non-residential approach has been taken to keep costs as low as possible. Information about local accommodation can be provided on request.

I was asked to scribble something about being a Dad for our Diocesan Newspaper, to contribute to a range of experiences. The brief was also to include 'Fathers day' and also to include the perspective of being the father of a special needs child. It ended up being one of those "Write frantically 'cos the deadline is today" sort of pieces.

This is how it ended up:

??Celebrating Fatherhood

While we make a big deal of Mothering Sunday, it's easy for us to over-look Fathers' Day, (originally St Joseph's Day) - 21 June. Here, father of three, Ian Macdonald, tells us his experiences of being a dad.

"The editor asked me the question, 'What does Fathers' day look like in your household?' My immediate thought was the apocryphal quote from a child who said: 'Fathers' day is like Mothers' day .... but you spend less.'

I think I see and experience fatherhood as an adventure; battling, laughing and encouraging on a mission to help my children to grow up into all God has made them to be. It is a humbling and exciting privilege with mistakes a plenty and a constant need to recognise they have grown into a new phase, where what worked and was relevant yesterday, no longer is. Trying to give the right level of boundary but encouraging opportunity is really hard to judge"

Awesome job up for grabs in the Diocese.

A phemonenal bunch of people in Marlow have driven this project and I've been really impressed with the vision, energy and professionalism.

They've also opened up, got permission to use and decorated the Crypt of the Church!

Job advert is here

This year at Yellow Braces (Diocesan teenagers' camp/houseparty) we are not having a speaker as such, instead we are dividing the sessions up amongst the team. I'm keen to experiment with this as it feels more authentic to have a range of voices/experiences ... and for the sessions to flow even more out of relationship.

Yellow Braces is built around living in and experiencing christian community, experiencing a rythmn of living, eating, worshipping and laughing together that is modelled on the 'dangerous memory of Jesus' and the presence of the Holy Spirit. What I hope for for the worship/sessions is that they are experiential and give a voice to the faith community experience.

My problem though is despite much musing, praying, thinking I still have not come up with four disctinct titles/briefs to give to the leaders doing the input that then informs their sessions.

I would really value some creative ideas ........................ thank you

Shalom

For no other reason than I saw this picture generator on Deep Thought and it made me laugh. But I guess it may come in useful for publicity for one of your events though, so here it is

I was in a supermarket a while back that had this cunning plan to stretch Sunday trading a bit. They opened for longer than their legitimate hours by not taking any money for the first half an hour.
In their words, there was half an hour for 'Customers to Browse'

This made me laugh as i wanted to know what definition of 'browse' they were ascribing to. I assume the first, 'shopping without purchasing'. I was wondering though what would happen if I started eating and nibbling various items and when challenged directed them to the 2nd (and equally legitimate) meaning: "the act of feeding by continual nibbling"

I think it would be great fun saying that I was merely taking up their generous offer of 'time to browse'

On the top-secret hush-hush e-mail forum of the network of the Advisers of Youth Work to the Dioceses, there is a bit of a canter happening at the moment on the advantages and disadvantages of employing a youth worker (a talk a church has asked for). As ever, the collective wisdom of our wonderful community of practicioners has been useful. In a tangental thread to this someone has posted a list of bad reasons for a church to employ a Youth worker:

1. We can't get anyone else to do it so we thought we would employ someone.
2. It is the Vicar's bright idea, but no one else really thinks we need to.
3. There are no young people in our parish, community that we are
in touch with - but the local Baptist (change denomination as applicable) church seems to have lots of young people and we need to keep up.
4. We don't really know what we want - a bit of this a bit of that- so far our working title for the role is "Children's, Youth and Families Pastor and Community Evangelist and Outreach Worker with special responsibility for the Choir and Fresh Expressions of Worship Co-Ordinator"

respect to the legendary Ali and please add to the list ........
(for a more serious piece on important steps before employment click here)

The Blah day yesterday on "Mission in a Consumer Culture" was excellent. Dr Pete Ward and Johnny Baker were both on great form bringing wisdom, insight (and humour) to the mission dialogue mix.

Dr Pete Ward opened the batting by critiquing the danger of seeing Consumer Culture as only bad, specifically he demonstrated:

1. How this view very easily leads into a Dualism which consciously or unconsciously can see a polarised view whereby Church = good and World =bad.
2. That this can lead to a seperating of 'high' and 'low' culture whereby there is some sort of theological legitimisation given to the high culture (that the church is happy to embrace) but writing off 'low' culture as bad/not legitimate.
3. It mask the extent to which the Church draws from and is effected by popular culture.
4. It has the effect of rubbishing what those outside of the church value/find meaning in.

Ward went on to look at Colossians and that it is Christ who holds ALL things together. There isn't a division evident that would allow a Dualistic approach.

Ward then explored how we make sense of consumer culture (but was very clear that there is a line between endorsing 'consumerism' (advocating the system) and understanding and particpating in the cultural system that exists, Ward is exploring the latter not legitimizing the former).

Consumer Culture means our sense of self is linked to what we choose and what we consume. A helpful historical charting of this was offered whereby if you were born into Medieval times your identity was fixed at birth, e.g peasant, nobility etc. Early modernity would see self defined by what you produced. Post Modernity is a place where identity is now defined by what we consume. (Discourses of poverty, race, sexuality etc still exist but are viewed through the lens of consumerism).

Ward demonstrated how locked into the consumer culture we are even if we think we are opting out. the tongue-in-cheek example being of someone who opts out of the media led consumer culture to relocate to a hamlet in Wales. As part of this they produce a web site of what they are doing and how it's going, the also invite people to pay to come and stay to support their opting out.

Contextual mission can have the advantage of moving us from a negative mindset which flows from a 'culture is bad' discourse, i.e moving us from condeming to asking, what is it we can affirm? (Telling people they are wrong/bad is not a great starting point for mission).

Ward explored 'Diffusion vs Translation' that is, do we have a cultural understanding of faith that we then attempt to place into the surrounding culture (most practice that he observes) or do we attempt to understand the culture and translate faith into it's new context.

The discussion question posed to us was, "to what extent do you think you particpate in a consumer culture?"

Pete concluded with a critique of the position "I am not part of consumer culture" as not only being less than true, but leading to less empathy with, and more judgment of, those outside of the christian faith. His espoused position (and one he feels is better and more honest) being, "This is how as a Christian I particpate in a consumer culture!"

(Will write up part 2, Johnny Bakers' input in a seperate post)
(A link to Tim Gorringe's book on culture and mission, looking at diffusion and translation can be found here)

The Alarm were fantastic! Mike Peters and the band were on top form, it was a fast paced set that included the anthemic classics, 68 Guns, Blaze of Glory, The Spirit of 76 and Where were you hiding when the Storm broke? I'd have really enjoyed the gig regardless but the major nostalgia element was deeply wonderful ..... connecting to first hearing them as a teenager back in the day.

I was on the front row (this photo didn't use 'zoom') and hence emerged from the concert happily hoarse and partially deaf .... but feeling fanatstic.

.... The law of the jungle says
You look after yourself
But I remember this much
I love as I've been loved myself.
Don't forget what I told you now
When the question keeps on coming
And it's How much more can you take
When they've ripped your clothes to pieces
Shouldn't you be gone by now
But you keep on
GOING OUT IN A BLAZE OF GLORY
Setting your sights for the sky.
They can offer you anything at all
But your dreams must not be sold.
GOING OUT IN A BLAZE OF GLORY
No price is high enough
I'm fighting back with feeling
I'm fighting back with love
When the nails are biting into your hands
And the cross is heavy on your heart
Now is the time to really make a stand
MY HANDS ARE HELD UP HIGH.
(Going out)
IN A BLAZE OF GLORY

Eucharist to-go, mail order consumeristic communion

True Story, really useful and thoughtful comment and reflection from Stephen Tomkins of the Guardian, well worth a read

"The theologian John Drane has written about "the McDonaldisation of the church", so maybe the Dominos Pizza-ization of the church was only a matter of time"

In an idle lunch-break moment having eating some loaves and fishes (very biblical don't you think, even if it was, in truth, a tin of Mackrel and a couple of bread roles) I decided to investigate bing.

I'd read somewhere that bing was a new type of search engine but couldn't remember exactly what was superiorly-non-google about it. I typed a series of test topics and questions into Google and into bing and was hard pushed to spot a difference. I therefore asked both of them "What is bing?"
Interestingly, Google provided the answer while bing pointed me in the first instance to a great article on 'Chandler Bing' of Friends!

Back in the day I used to use "Alta Vista" but starting Googling not long after it's launch, I'm wondering when I should start binging? advice please

I have now finished reading Youth Ministry 3.0 by former blogger Mark Ostreicher and thought it might be an idea to pen a few lines in relation to the UK context of youth ministry.

Ostreicher charts youth ministry over the last 65 years and describes two distinct phases (which he tags Youth Ministry 1.0 and 2.0) and helpfully explores this alongside the key cultural influencers of that time, the primary focus of youth culture and the resultant drivers and themes emerging from Church and/or para-church sponsors at that time.
The book then describes the 'crossroads' that Youth Ministry is at and attempts to articulate in a similiar matrix, what Youth Ministry 3.0 needs to be. The latter part of the book playing with the questions of what this might actually look like.

This gives:

Youth Ministry 1.0 (1945-1960's) as seeing young people primarily concerned with Identity and the Church focussing on 'Evangelism and Correction' driven by Proclamation.
Youth Ministry 2.0 (1960's - new millenium) as seeing young people chiefly investigating 'Autonomy' with the Church focusing on 'Discipleship and positive peer groups' with Programmes as the driver.

leading to:

Youth Ministry 3.0 (now) as young people's primary concern as affinity with the need to focus on "Communion and Mission" driven by, in fact .... not been driven, but concerned with being present.

I think this is a useful book to chart the journey of youth ministry (although some is a more U.S context, although we experienced some of the influence in the UK) and to contextualise an authentic approach to youth ministry in our current paradigm.
This fits very well within the canon of authentic-relational-contemplative ministry being experimented with and written about by Root, Creasy Dean and Yaconelli. It's practice that I see happening in the UK although is a long way still from filtering into the majority of small traditional church groups.

The strengths of the book though is that it makes the case for it's espoused model in the context of a journey of learning and cultural change, using personal experience and blog-conversation to both earth and explain it.

I also really liked the diagram on page 110 looking at phases of deconstruction and reconstruction and I'll be using this in training I think.

Well worth a read

Being the first of the month it was The 'Family Service' at Church in place of the usual menu of age related provision plus the Church service. Mid way through the sermon (a rather wonderful fusion of Dr Who and Psalm 119, with a sprinkling of 2 Timothy and a lot of brown envelopes) a child wondered up to our Rector and interupted him mid flow to enquire when Sunday School would be starting, i.e why am I still in the service?
It was a very funny moment, our Rector (jolly tall) looking down at said child (very small) and explaining that there was no Sunday School, this was the service for everyone. (Explained very patiently and gently I should add)

Small child wanders off in different direction than that from which he approached, conveying a smidgeon of disappointment. Fab!

I look forward to seeing some of you on Thursday at The Blah day with Pete Ward and Johnny Baker.

A reminder that 23rd June is the next Diocesan network of employed Youth workers meeting here at Church House. Please RSVP if you haven't already so I can order sufficient Jaffa Cakes.

The Washington Post has another annual contest in which readers are asked to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition: (number 12 was my favourite)

1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.
3. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
4. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
5. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
7. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high
8. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
9. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
10. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
11. Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.
12. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
13. Glibido: All talk and no action.
14. Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
15. Arachnoleptic Fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
16. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
17. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.

ht to Grove Books

"Nostalgia ...... it's not what it used to be!"

The Alarm are playing Oxford on Wednesday next week. This was my anthem band of choice back in the day and they were THE group I made a point of seeing when they were in the Midlands.

If anyone wants to join me on a retro chant-along 'glory-days' evening out at the gig, let me know! (If anyone can lend me a denim jacket (I can find some hair gel), that too would be cool!)

Where were you hiding when the storm broke?

I loved this quote from a great youth worker about the challenges of working with the marginalised young people they serve:

"Some people say they are horrible,
but they are not. They are beautiful young people!
But their behaviour sucks"

I'm not sure if I've missed the deadline for the Grove booklet on "things I wish I'd known" but the piece I wanted to write was going to be "There is ALWAYS a reason for the behaviour"

In a shockingly poor piece of role-modelling my day off did not actually start until 2pm today, due to developing issues as well as the odd crisis that emerged. However, what it lacked in quantity it made up for in quality.

I was able to throw the Kayak onto the canal enjoying an hours paddle through the Berkshire countryside before a very quaffable pint of ale at a canal-side hostellry. Finally driving back with the new Bruce Cockburn live album playing LOUD on the stereo ... and specifically the rather wonderful track, "Tie me at the Crossroads when I die" I love this track, fabulous energetc guitar accompanied by an anthemically inspiring, lyrically wonderful, affirmation of a life well lived. I wish to stand with the sentiment of this song:

"Tie me at the crossroads when I die
Hang me in the wind 'til I get good and dry
And the kids that pass can scratch their heads
And say "who was that guy?"
Tie me at the crossroads when I die

Tie me at the crossroads when I die
Hang me in the wind 'til I get good and dry
And the kids that pass can scratch their heads
And say "who was that guy?"
Tie me at the crossroads when I die"

You REALLY need to hear this track, you can probably grab a preview on the True North site.

The first of the Vertigo Academies will be on October 3rd. It's a days discipleship training for young people with a view to young people making a difference in their communities and also getting involved in what VERTIGO is about. See the web site

Talking of Young Leaders and Discipleship. CPAS are bringing their Growing leaders, youth edition, training to ABINGDON on September 26th. If you would like to see how you can use GL with young people inh your church, then please put this date in your diary!

I had another session with the Kayak this week where I attempted to un-invert the Kayak.

My previous attempt usefully produced an entire series of talks, but was spectacularly rubbish in its attempt to roll the kayak. Basically I was upside down under a Kayak without any clue of what was where, why or how to correct it; all the time wistfully missing the Oxygen I'd previously been taking for granted.

However this week I progressed to being upside down under water knowing both why and broadly-speaking, what to do about it. I can now reconnect with the surface ... and my respirational gas of choice, even if I can't actually become upright and smugly paddle forth.

I believe I am now hip-flickingly close to my post-inversion dream, oh Yes!

My thanks to Adventure Plus for their welcome and help.

Isn't it really annoying when bloggers whose blogs you dip into don't post and then deliver a weak post-ette explaining the lack of posting by lamely bleating about how busy they have been blah blah blah.

Anway, er ....... Apologies for the lack of blogging but I have been really busy I was abducted by aliens!!

This week has been an odd fusion of chaotic life stuff as well as both my normal work and stuff relating to being an acting 'head of department' (oh and the whole Alien kidnap thing, honest!). Today was great though as I was at a meeting all morning at Douai Abbey meaning my commute this morning was a pleasant nine mile cycle ride out to Woolhampton.

Youth Ministry posting will resume PLUS you'll be excited* to know that I have just ordered mahoosive amounts of wood for the Decking project which I see very much in the vane of the 'emerging shed' interest.

During the writing of this post I received a spam from Premier about this years 'Web and New Media Awards' ..... I am very happy to be nominated in the prestigious "Best excuse for lame posting by a niche blog" catergory!

*ok, maybe not

I was sent this article from the Times entitled, "Who's to blame for our last boys?"
It's a compressed version of a forthcoming book but is well worth a read. Sue Plamer argues that Masculinity, in it's role and values, has been 'neutered' by cultural shifts during the last century and particularly by the rise of feminism. She argues that boys need the company, influence and role-modelling of other men, but more than that, male led activity that can usefull harness and develop teenage boys' adolescent energy. She sees this as something that has been lost and calls for the importance of the male parent but more than that, male role-models, mentors and friends.

The article in my opinion was a bit too scathing of feminism, when its' thesis is actually only critiquing one unfortunate bi-product, but as a cultural reflection it is well worth a read. For me, the author has identified a lot of issues that we observe as youth workers (in fact It acts as an involuntary endorsment of youth work but then I would say that). The article is a rallying cry for time and energy investment in the lives of young men. Palmer argues that even for young people that are fortunate to have a committed and involved father, that friends and mentors outside of the family are key. However for young people who lack a father, this piece is a very hard hitting (and rightly so) call that the community needs to offer male led opportunity, challenge and risk to our adolescent boys.

Reading only a vignette is always going to leave some questions hanging in the air so I'm going to get the book I reckon, review to follow.

ht to Yellow Braces uber techy Chris

A couple of publicity resoources that may be useful:

Moo are a relatively recent online print company whose self-confessed ambition is to be 'Hallmark 2.0' They do a great range of cards which work really well for publicity. I particularly like the way they can produce a set relatively cheaply using a range of your own photos. Check out the minicards!

The Signlab do all manner of stuff BUT of partciulary interest is their ability to print banners to publicise community/church events of the sort you see LARGE outside buildings/tied to railings or the like.

Hope they are useful, make a splash!
(Please add any other related sites or sources of usefulness via the comments)