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July 2010 Archives
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
Facebook friends knew I was flirting with the idea of buying a Type 2 Camper Van and had flagged up this one as kind of the dream, the colour scheme producing a love-it or hate-it reaction (I thought the pink was fab!).
Emotion was eventually joined on the decision making board by reason and I started to look for something I could actually afford, and that better fitted the five of us in terms of on board space. Finding a pop top standard size van that had five proper seat belts though proved quite difficult as most small vans are designed for four and hence no good for my tribe.
Anyway on Tuesday we stumbled upon Charlie, a nineteen year old VW bus that had been converted by Bilbo's into the fine example of Dub Camper coolness that you can see below.
Charlie is powered by a 1900 diesel and lacks nearly everything in terms of modern automotive gadgetry. However who needs central locking when you have a sink, a cooker and a van, that in a blink, turns from a bus into a bijou mobile hotel room eh? Five of us will be quite cosy but Charlie also has a tow bar so our wonderful (even older) trailer tent will still accompany us if we are away for more than one or two nights.
Mid life crisis? possibly.
Family adventure? definitely!
Anyway, see you at Greenbelt or Vanfest :-)
Captain's log Supplemental: Charlie succesfully made it to the New Forest and back with the tribe therein. Thought I'd post a snap of the mid way picnic:
This video made me feel happy so I thought I'd share it (ht to Kolby)
I'm looking at the new CRB form, which is a brave thing to do as the lilac, purple and yellow colour scheme is a bit of a visual assault. On the whole though it is an improvement though and if you ignore the irony that, "are you applying for ISA registration?" is a mandatory field, it should be easier to fill in (especially the evidence section).
The biggest change that will be relevant to Christian youth work I've spotted is box 66 which wants to know:
"does the position involve working with young people in the applicant's home?"
This will trigger a check on other members of the household as well as the applicant themselves. Although this has been common for childminders I believe, this is new for Youth and Children's work.
My understanding is also that we will now be CRB-ing 16 and 17 year olds who are leading beacuse of the regulated activity definition.
I have noticed that Camper Vans have suddenly become something I am quite excited about. It's a worrying trend but thank fully I still shudder if anyone even mentions a caravan, so there may still be hope.
My new favourite words are Westfalia, Bilbo and splitty!
Plans are on to make Sunday 10th October a global day of doing, with thousands of practical carbon-cutting activities all over the world.
The 10:10 campaign has teamed up with 350.org to co-ordinate 10:10:10 to be the biggest-ever day of positive action on climate change. The aim is to see, "thousands of individuals, families, schools, businesses and other organisations taking simple steps to save energy and reduce emissions. These ordinary actions, combined with a series of bold, iconic stunts, will make an extraordinary difference. Not only will they cut carbon directly; they will also send a powerful message to world leaders that people and organisations everywhere are ready to tackle climate change. Here's the info
Oh and while we are talking about creation and environmental concern, here's a great thing that you could do with the youth group. Check out Inspired on the Diocesan "Earthing Faith" site and submit a creation moment that inspires you or your group.
Making me smile: The Bad Vestments blog that Steve Tilley linked to on his blog. Cringe, laugh, cry and despair!
Maybe the youth work equivalent is needed, any contributions to 'Bad Hoody' are very welcome
What a weird week! I'm still buzzing from the incredibly wonderful Diocesan camp and still more than a little tired (I know the comments will offer the diagnosis, "It's your age Ian!"). But I've also been on steroids this week (for a medical problem, not aspirations of pecs and six-packs) and it's left me feeling kind of wired. I've been having trouble sleeping but feel really quite energised (although tired at the same time?) and it's an odd effect. Yesterday morning I was in the office at Oxford before six in the morning and ploughed through a 'shed' load of work but was, as the office will tell you, a bit rubbish at concentrating in the afternoon ;-)
Last day of the medication though and I'm not working on Saturday and Sunday so hopefully back to 'normal' by Monday.
The Youth worker at our church has been giving me some good natured gibing about being tired after just a weekend of youth work. It all feeds in to one of my beliefs though that you are NEVER too old for youth work BUT it does take a little longer to recover.
(Futher evidence of my gradual slide into middle age emerged the previous weekend when I got to pilot a canal barge for the first time and LOVED it)
Here's 'summit' (ok, that's a cheesy pun even by my normal standards, but I'm tired) to etch in your diary in a BIG, not-room-for-anything-else, kind of a way as you should be there. The Youth Work Summit is a day for dialogue across the spectrum of Christian youth work. Lots to be worked out yet but loving the core values it is accountable to of being subversive, inclusive, broad BUT deep!
I'll be there! (but don't let you put that off)
This is what it says on the tin:
"It's the idea of creating genuine dialogue between youth workers of all Christian traditions, who talk and pray together to shape creative responses to the challenges of twenty-first century youth ministry. It's the idea of curating a moment of genuine unity, where theology and ideology is momentarily put aside in the light of the bigger picture"
Soul Survivor needs help with their teams this summer. They are still looking for a fair few people to come and serve on some of their key teams, and so are contacting their friends to see if they might be able to help them out by putting this request out through their networks.
The teams that we are particularly recruiting for are:
- Stewards
- Gates
- Catering
- First Aid
- Welfare
We still have needs on these teams for all four weeks of events, so if anyone is able to come to anyone of them Soul Survivor would be INCREDIBLY grateful.
Yellow Braces, our cheesily named but utterly wonderful Diocesan camp went off brilliantly and a great time was had by all. It was a real adventure in being and living Christian community. It made an impact on all those involved. I am really proud of the team (thanks everyone) who worked so hard and creatively to make it such a memorable time for everyone involved ..... even when that was tough going.
Whilst I was saying the final goodbyes yesterday this picture from the weekend appeared on the screen behind me. (Thankfully the band didn't think to start playing the Soul survivor song that includes the line, "I'll become even more undignified than this", lol).
Captain's Log Supplemental: In response to the question of whether the landing hurt, No! The trick is at the very last moment to bring the knees and elbows in front of the chest providing a pain free (if very inelegant) 90 degree forward rotated bomb, rather than the impending belly-flop! It continues to be an enormous source of frustration that this has not been accepted into the panoply of Olympic diving events.
It's been interesting to see the debate in the press over the last few days on whether children should be allowed to cycle to school. The catalyst for this, outrage on one side and support on the other, has been the Schonrock family and specifically their 5 and 8 year old 'being allowed' to cycle a mile to school in Dulwich. The Telegraph article is here but there are plenty of others, e.g the BBC
What's very interesting is the school threatening to report the matter to Social Services (I'd be surprised if Social services felt this was worthy of taking further given the very real demands on their resources and time).
As a parent and a Youth Worker I experience a tension sometimes. As a Youth worker I know my children need to grow, learn, risk and gain confidence, something they cannot do by being controlled, ferried and inoculated from embracing life. As a parent though I do get nervous but I do know that's about my anxiety and shouldn't be the driver of what my children do and don't do.
My youngest cycles a busy couple of miles to school or walks (and gets lifts sometimes instead) and has done since he was 9. It's been a real boost to his confidence and sense of self. It also seems to have reduced his anxiety about facing new challenges.
I've heard some sort of story or parable about a particular moth that endures an enormous struggle to emerge from it's chrysalis. The story also details that an attempt to help it emerge by cutting the edges of the chrysalis will result in the Moth never being able to fly. The battling to emerge from the chrysalis being an essential component in the animating of it's wings. I also seem to recall it had some relevance to this but I forget why now.
Captains Log Supplemental:
I'm also always interested in the debate often enters the arena of the roads not being safe for cyclists therefore they shouldn't be on them, rather than, our roads are dangerous; maybe we should re-think the pre-eminence and dominance of motor vehicles.
I have cancelled the Diocesan trip to Taize this year as we failed to gain enough participants. I'm really disappointed but I've done all that I can do. For me as a salesman (my other profession) it's doubly weird as I've never had a 'product' before that is both SO FANTASTIC and that I can't shift.
I still passionately believe that young people who go will gain and grow SO much from the experience but I'm throwing in the towel for 2010.
Never say die though .... and 2011 is on the cards and the Bishop is coming too. I'm just looking on Wikepedia to see if there is anything I can learn from the Naval custom of press-ganging ;-)
Session I. Weston on Newbiggin: Reading Culture
I'm going to attempt to post a screen snatch of each of the key-note talks that Paul Weston gave on Newbiggin's writing and his challenge our missiological thinking. Despite feverish note taking I have failed to do fully grab the breadth of content, hence the minimalistic post.
Weston demonstrated how Newbiggin was very much theologically schooled within a rational framework (in keeping with a culture of modernism). However, arriving in India where rationality meant nothing, left "his theological underwear very much exposed!"* Apologetics, the rationality of faith etc had nothing to say or to offer in the Indian Culture(s). Newbiggin therefore developed theology and mission much more on a narrative basis than the presentation and propositional framework he came with.
On his return to the UK, his work on contextual theology and cross cultural mission gave him a unique insight into mission in the UK, the necessity of reading culture (and of course his recognition that ecclesiology and missiology was still being rooted/mired in modernity, not the cultural changes that were apparent to him, an emerging post-modernity).
Weston (reflecting on Newbiggin) was challenging us in our reading of culture(s). (One of Newbiggin's key beliefs was culture could best be read by viewing a culture as a worshipping community and looking at what/how they worshipped).
All theoretically 'Lingua Franca' for youth ministry with books like Donavan being key texts. But we easily replecate inheritted models, understandings and frameworks; therefore needing a constant reflective discourse between the culture(s) we encounter and theology as we experience and communicate it.
For your interest (and so I can find the info when I need it) here are the 2009 Crime figures as recorded/relating to 10-15 year olds.
I was out and about again today for a post prandial perambulate in the French town of Merville ..... and once again experienced the uncertainty of the french "Zebra" crossings, finding myself marooned in the middle even though the middle didn't exist in a defined (and safe) way.
But today I found a whole new phenomena and dimension. There are also some crossings with a green pedestrian light. One waits for the red man to go out and the green man to illuminate and then you can confidently sally forth. HOWEVER, and this is a big however, the green light only indicates that traffic on one side has been stopped. There is no central marker, no raised area and no warning BUT once you are over half way and still looking happily at the shining green man with its glowingly safe encouragement to proceed, you find the traffic coming the other way has no indication AT ALL that you are crossing with permission and no corresponding red light to discourage them from aiming their Renault at you. Bizarre!
I like France, it's a bit mad.
If you are planning a holiday here, you'll love it BUT you may want to ring "Informations touristiques" and check that all the shops you may need are on the same side of the road ..... or find a really bright (and Renault proof) Jacket!
Booking is now open for Youthwork the conference in November (19th - 21st) and in order to encourage you to commit they are offering the chance to win an I-pad.
I have observed that you have to have an ear stud in order to use a Mac (is it some sort of aerial?) but am unsure what the required appendages are for you to sport an i-book? I'm sure Youthwork have got in covered though :-)
