" As Diocesan Youth Adviser I get asked a huge variety of questions about all aspects of work with young people. There are a goodly number of these that can be answered with the simple phrase, "Go away!" .....

Find out more about this project that has come out of the Church of England Youth Council! In addition, You can sign up to the Monthly mailing from CEYC here.

PS I have a pile of the postcards if you want to grab some off me as I trawl the length and breadth of the good Diocese of Oxford (and beyond).

Not only has Marko written a book Called "A Beautiful Mess" with the above subtitle, but he is also (for a short time) making it available as a free download!

Child Animated Design, Creatively Aided Manufacture!

I have an enquiry from a Student looking for a 3 year placement in the diocese. This is a fantastic opportunity to help develop the ministry and youth work of a student whilst having a really great partner in your youth work for 2 days a week.

The Powerpoint is here: Mission from the Chicken Shed.pdf

We talked about:

Kenda Creasy Dean and issues around a quest for a passionate Church
Mark Yaconelli and his work on "Contemplative Youth Ministry"
Phil Rankin "Buried Spirituality"
Looking at "Sticky Faith" (Students retaining faith)

Oh and Brian Mclaren: Four Stages in the Spiritual Life

You'll find all these (and other stuff) via the search box (top right) if you want to find information or links

This cartoon from the wonderful Dave Walker (ht to Youth Work) made me smile BUT raises an issue worth exploring. The term "Youth Service" in my experience has a WIDE range of interpretations as summed up by the funny (and at the same time not-funny) cartoon.

So: Humour aside, I wonder whether it would be possible to come up with a simple list of minimum requirements that could be applied (over a range of traditions) as to what constitutes minimum standards, considerations or involvements, to legitimately carry the description, "Youth Service"

So, letting go of biases in terms of worship practice, What would you want the ASA regulations to include?

* Age (specific service) Standards Authority

Looking at the blog though I'm thinking the book to rule all books would be "Using Sheds and Campers in Youth Ministry; a theological reflection on static and mobile missional relational faith-based youth work"

Liked this article from Newsweek, has a valuable critique of the voice of 'The Church' as opposed to the message and example of Jesus. Extract from the full article by Andrew Sullivan below

"I have no concrete idea how Christianity will wrestle free of its current crisis, of its distractions and temptations, and above all its enmeshment with the things of this world. But I do know it won't happen by even more furious denunciations of others, by focusing on politics rather than prayer, by concerning ourselves with the sex lives and heretical thoughts of others rather than with the constant struggle to liberate ourselves from what keeps us from God. What Jefferson saw in Jesus of Nazareth was utterly compatible with reason and with the future; what Saint Francis trusted in was the simple, terrifying love of God for Creation itself. That never ends.

This Christianity comes not from the head or the gut, but from the soul. It is as meek as it is quietly liberating. It does not seize the moment; it lets it be. It doesn't seek worldly recognition, or success, and it flees from power and wealth. It is the religion of unachievement. And it is not afraid. In the anxious, crammed lives of our modern twittering souls, in the materialist obsessions we cling to for security in recession, in a world where sectarian extremism threatens to unleash mass destruction, this sheer Christianity, seeking truth without the expectation of resolution, simply living each day doing what we can to fulfill God's will, is more vital than ever. It may, in fact, be the only spiritual transformation that can in the end transcend the nagging emptiness of our late-capitalist lives, or the cult of distracting contemporaneity, or the threat of apocalyptic war where Jesus once walked"

My long weekend was a blended one, extended leisure with a liberal fusion of work events scattered throughout. Friday night saw me at the "One Amazing Night" Youth Service in Berkshire. Fantastic bunch of young people and a plethora of doughnuts (Unsure what the collective noun for doughnuts is? suggestions welcome). It was a blast too that the youth group I am a volunteer at trucked on over .... with all the usual minibus frivolity.

On Saturday I did more work on my garage-ette then did some magnificent wilderness-taming strimming, unleashing 25cc of raw power on the encroaching jungle. This would be more impressive if said strimmer hadn't lofted a stone skyward and sent it smashing through an upstairs window, doh! Looking on the bright side it has only smashed the outer pane of the double-glazing ... but nevertheless my scathing disregard for puny electric strimmers (Weed ticklers as I have previously called them) has come back to bite me big time.

Sunday was an entire morning of Church. A trip to the Gym and then off to a Youth Group in Oxfordshire to plug the "Yellow Braces" Camp and to lead a session. Wonderful group of 11-14's where the girls chatted and the boys basically fought in the garden for the first half an hour. (Fab to find a group that was so good at letting boys be boys and I especially liked the use of the trampoline and enclosure as a kind of cage fighting venue with added bounce, loved it!).

Monday afternoon finally saw a break in the rain and we went off in Charlie Van for an afternoon picnic at the ford/river where there was no water last time. Given the recent unrelenting deluges I though this would now be a fab space to watch the burbling brook whilst supping a cup of coffee, however: STILL no water, doh!

PS Happy to report that I am feeling much better (yay antibiotics) and can breathe properly/exercise once more. Charlie however, I'm sad to say, has gone down with a dose of rust in the rear wheel arches.

Back to work!

Facebook it seems to me provides the level of interaction that the blog initially scored so highly on. Attempts to upgrade the blog at the moment have proved complex, I'd love to have more crossover with FB and certainly a 'like' function. The blog however does provide greater space for writing and for the visual as well as being a dedicated space rather than the open general nature of FB. I'm a big fan of Twitter but it is a totally different approach, style and opportunity to that of a blog.

Attempts to monitor the usefulness of the blog are not easy (other than how popular it is with spammers), especially as commenting to the blog is much rarer now (and I fully recognise that it is a real faff compared to flinging a comment onto FB).

I have no wish to just bloggidly keep going if the blog is a dinasour just clinging to life whilst the comet of new media has changed the climate irreparably for such lumbering media beasts. Nearly eight years in and just wondering: to blog or not to blog?

It's my annual review on Tuesday and I need to pitch as to whether the blog is part of my ongoing work or whether strategically there are more useful media places for me to dialogue around youth Ministry practice, humour and theology.

This blog will self destruct in .............. ?

A few weeks ago we drove to a local ford to have a cup of coffee and enjoy the view, whilst Sam and the dog played in the river. At least that was the plan; it was however somewhat thwarted by the complete absence of any water, (We did however enjoy a pleasant stroll up the river bed which was quirkily good fun).

Cut to today and the misguided view that Germans have of England, 'Immer regen' (always raining) is for the moment, very true. My lunchtime walk was thwarted by not even been able to get to the bridge, and even if I had the footpath the other side looked more like a canal.

I mentioned the prevalent phrase at the moment being "Wettest Drought on Record" (We are still officially in drought with reserves low and restrictions in place) but twice today I have heard talk of "torrential drought!"