and once again....

....it's been nearly a month since I last posted on here. This is becoming something of a habit. Sorry.

I'm not tempted to give up this blog altogether, cos although I'm not massively motivated at the moment, I think I could be again in future. I know that in the past the blogosphere has been a source of inspiration, comfort and community to me, and I think it can be again.

Life just seems so manic at the moment, I just feel so busy. Partly cos I am busy. I was doing a prayer exercise on Sunday with some of the older young people I work with, and as I thought about where I'm at, and what I need at the moment, I was aware how much I need time and space to rest, reflect and to be me.

Thankfully, the other week I booked to go to Taize again. I'm not yet sure if I'll go for one week or two. Two would be bliss, and I'd be tempted to do another week in silence. But we'll have to wait and see.

This weekend at church is our 'Arts Festival'. I'm helping lead an all age art workshop kinda thing all day Saturday. This morning, and a v creative lady from church were constructing the basic erm, structure, or a corporate sculpture kind of thing we're gonna do. It's on the theme of letting our light shine out, as the Body of Christ, acknowledging the different people we are, but recognising the beauty that comes in that difference. It's gonna be a big dome shaped lantern kind of thing, (Yes I'm using 'kind of' a lot, but that's cos its all still in the process of coming together.....) to which anyone and everyone can stick different coloured tissue paper. Underneath we'll put some source of light (candles may yet prove too much of a fire risk). I'll try and remember to put some pictures up in due course.

Right, that's about enough for now methinks.

Who knows, I might even blog again soon.......

once again....

.....I seem to have slipped from my blogging habit. Truth be told, I've been lured into the wonderous world of facebook (I'm not going to link to it, if you don't know what it is then it's not very difficult to find).

I quite like facebook, though it is a bit weird linking to people who you kind of thought you'd probably never have any contact with ever again. And it's also a bit weird you can see some of the conversations people have with each other.

Last night we had a bbq followed by a data-projected viewing of the Champions League Final. Alas Liverpool couldn't repeat the result from two years ago, and lost. Ah well.

Went to see The Gentlemen later that night. I happen to be friends with some of these guys, but seriously, they are excellent, and you should check them out if, by any chance, there is someone reading this......

alas.....

It was always likely to happen wasn't it. Well, at least since we lost the ability to play for a whole 90 minutes. That's right, the mighty Chesterfield F.C. are not quite so mighty any more.

At approximately 3.45pm on Saturday afternoon, things looked good, Chesterfield were beating relegation rivals Bradford 2-0, and our near neighbours Rotherham (already doomed to relegation) were beating Cheltenham 2-1. Chesterfield were relying on Rotherham to do us a massive favour, and keep our hopes of staying up alive, by beating Cheltenham. But it wasn't to be. Despite Chesterfield going on to win 3-0, Cheltenham pulled it round, and beat Rotherham 4-2, meaning that they stayed up, and we slipped to the 4th tier of English football.

Oh dear.

Oh well.

Bring on Mansfield.

no promises, but.....

.....I'm gonna try and get back into blogging.

I know, I know, it's been a while, and who's to say I won't get bored and stop again, but I'm gonna give it a try anyhow.

Just in case you were wondering what I've been up to recently, well.....I've just started work again after having been away on the Costa del Skeg (aka going to Spring Harvest). Had a really good time. Have come back feeling refreshed - refreshed due to the having had a break, but also refreshed by some of the things I have heard said at an (evangelical) event such as Spring Harvest.

The theme of the week was one people - one, holy, catholic and apostolic church. There was some really encouraging stuff said, in particular about sensible (imho) attitudes towards agreeing to disagree, as well as about what we can learn from the way other religions practice, and acknowledging that all people are flawed, all people are different, and that all people are made in the image of God. It just felt right to me - it felt as though there was a new level of openess, of honesty of acceptance. It felt good.

A couple of weeks ago I also went to see Faithless at Sheffield Arena. They were excellent.

In less good news, it looks very, very, very much like the mighty Chesterfield F.C. are going to get relegated, thus making them not so mighty.

how come i'm posting at this time again?

So it's really time I was going to bed, but strangely I find myself blogging again. Oh well.

In short, the films I have been to see of late are The Last King of Scotland, Rocky Balboa and Black Book. All three very good in their own different ways. Some more detailed reviews will follow, but now I'm just planning on going to bed.

Tomorrow I'm going down to St. John's Nottingham, to share some thoughts on the field of youth work with the Under-Graduate Course Committee of the Centre for Youth Ministry. I was a year-rep on this committee throughout my time at CYM, so going back as a field-rep is all a little it bizarre.

I shall post some of what I share once I have shared it, and once it has been fully committed to paper.

in the middle of the night.....

Annoyingly my car alarm is being rubbish at the moment, so I'm awake in the middle(ish) of the night. Oh well. At least it works.

I know it's been ages since I've been on here. Sorry. To those who have been concerned about my well-being, I am able to report that I am well. Just been a bit busy, and not massively motivated to post on here.

The last month has been pretty good. I'm slowly getting better at giving myself time off - I've been on a retreat for a weekend, and been to the cinema three times this month. If I were feeling particularly motivated I'd post some reviews, but I don't want to push it.

A guy has just been out to sort out the alarm, as best as he can do. So now I'm going to go and hopefully enjoy an alarm free night....until the morning, at which point my alarm clock will be very annoying.

a christmas baptismal hymn

Last Sunday (the 31st December), we had a baptism at church. During the service we sang a really nice song, to the tune of Infant lowly, infanf holy - it was a Christmas baptismal hymn:


Lord, we meet you,
Christ, we greet you,
born a child and yet a King.
Round your cradle,
in the stable,
we would each our praises bring.
From above us, you come near us,
show you love us, ever hear us.
Now to you we glory sing.
Now to you we glory sing.

Saviour Jesus,
now be near us
as we bring our lives to you.
In our children
may your love sing.
May they know your promise true.
Water flowing, Spririt sending,
faith a-growing, Love unending.
Take their lives and make them new.
Take their lives and make them new.

In their growing
keep them knowing
of the wonder of your love.
Root their living
in the giving
of the Saviour from above.
Living Jesus, stand among us;
ever with us, go before us.
In our lives your Spirit move.
Let us all your loving prove.

(Leith Fisher)


Now I know this is meant to be a Christmas baptismal hymn, but I just thought is really sums up my thoughts on what I hope for the young people with whom I work.

Happy New Year

Well I guess this post really does what it says on the tin. Thought I'd wish you a Happy New Year. So there you go....

mmmm chocolate log

Ok apologies for the poor quality of the picture - my phone isn't the best piece of photgraphic equipment known to mankind - but I thought I ought to post this picture of a chocolate log I made for youth group last Sunday night.

The piece of guttering (new) it is in was 2m long. It consists of 6 Tesco chocolate logs, a triple pack of chocolate fingers, lots of white maltersers, ready-to-roll icing carefully crafted into holly leaves and berries, and 2 bowlfuls of homemade chocolate icing. mmmmmm. unhealthy.

ooooops

It's been far too long since I last posted, and I know that these sort of posts are really annoying, but....

sorry for not blogging in ages.

In brief, life is going well, but busy. I'm looking forward to Christmas, especially the time off that will allow me. I assure you that I will endeavour to keep blogging, perhaps with a little regularity, but it would be a little too predictable to make that some kind of resolution in three weeks time wouldn't it?