Set or follow?

Here is something I have often challenged myself about. Are we as youth workers the people who are meant to set trends and a way forward,or are we meant to take some of the elements of a society or culture and use them in our own ways. I often think that the Church should be at the forefront of setting the trends and the way forward, but often see it as the one who follows behind. Can we take what is great from a culture, as the culture changes, and put it into our own culture, and help mold and create a new one.

Allow them to fall!!!!!!!!

When we are working with young people do we give them enough opportunities to actually do things, or do we have the attitude that they won't probably do it right, or as well as we would, so we are better of doing it ourselves. Or do we give them enough opportunities to do things, and if they fail, they fail, but we can always give them another chance. I was thinking about this recently when I came across a number of cdecisions that had een made in places, and wondered if we were actually giving our young epople the poeple we work with enough chances to do things. Do we belive in them, and do we believe in the things they could do, even if they et it wrong the first time. Surely one of our rolls and responsibilities is to give oung people the chance they need to improve, to show their abilities and tallents, and to be able to grow.

Does the packaging need to change?

I have become aware over these last couple of months that throughout life, most of us would actually apply very similar principles. this started me thinking about whether or not some messages get lost because of the way we convey things. sometimes I have noticed that we all say similar things but in different ways, and because of the way it is said, the actual message itself is lost. so is the challenge for us as youth workers that we need to think about how we communicate a message that many people could actually relate too, so they don't misunderstand the message because of the packaging.

Meeting together?

As I have spent time recently reading through parts of the new testament, I have started to realise more and more that the disciples spent more and more time togehter supporting each other, encouraging each other, praying for each other, recognsing gifts and abilities in each other. they never seemed to use the phraise, Oh I would like too, but i'm to busy!!!!!!!!! they seemed to recgnise the point that working about things on their own coudl b lonely and also not necessarily bring about as much fruit as they would have liked, so working together, meeting together combatted this problem. I am sure there is something there for us to learn.

Boundaries of trust!!!!!!!

In today's society people are becoming more and more sinical in their interaction with others. And this is becoming truer and truer with young people as well. Infact I would go as far as to say that all young people are doing is showing societies sinicism in an even more real way than most other adults. When working with oung people, I am contstanly aware that they are going to push the boudaries, test me, to see how mch they can actually trust me, and it is down to me show that they can trust me totally in my relaitonshipw ith them. As long as I am not saying oen thing to them and doing another behind their back. This was deomonstrated to me a while back when some young epople tested myself and anothe youth worer by throwing stones at us, we carried on walking towards them and when they asked why, we said because we sitll wanted to be with them. The told us that most other youth workers had walked away from them even though they had not thrown stones at them. At this point our relaitonship witht hat group greew imensely. Let u realse that people will test those boundaries, but it is down to us to show that we will always show Gods love to them. god might think that with the things we say and do, we are testing his boundaries, even when we don't do it intentionally, but his love is always there, so how much of that can we show to the young people we work with.

what do we bring?

A challenging question I was once asked, was what do I bring to my work that I would want the young people to take away for themselves? And I think the greatest thing that we can offer our young people is hope!!!!!!!!!!! When Jesus was alive he brought so much hope to so many peoples lives, and I would suggest that in todays culture one fo the greatest things we can bring as Christian Youth workers is hope to the young people we work with. It is not just about looking after them, or even caring for them during the sessions we work with them, but giving them something for their future, a sense of destiny, and within that a sense of hope. Let us help people to realise that they are not facing a hopeless end, but an endless hope.

How people learn!!!!!!!!!!!

At a recent meeting to do with Extended Schools, an issue was discussed that could really change not only our youth work but also things in schools as well. We were looking at the issue of how young people learn, and whether or not the way they are taught in schools is similar to how they learn outside of school. It was decided and felt that young people learn diferently utsdie of school to the way they learn in school at times, so is this a challenge to us as youthworkers. How do we aim to get our message across, and do we actually take into account how young people take in info, or do we just look at how we take in info, or how we are able to deliver it. Somemes we just need to come out of our comfort zone, and aim to deliver info ina way that young people will be able to take it in.

Blended life!!!!!!!!

I have heard people refer to this as a balanced life, but I have become more and more convinced that when working with young people the idea of balanced life does not necessarily happen. the idea of a balanced life does, and this also helps with something we have been looking at recently, and htat is stress. If our life is more blended, IE, we have a variety of things going on in our life, and we are not constantly thinking about work, and we also have a heatlthy view of ourselves, then we are less likely to become stressed in our work. The challenge is for us as youth wrokers to find that blend, all those different things in our lives, those things that excite us and enthuse us, that when we come to work with young people, then we are excited enthusiastic people, and ot stressed and complaining people.

What gets our emotions working?

I was thinking about this, and heavily challenged about it too, whilst watching Manchester United lift their trophey on Sunday afternoon. Chelsea borrowed it, but everyone knows it belongs to us. But yet, my emotions were stirred whilst listening to the commentary, and listening to the players and Sir Alex, moved to tears almost at times. the passion that goes tinto football is amazing, and do we show the same level of passion about things that actually make a difference in life. Do we allow God that same opportunity to stirr our lives, whether to exciement or even to tears at times, do we let him touch in that way. The reality is that we probably are happy with our relaitonship with God, but do we ever ask the question, is he happy with our relaitonship with him, does he want more, could we get ore out of our relationship if we ut more in. The truth is, that many get lots out of a footy eam like United winning the premiership, but we can get so much more that affects our lives out of our relationship with God.

Responsibility!

In previous posts I have spoken about the difference between a leader and a manager, and recently I have challenged us to think about how we inspire our young people, and also to think about the things we are passionate about. the interesting thing is, that when we are called to a point of leadership, there is a resposibility that goes with that. the responsibility to inspire in a godly way, to inspire to a future that God would want for the young people we work with, a responsibility to stay close to God to hear what he says both to us, but also about the work we are involved in, but also a responsibility tothe things we get passionate about. If by being leaders we have that position to inspire, and be passionate, and thus influence, then the responsibility is ours to ensure that we are passionate about the thins that will inspire oru young people.

what does our passion show?

I heard someone speak recently, about being passionate and the affect that this would have on other people. The speaker was suggesting that our passion, in whatever it was could inspire, enthuse, and encourage those around us. so here's the challenge,what is it that we are passionate about? And do we want to infect others with our passion. Surely if we have found something that excites, inspires us, and gives us hope for our future, isn't this something to be passionate about when we are with others. People are happy to be passionate about the footy, or whatever their individual interest may be, but if we know that God is there for all, wants that relationship with all, and helps us through all situations, isn't that worth getting passionate baout as well, as all the other things that we can be passionate baout in our lives.

trusting and wise!

I have recently been looking at the idea of how we resist influences in our lives, and how we stay close to God, and live the life that he would want us to live. I have been looking at this idea with a group of young people, and one of the issues that has come up is that of people who we trust and people who are wise. Both these things are different, and the young people I was speaking with, certainly felt that they could trust youth worrs, but when I asked if they thought they were wise, they only said that some were. In our rolls as youth workers, it is important that we have that trust in place, to build relationships, but we also need to be wise, in the things we say, the activities we condone, in our actions. Are you someone who youn people trust, and are you someone whom young people would go to for advice? If you are then this is a priveleged position, but also one of responsibility. For if people think we are wise, thenthey will listen to what we say, and act upon it. So my prayer is that we constantly ask God for his wosdom in all the situations that we are faced with, and that people continue to trust us so that relationships can continue tobe built.

Searching for truth

As I spend time talking with different people, the one thing that people like to be assured of is truth. What ever they hear, what ever they are being told, they want to be asured that it is truth. If we are to people of truth, then people need to be able to trust us, and not think that we are just another crank in society. recently I have been looking at whether it is logical to believe in God with some sixth form philosophy students, and expalained where I came from and how God had done things in my life. As I explained these things, I asked the question if they trusted me, did they think I was of sound mind, or was I someone who they would class as a lier. T reaction I got was, that I had no eason to lie to this group, so they were happy to trust me, and this is the starting point to where we can go with young people. For, if they trust us, if they knwo that we are not cranks, and if they know that we can speak abut our experiences of God in our lives, then they start to talk, ask questions, but treat us as people, people they can have a relationship with as oposed to cranks who believe in something wierd. Let's be assured of what we believe, know it to be truth, and be real to who we are, so that others will listen, and we iwll listen as they alk, and together we can go on a journey of exploration, examining eividence for the existence of God.

Inspirational

When I think of all the people who have had an impact on my life, they all have one thing in common, and that is they were all inspirational. They all inspired me in one way or another, they helped me believe in me, my gifts, my abilities, the things that God wanted me to be and do. And the one thing that most of the leaders I have come across do, is inspire all the people they come into ontact with. As I speak to many different groups, whether yung people, or older people about my work, my aim is to inspire people, inspire young people to think about the Chrstian faith, to think about Jesus, and the things he has done for them, but also for older people, to inspire them that God has an amazing palan for their lives, and has a great purpose for their lives as well, but also inspire them about young people. sometimes I feel that it is our roll to inspire adults about young people, becase young people get a bad press a lot fo the time, and it isn't all young people, but there weare as youth workers, working with young people, seeing the potential recognising the leaders for the futre, spotting the gifts, and to point these out to adults is a great place to be. So when you meet people, whoever it might be do you inspire them int their lives, and even inspire them about othr people as well.