Staying focussed

Watching Spooks last night on BBC1 it made me think about staying focussed and achieving the things that God has called us to do. The Spooks team were faced and are regularly faced with hard choices, difficult situatins, and even times when it is possible that they may have lost members of their team, but through it all they remain focussed on their calling. How easy is it for us as youth workers to remain focussed upon what God has called us to do and be? do we put things in place to ensure that we can stay focussed, because it is those who stay focussed who will achieve the purpose that God has claled them too.

Complete planning

Watching a programme over the last couple of nights, examining the war in Iraq and the plans that were ment to have been put in place for after the war, it occurred to me that youthwork at times is not too much different. It is different in the respect that it is not necssearily a physical war we are fighting, but it does occur to me that complee planning is necessary, there is little point in running missions or outrech things if we are not thinking through and trying to put in place things and programmes for the young people afterwards. If we don't put the full thought in place, then we leave ourselves open to failure. But we also need to ensure that our preparations and planning is also guided and directed by God, and we also need to take into account the people we are reaching, and accept at times, we might have to create something of the back of our outreach that is apropriate, but as long as we know what we are aiming to do, and have ideas, then things an happen. what's the point in making the difference in young people's lives, and then loosing them due to lack of forethought.

Describing youthworkers

I came across this on another youth blog that I visit almost daily. And I wonder how many of us could assign ourselves to these 5 qualities of a yothworker that was suggested on this other site. How many could you say you were? Youthworkers: 1: See the potential in young people. 2: Put young people at the centre of their programmes. 3: Believe they can make a difference in young people's lives. 4: Believe they are contributing something to their society they owe. 5: Are unyieldingly authentic. I do like some of these, and think they lay down a huge challenge to us.

The unexpected

If we look at the life of Jesus he was always doing things that people didn't expect him to do. He also did things that excited people in their own lives. The thing for us to think about is, whether we are able to do things unexected in people's lives to amuse them, to excite them, to make them feel good, and give them worth and value. If Jesus can do this, and he said we would do even more than he did, then let's try differnt things, let's do the unexected, and let's see the difference that it makes in people's lives.

Knowing your position

I have been watching the football over the last couple of nights on tv, and it is interesting that there is usually a comment, or even more than one, about players strengths, and the best position for them to be playing in. Some players make good defenders, good midfield players or even good attackers, but even within these situations there are various positions where people would have strengths or weaknesses. So we also need to know that we have strengths, we are called to be youth workers, but what kind of youthworkers are we clled to be. As there are a variety of different defenders in football, there are also a dfferent variety of youthworkers that also exist. The manager of the footy team tries to put people in the right position according to their strengths, and their specific strengths, but sometimes he takes them out of position and they don't perform in the same way. the same is also true for us, sometimes people will take us out of our position, away from the strengths that we have, but ultimately we need to stay true to what god has called us to be, and the gifts he has given us. the interesting thing is that once a player in footy is played too many times in the wrong positiion by the ma aager, he doesn't play to his strength, and often ends up moving on to another team where he is placed in the right positin, we should not rule this out as far as ourselves are oncerned, as if people do not place us in the right position, god may well move us on at some point.

What kind of idea is it?

One of the amazing things I have found about youth workers, and it doesn't matter where abouts in the world they are from, they are always full of ideas. The challenge to us is what kind of idea do we have. Do we have good ideas, or are they God ideas? Because we can have lots of good ideas, but the best ones are God ideas, so let's take out the O from Good, and let's focus n the God ideas so that the things we try, and the thoungs we put into place are God ideas and more likely to make a difference in poeple's lives. Good ideas may make a bit of a difference, but God ideas will transform lives.

Faith linked with Risk

So many people we know in life have to, or need to take risks as they go through life. I am sure we can all think of people. But if you look at certain people within the Bible they not only demonstrated a risk, but they also demonstrated faith as well. Think of Peter as he saw Jesus walking on the water. Once he realised that it was Jesus, he also wanted to step out and walk on the water, he wanted to take the risk, and he had aith. The problem was that once he was on the water, his faith came into question, and he realised where he was. The reality of the situation mmade him question his faith and his situation. the challenge to us as youth workers is hether we are prepared to keep our faith in those difficult times, when others questions what we are doing, or don't understand why we do things. If Jesus has called us out of the boat, the challenge for us is to keep our faith and keep standing there next to Jesus on the water.

Risky business

I don't know how many of you have seen any of the programmes that Ross Kemp has done about gangs around the world, where he has to take risks to get to the people at the top of various gangs around the wrold and ask them why they do what they do. He has to go into many dangerous situations, but he learns lots, and is able to challenge them about the things hey are doing. How many risks are we prepared to take as youth workers, how many dangerous situations are we prepared to get into to know the young people we are surrounded by, and are we prepared to show that we are genuine, and we aren't just rying to know them to do anything else accept build relaitonships and bring them hope. This is what Jesus has called us to do, so the challenge is for us to take some risks and make the difference in young people's lives.

Go Mad

I have just returned from a two week trip to India where we saw many different projects and were blessed by so many people. We went with the attitude that we were not joust going to bless and give, but we were going also with the sprit of receiving, and my word we did receive from the people out there. When we were there we were able to do various things, and this brought so many smiles to the people we met, and it occurred to me that we can actually make a difference in people's lives, even witht he small thing we do. So Go Mad, means Go Make a Dfernce, and let's change lives. Because if you change a life, you start to change a community, and if you change communities you start to change the world, and what an awesome thought that we could be involved in God's call to change lives, and change the world.