Prepared to explore

So many times in youth work especially we come to something, a situation, or a person, and all ready have something inmind, we already have the answer, the thing that needs to be done. But how many times do we actually face something, and think, or decide well maybe we need to go on a journey with this, and just see how it turns out. So many times we think we know best, as adults, youthworkers, teachers, whatever, we just believe and know in ourselves we have the right answer, but maybe, just maybe sometimes it is worth exploring things with young people, no destination set out, and just see where you end up, you never know, they might just get something from it as well.

Empowering not enforcing

This is something that I always ty and do with young people. there is no point in me trying to enforce my beliefs, or even my suggestions in their lives, as they belong to me, not the young people I work with. It would be far better if I was able to empower young people to do things, in their own relationship with God, and therefore take ownership of their own events, activities and ideas. I am only the person who helps, assists, releases and empowers them to be the people who they are meant to be, I am not the enforcer who tells them how thig shsould be and how they need to d things. This is how god works with me, He releases me, empwers me to be who he wants me to be, but does not enforce or restrict me, he allows me to make mistakes, mess thing sup, and learn from that, maybe we should learn tha twithour own young people.

glamour or beauty

Here is an interesting question, do we go for the glamour of our work, the upfront stuff, in the public eye kind of stuf, ordo we go for the work that actually changes people's lives, which is the more beautiful? Sometimes we go for the glamour of something, without realising the beauty of the tough work. If you examine anyone who works on creating a carpet, they have to spend time, get their hands dirty, and get messy, but the outcom is beautiful, whereas someone who just takes the capret and sells it, loooks for the glamour. I think that Jesus is more interested in the beautiful than the glamour, more interested in the depth of change and difference in people's lives, than the headline fiure. So let's be involved, and create something beautiful.

Do we give them a chance?

So it is now the 21st November, the 20th has gone, Go MAD is now in our past, so did we give our young people a chance, did we get this idea out there, did they know about it? If we don't give them a chance, if we don't allow them the opportunity to do something, to make a difference, to change things in their lives, should we be really surprised if things don't change. God is always giving us opportunities, chances to change things for others, and for ourselves, we would not be happy if he didn't, would we? So why shouldn't we do tat for our young people as well.

give our young people worth

The whole idea of this day, this Go MAD day, is to give our young people worth, to help them realise that they are worth something, that they are psecial, that they make a diference in people's lives, and they the effort that they put into society is worth something as well. Is that what Jesus would have wanted, to ensure that everyone knew that they had worth, purpose andvalue as they lived?

One day to go!!!!!!!!!!

Ok people, just one day to go, before the whole country goes MAD. We have many people arond the country who are going MAD tomorrow, and Making A Differnece someone's life. Let me encourage you, to get your young people involved, get them t go mad, get them to Make A Differnece in someone else's life. Doesn't matter how big or small the act is, it would just be great if Hundreds of young people, Made A Difference in people's lives, then we can go to the press and get them to print it. So go on, get involved, get your young people to go MAD and let's make a big difference in someones life tomorrow, And get them to send their stories of what they did to info@rolltherock.org.uk

creating the environment

I have been examining what it means for me to have the environment to be able to reflect on various situations I have to face and also allow situations where my thoughts and my feelings can be allow to express themselves. Surely this is also true for our young people whom e work with. Because we need to create the environment for them to be able to express themselves, and be able to feel free to do so without restriction. this will be how they will grow as people, and also grow in their relaitonship with God.

Are we polarised?

This is an interesting question for me, as I have been doing some studying recently. the idea is that there are 3 perspectives that e can aproach things from: 1: do we constantly and only approach things from the Bible, or from our Christian Heritage point of view? 2: Do we approach things from our life experience point of view? 3: Or will we go on an exploration, and bring our life epxerience, and Christian heritage with us, and see how it all impacts us as people, and the life we live? The exploration approach will allow us possibly to be more open to God, and allow him to impact all aspects of us as people and our ives, so let me challenge you to explore, go on that Journey I spoke about yestrday, and see where you end up, rather than setting up a specific plan or destination.

Neutral or driving

this is an interesting thought, because if a car is in neutral then it doesn't go anywhere, but if someone is driving, and they do not necessarily know where they are going, then it is often useful to have a navigator. In either situation there is also the possibility that there could be passengers in the car as well, so do we boar our passengers by staying in neutral, or do we actually drive forward and see where we go. the challenge is, that we may not kow where we are going with our passengers, so we need that navigator to help us out. Let me suggest that maybe the navigator could be God, and we need to allow him to direct us where we are meant to be going. Rather than us suggesting that we know where we should be going, thus the journey of life, of work, of living begins. Because if we allow God to direct us, then we may not know exactly where we are going, and at what time or speed, but yet we allow him to direct us. And we go on that journey with our young people, and see where that adventure takes us.

How to move people forward?

Obviously as we reach young people and their lives start to change, and they start to make new decisions in their lives, there is something we need to think about, and that is how are we going to help them move forward. the question and challenge is, do we put them into something that we have aleady created, or do we go on a journey with them and see how we can encourage them and be with them during their journey, without any perscribed, directed way. Do we always know what is the best root, for young people beofre we have actually encountered them. Sometimes it is appropriate to put young people into something that has already been created, but sometimes it isn't, and we have to be big and brave enough to stand up and ensure that although pressure might be placed upon us, we ensure the best thing happens for the oung people we are working with.

We don't always know!!!

I have come across various issues recently that young people have challenged me over, and I haven't been able to answer them straight away. Rather than just feeding them an answer that might just get me thorugh, I have been really honest and said to them that I didn't know the answer, but what I would do, is go away, think it through, and then come back to them. they seem to appreciate this answer, as they know they aren't getting a half answer, but someone is alwys being genuine with them, and doing their best for them, and being honest. It occurs t me that if we are real and honest to the young poeple we work with, then they are more likely to listen to us. This means being genuine, honest, open, vulnerable, nd even at times looking stupid because we don't know an answer. But hey, better that than a half-baked one.

Closeness vs distance

While chatting to a teacher recently about a certain young person, they suggested that the young person in question did not always do what they were told in school. They suggested that the yong person in question did not listen to well to instructions. When thinking about this afterwards, I wondered whether or not the young person in question might need two things. One is boundaries, and that means bundaries that cannot be crossed at any time. And secondly, I wondered, about the approach of the parents, for if the parents are close, and spend quality, undistractable time with the child then the child is more ikely to do what they were told at home, and this may impact school as well. But the challenge is time, things to be done, things that need to happen, how do we balance between things to do and closeness, time, time that isn't distracted by other thins. god gives us time that isn't taken up with other things, it is time that isn't distracted with other things, and he never makes us feel that we have to fight for his time. Maybe that is something that needs to be put in place in young people's lives at home and at school as well.

Making things specific!!!!!

Recently I have heard from someone who has done a lot of research into Tweenagers, that age range from 10-13. they have looked at resources and idfferent issues around this age group. One of the interesting things that seems to have come up, is the difference between the younger end of the age-range and the older end. Is it possible to make something specific for the olders ones, and something specific for the younger ones. At the heart of the question, is making things specific, rather than just goruping people together. God doesn't group us all together, he looks at us as individuals, and treats us as individuals, so why don't we look at people as individuals? So let's remember that everyone is different, and has different neds and outlooks on life, and remember that God treats us as individuals, so we should do the same to others.

reality vs theory

I have been speaking today at another church, and when I was reflecting upon what I should talk about, I thought of Peter, and what he spoke about when over 3000 people became Christians in the one day. All that Peter spoke about was the difference that Jesus had made in his life, during the time he spent with Jesus, and the difference that knowing that Jesus had risen from the grave had made in his life as well. This is the difference between reality and theory. Many can talk about the theory of God, and religion and things, but the reality of knowing God is the thing that makes the differece in people's lives. So what else can we do but show the difference, and speak about the difference that God has made in our lives. Through the people that we are, people will see the difference, and we can only leave people with the thouts of the reality of the truth of what God has done in our lives, the rest is between them and God.

Tenacity

One of the strongest characteristics of a youth worker is that of tenacity. We have to keep pushing on even when other things get in the way, when adversity rises up against us. I always take comfort from Jesus, in that he tried to do good things, he brought hope to so many people, but yet the leaders of the time rejected him. But yet he persisted, he pushed on, he never gave in, right up to the end. So let me encourage you, no matter the struggle,no matter the problem, no matter what others may say or do, let me encourage you to have tenacity, and push on, because you are doing what God wants you to do.

Expectations

It has always been something that I have wresled with, Do we expect young people to come to something that we have created, at the time we have created it, or should we engage wth them, and create soemthing around the discussions we have with them? It occurs to me that if we expect them to come to something we have created, and at a time we have created it, then we are placing expectations upon our young people, hwereas if we create something new around them, aorund discussions with them, and around something that is relevant for them, they might just get ivnolved, and take some ownership of it. Open for discussion though?

Accountability!!!!

It was intresting last night watching Question Time on BBC1, and the question of accountability coming up for Sir Ian Blare the Chief Commissioner of the Met. there was a discussion about whether or not he should take responsibility for the actions of his force? the one thing that struck me, was that as youth workers, if a member of our team does something, then they are responsible and there is a clear accountability structure there. And ultimately the person at the head of the team is responsible for those within his or her team. So where do we all think that the accountability issue lies with us as youth workers? Is it right that we are responsible for the actions of our tea members, and are held to account for them.

Halloween culture shift

Just a thought that occurred to me after last nights interesting visitors. We only had 2 or 3 lots of kids come round to our door last night, but my wife interestingly handed out bananas to them, not sure why, accept we had got a load on monday, so she handed them out. But it occurred to me that these kids were really happy that someone had given them something, so why not change the culture of halloween, rather than it being a trick or treat night, why not make it a night where we give, isn't that part of the heart of the Christian message, giving? so if people expect to be gven something, why not give them something special, what ever that might be, rather than doing it out of fear f the trick, do it out of blessing people.