who has impacted you?

Here is an interesting challenge, because we often think of the lives we can influence, the lives we have an impact upon, but who is it that has impacted upon us, and maybe even greater challenge than this, is which young people have impacted us, or impacted our ministry? Let's just not think about impacting young people's lives, but allow ourselves to be impacted by them.

How we ensure we don't let them down!!!!!

with everything that has gone on in Bridgend over this last year, how can we ensure that we do not let our young peope down. Something is happening in that area, whether the police, or oters wish to recognise it or not, there is something happening for 17 young people within a year to commit suicide. The challenge for the country, for the world, is to look after our young people, to ensure that tey know they are valued, they know they are appreciated, and they know that there are people they can go to if problems arise, and if things aren't right. And most of all, they need to know tat their life is worth something, they are alive for a reason, they have a purpose, so let's be there, and let's encourage these young eople.

young people in public places

What does it say to a generation when sops and areas have devices that only they can hear, and that are meant to deterr them from gathering there. what does it say to a generation when in essence these devices are saying that they aren't welcome there? What is wrong with young people wanting to gather together, isn't that what we encourage in Church? We encourage people to gather together, we encourage them to meet together, we encourage them to share issues and life together, so what is so different about young people wanting to gather together? There is a campaign, petition on the Prime Ministers website to ban these devices, and the Children's commissioner is behind it as well, so let's sign up and ensure that young people are allowed to meet, and actually just be themselves.

understanding teenagers

Someone else pointed this ut to me recently, how to understand teenagers, how they interact in tough situations, dealing with sleep deprevation, testing their levels of sneakiness, and testing their planning skills, could all come under the umbrella of a sleep over. Are you brave enough?

connecting with culture

Here is a subject that could be devisive, or could be provocative at best, Where are we as Gods people meant to fit in when it comes to culture. Obviously the Bible says that we are not of the world, but we are in it, so if we are in itthen we need to engage with it. This surely means that whatever our message, we need to put it across in a manner and format that is relevant to those living in the current culture. So all it suggests is that a repackaging of a meesage is required. Not that we change the message, because I am sure and convinced that it is possible that we can keep the message, but just engage with the people in the culture, who we are meant to reach, in a manner that is apropriate, relevant, to where they are at in their lives. there is no point in presenting something in the same way that it has been presented for the last 20 years or so, so there lies the challenge, can we present our message, our message of hope, of love, of forgiveness, of value, of God, in a manner tat is relevant, not just for today, but for the next number of years.

Guiding without forcing

I know I have posted on this before, but again it is an issue that has come up recenlty in my work. Many young peole ask about the Christian faith, and they have all sorts of issues due to the way that people react to them. So all that I should do is to guide them, give them the honest answers and allow them the opportunity to do what they like with the information. shouldn't this be true with all that we do with young people, offer them information, offer them our thoughts and guidence, but leave them to accept, reject, or do with the information that thy wish too. After all young people can't hang on to our beliefs and thoughts, they have to go through life with their own beliefs, principles and ideas.

Calling!!!!!

this is a great thing to think about, as those of us involved in christian youthwork, should know that they are there because God has called them. If we don't know that, if we are unsure of that in our hearts, then maybe our call is to be elsewhere. The problem is that osmetimes even though we have a call, even though we try our best to follow that call, and even when we set down guidelines for that call, other people try and get in the way of tha call, and push their way in and can even divert us from the call that we have been given by God. Let me encourage all those who are called by God to e involved in yothwork, to stay true to your call, to stay true to the things that God may want you to do, and I am sure that we will all see great things happen amongst young people. Let us not try and take other people's call away from tem, nor get in the way of their call, and ensure that we encourage people in their call, and acknowledge our own.

What is centre of our work?

Maybe the title of this post is wrong, maybe I should have asked Who is the centre ofour work? Because if we have the right person or the right people then our focus is right. So if Jesus is the centre of our work, then we will have the right focus for us to continue in what we are mant to be doing. If we focus on Jesus, and what he wants us to do, then we iwll be able to focus on our young people better, and then we will be able to achieve even more in our work.

Standards for youthwork

Just to let you know that the Life long learning council have produced new standards for youthw ork. do go and have a look, see what you think. www.lifelonglearninguk.com

a new language?

So how aware are we of the new language that young people are using in textology. preditive word text have taken over from proper words, so I have found out from another youthwork blog. cool reads as book, beer reads as adds. so what would our texts read if we were to follow this line?

Give thanks for people!!!!

At the beginning of his letter to the phillipians, Paul gives thanks for them, he tells them that they are people who e always gives thanks for they encourage him for the things they do. How often do we give thanks to God for the people around us, for our teams, for the people that enable our youth work to happpen, or even give thanks for our young people, for all the different things about them. Here is paul, and he does it in other places as well, giving thanks for peoplle, all sorts of people, because they encourage him, maybe we could take something from this, and rather than pointing out people's faults, which is easy, maybe we should learn to give thanks for the great ngs about people aorund us.

The need to work together?

Here is an interesting issue. I have heard from too many places recently the need for Churches, leaders, and youth leaders to be physically seen to be working together, but is this really necessary? do people outside of Church really care? does it really achieve anything? And is it what was meant in the Bible when the issue of one body was mentioned? I would suggest that a recognition of who we all are, and all our diferent gifts, and the ability to be nice and relate to each other is fine. I don't see that there is any atual need for us to physically do things together, becausse we may all be called to wrok with different people, at different times, and do different things, so is it more imortant that we work tother,or be seen to be work tother, or that we follow the calling that God has placed upon us. Support each other, encourage each other, meet together, look after each other, and pray for each other, and let's see what hhappens when we follow the alling by God, and support each other in that.

competition or support

It is interesting that there are now so many diferent streams of church, so many different organisations, and so many different conferences as well. Is this stemming from something that is within our culture, that of competition. It is right and proper that Churches should have their yoth work, and something for young people, but there does seem to be an element these days of the need to put something different on, the need to prove ourselves, the need to demonstrate something to others, but is thsi need real? Maybe sometimes, what already exists needs to be allowed to exist, and grow, and develop and be suported, and even be adjusted a little as well, rather than trying to create something different. Maybe we need to learn the art of tinkering rather than competition and recreation?

Info and questions

Bits of info for you: 1: in Oxford, 13th March, Ann Holt discusses the Youthworker as theologican. 2: On March 1st inter faith discussion and young people in London. For more info on these things, visit, www.youthblog.org Did anyone watch the bbc2 programme last night on the classification of drugs, I missed it, what was it like? Anything useful on it, or any useful comments and ideas?

Finding spirituality on the tv

Do we watch things and seek God in all that we watch and in all that we do. There is a lot of talk about the new Dr Who series, and the fact that they have commissioned the programme until 2010. does this mean that there is an inquizackle search with people about myth, spirituality, maybe even God. Do we seek out God in all situations? In all situations that people exist in, so tht they can find him? Maybe there is the challenge.

Every family should have one

Recently chtting to a friend, we came to a conclusion, that any fmaily who had a young person in the house, should also have a youth worker attached to them. Interesting thought this one, because it brings up so many different questions: 1: Can families no lnger cope with their kids? 2: Are there things that need to be put in place to assist, or encourage parents with their children? 3: Are we facing a genration of parents who struggle to relate to their kids because of things they have grown up with, computers, play stations, mobiles, and such things? 4: Is there stigma attached to having a youth worker attached to a family? 5: What does this say about our wider community? 6: How does this reflect upon the thoughts and attitudes of our young people? 7: How would this make young people feel if a outh worker was attached to a family? And I am sure there would be more, but there are always questions when suggestions are made.

Stretch ourselves

Sometimes we have to try out new things, get involved in different activities that might not necessarily suit us, or something we think is us. I have recently done some writing for a website and the devotionals that I have written, get sent out to over 7000 people each day. And of the back of this a couple of people have emailed me to offer bits of help. Writing is not something that I would suggest is my strngth, I would suggest that talking is more of a strength than writing, but it is being involved with the writing that has brought me offers of help. Don't always turn down new things, even if you think that they aren't you, god might just be opening up new opportuntiies for you in different places.