the ratings questin?

Recent news aricles suggest that games should be rated by age in the same way that films are. do we think that this would help our young people, would they pay atteention to it, and here's the big one, what difference would it make to what we provide for our young people in outh clubs and places? Would we or could we stick to the rtings that they might put on games. It's a challenge and a thought, because if they rate those games, and part of me thinks they should, then we have to take that into account in our youth work as well.

Different situations!!!!

Isn't it interesting the different responses from different young people when you put them in situations they aren't necessarily used too. Let me encourage you over this term, let your young people experience different things, face new situations, and then reflect on these with them, and just see what their responses are. You never know, they might just enlighten you as well.

positive and negative

How many of you can think of situations where something negative can be turned into something positive? Hee we are at good friday,and the murder of Jesus on this day is refered to as a good day. Of course this is true, but can you imagine being there on that day, could you think of what was happening as good? Are there things today, in our lives, or in our work, that we think are bad, tough or wrong, but yet, they just might be good?

Salt or light?

Here is an interesting question as far as our youth work is concerned. Because to me a light attracts, it stands out trying to attract people to it, whereas salt actually flavours, gets involved with what it is changing. So which approach do we have for our youth work, are we the light attracting people, or are we the sat that is involved in theirlives and flavouring what is happening in their life? Interesting thought?

How they speak

I was recently having an interesting conversation with a taxi driver, yes indeed, a very interesting one. He was interested in the work that I do with young people, and wanted to know more about it. We got on to the subject of how people view young people, and the way they are, and he made a point in the way they speak that I had not thought off, but is quite obvious really. Sometimes people will judge young people for being loud, and always shouting, r wanting to put their point across and this taxi driver suggested that rather than being awkward, or ignorant, just maybe that is the only way that they can get themselves heard at home. I thought thiat this was a really interesting idea, and will be following this up in other work that I do at some point. Just makes you think, that the way people appear on the outside, may be because of other reasons, as oposed to the reasons tat come to yor mind straight away.

Still have things to learn

This is one of the amazing things about our job as youthworkers. Even if we are the people leang the session and the person leading the young people, I don't think that any of us would say that we have all the right answers at the right time. The great, and yet challenginthing about our job is that different situations, experiences and attitudes all bring different things to our life and our job. So is it wrong for me to suggest that we should not addopt the position of knwoing everything when we work with young people,but allow ourselves also to learn, especially if we are commiting ourselves to go on a jounrey with them through life.

The challenging questons?

I was in a class in a school recently and they had a few minutes at the end of the lesson, so I asked if anyone had any questions. Daft, I know, of course they did, and the questions they had were deep meaningful and challenging. What I was left with, was the thought of the stuf I had done in the lesson may have meant somethng to them, but they also had their own quesitons, their own exploration to go on, and was I trying to teach them what I wanted them to know, or was I trying to help them along that journey of exploration. Wat do we all do, do we give thoughts, and ideas, or do we see where our young people are going on their journey and try and impact that journey with meaningful stuff? Jesus always seemed to meet people in that journey, and engage with where they were,and where they needed to be, and I want to aim to be in that place as well.

All in a story

So which menas more to our young people today, a picture or a story. I would suggest that young people today love telling sotries, they love telling us what they have done during a day, or over the weekend, and they tell it in such expressive manners. Maybe we need to let our young people express themselves in a manner that they are confrotable with, ie that of stories, and allow them to express their stories and tell them.

What works?

I have recently had the pleasure of visiting a youth work not to far from where I live. They seem to have a thriving work going on with about 40 yong people on their books. When I sat down and chatted to the workers there, I came aware of thee issues that seem to have made a difference tot his work. I wonder if they could make a difference elsewhere? 1: consistancy, they do nt put the workers on a rota, the young people know who is going to be there week in week out, and this seems to demonstrate, reliability, and also the fact that the young people are worth being there for every week. 2: Relationship, this is certainly born out of the first one, consistancy. Because the more consistant you are, the more you can build relaionship, and the more you build relationship the greater the impact of the work, and the greater the trust, and all sorts of things can develop from there. 3: Driven by Youth, The young people in the group have asked for a separate Bible study during the week, and have come up with a whole range of questins and ideas that they wish to pursue. although the workers are there, and offer protection, relaitonshioship, consistancy, and to an extent guidence, the young people are allowed to develop their relationship with God, and not rely on others, and this seems to have made a huge impact on the lives of the young people that are there.

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.

Giving Direction

I have often wondered what would happen if marathon runners did not have a blue line to follow. The likelihood is that some of them would get lost and not folow the root they should be going on. If anyone has seen any of the horse racing at Cheltenham, there is a cross country race there apparently and on a number of occasions a number of the horses and riders go the wrong way and are disqulified. Are we the blue line for young people in their lives, instead of in a marathon race. The marathon race goes on for a long time, and sometimes can seem tough, hard, dull or even boaring, but yet peole need to keep on going to get t the finish line. Maybe this is the position that God has put s in so that we can help young people get to the right finish line, and follow the right direction in life.

Being creative

This is always a challenge, because not only does the youth worker have to be able to relate to young people, understand them, but they also have to have a creative mind, so that they can creatively get across the message that they are wanting to get across. Is it possible to be someone who is able to build relationships, and also someone who is creative. Possibly, but I would suggest that maybe a team context is the most helpful. There are always different roles for people to perform within a team, from building relaitonships, to creative thinking, amongst others, so do you have a team around you to enable you to do all the things you want to do for young people?

Opportunity or loss?

In many situations in ministry we are faced with things we just don't understand. And we have no idea how they could work out for the best. Even when situations change on us, and we don't eem to be able to have any control over them. the challenge for us is how do we approach these situations. A writer once said, that life is 10% what you go through and 90% how you go through it. so how do you go through situations? Do you see them as problems or do you see them as opportunities? Much of how we look at things will determine our approach on life, and whether positive things will happen, and we will enjoy life. Let me encourage you to look at things as opportunities, and then you won't get down when things change, and positive outcomes may well arise.

Dealing with change!!!!

I guess that this is something that every youthworker will go through on a regular basis. Not one session is the same as the next, or even the previous ones. But we can do things about some of the change that takes place, infact we might even initiate some of that change. The porblem arises when change occurs and we have had nothing to do with it, and we don't even have any power over it. How do we cope with that level of change. Change is always going to be there, and many changes will take place that we don't have any control over, so the challenge is not avoiding the change, it is how we deal with it. Someone once wrote that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. If we look at Jesus, he went through so much change, and he stayed calm, reflected upon it, and spent time with his father. Maybe this should also be an approach that we should take as well.

Encouragement vs support

I have been thinking bout this for a while, as there are often situations where I want to encourage young people into doing something, being involved with something, and yet, the support I give them might be very different. this may well be due to the fact that I may have experience, knowledge or knowhow in a certain situation that they don't. But the problem then arises, of how to encourage, but yet support in a way that will ensure success. I totally believe in empwering young people, but maybe we need to examine how we empower, and can give guidence at the same time.

Send in your stories

Pleaseremember to send in the stories from your young people and all that they did on Go MAd day, info@rolltheorck.org.uk

Using young people in what we do?

I was recently at a Church where the youth leader was wanting to reach out to some more young people. The idea he had I thought was fine, but he said that noone under the age of 18 was allowed to go out and be involved in the work he wantd to do. I have often found that reaching young people works best when using other young people, any thoughts on this?

Go MAD day January 21st

Just a quick reminder to get all your young people to do something on Monday, 21st January, go MAD, go Make A Diffrence, just do something that makes a difference in someone's life. Let us know about it and we shall publish the stories, send your stories to: info@rolltherock.org.uk

Retreats?

Someone has recently invited me to go on a retreat next month. Which is very kind of them. I was recently reading another blog where someone was on a retreat and they asked a great question. Had they advanced enough to go on a retreat? How far hav I advanced? or how far have we all advanced?

Making you aware

Just incase some people weren't sure about the new situation that comes into place on 1st April this year. The rate of income tax drops, which will mean a dropage in the rebate for charities and Churches with charitable status. Where up to now, people were able to claim back 28 p in the pound, it will drop to 25p, instead. It is just something to bear in mind when thinking of income and payments for youthworkers and Churches.

Balanced commitment to work

I am currently recovering from that sickness bug, and mixed in with it, I had a touch of flew I think as well. And before any women start it wasn't man flew. I was sick over the weekend, and am trying to get back to work today, things to plan for , and things to ensure our supporters know what is going on. Still very hot and shivery though, so where does the balance between realising our sickness and our commitment come in. I have felt a need to get back to work, but don't know how effective I am going o be Id there any point in being at work if not effective? How do others work this balance?

Sport and church

There has been a recent discussion on another blog that I ften look at and leave comments on, about young people's attendance to Church, and whether their sport practice gets in the way on Sunday monrings. There is a debate as to whether we should make young people go to Church, or whether they should have the choice. There is also a debate as to when people should woship, shoudl that be on Sunday mornings, or could that be at another time. It is an interesting debate, with something quite central. Should our time be prioritised by going to church, and everything else fit in around that, or is our prioriy, to be in the world, and also include and ensure that we are worshipping and praying to God. Personally I think it is important, vital that we are part of society, part of twhat is going on in the world, but yet, influencing it, helping to bring Christ into those situations. So if a young person has sport training on a sunday morning, then fine, as long as they are involved in worship and prayer at some point during the week. Faith and society, there needs to be a balance, as we need to worship, but also need to be lt and light in our world.

Every family should have one!!!!!

I was recently chatting to a youth work adviser friend of mine, and we were chatting about the difficulties that parents have with tenagers. He suggested that every family doesn't need a social worker but very family with a teenager should have a yoth worker attached to them. Often the relationship between the yoth worker and the young person is different than that between the parent and the young person, and maybe if there are problems, then the working together between the parents and the youth worker may make life that bit easier and better for all, and enable the young person to have the best of all worlds. Any thoughts?

Values in young people?

Where do most young people get their values from, and if it is us, how much influence does that mean we have over the future of our young people, and of society in general. If you think that we try and install values into young people, then the values we try and instill into th are the values they will demonstrate in the years and years to come, that is if they have taken on our values. The lfip side is that they may not take our values and create theor own, and again this will say a lot for the society we have in the decades to come. So let's think about the values we have as people, and the values we wish to instill into our young people, and the values we wish to see in our society in the years to come.

Panarama on social networking sites

Did anyone watch this programme last night. Ian Macdonald the DYO for the Oxford area has been flagging this up for some time, as well as others. I thought they dealt with it really well, and I have thought about showing it to some of my young people and even to my teenage daughter. Do we really think that our teens realise all the probs with social networking sites on the internet? And yet where do we fit into this as youthworkers, if we engage on a social netowrk site, do we give it permission, and if we don't get involved are we missing out on a segment of young peoples lives that are important. Difficult blanace here, but Panarama tackled the issue really well, and lots to chew over.

Fun at Christmas,

Does anyone here remember the 12 presens of Christmas sung by Frank Kelly, a number of years ago, got reminded of this o a different blog, and thought it was really funny. Christmas is the birth of Jesus, but it is a load of fun as well.

Dealing with emotions

How can we put our emotions aside when in the midst of a situation? time and time again I have thught that we need to stay professional in our approach, stay calm, stay real to our faith and our calling, and yet, we face al sorts of situations in our work. I wonder what strategies Jesus put in place, so he remained faithful to his call, without getting overly angry, frustrated annoyed with the people aorund him. How do we continually show that unconditional love to our young people, and let them know, that whatever the situation, they will always be loved?

Representing them all

I have recently got into a discussion with someone from a film company because they only want those young people who achiev, they only seem to want to use the young people they know rather than looking at the whole of young people. Do we sometimes fall into the same position, do we notice all our young people, all their gifts, all their abilties and all their tallents, or do we nly recognise those who could be up front and in the public eye. all our young people have gifts and abilities, so let's remember that God loves them all and so should we.

Bringing hope

If we think about Christmas, and the meaning behind it, can we take a principle here from the Christmas story and apply it to our youthwork. I think the idea that God recognised a world that had drifted from him, a world that had lost hope, and yet he sent Jesus, to give us hope, to give us a new chance of that relationship with him. So are we prepared to give our young people a second chance, can we do anything within our work, to give our young people a second chance and let them know that they are worth so much, a life, a lifetime of work, and also new beginnings each time something goes wrong.

what's most important

What is it out our work that makes it the most important thing? Is it the number of young people we reach? Is it what we actually do with the young people we have? Is it how the lives of the young people we work with turn around? And in all of this, where does Child Protection issues fall in, and do we pay enough attention to them?

Youthwork a future?

I was recently at a conference where this was the title, with the word Christian in there as well, and thorughout the day, there were many discussions on various issues. But the one thing that I suggested on one of our tables was the fact that our work is centred around young people and God, not us, not us trying to validate our jobs, but if we are committed to youth work, then the young people we work with should be at the centre of our work, not us. So as long as there is young people around, then youthwork should be around, and this should include Christian youthwork as well.

Embracing the future

recently I was in a conversation with about 8 other youthworkers anwe were trying to decide what the future would look like for young people in our country. There were all sorts of issues that came up, but the big question was, that whatever the future would look like, were we prepared to embrace that future and addapt and change and ensure that we were relevant to the young people of the time? Any thoughts?

Meaning of relationships?

I was at a conference recently, and we got into a debate about the ethics of relational youthwork. I argued strongly, that if we are in any kind of relationship then we stay in that relaitonship regardless of whether people do what we want and when we want them to do it. This came out of a discussion as to whether or not we act ethically by not telling people that we are in relaitoship with them because we want them to become Christians. But surely the deffinition of relationships means that we are in that relationship whatever the outcome, and just because someone does or does not become a Christian does not determine whether the relaitonship carries on or not. any thoghts on the ethics of relationships.

Christian workers dilemma

So here is the dilemma when dealing with life, or issues, or with other people, how do we balance our Christian herritage, IE, all those things inbedded in us through our Christian faith, and our experience, the things we go through in life. Where is the balance, and how do we find God through the experiences of life?

Principles of youthwork

I have thought about this for a while, as having two daughters, I have had to check myself, as sometimes i have treated them differently to the way that I treat other young people, applying different principles and different expectations, which is notalways fair or right. So it was just a thought, what Principles are there that underpin our yothwork?

Mission shaped Church?

This is something I just want to throw out there as a thought, or a challenge, or even as something that is just a little provocative. When I examine some of the stuff written in the New Testament, it suggests to me that Church, whatever that may mean was created of the back of various mssions that took place. This is particularly true within Acts. So why is it that we expect young people to go through a double converstion, first of all to believe in Jesus, but then also into the culture of church which is alien to the culture that they have to exist iin. Shouldn't church be part of life, not something that means us changing as people at a certain time during the week to be in a different place. Thnk of how we gain information, and then think about how information is given out in church. How do we learn things, and then how do people try and teach us at Church. It is just a thought that maybe we could create something around the people who we are meeting, and create something that is relevant for them and where they are at. Thoughts please!!!!!!!

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.

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.

empowering

How many times do we look at our young people, and we automaticlally think that we hae to do something ourselves. The one thing that I have noticed in various youth works, is that the young people don't actually do a geeat, deal, nor do they asked what they would like a great deal either. Sometimes I suggest we have to put our own agendas aside, our own ideas, and see where the young people are at,see what questions, what thoughts, what issues they have and work around them. Let's always remember that we do this job around the young people, not around us.

Living on the edge

Came across this phrase on anohter site if you aren't living on the edge you are taking up too much room. this I took to mean that we need to live our lives on the edge, constantly looking and creating new things, rather than staying in the norm, the mundain, the usual. So are you living on the edge or are you taking up a lot of room.

Conversionalists

When most people think of conversion, or converting, we use it in the way that we expect people to convert from one thing to anohter, maybe from one way of life to the christian way of life, but is there more to conversionalism than just onverting people. I would ggest that as Christians we have the obligation to convert our society, to change things iwthin or culture to make it more like the world that God would want for us. If God has breathed into us life, and he has created us, as suggested in Genesis, then we have that creative ability, and that also means creativity in our own culture. So let's look at our world, the communities or societies that we exisst in, and let's convert this world, let's trun it into the world that God would want us to live in, so let us be the conversioalists of the 21st century and convert this world.

Affect of pastoring

the Effect of pastoring young people can be emense. I heard a story recenlty where some youth workers were concerned about a young lad in their group. It came to light that he was being abused at home. anyway to cut a long story extremely short, by showing gods love in that family, by being with the parent and working thorugh issues, and not judging and supporting them all the way through the issues, the lad still goes to church and he mum does now as well. This would have been, and maybe should have evenbeen an issue for the authorities, but eh reality was that the Church was there and the Church help deal witht he issues, so not only was the issue sorted, but both lad and mum came to Church. This makes me think and thinkbaout the impact that we as youthworkers have not just on the young people we meet but also their family, friends, and other people in their lives. What a prielege.

Create new realities

I had heard this before, ut it rang again for me last week. As leaders, and especially as youth leaders, things cannot be allowed to stay the same. If you look at the culture that young people exist in today, nothing stays the same for very long, that is why they are excited, they try new things and want to get involved. It is our responsibility as youth leaders to keep that same enthusiasm going about our fiath, and their relationship with god. Youth work in Church is natorious for staying the same, predicatable, even, but we should be keeping things fresh, new ideas, not just hte same old, same old, same old, people get board of same old. So here's our challenge, create those new realities for our young people to ensure that new things happen in their lives, and new experiences and relaitonships with God are taking place.

Godly principle n our own work

Something I came across over the last week. If we study the story of Adam and Eve being thrown out of the Gaden of Edan, we automatically think that god has thrown them out for eating from the tree tha he told them not too. But how about thinking about it differently, how about thinking about it in the way that God got them out of there before they ate from the other tree that they weren't meant too. So rather than punishing them, God was actually saving them form anything else in the future. So how do we react to our young people do we punish them, or do we do the hard thing to try and stop them from doing things that they shouldn't be doing. Even when it seems hard, tough, unnecessary, if God can love and care about Adam andEve, then we should also care about our young people,

Awareness of God

How can we encourage people to have an awareness of God? Do we just tell them to sit and pray, to talk out loud? Bu then people ask how does God speak to people? Below are couple of suggestions where we could encourage people to be aware of God thorugh thing in their every day lives and know that God is with them. 1: Listen to a piece of music, any music, listen to the lyrics, listen to the atmosphere ofthe music, what does it feel lie, what things come to mind, what thoughts and feelings do you have. 2: Watch a film, look at th issues in the film, how people react to to each other, can God say anything about the film we are watching. 3: Just hold something, anything at all, think about it, diffrent aspects of it, and see if anything comes to mind. Just idfferent ways of engaging people with God and enabling them to relate to him ina way that is real for them.

Believing in god?

Recently I have started a Masters degree and it has brought up some interesting issues already. Some of which I shall post up here and see what comments we get back from them. Firstly, is it right that we expect people to believe in God? If people believe in something, then they generally believe in an idea, or a concept, rather than an actuality. Wouldn't it be better if we actually got people to be aware of God, to build that relationship with God rather than telling them then they need to blieve in god? Isn't that personal relationship, tht perosnal realisation of the awareness fo God far better than any concept of idea that we may have about who God is or could be?

Approaching families

Just a quick thought, having watched a lot of Hollyoaks recently, how would we as outh workers help that family out with Hannah's eating disorder? How ould we approach the family and what help could, or would we actually give them? How could you demontrate love in that situation, when the family are likely to push you away, and the duaghter just doesn't want to see anyone? touh, questions, but yet real ones.

How provocative are we meant to be?

I have been asked to speak at a conference day later this month. The last time I was there and asked to speak I caused a bit of contraversy on one of my approaches. The question is how provocative as Youth Leaders are we meant to be. I always think that young people gt a rough deal from adults, and that is largely due to the fact that adults make their decisions and make them farily quickly about teens. So do we need to be a bit more provocative to actually get people to think properly? Was Jesus ever deliberately provocative just to get people to think differently, maybe, bt does this also give us liscence to do the same.

How young people affect us?

I have just read another blog that I am linked too, and the person who hosts it has put a post up there from his daughter. You need to go and read it, it says everything everything that we as adults try and complicate, and mess up. But yet out of her words, her writing, comes truth, affection and love. Straight from god. visit www.youthblog.org and look at the posting on the 3rd of September

why do Christians do it?

Why is it that Christians always feel th eneed to create their won version of what is already in existence in todays culture. do they really think that God is going to less theirs any more than the origianl when all it is is the same thing, but with god or something like that attached to it. I mean we now have God tube, My Ichthus, what iwll be next, any suggestions here?

Who to believe!!!

have you noticed with Hannah in Hollyoaks everyone has noticed that something is wrong, but they have all jumped to the wrong conclusion. Hannah's mum has even believed her friends rather than spotting the real issues. So how easyis it for us when people tell us things about the young people we work with, do we believe what we get told straight away, or do we check out the facts and see if there are other issues involved as well. It is easy to believe what we think is in front of us, but sometimes we need to dig a little deeper to actually gt tot he truth.

Spotting the issues!!!!

How many of us have watched Hollyoaks recently, and thought about the issues that Hannah and her friend Millissa are going through. How many of us would really spot the issues, recognise what was going on, and how many of us would feel confident enough to actually do anything about it? tough roll the youth worker, because you need to be sure of circumstances before tackling things with young people or even family, but if not, if you leave it, how would you feel? Be cautious but do the right thing, tackle the issues, be obserant, keep an eye out, spot the strange behaviour, and I mean behaviour that is out of the ordinary? Recognise those differences, but show you care. Difficult roll, but yet, an important and vital one we play.

Is youth worker a strange title?

Has anyone else thought that our title as youth worker could be classed as a strange one, or even at its extremes a lie? Just think of all the different elements to our work, and then think about our title. I mean, we have to meet with somany adults, and tell them about the work, and even encourage them to support the work, how does that tie in to the part of our job decription where we are meant to be able to relate to Young people. I am sure there are many other areas of work, or our job, that will seem strange to our title, just think about it, and even have a lugh to yourself.

Get involved in the debate!!!!!

I know so many of us are so busy in life, but we should always take time each day, to reflect on a number of different things. Firstly, at some point during the day, we should always come into contact with Gods word whether tthrough listening, reading or remembering bis of it. 2: We should maybe even read part of a book, a book that is that stretches our minds, pushes oru boundaries of thinking, so not Harry potter then. But if we can't get a book then listen to some teaching apes or cd's, but something that prevokesus to think, not just to say yes, but something we may even disagree with, but we have to think thorugh why we disagree. And maybe lastly, get involved in a discussion board, a form, or a blog where we can get involved in debates about sticky issues and communicate with other workers. All these things will keep us sharp, keep us thinking, and keep us close to God as wlel.

Tackling those issues!!!!!

There are many issues in life that sometimes we just don't knwo the anser too. As a youthwokrer our young peple will expect, or even hope that we will have the answer to many if not all of their questios. someitmes we just won't know he answer, but we have to read, think, and research many things so we can have indepth and informative conversations with our young people. One website I would suggest we look at and reflect on is edges.tv. Mal fletcher is a wise man about culutre today and many issues around it. Have alook and think thorugh those issues he raises.

views on festivals

I am not going to any festivals this year, first time this would be the case for a long time. so if anyone has been, or is going to a festival, do let me know what you thought, the good bits and the bad bits as well. What could have been done differently, and what worked, what actually connected with the young people of our culture, and what was still Church from the 20th Century? Any oughts leave comments on here, anywhere or email me.

Christian versions of things!!!!!

Why is it that on a number of occasions, Christians go and make their own version of what todays culture has already created? Is there really any point in creating something exactly the same as what has already been created, but by adding god, or Christian in there, it gives it that higher status, because it is Christian. I am thinking of the site, Youtube,and now someone has gone and created Godtube, why? What is the point really? Can we not, as Christians use some thiings that are already created in todays culture and use them for God, or do we really have to go and create the same thing, but put God's name in there?

Retreat and refresh!!!!!

I have recently been told off by a couple of my closest friends, due to the little holiday I take each year. And when reflecting on their comments and suggestions, I can now see that there is much wisdom in their comments. 1: Jesus himself also retreated from people and had time for himself and his relationship with God. 2: If you constantly work, there is a chance of burn-out and so we do need to refresh ourselves. 3: If we are not fresh, then our work is not fresh either. 4: To have the greatest impact, things need to be fresh for us, becasue if they are boaring for us, then they will be boaring for those we work with as wlell. 5: Also good to take time and reflect, and think where weare at as people, and whether there are new challenges or things that God might want us to do. The greatest problem is convincing those who pay the wage, or expect the work, they alsoneed to understand the need, the point, the necessity of retreating and refreshing.

Youth camps?

We are in that time of year when there are so many different camps for young people it is difficult sometimes to decide which one to take them too. Soul survivor run about 3 different weeks for young people during the summer, as well as youth bits added onto New wine. There is also Harvest which takes place in the north East of England, and then there is Grape vine in Lincolnshire. I am sure there are oher as well such as Rock Nations in Bradofrd which are not necessarily camps but sitll youth conferences. Are there to many of these camps around, too much choice, have we taken this part of our culture to the extreme? The problem is that our young people would probably wnat the different parts of each camp to make ito one big camp they wanted. So where do we possibly draw the line, and is it down touus or the young people we work with to make this decision?