All the small things....

I've just don't a blog check and am quietly surprised that I've never used the above phrase before!

Any way... I'm blogging because small things make me happy at the moment... like it taking me a tiny amount of time to do my expenses claim and getting a list of some of my young peoples exams so that I can pray for them and know what they are going through when they tell me they've had a horrible day... but mainly I'm happy because I've rekindled a skill that I love


Click on it, if you can't see what it is.

OK, had a good look? If you're from Christ Church and you recognise at least some of the objects on the page, have a go at naming them... if not here are the names of the objects in alphabetical order, and you can play the matching game

Altar, Community Cross, Font, Lectern, Pulpit, Organ

Exciting, isn't it!

I haven't done any proper drawing since I left 6th form (after scraping an E at AS level) so I did one rough sketch and took a few photos so I could sit in the relatively comfortable office and draw the final product. I'm pretty proud of myself, I got my brain cells going.

Why I hear you scream? Well the Beavers are coming into church in a few weeks and I wanted something really easy for them to do before the tougher second side of the worksheet (there's nothing like having to have evidence that you've visited somewhere). I just have to make sure that they get given all of the answers before I hand them the sheet so it's not too hard!

Now, I am homeward bound, after watching Josh and the Big Wall at St John's and wanting Taco's after Larry's Silly Song about Cebu!

Recreational Pursuits!

So CSI wasn't all it's cracked up to be...it was more conversational and character interaction based than ever before, and for me that just doesn't work. I hope next week it gets back to normal and we're given a story that follows the facts and the evidence. I think after 200 episodes they may be running out of ideas for unusual deaths... we've had zombies, talking corpses and series crossovers, to name only a small handful of story lines, there is only so much, as a fan that I can take of montages and character development that doesn't actually give you anything extra (i.e. in Vegas, we haven't seen Catherine's daughter Lindsey for a while and Greg and Nick don't seem to do anything outside of work, plus we don't know a lot about Riley Adams, other than she's female and Warrick's replacement).

On the other hand I am totally captured by Patrick Jane, who is the lead character in The Mentalist, which is currently airing on Five and one of my favourite TV shows. He's an awesomely well written character who's actions are explained by the people he's trying to get an answer out of. If you haven't caught an episode yet, it's free on Demand Five, go and have a look now!

I have learnt today that I'm useless at Wii tennis and boxing, but that I'm getting better at SingSTAR!

In and Out

My time with the youth workers/schools workers, both full-time and volunteer and Bishop David was amazing. I'm slowly getting to know all the people in the area. We now are very fortunate to have 3 full time area workers, all of whom are brilliant at what they do and are very encouraging as a team.

We're also blessed with having a Bishop who is passionate about young people and their leaders, asking us what he can do to support us, to grow our ministries and make them sustainable.

From these kind of meetings, the youth strategy was created and there are various other things that have come from time together in a forum, particularly a strong feeling that what we are doing is growing church in so many different ways. We're pulled together to help each other, to share ideas, and to be empowered to go out and develop those ideas. Rachel (DYO Colchester) was saying that sometimes we can feel like we're in a dead end, but coming to others in a similar work situation (this is a C of E setting and we're all youth workers) helps us to figure out a solution and opportunity for growing church.

Opportunities not problems.
Once I've digested it a bit more, I'll write out the day in full!

I decided that as we were in Chelmsford I'd take the opportunity to jump on a bus and see what the journey is like, now I've spent almost a year away from that sort of commute. It hasn't changed, other than I clearly got on one of the newer buses on the way home, there still wasn't much space for me to sit comfortably, despite my rather short legs. Still the journey, not having to wonder about where I was heading until after I got off the bus, gave me time to start re-reading my favourite novel



If you've never read this book and you're a fan of a complex endearing love story, I'd suggest that you either click on the photo (and hope it takes you to Amazon) or pop to W H Smiths - or any decent bookstore and buy it soon. The two main characters are well written and draw you in immediately. The author has a way with words that has left me wanting more, she's releasing another novel in October, so I may buy that. IMDb.com tells me the movie is to be released in August, so we'll see how well that does, I had no expectations when I first picked up the book, but I've read it so many times that I can't help but wonder what the movie will focus on, how they will deal with the time traveling and what the characters will be like.

Still haven't seen Star Trek or Wolverine... I may spend my day off in the cinema if the weather is awful!

An update

As today is a day off...it's an ideal time to blog.

I've been very keen on the progress of the building for the 2012 Olympics... you can see it happening in front of your eyes when ever your travel into London from Essex.

I find many things fascinating and when you can see progress, there's that added 'ooo, that's what they're doing' factor - considering I spent the whole of 2007 and 2008 saying it wouldn't happen and we'd have the same problems as Athens and the price of the whole thing just keeps getting higher, I'm really impressed with a lot of the design and the rate that it's going up.

So from February to now this is how things have changed



I sometimes wish I could get closer, have a look at how big it really is, but for now, every time I go into London for the next three years, you'll get an unofficial updates on the building progress.

why was I in London? Well I have a very good friend who works as a nanny in Clapham and we decided to all meet up at the science museum and have lunch/some fun together! I really enjoy the going to 'hands on places' (who doesn't) and it's free, so all the better, we saw some really cool things - they have two F1 McLarens and this



It's a tiny bit of dry ice on water... they scoot around an create a really cool cloud effect! I got a little bit excited by it all!

We said goodbye to my friend and the little girl she looks after (the cutest one year old on the planet) and headed to Westfield - I've been there before and I do love shopping very much, it's the largest covered shopping area in Europe, and a very well kept secret by Londoners! I've got some summer clothes to wear and still can't find a tunic from H and M that I'm looking for!

Tomorrow, I'm off to Chelmsford to spend some time with youth workers and the bishop!

Time to watch football and find something to drink!

The Solution

It seems that every time I go to blog, I get as far as signing in and then the internet connection dies... so here's my fourth attempt in two days... I implore you never to buy a dell laptop.

So the solution to my bank holiday pain and John's stair related issues, is to exercise, to use the limbs, that seized up so dramatically, regularly and at a faster pace than normal.
So yesterday I walked to work, it took me 28 mins, and although I didn't time the journey back, it was probably very similar. My brother then decided that we were going for a quick walk. He’s about 6 foot and has really long legs, so a longer stride, he also plays football three times a week plus training, so a walk down the hill and back up again is nothing for him, but a huge effort for me. It took 11 mins and is something that I should be doing every other day for the next couple of weeks and then ‘stepping it up’ to every day, moving on to a further distance and eventually running. You do have to start somewhere and I think this is probably the best place for me.
The good news is that I didn’t over strain myself, I didn’t get a stitch and I was only in a small amount of pain this morning.
The bad news is that my right hip joint was where most of the pain was, which makes driving painful (and I think it’s definitely an injury that I’ve gotten since I started driving).
So the plan for the sunny months, at least, is to work up to running and getting fit, then maybe the winter will bring a gym membership and a chance to run indoors and start doing something a little more complicated.

This is my 600th post, which nicely coincides with the 200th episode of CSI Vegas tonight, which after the departure of Gil Grisson and Sarah Sidle, I’m looking forward to seeing what they’ve got. We had a hostage situation last week, so we’ll see where we go. I’m also sad that Heroes finished last night, but as always with this particular set of writers, there’s a twist in the last five minutes (and I fully believe that it’s written to be boring for the first 35 mins), so we shall see how the next chapter plays out, if it gets any crazier though, I’m dropping it!

P.S. I wrote this in word, because the moment I finished writing my first sentence, the internet died! And I've figured out how to stop the html problem I've got too!

Reading and Walking

Yesterday saw the second 'The Gathering' event - this one was a 'takeway' - which is kind of a facilitator for young people, a practical teaching and we were focusing on personal worship. It's always a good idea to listen to how others do things and develop them for yourself.

So to read a verse slowly three times and then pause to see what God says about it was a first time and very interesting experience for me. I sat in St Mary's with a kneeler under my bum to stop me from getting too cold, away from everyone else, with a pencil and a piece of paper and a bible open at psalm 139. I got something from it, I will go back to it and test it.

Try it, perhaps with your favourite passage or scripture that you've never read or haven't read in a long time, see what you get.

Bank Holiday was eclipsed by a huge amount of pain after walking from Luton to St Albans - which in total was 15 miles. I completely seized up, because I don't do any exercise at all. So I have to start doing something that will work my heart and then figure out which exercises are best to keep me in shape so I reach 50 at least without any major problems. At 24 I shouldn't be crying with pain from just walking.

At St John's

For a little over a year and a half I've been spending my Thursday evenings at St John's Church in the Outwood common area of Billericay. And I'm sure I said this last summer, but didn't take a photo, but look at this


The stained glass windows in the Church are illuminated for a couple of minutes at this time of year when the sun is right. The are like a beacon in the dark church, it's amazing!

This is the other picture I've been meaning to share, its the cross we used for our lessons on Jesus, in our secondary school jaunt! it's quite a powerful image for a lot of people, and the amount of 'what's that?' we got whilst we were carrying it around school was really cool.

St John's is something that is at the centre of my working life, it's something that I think and care about a lot and it would be a shame to see it fold... we're really struggling for leaders at the moment, but we're fully aware that the young people love being in the church and it would be really hard for us to let go. We have a really good relationship with a lot of the young people, not without issues sometimes, but we want to show them that they are loved and cared for, we can't do that without leaders to show by example!

The Highway Code says so....

244

"You MUST NOT park partially or wholly on the pavement in London, and should not do so elsewhere unless signs permit it. Parking on the pavement can obstruct and seriously inconvenience pedestrians, people in wheelchairs or with visual impairments and people with prams or pushchairs."

No I don't know what the penalty is, but if you need proof that it's wrong to do so, here it is!

I still haven't seen a traffic warden!

You would not believe the amount of HTML that I had to get rid of to make the post below work!

Achieving

There are many things I have accomplished in life, the big things, like completing my degree, learning to drive and becoming a full-time youth worker and the small things, beating my own score on various facebook games, meeting deadlines and building flat packs.

There are now four things in my room that I have built using instructions, and whilst I am no enthusiast, it gives me some sense of joy that I can build something and it ends up looking like the picture in front of me. So now I have a picture shelf (which used to hold books), a bed (with help from my Dad) and two DVD/CD cases. (Once upon a time there was a floating shelf on the cards, but since they can’t hold anything substantial, that idea was put away.) I am a little proud of myself, because this is the first time that I’ve done something like this entirely on my own.

My Dad is always saying that Ikea is rubbish and that you shouldn’t ever buy furniture from a shop the other side of the channel, but if it’s the only place that sells what I want in white, I haven’t really got a choice!!

Anyway, the time spent was good, I got to use my brain cells (though the instructions weren’t hard) and my muscle! And now I have a wall for storage! Ta da!

The only thing that I’ve really got to figure out is how to attach them to the wall, so they don’t fall on me and potentially break my legs whilst I slept. Hopefully everything will fit in these two wonderful inventions and I’ll be able to use the spare under bed space for shoes! Now I’ve just got to fix my overflowing chest of draws... that’s for a day when I feel like tidying!

In other news, it seems that the addition of yellow lines to the estate, has psychologically altered the minds of everyone who parks in the surrounding area. Now they all seem to think that parking on the pavement and the road is ok...when in fact is more dangerous and illegal!

Case in point – the parking of the fitter who came to change the fan that got killed by my Mum leaving the sausages cooking for far too long! (the cooker and fan were brought from Galleywood kitchens – the fan stopped the house from burning down) This is happening every day and it’s rather annoying. To be honest though, since I watched the yellow lines go down, I haven’t seen a traffic warden... And there is still a gap in the double yellows on Hillhouse Drive, where all the ridiculousness started!

Now is the beginning of another four month review period for me, the last one ended well, with some really clear, constructive feedback from my management, plus a thank you and a well done! The next four months are going to be interesting... hopefully with an update of the last four to start off with and a move forwards to building relationships with team, young people and schools. I’m really excited about some training that I’ve got to look out for, all of it will hopefully make me more proficient for my job!

Keep an eye out for the return of the Summer Party in the near future!!

P.S. I have migrated to the floor, because the wireless internet connection only works down here, I swear my computer always askes itsself 'How uncomfortable can I make Liz's day today?'

Wedding Daze

I'm in the middle of two days of wedding prep for Mandy and Rob. Yesterday was dress shopping and today is the engagement party.

I'm not allowed to give you any details about yesterday... not even a hint about dresses or colours... we had a great day and I think the bridal party are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the year to come!

Today we're celebrating a year to the day with an engagement party. It should be really good fun, we've been looking forward to it for a long time!

Mandy and Rob are a brilliant couple, not only because Mandy is my best friend and I've known Rob since I was 11, they work really well together and I always enjoy their company.

The only person that is missing tonight is the best man...he's working hard for Disney!

On with the day, Karen should be arriving soon and I need to get ready to spend some time with her and Heather!

Weekend of Ultimate Funsies! EVER! In the whole actual world! YES!

A little over the top you might say, but not really when you consider that I spent a whole weekend in Elveden Forest at Center Parcs with a group of20 somethings who don't get away very often on holiday!

4 days and 3 nights of laughter and making firm friends. We did a lot of walking (cycling is expensive) and a lot of eating, swimming and sunbathing. I spent a lot of time with Karen


Here she is BBQ-ing on the Sunday night, having also cooked on the Saturday. We managed to feed 11 of us successfully at three different time over the weekend with limited space in the kitchen and a heat detector/smoke alarm that just would not shut up!

I learnt a couple of exercises to ensure that I strengthen my muscles in my lower back and stomach (if you've ever zipped up your stomach muscles and had to stand in a neutral spinal position you'll know exactly what I'm on about!) and spent time relaxing in the purpose built spa!

Unfortunately there aren't a wealth of photos, simple because my brain took a long time to get into holiday mode!

Fun all around and possibly a visit next year, if we're lucky!

Easter

This Easter weekend has gone by in a flash, partly because I haven't been able to sit a watch really.

Maundy Thursday was really important this year. We had some good discussions and a little bit of teaching about the first passover, sharing food and sitting together (which I don't think we've done before) ... and the time in church was equally important. We were sat with the young people from the team church across town. It was great to sit with them and listen to what they'd been up to.

Warner spoke about the first passover again and used material from the time when students from St John's school came to church to learn about passover.

Shortly after that a few of us gathered at St Mary's in the High Street to hold a vigil. I had two hours of nothing, to recover and pray.


It was nice to sit and chill... to listen to God and hear words that I've heard over and over again, but with a fresh set of thoughts

"What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."

Matt 6 from the Message (and biblegateway.com)

God will provide for us if we look to Him first... obvious really, but fixation on God is the key. often we use this passage as a 'don't worry God will fix it', kind of a 'while we're in the midst of trouble' verse ... but actually it's a verse to remind us where our focus should be inn the first place.

Mini but important...

So Good Friday crept up me. I said the words that Jesus would've said to Pilot and then rushed home to then rush out again to join this

The CTB Walk of Witness. It's two years since I last described it (here) which means I was working in Bristol at the time of blogging (time flies). We almost managed total silence and those businesses that have sprung up since Easter of last year were more than curious to see what was going on (a really clear memory of a hairdresser almost running to her door to see this spectacle is in my mind). No heckling this year, a couple of rude motorists though.

The rest of Good Friday was for Eastingle. We had 85 people in our church, learning what Easter is all about, and realising that I still don't know why the day is called Good. It was a really good afternoon, despite the rain.

The rest of the weekend was taken up with travelling to and from Bristol. It was good to see Kay, and her brother, who both turned 25 last weekend! And to collect and be driven round in Kay's new MX-5! I also saw a very dear friend, on my way home, I haven't seen Mary since I lived in Bristol, even though we used to live a street (or so) apart from each other in Billericay. She's now in Sussex, it was nice to catch up with her and meet her crazy dog, Horlicks!

Sunday came, unusual from previous years, I can't put my finger on it though, but it may have something to do with not seeing Karen, at all over Easter, and I slept for the most part (travelling 300 miles in 24 hours) and then headed to the pub. We were in the Spoons in town and bumped into the other lot from Billericay that are going to Center Parcs this weekend. I also had the opportunity to try Daffy's Elixir from Brewsters. Lovely beer - going to see if I can find it in bottle for soon!

Anyway, it is Thursday, I now feel I need to post this, because the time stamp is incorrect!

Eastingle

I said it last week, that before I even thought about it, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday will be upon us and Sunday would be rushing up.

Well here it is. Holy week is about to over take my life.

After my posts last week, I got myself involved in Eastingle preparations. Which is not more than I can handle, but something I believe is important for the life of the church and the community, though it makes me crazy busy for a bit!

You're probably wondering what Eastingle is...

Well, it's the follow on from Christingle, which is the celebration of the light coming into the world and banishing the darkness.

For the last couple of years, we've had three Christingle services, we get, on average, 500 people through our doors on Christmas Eve, because of this very special service, which involves an orange, a candle and some sweets.

People started to notice that last year we weren't doing any follow up services - Jesus wasn't a baby for very long (Talledaga Nights!), He grew up. Not a lot of people know what Easter is about, which is strange to me because it is up there in importance with Christmas.

So Eastingle involves a hot cross bun, 3 ribbons (purple, red and white) and a straw.

The Straw goes in the hot cross bun and the ribbons go on the straw in this order

Purple - To signify the ministry of Jesus and His triumphal entry into Jerusalem as the king of the Jews.

Red - To signify the death of Jesus, God's only Son, God as Human form.

White - To signify the fact that when we say sorry God forgets the things we do wrong and we're 'clean' through the sacrifice of Jesus.

Just writing it is pretty powerful. We've got readings to fill in the 'gaps' and a specially written version of Give me Joy in my Heart (Sing Hosanna) as well as Colours Of Day to sing through the service.

We're also using Tim Hughes version of See His Love, with a power point presentation to match as a time for response.

It's still in the early stages of development as a service plan, but we hope that it is something that will happen every year, and we're gathering together all the information about how we've done it and what resources we've used so that we can help others reach out to their community during our festival time. I'll post some photos when the event has happened.

It's also time to remember our roots too. Tonight we are sharing a meal and remembering the last supper, which has it's roots in the Jewish Passover. I do love tradition, especially when it goes back further than I can get my head around (I'm sure I've said that before!).

Time to go out and gather some food!

You know you're getting old when....

...You go to a family party to celebrate the 18th birthday of someone who you still think should be 15!

Adam, who is referred to, quite rightly, as the youngest cousin, on my Dad's side of the family, turns 18 today, but for family tradition, we always celebrate occassions such as this on a Sunday afternoon/evening. So yesterday, we piled over to Hadleigh to wish him many happy returns and pull out al the old stories, of when we were children and life didn't include mortages, exams and university choices. It makes us happy for a brief moment (and especially happy to note that the eldest of us will be turning 30 in the next three years!) and then we go back to real life... The family bubble is amazing, we can go from opening our doors to loads of boys, to having a roast on a Thursday lunch time, to gently (though sometimes it hits below the belt) humouring each other over food and beer (and this time cake!)

Here's the whipper snapper of the group

That's 'Happy Birthday' in lights for those of you who are struggling with my photo taking abilities (they were brought with the thought that at Christmas he was dressed like a Christmas tree!). His girlfriend is sat next to him.

And this is the cake that helped us to celebrate in the only way we know how (eating lots and singing really loudly!)


That cake topper has glasses, black hair, a black outfit and the coolest drawing of a skull and cross bones I've seen for a very long time! It was created in foam by my Aunt's colleague (who isn't a profession cake maker, but a teacher). The comptuer has a mouse and a key board, plus all the wires you need! It's not edible, but still, I love it!

So Happy 18th Birthday Adam! Enjoy it and we'll see you in the pub some time soon!

Believing the impossible

For the last couple of posts I've been talking about being in our local secondary school, participating and leading lessons for year 7's and 8's (that's anyone aged 11-13, if you don't understand our schooling system!). The year seven groups have heard all about church from a Christian perspective (I can't do it any other way!) and the year eights have had the horror of crucifixion (believe me, it's not very nice to hear the description every day, I haven't got used to it yet and I hope I never do!).

I wanted to call this post 'Celebrating the Ordinary' but I think that what we've come across in the last three weeks has been extraordinary, the students we've spoken to, taught and listened to have all been interested in church and Jesus, His life, His ministry. Which for me is amazing, we don't know their backgrounds, but you can be certain that some of them have parents who have never set foot inside a church. I have been astonished by the wealth of knowledge that we have come across, and I hope that they all remember it for a very long time!

(Of course, we have our funny stories - one boy when asked the difference between real bunnies and the Easter bunny said that Easter bunnies lay chocolate eggs - a highlight of the time we've spent in school!)

The year seven's are doing a church project, they have to visit a local church and build up a report of it, and present it. It's a big part of year 7 R.S. and being one of the closest churches to Mayflower School, we end up getting a few young people through our doors. It's a great idea and it gives me a chance to talk about a building I grew up in, and this week I spotted this


(I love that I have a 5 megapixel camera with me all of the time)

Some pretty cool shots of the church I know so well and I have the privilage of working in.

These images are really key right now, particularly the one of the cross and the banner. We're heading quickly into Holy Week and before you know it, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday will be upon us... but Sunday is a'coming.

This time last year, I was scared, I didn't know where I was going, what I was doing, but this Easter, I'm excited, full of passion for what I believe to be true, the saving grace that has brought me this far, and the ability to put it into words and share the truth of Easter with those I care about the most. To speak about a history that stretches beyond my imagination and to help others catch a glimpse of what it means to be a Christian with a rich tradition, after all Jesus was a Jew!

I've been reminded this week as well that the Trinity will deal with doubters, God will arrive and say

"Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me." Job 40:7

Jesus will appear and say to those who are unsure

"Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." John 20:27

And the Holy Spirit will turn up and speak to those in their own language, so that they will believe. (The whole of Acts)

The one thing that made me chuckle is that the Thomas story appears in John, and if you know anything about John the writer, you'll know he's a little self centred at times. (Don't believe me? Read John 20: 3-9) Just made me laugh that he's a little 'I can point the finger, because I'm so great'.

Any way... pretty powerful ideas, it's for us to love the doubters, to listen to their worries, their theories, but believe that God will show up in a big way to change their lives.

Getting the sniffles

As always, whenever there is something hugely important going on, I get ill. I get run down, panicked and generally a little ditsy through stress (so apologies if I don't spell check this entry). I can feel myself right now, heating up a little, but I've got cold feet and cold hands, perhaps time to take a couple of cold and flu tablets, to keep my temperature down.

The hugely important thing? I know I've already mentioned it, but I'll say it again, we're in school, doing lessons this week. I do love it, though I am hugely out of practice and know I can't do it without God's power and words. And you know how I know this....

“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

I've been reading in my Bible notes that we're all given talents, we all have to work at them, but in the end God knows how He wants us to use them (and more importantly when), so we have to step back and say to God 'I can't do this, but I know you can'.

(I use Mettle Bible Reading Notes from YFC, which are aimed at 14-18 year olds, and you may think that is odd, but I haven't come across anything that is specifically written for 20 somethings, that isn't full of patronising stories, some times it works, other times it doesn't, but I still get a structured way of reading the Bible and by the time I'm at a point where I can write bible notes, I'll be patronising to everyone who is 20 something!)

I've stepped back a lot over this month and said 'God you do this, I can't', and I've seen some amazing, mind blowing results.

Last night, we had a full youth group, but only four staff members - that's 16 young people (and one dog), to four adults - normally, we wouldn't open with less than 5 people, but we did, and it was a brilliant night, there weren't any major incidents and despite the change of layout, everyone was fine. I definitely felt God's presence falling on the building. One of our staff members is ill at the moment and he told me that a mix up had occurred a couple of weeks ago and the doctor had told him that he's not as unwell as we first feared. I felt a huge sense of relief and thanks that his treatment could go ahead.

Now we're praying for leaders, we're in desperate need of people to help out on Thursday evenings.

This morning I was at an assembly for the school where my boss is chaplain. It was really good to see him speak and pray over a school that is so close to our church.

Keep praying with us, keep asking God to protect us, at school, at youth group, as full time and part time workers.

Celebrations

Yesterday evening we travelled to Quendon Hall (just outside Ugley - tee hee!) to celebrate the marriage of Laura and Kevin.


That's Me, Laura, Kevin, Mandy and Rob in the Drawing Room when we arrived. Laura was soon whisked away to say goodbye to people. It was a wonderful evening, we shared a dance floor and food (very good). So glad to be invited and although none of us were at the ceremony, we were happy to celebrate with drinks and smiles. I know that this is a good and strong relationship, and we're praying for them both as they start living together!

The other reason I'm celebrating is because we're (Schools Ministry Billericay) in Mayflower School for the next two weeks. So far (and I've only done three lessons) we've had a positive response from everyone and loads of questions from students and teachers. We know that our profile is going to be raised and we pray that what we teach sinks in!

Speaking Out

Once again Bible passages are speaking to me left, right and centre!

I've been reminded recently that

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

which is from Psalm 23 - the writer is talking to God thanking Him for the protection and shelter that He provides - yet in the midst of that, there's this verse, verse 5, which cuts right to the core. My take on it, after being told that I needed to read it after a particularly hard day, where it seemed that everything had gone wrong and everyone was against me, is that God has spent a lot of time finding the right food, the right bits of information for me and has created a feast in front of the people who hate me the most, those who would like to trip me up, get me angry, upset me. I know that I can be full, when my enemies are starving, if I lean on the Lord, if I trust in Him with all of my heart. I have a really big picture in my head of a table full of food, and with Easter approaching, it's quickly turning into a Passover meal. There's also another element, God has prepared a safe place for me, a feast is rarely laid out where scavengers can get to it, so I don't have to keep looking over my shoulder to protect myself and I can lay down and enjoy it. I think I'm always going to go back to this when I come across really tough situation.

The other passage that has hit me square between the eyes is

Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

Romans 12:16

I knew that 'live in harmony' was a big thing, and I know it's all about forgiveness and listening to each other, and I try my hardest to, its the next two sentences that made me sit up and listen. A stark reminder that although I know that God loves me and sent His own Son to die for me, I certainly shouldn't act like I've got one-up on everyone nor do I know the whole history of the world and whats to come. I guess though, that the same goes for people who aren't Christian... I think the world would be a better place if some of us learnt that we need to keep find out things and that we're not top of the pile.

The fact that I'm surprised by the verses I've mentioned is a reminder to me that I'm in serious need of some learning!

The end is in sight

For the painters of the lines

The rest of the road has been finished, its just the space underneat* the two cars that have sneakily parked in the road. And by sneakily, I mean, they still didn't put out cones or anything... at the moment though, there are still no restriction signs anywhere to help motorists fathom why the lines have been put down.

I will say it over and over... thinking before acting is a tried and tested method of getting success.

*No not a spelling mistake but a link to a great website!

Oh the evidence

Following on from my last post I have the evidence... it's damning, shameful and yes, ridiculous...



Taken this morning, while I was still in my car as you can tell from the bonnet and windscreen wiper in the picture, but you can just see the 'dashes' of double yellow lines... not that I've seen any notice of the restrictions or what the restrictions actually are. I'm sure I'll find out on Monday. The question still remains though... why, when the road is most definitely going to be empty, haven't the line painters closed the road, and finished the job? Is it safer to paint lines between cars?

I know, I just know that as I drive to work tomorrow, I'm going to see cars parked in the 'empty' spaces. And of course, how are they going to police this restriction?

I've asked the question many a time and have never had a satisfactory answer... I've seen people parked outside school when they absolutely should be penalised - for dangerous, on the kerb parking, and there haven't been any traffic wardens around to issue penalties.

Enough... I promise my next post won't be so ridiculous.

Oh the ridiculousness!

Of the council mainly.... I've been driving around Billericay now for 8 and a half months and I don't think I've ever seen the stupid things that I've seen today. Maybe it is just because I have to concentrate on what is happening now that I spot the strange idiosyncrasies of people who are working for the council by default.

Line painting is my example. We've all seen/heard the stories of people having their cars painted with yellow lines or been given tickets because the traffic warden (or whatever the PC term is for them...I'm not particularly bothered at this time of night) has come round whilst the paint is still wet, and the uproar that it can cause. I get that the lines need to be painted, but really, painting between the cars? I'm partly tempted to go back to the spot where I've seen this an take a photo to show you... in fact if it's still like that on Sunday night I will.

It is stupid, a little fore thought would flag up that the cars are going to be parked there, day in day out, normally during working (or commuting) hours and that they will be removed shortly after 6pm or 7pm. After that time, work can commence or the cones can come out ready for painting the next day... simples (as Aleksandr would put it) but no.

Then there's the guy painting the lines with the road still open... on the estate where I live, it's not to hard to redirect the traffic and not a huge amount of people are going to be annoyed if you divert them for a very good reason. I don't want the person painting the line to get knocked over... as morbid as that sounds, it probably does happen. So shut the road of 5 mins and do it safely!

And finally... would it kill you to pull your trousers up whilst you're the face (arse) of the council? I mean literally of course, because the last thing I need on a Friday morning is to see that!

Expectant

The past couple of days I've felt like I'm actually being prepared to do something, to understand something that's coming my way.

For a couple of months I have been slowly coming back to reading the bible everyday, and for the last couple of days the readings and what I've been hearing through other people have been really interesting.

The CGi Women's Conference on Saturday was really powerful, I really like being able to be honest with other people who are in the same situation, who have a few extra years wisdom and can give appropriate advice.

The speakers all had something really important to say... right now I can't remember their names, but there was a lady from Cherish Uganda, who spoke about the work of the Holy Spirit in the village where she runs a community project. She was really aware of the presence of evil - like it was lurking... I've never heard someone describe evil in the way she did. It's really scary, I don't think of evil as lurking, I know something isn't quite right but from evil to be 'hiding behind a bush or something' sends chills down my spine.

We heard from the first black female Baptist president, who talked about King David and the transition of kings from Saul to David, where the community knew that the Lord had left Saul and moved to David, as soon as that happened the loyalty of the armies switched and so did the loyalty of Saul's own sons... if that's what God's power does, then I never want God to leave me.

During the afternoon stream we heard from the lead pastor at CGi Orkney, who used Titanic - a long 13 minute clip of the 3 hour movie - to describe how the church needs to get out of the cruise ship (because it eventually will sink), into the lifeboats and then looking for the lost, going back to those floating in the sea.

It was a great day, some really good times for worship. The rest of the week has been strange. I've had visions and my bible reading this morning was all about history... a whole passage dedicated to the fore fathers and prophets of the Old Testament, my vision was of a rug being woven, that although you can see the detail up close, you have to step away and see the whole pattern to appreciate the beauty of it. At the moment, I know I'm looking really closely at it... And I think I need to step back a bit. Or maybe something is going to be revealed to me soon. Hebrews 11 is a great reminder that as a Christian I've got a huge history of wisdom to draw on and a faith that is centuries old.

I don't know, but I'm excited that God has a plan for me and He's starting to give me little bits of the bigger picture.

It's only Fair...

It's only fair that during fair trade fortnight we should allow our community to try Fair Trade products... so that's what we've been doing... sharing chocolate, cookies, tea and coffee for free.

So heads up... here's a plate of chocolate to make you hungry/wish you'd never visited my blog/wish you lived in Billericay...


And it's all FREE! We've had a great response from the people coming home from school, some who just want chocolate, others who have stuck around to find out a bit more.

So why not buy some fair trade goods or a banana and be part of Go bananas!

Raising awareness

My sister is doing some fun-draising in her parish, all the details are there in the link...

I'm raising funds in a different way... by raising awareness of several different things this week. Firstly it's fair trade fortnight... so we're holding a couple of cafes at Christ Church and taking part in Go Bananas this Friday... I'm going to have bananas coming out of my ears by the end of the day... but it's all part of your five a day... so give it a go, help a worthy cause, and be part of a world record attempt by registering your group/office/family at Go Bananas!

Secondly, I've been raising awareness for the another group young people I'm working with in Chelmsford. If you've never heard of Envision, it's worth taking a look, by clicking on the link. This year, our project is all about sustainability in the community, creating a recipe book with quick and easy meals, so that during this time of economic downturn, people can find affordable ways of feeding their families. They are Boswell and they are really proud of what they are doing!

So I'm shooting off to Chelmsford to see how the project is going and then coming back to Billericay to work with the fair trade cafe!

Spring Has Sprung

Today has been lovely and sunny out, not really warm, but warm enough to forgo a coat for short walks. I stepped out the house and was greeted by a wonderful part of God's creation


Flowers... lovely sun yellow! I don't know what they are, but I remember thinking last week that nothing was going to grow in the space that was left and just looked like dead ground. Therefore I hadn't really paid attention to it, until now!

A nice little reminder that God had a great time creating a world for us that makes us smile.

Finding the forgotten...

Isn't it wonderful when you find something you've forgotten about totally?

I have just rediscovered the Metro Blog list, which I submitted an entry to years ago and obviously they never used my email for anything else. So the tracker that I have threw up a link I'd never seen before and lead me here. Quite exciting really. I don't know how much the person who clicked on the link read, but at least they were drawn in enough to have a go, even if the description is a little out of date.

Talking of finding something exciting... I went back in time recently to rediscover the Soul Survivor church. I've been a couple of times, but normally for conferences or with young people. This time was for a new venture, a new congregation and because it was half term I had some time to take for myself.

It was a good evening... Mike Palivachi, one of the main pastors, spoke on the parable of the Prodigal Son and made some good points, all interesting, he does speak for a long time. The worship was good, lovely Ben Cantelon lead, but the band were in the center and everyone was around the outside. That made it very difficult for me to concentrate on God, because I was conscious of people looking at me... I love singing so much, but when people are looking at me I shrink. Eventually though I got used to it.

Soul Survivor is a good church and a good organisation. It's probably a little too far to go for a regular church service, but still, it's the sort of thing I would attend again.

The one shocking thing (though I suppose it shouldn't really be any more) is the ratio of men to women. At a guess the ratio was probably 4:1 or 3:1 (women to men) which is high, but not unusual. When I was younger I'm sure most events were 1:1 - boys and girls evenly matched in number and I can't understand where it went wrong. I don't know if Soul Survivor is unique in this, but as a person who is surrounded by weddings and relationships, I can't help but notice the inbalance (and it seemed that all the men there either has girlfriends or were married).

Anyone else noticed the same?

Fits and Starts

Original post written very early this morning...

I'm currently word processing this blog entry because my laptop simply refuses to connect to the internet, in the wireless fashion that has revolutionised the way we use our computers, mine has a mind of it's own and as soon as I start to do something useful with my internet, it dies. There is no rhyme or reason, and as described above, it comes in fits and starts, lulls me into a false sense of security and then quickly – without any hint that it's going to disappear – the wireless connection drops dead.

I thought as soon as the house had calmed down, people had stopped moving around and the laptop was in a 'hotspot', as my Dad calls it, the internet would remain accessible for as long as I needed it... but no.

Anyway, what I want to really say has be prompted by The Brits (or The Brit Awards) and Take That (as well as a bible passage – but that's afterwards!).

The Brits, a celebration of music, funnily enough, from British bands and the occasional international band/artist. All great music (mostly – I still don't rate The Ting Tings or Amy Whiney much) and normally a live performance from some of the winners. This year, Duffy scored big time, as did Kings Of Leon. I'd tell you what they won, but I haven't got an internet browser up that works and I haven't been listening to the radio all day, like I used to, nor did I sit in front of the TV last night, voting my heart our and making careful notes! Anyway, Duffy performed live (that girl needs to sort out her intonation), so did Girls Aloud (live vocals to a backing track) and various other bands (I think KOL are in there as well as The Pet Shop Boys), I know I've missed some out, but I only skipped over them all to see Take That... and oh boy was I disappointed... I don't know what their excuse is, but Gary and the boys (or Mark and the boys as Sara Cox calls them) decided to mime 'The Greatest Day'. So so sad... I was looking forward to hearing their real voices.

I have been thinking about Live music and concerts for a long time, I'm a big fan of Radio 1's Live Lounge and I absolutely love hearing an artist to something really funny/amazing to their own or someone else's songs. Dizzee Rascal changing The Ting Tings (yes I know I've just slated them, rude boi) or Maroon 5 totally acoustic (what a voice Mr. Levine). I also love it when an old classic is turned into something completely different – think Take That on their come back tour...

So why mime? One of the biggest group around and they mime. Here's hoping they've got something extra up their sleeves for the summer. After all, you pay so much money for a show, and if the band ends up playing exactly what is on their latest album, what does that prove? It steals a personal identity from the members of the band who create that sound... sticks them in a box with the rest of the 'gigs to forget'. This year, I'm hoping Girls Aloud, Boyzone and Take That deliver something really special at each of their concerts.

Ok, so having half term means I spend a lot of time reading and studying. Yesterday I opened my bible notes after having several conversations with different female friend about worries and God gave me this

'Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you'

The whole passage is 1 Peter 5:6-11. The whole passage is full of advice, the whole book is. It was written for Christians who lived in a pagan society (sound familiar?) and were struggling with keeping their faith. Definitely would encourage you to read it in a day, its really easy, there's not a lot of text, but it will take time to sink in.

I don't think I have many worries at the moment, I'm not stressed out by much... but I know people who are. I know people who are really struggling with decisions at the moment and I've got to give them to God firstly, pray for them, for God to work with them and look after them before I do. Difficult, but worth it.

Lots of my prayers have been answered really blatantly recently, leaders have turned up when we've needed them, weather has cleared so I could travel, I'm grateful for all of these and in hindsight I can praise God for the things He gives us instantly. A good couple of eye openers bringing me back to trust and love.

You actually can't stop the beat!

Way back in October I wrote about how I'd become absolutely besotted with a Sky 1 programme 'Hairspray: The School Musical', you can read that post here.

Last week, I got the opportunity to see the West End version of the Broadway musical, which has been turned into a movie most recently. It's only 5 years old, bless its heart, and I think, thanks to Zac Efron and Nikki Blonsky, the theatre was packed for a Wednesday night.

Before all of that though, Karen and I met in Westfield to have a wander and a chat. You have to see this place to believe it. Sadly no photos (I did check my phone before I started to blog!) but it's way better than Cabots Circus (sorry, Brizzle fans). For a start, there's no chance of getting too cold - it's all under cover and the food court is amazing (though I couldn't take advantage of it cos I wasn't feeling hungry!). It only takes me an hour and 20 to get to, so I think I'm going there next time I head to London (hopefully with someone very special in tow! KAY!).

After walking around for what seemed like an age Karen and I headed back to the tube station and got to the Shaftesbury Theatre with about 10 mins to spare (which is the best time to arrive at a theatre).

Karen warned me that I wasn't allowed to heckle the actors this time, after my little episode at Never Forget where I got the whole audience shouting out stuff after I said something out loud to the actor who plays Mark. To be honest the theatre was huge, so my voice would've been lost very quickly.

It was a brilliant show though, the set was really simple in a good way, the actors played there parts really well, although Michael Ball (in drag!) took a long time to get to being a woman rather than a man playing a woman (which is why I love John Travolta) and Ben (playing Link) did over do it a bit at the end (yes, I know Link doesn't get the dancing thing first time around, but he is quite savvy!).

So the men were difficult to get, but all of the women fell into their roles really well. I know the movie almost backwards, so was really reserved about seeing it on stage. I wasn't disappointed though and I'm glad I got to see Michael Ball again. Now I can't stop singing... all I have to do is buy the album!

It's half term world right now, so getting to work is a lot easier and I don't have to clock watch when I don't go into school.

This week I'm also going for dinner with the Bridal Party for my best friends wedding. Hopefully the four of us will be able to do a lot of work together and get the whole outfit and colour issue sorted! Looks like a lot of my Saturdays are going to be taken up with dress shopping! Yeay!

Sev-ern!

If you've not got a clue what the title is about I suggest you type in Len Goodman to youtube or the BBC and have a watch of Strictly Come Dancing at some point.

At the end of my week of holiday, I managed to get back to Billericay, after driving in the snow for a good hour. This was in preparation for the follow days activity... Mum had decided to spend money on tickets to see the Strictly Come Dancing Tour, little did we know, or I forgot that level four means we're 'up in the gods' (which has become a phrase to use when talking about high seats in concert halls), which means and you'll see by the photos below that you're so far away from the action that it becomes hard to be involved in whats happening.

But before we got to The O2 there was some travelling to be done... so from Billericay to London, the main attraction at the moment is the 2012 venue. This is what it currently looks like.


You can just see the white zigzag of the stadium structure. It's going to be an interesting three and a half years, until the whole of East London is taken over but tourists and athletes. Then after that... who knows, we get a different report every week about what the legacy of the games is going to leave behind, what the stadium and surrounding villages and buildings are going to be used for. This week there's talk of it being a school and sports academy (I think with talk of the school actually being in the middle of the stadium... but I wasn't listening properly). The local football clubs won't spend any money to buy it, because it's being purpose built for the athletics. Some less local purpose built venues are up in arms because the planning committee have said that they would spend £42 million on a new shooting range (is that the right name?) overlooking a place that is already available (but at a cost of £30 million). It's a strange thing to be going though, especially with a recession.

And if you want to know what 'up in the gods' looks like while you're in the O2 here's a picture for you...

There's not much to be seen, but I can assure you that there are four judges, one couple and a presenter as well as a band down there!

It's crazy! Fortunately, my cousin and nan were found tickets so that they could be closer to the action. However, we tried to join them at half time and the woman on the information desk was the least helpful person I've met in a long time. So here goes my mini rant...

Your tickets get scanned as you go into the venue, so that the O2 know who have turned up and who haven't. Therefore, by the half time whistle, you'd think that they would know who's arrived and who hasn't... and therefore can give some unsuspecting people a chance to sit somewhere different... but the policy states that the tickets had already been purchased, so there was no chance for my mum and I to join the others on the same level. If you haven't turned up by half time, it's very likely that you're not going to turn up at all, so why not, knowing that we'd already been split up, let us sit ner each other?

I resigned a little too quickly from that fight, but went away really angry, knowing that I had a good point under my belt if I'd have stayed a little longer.

We missed out on the atmosphere, being too high up and far away. It just doesn't carry well when you can't actually see the faces of the people who are dancing, but still it was enjoyable, though I would push to get level one seats every time I go to the O2 now. Even if the website says sold out!

Lots of the white stuff

Here they are in order of creation...


Boris - looking a bit like a girl, but for a first attempt its not too bad.


Casper - our second attempt - we tried to go bigger than Boris, but it didn't quite work, so we ended up with a pile of snow and Kay gave it a face and a name.


And this is our third attempt and his name is Andrew - just because he is as tall and as skinny as my younger brother!

All fun, not too cold, but lots of snow fell while we were creating them. It was really cold, but we layered up and went out. Snow is a lot more fun when you're with someone who is incredibly excited about it all! (Kay's 24, she got the day off work and I've never seen her so excited!)

So now we're warming back up again and taking it slow.

Hopefully tomorrow I can get home and then go into London for the Strictly come Dancing Tour!

Taking a walk

Through Bristol town centre, also taking a few photos of the unusual things I've seen while I've been here...

Namely this...
This is a shot of the Harvey Nichols store in Cabot Circus at the centre of Bristol... yes that is a mannequin with its arms stretched wide, wrists at a funny angle and the others posed in a oh-so-stylish model like way... ridiculous. I had to stand off-centre cos there was a man watching me. I'm sure there is an ironic or biblical point to that...but as it stands all I can think about is scarificing all your worldly possessions to follow Christ.

This is the second photo I took...


This is a picture of one of the 'main streets' of Cabot Circus... you can clearly see that the roof isn't all one piece, so in my opinion, you could be dry one minute and wet the next if you're walking through. It's like the developers either couldn't decided what to do or didn't have enough money... All in all it's a strange and expensive experience (£3 for up to two hours of parking - so I didn't stay long), but its a shopping experience none the less, and a chance to spend some time looking at all the shops... even if I've not got enough money to buy! Some of the stores, like H & M (one of my faves) have a smaller store in Cabot Circus and a large store in another part of town... I don't know if that's a marketing ploy (i.e. come and see our store in CC, if you can't find anything you like, go to our bigger store and spend money there!) or just not very joined up thinking.... I thought there would be more of an opportunity for bespoke stores, but I guess the rent could now be excessively high (how else are they going to get the cost justified?) for small businesses starting out.

Still its shopping...

Finally here's a picture of the linking bridge, between the car park and the shops


Bottom left is the path, its a wonky bridge, so I took a wonky picture! (It's meant to be arty!) Again, in my 'I'm a member of the public' opinion, it's poorly designed. If you take a proper look at it, you'll notice that there's a gap between the sides and the roof. While above you is covered, there are gaps where sidewards rain can get in an soak you if you're walking across. It's a sturdy structure, so no chance of it being closed in high winds, but people might not park because they don't want to get battered by the weather!

Speaking of weather... driving in snow storms and wet conditions yesterday was interesting! I got in the car after stopping at Reading services and it started to absolutely chuck it down! I've never driven in snow like that, I hope that I don't have to do it again too soon, but I'm getting some motorway driving in!

Staying away

Because of the weather, because of the snow, because of the cold, I am at home tonight. Not the start I thought of when I planned a week away from work and away from Essex. I was really upset this morning, I woke up to an inch or so of snow, but then it started again and hasn't stopped since. We must be on three or four inches now... I've been watching the news, keeping an eye on the road reports, and the railways... there's no chance I'm getting out of here for at least another 12 hours.

So while I'm able here is a collection of photos that I have taken... first off, the traditional snow photos
The back garden
The front of the house.. yes the milkman still managed to do his job today.

Yes, I find it ridiculous that all the schools in Billericay were closed. When I was 4 we had worse snow than this and I still went to school...the snow was up to my waist and I remember being in school before being sent home. I agree with BBC London today... we're in a culture that is so worried about health and safety that eveything just stops, it is easier to be closed than to risk injury... we've been through world wars, and we're worried about a little bit of snow. London came to a grinding halt. It's crazy... I wanted to be in Cheltenham tonight.

Secondly a photo that has been a once in a life time opportunity.


Yes, look closely, this is no ordinary £1.83, but the special design for 2008. It's never been done before in bristish coin history as far as I'm aware. The £1 coin is the picture of what the other 83p should look like! Pretty!! Now there are regular coins in circulation, so its becoming harder to do this, thankfully I have people around me who love to do something until its done!

There are no more photos!

So the holiday isn't going well... I'm not where I want to be!

Cold Weather

Yeah, it's 10pm... so I'm watching the news and already the cold weather and snow have affected the roads and rail links across the country. We knew it was coming, we've had fair warning... why then is there disruption?

Last night before things got too cold, we had our first ever mingles night at Christ Church, well, not quite, we ended up in the pub and I knew everyone there! But never the less, we got to spend time together, we got to chat, drink and laugh... Hopefully this won't be the last time we meet, so keep your eyes peeled for new dates and events!

Tomorrow, I take my first proper, full week away from work, away from Essex. I'm not going to training, I'm not going on an organised retreat, I'm just going away. So to Cheltenham tomorrow, Bristol on Tuesday and Luton on Thursday...

Of course I'll tell you how it goes... you don't need to ask!

One month in...

Well, we're nearly a month in to 2009 and this year already has held some surprises and some shocks.

Like Karen says its a year of hope, faith and love... hope and faith that the new president will do well in his job and restore a failing America.

Hopes that Andy Murray would win the Australian Open have been dashed in a shocking manner.

Sadly hopes that this year would be better from a London perspective have been put on hold when we found out that another young person had been killed this weekend. Prays of faith and the knowledge of God's love and peace go to the families involved.

I'm surprised and shocked at turn outs for two events that have happened this month. One was SOLID:Remix. 300 plus young people crammed into chelmsford cathedral for the first event of its kind, and answer to the prayers of many of the planning team, who had only catered for 100 people...here's hoping that the SOLID Youth Festival is just as much fun and full of new people. The other event was much smaller...a church prayer meeting for the youth and local community only drew two people. Only God can explain why we got the lowest attendance of the week.

But at the same time God can only explain the verse I was given in preparation for the prayer meeting

"Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude. Don't forget to pray for us, that God will open doors for telling the mystery of Christ, even while I'm locked up in this jail. Pray that every time I open my mouth I'll be able to make Christ plain as day to them.

Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don't miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out."

How awesome is that - this is The Message version of Colossians 4:2-6 and has become my prayer for the year, for myself, for the young people who possess faith and for the team of youth workers.

So I wasn't blown away by the attendance, but I was blown away by God!

I live in hope that this year doors will be opened and in faith that I am are clever enough to make the most of the opportunities the open doors create, and that I live in love, building people up wherever I go.

What a year... lets hope I can say that in December.

For an update on the state of my Dad's shoulder you can go here.

Annually away

There are various times in a year when I'm not going to be in the local vacinity but away on some sort of training/retreat time.

This week was one of those times. I was up in Audley End, taking time out with other youth works from across Essex to learn about Young people, Sexuality and Spirituality. David and Brandy came all the way from Knoxville to share in a very specialist subject it seems. David is only one of about 80 people in America who provide christian based sex therapy for families and teenagers.

Now be honest... Did you know it existed? I had some sort of idea, but still wasn't 100% sure, so as always I went into the unknown, head on, wanting to learn about this.

I learnt a lot. Things about teenagers that I never knew and had some really interesting discussions with the people that were there. Some of the behaviour I see has been explained, some of it is still a mystery, but I've got a way of finding out why that behaviour occurs.

David's work website is here.

I know I'm going to try and read up on this more and I've got a couple of CD's to listen to that are going to be good. David and Brandy were brilliant, easy to understand and consistently good with all their information. The whole time away was constructive for me, I did some thinking and started to understand my behaviour a little more. Made some good connections with people and I'm looking forward to seeing them all again.

I've also got another link for you to look at, head over to schoolswork.co.uk to see the new 'we love our youthworker' charter that has been launched, also check out Dave's brilliant postcards that go with the charter. (I want to retreat to the top of a column!)

Today is a 'do the minimum' day... I like it!

Damage Update

Check out the extent of the bruises my Dad has received from falling over on 5th January.
What you really can't see on my camera phone photos is the darkness of the bruises and where they are.

The go from the top of his right shoulder, all the way down his right arm and down the front of his chest. It would have been a lot worse if he wasn't wearing a back pack...

The way he got his injury is still not a full story. He was on his own, ad his memory has not allowed him access as to how it happened, but he's got a graze on his right foot, so starts the story with that and concludes that his arm was flung out behind him and ended up behind his head... you try it now... you arm will not do that willingly, unless you've got very loose muscles.

Still we're now 9 days into recovery and for the second day in a row he has been out of the house, firstly to visit the doctor to get his dressing changed... a full 19 staples in his shoulder to hold his wound together, something tells me this family are going to have a lot of dot dash dot jokes soon! The staples come out in two days time and far from being grossed out by this, he's rather intrigued as to how the work and what they look like.

I'm waiting for an email from our local councillor to find out who's in charge of pavements and salt bin up keep.

Of course, this is a spectator blog, for the patients account you need to go here.

I'm trying to keep my distance from him at the moment as I have been blessed with a virus or infection of some sort. I didn't feel too good yesterday and decided to stay at home today.

This is what happens....

when you fall over on the ice...

Yes, dad is at home and this is the extent of the damage. He's got a plate in there and some screws too.

The bruise has gone down, it's not as bad as it was, but he's unable to move his arm. The nice blue thing you can see is a sling - it wraps around the bottom of his arm and then around his shoulder and his waist. The yellow thing is a pillow case and that's just a comfort thing.

The white stripe is currently covering the staples and we think his scar will be between 15 and 20cm long in the end.

He's been signed off work for three weeks and will go back to have the dressing changed regularly and get it checked.

The good news is that there is currently not loss of sensation in his hand or the rest of his arm, though he is quite frustrated that he's only got one useful arm!