Read this the other day:

‘1When the human population began to grow rapidly on the earth, 2the sons of God saw the beautiful women of the human race and took any they wanted as their wives. 3Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, they will live no more than 120 years.”

4In those days, and even afterward, giants[a] lived on the earth, for whenever the sons of God had intercourse with human women, they gave birth to children who became the heroes mentioned in legends of old.’

Who were, or are, the sons of God?

A day of unexpected memories today.

I needed to sort out my filing cabinet so I can find things. Seems odd, but only now, 3 months into the new job do I have an idea of what I need to have files for – especially as most of my stuff is filed on this laptop.

I digress!

I came across a file of thank you cards and letters. This may seem strange, but I have kept every thank you letter and card I have received during my 15 years of youth ministry. I have around 20 which I think is really nice. That does not mean I have only heard the words thank you 20 times in 15 years (I may not have lasted so long)- just that these people took the trouble to write a letter or card.

I found a letter from a 19 year old lad who was thanking me for what we had done for him in his church when we work for Holy Trinity Nailsea. It was a fantastic letter, full of energy, full of dreams, full of questions, full of humour and as I read I started to cry as I know this lad died a couple of year ago from CJD. His whole face, voice, vibrancy returned in that time as I read 2 pages of A4. I can’t imagine the pain of his parents. It seems so unfair.

I red other letters and remembered faces of the past, some of whom I’m happy to still be in touch with (and some whom it is humbling to say support me financially)peoples voices, situations. I found myself wondering what these grown up young people were doing with their lives now.

One of the other letters was from another boy telling me why he had decided to become a Christian after we had returned from Spring harvest one year. That was a surprise to us as he spent the whole of the 5 days drinking and smoking cannabis! I was able to laugh too.

Tonight I was privilege again to be invited to watch D2 perform their first proper gig in Gillingham. They were great but found myself reminiscing again, or maybe forward-niscing as I wondered where thee people might be in a few year time.

Anyway – it was a good gig and I made a quick escape at the end in fear that I might become emotional again, and not to escape packing helping to pack away as it may have seemed – yeh right!

Reflective days are good. This has been a bit f a reflective week, I guess, due to immobility with a dodgy back. I think they are good because makes you remember where you have come from as it is so easy to forget people, situations and circumstances. It is those things, of course, that make me who I am!

It is strange, though, how these days and circumtances just creep up on you!

Sunday 23rd January 2005

16:00-24:00hrs GMT-

Venue: South London Pacific

340 Kennington Road

London

SE11 9LD

16:00-19:00 Jane & Gabe

19:00-21:30 Mixmaster Morris

21:30-22:00 CANDLE LIGHTING OUTSIDE

22:00-24:00 Matt Black

Visuals by Coresnfx

Sorry Lucy and others – I forgot to add these.

If you are tempted to think things in Asia are starting to get better, or that the survivors there need our prayers a little less now that they are no longer headlining the news read Andy’s latest report here.

But be warned – its not pretty reading.

This is an excellent idea.

Does anyone fancy going?

Thanks Jonny for the tip off.

As I start to think about getting involved again in face to face youth ministry I read this report on Dave’s blogwith some interest and maybe even some disbelief!:

Weblog: A Creative Youth Group Activity That Will Get Your Church Sued – Christianity Today Magazine: “Weblog: A Creative Youth Group Activity That Will Get Your Church Sued

Family alleges ‘serious, painful and permanent injuries’ after persecuted church simulation.

Compiled by Ted Olsen | posted 06/16/2003

Family sues church for $2 million after persecution simulation

Harry Sherrer, pastor of Forest Hill Baptist Church in Maryville, Tennessee, says an ‘Underground Church’ program on March 23, 2002, was meant to help the church’s youth better understand the situation of persecuted Christians around the world.

But one family says it ended up being ‘a dangerous, cult-like event that was unlawfully and deceptively conceived, sponsored, promoted and supervised by Forest Hill Baptist Church, its pastor, its deacons, its youth director and several of its members.’ In effect, the persecution simulation became persecution itself.

According to The Daily Times of Maryville, youth group members were told to meet at a member’s home before the service, then were taken to the church together. But on the way to the church, they found the way blocked by emergency vehicles with their lights and sirens on. The students were let out of the car and told to ‘sneak the back way’ into the church. When they finally got into the sanctuary (after being ‘accosted by ‘men dressed in dark clothes,”) the lights were out and one of the adult leaders was crying. As they began reading the Bible by flashlight, something sounding like a gunshot came from outside. The kids hid, and several men ‘dressed as soldiers with gas masks on’ rushed in. Then things really started getting crazy.

The members were blindfolded and handcuffed, put into a truck, and driven away. Then they were told they had ‘one chance to deny Christ, or you will be killed.’ When they refused, another gunshot sound went off and they were soaked with water (apparently meant to simulate the blood spatter of another loyal youth “

I had a response from Jonathan Shaw, my MP, at the weekend in response to my email from the Save the Children website regarding world poverty and the make poverty history campaign.

I was impressed – I sent a short email written for me by save the children, and the MP has written a three page response and incuded an article from the Guardian.

Basically he says it is important and that, yes, he and the government are trying hard to get other countries on board.

An amazing fact from this that I have learned is: ‘If Africa could raise its share of world exports by just 1% this would be worth 5 times as much as it currently receives in aid‘. So much could be done by making world trade a fairer and more just system.

Seperatly, it has been excellent this week seeing Gordon Brown speaking out regarding poverty.

‘WE can no longer enjoy the benefits of living in a globalised world and ignore the lives of those by whose labour we benefit. We can no longer pretend that commerce can be globalised but justice need not‘

Douglas Alexander MP, Minister for trade, investement and foreign affairs.

I know I have blogged a bit about this now. One person has complained that I am becoming single voiced and I am always talking about world poverty. As I said to this person, I will not apologise for that. I think it is important. 30 000 children have needlessly died today. Roughly, 15 of those children died while you read this post.

I received this from my lovely friend Joe today. It made me laugh and is the very reason I do not have any such stickers on my car – sadly I can’t always trust myself!

A man was being tailgated by a stressed-out woman on a

busy boulevard. Suddenly, the light turned yellow, just in front of him.

He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could

have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.

The tailgating woman hit the roof, and the horn, screaming frustration

as she missed her chance to get through the intersection. As she was

still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the

face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit

her car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she

was searched,fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a cell. After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the

door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting

officer was waiting with her personal effects. He said, “I’m very sorry

for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you

were blowing your horn, flipping the guy off in front of you, and

cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the ‘Choose Life’ license plate

holder, the ‘What Would Jesus Do” bumper sticker, the ‘ Follow Me to

Sunday School’ bumper sticker and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally, I assumed

you had stolen the car.”

If you must have one on your car … beware!

I had a really exciting day today as I met with 2 groups of church leaders, in Sittingbourne and on the Hoo Peninsula, who are very interested in setting up a YFC centre in their areas.

Both groups were exciting to be with as their passion and desire to see young people reached with the gospel with so obvious is just made you want to smile, or cry, or both!

It looks like both groups want to go ahead – and I left each meeting thinking ‘Yeah … working with church leaders can be good after all!’

Today has been a day of pain. It must be sign of my age! As I bent down to have a shave this morning I put my back out! I know it’s laughable (as Sarah and the children have not stopped laughing!), but it is flipping painful! I hope it improves tonight as I want to play volleyball tomorrow night!

I’m told it is all part of getting old. My other symptoms:

– having an eye test and being told I probably need glasses to read

– looking at your 11 year old son and remembering his birth like yesterday

– thinking about how to mark my 40th birthday later this year

– driving a people carrier rather than a sportier model

I have not yet got to the stage where I say ‘what are they singing about luvvy?’ when I see Top of The Pops or something similar. No doubt that will come. I fear that I will soon be seen loitering outside slipper and pipe shops and thinking how good I look in a blazer and brogues!

I thought I was comfortable with this whole becoming 40 thing – maybe I am not!

It’s amazing how much things slow down when you are in pain out of a necessity. It’s amazing how pulling one little muscle has a major effect on the rest of the body. As I sit here typing at the end of the day, I can feel stressed muscles aching in ways they do not usually because they have been compensating for the one I pulled.

It’s cheesy, but today has shown the reality of the church as the body and how it aches and strains when one part is injured or unable or unwilling to do its bit. It has reinforced to me that now I am no longer director of the local para-church organisation that I have no real excuse for not getting involved in my local church, which just confirms what I have been thinking really.

I was tempted to take the day off but I had an exciting diary today so made use of the painkillers and went to 2 exciting meetings.