This page could be an excellent resource to use to illustrate the passing of time.

Basically on every June 17th this family goes through a simple ritual of taking photographs of themseleves. The photos here start in 1976 and come right up to this year. It’s just fascinating to see the effect of aging over small annual times in space.

I wish I had had the idea years ago!

Have you ever asked that question?

I know I have on many occassions – it’s a weekly occurance on a Thursday of Friday in the week when I see how much I have done and how much is still left to do.

Madonna says it goes by slowly – I don’t know where she get’s tht idea from!

Our family has quite a strong weekly cycle or practice – so Friday nights often make me think ‘Is it really a week since we last did this?

Well I feel happy now – I have found the answer!

You can find the answer to if you click here.

I have spent time today in conversation with 2 vicars; one being Andy, my personal tutor, the other Bob my consultant/mentor for the next 3 years.

2 very different men, 2 men I very different ministries, but 2 men quite new to this ‘ordained lark’ with both having served their curacy in 3/4 years and one now a parish vicar and the other a SEITE tutor.

We chatted about the course and how I thought things were going, we shared frustrations and I shared where I thought my life was going and what I felt called to do.

Today has been a helpful day. A day when I realise I worry about stuff that I do not yet need a full answer to, although I would like a little more clarity so that I have some idea of where I am going. I want to know what God will have me doing in 1, 2 and 3 years time. I want to know but I don’t actually need to know.

It’s fascinating how people seem to strive for knowing what next. I have had a few conversations recently with good friends who have used similar terminology. They are in decision time and want to know what next, which road to take, which job to pursue, whether to change course. Before they feel they can do that, they need to know ‘what next’.

I’m asking if this is an impatient need to satisfy our emotions and feelings of security, or is it something deeper. Is it indicative of a person wanting to know they are in the right place and doing the right thing? It is the cry of someone craving acceptance? That’s a hard issue to contemplate when it is you asking the ‘what next’ question.

Earlier today I read Luke 3 : 22: ‘a voice from heaven said ‘You are my beloved son and I am fully pleased with you.”

The words of God to Jesus after his baptism telling him that God is ‘well pleased’ with him. As I dwelled on those words, it hit me! Rather a question hit me.

What was God fully pleased with?

Jesus had not yet done anything!
Yet God is fully pleased.
Jesus has been living in the dirt and grime of Nazareth.
Yet God is fully pleased.
Jesus has been working as a carpenter.
Yet God is fully pleased.
Jesus has been a son to Mary.
Yet God is fully pleased.
Jesus has not yet preached a sermon.
Yet God is fully pleased.
Jesus has not yet healed any sick person.
Yet God is fully pleased.
Jesus has performed no miracles.
Yet God is fully pleased.

Jesus has just been in the place where God wanted him to be.
That’s why God is very pleased.

If I could grab the reality of that pleasure, of that acceptance from my heavenly father which comes from being who I am rather than what I do I think my life would be a lot simpler!

I traveled to and from London on the train with Malcolm yesterday and we had an interesting time.

We got chatting to a guy about theology but seemed to upset a woman that was sat next to me who apologised to us and moved to another seat, stating that she wanted to read her book and our conversation was distracting her.

I could relate – there have been loads of times when I have found myself re-reading a rough chapter with my head screaming ‘WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP’to the people nattering opposite me.

In one sense I had great respect for this woman. It takes loads of courage and you open yourself in today’s world to sarcastic comments by doing such things. As I reflect on my day now I am wondering what was distracting her. Was it the fact that we were actually talking, or was it the fact that we were talking about God and she got worried because she started to get interested and did not want to be?

I’m sure it was the first – but I will never know!

Anyway – the train journeys were a great opportunity to catch up with the ‘soon to be daddy’ Malcolm and for a while it was like the good old times when we used to chat and laugh about stupid things in the office. The the train got to Gillingham, and for the next 2 days, bar 2 short 1:1 meetings I am left to my own devices in my study. I really must work out some way to con YFC into letting me have a team!

Today I met up with the YFC centres in and around London. We had our normal meeting and then each centre outlined what they did to the YFC board, with each one sharing one thing from their work that either inspired or excited them, or something that was innovative.

As I sat and listened I found myself getting excited. I knew most of what these people were saying but as each one spoke, the magnitude of what they were doing in their individual areas was massive. I then thought of what they were achieveing collectively and it’s outstanding if you stop to think.

The most amazing thing is this word ‘mission’. Often the definition here can be quite narrow, quite restrictive and quite exclusive. Today, we heard about a great variety, a great smorgasboard, of mission initiatives. Each with it’s own unique flavour and appearance.

We heard about mission through sports, through music, through drop-in cafes, through walking the streets, through running lunch time clubs in schools, through youth clubs, through teaching lessons, through running homework clubs, through inspiring churches, through giving young people opportunities, through dance, through mentoringm and more … such a great variety!

The people there were so different, not just in background, race, sex, church label, but also in their interests, their preferences, their priorities. There was so much variation that people coming in to visit might find it hard to believe that we all shared a common core and all belong to YFC. And there is the amazing thing – each one of us agree that the young people of this nation are in crisis, each one agrees that we want to present Jesus to the young people of today, each one agrees that we reach young people in our areas in certain, often innovative, ways.

No great new thing there I tell myself. But there was something unique about today and it has been troubling me because I have not been able to put my finger on it. Something I had not noticed before. Something that was good and healthy but just not obvious. It has just clicked! It’s a lack of expectation!

Today, there was a lack of expectation that people would be in competiton. There was a lack of expectation that others should think ‘my project is the best and you should learn from me’. There was a lack of expectation that we needed to out-do each other in our centres. There was a lack of expectation that we were going to be judged on what we presented.

There was an abundance, an overflow, an outpouring of mutual love, trust and respect.
No hidden agendas, just a genuine desire to serve God faithfully and with integrity.

I just find that so amazing, so incredibly fantastic and I really do feel ‘wow’ ‘aren’t theses directors and staff people excellent’. The group of people I met with today are a bunch of fantastic, dedicated and sacrificial people with God at their centre. I love them all!

I love these pictures from my friends at North Staffs YFC (Johnny, Libby and Katie) and I hope they make you laugh as well.

A DVD writer and … a Palm pilot!

Without wishing to sound too ‘whatever’ I think these funny pictures in some way sum up the church in how it acts in mission.

We say one thing which we understand and we assume others understand what we mean with our actions and terminology – whereas the truth is that we are a laughing stock because of the bizarre images our words and actions have given to others.

Is it all about perception?

A very weird experience on the motorway this morning.
It was incredibly foggy in places. I don’t know about you but I love the look of fog, the effect it has on the light, the way the shadows melt into each other, but I hate driving in it.

As I got closer and closer to a vehicle this morning, the words ‘bomb disposal’ gave me quite an eerie feeling. I followed this around the M25 for a fair while and it struck me that only a few months ago I probably would not have given them a second thought. Interesting how a couple of events can change your whole feeling and attitude towards things. It did alos remind me of this photo which makes me laugh as well!

I went to see my great friends in Solent YFC today.

It’s always a good place to visit as I genuinely love the people (Martin, Carly and Ed) that work there – and I’m not saying that just because Ed reads this blog!

I went to Solent for 2 reasons – to catch up with my friends and to talk about mission with them. Martin has such a cool vision for the estates of the area, and I’m going to really love seeing how things progress on some of the estates that Solent YFC may be working in.

Thanks for a great day!

Today has been an interesting day of mixes of emotions and stuff.

I opened an email that literally made me cry! It must go with yesterdays post and maybe there is something in this ‘in touch with your feminine side when you reach 40 sort of stuff’.

The email was from someone I used to work with in YFC and they have decided they would like to be one of my personal supporters my giving me (well…YFC actually)some money each month.

YFC national staff have to raise 50% of their salaries and I have just found out that I am drastically falling short of the target for this coming year. I think I need another 20 people … actually I only need 19 now!!

I hate asking for money! It’s not even asking for me, but I still hate doing it. It’s embarrassing, its uncomfortable and it puts friends and family in a difficult position if you do ask.

Today, however, I have been reminded of the other side – how both exciting and humbling it can be to experience someone wishing to personally invest their hard earned cash in you to enable you to continue to make a difference.

As I sit and write the faces of my supporters come to mind watching me, a bit like angels I guess. It’s a great motivator – I don’t want to let God down …. but I certainly don’t want to let the faces down! I think knowing these people invest in me gives me that little extra kick when I am feeling lazy.

Anyway – you know who you are, and I know you are probably embarrassed as you read this – but you are a star and you can only imagine how amazingly encouraging you have been to me over the years and not just now! Philippians 2:12-18 in the NIV is for you … continue to shine like a star my friend in that place where God has placed you.

Today I went to the Bishop of Rochester’s staff meeting with Phil.

It was a good experience but strange also to be given a 30 minute slot to talk about how YFC and the diocese could work in partnership in mission with young people.

This could be a great and exciting opportunity. We could be on the edge of something quite exciting and pioneering.

I went from this exciting meeting to SEITE. Two contrasting edges of the church. Leaving a meeting of bishops, archdeacons and the dean looking at working together in mission to joining a class looking at the history of daily prayer and the liturgical cycle as part of my training so that I can ‘do mission’ officially within the church.

It’s no wonder I get confused quite easily at the moment!