This afternoon (Thursday) I saw real bravery went to church house to be part of Mel’s (a good colleague of mine)360 degree review. This was a review with a group of us giving honest feedback rather than a ‘traditional’ review with a line manager.

Mel requested it and we asked questions and gave honest comments based on what we saw and how we perceived situations. Mel put herself in a vulnerable and potentially painful situation so that she could grow, learn and be even better than she currently is.

On my way home on the train I found myself reflecting on whether I would, or could, put myself in this situation. I can see that it must be a really effective way to accelerate personal growth. I can also see the potential for pain!

I think the whole experience must be a bit (only a very little bit) like looking at God and honest for an honest reflection.

I think I have rarely seen such real bravery with a desire to improve and be willing to receive feedback in order to do so. It challenges me to think about how serious I am to be as rounded and as ‘good’ (whatever that means – and I don’t just mean performance/output-wise)and whether I am willing to ask the hard questions, in public or private, to progress on my journey.

Today was one of those special and privileged days with the added bonus of a personal challenge.

I am worried. I have jut spent 2 days in a business meeting with the Leadership Team of YFC and I think I enjoyed the experience! This is a sure and real sign that I am getting very old.

A lot of good stuff is happening, most of which I am not able to share just yet. One thing I can though is that we hope that Billy Graham is planning a visit to London in November. The plan will be to have 3 days at Excel and then youth event on the Saturday night at Highbury.

This is strangely exciting. I don’t think Billy Graham is very youth friendly, nor do I think he speaks particularly well. It is undeniable, however, that when he does speak people are convicted and respond. I thin I read last year in the Guardian (maybe) that something like 55% of current church leaders in the CofE became Christian at a Billy Graham event.

That’s quite amazing. And thinking of Billy does not make me feel so old anymore!

A hectic, but great, day today.

I spent most of it in Greenwich with Mel and Hugh looking at how we could support Greenwich YFC in its mission in the area. This was a great time where we were able to look at loads of different things – I now need to write the proposal up with some suggestions for projects and ideas to move ahead on.

Following that I drove to the centre of London to pick up some wifi stuff very generously given to YFC by a city company. Driving through the centre always take ages – but not as long as trying to pay the congestion charge online when you return home. Next time I’ll park across a pavement and pay in numerous corner shops I saw displaying the sign.

I had tea with Amber and Jake who are the two great young people who I try to support in their roles as cell leaders. They have good ideas and are so keen and full of desire to things right by God. After such a hectic day it’s good to meet with young people who can remind you what really is important and what does really matter.

After that it was my first PCC meeting for church and now I need to get to bed as I am needing to leave at around 5.30 in the morning to get to somewhere near Evesham for a Leadership Team meeting for YFC (I have to go to 2/3 as a senior manger). This meeting on this occasion meets across 2 days so I will not be blogging again until Wednesday or Thursday.

Happy Birthday Emily! 20 today, woohoo.

Although it sounds like it comes from a Dr Who episode I enjoyed investigating this church and sharing my thoughts with the people of Frindsbury Baptist this evening.

So that you know I have not forgotten how to laugh at myself I wish to share a personal story, as it is funnier than my planned opening joke for tonight.

Being the sort of speaker I am I wanted a visual illustration to show how something could look great on the outside but rotten and foul on the inside. Great idea … I could inject a lovely fresh apple with ink using my ink refill syringe and needle. The plan would be to pass the apple to a few people to see how lovely it was and then cut it in half. I meant to do this earlier in the day but, as ever, forgot until 10 minutes before I had to leave.

Picture the scene. I am leaning over the sink slowly injecting the apple with black ink. It was quite a crisp apple and there was pressure mounting, so I pushed a little harder … little harder still and then I heard this ‘whoosh’.

I did not realise 5 ml of black ink could travel so far around a kitchen and over me! My hands were covered in ink, as was half my face. There was ink in the sink, across the wall, up the window and over the ceiling. Sarah came into the kitchen and being a supportive wife immediately laughed and called in the youth group who started taking pics with their mobile phone!

I had less that 10 minutes before I had to leave, I had no visual aid, and I looked a pretty poor image of something resembling a dalmation who had attempted to make an ink devil. A quick rush to the sink, a quick change of clothes and I managed to get out of the house only a few minutes late.

The group of people I shared with were a great bunch of people. They were very kind in their comments on my thoughts concerning the church in Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6). I basically drew out two points after sharing the ‘return of the ink devil’:

1. Our physical position can affect our spiritual position.
sardis was on a cliff top surrounded by 2 sheer sides. It was an impregnable town. I offered the idea that this impregnability led to an arrogance and complacency regarding attack. I thought it possible that they looked good on the outside and were dying within because they had lost that reliance on God and had started doing just good ideas.
2. We have lost sight of who we are and how we are valued.
Often when we become busy we forget what we were created for, to be in personal relationship with God. In addition when we screw up (as Sardis had)we feel guilty and enter a downward spiral. I suggested the parable of the prodigal son reminds us that, actually, the past does not matter. As soon as we turn, God rushes to meet us … an amazing truth that, for some reason, we find easy to forget!!!

I enjoyed looking at Sardis … thanks people of Frindsbury, especially Andy for welcoming me and holding the whole evening together.

Highlights of the weekend …

watching the FA Cup final with Tom and seeing Man Utd robbed
hearing the announcement of Neale Cooper as new Gills manager
Sitting with 2 good friends in church on Sunday morning
Saying thanks to the plasterers as they finished the walls in the extension
Having lunch with Rachel at home with the family
Meeting new people at Frindsbury Baptist church
Seeing the youth group for tea on Sunday afternoon
Having the house in quiet for 2 hours on Saturday night while others were out at various locations

Lowlight … too short again!

I got sent this by Andrea, the public policy officer from LCF:

Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship Press Release 20 May 2005

Yesterday we heard that Professor Alison Murdoch’s team have cloned their first human embryo despite the LCF Public Policy Analyst Peng Voong’s challenge to the legality and validity of the licence.

The news came on the same day as the Department of Health highlighted the cost implications of granting a patient’s advance request for life-sustaining care. Last year’s High Court ruling in favour of Leslie Burke’s application, that he should not be denied food and fluid if he becomes unable to communicate, is this week being challenged by the GMC and Department of Health.

We have a situation permitted in law to manufacture human embryos for experimentation. We have a situation in law as a result of the Mental Capacity Act which makes living wills legally binding in cases where a person refuses treatment. The same Act, however, will not permit a person to make a living will that is legally binding to request food and water at the end of life because the Courts have determined that the artificial provision of food and water is treatment.

We live in a topsy –turvy legal world.

These are matters literally of life and death.

After leaving the cafe and free wifi, once I had finished writing up my notes for Sunday night, I went to meet Laura at Paddington and have a couple of drinks before going off to a Waltham Forest YFC event.

Laura is one of the few young people from my Bristol days that we as a family still keep in touch with. She has been, and is, a good friend and was one of the first people outside of the immediate family who held the very new born Thomas over 11 years ago.

Still having contact with Laura, and counting people like her as friends, is a nice ‘extra’ as youth work. It would not say that it is one of the reasons why I am in youth work – but it is a great added bonus to be able to stay in touch and brilliant to see how people mentally and spiritually grow and whether they change or not.

Catching up with Laura was great – even if she was on detox and meant I had to drink beer on my own, which was a massive hardship. Thanks Laura for taking time out to catch up – sorry about the pic, the cost of being famous!!

After spending a couple of hours with Laura I made my way from Paddington to Walthamstow. I was really looking forward to spending time at the Waltham Forest YFC but London Transport had different ideas. Due to delays I was running over an hour late so I was forced to give up and return home.

The silver lining I left London an hour earlier… I caught the next to last train from Victoria rather than the last which meant I got home 30 mins earlier … how’s that work?

This is great – sitting in a coffee shop in Islington and using the free mile of wifi service provided by Islington council.

The service is available all along the length of Upper Street and I am blogging with a cappucino in the Zen Cafe Gallery. Cappucino is good, music is ok, and the art is a welcome feature from the bland walls.

I have 2 hours to kill between meetings and thought I’d come in here to finish writing my talk for Sunday night on the Church in Sardis, but could not resist the chance to blog and surf for free.

Wouldn’t it be great if more councils did this, – sure beats balancing my laptop on someones front wall!!!

Yesterday I was at the NVYO (national voluntary youth organisations) chief officers meeting. Not because I am a chief officer, but more because I am closest and those senior to me can’t get there.

The day was hosted by NCVYS which YFC are members of. Their website is fairly useful and saves me a lot of time when looking for info.

It was a valuable networking experience and I met up with my friend Yvonne Criddle and met others.

There was a packed agenda and I think the best part of the day by far was an hour when Marcus Bell from DfES chatted about the Youth Green Paper. This has not been published yet, and he apologised for that. It should have been out in October, then December … maybe June now!

I was encouraged by 2 things Marcus said at the beginning. First, the green paper would be positive about youth. This was welcome in the light of current government comments (all brought about I think because John Prescott tripped over a lad in a hoodie!). Secondly, it was going to be a green paper, meaning this was going to be a truly consultative document with 12 weeks to make comments.

Marcus then asked 3 questions (something else encouraging from the dfes!!):

How can we make young people’s voice count?
How can we ensure provision for young people is a priority?
What is the best way of involving young people in the consultation process.

It is encouraging to see the DfES asking this, and these are good questions to ponder for those of us who are in youth work of any kind.

I’ve got to end with a bit of a moan and exasperation though. For a change, at the these meetings, my exasperation is not with ministers or civil servants but with a practitioner! I won’t name this person but this person spoke of playing golf at the weekend. She came across 2 lads on her golf course who had not paid, had borrowed a couple of clubs, ‘because they could not afford any of their own’ ho then spent 2 hours on the golf course, causing no problem for others.

In response to question 2 on youth provision this same woman said ‘it’s easy … give them all free golf and free equipment.’

I started to smile, but then had to stifle a laugh as I realised she was being serious …. if only it was that simple ….. or maybe it is and I should have spent my budgets of past years very quickly!

“ends with deep sigh of resigned shock”

Dave Wiles of FYT writes here. There’s nothing to add to this.

Thanks Richard for posting this.