I have just uploaded my latest prayer letter and supporters form.

All YFC staff have to raise 50% of their salaries – it’s a worry as I have dropped to 25% as I had a few very generous large donations before I started last year.! I’ve never thought of asking people via SHP – but hey, its a lot easier than phoning people!

I guess this is the part of my job I find the hardest – asking people for money for YFC to pay me! It certainly takes me out of my comfort zone and we have been thinking of new ways of doing this – and so comes this post on SHP!

There are great advantages to having to raise 50%:
– it means I have to pray and rely on God quite a bit
– it’s a fantastic confirmation from God that you are in the right place!
– if people are donating money, I think I can be pretty sure that they will be praying for me too!
– it means others are involved in my ministry – I really could not do it without their generosity!
– it means people outside YFC get to see, share in and hear the excitement of what is going on.

If you are interested in hearing more of why YFC does this – you can read the 10 FAQ’s.

Anyway … If you would like to invest in YFC by supporting me- please do so – you’d make a 40 year old man very happy!

Carey from MOOT posts really poignantly here on Mary as the mother with Jesus. Short but incredibly thought provoking.

I received two great links from my good friend Johnny today:

PDF factory is a brilliant free evaluation program to convert files to PDF. I don’t know how long the trial lasts, but when it does the cost of the software is much less than the very expensive alternative.

I’ve just used it to convert a document of 32 meg down to 256kb – much easier to send. Now all I need to do is teach myself how to upload files to my free webspace with blueyonder without spending loads of money.

stock.xchng is great for creative and free to use (on web and even in paper publications)photo’s. I’ve already grabbed some which may appear in the YFC local ministries brochure that I have been working on for an age.

For the last few days I have been working from the new room downstairs, so everyone gets the computer room back and we don’t have to try and cram everything into one space – I also get a better, and safer, view – when I looked out the window during the day I’m sure the old lady in the bungalow across the road thought I was looking down into her lounge!

We have had the room built onto the back of the house to give us a little more flexibility in how we run things – especially if it turns out that I work more from home which may be the case in the future. Anyway – we are all quite pleased with the new room – when you are in the area you must pop in!

I seem to be getting a lot more done and able to concentrate easier – I can pace around this room which always helps my creativity and thinking. Leaving the filing cabinet upstairs also keeps me fit! Bonus all around then!

One particular good thing is that when the children come home from school, if I can’t immediately finish they can come and chat with me on the sofa – now if I work I am not cut away from the rest of the family.

It’s now 22.30 and I have just found the bad point about this room – its a little too close to the malt whisky cupboard … oh dear!

I hate computers!
Actually, I hate Sarah’s computer!

Sarah has a Dell laptop and the pcmia card slot has stopped working. That is obvious. Her wireless card works in my laptop but not in hers, my wireless card works in my laptop but not in hers!

When we slot the card into her laptop it is not even recognised but today I have spent a total of 3 hours on the phone to people in service centres on the other side of the world who insist on trying out everything that I have already done so that they do not have to replace the hardware themselves.

I would not mind, but Sarah (or rather the church) has paid for another 2 years on site service from an engineer – but still I have to go through 3 hours of ‘please re-boot your laptop’

Finally, Dell agree to send an engineer but not now ‘next day’ as we have paid because they made that decision after 5pm – despite the fact that my first phone call was at 11 am this morning! If they had listened to me rather then making me play silly games the whole thing would have been less frustrating!

As I have reflected this evening on my frustration I smile and think of how insignificant this is in the wider scheme of things – it’s not even my laptop, and Sarah does not seem that bothered.

I also find myself wondering whether God has masses of frustration with us. Following on from Jonah yesterday, I wonder if he sits there getting increasingly frustrated as we go through our silly games thinking ‘why don’t they listen … the solution is obvious!!!’

As for me at the moment … personally I would never ever buy a Dell computer – the after sales service is a lot of frustrating ….

last lecture last night until January – waahaaay!

Two modules done – a few essays to do over Christmas, but its been a lot more fun than I thought it would be!

This morning’s daily office got me thinking on Jonah. I noticed something in this morning’s reading that I had not really taken on board before.

Why did it take Jonah 3 days before he prayed to God?!

I don’t know about you, but when I have cocked up and in trouble I go to God quite instantly – especially when scared. If I was stuck inside a gurt (you can take the boy out of Dorset but you can’t take Dorset …) fish, I’d be crying prayers!

Or would I? That was my second thought.

Can I be, am I, so stubborn that I would sit inside a fish before I spoke to God? Its a real possibility I guess which intrigues me and disturbs me all at the same time.

One thing I am starting slowly to understand is the current-ness of the Bible. It’s not powerful stuff because the stories are great, it’s powerful stuff because the stories are real, real people, and still happen now!

Peter denies Jesus, it still happens today. Adam and Eve decided to ignore God’s advice and try out their own ideas, it still happens today. David is besotted by Bathsheeba, is still happens today.

The bible is not just a collection of historical stories, it is a commentary on life as we experience it as well.

Jonah sits stubbornly in the belly of a fish because he does not want to do what God asks – it still happens today. On reflection I do have incidences where I know I need to return to God but stubbornly sit inside the darkness and sulk.

How weird is that! Why is that? Why make life difficult for myself? Much thought needed and too late to think seriously.

But why did it take Jonah 3 days before he decided to pray …?

I know this is way out of date and old news – but I only just got to read Archbishop John Sentamu’s sermon at his inaugaration – cool stuff.

It’s great that we have a guy so committed to mission in that position, and particularly one willing to ask questions.

I first met John Sentamu about a year ago when he came to a YFC team meeting in his capacity as our President. Such a great guy.

His sermon here is a great read. Reminds me why I am an Anglican and why I’m ‘in training’!

Houseblinger made me smile!

Now the challenge is on – can I be the first to post a bling house from Medway!

Before I do, though, I am going to chck out bling rock once more!

I just realised that could sound like an early Kylie song!

Sarah has been to Soul Sista today so I get to look after the children. It’s quite a unique experience in many ways, when I get o spend all day alone with them.

Today we have had a lot of fun doing just everyday things like visiting the bakers, washing the car and tidying the house. Meals together and chatting about nothing in particular just shows me how luck I am with great children.

Quite often today it strikes me that people moan a lot about children and refer to them, in various ways, as burdens. It’s quite easy to fall into the trap when not careful – but my kids, my family, are great.

I remember a little while ago at a YFC staff event in the ‘sharing’ time I mentioned I enjoyed being with my children, as did my boss. Soon after another person there who is married without children thanked us. They had been thinking about starting a family but had been put off because they could not find any people, even in Christian circles, who said anything positive about having children.

I know a lot of hat we say is said in jest – but I thought it was an important comment that those of us with children should take on board. We know our kids are great – its important we tell them that they are but also that we let other, especially new couples, that they are fun to have to!

On another note – big thanks to Darren and Kathryn who looked after Joe and Beth so Tom and I could go to the football. Where would we be without friends!