Today I travelled through London to meet with Terry, the church leader from The New Life Tokyngton Church.

Terry has a great passion to see lives of young people transformed in the area that he works and we were just chatting about the possibilities and how YFC might be able to help a local partnership of churches in their mission.

If we could do something together this would be a very exciting and innovative project and I look forward to hearing more.

I did not realise, until I parked in the car park, how close the church was to the new Wembley. Between me and the stadium were 2 fences and a rail track. I could almost touch the stadium. The sight was amazing and the stadium looks fantastic even though it is still being constructed.

As I stood and looked I heard something on the wind, a familiar tune, some familiar voices, a dull but then rising song ….. Giiiillllllllsssss! You heard it here first … Gillingham: last club to be promoted to The Championship at the old Wembley in 2000, first club to be promoted to the Championship at the new stadium in 2006.

Personally, I hope we go up as champions … so maybe I heard the cries of our victorious FA cup final fans!

I have been thinking more on the subject of reasons for my blog.

While I still think a purpose is for me to reflect,and to have some channel for expression, I do wish to have interaction and dialogue with others who are kind enough to return here to SHP. I wish this because I think the contributions from others will serve to enrich both my journey and the journey of those others, as well as the silent majority.

It is good to ‘talk’ and I really value the interaction and friends that have developed because of the blog world. I hope that continues and develops as I have more (in time) interaction with some people here than I do with others in my same town or church. I know for certain that my thoughts have been enriched by what others have and are writing on their blogs.

I guess that means I am blogging for others as well as myself. I am happy with that as long as it does not result in me worrying about what to write for others to see and waking in cold sweats with writers block! If that were to happen then that would be a dangerous kind of blogging for others.

On Sunday it was good to get back to Nailsea and see some old faces. Going back to somewhere you left 10 years ago though does make you feel old! It was great to meet up again with David and Kath Markland and chat about what has happened in our respective families over the past few years. I hope this experience can be repeated in the not too distant future.

In Bristol yesterday I met with the directors of our centres in the south west. Again, it is a real privilege meet with these people who are involved day in day out in mission to young people of their areas.

We were talking specifically about how we as national YFC can support them as local YFC in taking their mission on, or raising the bar as far as outreach is concerned. All our centres do stuff all the time, but this meeting on Integrate was to see how we could help them be realise some of the dreams they have.

When I was director at Gillingham I quite often wished I could take time out and plan other stuff, or consider how I could steer the team more strategically. I think what we are doing now is exciting as we, as national YFC, are doing that task for these key people through a consultation and working out a strategy with them.

As we started to wind the day down, Roy left us with a thought. It was based on the film The Grand Canyon. After loads of stressy stuff happening Kevin Kline is taken by Danny Glover to the Grand Canyon. Kline keeps asking why they are going and Glover keeps replying he will understand, everything will make sense when they get there.

When they get there Kline is amazed and I think the reaction s summed up in the words on the front page of Grand Canyon National Park webpage:

The Grand Canyon is more than a great chasm carved over millennia through the rocks of the Colorado Plateau. It is more than an awe-inspiring view. It is more than a pleasuring ground for those who explore the roads, hike the trails, or float the currents of the turbulent Colorado River.

This canyon is a gift that transcends what we experience. Its beauty and size humble us. Its timelessness provokes a comparison to our short existence. In its vast spaces we may find solace from our hectic lives. The Grand Canyon we visit today is a gift from past generations.

When we come against some wonders of creation such as the Grand Canyon not only are we humbled in the way it suggests above; I think we are humbled too in the presence and knowledge of the God who created it.

Quite often we easily get stressed and molehills become mountains. I have not seen the film but I think Kline had made his mountains and Glover wanted him to see that they are insignificant in the wider scheme of things.

But it goes further than this.

As we look, as we acknowledge that we are little and have short existence, as we realise that actually we can do nothing – it is then that we realise that God can and does. It is then that we can see that God reaches down to touch us because we cannot reach up to him.

That is, I think, the one significant difference there is between my God and the God of other faiths. I have respect and am interested in what others believe, but I cannot believe that we all worship the same God. It’s not logical, because whereas other gods expect us to reach to them and meet their standards, my God reaches down to me because he knows whatever standard he makes, I will still mess it up.

I travelled home to Gillingham, possibly for the first time in ages in total awe of what God had done and how he continually reaches down to connect with me. The Grand Canyon is a truly amazing sight – but how more amazing is the image of God, the creator reaching down to touch me!

I have nothing else to say … a mass sense of emptiness and unbelief. And no – it is not just a game of football!

I really can’t believe we have been relegated … but we will be back!

Had a quiet weekend this week and just about to leave for Bristol. I need to be in Bristol early Monday morning and thought I would take the opportunity to call in on a few friends from Nailsea where I used to work.

It’s nice having a quiet and relaxing weekend. It meant we could stay quite chilled and just get on with stuff round the house and play. A particular highlight was watching Dr Who with some of my children and picking Tom up from his first proper disco/party at 10pm. It was nice, if not a little sad too, to see him growing up.

As I think about leaving for Nailsea in about 30 mins, Gillingham are 1-0 down at Forest but Crewe are 1-0 down too. If it stays like that Gillingham will stay in the Championship and Crewe will be relegated. It’s a very worrying time but I cling to the hope of Championship football next season.

I’m so worried though that I can’t listen to the radio and am relying on updates from Tom – or is that just cowardice?

Extremes of emotions over a weekend like this can’t be good for you!

What an interesting night! I was riveted to the counts last night as this election turned in results that were surprising, contradictory, and showed no real pattern. It was amusing to see Peter Snow not really able to deduce any patterns or reliable predictions until late in the night.

It was clear from around 1.30 that Labour was going to form an historic third government. It was unclear, though, about what size majority and in Kent, particularly, Labour MP’s were saying they had lost while Michael Howard said with smugness that he was confident of winning every seat in Kent.

My heart sank as I personally know 3 labour MP’s in my part of Kent who quite literally work their socks off for the area. I am sure that even if I was not a Labour supporter I would still have to vote for these guys just because of their commitment to the area. They have served the area well, do not just apear at election times, and have a real passion for the area to succeed and get a good deal. I gave up waiting and went to bed at 4.30 not knowing what the situation was in Kent. Great jubilation this morning, though, to see that these guys did win their seats back. It was mighty close with majorities of only 78 and 254.

My over-riding emotion this morning is one of relief as I genuinely fear what a Tory government would do to this country; to our education and health system, to how we view people looking to escape wicked regimes and shelter in this country, and how they would progress, or not, policies to eliminate world poverty.

People have challenged my vote due to Iraq. It has been a big moral issue for me, as I was against the war and still feel that it was necessary. I do see, however, that when presented with ‘evidence’ by those you should be able to trust (military experts)then a mark of a strong leader is to make a decision based on what is in front of you. I do not think this is arrogance; I think this is strong leadership and moral leadership when you don’t have to guess too much that the decision will cost you votes.

I know have hopes. I do think a reduced majority can only be helpful for the good of the country. It will mean open debate will determine the make-up of future policies. I hope that this government will remember again how to listen to people and I hope that we, as Christians, will learn new ways of influencing and getting our voice heard.

The election shows that, for many people, trust was indeed an issue. It cannot be helpful for a country to be so dis-trusting of its leader. We need to be praying now for a re-establishment of that trust, for right decisions to be made, and, ultimately, for God’s will to be done.

I voted at 7.30 this morning and now have what seems a long wait to see who will be governing the country for the next few years of government.

I find myself genuinely worried about the outcome and will be sat in front of the TV tonight just hoping that years of genuine improvement in education, health, world aid and the economy are not stopped and reversed overnight because people have short memories and choose to make a protest vote. In fact, if that happens, I can’t help but think it is us that will pay the price rather than Tony Blair – a case of cutting off your nose to spite your face.

The polls are about to close … hours of nailbiting for lots of people are about to start.

I met with Simon from Swindon YFC and Mel (a colleague from YFC) today to chat about integrated mission in Swindon.

Integrate is our ‘project’ at the moment from YFC. It’s about real consultation, real collaboration and planned follow up to be able to help our local centres take their mission and evangelism one step further. For some this may mean setting up an ‘Alpha for Youth’ in a local school, for others it may mean setting up a missional community – it will be, and is, so varied as it will depend on what is relevant to the location, and must depend on this if we want to see sustainable and long term mission.

We spoke for over 3 hours in The Chandos and looked at ‘stuff’ from different angles and chatted vision, dream, expectations and resources. Simon and I then went off for a couple of hours to continue our conversation and chat ‘general’ stuff.

Usually 3+ hour meetings really tire me out. This one did not as this is one of the great bits of my (not so new anymore) job. I find it really energising and exciting to meet with people to not just talk about mission, but to meet with people that have such a burning desire for mission and are involved in it day in day out. You could almost sense the missional desire coming out of Simon’s pores!

I look forward to seeing the results from this meeting … that’s why it is so exciting!

It will all be over in a few hours. Life will return to normal. The news headlines will start to remember the rest of the world, we will stop seeing politicians eating ice creams, kissing babies and meeting people in the streets.

In a few hours the campaigning will end and decisions will be made. I find myself, this time, actually quite concerned. I think people have short memories and idealised unrealistic outlook’s.

Tomorrow I will be voting early as then I have a couple of meetings up in London – up to the favourite location of the Chandos yet again!

David Walker at Thinking Anglicans writes a good outlook of the election process and I quote his last paragraph here:

The point of those caricatures, which I hope you will excuse as the nearest a person who can’t draw can get to a cartoon, is that all three of the main campaigns have their value. But all three remain significantly flawed. And that is exactly as it should be. We should be suspicious of any political organisation that seems too perfect. And we should expect to be governed by people and institutions no less imperfect than ourselves. The choice between the bloke, the official and the evangelist is a real one. And in some ways it’s a deeper choice than between the particular policies and arguments which have so signally and so properly failed to shift our intentions over these last few weeks.

you can read the complete article here.

Whatever you do in the UK on 5th May – make sure you get out there and vote if eligible!

Some of you will know that we are having an extension, an extra room, built on to the back of our house. Things are progressing nicely and the builders are ahead of schedule. The area is now even starting to look like a room as slowly things are being added. Last week the plumber laid pipes and the electrician dug channels and fed leads along beams and along walls. This week the roof felter did his stuff and things are starting to take shape.

The garden, and the area itself, although we can see what they will look like in part in a few weeks with not too much imagination, is a total mess. It’s fairly depressing to look at. There is rubble, old bits of guttering and piping, discarded bricks, splashes of concrete … the list could lengthen. On occasions we can even look at the mess and wish we had never started.

On Friday a new window was delivered. It was the correct size but when trying to fit it the builder found that the wall was not straight and so the fit snugly some adjustments and extra brick work and plastering needs to be done. Nothing major, and apparently quite a normal state of affairs.

Sometimes this can be a little stressful; I do know, however, that in a few weeks we will have a nice functional room, and in a little while after that a garden to relax in again.

My point? While looking at the mess today I thought this is not too different from my Christian life, my journey with God. In fact, to describe my Christian journey location as a building site is a fairly accurate description at any point in my life. A building site is a ‘work in progress’, and that is what my life is with God.

I look at my life, and I wish some things had not been undertaken. I look around at discarded things which I know I need to allow God to put away at some time and stick in the skip. Some bits I can look at and see the potential, other bits I need a bit more faith and imagination! Still other bits I look at and I can genuinely say I like that as it is and do not think it needs changing.

I think that is a healthy position to be in. My life as a work in progress, as a building site, where some bits are complete for the moment, but where other bits are still being built. Some parts are also being re-adjusted, as with the window, when I discover that views I once held rigidly no longer fit with my developing relationship with God. Essentially though, the foundations are the same, as all the building moves out from the strong foundations that have been built and added to over the years.

Amazing – I tried to ‘force’ a bible study this morning but I just could not get ‘into it’. 15 minutes looking out the dining room window at a building site and I can hear God clearly speak! A case of the right place at the right time.