Take back the city...

Im at the Snow patrol gig as we speak! Its amazing!

Roll on Cham '10!

Chamonix '09 finished well! The snowfall started on Wednesday evening and didn't stop until Friday! Fresh powder for 2 days and although visibility was poor at times we still had an amazing time in superb off piste conditions!

One of the absolute highlights of this trip has to be new friendships! No one on the trip knew everyone! Out of the 10 people on the Cham '09 adventure there were 6 i did not know! The great thing was that everyone got on well and had such a laugh together! So much so that i think everyone has secured their place for Cham '10 - bring it on!

Lookin for some powder...

Chamonix '09 has been a great week so far! The snow boarding has been amazing! It really is one of my favourite things to do which makes it sad that it has to be concentrated into 6 consecutive days a year! Sadly, despite the prevalence of cloud there has been no fresh snow this week and Im really hoping for some to make the last 2days an off piste paradise! Ah well, i really shouldn't complain- i am on my holidays after all!

Day 1 on the piste...

So we arrived safely yesterday with our boards which was a bonus! First day on the slopes was fantastic! Snow is good and there are more than enough runs 2keep us busy! No sun 2day but hopefully that will come 2mor! Muscles are sore but feeling contented!

Chamonix '09 begins...

Im off to Chamonix today for a week of fun in the snow! I was there in 2006 and so i know the resort is amazing! I've never been anywhere else that has had so many pistes to keep you entertained! The sno conditions all across Europe this year are fantastic which makes me very excited!

We only booked this trip last week as we wanted to get a good price. The trade off has been that we are unsure if there will be room for our snowboards on the plane! Sadly they didn't tell us this when we booked which has made this week a littel more stressful but thankfully we have managed to negotiate a plan B should the boards not make it to France!

So really i can't complain, life is good and i have a week ahead of me where all i have to worry about is getting from the top to the bottom of the mountain without breaking anything!

I'll try to post some pics during the week!

Lent, take-aways & the Wing...

So after a day of pancakes yesterday, Lent begins today! That period of 40 days leading up to Easter Sunday where we remember the time that Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights and was tempted by the Devil. We often choose to deny ourselves something during Lent as a way to realise our own weaknesses and grasp the intense significance of the crucifixion. It also gives us a deep and powerful longing for the resurrection and a joy on Easter Sunday.

Easter can often sneak up on us but by observing Lent we take a chance to remember the dark before the dawn, the sin that sent Jesus to the cross. Lent helps us experience our part in the Passion (or suffering) of Jesus. We face our humanity during Lent: we learn that sin still dwells in us, that we still carry darkness. We learn that we, like his disciples, would likely have fallen asleep as Jesus prayed for deliverance in the garden, and, also, that we would likely have denied knowing him as he silently accepted his death sentence.
This Lent I have been challenged (and so have challenged teh young people under my care) to consider denying myself some pleasure as a means to remind me of Christ’s sacrifice and prepare for the celebration of that at Easter. However, as well as NOT doing something, I also feel motivated by the challenge of Christ to DO something or GO someplace this Lent and stretch myself in my SERVICE to Him.

So for Lent i have chosen to give up 2 things i love very much - take-aways & the West Wing! The former will be a challenge to my weekly lazy eating habits and the latter will be incredibly difficult as i have just acquired the entire DVD collection and am currently in the midst of season 2! It was never meant to be easy! I'm just wondering has anyone else out there given up anything for Lent this year?

I got soul but im not a soldier...

What a great weekend! It was the 1st birthday of my niece and nephew, James & Anna and so we marked the occasion with a party in Malahide. Hope you enjoy the couple of photos here!


Then, lo and behold i got offered a last minute ticket to see The Killers at the Odyssey. Being a big fan of the band i couldn't say no and so made haste up the road from Dublin to Belfast! I think i missed the first 25mins of the gig but it was still AMAZING! 'All these things that I've done' was definitely a highlight as was 'Human' and 'Mr Brightside'!

So the gauntlet was thrown down...

Given that we had begun a theme of music videos for the weekend we decided to challenge the young people in their teams to make their own on the weekend. So they were each given a popular song and about 45minutes to film! Some of the leaders and young people then edited the videos for the next day! Three of the videos are shown below. Can i just state that my team won with an excellent rendition of 'Spice up your life' by the Spice Girls! Enjoy!

Winter Retreat 2009...

I've just recovered from our annual Winter Retreat at the weekend - spent the whole of yesterday in bed with a thumping headache - could this be a symptom that i can no longer stick the pace of staying up to 4am (a rhetorical question so please don't feel the need to answer it below!)?!?! We had a fantastic weekend at Castlewellan Castle. My hope for the weekend was that everyone would leave with the knowledge that God had spoken to them personally. As such, 2 of the 3 sessions were centred on reflection & experiential learning to allow the young people space to listen to God. This seemed to be received very well by the them and the addition of small groups allowed the young people to discuss their experiences of what God was saying to them.

On top of all that we had the best banter ever with music videos forming the theme for the year. The leaders produced 3 music videos in advance of the weekend which you can enjoy below!

Exploring the Jewish World...

Been quiet on here for the last couple of weeks because I've been studying! I decided after Christmas to sign up for a short course being run at Belfast Bible College by Desi Maxwell (Xplorations) titled 'Exploring the Jewish World'. The 2 week course of mornings finished on Friday by which stage i was mentally exhausted! I haven't really engaged in any third level study since i finished my MA in 2004 so my brain was feeling the pain of exercise. The course, was fascinating and yet very hard to put into a succinct blog what i learnt! Much of the content was looking at the bigger picture of the Hebraic way of thinking, contrasted with the Greek mindset that our Western society is completely influenced by. When you come to look at the Scriptures, both Old and New Testament it is enriching and truthful to be able to apply a Hebraic lens and in some way enter the mindset of the writer and the narrative.

I would certainly recommend this course to anyone and Desi Maxwell is a fantastic teacher with an energy and enthusiasm for Hebraic thought that is infectious. Have a look at his Xplorations website to discover other upcoming study opportunities!

37inches of TV...

I had been looking to buy a new TV since Christmas and had been looking around at lots of good deals out there but could never really pluck up the courage to just go and buy one! I had spotted one at a good price in a local electrical retailer and had been in to look at it on 3 separate occasions this week! They only had one left, so this morning i just decided to put it off no longer and if it was still in the shop i would buy it - it was and i did! Im delighted with the results and reckon it will definitely help with New Year's Resolution number 12 although probably not with number 14!

Apathetic new year...

I hardly slept a wink last night as i start back to work today after the Christmas break. It's a nervousness that always comes over me before resuming work after a significant break. Ive done a fairly good job of not thinking about work at all for the last 2 weeks and now i have to re-engage into work mode and panic sets in as i think of the many things that need to get done!

I hadn't set any New Year's Resolutions as i was somewhat apathetic about the whole thing but as i lay awake last night i resolved to do a variety of things in 2009. Here goes:

1. I want to know Jesus better, to love him more and to be changed as a result this year.
2. I want to read the Bible more and establish a more regular discipline. As such, i was recommended a new book to aid me on this journey called 'Search the Scriptures'.
3. I want to re-develop my regular discipline of prayer and reflection on a Wednesday morning. This had lapsed over the last term and i missed it.
4. I want to feel fitter and stronger and so will continue to go to the gym and spinning.
5. I want to read more and will aim for 15 books this year.
6. I want to say 'yes' more often. Inspired by Danny Wallace and Jim Carey!
7. I want to be able to pass myself at golf! I got a set of clubs and a lesson for Christmas so would like to improve so i don't embarrass myself!
8. I would like to have a girlfriend next Christmas & New Year!
9. I would like to blog more (as i have been apathetic about this too) and will aim for 50 blogs this year!
10. I would like to carve up some powder in the French Alps with my snowboard.
11. I want to get out walking more in The Mournes.
12. I want to start watching the West Wing as i think i will like it.
13. I want to go at least 3 music gigs this year!
14. I would like to not waste as much time doing stupid things like watching TV and invest time in these resolutions instead!
15. I would like to establish a pattern of getting up earlier and going to bed earlier so that i don't feel tired as much!
16. I want to develop a small peer group around me that meet on a regular basis for intentional encouragement, prayer and accountability.
17. To re-establish a pattern of journaling in my spiritual life.
    

So there you have it! Plenty for me to work on in 2009! Have a great day!

A new found hero...

We all have our heroes in life - people who inspire us by the things they do or say. Let me introduce you to one of my new found heroes. I have never met this guy before but I heard a lot about him recently so I thought I would have to go and read his book and watch him on the TV to find out a bit more.

Edward Michael "Bear" Grylls (born 7 June 1974) is a British adventurer and writer currently best known for his popular television series Born Survivor (Man vs. Wild in the US). He was christened Eddie, that became Teddy, and that became Bear! In 1998, Grylls achieved a Guinness World Record as the youngest Briton, at 23, to summit Mount Everest. In 2000, Grylls was among the first team to circumnavigate the UK on a jet ski, to raise money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Three years later, he led a team of five British men on the first unassisted crossing of the north Atlantic Arctic Ocean, in an open rigid inflatable boat. The team battled giant waves, icebergs and storms. Indeed he has went on to break several other world records including the record for the highest ever open-air dinner party at 25,000 ft in a hot air balloon in full formal clothing!

For those of you who haven’t seen the Born Survivor or Man vs Wild show it documents survival techniques in some of the harshest conditions of the world from the Arctic to the jungle to the swamplands. Bear will show how to keep warm, how to make a shelter and how to eat pretty much anything at anytime. If you haven’t seen it then here is a short clip that documents some of his meals. If you are squeamish then don't bother!


It really is a fantastic show (Sunday's 5.45pm CH4) that has become the number one cable show in America. If you still don't think this guy is amazing then let me share with you some more of his story. After leaving school, Grylls joined the British Army's Special Forces reserve, serving for three years as a Specialist Combat Survival Instructor and Patrol Medic with the 21 SAS regiment. His service ended following a parachuting accident in 1996 during a training exercise in Kenya. His canopy ripped at 16,000 feet (4500 m), partially opening, causing him to fall and land on his parachute pack on his back, which broke three vertebrae, and left him struggling to feel his legs and unsure if he would ever walk again. Grylls spent the next 18 months in rehabilitation and with his military service over, directed his efforts into trying to get well enough to fulfill his childhood dream of climbing Mount Everest.

This journey from the hospital bed to the top of the world is documented in his book ‘Facing Up’ which went into the UK top 10 best-seller list. The book details the climb, from his first reconnaissance climb on which he fell in a crevasse and was knocked unconscious, regaining consciousness to find himself swinging on the end of a rope, to the gruelling ascent that took him over ninety days of extreme weather, sleep deprivation and almost running out of oxygen inside the death zone. If you have ever thought of climbing Everest then the book is a sure fire way of putting you off! What an amazing guy to be one of only 2300 people ever to have climbed the tallest mountain in the world!

However, what sold it for me and put Bear Grylls into the rank of a hero of mine is his honesty that he does not do these things alone. This is a quote from his book about climbing Everest:

'But I knew that I had to stretch myself further, and reach beyond my grasp. I felt this burning urge to go higher and I longed to witness the summit. The beauty of the places on the way was unquestioned – what I had seen so far had stunned me in its sheer scale and beauty, but I felt there was more. My eyes and heart were for the summit, and my dream was to reach it with the Person who had created it. I wanted this to be my journey.’

Can you see in these words that Bear understands there is a God who has created the mountains and even at the top of the highest mountain of the world he knows that God is there with him. This reminds me of the words of Psalm 139:

7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, [a] you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

Throughout the book Bear talks very openly about his faith:

• ‘The more time I stay here the more I believe the only way to survive is to stay close to Jesus.’
• He carries a shell with him all the way to the summit and back with words of his favourite quote inscribed on the inside from Matthew 28:20 ‘Be sure of this, that I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ Words of great comfort whenever he felt very much at the end of the world.
• At another time when he fell sick and it looked like he wasn’t going to be able to complete the climb he was at his lowest and turned his anger toward God. It was then he remembered the dying words of his great uncle ‘Remember this if you remember nothing else. When God goes, everything goes. Never let your faith leave you. Promise me.’ He didn’t lose faith on that mountain and of course he did go on to reach the summit.

Bear Grylls did not find God on the mountain. None of us have to climb a mountain to find God. Bear became a Christian when he was a sixteen year old lad struggling with normal stuff. God became his friend and they have been friends ever since! Bear Grylls when asked the question ‘How is your Christian faith important to you?’ answered as follows:

'Faith gives me a strong backbone and when we find that within ourselves we can then live more exciting, effective, kind, passionate and giving lives. Life has a meaning again. It doesn’t though make life easier in any way, and I still battle with my fair share of struggles and doubt and often great self-doubt, but that is just the product of trying to stretch beyond the norm and to live life fully.'

So why is Bear Grylls a hero of mine? Because he is adventurous, he climbs mountains and he can survive in the jungle and kill and eat an alligator AND he is a Christian and acknowledges that he does it all with the help of God. Often, being a Christian for young people can be incredibly difficult because it is often seen as not cool, boring and a bit sissy! That idea is blown out of the water by Bear Grylls who is so cool that any young man would aspire to be like him – and he’s a Christian! So if you are a Christian then I hope you are encouraged that a life with Jesus is incredibly exciting and fulfilling in every way when you take time to develop a friendship with the God who will never leave you as we are told in Psalm 139.

Maybe you don’t know who your creator is? The one who in the words of Psalm 139 says ‘you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb.’ Maybe you have never known the peace and promise of God in Matthew 28 when he says ‘Be sure of this, that I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ Bear Grylls along with model Kim Johnson and footballer Linvoy Primus produced a promotional video for the popular Christian Alpha course 3 years ago. Check it out below.



Is there more to life than this? Bear Grylls said ‘when I was a kid I never looked before I leaped. Now I know better, but I still leap!’ Maybe you are someone who has thought about God for a long time but has never taken that leap of faith. Is there more to life than this? It is my hope and prayer that you will search for the answer to that question and that you also will find out as Bear Grylls found and many others including myself have found, that life in all its fullness is only found in a leap of faith with Jesus.


P.S. I prepared this for a BB Enrollment service recently so thought I would share.

I can go to London baby...

So I was in London on Wednesday for a wee day trip. We arrived about 9.30am in Liverpool St Station and purchased a day pass on the for the tube. As we waited on the Underground platform for our first tube of the day thoughts cannot fail to enter your mind of the London Bombings in July 2005. With this slightly unnerving thought fresh in our heads we heard our train approaching in the distance and began to shuffle towards the platform edge surrounded by scores of other commuters. It was at this point i noticed an official London Underground staff member running towards the platform which i thought was a little strange but i definitely wasn't prepared for what happened next! With panic and urgency in his voice he yelled 'CAN ALL PASSENGERS LEAVE THE PLATFORM NOW!' Panic immediately entered everyone and we ran to the nearest escalator with thoughts of an imminent terrorist attack. No longer were people leisurely allowing the machine to defy gravity and carry them upwards, on the contrary people were bounding 2 steps at a time as quickly as they could and overtaking anyone who wasn't quite as agile! After quickly ascending 2 levels we slowed down as the panic around us had subsided. This was slightly comforting as it became obvious that staff were not asking travellers to exit all lines. It was a few minutes later that we discovered the reason for the swift evacuation was due to a passenger falling/jumping in front of a train further up the line. It seems the staff had reason to believe that the passenger may be trapped under the train that was approaching the platform we were on and hence the need to clear the public quickly. It took a good half hour for my nerves to settle again and to feel relaxed with underground travel given that my life had just flashed before my eyes! A dramatic reminder though that we really don't ever know what lies around the next corner. Every day is a gift from God.

Kenya Info Evening...so how did it go...

So last Thursday night we had our long-awaited Kenya Info Evening. The prep for this was hard work as i wasn't sure how much the guys were going to do live on the night and we weren't certain if people would actually turn up! Both fears were unqualified as 4 of the guys agreed to be interviewed live on the night and we had an overwhelming attendance of almost 150 people! My hope for the evening was that people would get a flavour of what the experience involved through hearing stories told by the team. We worked hard to make the evening as relaxed as possible by creating a chat show type feel with interviews taking place on the couch and video footage interwoven throughout. The informality of the evening was topped off with a supper of 'pizza & puddings' which seemed to be well received. All in all, feedback from the night has been very positive so it looks like all the hard work paid off!

I found it quite an emotional evening at times as happy memories were recalled and the thought of this being the final chapter of the Kenya Team experience. I take comfort in the knowledge that the shared experience of the trip can never be taken away from any of us and will continue to form part of our regular conversations with each other. And of course there will be many reunions!

If you couldn't make it along on the night then here are the videos to give you a flavour of the experience!

First Impressions of Kenya...



The Building Project...



The Highlights...

Harvest Thanksgiving...a challenge for all.

It was our Harvest Services today in Waringstown Presbyterian which is always one of my favourite services in the year as we are reminded of God's goodness to us. The sermon this morning was given by a South African minister who is currently ministering in a church in Belfast. He set out to challenge us in the reality that whilst we are very blessed, others in the world are not. I have heard many sermons from people who are very passionate about poverty and injustice in the world but i have never been so challenged as i was this morning.

He shared first hand experience of living in a country were he was privileged to be 'white' whilst his 'black' neighbours lived in poverty. He shared a story of the stark contrast between two sons born around the same time. One was his own son and the other was the child of the gardener he employed. M&S clothing vs 'hand-me-downs', disposable nappies vs linen nappies, private health care vs NO health care, healthy vs HIV, life vs death. All because of the colour of skin. He explained that African funerals are massive occassions for the whole community. At the funeral, everyone attending will say something. They will start with the youngest and finish with the oldest and therefore wisest person there who will be no older than 40. However the funerals of babies and children are much simpler. At the funeral of the gardener's son there were only a few people present and the occassion was much less tragic. Why is this? Simply because there is a much greater expectation that children will die beacuse it happens so regularly. We live in a society were it is a tragedy when a child dies because we believe it is our right to a long and full life. The poor people of South Africa, and many other countries of the world, have never been conscious of this 'right' and so their reality is very different.

With anger in his voice he reminded me that only a few years ago the goverments of the Western world were informed that it would take $300 billion to wipe out world poverty and they concluded that they could not find that amount of money - yet recently, when financial crisis hits the world, the US government seems to have found $700 billion without much difficulty.

He concluded with the following powerful video from The Miniature Earth Project. You may have seen it before but if you haven't, you need to watch it as it cleverly breaks the injustice of the world into figures that are easier to get you head around.

Kenya Info Evening...

Here is a wee video i made with a few highlights of the Kenya Team in July. I am using it as an opportunity to promote an evening where people can come and hear more stories and experiences on Thursday 23rd October @ 8pm in Waringstown Presbyterian Craig Hall.

gLo Waringstown...

gLo Waringstown happened last week with great success. It is hard to explain how fantastic the week was in words on a blog and so i hope the attached video gives you a taste of the highlights. Some of the figures might help you to understand the scale of the programme that could not have went unnoticed in our small village:

45 gLo'ers involved in the programme;
20 'mini' gLo'ers helped during the week;
30 young people involved in the Football tournament;
30 girls involved in dance workshops;
30+ children came to 'play time' in Murraywood;
30+ children came to 'play time' in Churchill Place;
32 individuals had odd jobs completed at their homes, and;
200+ people attended our Family Fun Night at the church!

Many prayers were answered during the week and we have many things to be thankful for:

Dry weather!
People were helped and they greatly appreciated it;
People with no church background have benefited;
The profile of the local churches has been raised positively;
The local churches have been brouht together at youth level' and;
The young people involved have been challenged about mission in their own community.

Without a doubt we have birthed a movement in Waringstown that cannot be expressed in 5 days each summer. The challenge for us as leaders is what is the next step for this group of young people who have caught something about what it means to serve people in their own community.



So i have survived to the end of probably the busiest summer of my life! At times i really wasn't sure if i was going to make it or not! Summer Madness, Kenya, Romania and now gLo have all been amazing experiences where i have seen God work in my life and the lives of others in an amazing way! It makes me happy to say that i am taking the next week off work to rest, although at this moment in time, a week really doesn't seem long enough to re-charge the batteries!

Romania...

I got back from Romania on Friday night. No access to the internet for the fortnight so unfortunately i couldn't blog but let me fill you in on the highlights! During the first week we were working with a rural church in a small village called Selag Seg. We were being hosted by the Pastor of the church (Andras) and his wife Ella. Our team of 19 people was split into two groups and one group ran and kids club for Hungarian children in the morning and the other group did the same for Romanian children in the afternoon. We had approximately 50 children across the 2 groups and they had a fantastic time each day. The programme included an illustrated Bible story, games, singing and craft and the children loved it all. When we weren't involved in the children's work we were helping practically at a alcohol rehabilitation centre they were building. This involved painting or cement carrying. Alcoholism is a huge problem in Romania and has destroyed many families. Andras and Ella have a dream that this centre will offer hope to those seeking to beat their addiction. Sadly the government will provide no support for the centre and so they build when they receive donations which explains why the building has been under construction for 10 years now. God has shown me something about patience, perseverance and faith through this encounter. He has reminded me that He works on an entirely different time scale than I do and that slow isn't always a bad thing because it allows more people to come on board and be a part of a project and catch the vision.

We were completely blessed in Selag Seg with the hospitality of Andras & Ella who embraced us as family as we invaded their home for a week. The area was very rural and at times it felt like we had stepped back in time by 50 years as all the agricultural work in the fields was done by hand with horses and carts being common place.

For the second week we moved to a youth camp near to the Ukraine border. The camp was set in a beautiful location in forested hills and was hosting 250 young Christians aged 12-18 for a week of spiritual growth. Our role within the camp was to help washing dishes after mealtimes and to input into their evening church programme with singing and testimonies. During the week half of our team was also involved in running a kids programme in a small village in the morning and a gypsy community in the afternoon. This week started with difficulties as there were miscommunications around our role in the camp which left us feeling under utilised at times. Thankfully the situation improved and our time there finished very positively with our team making many new friends amongst the campers! It was an amazing privilege to listen to the young Christians of Romania worship Jesus with such passion and volume from the depths of their hearts. It truely was another 'thin place' where the gap between heaven and earth seemed very small.

Probably the biggest highlight of this experience was the impact it had on us as a team. When you share life with another 18 people for 2 weeks you undoubtedly get to know each other better - more than you ever could in a whole year of normal ministry. I have no doubts that each team member, including myself, has been changed through this experience for the better. We have grown in our faith as our view of God has been expanded and people's confidence has grown through leading devotions and children's work. People have also realised that they have an important story of their own to tell of God's grace and redemptive power in their lives. Thanks for all of your prayers and support for this team!

Post Tuum blues...pre Romania excitement!

This week has been hard because i have felt pretty tired. I usually wake up feeling ok but by lunchtime I'm wrecked again! To make matters worse i had booked my minibus driving test for yesterday! I spent the whole morning from 8am having lessons with an instructor (which were vital!) and then completed the test at 12.30pm. I passed which was a huge relief but felt totally drained afterwards! Today is the first day that i have felt energetic all day! Just as well as i am off to Romania for in the morning on a team of 19 young people from the church. We will be away for 2 weeks doing a mixture of children's and youth camps and some practical work. Please pray for us all and especially Richard & Kate as they lead the team. They have done an excellent job in leading and organising things so far so pray that they will have wisdom to make the right decisions whilst away and strength to keep going when they are feeling weary. The team is made up of a fantastic group of young people who have a range of unique gifts and abilities. They are a group who would not all naturally gel with each other and yet it has been great to see new friendships develop as the group has spent time together. I'm excited to see how they all get on in Romania!

My heart still yearns for Tuum. Each morning when i wake there is a part of me that wishes i was there! Don't get me wrong, i love home and don't think i would want to live anywhere else right now but i could easily have spent some more time in Tuum. I like that i didn't need to wear a watch there. I like that the people there were so accepting and welcoming and they smile a lot more than people in N.Ireland! I miss spending time with Stephen and Angelina and hearing their wealth of stories and wisdom gleaned from 20+ years of serving God in Tuum. I missed church 'Tuum-style' on Sunday as the worshipers there sang like they really knew Jesus. I miss being there and seeing our team of young guys start to come alive as they joined in Kingdom building work.

Stephen has a fantastic strap-line he used several times to describe the ministry in Tuum:

'less church, more Jesus.'

I saw reality of that in practice in Tuum. It was messy at times but it was working and it was beautiful.

I will try to update this whilst in Romania. Thanks for your prayers.