The girls had some fun with sparklers this weekend, and I had fun playing around with some long exposure shots. There are a few more on flickr if you want to check them out.
I love our youth group... I mean I really love our youth group! I've watched it grow from just a few young people over the past couple of years in Saintfield. I love Teen Track, Elevate and our d.ship groups, not primarily because of what we do; though I happen to think we do a lot of cool, fun and deep stuff. I love it because I love the young people, and I love that we get to share and do life together both in and outside of these groups. The youth group is extremely important, it's a place to belong, a place to 'be'. Yes it absolutely is a two way street... young people need to be willing to invest in it just as much as I/we need to seek to engage and encourage them to be a part of it. And it is a very special place, and because of that I must confess it breaks my heart that even in our faith community we have a few young people who choose not to engage with it (voluntary participation is a core principle of youth work - not only in terms of chosing to be involved but also having a say in it) so I respect that. But, what are they missing out on? Why is it important? What are the benefits of being part of a 'group'. So I've been pondering the role and significance of the 'youth group'.
I have been reading the excellent ‘Advent Conspiracy: Can Christmas Still Change The World’ and I’ve been pondering the impact of consumerism not just on Christmas but on Christianity, church and youth ministry.
The authors contend that the primary threat to true Christianity in America (and I would add the rest of the western/unreal world) is ‘not liberalism, fundamentalism, Darwinism, secularism, or any other –ism that happens to achieve some level of influence and power.’ It is consumerism. ‘The fastest-growing religion in the world is not Islam or Christianity; the symbol of this rising is not the star and crescent or the cross, but a dollar sign. This expanding belief system is radical consumerism. It promises transcendence, power, pleasure, and fulfilment even as it demands complete devotion’. (Page 21)
It has also had a persuasive and insidious influence on the church.The authors note ‘Consumerism can also poison our relationship with Christ.Jesus becomes a commodity we consume rather than a King who reigns.’ I believe this has particular pertinence to youth ministry, with all the programmes, events, activities and youth ministry stuff we offer to young people.Our students are at risk of being deeply formed by a culture of consumerism and we may even be promoting it.
Newsweek called him a “C.S. Lewis for the 21st century” Dr. Timothy Keller is founder and pastor of New York’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. I had the good pleasure of visiting Redeemer Pres Church back in the summer of '95 and one of the things that impressed me most was Dr Kellers ability to balance deep Biblical teaching and apologetics. Throughout his message he seemed ever mindful of the skeptic, and he was a terrifically engaging speaker.
Now Redeemer Presbyterian Church has opened a free sermon resource. Here is more info from the site: Redeemer’s Sermon Ministry has been faithfully recording, cataloging and reproducing all of our sermons for the past 20 years. To celebrate all 20 years of our history, and to meet the growing demand for our church’s teaching in New York City and around the world, we have created this resource of 150 sermons and lectures covering a broad array of topics, completely free to download and share.
The recordings chosen for the Free Sermon Resource were culled from classic sermon series as well as lectures and seminar addresses delivered to various Redeemer ministry gatherings, and are intended to present to the listener the full scope of teachings they would receive over several years of active involvement at Redeemer.
Starting a new series on the blog: in 'Why I Love This Band' I'll give a short introduction to some of the bands and artists who have provided the soundtrack to my life. First up is 'King's X'.
I must confess that I spent a fair bit of my A Level course drinking coffee. There were a couple of cafe's in Magherafelt where you could find us; one in particular had an 'old-school' juke box and we'd always listen to the Led Zeppelin singles they had loaded in there. Another frequent hang out was my friend Rhys' brothers place. His brother had an impressive record collection (some incredible old blues records) and Rhys loved music too. It was this mutual appreciation for music that initially connected us in friendship and it was Rhys who introduced me to the delights of Rush and Pink Floyd, The Beatles and a band that instantly became one of my favourites: King's X. Now... all of this may well have contributed to the somewhat lacklustre A Level results at the time, but what a musical education I recieved!
My little girl is 7 years old today Woohoo! Happy Birthday! What wide eyed wonder and adventure these past seven years have held. Your Mom and I are so proud of you, we love you so much! You are a gift to me!
May the spirit never leave you May it always be there by your side And I realize That you are a gift to me A song that's free Coming down in time and season From a higher place And higher ways A love that gives no reason
(words: Gift to Me by Martyn Joseph)
(Erin with 'Cupcake & Squeak' her pet guinea pigs)
I was recently asked to give my reflections on youth ministry here in Northern Ireland; the things to celebrate and the challenges to face as youth ministry evolves. It certainly gave me pause for thought as I've pondered just how far we have come and also where we want to be so that our youth ministry lasts for the long haul. I thought it worthy of a blog post.
Things to Celebrate: My journey in youth ministry began with the PCI year team back in 1992. It was a year long youth ministry team (5 of us) serving in various church placements for a period of 8 - 12 weeks, usually to kick start youth ministy. I still think it is one of the most strategic and important programmes our Church has ever implemented; it was certianly a year that changed my life! For almost 20 years now I have witnessed the terrain of youth work and ministry in Ireland change dramatically. To begin with the profile of youth ministry has been raised significantly in a relatively short space of time. This is evident in the sheer number of youth ministry posts that now exist; when I started out there were very few people doing full time youth ministry, now I certainly feel like a veteran when I see how many young men and woman are answering God's call on their lives to minister to youth. Youth ministry used to be viewed as the 'little pond' where people could do time until they were ready for 'real' ministry, thankfully that perception is changing. There is also a growing awareness that the church needs to take more seriously Deut 6 (see v7), Ps 78 and our covenant commitments. There is also the realisation that we are haemorrhaging young people and a sense of urgency to reach and keep young people.
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