Pure reflections [Part 1]

OK, I've started reading again, again about relationships, this time it's 'Pure: sex & relationships God's way' by Linda Marshall [for details on the book click here] both because of a thirst of understanding & also [specifically this book] because Maddie is doing a study, using this as the key text - I feel that it makes sense, so that we can discuss both of our opinions & thoughts on it.

My first reflection has come from an early chapter [Pure: Perfection] where the author has listed commonly held character traits of men & women, by a group of Christian students. It was quite an amusing list, however, there was one which really struck me:

Made to be in realtionship with God.

I'm not completely certain why this is the case, but I think that my thoughts track back to Genesis 1-3 & the creation story [specifically the creation of Man & Woman] - which I am studying in my quiet times at the moment.

Thinking about the reason for God to create man, it should be really quite obvious that we were created for relationship with Him, but I think that this fact can often be missed or forgotten by Christians - could you imagine that revelation hitting the world - that our entire purpose is to be in relationship with God - it's mind-boggling even to contemplate it!

Although I'm yet to really get to the meat of this book, however, I think that hopefully this will not only add to my growing insight into relationships, but also aid my delevopment in my spiritual life & understanding of God.

Right back to it!

Ski Sundae?!

The internet is such a silly place - let's go to Camelot instead!!

Had something highly unusal happen during the middle of the night - a power-out! & it really did suck!! This was mostly because of the '1 or 2' bits of electronic equipment in my room, when the power went down I could tell [all LED's on my wireless router, 1TB HDD, iMac, dock, lamps, speakers went off!] then over the next hour & a half - between 3 - 4:30am the power went on & off about 5 times!!


Each time the power went back on; my iMac [because of power-fail option > system preferences n00bs!], the street lamp outside my window & the security floodlights all burst back into life & work me up - grrrrr!!

all in all, a busy saturday, follow by a bit of a shocker of a night's sleep did not mean a very happy Pikachu first thing this morning! But hey-ho a lie in tommorow morning I feel - I think I need one!!

Fun & Games

Well Saturday was the reunion for the Mid Wessex Junior Week 2 - I was running the games section [uh-oh!], so had to do more prep in the morning & came up with a combination of group/team games & stuff for 'the entertainment of the campers' [embassasing Nate basically!].

This involved some creative thinking so we had:

Getting up - dressing up as something to represent the theme of the tents they had at camp.

iwantoneofthose.com - trying to find everything on a very strange list off items!

Ninja Sleeping Lions - like sleeping lions, but one person then wakes up all of the lions individually & then more, to form a crew & go & scare the last lion!

Finally, but by no means least something which I called.....

Experiment No. 6 - this involved young trying to drink a jug of water....whilst making an angry face & shaking your fist!!

Just to add a bit of competition to the whole affair I got someone else to smile & wave & try drinking the jug of water! I managed to get Ros & Nate in a battle of wits & general stupidity & Nate definitely came off worse lolz. Just for an added [& I must say inspired] comedy effect, I brought along a change off clothes for Nate [I had a feeling he'd spill it everywhere lolz] - full ski-gear :oD

There were of course some rejected ideas; Pope Idol [oh dear!], Backwards [going backwards over an obstacle course] & one which I wanted to play, but didn't Bag Escape [stand, put your hands in your pockets, have a sleeping bag put over your head & then try to escape!].

After the games we had PJ's [a buch of skits] but without the comedy element of PC who was 'too busy with work to come along' [Captain Beakie say's you're on trial next year mate - sorry!!] so Nate stepped in. It went ok, but some of the jokes were a bit sketchy...or was that the idea?!

We also had a good chat from Shani, reminding everyone about what we learned during the sessions at camp this year.

After the campers had gone home [around 6] the whole leadership team got a curry ordered & settled down to silly conversations & much jackass-style antics [blaming no-one G & Nate!!] then food arrived, I picked up Maddie & it was all good clean fun!! We left around 8:30 & I had Ros, Maddie, Hobbit & AJ to drop off home, before rolling in at about 11:30 - ouch!!

How many?!?

Morning bloggers - had a very busy couple of days: friday night we had more than one or two young people turn up for the regular Friday group - 49 to be precise, with 5 junior [i.e under 18] leaders so technically 54 - it was raaaather busy!!

this then created the rather nice 'problem' of having too many young people in the building, but not quite reaching bursting point. It did, however, create rather an organisational headache - what can you do with that many young people?

This does bring up the quantity vs. quality debate & make me ponder how much 'good' work you can do with that many people. So it was all a little head-scratchy, but I'm taking it to both my Boss & Management Committee in a big meeting on Monday night, so watch this space... But in the mean-time some more contemplation & prayer is necessary methinks!

Oh & one more just for luck!!

OK, there's one book, which I've been recommending ever since I read it [yes, that's right I have read at least one book whilst on my degree course!]: The Five Love Languages [Gary Chapman]

Although it is actually written in the context of a married relationship, there are in fact many principles which can be applied to other contexts [i.e. single, those in a relationship or a courtship or even engaged]. However, what has been an intersting reflection [i.e. Wednesday] is how this could affect my perception of God's love. Another reflection is from my reflecting his theory that there are 5 separated 'languages' that people communicate love [Acts of Service, Gifts, Quality Time, Words of Affirmation, & Physical Touch], then thinking about if one [or more] of those is removed - one can feel so negative towards someone who is not 'showing love'.

Intersting reflections & it's definitely worth a read - it's made a difference to my own approach towards love - how I perceive it, as well as how I show it.

Fried-eggs 2

Also visited St Andy's [Witney] to pick up a book, which Maddie is studying & 'accidentally' picked up a couple more as well:



Pure [Linda Marshall, 2005]




Your First 2 Years in Youth Ministry [Doug Fields, 2002]




A New Kind of Youth Ministry [Chris Folmsbee, 2007]

I'll let you know what I think......when I've had a chance to read them!

Fried eggs & ham?

Ok y'all it's Friday [hence the marginally silly title!] & after a bit of a shocker of a night sleep [I still have no idea, but I reckon I'll blame listening hard house - I mean who can sleep with choons blasting!?] I managed to get me ass out of bed & go network with one of teh n00bs [first year CYM students for those not in teh know!] in Costa Coffee [Witney] as I regularly do on a Friday morning. It was good to check where she was in terms of Fieldwork & essays & I helped her think through her most pressing essay & get her to tease out some of the issues about 1 Corinthians 5:5-9

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.

So hopefully Si has actually been of some use today ;oD

We continue....

Random musings

It's rather late at night by all accounts [1.45am & counting], but am still awake, so to occupy this new bout of insomnia, I has been playing with my blogger template, to try make it a little more interesting - so what do you think?! Also have generally been blogging a lot more than usual, which is both strange, but good!!

Am really getting into the concept of not just talking about going to the shops & buying coffee, but reflection & contemplation through writing - & it's a good exercise & discipline to do it regularly. I mean where would we be if the Beeb didn't blog the news?! OK, we'd be without a website, but you take the point I feel!

Anyways, enough musings, finally we havce a random piece of 'why do you still own a PC' advertising from those Apple geekoids - enjoy:

Facebook musings Pt1

This comes from an article Beeb weebsite. Microsoft has invested $240m in Facebook in exchange for a 1.6% share of the company. That puts a monetary value of $15bn (£7.3bn) on my favourite [& most used] social networking website! So why does Microsoft think Facebook is worth $15bn? According to the Beeb's techy guys & financial analysists there are 15 potential reasons, which are as follows:

1. The network has gone viral in the last 12 months, with more than 50 million users worldwide and a user base that is growing faster than great rival MySpace. According to Facebook, it adds 200,000 new users each day.

2. The average user spends 3.5 hours a month on Facebook - more than the average user on rival MySpace - which is increasingly attractive to advertisers.

3. Facebook is the current Web 2.0 darling - popular with ordinary users and "tech heads" alike.

4. US research reveals that Facebook users come from wealthier homes and are more likely to attend college than MySpace users - increasing that attraction for advertisers.

5. Microsoft's investment makes them a serious player in the growing market of "social advertising". Social network profiles are full of personal data that users voluntarily hand over, which is very useful for targeting adverts.

6. Sixty percent of Facebook users are outside of the US - so Microsoft's investment buys access to a global audience quickly and simply.

7. Facebook is the new web: The decision to open up the network to outside developers turned Facebook into a destination for many uses, like messaging, photos and video. Of course, as Facebook is on the web it could never really be the new web.

8. Every major content firm with an online presence is either working on a Facebook application or has already launched one - from Google to the BBC.

9. According to a report, 233 million hours of work are lost each month in the UK due to staff looking at social networks. Advertisers can now target people when at their desks.

10. The openness of Facebook is attracting a wealth of talented developers who can launch their applications to millions of users quickly.

11. Facebook messaging is the new e-mail. Everyone feels stressed from a deluge of e-mail from unwanted people and companies. But Facebook messages are always from friends.

12. Facebook's "status updates" have become the easiest way to let friends know what you are doing and how you are feeling at any given moment.

13. Facebook thrives on playful applications such as Pirates, Zombies, Super Wall and Top Friends, which have made the network a place to play as well as communicate.

14. Facebook is the acceptable face of blogging - you can reflect your life and personality online without being seen as a "blogger", which often carries a geeky stigma.

15. Facebook is worth $15bn only because Microsoft says so. The value of Facebook is based on a 1.6% share of the firm being worth the $240m Microsoft paid for it. Microsoft and Google were in a bidding war for a slice of the firm and both companies have large pockets. This was not just business, this was personal, according to some analysts.

This is a very interesting musing from the Beeb, so I thought I'd share it with those who don't as often frequent the Tech pages of the Beeb as often as myself, but who do spend time on teh Book! I especially like number 14, seeing as I occasionally blog lolz! But it's definitely worth a wee bit of contemplation.

Six out

Funny ha blah!!

oh & one more - just for us emo-lovers!!

Funny ha ha!

I saw this on one of my interweeb surfing & it really made me chuckle!!

Sketchy-Win-Thinkering!!

Well it's Thursday, & am feeling quite the tiredness - I blame the 9am lectures lolz!!

Today we're looking at vision & leadership with Caz. It's coming at a very critical time for me, because I have to write 2 essays this term & the one which I haven't started yet is about my vision for youthwork (essay question).

Am also in a very rad mood, after a sketchy end of yesterday's lectures.

I'd walked back into town to catch a bus & there was a giant queue for the bus back home, so hung out in Borders & got a McBurger Chicken meal. Picked up a new set of Sennheiser cans (cheap ear-muffs lolz!) & another book on culture (An Anthropologic View of Culture) which looks very insightful - especially the chapter on culture as a religion, because of my upcoming dissertation. So I didn't get home till about 7.30 - a very long day methinks!!

Then spent quite a long time on the phone to my girlfriend, after quite a cryptic text message! We chatted about our growing relationship & love & about the bible study series that she'd just begun. It's looking at a book Called 'Pure' by Linda Marshall (which I'm going to buy & read as soon as I can). I compared that (female) approach to relationships, with the book that I had recently finished reading ('Boy Meets Girl' by Joshua Harris). I also brought up the idea of both studying the Word together & discussing it, as an aid to spiritual development & growth in the knowledge of God. I think that this was a very encouraging & developmental discussion & insightful into how our relationship has been going & where it could be going. This was great & left us both positively joyous!

Today I also had luncheon with Sid - it was good to catch up on each others love lives(!) & we did some interesting reflections on the 'Five Love Languages' (Chapman) & the impact of that learning on my relationship with God. Therefore, how does God show each of those five languages:

1) Acts of Service
2) Gifts
3) Quality Time
4) Words of Affirmation
5) Physical Touch

It's good to bring the idea of love back to God & my relationship with Him.

Right enough pondering - back to lectures ;o)

Six

Wednesday blogging.....on a Wednesday ;o)

Had a great start to the day - up early, had an actual quiet time (shock horror!) whilst sat on the bus (my car's (Bubble) exhaust is not in a good way so is at the car-doctor's lolz!) & prayed for PC & other peeps!! Also feeling totally full (& even overflowing) of love for the Mad Eye - I know it seems all lovey-dovey, but tough! It's not just how I think, it's how I feel as well!!

Am now sat in a very bizarre lecture about questionnaires - am in a group with Sid & Ali & asking some very random questions to passers by (1 Do you have a pen? 2 Can I borrow a pen? 3 Do you want your pen back?!)

Good times guys, god times!

Six

Tuesday Blogging.....on a Wednesday!

Had counselling today & it was really insightful - JP got me to use a very interesting technique to explore some very difficult memories. That was rather than just using straight memories, use my (creative) imagination so that the original memories can be added to. Therefore the memories become a maliable media - not just raw.

So one could visit the memory (which was bad) & then say - right if you today was to walk in or disturb the situation in that memory what would you do, as a confident adult youthworker?

This technique was something that (again) I had not even considered using, but you effectively become the 'director' & can change the previously remebered outcome of the memory - to create a happy ending.

However, even though I felt quite positive after the session, I think that it hit me a little later on in the day - as I felt a little sketchy most of the afternoon & evening. Then talked to the Mad Eye & got cheered up - winner!

Smiley-Six out!!

Monday blogging...Pt 2: Musics

Also a new playlist idea - the inevitable 'Choons of the Day' - let's put then in a playlist! So today's was 'Over & Over' by Hot Chip, I'd seen the music video on some music channel & though it was really quite unusual sounding & with a uniquely twisted video - go check it out on Youtube (link)!

I also added some previous highly played tracks & will be updating it as & when new tracks get my attention! OK one more before I sign off - 'But Honestly' by the Foo Fighters - that really blew my mind & it's the sort of rock track that should be played live - there's so much that could be tweaked - would be just awesome (iTunes link).

Six

Monday blogging on a Wednesday:

Had a good day off, met up with Jen for coffee at Costa - it went ok. Then hung out with Captain Bear & played PGR4 & Halo 3 (on CO-OP & on legendary mode) - which made the whole thing much more challenging & fun - we might have accidentally kept on going till 2.45am - oooops!!

Six out

Busy busy busy!!

Had a great week - started my relationship with my (now girlfriend) Mad Eye. In definitely not a romanticalistic (is that a word?!) I wrote her a song, put it in a card & it was quite sweet, at the end I told her I was going to ask her a question.....which is where I asked her if she wanted to go out with me......

.......& she did - win!!!

Also had good conversations with the Hobbit on the Wednesday - a very reciprical dialogue about life, love & putting the world to rights lolz & generally building up each other & praying for each other - win win!!

Managed to see Mad Eye on the Monday & the Thursday which was rad, then she was in Abingdon at the weekend so saw her on ummm Friday, Saturday & Sunday lolz! Spending some quality time was great & just really made me feel all loved up - awwwww!!

Oh & on Saturday I got some very rad Vans replacement - black Puma's with 4 pairs of laces (yes I said 4!) green, blue, purple & orange - insane but proper rad! & Hung out with Doodley in the evening - sillyness & conversation - winner!

Six signing off!!