Red Sky

This morning, there was a beautiful red sunrise as I was coming into the office. As the old saying goes "red sky in the morning, sailors take warning." And with the second storm of the year set to hit us today, it seems to still be true today. Many people will have read this sign in the sky (or will have seen the weather forecast) and know some preparation is needed to keep themselves and their homes safe.

Advent is a time for us to prepare to remember Jesus` first appearance. Just as we can read the weather from the colour of the sky, we can read the coming season of Christmas  from this time of advent.

All around us the message is loud and clear. We see it in the decorations, the lights, the advent calendars, the carols, everywhere you look! Christmas is coming!

But how are you preparing yourself for the season, as many right now will be preparing for the storm? Have you read the signs that point to the true meaning of Christmas?

Or are you preparing for the gifts, fun, and family time that, for so many, is all Christmas is about?

To try and help my own preparation for Christmas, and maybe to help you too, I aim to post regularly to this blog over the next few weeks with some thoughts.

Stay tuned.

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No More Blurred Lines

I’ve been debating writing this post for a long time.

I try to keep this blog clear of my more ‘feminist’ views as when I get on that soap-box, I find it difficult to get off. And most of the time it is irrelevant to what I want to say or share through this blog.

But I can’t stay silent about this song. Because I care about the young people within the Anglia division, and throughout the whole country and world, that have been exposed to this song without maybe realising the message or culture it promotes; who sing along to the catchy tune and haven’t though about what it says.

‘Blurred Lines’ by Robin Thicke is misogynistic and promotes the victim blaming, rape culture we live in. It promotes the view that women are commodities for men to use and abuse as they like because they are ‘good girls’ who ‘want it’.

There. I said it.

Numerous University Student Union bars have already banned the song because of its content. But it still concerns me how I can turn the radio on at any time of day and hear how when a girl says ‘no’, she means ‘yes’, and that it is acceptable for men to pursue women in this way. I’ll admit, the lyrics aren’t as explicit as all that, and many critics of this view of the song say Thicke is actually putting the ball in the woman’s court, you have to really delve into the lyrics to pull out that meaning. The surface message, and most listeners will never get past that level, encourages victim blaming, ‘lad’ culture, and rape culture.

If you think this is something Christians shouldn’t be standing against, then I am concerned about your theology too. This song could encourage the oppression of women, violence and rape. You may think I’m being extreme, but music is a reflection of culture. If this wasn’t a current, cultural issue, then the song wouldn’t exist.

Our culture is full of cases where women won’t go to the police when raped because of being blamed for their own rape. Questions about what they were wearing, how they acted, etc. make them ashamed of what happened. Even when they have been completely sober, completely covered by clothes, and just walking down a street, victims are blamed for their attack and assumed to be the cause of it in some way.

Our culture has adverts in the back of local newspapers for sex chat lines and ‘massage parlours’ that are often fronts for human sex trafficking. I admit that not all sex workers are trafficked or kept there against their will, but human trafficking for the sex industry is very much a reality.

More than 800,000 men, women and children are trafficked every year.

77% are women.

87% of trafficked victims are sexually exploited.

This is a serious and growing concern that The Salvation Army is working hard to combat. More information and resources to join this fight can be found using the links at the end of this post.

The Bible is very clear that there are no ‘Blurred Lines’ regarding sex and relationships. Sex is reserved for marriage; a loving and committed relationship between a man and a woman that God has brought together. It is to be about sharing and expressing love, and not about who has control or who ‘wants it’. Its not about being ‘domesticated’ or what you wear.

I could go on for a long time about the song, it’s meaning, and why it is not something we should promote or encourage. But I feel have achieved what I aimed to in this post; raise awareness of the meaning and that as Christians it is not something we should be consuming.

Our culture is filled with negative ideas about sex, love and relationships. ‘Blurred Lines’ is not the first and, unfortunately, it won’t be the last.

I encourage you to think about what you listen to, watch, and read. Is this something that promotes the Kingdom of God, or the negative ideals of the world? What we consume will eventually change the way we act, think and speak.

“What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

Mark 7:20 – 23

The Salvation Army's 'Cut It Out' Campaign - alove.salvationarmy.org.uk/cut-it-out-0

Stop the Traffik - www.stopthetraffik.org

Community Living



Me in the Big Top



I’ve just got back from spending 5 days in Shepton Mallet at Momentum. Momentum is a Christian festival for those in their 20’s and 30’s and run by Soul Survivor. Thousands of 20 and 30 somethings gathered for worship, teaching, ministry, seminars, and social activities, and God met with us incredibly.

I’ve attended the Soul Survivor events before as a youth leader, but this was my first time at Momentum. It was fantastic to go and be able to soak in God at the end of what has been a great 13 months in role.

The theme that kept rising to the surface during the week was about doing life as a community. For many years, the culture we live in has focussed on individualistic needs.

Life is all about what I want. What I need. What others can do for me.

And the more we engage with social networking sites, plug in our headphones, and play on our phones, we are becoming more and more disengaged from the depth and benefits of good friendships and communities.

More and more people feel lonely, while according to their facebook they have hundreds of friends!

I’ve experienced this loneliness. Moving away to a new city where I knew no one left me feeling lonely for a long time.

My main support and community was still up north.

Fortunately, I have since found a good group of friends (who I went to Momentum with).

But life gets hard when you don’t have that community around you. And our corps/churches are the first place we should find this community. God’s plan is for us to be in community. God himself is even in community! If its good enough for God, it’s good enough for us! And it’s a command of Jesus:

34 “I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other as I have loved you. 35 All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other.”John 13:34-35 (NCV)

The Bible is full of verses about how we can love one another and the importance of building community. Just type ‘Bible verse’ and ‘community’ into google and see the results!
But how do we build community? What if our churches aren’t places we feel supported, but a place where no one truly knows us and we feel lonely?

Start by getting to know people in the congregation! Do you go out of your way to ask people in the corps how they are, and truly want to know? Do you know what their concerns are? What good things have happened recently? By starting conversations and taking genuine interest in each others lives we begin to build community. To all the young people that read this blog, if you don’t feel comfortable speaking to the adults just yet, start with each other! You may be surprised how much you discover about each other! Why not start by spending a few minutes at the start of your group by asking what you can pray for in each others lives, or what the best thing of their week has been?

As well as community in our churches, it’s good to develop support and community outside those places. The groups and clubs we attend are often crying out for a greater sense of community. Everyone can come and meet each week, but all we do and talk about is the activity we’re engaged in. We can attend for months, years even, without knowing what is happening in the person’s life who sits next to you. And they can know just as little about us! We can’t expect community to develop on its own.

Someone has to start.

By taking the first steps, engaging people in conversation that goes beyond the mundane, we can develop community. Or how about organising some time with the group outside the normal time?

And remember to pray. Through praying for our corps and other groups we are a part of, for the people within them, for the things they share with us when we engage them in conversation, we will start to develop community.

Submerge: Go Deeper (EMASS 2013)

Another EMASS (East Midlands & Anglia Summer School) has come and passed! And once again the week was packed full of fun, fellowship, and worship. Our theme this year was ‘Submerge: Go Deeper’, so there was a lot of water games, water bombs, and water-y teaching. Want to know more? Well keep on reading for the highlights!

Sunday – The sun shone once again over registration as students arrived, unpacked, auditioned and said hello to old friends. Once everyone was registered, the school gathered for the welcome meeting.

In the evening, we were privileged to welcome the new Territorial Youth Secretary, Mike Lloyd-Jones, to the school who set us up for the week and shared something or his hopes for his time as TYS.

The teaching focus for Monday was on Jesus inviting us to share in the life-giving water he offers, and how once we accept this invitation, we will have a more vibrant life. Students were given the opportunity to accept this invitation by filling in some party invites and returning them to the front of the hall as their ‘rsvp’.

Monday evening was Games Night! All the games took on a water-y theme, and had bonus points available for completing extra tasks, such as ‘sing a song about fishing while completing the game’, or ‘sing the theme from the dambusters’. Games included; breath holding; water bomb throwing (without breaking), and flappy fish.

Tuesday saw the return of the Sports Day. Five teams ran, threw, and jumped their way through a number of races to compete for the title of ‘EMASS Champions 2013’.

Tuesday also saw a new addition to the EMASS timetable – Water fight! Students and staff were kitted out with water pistols, sponges, and water bombs for an intense, 30 minute battle! Fighting was fierce and no one was safe! Within a few minutes, everyone was soaked to the bone, but that didn’t stop them! Chaos erupted, and eventually even big, black bins were filled with water and tipped over staff. Although dripping wet by the end, everyone helped clear up quickly and all were soon on their way back to their houses to shower and warm up.

On Wednesday evening, parents and friends were invited to join us for an evening with Steve Price, illusionist. The crowd ‘ooh-ed’ and ‘awh-ed’ in wonder at his tricks, and Steve shared about his faith. More information on Steve Price can be found on his website at www.stevepriceillusions.co.uk/

The morning teaching focussed on why, as Christians, we should serve others, and what our motivation should be. Students were encouraged to think what small actions they could take to serve others when they were at home in their ordinary lives.

Thursday featured the annual EMASS talent night. While a fewer number of performances than in previous years took part, the quality was just as spectacular! Acts included; a vocal quartet, a duet, pea shooting, a Busted tribute act, worship band, and a special staff item. Plus a rousing rendition of ‘Lean forward, lean backward’ by the crowd between acts.

The teaching focused on how Jesus can bring healing to our lives and gave students the opportunity to receive prayer for this.

Friday – Students were encouraged to think about finding time to ‘Soak’ in God outside of events like summer school so they could keep their enthusiasm high and spiritual needs in check. The teaching showed how taking this time is necessary, otherwise they can not share with others what they don’t have themselves.

The Big Night In theme was ‘Titanic’, and at least four ships turned up! There were also scuba divers, a number of Jack Dawsons’, a string ensemble, a penguin, plus many more fantastic costumes!

All too soon, Saturday came around. The worship offered a chance for students and staff to share testimonies about the week; what God had been saying and doing in their lives. It was a huge encouragement to see their responses.

The final celebration went off with a bang! The school started with a flash mob, and the rest of the evening showcased the amazing week we had shared together.

Did you come to EMASS? What were your highlights?

Meeting with Royalty

On Monday morning, the world woke to the news that the Duchess of Cambridge had gone into labour. The long awaited royal baby was on its way! The world’s media had been gathering outside the hospital for days waiting for the moment when we would learn whether a prince or princess had been born.

I’m not a big royalist, and I was a little frustrated after 2+ hours of news coverage once the prince was born. And then there was the waiting for him to be named, and first pictures, and I really was rather sick of it all be the middle of the week.

But I can understand the excitement, even if I don’t share in it. There is anticipation for the future of the British monarchy, and it spills forth into all the publicity and excitement we see. The line is secure, and the Royal family is set to continue for a number of generations still. A future king has been born, and that’s exciting!

The Royal family is a strange topic for a blog post, I’ll admit, but next week, 50 young people will be gathering for the East Midlands and Anglia Summer School (EMASS) to spend some quality time with the King of Kings, and that’s what’s exciting for me!

Whenever we come before Jesus, our hearts should be full of anticipation and excitement. We’re meeting with the King!

I know that sometimes when I come before God, I can feel like it’s a chore, or my mind is on all the other stuff I need to get done. I’m distracted and easily taken away from the moment and what God wants to say to me.

But if I was to meet the Queen, or the new Prince, I wouldn’t feel it was a chore. I would be focussed, wholly dedicated to what they were saying. I wouldn’t just get up and leave before they were finished. I would feel privileged and blessed to have met them.

Why don’t we feel that way when we come before God?

As I said, next week is going to be spent at EMASS, and I’m full of anticipation for what God is going to do there. While I could let myself be distracted and worried by all the ‘important things’ that need to be done (don’t worry, they will be done!), I don’t want to let them get in the way of those moments with God, the King of Kings. I want to spend time listening to him and being blessed, and seeing him speak to and bless the young people who are coming.

So if you’re coming to summer school, I hope you share in my anticipation for all God is going to do.

How often do you think of the times we meet with God as coming before the King of Kings?

How would that change the way you worship him?

How would it change the way you pray?

Time flies

I can’t believe it – I’ve been here over year now! And what a year! I wanted to take some time reflecting on all the stuff that’s happened, what God’s been saying, and what I hope for the future!

Firstly, let’s start by looking back on all the Divisional activities that have happened.

When I first arrived here, I had about six weeks to prepare for my first ever summer school! Looking back, I’ve no idea how I did it, but at the time I loved every second of those few weeks as I learnt to swim in the deep end. I had only ever been to one summer school as a student, and never been on staff, so it was a real learning curve! The week itself was fantastic – the best start to a job anyone could wish for! – and helped me settle in. If you want to hear more about the week, you can find the review here.

In some ways, starting with such a high left me a little down for the following few months, but I worked through it and got out and about to meet young people, youth leaders, and Corps Officers around the division. I also spent time preparing for the youth worship event in November (Boundless: The Adventure Continues) which gave another good opportunity to meet people, and re-launch the Anglia Youth Chorus!

In the run up to the New Year, I spent time praying for this year and the young people within the division. It was a great time, and I felt God was really encouraging us to be courageous this year. And this challenge has not left me. I often find myself being reminded about this message and finding situations that require me to be courageous in my personal life, spiritual life, and decisions for the division. Again, if you want to read more about the challenge, you can find the blog post here.

Soon enough, Youth Councils arrived. The day was spent thinking about Holiness and the ALOVE theme for the year – ‘…. Water’. More about what we did can be read here.

And now, I find myself once again in the run up to the East Midlands and Anglia Summer School (EMASS). We’re just over 2 weeks away (it’s earlier this year), and I’m experiencing the same feelings of excitement and nerves as last year! This year, our focus is on going deeper into our discipleship through exploring the passages in the Bible about Jesus and water (spot the theme yet?). It’s going to be a great week, so if you’re coming, get excited! If you’re not coming, then keep an eye out for the review post in the weeks following EMASS. You could also join us on the Wednesday night (31^st July) for an evening of illusion with Steve Price (£2) or for the Final Celebration on Saturday night (3^rd August, £5). Please message me for more details.

Now for the coming year and beyond – what do I hope? Where do I see things going? I want to develop the discipleship of young people within the division and encourage the leadership skills within them. I want to see every young person in the division come to have a full and deep relationship with God; reaching their God-given potential and following his will for their lives. I want young people to become more involved and invested in the running and organising of divisional events. In short, I have the same vision as I did 12 months ago, and I continue to trust in God that his will is best, and I will do my best to follow his path.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

The Condition of the Court

It will come as no surprise, I’m sure, that we are half way through Wimbledon fortnight. Now, I’m not a big tennis fan, and Wimbledon fortnight is something that I only really acknowledge due to the change in the TV schedule, but I did notice the news about players slipping and injuring themselves due to the condition of the courts. Many of the great names complained and withdrew from the competition because of this, including Sharapova, Federer, and Tsonga.

 

While some players are blaming the courts, the officials say they are in almost identical condition to last year and that the courts always gain grip throughout the competition. Andy Murray has been quoted as saying it’s a surprise this hasn’t happened before and that it is a statistical anomaly that the big names have got through to the later rounds for so long. Other players already had injuries that they were recovering from, or there were other issues than purely the condition of the court. As I’ve already said, I’m not a big tennis fan and so I can’t really comment on the how these various factors can contribute to slips and falls in a tennis match, but the reactions of some of the big names has caused me to pause and consider.

In life, we all experience highs and lows. Just as the big names of tennis have gotten through to the latter stages of Wimbledon for a number of years, often the good times can last a long time. It becomes a normal occurrence. Then, when things the tough times come back, when we start slipping and falling more than usual, we often blame the surroundings, or the most obvious reason for our failure – ‘The court is not up to standard’. When the tennis stars started slipping, it was the courts fault. Many did not look to other reasons. It was the courts fault they were not doing as well as normal. Not theirs. 

Since leaving the competition, I don’t know if the stars have looked at the other possibilities for their slips, but the officials and experts have, and found other possibilities for the anomaly. Often, we need to step back from the immediate situation, and explore the other possibilities, or we need to invite someone else into our life to help us identify what may be the underlying causes of our troubles. Maybe it is our ego that is clouding our judgement on the situation, so we lash out at everything else, and inviting someone we trust to help us can offer us a fresh perspective on what is really going on.

The most important thing we should remember, however, is that God is there throughout, helping and supporting us, in both the good time and the bad.

So don’t blame the condition of your court of life; stop and reflect on the other possible causes. Ask God to help you discern the cause, and He will be with you through it all.