It’s oh so quiet

It’s all mad, after a few weeks total non-stop I’m now able to take it a bit easier this week, much needed rest really before getting into all the summer stuff. Saying that it is holiday club week so there is a bit going on, but i don’t feel all that inspired to write much at the moment hence it being quite around here, please bare with me and normal service will resume soon!

I gotta get outa here!

I’m really excited, I’ve just taken my first booking for an escape. In early August I will be doing it for a family evening event at the end of a holiday club and talking about how Christ can set us free. After the escape (and the rest of the stuff they are doing as the final session) there will be a BBQ where I will be doing a bit of a Jester bit with a few close up tricks for people and also balloon models. I’ll let you know how it all goes and post pictures (assuming I get some) after the event!

High Speed

Derek (Friend from back home in Norfolk) came to stay for the night one his way to a race in South Wales this weekend, the boys just had to get their pictures in the car!



Click here if you want to read all about Derek’s experiences in his first year of racing.

Idea borrowed from Marko

Marko of YS fame often has a Jesus Junk of the month award, as far as I can recall I don’t think this one has ever been on there but I’m sure it would qualify!

Fat & Frantic 5 - How Cool is this?

Welcome Tuff to the blog, yes after my most popular posts in the past being about Fat & Frantic one of the band has found it and joined the discussion and I can now reveal there is even the possibility of FAFs music becoming available on itunes which is so exciting (I’m not quite sure why I am so excited as I think I have most of it) we will now be able to get hold of these fantastic tunes again, replace lost or damaged recordings and introduce so many more people to the music that has so enriched our lives. This is the music that started off my passion for red telephone boxes (which now means I have a collection of over 60 models and have even been known (in my younger years) with a friend to serenade a phone box, this got the attention of the people in the restraint opposite I can tell you).
This is great news Tuff, thanks for bringing it to us and please do keep us informed of any progress.

PS. If all goes to plan there should be a ‘filled under’ just below here which means that you should from now on be able to find posts on certain subjects a bit easier, including previous Fat & Frantic ones.
Sorry i've been trying to get this to work but not there yet!

Yellow Braces

A great weekend was had by all (at least I think all, obviously I can only really speak for myself!) at Yellow Braces, a diocesan run youth retreat. My job was speaker, scary the first time I have had to prepare more than one talk in advance of something and then deliver them in short space of time, but I loved it also got to use my new toy for the first time!

(There was supposed to be a picture here that is hosted on Flicker (I’ve finally uploaded some pictures (3 so far) after having an account for the last few months!) but I could not get it to display, anyone know anything about linking to pictures on flicker please let me know what’s gone wrong. You can see the three pictures here.)
Update – huge thank you to Easyrew from Reluctant Souls for helping solve this one!

The weekend went really well, worship was Fantastic, the talks were……. (fill in the blank if you were there) the whole experience and feel of the thing was exciting, God was there doing his stuff and he was really felt by many. Please pray for the 60 or so young people that as they go back to everyday life the experience of the weekend will still be working in their lives.
Also see http://www.youthblog.org/ as DYA and the man in charge for his thoughts on the event!

Just checking in

I have too apologise that I have not written for over a week, last week was just crazy, I had plenty to write about but just no time to do it, this week isn’t looking much better I’m afraid, that’s partly why I’m writing now as I may not manage it again this week. A couple of highlights from last week:-
Wednesday I had a quite day, something I don’t do anywhere near often enough, got the bike out pumped the tyres and dusted off the cobwebs, rode up onto white horse hill (well I actually walked up the hill, it’s very steep and this was the first time the bike had been out since last year!) from here I could see much of the deanery so a great place to go and pray about vision for my ministry, spent several hours on the hill reading my bible, praying writing stuff down (and a little bit of sleeping!) I then got back on the bike and rode round a few of the villages I work in, a great day that left me feeling spiritually refreshed (although I think I need to do more) and very unfit!
Thursday We had Bishop Stephen (Bishop of Reading) in the Deanery, at lunch time he came on the bus at the secondary school, it was great to have him come and see the work we are doing and chat with some of the young people, I hope he enjoyed the visit as much as we did!

This week has several meetings but I shall also be finishing off my prep for Yellow Braces, youth retreat this weekend at which I am speaking, really looking forward to it as this will be my first time at YB, please pray for the weekend that we all have a good safe time and we all (young people and leaders) get to meet with God.