I am in the process of reviewing what we as a Church offer our young people…we have loads of different organisations and a fantastic group of leaders who put in a lot of work and effort each week to make them happen but the main thing i want to ask is…are we helping these young people to grow in the things of God…are we giving them opportunities to learn about Him, to experience Him, to be changed and transformed by Him…or are we simply going through the motions…showing them a form of Christianity that doesn’t involve experiencing God’s power but provides them with something to do until they are 16/17 when they will walk away from church saying…”i tried that but it didn’t work!!”

I think we can sometimes be to focused on programs and events which are good and i think there is a place for these but not when they take priority over meeting the needs the young people we are working with…sometimes we treat young people as a group rather than seeing them as individuals who are all on a journey of working out who God is and what it means to follow Jesus…so i wonder if we need to spend more time listening to them rather than talking to them…having more discussion rather than lectures…spending more time finding out their interests/passions and looking for ways to help them develop those…asking them what they struggle with and helping support them through these…providing opportunities for them to ask questions/express doubts!

Ok, so my last attempted comeback failed miserably but will have another go!  Not sure why i shud blog really, sumtimes i think i only do it cos lots of other people do…it seems like a strange form of communication, u write a message…then post it…sumtimes people comment and sumtimes they dont…but yet every1 seems 2 love it!!

So a lot has changed since June 08 but yet a lot is still the same…2009 def seems 2 b the year of weddings…think i’ve 11 in total…it all seems like a very grown up thing 2 do and even my wee sister is talkin about buyin houses and settlin down…sumtimes i wonder if im missin sumthin…the thought of bein in a relationship is def appealin and the thought of sharing live together with someone special is quality but at the same time proper relationships are hard work and require time and effort in order to make them work plus i quite enjoy my freedom and independence…i love bein able 2 plan summer activities without worryin if that suits my “other half”, i love havin time 2 spend with the young people in church, i love playin sport etc…so i guess 4 me its “single till i die” (though would always be open to a better offer)

Ok, so having been resting since August i feel in order to justify having a blog i need to write something.  In fact it had been so long that i had actually forgotten what my password was.  Anyhow this is me returning to blogland…in usual matthew style i will probably post a few comments over the space of a month or 2 and then disappear again but sure we will see how it goes…its good to be back!!

Another week…another camp!!

This summer i’ve had the immense privilege of being involved in various teams across Ireland and also venturing to the far away land of Peru.  Each experience has been special and filled with God-stuff as He has taken me on a journey allowing me to be part of what He is doing in this nation and beyond!

However…i must confess to being a bit drained…i have absolutely loved it all and it has been fantastic but right now im exhausted…several people have told me to get sum rest but if im honest im not really sure wot that looks like!

Rest is something i’ve always struggled with…i am by nature an “active” person so the thought of resting is sumthin of a foreign concept…sumtimes when i try to chill out or relax i end up feeling guilty and think of lots of things that i should be doing or people i should be visiting!  So what does rest actually look like?!!…does it mean not doing anything at all or can i rest while still being active, can i rest and still play football?!!  Is watching tv a good way to rest or should i spend my “rest” time reading my bible, praying and listening to sermons?!!

Lots of questions with very few answers…but one thing i am sure of is…i have a God who “makes me lie down in green pastures“, who “leads me beside still waters” and who “restores my soul“ 

Lord, in the midst of my busy life, teach me how to rest…lead me to the green pastures and the still waters so that my soul may be restored.

Just spent the last week being involved in a project in Ballymena called Spark 07.

Each morning about 170 young people gathered together for worship and teaching before being sent out to 7 different areas within Ballymena to practically serve the people.

It was an amazing week with God doing immeasurably more than we could ever have dreamed of…He took our small offering and used it to impact the lives of both the young people involved and also the people we encountered in the community.

At various stages during this week I had this overwhelming sense that we were part of something so much bigger than ourselves…that there was so much more going on than we could even see…God was playing out His story for Ballymena and we had the immense privilege of playing a very small part in all that…amazing…God is good!

I was also struck by the atmosphere at the thanksgiving service on Sunday night…there was a real buzz about the place…something I’d only ever experienced coming away from a football match or a concert…never in a church!  People were sharing stories about what God had done…how He had used them…the place was full of joy!

So I started thinking…should this not be a more regular feature of church…each Sunday should we not be sharing more stories of what God has been doing in our lives the previous week…should we not be encouraging each other to go out and serve in our schools/workplace/communities/families etc expecting to see God do stuff in and through us…or do we have to settle for simply going into church, passively taking in the service and then going home for our sunday lunch…unchanged and uninspired!

Last week i was hanging out with a family…the pattersons…neal, tricia and their 3 wonderful children eve, anna & baby daniel

I spent a few hours playing fun games with the kids while chatting to neal & tricia about various things…then as i was leaving neal said sumthin which has really stuck with me

“thank you for your time”

It got me thinking…i sometimes wonder what ways i can show people that i appreciate them and care for them…i love finding things that “they would love to have” or “really need”

However…could it be that the best gift we can actually give to people isnt something which we purchase for them…but actually be us…ourselves as we give them our time simply to be with them…to share stories…to laugh together…to cry together…to eat together…to play together!

Time

…a precious gift to give

…a precious gift to receive

…too precious to waste!

I’ve entered the world that is blogging

some thoughts will be added in time