Well now the sun decides to show itself!! Despite the mud and rain it was a fantastic week. There were about 1500 people there. God shared his heart with us early on during the week that he wanted to bless us and show us his goodness. The week was marked by God’s goodness and covenant - even to the bright rainbow we saw on the way home.

I managed to spend some time in the youth meetings and I think my favourite moment has to be the dancing evening where we all went to the front and had a ’sweat out’. It was full of such energy and noise as the youth (and me) chanted, danced, shouted, praised and moshed together. It was great.

We had a heap offering on the Wednesday night and the total came to £106,000. It is fantastic to be with such a generous and real people.

What was your best bit??

July 30: Psa 27:7-30:5; Acts 23:11-35
July 31: Psa 30:6-31:24; Acts 24
Aug. 1: Psa 32:1-34:7; Acts 25
Aug. 2: Psa 34:8-35:28; Acts 26:1-14
Aug. 3: Psa 36:1-37:22; Acts 26:15-27:8
Aug. 4: Psa 37:23-38:22; Acts 27:9-36
Aug. 5: Psa 39:1-41:3; Acts 27:37-28:10

Well I’m all packed up and ready to go. It is time for a camping trip in Staffordshire, where it is always sunny!! We will have a great week and I’ll be back next week with some photo’s and to chat about some of the things I/we have learnt. Until then cheeribye.

‘There is no such thing as fun for the whole family; there are no massage parlours with ice cream and free jewellry.’

Jerry Seinfeld

Ok here is the great song I said will be my youth work theme song - I prefer Ronan Keating singing but this is the best video. Get over your song snobbery and give it a go. The words are below on the blog entry for the 22nd June. It always brings a lump to my throat.

Before you think that you will spend all summer holidays sitting in front of that tv screen in the corner of your room here is a sober thought:

‘Watching  television could seriously impede a child’s chances of success in life. Researchers in the US have discovered that 14 year olds who watch three hours of TV a day are twice as likely not to go to university as those that just watch one hour daily. Dr Jeffery Johnson, who led the research atg Columbia University, believes that tv makes children intellectually lazy, so that they find less passive tasks - such as reading- difficult and boring. …It is very understandable that , if youths spend more of their free time watching TV ..rather than reading, doing homework and having owther valusable learning experiences, the developmetn of their cognitive skills may be inhibited.’

May 07 The Week

July 16: Job 33:23-36:16; Acts 15:22-41
July 17: Job 36:17-38:41; Acts 16:1-18
July 18: Job 39:1-41:23; Acts 16:19-40
July 19: Job 41:24-Psa 2; Acts 17:1-9
July 20: Psa 3-5; Acts 17:10-34
July 21: Psa 6:1-8:2; Acts 18
July 22: Psa 8:3-10:4; Acts 19:1-20

Read this healing in India and expect that God will do things like this wherever you live!!

The North Face have devised a pair of pants which, it claims, will stay fresh for days at a time. The knickers have tiny fragments of silver, which it is said to stop bacteria from multiplying sewn into the fabric. This should help the pants resist odours as well as fungal growth.

This could be especially useful for those of you who do not change your underwear all week, or for those who have a mountain of dirty washing under their beds and can never find anything clean.

As one of my previous youths said “When my underpants are dirty I just turn them round and wear the clean side”. Unfortunately this only works once.

2 Chronicles 16:9 The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

If we are fully committed to God he is always looking for ways in which to help and strengthen us. He does not want us to become weak and lose heart, but his desire for us is that we grow strong and do amazing things. Whenever you dare to do something for God he is cheering and whistling from heaven because you are putting the strength he has given you into action. When you feel weaker his strong arm is ready to help you. I always remember being amazed when I was tiny how thick my dad’s arm was and how big his hands were. Well God has bigger biceps and stronger hands than even your dad!! Don’t ever tell yourself that you can not do it - God gives you all the strength you need to suceed.

This is for those who do not eat breakfast in the morning!!!

They are heavily promoted as the healthy alternative to a traditional breakfast, and now research has shown that whole-grain cereals really are good for the heart. People who eat muesli, Wheetabix or Shredded Wheat seven or more times a week have a 28% lower risk of suffering form heart failure. The findings come from the physicians Health Study in the US a 25 year project tracking the lives of 10,000 doctors.

 You have workmen in abundance: hewers, workers of stone and timber, and all kinds of craftsmen without number, skillful in doing every kind of work with gold, silver, bronze and iron. So arise and be doing and the Lord be with you!

1 Chronicles 22:15&16 (AMP)

This verse reminded me of the things Sara Cosgrove shared and the recent youth event a few Mondays ago. On this youth night we invited people who served the church in different areas to come and chat to the youth. There were the main peeps in children’s work, money stuff, music and worship, heart of the house (making sure the party goes great every Sunday) and an elder.

Anyway, Sara was talking about the reward you get when you serve. She said that she remembered a song from the 80’s that went ‘I want to build with silver and gold in my generation. I want to give my life for something that will last forever.’ Some nights she would come home after a hard evenings work and say that was a gold and silver night knowing that the work she had done was a heavenly work and would last forever. The knowledge that hearts had been changed and the kingdom had been brought closer because of the things she had done was one of the rewards to all her hard serving.

It isn’t enough to make ourselves busy. We need to know that we are doing God’s will. Even Jesus said that he did nothing except that which was the will of his father. (For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me John 6:38). We need to know what is on God’s heart for us to do, throw ourselves into that wholehearted and know that we have build with silver and gold in our generation.

July 9: Job 12:13-15:16; Acts 12:1-10
July 10: Job 15:17-18:21; Acts 12:11-13:12
July 11: Job 19:1-21:16; Acts 13:13-31
July 12: Job 21:17-24:12; Acts 13:32-52
July 13: Job 24:13-28:11; Acts 14:1-18
July 14: Job 28:12-31:12; Acts 14:19-28
July 15: Job 31:13-33:22; Acts 15:1-21

Did you here in the news about the girl who is wearing a silver ring to promise to herself that she will save herself for her husband has been told she can not wear it.

read this and tell me what you think: Click on the ring

Trevor spoke of the teruah and I found one in action. A real action story in two verses!!

2 Chronicles 13:14

When Judah looked, behold, the battle was before and behind; and they cried to the Lord, and the priests blew the trumpets. Then the men of Judah gave a shout; and as they shouted, God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

The enemies have ambushed them from behind and Judah is in real trouble. Ever get one of those days when which ever way you turn trouble seems to come. Enemies are around every corner. Well these people didn’t rely on their own strength to beat them - they cried out to God. But notice that God didn’t move in the crying out in desperation. He waited until the trumpets had blasted and the people had shouted. He waited until his people had announced his kingly arrival, until his authority had been proclaimed. He waited until his power and glory had been anounced - and then came. Boy did he come and beat them all (smote is a pretty cool word here!)

When things seems hard and insurpassable don’t use your mouth to utter words of dispair and hopelessness. Use every breath you have to announce God’s greatness and faithfullness. Blast with your trumpet a noise of God’s power and glory. Shout with all your might and proclaim his kingship and authority. Then wait and watch to see him take his kingly place in your life and smite your enemies because of your teruah!!