Shorter posts

from now on I will try to keep my posts shorter. Why? Because I've been accused of rambling on too much. So I'll try.

On a side note I have now posted more times this month than any other month since I started this blog... it's a good sign.

Lest we Forget

Christmas can be a very stressful and emotional time for a lot of people

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Luke 2:10-14

Whenever this season seems to be getting extra crazy I like to take a little time out and meditate on this passage.simple. beautiful.

Never fails to bring me back to what really matters

Merry Christmas everyone!

Concert update

Our concert last Friday raised over $1500 for cyclone relief in Bangladesh. That's pretty cool. Unspoken were awesome as always. They're a great band but more important than that they're a great bunch of guys. They're a pleasure to work with; humble, fun, passionate and inspiring. As Mike said during the night "it's not about all this" (gesturing to the band/stage etc.) "It's about Him." That's why they're being blessed, that's why people are blessed by their ministry. It's not about them, it's about HIM. God is at the heart of all they do. So this is a big thank you to Unspoken. If you ever need a band to perform or lead worship give these guys a call. heres the url again: http://www.itwasyou.com/ check em out.

Oh, and a HUGE thank you to my wife! She was a rock. Took care of a whole bunch of little details (and some not so little) the night would bnot have gone so well without her (and I would have been a LOT more stressed!)

And, of course, Thank you to everyone who helped out on the night. particularly the Youth who once again stepped up and did themselves proud. Good job, well done and thank you all.

Thoughts in the storm

Looks like a storm hit my desk at the moment. And that's before you look in the draws and see how this last 2 monthes my idea of tidying has been to shove all non-essential stuff into a draw or any available space where it won't be seen. This last week i've given up any pretense of tidiness or organisation. Organised chaos? nope. just chaos. Doug Fields, in his excellent book 'What Matters Most?' suggests that excess clutter can be a symtptom of a life spiralling into excess busyness. Sounds about right Doug! So I'm working on it. I don't want to be lurching from event to event, project to project. I want to do youth ministry. I want to spend time withj youth, I want to mentor,, teach, lead, serve. I'm not an adminstrator yet I seem to spend an inordinate amount of my time administrating. innefficient. Jesus didn't work this way, he always found balance, he was in control.

ok, I have work to do. our concert is tonight, I'm looking foreward to it, i'm excited about it but there's a big part of me that will be happy when it's all over and i can relax... at least for a few moments then it's on to the next thing.

This is why I'm going to spend at least one day of my week off here in my office tidying, sorting and organising. Doesn't sound relaxing i know but if i don't do it while i have a week with no other responsibilities a) I won't ever get ahead and b) I'll not be able to really enjoy my time off.

The Truth

Thanks to Youth Specialties. this video clip is from their National Youth Workers Convention. Love it.