Reggie Dabbs event: March 3rd

Hey guys, this is an amazing opportunity to get young people to see an amazing communicator. He speaks to over a million young people each year in the states and is going to be in Nottingham for one night only. He will also be doing lessons and assemblies in Bluecote wollaton and aspley site the sameday, March 3rd. This is something you will not want to miss. Check out the fliers above for all the details.

keeping optimistic

I think i am getting old. I used to love partying and staying out, or even being the life and soul of the party, but now, i know, i just want a chilled life most of the time. Is it age? (all of you younger than 35 say yes), or is it something else? I know that in many areas of my life where i can be pulled down. In both ministry and personal life, where i try to be creative and try to up my game... just make that extra effort, there is sometimes something that pulls you down, something that puts a downer on things. Let's face that something is often people. People who maybe say you can't do this, you can't afford that, what if it fails etc. We have to be very careful in our response to those people because not only can those words or their attitudes affect you and bring you down, it can also effect your attitude to others.
I was really challenged the other day when, in one of these moods, I read a few verses from Job. chapter 42: 7-11 what really jumps out at me is that after all his (so called) friends had done to job over the years he prayed for them. What an attitude, I know it says we are to love our enemies as well as our friends, but to pray for them? I tell you what though, it brings a different perspective to our lives, because not only does it impact your relationship with those that aim to drag you down, but it also helps those negative words bounce off you, and helps you get back to where you could be going. Being creative, taking risks and making a difference. So the question is where do you want to be? down in a hole or riding the wind?

is it easier to give than recieve?

We are currently working through a Leonard sweet book, and one of the points he makes is that it is easier to give than it is receive. I know we live in a culture where everyone seems to be on the take, and The Church and Christianity has done a lot over the last few years to show that we want to serve and make a difference, and give to things we think are important. In fact i often do a workshop on how to serve local schools, as we think this is really important. When you look at it though, you ask yourself when you do give of yourselves, when you do make that effort to put something into a project, do people take what you offer or do they just let you do it.
There is a difference between taking something and receiving it. Over the years i have had some great Christmas presents. I remember some random family member knitting me some lovely socks, I also remember getting some great Christmas jumpers. Yes i took the presents and yes i said thank you, like the good boy i was brought up to be, but did i fully receive them? No, I found the quickest way to put them under the stairs and they were never seen again.
When someone offers you something do you take it or do you receive it? To receive something we have to accept it and make it ours.
When we connect with Churches and schools we offer a service, we like to support and help in anyway. Some institutions decide to take, they use us without really getting the best out of us. They take what we offer and don't see how it could be best used in their situation. Others, they receive the offer and grab hold of it with 2 hands, and look to the best way they can use what is on the table, they will talk to us and try and adapt and work with what they have.
When someone offers us something, do we take it and fully accept it.
It is easier to give, why? Because the power is with the giver. If you have something to give and you give to someone who doesn't have that then you are seen to be the provider, the giver, the one who has it. It can become a pride thing. When we give do we give out of pity? or because people are equal to us and deserve what we have, and in which case, do we give as much as we would want them to truly receive?
To truly receive and accept, means to get rid of pride and say I need what you have, you have something that i need and i am not ashamed of that.
God wants to give us so much, do we accept that? do we receive what God has truly offered us, or does pride get in the way of that too. In fact Leonard sweet goes on to say that if we prefer to give then we are putting ourselves in line with God, as he is giver and we were created to receive from Him. Not saying i agree but thought provoking. Be who you were created to be, and receive what other people , and God, want to give you. Rich Dawson

Nottingham YfC dates for 2010

Here are some important dates within Nottingham YfC for 2010. Some may be useful for you to note down. Events will be added as life moves on.
These could and will change as we go through the year. For regular updates and any changes please check out www.nottinghamyfc.co.uk/calendar

January
11th full team meeting
17th Richard speaking @ NG7 at Holy Trinity Lenton
18th Trustees meeting
22nd Half night of prayer @ NYfC office
23rd Richard speaking at Southwell youth weekend
26th Day of prayer and fasting for Ignite

February
1st Kristy Buck arrives our new eta from Canada
14th Richard speaking at St. Michael's Breaston
15th Trustees meeting
18-19th Youth Alpha conference @ HTB
21st Richard speaking at Foxhill evangelical church

March
3rd Reggie Dabbs event @ The Christian Centre
4th lunch meeting with youth leaders about eq
8th Full team social evening
15th Richard speaking at Lent meeting in Sandiacre
19-21st YfC team running youth weekend away for New Life Baptist church
22nd Trustees meeting

April
12th Trustees meeting
19th Full team meeting

May
2nd Speaking at Clumber Hall
5-7th YfC senior staff retreat
16th Richard on Radio Nottingham
speaking at Holy Trinity Lenton
17th Trustees meeting
22nd Youth leader training

June
21st Trustees meeting
27th Richard speaking at Sawley Baptist Church
28th Full team training

July
11th Richard speaking at Foxhill Evangelical Church
12th Trustees meeting

September
6th School term begins
20th Trustees meeting
25th Agm and NYfC showcase event

October
8-10th Team weekend away
9th National YfC showcase and commissioning
18th Trustees meeting

November
15th Trustees meeting

December
6th full team Christmas social
13th Trustees meeting

Nottingham YfC's verse for 2010

I think it is really interesting what people think of you. I was always a kid who tried to impress, and often got caught out being a fraud. I remember once lying about my uncle who, i told other kids, could get any football shirt for free with their names on it. Obviously i got caught out, as i did when i told a few people i had the entire transformers set and had set my loft up as a battle between the autobots and the decepticons, again quite easily found out when people got fed up of waiting to be invited round to my house. I think for a lot of people, not all, there is something inside us that makes us want to be liked by other people. We often see young people who are so obsessed by getting people to like them they often forget about reality itself.
The thing is people will like us if we stand up for what is right, and they will respect us if we are fair and just. Instead of looking at the end product we should look at how we achieve it. 2 Corinthians 5:20 talks about us being Christs ambassadors. An ambassador is someone that is appointed to represent a nation to other peoples. Now a lot of us would feel we would not be worthy of such a position, but Paul says that it is because of what He has done for us, and the change He has made in our lives, that we are living proof of God's kingdom. In fact God's kingdom is more about peoples lives than geography now, it is about the turn around in individuals and groups of people.
That is why for 2010 i see this as a pivotal verse for Nottingham Youth for Christ. People are not flocking to Churches and so it is more important than ever that we are being living products of what God can do.
Let us stand together and show how awesome God is, yes we are not perfect, yes we all mess up, but isn't that an even bigger testament of what God can do through people like you and me. Let us show the world how amazing Jesus is. Richard D.