2012 verses of the year : Matthew 25:14 - 30

Each year we pray into what God is saying to us for the next 12 months. If you have followed us over the past few years you will know that last year we had Paul's vision of the Macedonian man running through our ministry. Paul wanted to go one way and doors kept closing but God drew him to Europe and that way was free. In the past 12 months we have seen huge growth in our ministry and we are thankful to God for that as it has been down to Him that we have been on the move. An early picture that one of our trustees had in our first year back in Nottingham was that of Nottingham being lit up in 5 or 6 different areas by the influence and the work of Nottingham YfC, with the ministry being light in the darkness. Let me just say this wasn't to suggest no one else or no other organization was providing light, this was just a picture of what God possibly wanted NYfC to look like.

Ten and a half years on and we see God's light shining through NYfC in 6 different areas of the city and influencing many more. Arnold, Beeston, Bilborough, Inham Nook, Radcliffe and South Notts are our key areas where the light is shining but our influence through support, mentoring and empowering the local church to impact a generation is growing more and more.

Often we see growth as a numerical thing and that is not always wrong. Gavin Calver, our national director has a vision to see a million young people reached each month through YfC, that is exciting and we would love to see that. In fact if you looked at the amount of young people we come into contact across Nottingham then we have the potential to see over 6,000 young people each month, that is amazing and i can't help but be humbled by what God has given us.

This year our passage for Nottingham YfC is Matthew 25: 14 -30 the parable of the talents.

God has given us an amazing opportunity but sometimes we don't take that opportunity or even take it for granted. Do we take what God has given us and protect and defend it because we are scared of losing it or do we take what He has brought into our lives and grow it. Our work with young people is very relational and i love the fact that we see the same young people week in week out bringing Hope and potential in their lives. Sometimes though in relational youth work it becomes more about turning up, getting through the evening making sure they behave. What we aim to do through the work and what I hope and pray will be a key word in Nottingham YfC is TRANSFORMATION. We want to take what God has given us, the young people he has brought our way and transform their lives with the love of God. If we can do that then 2012 onwards is going to be a great time to be part of the Kingdom of God and in particular Nottingham Youth for Christ. Please pray for us as this is what will really bring these words to fruition.

What stories do you follow?

So what stories do you like?
Many moons ago when all my friends went off to university to study proper subjects, I started my HND in community performance and theatre in education. My first module, while my Friends looked at business management, history and economics was storytelling. Wow, what a way to spend the now defunct student grants (maybe not the greatest arguments for bringing tuition fees back). Ever since then, probably before as well, I have loved stories. The best communicators engage people in storytelling, whether they are preachers or stand up comics. Whenever I talk about the work of Nottingham YfC, stories are the one thing that continues to engage people and help them understand the work we do.
What i do find interesting is that the culture we live in now, it is said that people have rejected the story of God. It is said they reject any idea of an overall story that draws everyone and everything together. How can this be when we are obsessed with stories? Whether that be the latest installment of a soap opera or a serial drama or the latest celebrity gossip, we are all fascinated and intrigued. Even the most popular computer games now follow a theme or story.
Are people really rejecting the idea of a narrative that brings together a God who wants to connect with His creation or is it just not communicated well enough to engage?
We seem to be getting there: Programmes like Alpha, Emmaus or Christianity Explored are taking people on a journey, and continue to connect people in a very real way. There is a great opportunity to see how using a similar format but use the story of God rather than a set of rules and regulations. Jesus was the ultimate story telling, constantly using this way to connect and challenge people in the way they lived their lives and connected with their Father in Heaven.
When was the last story you told? What is the story of your life? Maybe you could tell a story of when yours and God's has become one - you never know maybe it will engage.

Richard

Curry - A rite of passage?

So what events and what things that have happened create the person that you have become? Being a dad i am often considering the things my kids do and places they go to in terms of what type of person i want them to become. That might be experiences that i had and enjoyed or things that i think will be good for them.
At the start of the month it was my birthday (not a significant one, i can wait for another one of them) and Laura had been asking for a while what i would like to do for it. Last year we had friends round for a murder mystery, which are always funny especially with the dodgy accents. This year though i thought, as i had a choice of anything i wanted to do, how many times do us men get a window of time to do that, i thought we would go and give our kids their first experience of a curry house. They did ok, had a little bit of the meat and bit of balti and a bit of korma and lots of nan bread. What they did love though was the experience, they keep talking about it and how they would like to go again. For me it was good that they enjoyed their experience, as it means we can go again, and as their dad that really please me, as curry is important to me.
Isn't that what a rite of passage is as a Christian? being part of something that please God and moves you on in your journey?
As well as curry another passion of mine is mission. Engaging people, especially young people in being part of God's mission here on earth. What upsets me is the lack of passion and drive in a number of Churches in being part of His mission. As a youth Alpha advisor i will also get a number of course leaders saying to me "we didn't have enough time to run all the session so we missed out the 'why and how should i share my faith?" It just isn't seen as an integral part of discipleship. If you keep an eye out on what is happening in the world of Nottingham YfC you will know about our 30 hour missions (eq:missuion) in which we take a group of young people to a random part of the UK and be part of the mission of a YfC centre and local Church. Doing both word and deed in a community neediing to see and hear the love of Jesus. Each one of the last group that came on it really engaged and found it an experience that will shape their life and as a leader they will remember it as mission being part of being a Christian. God loves mission and it also develops our faith. Ok so curry might be a rite of passage as a child of mine but mission is and should be a rite of passage as a child of God.

Richard

Where are we taking them?

I have a passion. Not just for Doctor Who, not just for Nottingham Forest but for seeing young people impacted by the love of an amazing God. The question that i keep asking myself is 'What does that look like?'

Being a dad of a couple of amazing children, i often look at them and wonder what they are going to look like when they are older. Not just in looks, but in what job they may do, the kind of people they will hang out with, what their hobbies and interests they may have and what kind of families they may have (well Joel that is, obviously Amy is not even allowed a boyfriend until she is 30). Obviously I have no idea of what is going to happen to them, and in someways I am glad, as i am sure i would want to control it more than I should. What I do know is the world will be a different place. I know that because it is different now than it was when i was growing up. I remember having a ZX81 computer system and that was top range with its 16k ram pack you could add onto the back.

I also know that the way faith looks like nois different to when i was growing up. It is now more about how you live your life everyday rather than just turning up to Church every Sunday morning. That is hard to get my head round, that actually what faith looks like to me is different to what it looks like to those lovely older ladies who were in Church every Sunday making me feel welcome and loving me. Neither of us are wrong, it is just different, and will continue to change.

Vincent Donovan in his book, Christianity Rediscovered, says this:

"...do not take people back to where they were or do not try to call them back to where you are, as beautiful as that place may seem. You must have the courage to take them to a place neither you or them have been."

Faith can be and is an amazing thing. Are we willing to walk with others to somewhere we haven't been? Am i willing to take young people on a journey where I am trusting God for a new fresh destination? Or am i the one in control wanting to feel secure and 100% certain that the way God works in my life is the way He works in others?

Richard Dawson

How do we read the Bible?

We have our annual conference each year @ Youth for Christ and each year we get some quality speakers. This year we are going to hear a legend call Lon Allison, who trained in musical theatre, so has a very unique way of communicating his theology. (I love it, bring on camelot again lol). Last year we had a guy called Leonard Sweet and his theme was the Bible: an apple, an orange or an ostrich egg. Basically he talked about how we are trained to read the bible as we eat an orange, dissecting it and taking it apart, but actually we miss a lot of good stuff by not looking at the bigger picture and seeing Gods heart for his people.
Alongside this I am starting to read some theories about how Jesus used the culture to explain his fathers heart. Not surprising as we do that all the time, using film, music, theatre, the arts to connect young people to the Gospel message. It is really challenging some of my thoughts on things that, as a traditionalist, i have taken as read. I love thinking things through and working out where and how God works. I think it is a real shame though, that when people challenge traditional thoughts that they get shunned and looked down upon for questioning. Doesn't God want us to own our faith, not have someone else's faith that tells us what to think. Jesus asked questions a lot of the time, to help people make their own mind up and realise what God was doing. Maybe some of the things we read are not about what we should do, but it is the meaning behind it. I remember revealing to someone that the good Samaritan didn't really happen and that it was just a story Jesus used. They were devastated. When do you last challenge the way you think? is it because you are scared what people think? is it because you are scared what you might think? God gave us a mind to use, and for us to understand. Go on....try it, you may be surprised, you may see the Bible in a different way.