so here we are again!

It's a tough week for me personally. I don't think i need to tell you that there is a football match tomorrow, one that a few people (inc. moi) are not only excited for, but very nervous about. At the start of the tournament i was a new realist of an England fan. 'We were OK but we won't win'. But you get drawn in though don't you? You start believing what people say. That we are good, we can win the whole thing (It would be nice just to win a game to start with), and that we are one of the favourites. You keep with your view to start with, trying to bat away the optimism, duck the enthusiasm, keeping focused on not being let down once again. But then when you have your back turned, it creeps up on you without you knowing. You turn on the TV and then you realise, you have the virus. It is all over you and there is no way you can get away from it. I hope, i pray, i do everything i can to make sure England has the best chance of winning a football match. Tomorrow will also be the first time my kids will have sat with me during an important football match. They have heard me listening to Nottingham Forest, but this will be the first time they have seen me in full flow.

So reality hat on..... unless we go onto win it, i am going to be disappointed. Why? because I get carried away in thinking we are the best football team on the Earth. We aren't! But we can hope, we can dream.

Thing is being a Christian, I know what it is like having the highs of a great experience in Worship, and seeing young people come to faith, but i also have the lows of wondering why God let's some stuff happen, and not getting my head around things that are happening. But the low times, make my faith real. It makes it something that isn't a flippy floppy faith, it makes it a faith with substance and depth. Just like a football fan we can sometimes get fickle in our faith lives. If God isn't doing or reaching the heights we think He should, we don't want to know.

With the last in the series of Dr. who on Saturday i hope for little disappointments over the next week , but hey then we have Andy Murray in Wimbledon. Is there no hope? I think there is...

money for nothing

Have you ever wondered why some people think what they think about money? It has been interesting to watch the world cup and see the diversity of riches between those that are in charge (and the footballers), and those who have very little in the townships. It reminds me of the trips i take to India and the observation that the richer are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.
I was also reminded of the fact that people actually don't see anything wrong with this, especially those who are in the richest bracket, when watching an interview with Amanda Holden this week. Someone was commenting on how nice her shoes were and she went onto say that they aren't even a pair of those shoes that cost silly money and that they weren't that expensive. Then a few minutes later someone in the audience shouted out "How much?" and she replied "£300". For a pair of shoes? I think someone else doesn't realise what the reality of money is.
Working in the city centre up until last year you often came across 'fundraisers', who were paid to raise money for charities, and as they often went through their spiel, and trying to empathise with myself, when they found out i worked for a charity (although they could never understand why i thought that they couldn't really know what it's like because they didn't work for the charity but were being asked by a third party to represent a charity).
Running a charity, one of your main concerns is the desire to have the money to realise the dream. Nottingham YfC is no different. You become more aware of what money can actually achieve. That any money that comes to NYfC, is spent on the work we do with young people, you can have no doubt, and we are continuing to dream of impacting young peoples lives in the future. Whether that is finding the money to buy a football cage ot to running a youth alpha course. Impacting young people like Sean (names changed) who a few years ago struggled to build relationships, and would certainly not admit to having a faith. Sean now comes regularly to a number of things we run and joins in with enthusiasm. He now also calls himself a Christian, which is amazing, and being part of his journey has been a privelage.
If you would like to see your money make a difference, then check www.nottinghamyfc.co.uk/support you can donate online or set up a standing order, whichever you decide know that your real money will make a real difference.

trade in for a new model?

Had the most bizarre experience today. While i was trying to order some new toner for my printer, i had a conversation with the sales assistant, as always trying to get me to buy something else. She explained to me about this new printer and that with the cash back option it would cost me less to have a new printer filled with lovely toner, that it would to buy a set of toner for my existing printer, (of which i have only had for 4 months max). How mad is that? That actually you end up spending less getting a newer model. Although this seems like a brilliant idea (and yes i know it is just a con because printer makers know that the money is in cartridges, rather than in the printers themselves), but having reflected on it a while, it shows how easy it is to throw things away, how fickle we are, that as soon as something has run it's course, we move on to the next best thing. Mobile phones, prime example, you don't have to look after your phone because you know you will get an upgrade pretty soon. Nowadays we don't have to work anymore to keep things going, we don't have to try for the long haul because there is always something newer to replace it.

Chatting to 2 of our year outs, one from Canada and one from Germany (bring on the world cup). They both said there are so many older houses here than where they live. Especially in Canada, Kristy said that it is all new towns and cities, and in Germany Lukas says when a house gets too old they knock it down and rebuild.

If you are like me you will remember when Dr. Who used to be over 6 weeks, with 20 minute episodes gripping you each week with a cliff hanger. You think we live in an age now where people would persevere with that?

We see it a lot in magazines with relationships, that when we get bored with someone, we trade them in, get someone a bit younger, a bit more lively, someone with a bit more money.

Do we move on too quickly in life? or do we try and make things work. Do we get bored when we can't do something or do we persevere.

If we want quick fixes in our lives then Christianity isn't the answer, but if you want the best life possible, want to journey with others that can easily get things wrong, but come out the other side having learnt lessons, then Jesus wants you to get on board.

Let's not throw things away, think of the waste, whether a book, a toy or even a relationship, things we value deserve to be worked at.

Invest in some toner.

Guest blog - Phil Knox : Where is His Kingdom?

I don’t know if you, like me, were gripped by election fever. I enjoyed an amazing night of banter on Facebook as I stayed up until 5am watching the results come in while drinking lots of coffee and eating Doritos. And now we have a new Prime Minister and he’s got a new best friend to help him out and now all the questions are about how do they change the country and move us forward.

I wonder whether when they looked at the world over 2000 years ago, the ‘cabinet’ of Father, Son and Holy Spirit had a similar conversation – how do we bring this broken, hopeless world back to ourselves? And when we send our diplomat to earth, what policies will he be shouting about?

When Jesus came to earth, his message was simple, loud and clear. ‘Good news! The Kingdom of God is near! Repent and believe!’ The reason I work for YFC, the reason I am active in my community and the ache I feel whenever I see young people is because I believe in the Kingdom of God and I am desperate for this world to embrace it, its policies and mostly its King. So what does it look like?

Firstly it is where Jesus is King. A street, a school, but most significantly a heart. And it is a Kingdom of relationship rather than rules. It’s about the heart rather than looking good on the outside. Morality and spirituality are woven together. If you are after a political manifesto then the sermon on the mount is the party conference speech. The poor are blessed, it’s peacemakers rather than a defence policy and traditional sins like murder and adultery go deeper and become more about the heart – actually issues of anger and lust, ‘If a man looks at a woman…' It’s party political tag line is ‘Love God, Love others, Love wins!’ And the picture Jesus paints of being in the Kingdom is more like being a guest at a massive party than a solemn member of a religion.

What would it look like if this Kingdom invaded our streets and towns in 2010? I see fat cat bankers running out of their glass towers in city centres to the nearest McDonalds and spending all their bonuses on feeding the poor, the prostitutes, the chavs, the oppressed and the downtrodden. I see a football match with people of all backgrounds and ages, Liverpool and Man Utd fans on the same team, asylum seekers and skinheads, ASBO kids and police, Labour and Conservative members, hooligans and policemen, former terrorists and soldiers – and hugs and handshakes after the game because they know a love bigger than themselves. And in a generation where so many sons and daughters grow up not knowing a parent, I see moments of children returning home to the dad they never knew, the father seeing them far off being filled with compassion, running, putting his arms around him, a coat on his back and a ring on his finger. This generation was once lost but now is found.

Jesus taught his disciples to pray, ‘Father your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven’ and may we each day pray this for this world of ours. May we fix our eyes and our actions on a relationship with Jesus and a heart that is full of love and compassion. And may we dream and live for banquets of generosity, football matches that unite and a lost generation coming home to a party.

Phil Knox works for Youth for Christ at head office as part of their missions team.

Why do people like football?

OK so i am biased. As are most football fans. But this morning was hard. After having convinced myself that i wasn't bothered if Forest didn't win last night and get through to the play off final, sitting at half time in the city ground, i was absorbed in the knowledge we were going to do it. But pretty much like always we didn't. Don't get me wrong, finishing 3rd in the league i would have taken at the start of the season, but in the moment, you start to hope and dream of what could be.

Screaming your teams name, jumping up every time they go forward and have a shot, it is easy to get carried away with the occasion and the emotion of the event. I think one of our problems in life is that we live for the experience, the highs of life. This can be great, especially as we learn and experience hoe much God loves us, but it can also become a crutch. When we live for the experience it can be like a drug, and although that time you are on a high nothing feels better, each time you come down from that high, it is easy to feel low, and keep feeling low till our next high. I know after last nights match what a downer felt like, and it was more so because there were times where we were in the lead.

How do we lead our lives? are we looking for the experience or are we content with what we have? Our lives would be so much richer if we look for God in the everyday, see His creation around us, rather than dismissing it and believing He is only around when we feel warm and fuzzy. If we live like the latter we deny God His creativity and His desire to be in every bit of our lives.

If we see what God truly has to offer our lives will be so much richer. Then when we do experience His love and mercy, it won't then lead to a downer but to a richer and fuller life.

Will i listen to my own words? Of course, but i will still be misguided enough to believe Forest will get promoted next season. Duh...

How easy is it to listen?

I don't know if you think your life is full or not? I have come to realise that i like noise, and i like to have stuff happening. I wouldn't say I don't like silence, but i find it hard. Whether i am in the car and have to have the radio on, or in the house and there has to be music or the TV on. Maybe even in the office where i have to have the Internet on or on the phone. What do we put in our lives that helps us avoid silence?

I think silence is very powerful. Whether it is the end of the last Dr who episode where there is just silence, or whether it is the disciples in the boat and He calms the storm, which would have totally freaked me out, the impact of silence is deafening.

I have just been to a convent down in Gloucstershire for a retreat and although it wasn't a silent retreat, it was difficult to get into. No internet access, one small square inch of mobile phone coverage and all of a sudden you feel like there is nowhere to turn, but once I got through the first hour or so you realised how powerful and impacting the silence could be. By cutting out all the noise you start to realise that God doesn't just want to hear from you but He wants to talk to you. I know a lot of people, Christians and not who would say well you can't hear God, or He doesn't speak to me. I think i have realised that actually God does want to and does actually speak to me, the question i have to ask myself though is ' is there too much noise in my life to hear God's still small voice?'

Does anything get in the way of you hearing from Him?

Guest Blog - Rev. Martin Kirkbride : when do you feel audacious?

Rev. Martin Kirkbride is the Church leader at Holy Trinity, Lenton and The Priory, Lenton. He is also regional co-ordinator of New Wine.

Last week I spent a couple of days in London, breathing the refined atmosphere of Kensington (even if my hotel was in Earls Court). Many years ago we lived in London and I miss the place. Would love to go back to the noise and bustle - but please don’t get excited in Lenton, I’m not going to. One memorable part of this recent visit was spending a couple our hours wandering round the V& A ( Victoria & Albert Museum). It was great till we got to the fashion section. There was a 1970’s exhibit that included flared trousers and platform shoes . Now to all you younger guys who walk round in jeans that only start where your boxer shorts finish - I think you look utterly naff. But on reflection I think I’d rather walk round Nottingham with half my backside and Calvin Kleins on display than revert to my 1970’s embarrassment of lurching round 5 inches taller than I really was to the background noise of my trouser bottoms flapping against each other. ( slight overstatement as I can’t afford Calvin Kleins and somehow Tesco branded boxers don’t have the same street cred)
Anyway , sans naff fashions I also attended the nearby early morning prayer meeting at Holy Trinity Brompton . They apologised that the guy supposed to be running it had been held up at Chicago Airport. Having myself had some delay at Watford Gap I fully understood the stress of international travel. The prayer meeting commenced with the challenging greeting “Are you feeling audacious this morning? Are you an audacious person?”. Now those of you who know me will be aware that I’m not even a person in a morning till I’ve had at least one very strong black coffee. Generally it would take me several cups of caffeine before I could even contemplate aspiring to audacity. But the statement immediately resonated within me. What can be more audacious than a small group of half awake very ordinary people believing that spending 60 minutes in prayer can have eternal significance, can shape global events, can bring healing and transformation of lives, can change hearts and minds, repair broken relationships, fix broken hearts, bring peace out of turmoil? How can it be that the creator of heaven and earth, the one in whom all things hang together, the one who unlike the fashions never changes, would invite you and me to have input and partnership to his plans?