funky doo

a Contemporary Christmas Carol

Love Came Down - a modern-day Christmas Carol from Pete and Nicki Sims on Vimeo.

bah humbug follow up

This interesting little article picks up on some of the stuff I was ranting about in relation to Santa last week...http://www.rejesus.co.uk/site/module/st_nicks_makeover/P6/

There are also some great other fun things on the re:jesus site which is why I often visit to get a better perspective! You should do so too!

Enjoy!

...political correctness and good practice at Christmas - take note!

________________________

SEASONAL REFLECTIONS

The Rocking Song
Little Jesus, sweetly sleep, do not stir;
We will lend a coat of fur,
We will rock you, rock you, rock you,
We will rock you, rock you, rock you:

Fur is no longer appropriate wear for small infants, both due to risk of allergy to animal fur, and for ethical reasons. Therefore faux fur, a nice cellular blanket or perhaps micro-fleece material should be considered a suitable alternative.

Please note, only persons who have been subject to a Criminal Records Bureau check and have enhanced clearance will be permitted to rock baby Jesus. Persons must carry their CRB disclosure with them at all times and be prepared to provide three forms of identification before rocking commences.

Jingle Bells
Dashing through the snow
In a one horse open sleigh
O'er the fields we go
Laughing all the way

A risk assessment must be submitted before an open sleigh is considered safe for members of the public to travel on. The risk assessment must also consider whether it is appropriate to use only one horse for such a venture, particularly if passengers are of larger proportions. Please note, permission must be gained from landowners before entering their fields. To avoid offending those not participating in celebrations, we would request that laughter is moderate only and not loud enough to be considered a noise nuisance.

While Shepherds Watched
While shepherds watched
Their flocks by night
All seated on the ground
The angel of the Lord came down
And glory shone around

The Union of Shepherds has complained that it breaches health and safety regulations to insist that shepherds watch their flocks without appropriate seating arrangements being provided, therefore benches, stools and orthopaedic chairs are now available. Shepherds have also requested that due to the inclement weather conditions at this time of year they should watch their flocks via cctv cameras from centrally heated shepherd observation huts.
Please note, the angel of the Lord is reminded that before shining his / her glory all around she / he must ascertain that all shepherds have been issued with glasses capable of filtering out the harmful effects of UVA, UVB and Glory.

Little Donkey
Little donkey, little donkey on the dusty road
Got to keep on plodding onwards with your precious load

The RSPCA have issued strict guidelines with regard to how heavy a load a donkey of small stature is permitted to carry, also included in the guidelines is guidance regarding how often to feed the donkey and how many rest breaks are required over a four hour plodding period. Please note that due to the increased risk of pollution from the dusty road, Mary and Joseph are required to wear face masks to prevent inhalation of any airborne particles. The donkey has expressed his discomfort at being labelled 'little' and would prefer just to be simply referred to as Mr. Donkey. To comment upon his height or lack thereof may be considered an infringement of his equine rights.

We Three Kings
We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star

Whilst the gift of gold is still considered acceptable - as it may be redeemed at a later date through such organisations as 'cash for gold' etc, gifts of frankincense and myrrh are not appropriate due to the potential risk of oils and fragrances causing allergic reactions. A suggested gift alternative would be to make a donation to a worthy cause in the recipients name or perhaps give a gift voucher.
We would not advise that the traversing kings rely on navigation by stars in order to reach their destinations and suggest the use of RAC routefinder or satellite navigation, which will provide the quickest route and advice regarding fuel consumption. Please note as per the guidelines from the RSPCA for Mr Donkey, the camels carrying the three kings of Orient will require regular food and rest breaks. Facemasks for the three kings are also advisable due to the likelihood of dust from the camels hooves.

Rudolph the red nosed reindeer
Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
had a very shiny nose.
And if you ever saw him,
you would even say it glows.

You are advised that under the Equal Opportunities for All policy, it is inappropriate for persons to make comment with regard to the ruddiness of any part of Mr. R Reindeer. Further to this, exclusion of Mr R Reindeer from the Reindeer Games will be considered discriminatory and disciplinary action will be taken against those found guilty of this offence. A full investigation will be implemented and sanctions—including suspension on full pay—will be considered whilst this investigation takes place.

(source unknown, but I got on a Grove Books email)

Advent thinking, ideas and resources...for YOU!!

 I'm having an at home working day - which is not feeling very sensible as I have builders in and out fixing my chimney and roof where the felt has gone...but I'm getting lots done, snuggled in my hoodie and slippers in the dining room with the fan heater and fire on while the front door is wide open for the ins and outs...ho hum!

I'm getting ahead on various bits of preparation for youth sessions over the next few weeks up to Christmas and also for some training on 8th December and the Labyrinth in Chelmsford Cathedral on 15th January. I love having the time just to go through my Google Reader blogs, see what people are thinking about and linking to, following those links and finding great websites and ideas and stuff to provoke my thinking.

So I'm listing below some of the interesting stuff I've found just in the last 2 hours...and hope it helps you and inspires you - in your youth work and personally - as you prepare for this busy time!

http://www.barefoottraining.com - this is an American based website offering training workshops but it has some great looking downloadable resources to purchase.
http://www.nailscars.com/journal/2009/11/30/creative-christmas-idea-manger-or-cross-reading.html - a dramatised reading useful for Christingle services, 9 lessons and carols or other Christmas service (from the Confessions of an Average Youth Minister website)
http://www.emergentkiwi.org.nz/archive/advent-blessings-creative-prayer-stations/ - Steve Taylor has 2 posts using prayer stations with a theme of Advent blessings...some great ideas here and the thinking behind it is refreshingly simple yet soundly theological.
http://godspace.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/celebrating-advent-with-kids/ Christine Sine has some brilliant suggestions for interacting and involving kids (of all ages!) with preparations for the birth of Jesus. I would see these being used in families as well as worshipping communities, during services, home groups etc. Also check out her Advent meditation film, available on You Tube or for download if you want to show it in church or on a big screen.
http://holdthisspace.org.au/ - liturgy, prayers, reflections for all occasions on Cheryl Lawrie's site - click on blog or writing and take some time to scroll through and browse.
http://www.youthspecialties.com/blog/2009/advent-agous/ - I was struck by this reflection when it first came to my attention so I link to it for you to be struck too.
www.thestoryofstuff.com - this is a 20 minute film, highlighting stuff around the materials economy - boring you may say?? well, kinda appropriate as we come into the season of giving and receiving - lots of stuff, where does it all go? This could be a good discussion starter...adults or kids. They also have a new film released today linking into the Copehagen summit next weekend which is current and relates well to our impact on the world.

and finally...for now!
Never Underestimate the power of a Good Story!

Youthwork the Conference

I'm heading off to Eastbourne today for Youthwork the Conference, the main national Christian youthwork conference and training event in the UK. I've been twice before, the last time 2 years ago, so I'm looking forward to going back for some input, reflection and refreshing as well as some fun with my colleagues and friends from the Hub youthworker gatherings here in South East Essex. A bunch of us have block booked a guest house a short walk from the conference venue and so we'll be eating together, learning together and sharing life a bit over the next few days which will be great! Last time I was a bit of a Billy with no friends as I decided to go last minute, so some company and a chance to react and connect on the teaching will be excellent.

The conference begins with a retreat for 24 hours, hosted this year by Jason Gardner and Jenny Baker. I didn't do that last time, as M was only 11 months old and I didn't want to be away for 3 nights...but this time I am dead excited to be able to be here for the whole event! (looking forward to uninterrupted nights and maybe some shopping?!)

So, the programme came through and I thought I'd just make an initial response at some of the seminars and events I think I'll be heading for - all subject to change of course!

Friday night - I'll be at The Story so Far in the After Hours venue with my friend Elin who is performing her one woman show with Lacey Theatre Company.

Saturday - I'm thinking I'll probably follow the Take me to your Leader Stream of workshops...or maybe the Culture Shapers...not sure yet.

I'll probably also take in the age specific stream about 11-14's and the Essential Mentoring 1 session as well as attending the Sophia Network reception for it's 2nd birthday!

I'm looking forward to Vicky Beeching leading worship and hearing some of her new material aswell on Saturday evening.

Sunday - I'm a bit torn as everything looks good - so I'll probably go to whatever seems to be most interactive based on the speaker and get the audio for the more lecture based sessions. I'm veering towards Worship and Justice but might go for the Adolescence session...

In amongst all that, I'm hoping to finish a book I'm reviewing for the Sophia Network site and start on the review itself...as well as looking round and browsing (!) all the great resources which are always available! I expect lots of tea to be drunk, thinking to be done and laughing to be had...bring it on!!

So, if you're there, be great to see you! I'll let you know what I went for in terms of workshops etc next week and will do some reviews and recommendations of sessions you might like to get hold of too!

Letter from God

A Great clip and a great track - so many possibilities for discussion starters or to play during a service...there are some interesting theological debates to be had too, if you're brave!! popout

labyrinth and worship wonderings

Mark Berry (way out west) has a really useful blog with all sorts of reflections and resources and thinking about worship in all it's forms as well as stuff about his pioneer role in Telford. Click on 'worship/prayer' in his cloud to get the full selection.

In the midst of toddler vomiting episodes, car servicing appointments and guests departing from a weekend of birthday celebrations, I have been starting to pin down the thinking and piecemeal preparation I had already done for the Labyrinth in St Alban's on Friday night.

The link above to Mark's blog is to his section of worship and prayer resources and a particular piece that has helped my thinking is titled 'Bored with Worship'. As we start to put together the elements for this Labyrinth and the stations to fit around the theme of 'Darkness into Light' - we're really concious of this being an indigenous and organic process for the people who come and share in it with us. We provide some prompts, some words, some ideas, and leave them to connect them in their own way. We want to enhance the journey, provide a stake in the ground as a point to say 'what am I doing here and what is God doing?', but worship, youth work and faith has to be non-directive...so we go with the flow! Hard for me who likes to have a plan!

It's going to be a different event altogether from the SolidReMix event in January in Chelmsford Cathedral. For a start, we have a much bigger and seperate space, but that means we need to fill it appropriately!!

Here are some pics of the January event:

Holy Space - rest in the centre, BE and take some bread for the journey.

The prayer/reflection wall on the way out - leave an encouraging word for those who follow you or thank God for something he has shown you. Pretty full as you can see!

Seeing yourself as God sees you - created in love and fearfully and wonderfully made. Self portraits...
 
 Some of these elements will be appearing at the St Alban's event, but there will be some new things too, some stolen and others totally original (!) - so we'll post photos next weekend when we've caught up on some sleep!
 

Creativity and Creeds

This blog post http://timabbott.typepad.com/timabbott/2009/10/creativity-and-creeds.html from Tim Abbott of CYO in Colchester quoting Mark Sayers has really connected and inspired me today.

The quote of the day: loving this as is resonates so tinglingly with our personal journey (www.funkydoofamily.blogspot.com)

"The Christian movement which ditches the creeds and covenants in favor of total experimentation finds itself looking less and less Christian. The movement which favors creeds at the expense of innovation finds itself theologically correct yet culturally irrelevant. However movements which are able to find the perfect point of tension between creativity and creeds have the ability to become something truly special."

 

Thanks Tim for the H/T and to Mark for his original post which I received second hand...but no longer for the Origins blog is now in my Google Reader!

"The Christian movement which ditches the creeds and covenants in favor of total experimentation finds itself looking less and less Christian. The movement which favors creeds at the expense of innovation finds itself theologically correct yet culturally irrelevant. However movements which are able to find the perfect point of tension between creativity and creeds have the ability to become something truly special."

 

Thanks Tim for the H/T and to Mark for his original post which I received second hand...but no longer for the Origins blog is now in my Google Reader!

Education and Employment Champion - Job Opportunity

Langley House Trust

    Breaking the chain of re-offending

Education and Employment Champion

£27,877

Location: reporting to Maldon, Essex.

Langley House Trust is a national Christian charity specialising in providing at-risk marginalised groups, including those leaving prison, with accommodation, support and rehabilitation in a supportive Christian environment.

Do you have experience of developing partnerships with education, training and voluntary work providers? Could you interpret our mission in today’s society? Then this role offers challenge, variety and boundless job satisfaction.

Reporting to the Head of Housing Management at our Maldon, Essex offices, you’ll play a key role in helping our residents and other users realize their full potential by coordinating and developing a Trust-wide programme of training, education and voluntary work placements. You will coordinate and provide resources to allow our support workers to deliver initially the City & Guilds 3071 but in the future an extensive portfolio of other externally accredited training programmes. You will also act as our Internal Verifier, monitoring quality and effectiveness. Your other tasks will range from supporting Job Clubs and preparation for employment activities, building links with providers and creating a network of social opportunities for our users to providing colleges with the information they need. At all times you’ll be expected to promote continual improvement and develop a Christ-centred culture.

We are looking for a highly organised person who has excellent administrative skills but is able and willing to travel regularly to cover all our Trust sites. You will also be someone who can motivate and lead others.

You will be capable of developing a portfolio of opportunities that all our service users can access.  These will include a range of externally accredited qualifications, voluntary work placements and employment preparation courses. You will be able to develop appropriate resources that support staff can use to assist in the local delivery of programmes such as the City and Guilds 3071. Your appointment will be subject to a satisfactory CRB check.  This job could change your life. It will certainly change others for the better.

This is a key role which fully integrates the Christian values of the organisation by ensuring the spiritual ethos of the Trust is upheld and promoted in all our business.  The post holder will be a committed and practicing Christian with a passion for working to change the lives of those who have previously offended or who are at risk of offending.

If you wish to find out more or obtain an application pack please visit our website www.langleyhousetrust.org or call on 01993 705999 quoting reference CD/587. Closing date 28^th October 2009

ReSource course

The Resource course, looking at church planting, mission, leadership and much else besides starts in a couple of weeks. Some people from our Diocese received grant money to go on the course a couple of years ago and got a lot from it.

As it's a low budget course in terms of advertising and marketing, I post this link here to spread the word.

http://jonnybaker.blogs.com/jonnybaker/2009/10/resource-weekends-time-to-sign-up.html