Just a note to say I have added the Taking Youth Work Seriously The Descent video in the South West website which contains more up to date info The Occasion event in October.

Just to say I have had for two days Pips Big book of blobs (thanks to Martin from Youthwork) and have already found loads to use and been through several with the kids. Blob choir worked really well with question “How do you feel when your singing in church?”Missing in America movie full

For many years I have urged myself, youth workers and missionaries (with Donovan) to journey with others to a new place. See Articles on the right The Tacking Church. The reading on Sunday from Hebrews struck me as how central to our calling and history this is.

8By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

I have pasted an article by my boss, Dave Wiles from FYT.

I want to share a brief personal response to this ridiculous idea on the basis that I have been getting increasingly concerned about the way that young people (especially those who have got into trouble) are being portrayed, labelled and treated in our society.

This governments responsibility under Article 37a of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that, “No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” Mosquito the Rapist aka Bloodlust download

Fantastic Four psp

Welcome to Sunday Papers if you are visiting after reading the CPR pages in Youthwork magazine. If looking for the Visualisation exercise it will posted later today on the right hand side. We are in the process of setting up a dedicated space for CPR to make the site easier to navigate, so please bear with us. In the meantime please feel free to browse around there are already quite a few youth related items and links.

Some of the young people I work with have recently lost a good friend in a tragic accident. As youth workers we are confronting the issue of how we respond to this. We want to offer hope, comfort and space to reflect on, and deal with, the situation. We don’t want, in any way, to abuse or manipulate the situation (sadly something which I believe could easily happen in some faith based youth work contexts). Whilst praying and thinking about the situation my thoughts inevitably found their way to Jesus’ sermon on the mount. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” What does that mean? How is it really experienced in a way that makes any lived and felt difference to these lads lives? I realised I don’t have a clue what the answers are to these questions. I also realised that this is the answer to my earlier question about how we should respond. How can you be manipulating someone if you are in a position in which you have the questions and they may just have the answers? They are the ones who are mourning (I am very sad about this young life cut short, but I didn’t actually know him). They are the ones who may just be experiencing this ‘comfort’ that Jesus talked about. These lads are often seen and labelled as anti-social, criminal, in need of learning and changing. In at least this situation though, it is me who needs to learn from them. I think I’ll go and ask them what on earth Jesus was talking about.