Friday 24 April 2009

Would you rather...?

Well over the last few weeks the office has been ask the question "Would you rather...?", followed by some silly situation. It’s a game that has kept us amused for many lunch times with some answers having us laughing for hours.

Would you rather...? Is a great game to play as an ice breaker with your youth or cell group. It’s sometimes hard to think of questions but you can also get it as a game in the shops. Even if you just buy the game for the question it is totally worth it...


Follow the link to see the game: www.zobmondo.com/48_0.html

Thursday 16 April 2009

Unworldly Eyes

I don't know if you've seen it, but I've just been watching Susan Boyle's performance from last Saturday's Britian's Got Talent again on Youtube. I think this is a bit of a parable of our time.

She is a singer of enormous talent, who cared for her widowed mother until she died two years ago. Susan's is a combination of ability and virtue that deserves congratulation. So how come she was treated as a laughing stock when she walked on stage for the opening heat of Britain's Got Talent 2009 on Saturday night? The moment the reality show's audience and judging panel saw the small, shy, middle-aged woman, they started to smirk. When she said she wanted a professional singing career to equal that of Elaine Paige, the camera showed audience members rolling their eyes in disbelief. Susan Boyle from Blackburn, West Lothian, was presumed to be a buffoon.

But why? Britain's Got Talent isn't a beauty pageant. It isn't a youth opportunity scheme. It is surely about discovering untapped and unrecognised raw talent from all sections of society. And Susan Boyle has buckets of talent. If, like Susan (and like millions more), you feel that you don't fit the world's mould, maybe you're not in the best physical condition or too poor or too unworldly to follow fashion or have a good hairdresser, then I'm sure you'll share that rosy glow I felt when watching this clip.

This brave, excentric lady took her dignity in her hands to pitch at her one hope of having her singing talent recognised, and was greeted with a communal sneer. Courage could so easily have failed her. Yet why shouldn't she sound wonderful? Not every great singer looks like Lilly Allen or Lady GaGa. And yet, just because of her looks, she is a veteran of abuse. From looking through various blogs, a trip to Wikipedia and some clips on the BBC site, you can easily find out that she was starved of oxygen at birth and has learning difficulties as a result. At school she was slow and had frizzy hair. She was bullied, mostly verbally. She told one newspaper that her classmates' torrent of bullying left behind the kind of scars that don't heal. She's never had a boyfriend or been snogged and she lived with her parents in a four-bedroom council house and, when her father died a decade ago, she cared for her mother and sang in the church choir. A modest lady, but then she isn't the glamorous type. Carers don't often get invited to sparkling dinner parties or glitzy receptions, so smart clothes rarely make it off the hanger.

Then, when a special occasion comes along, the only option is to go for the outfit bought for a family wedding. But it is often evidence of a life lived selflessly; of a person so focused on the needs of another that they have lost sight of themselves. Is that a cause for being mocked or a reason for congratulation? Would her time have been better spent slimming and exercising, plucking and waxing, bleaching and botoxing? Would that have made her voice any sweeter?

Susan Boyle's mother encouraged her to sing. She wanted her to enter Britain's Got Talent. But the shy Susan hasn't been able to sing at all since her mother's death two years ago. She wasn't sure how her voice would emerge after so long a silence. And yet, here was a voice that gave Piers Morgan 'the biggest surprise he's had over the three years of the show.'

So why is it that I find myself, and those around me, judging the preverbial book by its cover, giving the most attention to the colleague who shouts the loudest, engaging with people who don't challenge my prejudices. I know God looks at our hearts (1 Samuel 16:7), and yet why am I not looking past the exterior? If people judged me on my looks, it would definately suck for me.

I challenge you to see people through God's eyes, refuse to judge others and be Jesus to the people that He loves. If it wasn't for the opportunity to allow us past the first impression, Susan Boyle would still be a name that no-one knew.


The Best Soul Survivor Worship Album...Ever!

Always finding it hard to get someone to lead worship for your youth group? Never remember old songs of the past? Well look no futher ‘The Best Soul Survivor Worship Album...Ever!‘ is here...


‘The Best Soul Survivor Worship Album...Ever!’ is the sixth in the ‘Best Worship Songs’ series from Survivor Records. Over 3 1/2 hours of live worship from the ‘Soul Survivor’ conferences. Each summer thousands of young people gather together at Soul Survivor events, pouring out their passion for God in praise and worship.

The songs on this recording capture the heart of that worship, providing the definitive collection of recent Soul Survivor songs, spanning the intimate and the anthemic. Whether you’re looking to get a taste of Soul Survivor or deepen your relationship with God through worship, this album will take you on an inspiring and uplifting journey.

Featuring worship leaders Ben Cantelon, Tim Hughes, Andreana Arganda, Sam Parker, Lex Buckley, Matt Redman, onehundredhours, Martyn Layzell, Vicky Beeching, David Gate, Phatfish, Hillsong United, The 29th Chapter, Mark Beswick, Heat and Paul Oakley.

Tuesday 7 April 2009

Summer 2009


I dont know what you guys get up to in your summer breaks, whether you go abroad / bum about / do christian camps or festivals.

This will be my first summer without a massive 6 - 12 week holiday and I tell you what; I am going to really miss it!

I used to spend the holidays doing a bit of everything, chilling out(aka. doing nothing!), going abroad and doing missions. While you have your long holidays, please, please take advantage of it and make use of every week. I remember people used to say this to me, but honestly I thought they were just being overly dramatic.

Guys I cant stress it enough, you only get really long holidays for a few years.

Why not come along to one of Emerging Culture's summer missions - Leeds or Wimbledon. If you're going to Soul Survivor, come and see us at our stand.

Enjoy your summer guys, and let's pray that the weather looks like this..!

Monday 6 April 2009

My Fish Bites

If you’re a youth worker who is always looking for a good idea or game to use within your youth work, then My Fish Bites is the place to be. It’s a resource site that is full of loads of different things used in every day youth work.



The site offers youth works an amazing chance to be inspired of helped out in times of pressure and brain block. Whether its assemblies, RE lessons, games or talks, My Fish Bites is a resource that no youth worker can be without!

www.myfishbites.com