Building & Maintaining Relationships

Recently I was driving to Cheadle thinking about how we make friends. I was thinking about this in the context of church and how we build relationships with the wider community.

As a youth worker whether you are based in a faith or non faith context you have a set of National Occupational Standards, a manual for operation if you like. One of these emphasises that we are to build and maintain relationships with young people. As the Youth and Ministry Placement Manager at a Theological College I encourage students and assess them on their ability to do this with both young people and adults.

I was thinking about the operation manual idea and how as a Christian I have the ultimate manual and in my manual there is an emphasis on 'making disciples of all nations' (Matthew 28:19). I don't think this can be done without building and maintaining relationships with people. Jesus himself is relational, He spent time with people, He ate with people, He told stories to explain about His Father - He made disciples.

And that brings me back to the original thought, this is how we reach the wider community!
(I should drive to Cheadle more often :-)

So if we are called to it, and Jesus did it, what are we doing about it??

Food Review:-
Lemon Muffins ****
Shortbread ***
Flapjacks ****
Sausages (not homemade) Off the scale :-)
Lasangna ****
Steak in Mushroon Sauce**

TV Review:-
Glee ***
Identity ***
Castle ****
Lie to me ****

It's That Time of Year Again.....

What's going on? I can't make sense of it,
Life goes on, like it don't mean a thing.
Yesterdays gone, tomorrows not here yet,
Caught in the abyss of today in between.

The sky is blue and everyone's lovin' it,
The sun's out and everyone's using it.
I'm in here, like it doesn't exist,
Blinds closed, shut out, not 'avin any of it.

This ones even worse than the others,
But you're not here just like the others.
I'm all cried out, well at least for this minute,
Numbness has set in, the only reprieve.

Try and keep smiling, put on your mask,
Anythings possible it might just pass.
Who am I kidding, its here to stay,
Batten down the hatches and ride the wave.

I've tried to be positive on all the other ones,
Today its not happ'nin, I'm digging in my heels.
It's not a day to celebrate, cause you're not here,
So no raising a glass or havin' a beer.

All I can do is remember the ones when you were here,
Friends round, barbecues, Magno and beers.
Parties, cakes, sangria and sun,
Smiling and laughing and having fun.

Yes the weathers nice today, I know you would have worried,
It didn't even rain today, you would have been encouraged.
I wish you could be here, I miss you very much,
Birthdays are not the same, if the guest of honours not here.

So I can't bring myself to raise a glass, I'll let Matt say the cheers.....

April

I am very late in posting this, I have been trying to write this post since the middle of April and it never seems to be right. I have never been late with Matt's birthday before.

April in the past has been a month of planning and preparation. The big day looming - whether the weather would be good - what would happen if it rained - what if no one comes? This last few years have frankly been a pile of poo (mild and edited version) as the guest of honour has been absent for what feels like an eternity. Celebrating/ reminiscing feels impossible without the guest of honour. I spent the day very busy to try and keep occupied. That was a mistake because I then spent the evening thinking. I have wonderful memories of Matthew but they don't replace the desire for him to be here. Last year I wrote a tribute post, this year that seems impossible I don't feel like celebrating I want to sand in the middle of a field and scream at the top of my voice until there is no voice left, but unfortunately that will not help either. There are some better days and I have some people in my life who are truly amazing. But this prison is dark and lonely at times. It is and has been for a while a really struggle to try and stay strong.

Here is one of my favourite pictures - the very last one that we had taken. Strangely in the city where it all began - Portsmouth. So then a week before Matthew died we went back to the beginning 10 years on, and had our last dance.....




All things may fade but love lasts forever

New Year - New ideas!

Happy New Year!

So last year saw me write my blog with Bridget Jones features. This year I thought that every post should have a food item and possibly TV and book reviews too, who knows where it all could lead.

But first of all my New Years resolutions:

1. Find a Church
2. Gain at least half a stone (could actually do with a stone)
3. Finish knitting my bear
4. Visit the cinema at least once a month

So yesterday I tried a new recipe - yes shock horror I didn't have bolognese!!! It may not seem an exciting dinner to most of you but it is something I have not been able to have for a very long time (nut allergy does not really allow you to have packet food). I made Crunchy Garlic Chicken, it is like having Chicken Kievs - it was amazing, and very easy to do. The recipe did say to buy the garlic butter, I obviously made my own.

Food Review:-
Crunchy Garlic Chicken ****
Veggie Pasta ***
Bacon and Tomato Sauce on Jacket Potatoes ****
Lamb and Vegetables **
Cheese, Onion and Sweetcorn on Toast ***

TV Review:-
Above Suspicion **
Cold Case S1 ****
Messiah S1-4 ****
CSI ***
Fringe ****

Looking back on 2008

Well as we approach Christmas I thought I would take some time out and look back over the last year, and considering everything it has been better than last year and in some ways worse.

In February I turned 30 and looked at a plan of action for the year and this was it:

1. Get well
2. Do handover at work - then I have left
3. Eat 3 meals a day
4. Gain 1 1/2 stone
5. Sort out remaining paperwork
6. Sort out the house
7. Have some thinking space
8. Have a holiday
9. Do something amazing!
10. Who knows whats next?

Well lets have a look how I did....

1. Yes a lot better
2. Yes and I did leave work
3. Yes and some days 4!!!
4. X no I have not gained a stone and a half - I don't think I have gained any, although apparently I am looking more healthy :-)
5. Paper work is done although now I have a whole heap more to do.
6. In a manner of speaking - I now have 2 houses to sort mmmm
7. Not sure about this one - I must have done cause I decided to move to Manchester
8. Yes Northumbria was wonderful I would like to go again
9. Not sure about this - although I did manage to get an amazing job at a bible college
10. Indeed.

Well not bad really. I managed to get somewhere. So what has happened in a nut shell:

1. Although ill - a great birthday
2. I was on the radio
3. Got involved in radio as a volunteer
4. Decided to move up North
5. Got a new addition to the Reindeer family
6. I turned 30
   
7. Mum turned 60
8. Grandad turned 90
9. Alan and Jenny got married
10. Martin and Lou got married
11. Lydie and Danny got engaged
    
12. Dom and Claire got engaged
13. Went on holiday to Northumbria
14. Went to the Lakes with Mum and Dad
    
15. Moved up North
16. Got a new job
17. Been to the cinema quite a bit
18. Made hundreds of Christmas cards
    
19. Made some more friends
20. Got reacquainted with some old friends.

And here we are at Christmas!


Alcohol Units 2, Cigarettes 0, Cake consumed lots, Calories -lots , Pounds gained 0, Pounds lost 0, Goldfish gained 6!

Sadness V's Anger

I find myself today being taken back to another time and another place. You think you are doing OK and something comes around. You don't see it coming cause its in your blind spot and then you are hurting all over again, not just for yourself but for other people too. What I am referring to is yet another horrendous collision on the M6 last night, and yet again a sleepy lorry driver has been arrested. People have died, children have died - a family. It makes me sick to my stomach, to think that they won't grow up that they will not be here as a family together. The worst thing is that they could not be identified, the trauma being suffered by the emergency services who were on scene, must be enormous. I feel heart broken for them, and for the people who will eventually have to identify them, for the rest of their family and friends. But also note there were 2 other accidents on the M6 last night - people died in those too, and there were others on other roads. I cried a lot today.

Why is this still happening!
Why are laws not being changed!
How many more people have to die before something changes?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4983370.ece

Self Esteem!

Self esteem is a funny thing - it is something that I have been pondering over the last few days. I look at my friends, family and acquaintances and so many of them (myself included) say comments like 'I am not good enough', 'I am not as pretty as...', 'I could never do that'. We live in a world where the media dictates what looks good, what is normal and what is successful. The media has got it so wrong.

Everyone of my friends, family and the people I have met have been successful, success is not defined by a job or by how much money you have, success is so much more than that. I look around me and see amazing successes - strength in coming through horrendous times, getting something you have always wanted, living out a dream (however big or small), looking after children, raising money for a cause, being happy and content with what you have. These are all successes and there are so many more.

Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder - who are we to comment on what is pretty. You don't have to be on the front of a magazine to be pretty, you don't have to plaster on make-up to be pretty, or have the latest fashionable look to be pretty. Again the media have got it wrong. We are all beautiful in a way that is unique to us.

We see each other come through some situations and we catch ourselves thinking 'I don't think I could do that'. Well you don't know till you are in the situation. We all have amazing strength that we don't know is there until it is put to the test.

I came to the conclusion after thinking these things that - we need to be ourselves and live life on purpose, we can't let it just happen to us and around us, and we can't waste it.

Alcohol Units 1, Cigarettes 0, Cheese consumed lots, Calories -getting there , Pounds gained 0, Pounds lost 0, hours spent in the Trafford Centre 5!