Sitting in the library at College listening to Mark Driscoll about to get into some Greek translation and exegesis.

Had a great night with the guys from church at the belrose hotel last night. Just sat back and got to chat with guys my own age and guys at least three times my age. Great stuff. Preaching, journeying, suffering, loving, caring, teaching... all this stuff talked about as men with other men. It was a great night. Really edifying, but also really challenging. I know I came away from it knowing there were attitudes and beliefs that I need to change. Like giving people answers to questions. This is something that I have been learning for a while now, but last night was a great reminder that I am not there yet, and that I still talk too much, or more accurately talk when I shouldn't. There are times and occasions that I need to learn about, and learn the appropriate response. To just journey with people, and not give them an answer to their suffering - they don't want it, any answer you give someone as to why they are suffering and what God's response to suffering is will be trite and glib. It is never what that person needs. That person needs someone to be with them. That person needs someone to love them and care for them. That person does not need answers. That person does not need people like Job's friends trying to calculate an answer as to why he is suffering. He needed people to stand with him and for him loving him and caring for him in the midst of his suffering and time of trial. Us Christians are lousy at timing. And people like me who know they have some Bible knowledge are far too often prepared to give their answers to life's big questions and we never learn to just be with people because we think that those answers alleviate suffering and give hope. No, Jesus gives hope. And we need to be Jesus, because those people need Jesus, and when we stand with people in their suffering they experience the love of Jesus because they have a friend who enters into their suffering with them out of love and compassion and in that place that person is given hope and love and care and they meet with Jesus because in that place Jesus is present. We don't even need to ask Him to be, He just is. Christians need to be more like Jesus.

The book which has been really helpful for me learning about this stuff of less talk and more being present in people's suffering is Revisting Relational Youth Ministry by Andrew Root. Very worthwhile.

Busy Busy Busy

I'm busy at the moment. I've got about seven assignments to complete in the next month. Got stuff to organise for school. Preaching this coming Sunday. Helping Courtney and Nathan paint their new place on Wednesday. But this is all helping increase my capacity to work and do stuff; this is an answer to prayer. So that's good.

Got a real coffee buzz today. Had a strong coffee this morning... Too strong... the buzz has now lasted about 6 hours. I wonder if I'll get to sleep tonight...

Recent Happenings

Been busy lately.

Organising Scripture Seminars at the high school, meetings, sermon, paper and presentation for college. LAst week was pretty stressful. The response of a few people has been, 'welcome to ministry'. But even though it has been stressful it has been an answer to prayer because I have asked God to extend and stretch my capacity to do work. So it's been a learning experience. It's been good.

Scripture seminars at school were exciting because of the response of the students. 11 contact cards back from students who are interested in coming to youth group or want to know more about JEsus. That's fantastic. And these ones were only supposed to be stepping stones for other topics later in the year. God is clearly doing things and we are getting on board with His plan and His workings in the lives of the youth there.

Preaching on Sunday for the fourth time at church. First times for the 8am and 10am services. This is exciting. Preaching on a dynamite passage: John 19:16b-27 where Jesus is crucified, the Chief Priests bicker over the sign that Pilate has put above JEsus and the soldier rolle dice for his tunic. Meanwhile John and four woman stand by the cross. Devoted to the end. It's great and really challenging.

Demoed the sermon for the preaching workshop and God some really positive feedback but also some really valuable contructive critisicm. I'm excited. Looking forward to it.

That and everything else that's in store for the year. Ministry continues on and things are developing and changing. We grew for the lunchtime group on Monday, some new faces and some familiar ones. Hopefully the social Saturday week will be better attended too. I'm hopeful. For all of it.

The Job

I'm sitting in a small room.
I'm very tired.
I think I've torn a muscle in my foot from playing rockband or running around playing cricket in thongs.
And I am doing Kingdom work. Preparing things for that classic Christian lunchtime group that I was once a part of. It's not glamorous. It's not the most dynamic ministry since Billy Grahame's Crusades. But it's the ministry that will affect the lives of young people at Davidson HS. So it's definitely worthwhile. So I have many more Monday mornings to look forward to. So I'm very content doing this work. It's good.