Incredible talent

I can barely draw a straight line, but this is incredible. A 3 year old boy with ann amazing talent for drawing and painting

Shine FM shines farther!

102.4 Shine FM has moved (no, not the studio!) but its transmitter to a great, high, high position courtesy of Toymaster in Banbridge. The community station which broadcasts on 102.4 FM to the Banbridge area has improved its signal significantly after the move, which has also enabled the station to broadcast in FM stereo. Shine FM

Shine FM is an OFCOM licensed community radio station with a Christian ethos; all its Directors and Presenters are volunteers.

The youth group at Bannside should still be doing a show, but the schedule is getting a major overhaul so we'll have to see when we will be on.

If you're ever in the Banbridge area.... or just passing via the A1 or something, be sure to tune into the station!

Blast from the past

Because of the change in our holiday plans I was able to go to church with my Dad again and visit the church I grew up in. I was so excited to see everyone again, but also cos my Dad brings Wine Gums to church too.

It was strange, because it felt like I'd never been gone, but at the same time so much had changed - kids had grown up, there were more regular family services, there were new groups, new people (and new babies!). I miss my home church a lot, and now I've been back for a visit I miss it more. Please don't interpret that as being unhappy at Bannside because I am happy, and I'm excited about things to come - we'll be officially without a minister this time next week meaning we can start looking for someone new. I'm excited about potential, I'm excited about change, but I know the journey to change will be long and hard.

Imitation

I recently saw this video on YouTube and I have to say I was well impressed by this little bird's skills of imitation. You have to watch it to understand and to believe it.




As I watched it I got to thinking about how as Christians we're supposed to be imitations of Christ which then lead me into a whole line of thinking for a youth talk or childrens' talk. I'll not be posting that talk just yet - need to flesh it out a little more first but I thought I'd share the video for those who may be interested in creating their own discussion or Bible Study or talk of some sort using

Walk like an Egyptian

After all the chaos of our holiday to Cuba being cancelled we got another one sorted and for cheaper than our original plans too. So next Thursday (18th) we will be heading off to Egypt for 2 weeks!!! The place we will be staying in looks gorgeous and the weather forecast.....



Compared to Cuba.....




Just got to unpack now but leave everything ready to pack again in a week!

Weather forecasts taken from Weather Underground

What a difference a day makes....

.... 24 little hours....

On Sunday night I was packing clothes and suncream for going on our long awaited holiday to Cuba on Tuesday morning. Monday night came and so did a phone call from our travel agent saying the holiday was canceled because of Hurricane Ike working its way through Cuba - more specifically the resort we were heading to.

We were gutted - we had been looking forward to this for so long. We spent the rest of the evening trying to find a holiday we could take the next day from Gatwick seeing as we had booked flights with sleasy jet to London and back that we couldn't get refunded. We ended up missing the flight this morning because we didn't find anything, so if anyone needs a flight from Gatwick to Belfast on 24th September give me a shout... otherwise it looks like we're loosing it too.

So right now we're in the middle of trying to get another holiday sorted that will leave over the next week.

It's amazing the difference a day can make.


Image from sxc.hu

I shouldn't have said anything

So I'm back from Summer School where I had a really great time, full of great fellowship and teaching. I've come away with lots to think about and work on implementing in our own youth ministry.

In getting ready to go away I wrote a post about the end of summer and yesterday I was leading the congregation in prayer, introducing it with the words "we're approaching the end of summer". I really shouldn't have said or wrote either of these things because I can't help but notice leaves falling off the trees and other signs of Autumn. Normally I'm not bothered because I love the beauty of Autumn but having not really had any real summer this year again I just don't feel ready for it all.



It got me thinking about the changes we go through in life and how often changes of season come without us being ready for them, even if we have known about the change coming for a long time. I remember being in university knowing God was calling me into a full time youth work job so after university I spent a year at Belfast Bible College preparing for full time ministry, but when that year was up and I got a job I still felt unprepared and a little overwhelmed. Looking back on that time now I can see how God was using my struggle to make me stronger, better prepared for things to come and to make me more dependent on Him instead of me.

I don't feel ready for Autumn, not just the changes in nature but the change back to the routine as our church organisations start up again. I haven't had time to prepare much for it yet or to think through programme much yet but I need to remember God is using this time of change and unpreparedness to make me stronger, better prepared for things to come and to make me more dependent on Him instead of me.