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I've been silent for some time... but far from idle.

I've been away at Scripture Union Camp but have since returned. To be honest I'm still gathering and processing my thoughts in the aftermath of what I perceived to be an extremely powerful week. I've had plenty of sleep since getting back... first night home, I slept 13 hours straight (more or less). I think I'm having trouble adjusting to my adrenaline levels returning to normal, as I still feel like a lump of lead.

Strangely,many of the people I have been away have come down with some kind of stomach bug... and I've noticed a lot of the people around me are in need of a friendly ear... so I'm not going to waste my current state of wellness.

Returning to the "real" world has been quite harsh... it always is when you have been in your element, the emotions that are churned up again raise the questions of "who or what are you?" and "what are you going to do?"

It's especially hard when you have a natural affection for many of the people you meet and work with, particularly when it's with God's people and expressly and exclusively for God's purpose. There's a lot to pray about at the moment... but I want to sign off tonight, by thanking those who have known my movements and have kept me in their thoughts and prayers... it was most definitely appreciated and noticeable.

May God bless you all.

N

Don't Worry....

...I've been away a long time, I know.

As you can tell from my previous post, I have been away attending The Maze Scripture Union Holiday Camp. I returned on Saturday afternoon... and since that time,I have been alive... and in perfect hibernation.

However I am now recovering from a period of rest and I should be back in business within a few days.

Bear with me a little while and I shall return.

A Race Against Time

I've been incredibly busy today...considering I am now on annual leave from work and had spare time aplenty.

You see, as of tomorrow I am going away to do my annual stint at the Maze Scripture Union holiday camp... and I still have a mountain of packing to do.

However, I had vowed to myself that I was going to watch the live action Transformers movie before I went away. I was pretty vexed to discover that the local picture house isn't going to screen it until after I get back. So did I admit defeat.... no of course not. I hopped on the bus to Stratford-upon-Avon and transferred to the Birmingham train. By 10:20 I was sniffing out a ticket at the local Odeon cinema (which was just the first one I stumbled upon).


I have to say that above all, the film was a lot of fun. Of course it had it's flaws but that's the beauty of it. The film accepts it's own weaknesses and ratchets up it's strengths to compensate(sorry about the pun). Yes the plot is a little hokey, what with robots pursuing a cube of immense power across the galaxy... and the key to finding them being the imprint on a pair of antique spectacles... but the films plus points by far outweigh this.


First of all the characterisation is inspired... and you can clearly see Stephen Spielberg's influence on Michael Bay, in using the whole boy/alien bonding set up, as seen before in E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial. You sympathised with the humans... particularly Sam, because it is through his eyes that we are more or less flung into the world of Transformers on a personal level. As for Optimus Prime... he is who he always is - a giant robotic John Wayne. He is the Autobot leader and moral compass... and he just wouldn't be the same if he didn't have a n ample supply of noble pontifications to hand. However you have in the grumpy Ironhide a useful counterpoint to this. Optimus is pretty much the straight man who the other Autobots bounce off with their different personalities... particularly Bumblebee and Ironhide.


Their is plenty of action to whet appetites for a sequel... and ingeniously there was plenty of comedy thrown in. From Sam's robot awkward robot assisted attempts to woo his woman to the awkward confrontation in the bedroom with his parents over what they thought was "Sam's Happy Time", to the Autobots intentionally pitiful attempts at hiding...considering they are robots in disguise. Curiously all this comedy was utterly missed by the Daily Mirror's reviewer, who just tore lumps out of the film. I can only draw two conclusions from this - either he had a complete sense of humour failure/bypass, or he is a complete Simpsons fan boy and was offended that another film should come out the same day as his precious and beloved dysfunctional American family. Don't get me wrong, I love the Simpsons... but that is no reason to be nasty about other films.

Most other reviews I have read have been favourable... and my personal experience reflects this. So as long as you are not a complete G1 purist... I really recommend giving it a shot.

Rumour has it that the Dinobots will be explored in the sequel... and my hope is that they will follow the comic's perspective of how they came to be... and not the dumb way the cartoon handled it. Especially as the Dinobots were much more rounded and better written in the comics... notto mention the back story having much more credibility. You can make your own minds up by reading this wikipedia link.

Having left the movie, I had time enough to get a little shopping done before hopping on the train. A brief sojourn in Stratford resulted in me being able to do something that I haven't been able to do for along time:


Mint choc chip dairy ice cream!

Once back home I started packing... but here I am again having got sucked back to my keyboard! *Sigh* I just can't leave well enough alone... can I?

I really must get the rest of it finished though as I am off some time after noon.

If I get the opportunity I'll try to fill you in on anything exciting in the week... however it is extremely likely that I will be away from keyboard for most, if not all of this time... and any spare moments will be primarily reserved for recharging my energy reserves (although truth be told I operate pretty much on adrenaline for the whole time I'm away normally). So throughout the next week, I'd really appreciate your prayers, if you can spare them.

God bless

N

Back

I neglected to let you all know that I was going away this weekend to take part in an informal training programme for the Maze Scripture Union Holiday Camp, that I am part of.

Needless to say it was a pleasant experience meeting up with friendly faces, both familiar and new. It seems as always, each new year spent at The Maze throws up a new set of challenges and this year looks like being no different. It is sometimes hard to think of myself as being a bit of a veteran, this will be my fourth year and yet in many ways I still feel more like a greenhorn.

A couple of people who I have felt I have a had a good rapport with in the past sadly won't be there this year. These are people whose counsel and companionship I have valued greatly in the past... despite only having really been in their presence for an average of about a month, isn't it amazing how quickly we can take to other people?

It has only just really occurred to me that maybe at some point... younger leaders might feel the same way about my counsel when it is their turn to take bold steps forward. That is one heck of a responsibility... and a very sobering thought.

I'd recommend working at a Scripture Union camp to any Christian, it really is a worthwhile experience and you'd be surprised at the number of different positive ways you can influence the development of young people.... and show them new and exciting ways of looking at the Christian faith. If you are at a loose end this summer, give it some serious thought.

Okay?

Now I'm going to hit the sofa for a long earned snooze.

The Hardest Part

"And the hardest part was letting go, not taking part." - Coldplay

I've just got back from The Maze Scripture Union Camp holiday in Brackley. I had an excellent time and it was great to see God at work in people's lives. I think I've just about recovered (having accumulated 13 hours sleep in the 24 hours since I got back), but being weary is not the hardest part of going to the Maze every year. I would gladly trade my day job in if I could spend my days with those people doing God's work for the rest of my born days. I can honestly say I love that team... both as a collective and as individuals. Yes I get on with some more than others, but each one of them holds a special place in my heart. In most cases, I have only shared company with the team members over a matter of weeks (if that), and yet it feels like I've known them for so much longer. In many cases we know each other's boundaries, personal limits, gifts and weaknesses... and we work together to further God's glory using them.

It's great to be involved in a multitude of ways, be that preaching on Galatians 6, using Doctor Who to illustrate the Gospel message, walking people round a prayer map of the UK, having a one to one, relieving a weary person of night duty or just having a kickaround with young people. I believe it is vitally important to convey the importance of knowing and loving God deeply and truly to today's teenagers, lest they end up being dragged into the same darkness that appears to have taken so many of my own generation.

Now we come to the hardest part - the time when I have come home and now have to let go for another year. The reason I find it so hard is that at the Maze I find it easier to be myself. I can be as random as I am reputed for and yet I can still be as serious and pertinent as God needs me to be when required. It is my gift, who I am... the person who darts about like a lunatic and then when you least suspects it comes in with a theological hammer blow.

Back at home I find it hard to operate using my gifts and talents, there aren't many opportunities for them to be used or people just aren't as receptive. It's hard because while I'd gladly live out my days doing the kind of stuff at the Maze... I find that only rarely do I get a chance to shine and do my part for my God.

The enemy was busy this year, but God was even busier. I look forward to growing in Christ in the coming year and doing even more to further the Gospel at camp next time.

My thanks go out to all who prayed for me.

God bless

nick

The Maze Scripure Union Camp 2005

Well, I just got back from The Maze SU Holiday Camp. I feel reasonably recovered now.

I had a good time, a blessed time and a hard time, despite the latter, it was most excellent and I have no regrets. The most intense day for me by far was Wednesday, when I was involved in most of the activities. I had my usual small group meeting in the morning, and then I played ultimate Frisbee with the young people (dressed as a native American), Wednesday was Time Travel Day. Most of the leaders and some of the young people dressed as characters from history, at my request as I was organising it. In the afternoon we played some time travel games. The first of which I got Jenni to look after... a guess the leader from their childhood photographs! The second game was more physical...everybody wore 1 touch rugby tags, and had to get to one of four time bases when I called out a code phrase. We had about 6 leaders in the middle of the field acting as "daleks". The young people seriously seemed to enjoy it which encouraged me. I then went into the main town dressed in full costume and war paint, to help get some material for later... that was a laugh! Later that night I preached on Psalm 51, and it seemed to be taken in well. Finally I was on night duty. so as you can imagine I was pretty wiped out.

The team really felt like family to me, and I totally miss them all. I also miss the young people. It was moving to see so many people among both groups being broken/challenged/comforted by God... I include myself in that equation. I made new friendships and strengthened older ones. I saw God moving and was very encouraged. The weeks theme was YZ and was based on the wisdom literature in the bible YZ=Wise geddit?

I thoroughly recommend you have a good read of them at some point. The Psalms are some of the most beautifully honest emotive dialogues with God you will find. The Proverbs are full of wise thoughts. Ecclesiastes is very good at analysing the futility of striving on this Earth without looking at things in the right perspective (with god at the centre and above all things). Song of Songs is wildly passionate, but always respectful of the foundation stones of true marriage, it also sees virginity as something to be protected and honoured until the time is right. Finally Job... a good exploration of where God is in suffering. What I find amazing, is that Job's friends at first said nothing when he came to them destroyed, distraught and covered in sores... instead they sat in silence and mourned with him for days. How often are we like that? Isn't it normally in our nature to try and shoot off advice at the earliest opening instead?

Anyway, there's a few thoughts for you. In a short while I will share my recent spiritual experiences with regard to relationships with you.

N