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Boroughthon 2008

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It started at 10.30 and finished just before 6pm, it lasted around 20 miles and involved many sore feet and sweaty people.

It was the the Oxygen 2008 Boroughthon involved the Oxygen team, volunteers and young people spanning the entire length, breadth and width of the Borough to visit the site of each of the Oxygen projects in Kingston Borough. This video gives you snapshots of some of our walk, without any shots of developing blisters

Responsibility

 

Genesis 1:27 & 28 So god created people in his own image; God patterned them after himself; male and female he created them. God blessed them and told them, ‘Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Be masters over the fish and birds and all the animals.

 

Whose responsibility is it?

Yours

Mine

Or ours?

 

Don’t take responsibility

For what isn’t yours.

 

It is a giant responsibility

God did not give rights

He gave responsibility

To me

And to you

And to us.

 

Responsibility depends on relationship

Responsibility cannot be imposed

Then it becomes rights in law

And rights in law are inflexible

And nobody wins.

 

Responsibility

Means accepting consequences

Of knowing that everything that

I

You

We

Do or say

Has an out come

Good or

Bad

 

I

You

We

Have a responsibility to the world around us

To respect, love, care for

The world that god created

And gave us responsibility for

 

Responsibility

Comes out of

Respect

Trust

Love

Caring

 

Responsibility is a relationship

With the world around us

With the amazing diversity of creation

The sense of wonder

Of the craftsmanship

Displayed

Everywhere for us to see

The realisation of the fragility and vulnerability

Which laws will snap and destroy

But which

Responsibility - love, care, respect and trust

Will save.  

Community Living

There is a time coming when community will be the key

The only way to survive

When Acts living

Will be the only option

When we will have to live within our means

And share with each other.

No credit cards

When what is considered normal – cars, holidays

Will be

Luxury

 

We live in an unsustainable culture

At some point it will collapse

Fall apart

As we know it

It will be an economic disaster

When the system cannot take any more borrowing

When there is no more credit to be had

With it will go

Pride

Sense of identity

Trust

Belief in others

Both individually and nationally

 

Because the things seen as important

Will let us down

We will be left helpless

Because we don’t understand

Paralysed

In fear

Because we are left with nothing

Because that which makes us has been ignored

That which gives us security has been ignored

Money – Our God has gone

Relationship has gone

Responsibility has gone

 

Turn back to God

To the Lord our God

The creator  and maker

The life giver.

TGS Project – November 2007

It is just after 3.30pm, the girls have gone home and I collapse, drained on to the nearest chair.  ‘That was hard work.  I am shattered.’  Today I am reminded yet again of how broad and wide the description ‘vulnerable’ is.  The TGS Project was set up to build self esteem and confidence in girls who the school identify as vulnerable. 

In the last couple of weeks the team have been challenged time and time again to remain cool calm and consistent in their response to a variety issues.  Nicole decided to take a piece of work from Susan and not give it back. One afternoon the theme was emotions.  How was I to know that 4 of the group had fallen out with each other and that the palpable of feeling of anger in the room was not going to lend itself to co operation of any kind?

Abbie wrote in bold letters ‘I hate myself’ and Caroline said ‘I’m a nobody.  Everybody hates me.’

Each one of the girls has their own needs and today I’m wondering how the team and I are going to be able to make a difference to these girls lives.  How do we meet the needs of every girl not just the ones who are most vocal but those like Sophie or Christine who are very quiet?

• It is on a day like this when it becomes very clear that I need a bigger team – more individual support for the girls. 
• It is on a day like this when I realise how much I need the help of God and the support of prayer.
• It is on days like this when, in the middle of crisis, the girls turn round and ask, ‘Is this group going to run next year because we like coming.’

 Then I know it’s worth it!

(not the real names of the girls)

Tags: tolworthgirls school, tolworth, st georges, oxygen, tolworth girls project

tell me the old old story....

‘We cannot pray with the girls or initiate conversations about Christianity,’ I informed the new team of workers for the TGS Project.

The next day we met a new group of Year 8 girls and took them to the hall at St George’s church for the afternoon.  ‘Can we see in the church?’ asked one member of the group. So we went into the church.  ‘What’s that book?’ asked one of the girls pointing at the big Bible on the lectern just inside the door.  ‘A Bible,’ I replied.  One of the group started to read but got stuck after about three words so I made an educated guess at the difficult word.  ‘How do you know that?’  I am a Christian and I know quite a bit about the Bible. ‘Oh!’

We went on to look at the altar and explain what it was and what it was used for and a couple of the girls sat with a worker looking at the hymn books and Bibles on the back of the chairs.

‘I don’t believe in God,’ said one of the girls.  ‘If you are a Christian does that mean you look down on me because I don’t believe in God?’  ‘No’, I replied.  ‘I see you as a person with lots of gifts and talents; a lovely person.’  ‘Oh!’

Two of the girls then insisted we all sat down in the church while they read to us from the Bible, after which we went and got on with the rest of the afternoon.

The following week an Alpha Supper was being set up in the other hall which led to a conversation about what an Alpha Course was a about.

I’m now wondering when and what the next question will be.  I won’t bring up the subject but I will answer the questions when they come....

Carol's Contemplations: Presence with Mark Yaconelli

Reflections on ‘Presence: Encountering God with young people’ – Mark Yaconelli

God loves people because he loves people

God loves me

It’s about listening

Really listening

And hearing

It’s about listening

Really listening

And seeing

It’s about being available

It’s about being open

And honest

And vulnerable

It’s about being

Being what you say

Being what you do

It’s about taking the time

It’s about not rushing in

It’s not about having the right answers

It’s about being there

It’s about loving

It’s about compassion

It’s about being broken

T’s about passion

It’s about loving

It’s about seeing people

It’s about seeing behind the mask

And still accepting

And loving

And being available

It’s about being hurt

And let down

And not understanding

And still accepting

And loving

And being available

It’s about building relationships

It’s about nurturing relationships

It’s about acceptance

And loving

And being available

It’s not about agendas

It’s not about statistics

It’s not about curriculum

It’s about acceptance

And loving

And being available

It’s about God’s way

Not man’s way

It’s about winners not losers

It’s about respecting and recognising every individual equally

No hierarchy

It’s about commitment

It’s about the long haul

It’s about acceptance

And loving

And being available

I conclude that:

It is the job description of a mentor. It’s talking about being a role model for those around us. Yes!

It is about the freedom to be creative. To get away from rules and numbers. Fantastic!

I do what I do because I love young people – it’s more than a job

Do not worry

How great is our God
Age to age He stands
The beginning and the end.

Why stress?
Why worry?
God is there before, with and in front
He knows His plans for us

Why stress?
Why worry?
He’s there
He knows
It’s all in His hands
In His control

Therefore
Do not stress
Do not worry

technorati tags:poem

Trust

People.
Learn to trust again
Learn to trust again
Learn to trust again
Learn to trust again
Dare to trust again

God.
Restore trust
Restore trust in this land
Restore trust in family
Restore trust in community
Restore trust in government
Restore trust in authority
Restore trust

Build trust in this land
Build trust in family
Build trust between friends

Church.
Show trust
Demonstrate trust
Through your lives
Your everyday walking, talking, doing lives

And people will respond to trust
Trust drives out fear
Trust leads to hope and we all need hope

technorati tags:poem

CAROLs CONTEMPLATIONS: Gentle Cleansing

Watching the sea today

As it washed along the rocks

As time after time

The waves broke over the rocks

With a power that was both gentle and strong

I saw a process of change

And renewing.

 

As water poured into a rock pool

And then retreated

The pool remained

But the water was fresh

Clean

Renewed.

 

God’s Holy Spirit cleanses in the same way

As the wound is open

The Spirit of God can move in

Gently

Almost indiscernibly

And washes out the hurt and pain

Bit by bit

Gently

Strongly

Filling with the Spirit of God

Cleansing out the pain and hurt

Then slowly

And more and more discernibly

The hurt and pain are no more

But distant memories

For the old has gone

And the new has come

Refreshed

Clean

Renewed

Alive

Carols Contemplations: The Storm

Sitting at the top of Box Hill today
I watched the clouds scudding across the sky
Blotting out the sunshine
And then moving on again
In the distance I could see the rain clouds approaching
The view was blurred by the falling rain in the distance
I realised the shower was coming in my direction
So I made my plans to keep dry
I would be ready to leave before it arrived

Then I thought about life
And how on sunny fine days
I have hardly a care in the world
Everything goes well
And I feel fulfilled

Sometimes I can see the shower or storm coming
And I take action to stay dry
To be prepared
To be ready

Sometimes the storm comes out of the blue
And catches me unprepared
And I get wet
I get drenched
And I sink

There are two reactions to the sudden storm
Stop and sink
Or keep going and swim
Sometimes there is nothing to do in a storm
But go with it
Dream of a future
But don’t miss out on what the storm may teach you
Of the trees you may find to shelter under
Or the rocks to stand on

It’s not easy
But I’m not going to sink
I’m going to swim on
I’m going to work with the storm
And come out of it a changed person
This storm is part of the adventure of life
So I will weather it

technorati tags:poetry, box hill, storm, poem