They don't care how much you know, they want to know how much you care.

Last sat i went to a conference type thing in Glasgow ICC, it was called "Close Encounters of a Teenaged kind" and focuses on various aspects of youth work. The day was very enjoyable and helped to bring inspiration after a couple of weeks of feeling very dry. I am therefore gonna share a bit of what God was showing me on sat, things that stayed in my head that made me think.

The title of this post was a phrase that stuck with me and challenged me so much, it is true, i know it from experience on both sides. What we know is not important in youth work, young people are not looking for someone who is super smart, they need someone who cares about them. Put it this way, do you remember what the minister was saying on sunday? what about the sunday before?? Most of the time words go in one ear out the other, the thing that makes an impression on us is when people share their lives with us. We remember stories and we remember experiences, we remember what they did and how it made us feel. So why are we trying to impress people who just want to know us!!

Youth reaching out to youth, this is a fantastic idea and really i think is the best way forward. We train up young people (like me) and release them to train more young people and so the cycle goes on. The idea of giving the youth responsibility, trusting them and letting them do things their way is a really great way of working. I wanna see this happen, more young people being given responsibility and training. Let the young people have ownership of their youth groups and stuff, they know what goes through the mind of a young person and they know how to talk to them.

Statistics - 88% of young people in the UK are not involved in any church group, so yes you got it, all the small groups, youth groups, church drop in groups, kids services, everything we put so much time, effort and money into is only actually for 12% of the youth. Young people often don't want to go into a church, we can't make them so what can we do? Lets get out there, lets go to where they are. Where do you see them, when do you see them and how can you meet them there. Lots of young people hang out in the streets so lets go there, some are drinking in the train station, lets go there, don't be put off by what they are doing, just be a positive influence in whatever situation they are in. Its all about the getting to know you's. In what I have experienced too many christians are not willing to get out there and be amoungst the "bad stuff" that others are doing, but why not? No-one is saying you should join in but meet people where they are at, that is what Jesus did, he went out there and met people. I think we are too afraid of putting ourselves amoungst the "bad stuff" that may tempt us that we don't realise that the people out there are worth it!

"be covered in the dust of your Rabi" (not sure how to spell that) Anyway i was thinking if we as christians are trying to deciple people we should be living examples. We are disciples of Jesus, but how close are we, are we being covered by the dust his feet kick up?? It is such a challenge to know that we are judged on all that we do, young people in particular watch everything you do and observe you. Are we prepared to give everything to deciple these young people, we will be asked to be open, honest, vunerable, humble, and ultimatly real. The best way to teach it is to live it infront of people!

God Bless all you guys who are reading this and may you be challenged as I was to see people differently. The things I have learnt have encouraged me to pull closer to Christ and seek his heart for others. If you want the light to shine you have to plug it in!

...If God loves them, why don't we...

Mr Smith was a smartly dressed successfull buisness man, he was married to a beautiful lady with long brunette curls and a wide and welcoming smile. They had two children, Jonny, aged 17 and Sarah, aged 11. They had been attending the church since moving to the area 6 years ago and were all well known and respected. Jonny was a very polite young man, always well dressed and very popular with the other young people in the church. A talented guitar player he had recently started leading worship at the church youth group. He enjoyed being with his friends at church and being surrounded by people who respected him. Out of church his enjoyment in being respected was also apparent, young boys and girls came from miles away on friday nights between 9 and 11 to stock up and spend some time high flying. One friday night a local kid accidently finds himslef walking though Jonnys hideout, Jonny, afraid of being dobbed approaches the kid to "have a chat". By the time Jonny leaves the kid is underfoot being trampoled by the crowd of followers, now re-stocked and ready to go and sell. The kid, Dave, wakes up in the morning, cut and battered, unaware of what had happened, just as Jonny had planned. On sunday morning, Jonny puts on his shirt and tie and grabs his guitar ready for the morning service. Dave having spent the night on the street after being locked out by his mum who is convinced he has "got himself in trouble" hoping to find some heat and comfort wanders into the church. Jonnys heart skips a beat as his eyes fall on a scruffy, dirty, bruised looking boy, but he keeps his cool, after all he is an expert in the art of deceit. As the curious eyes of the congregation scan the company each persons mind determines a story behind the state that Dave has "got himself into". "He must be one of those drunk kids, got himself into a fight, thinks he's so clever" comes the sounds of the not quite discrete assumptions. Another still with a different story, "I'm sure my boy told me about that sort, out selling drugs from as young as wee Sarah Smith's age", "What does he think he's doing in here" says another, "does the boy not own a clean shirt".

The story is harsh and cruel and unfair, but the thing that worries me is, we are all so used to expecting the worst that we don't let people create their own identity. Appearances can be deceiving and situations can be unfair. The way we treat Dave in the story should not differ to the way we treat Jonny. Dave shouldnt be judged for his appearance and situation and similarly Jonny shouldnt be judged for his. When God looks at them, he sees two broken hearts and his only response is to heal them. So why is it we can convince ourselves that some people are beyond hope yet declare that our God is all powerful and all loving. Don't allow yourself to put a label on anyone, no-one is beyond help. I think we have to take great care in not only giving up on others but giving up on ourselves, we cant assume that God cant help us just because we are short tempered or keep failing in school or cant manage to quit smoking. God will take you where you are at, you only need to be willing to let him.

Being back at the Ark volunteering and working to serve young people from all backgrounds God has challenged me in how I act. Challenged me to see them with his eyes and love them through the behaviour, language and abuse they may give. I am praying that God will put these young people on my heart and let me see them for real. I want to be a servant to them and serve willingly, I want to see it as an oppertunity to be humble and loving to them, whether or not they throw it back in my face. I am praying for the strength to do this because i know I can't do it without God.

Everything is so uncertain!

Ok so its been ages since i updated but i feel like i dont have much to update! Nothing in my life is certain at the moment, everything changes from week to week and i almost never know where i am or where i will be at any given time!!! Ahhh well im still a teenager i guess its fairly normal! Anyways i will give you slight updates!

* I have handed in my application to YETI so it will hopefully be being processed soon!

* My friends Brenna, Jenny and Johannah have moved into a house near me which is very exciting for me because i can walk there faster!! However it probably means i will be margonally less fit because i won't walk to Seamill as much.

* My best friend Lauren is moving to St Andrews on Sat for Uni, smart little cookie that she is! However I will miss her very much and again won't be walking to Seamill as much.

* My cell group finally met last night, was great to see everyone and we literally did talk for 3 and a half hours about absolutely nothing, but it was a good social. Don't worry we do actually do cell, we were just having a catch up night because of not seeing each other for ages!

* I am eventually returning to the Ark Volunteer team tomorrow night, I am so very excited about this because I miss the team, i miss getting to know the arkers and I miss the atmosphere. For those who don't know what The Ark is, it is a dry bar night club in Ayr, set up by churches in ayr for the youth of ayr. If you want to know more, see pictures or chat to the arkers on the discussion forum go to www.ayrark.co.uk

Anyways, so thats what I have been doing, very uninteresting! I will try to blog something more interesting soon but its late and im feeling very uninspired, sorry!!