south downs way

It's been a long time since I've blogged.

Michael & I enjoyed a fine walk Saturday from Southease to Hassocks along the South Downs Way and thought this warrented a blog. It's got to be the longest walk we've done at approx 16 miles. Some glorious views en route and fine weather but a bit windy!

This was a trial for the long distance walk we hope to do next summer from Melrose to Holy Island. And it proved to me that I at least will need to do some more training before then as I'm still stiff today!

Alt worship at the Ascension

The Church of the Ascension are doing another of their alt worship services. This one on 29th April, focusing on communion. They're inviting young people from local churches to attend again, and seem to be focusing their alternative worship services as youth services rather than just alternative worship for anyone - although anyone is welcome to go along.

birthday celebrations take two

Well, this being 40 lark is quite good - I've had another night of celebrating this week, with thanks to the 'girls'!
We took to an eating place in Haywards Heath and they took to suitably embarrassing me in public by singing happy birthday twice in the packed restaurant, once as a large cake bearing sparklers in the shape of '40' was produced, and once for no reason whatsoever! They adorned me with some sort of garland to wear around my neck which was so itchy it nearly caused a rash, and sat me under a 'Birthday Girl' helium balloon. As they said, though, this was mild embarrassment, and I tend to agree - they were kind.
A great night, and one I shall remember for a long time - to go with the 'other' night on my actual birthday which will also be remembered for a long time.
Surely this marks the end of celebrations...and the beginning of writing all those thank you notes.

A lot has happened over the last few weeks. Most significant perhaps is the fact that I turned 40! Pete and John had arranged a surprise - a meal out at the Savoy followed by a show - Stomp - with Pete, Michael, Jess, John and Daphne. Thanks everyone for making it so special!

My own 'treat' had been to book a family holiday on Holy Island, Northumbria for a week's break. It's one of my favourite places to visit. Many people go to Holy Island on retreat, thousands of others flock there when the tide is out to see the sights (Holy Island is attached to the mainland by causeway, cut off twice a day by the tide). I really enjoy staying there, the island is so different when the tide is in and the place becomes an island, and although I've not been on 'retreat' I always gain so much from being there and taking time to ponder on the spiritual heritage of the place. One of the highlights of this visit was taking part in a pilgrimage walk across the causeway on Palm Sunday with St Mary's Church. There were only 5 of us who took part so just as well Michael and I joined in really, and we felt most welcome by the local church. It was quite an experience being welcomed onto the island by a group of Christians (on retreat) who hadn't done the walk but gathered to worship and greet us. I wonder if Cuthbert had such a welcome party when he arrived?

This last week has seen me get through what has felt like mountains of marking, I have finally reached the end of the pile and am quite relieved. Just as I was coming to the end of it (the marking that is) a new book I ordered came through the post, The Sacred Way by Tony Jones. It's beautifully written and easy to read, 'an invitation to explore spiritual practices that will quicken and expand our everyday lives' as the review says.
I find it interesting and exciting that there is an increased interest in spiritual practices of long ago, I personally feel that the tradition I've grown up in hasn't given me much in the way of practices in this area and I'm the weaker for it. The thing is, as Jones writes, 'seeking God will not be easy' and what is comforting (for me, as I feel I'm fairly useless at times in this area) is that spiritual disciplines don't come easy either and haven't done for Christians throughout the ages. The thing with 'disciplines' is that they are just that - you have to work at them and make time for them, but they're not to be seen as a chore or burden, rather a way of finding space for God. Jones quotes Henri Nouwen:
'Discipline means to prevent everything in your life from being filled up. Discipline means that somewhere you're not occupied, and certainly not preoccupied. In the spiritual life, discipline means to create that space in which something can happen that you hadn't planned or counted on.'

It's the practices that Jones writes about (Silence, meditation, labyrinth, fasting, different types of praying, etc..) that can help us to be disciplined and to create that space for God to speak and for us to hear and grow and that's why I think the interest in this area, not just for individuals but in the whole emerging church scene is an exciting one.

On a completely different note...roller disco in the church hall tonight at youth group - should be fun! And, now that I'm a deacon (I was elected last night), I will be even more aware of the tension between taking responsibility for the state of the hall floor and allowing the young people to have fun!

Another Place and Other Places - an exhibition of photographs by Ron Davies opens at Southport Arts Centre Gallery tomorrow until 5th May 2007. It's great that the beach 'down our road' has become such a focus of positive attention. I love the statues, and Ron's photos do them and the beach justice. Hopefully if I can make it up north before the end of May I'll be able to get to the exhibition.

This is one of my pictures from my last trip home.

Enjoyed a sunny walk today. Travelled by train to Glynde and walked along the South Downs to Lewes before taking the train back home. It's a walk of some steep climbs and great views - this was the view coming into Lewes.

Have been wondering what to put on my blog for a few days as I don't seem to be doing anything very exciting, reading anything much (haven't had much time to read from my books) or think anything very exciting. As I was thinking about this I realised that it is probably because my days are filled with so much other 'stuff' - not very exciting stuff, but the things that need doing like making dinners, washing, clearing up, cleaning...and then there's work.

One thing that keeps us all on our toes in our house, and is the source of much amusement is Brewster our lovely and mildly mad black cat. At the moment he's being silly about his food, so after a full day at work, dash to collect Michael from clarinet lesson, pick up the ironing from Jane (one bit of light relief, I have someone to do my ironing!), and call in at the chippy for tea, I then went to Sainsburys to see if I could find some new cat food that our beloved cat might like. We're trying him on a new brand, so hope it works!

God is a graffiti artist

Defacing our comfort zones

with the awful truth

of his beauty.

Leaping out at us on street corners,

accosting us when

we least expect it.

Challenging our assumptions,

opening windows

in the walls of our lives.

Lurking in places

where he doesn't belong.

Waiting for a quiet moment

to surprise you

with love.

Used this poem today from Scripture Union 's Grid material with the 11-14's group at Church. I've been quite impressed with their material for this age group, and especially this. There was no author citied for the poem, and it was their suggestion to put together a powerpoint of some of Banksy's pictures to go with it, which I did. It went down really well, especially with the budding graffiti artists among the group.

Today Michael, Jess and I went ice skating at Guildford Spectrum, and had a great time. We were discussing on the way there how many times we'd been skating. I clearly win this one. It was through my youth group days that I had the chance to go ice skating. My first experience of the ice was at Silver Blades in Liverpool, a very run down rink which closed soon after we first started going on occasional Saturday outings. It was so run down that the boots you hired were falling apart and the ice was melting around the edges of the rink. I put my ability to skate fairly confidently down to the fact that I learnt at Silver Blades and you had to be good as there was no holding on to the edge with the amount of water to be found there! Later on when we were that bit older we used to go in our cars to Deeside in North Wales to skate, this too was a fairly regular occurrence. And so, for me, ice skating brings happy memories of crazy Waterloo Baptist youth group days out, and I'm extremely grateful for them.

being an educator

I'm five months in to my new job as part time tutor on a Youth Work & Ministry degree course and enjoying the challenge. It's great to be re-connecting with the acadmic side of youth ministry, getting myself up to date with reading and thinking. It's also hard slog though, getting back into the academic after a break from studies of a few years. I'm trying to stay one step ahead of the students, and hopefully doing that, but comments like the one I had yesterday from a student can knock you a bit. I was asked if I was new to lecturing and when I said yes, she replied (in a kind sort of way!) 'you can tell'. I didn't pursue this comment further at the time, but it did leave me wondering, was this because my lecture yesterday was woefully inadequate, or that I came across as nervous and timid? Or could it have been because I brought a fresh approach? Who knows, and it's probably best not to ponder on this too much!

All this teaching has led me to reflect on what being an educator is all about. I'll never forget the first meeting I had with my fieldwork tutor as a student. She introduced herself to me as 'an educator', and it's really stuck with me. I had never heard anyone call themselves an educator; a teacher maybe, but not educator - it suggested something else.

I've been reading Freire (Pedagogy of Hope, 1992), of course he was a great educator. I've been reminded that for Freire teaching is more about enabling people to 'learn', to question, to get behind what is presented and to question it. This is a style my tutor mirrored, and one I'm more comfortable with. What is more challenging for me is taking on board when Freire says that there is no neutrality in education - it is always 'directive and political'. This seems to be more about being clear where you're coming from as an educator, not afraid to state where you stand, yet in true Freire style being open to others' points of views and willing to explore them. What is challenging is that I've a lot of work to do, in all this revisiting of theories and texts, to get to grips with where I am coming from on a lot of this stuff. It means a lot more reading and thinking - hard slog, but enjoyable, as Freire says:
"The act of studying, teaching, learning, knowing, is difficult, and especially, it is demanding, but it is pleasant...It is crucial, then, that educands discover and sense the joy that steeps it, that is part of it, and that is ever ready to fill the hearts of all who surrender to it."

Well, here goes - a new venture for me, blogging.

I've just written off to Country Walking Magazine to see if we can win a competition to have them support us (me, Pete & kids) to walk St Cuthbert's Way - 62 miles of fantastic countryside from the Scottish Borders to the Northumbrian coast. The trail follows the steps Cuthbert took from the monastery in Melrose to Holy Island where he took up the position of Bishop many years ago. They're looking for families to walk a long distance trail and as I'd already bought the map and guidebook and have been musing about when and how I'll get round to doing it I thought it was worth a try...