Today sees the return to Youthwork: The Conference in Eastbourne. We're heading to the whole of the conference again. Retreat day and main conference.
I'm looking forward to the drive down with Alice and Phil, and then spending time with Karen and the lot from Luton, as well as catching up with the Billericay guys and girls.
I'm apprehensive, I know what happened last year, and I hope that this year I will be able to get the same out of it.
One thing I'm disappointed about already is that there's no party! Last year's was so much fun...I don't know why hey aren't doing one...
Yesterday I spent a whole day in Luton with people from the St Albans Diocese, learning about working with boys. Lucinda Neall is very good, I would recommend her for training to anyone. I got a lot out of what she said can be applied to working with young people, but it's particularly good for working with boys.
I'm going to see if I can get her to come to the Chelmsford area!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Into The Box
This is a picture of the space that we were in at the end of half term, during darkness to light. I love this window. I'd quite like a closer look at it on day. Being at work I didn't get a chance to buy a postcard with a better picture, but Andy and I did spend some time trying to figure out the Latin inscription around it, but neither of us being Latin speakers, we found it a little hard!!
My second picture is of shoeboxes. Rather more colourful and heavier than if they had shoes in them! If you haven't heard of Operation Christmas Child, where have you been? (living in a shoebox perhaps?) It's a brilliant scheme that gets presents to children who don't have very much and often live in war torn countries. I have loved doing this with the students from Mayflower High School, its a shame that it doesn't run for a little longer, but there's a lot to do, once we've done our bit, to get the shoeboxes to the people that deserve them the most.I'm praying that there will be a lot of shoeboxes arriving at church on Sunday.
I'm looking forward to Shaken Up tonight (last week we had 18 young people) and then on to Saturday and the weekend! Firstly though I have to write prayers for Sunday!
If you click here it'll take you to a post with the opposite name!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Loose Ends
There's a Guinness ad that shows men creating a world... I'm not quite sure I agree with that, because that's not how it happened.
I still haven't found the Catholic prayers I went to in September, so I don't know their names to tell you... I will keep looking... I don't want to get it wrong.
I've got my phone back. It's been upgraded and the problem was the proximity sensor, which I knew, so no big surprises. I'm sure that the Proximity Callibration wasn't there before, so I've done that, but I'm yet to see how this reacts when I make a phone call or receive a call.
Sorry if you can't get hold of me... Please leave a message after the beep and I will get back to you as soon as I can!
It's been a bit of a strange couple of weeks. Chris was told he had swineflu last week so things have been centered around him getting well again. So I've spent a lot of my time with him. He's better now and will be going back to work on Monday.
Before that though, we're heading to Watford to finish...yes...the Christmas shopping. I've never been so far ahead of myself. I've even booked the day when I'm going to do all of my wrapping, and I've got a box to store everything in once it's wrapped. It's absolutely crazy, but it means that December won't be as busy. I have got a lot to do this month and into December, day's off and free time are rare, so for me the sooner the better.
I'm looking forward to it all!
I still haven't found the Catholic prayers I went to in September, so I don't know their names to tell you... I will keep looking... I don't want to get it wrong.
I've got my phone back. It's been upgraded and the problem was the proximity sensor, which I knew, so no big surprises. I'm sure that the Proximity Callibration wasn't there before, so I've done that, but I'm yet to see how this reacts when I make a phone call or receive a call.
Sorry if you can't get hold of me... Please leave a message after the beep and I will get back to you as soon as I can!
It's been a bit of a strange couple of weeks. Chris was told he had swineflu last week so things have been centered around him getting well again. So I've spent a lot of my time with him. He's better now and will be going back to work on Monday.
Before that though, we're heading to Watford to finish...yes...the Christmas shopping. I've never been so far ahead of myself. I've even booked the day when I'm going to do all of my wrapping, and I've got a box to store everything in once it's wrapped. It's absolutely crazy, but it means that December won't be as busy. I have got a lot to do this month and into December, day's off and free time are rare, so for me the sooner the better.
I'm looking forward to it all!
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
A night out
Friday night was spent in a building that I've never been to before.
If you're ever in St Albans, take the time to wander around the cathedral there. It's huge - possibly one of the biggest spaces I've been in (I haven't had time to check the cubic measurements of St Albans and Notre Dame) - the high ceilings and huge windows are amazing. You get the dizzy feeling from looking up!
Alice, Andy and I were there for the Darkness to Light themed lock in. We were running the labyrinth - which is going on a journey though different stations, some practical, others more contemplative, but all themed.
It was tiring, but a lot of fun to do, a learning experience and a chance to see how a different diocese does events.
I got home at 5am on Saturday morning and slept through til 11am.
Saturday evening came around all too quickly and I found myself in charge of Christ Church's Bowl and Bite at Eddies on Radford way. We had about 50 people during the course of the evening, families, young people and adults all bowling and eating together.
I really enjoyed the evening and am looking forward to doing it again. Hopefully we'll get more people along and have a chance to get to know some of the other people in our church family and town.
Sunday came round all too quickly as well. I lead Pathfinders at church, trying to teach them that God wants us to be nice and polite to our friends and family to make the world a better place.
Sunday afternoon was abandoned to sleeping and watching the Grand Prix - which was almost a parade, apart from the last lap, which was a little exciting.
The rest of the day was spent travelling to Luton, seeing Karen and holding Guinea Pigs, eating good food and discussing various parties and anniversaries that are happening in 2010.
The sad news this week is that I can't currently work in my office because of a leak. It has rained quite heavily recently, and the water seems to have found it's way onto my desk. It's a flat roof above my head and the water is coming in through the light, so it's not safe for me to work there.
Also I'm trying to sort out my phone. Phones 4 you have been useless, and Orange have been more helpful. Though not as helpful as I thought they would be. It seems that I'm going to have to send my handset to LG to get it fixed. So I may have a different number, but I will definitely have a different handset as of tomorrow.
The news is that I'm going to get £20 0ff my next bill. It works to ask the question. So if you text me and it takes ages to reply, it's because I'm learning how to text!!
If you're ever in St Albans, take the time to wander around the cathedral there. It's huge - possibly one of the biggest spaces I've been in (I haven't had time to check the cubic measurements of St Albans and Notre Dame) - the high ceilings and huge windows are amazing. You get the dizzy feeling from looking up!
Alice, Andy and I were there for the Darkness to Light themed lock in. We were running the labyrinth - which is going on a journey though different stations, some practical, others more contemplative, but all themed.
It was tiring, but a lot of fun to do, a learning experience and a chance to see how a different diocese does events.
I got home at 5am on Saturday morning and slept through til 11am.
Saturday evening came around all too quickly and I found myself in charge of Christ Church's Bowl and Bite at Eddies on Radford way. We had about 50 people during the course of the evening, families, young people and adults all bowling and eating together.
I really enjoyed the evening and am looking forward to doing it again. Hopefully we'll get more people along and have a chance to get to know some of the other people in our church family and town.
Sunday came round all too quickly as well. I lead Pathfinders at church, trying to teach them that God wants us to be nice and polite to our friends and family to make the world a better place.
Sunday afternoon was abandoned to sleeping and watching the Grand Prix - which was almost a parade, apart from the last lap, which was a little exciting.
The rest of the day was spent travelling to Luton, seeing Karen and holding Guinea Pigs, eating good food and discussing various parties and anniversaries that are happening in 2010.
The sad news this week is that I can't currently work in my office because of a leak. It has rained quite heavily recently, and the water seems to have found it's way onto my desk. It's a flat roof above my head and the water is coming in through the light, so it's not safe for me to work there.
Also I'm trying to sort out my phone. Phones 4 you have been useless, and Orange have been more helpful. Though not as helpful as I thought they would be. It seems that I'm going to have to send my handset to LG to get it fixed. So I may have a different number, but I will definitely have a different handset as of tomorrow.
The news is that I'm going to get £20 0ff my next bill. It works to ask the question. So if you text me and it takes ages to reply, it's because I'm learning how to text!!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Always get a second opinion
Yesterday, I was driving home from Colchester and I realised that my odometer wasn't working.
This morning, after Jazzercise and collecting some apples for various people from one of the congregation, I headed to the place where I brought my car and asked them to fix it for me. Initially the receptionist said that they couldn't fix it because they didn't have the right tools. I kicked up a little bit of a fuss, because I'd brought it from them, and the guy (who was in the showroom but kept well away) said that if I had any problems I should bring it back and they would fix it. I was also told that because they didn't have the right equipment I would have to go to Dunton to get it fixed. So I insisted that they should at least have a look, but they wouldn't unless I had a warranty. I said I wasn't sure if I did and the receptionist asked me to go home and check my paperwork.
(Now I realise that they took a copy of everything and could easily have checked instead of me driving two miles, urgh! I've only just started)
I do have what I thought was a warranty, but I was told that it didn't cover the problem I had. They had a mechanic look at it for me, who simply hit the top of the dashboard and the display reappeared. The problem was a bulb apparently, and yo replace it would cost money and take time. So I would have to pay for the labour, an hours work to replace a bulb at a cost of £85. I told them that I would be seeing my own mechanic to get a quote from him before I went ahead with anything.
So I headed off to Phil's at Gooseberry Green to see what they could do for me, and if what I was being told was right.
Car + regular Jo(sephine) = Always get a second opinion
Malcolm at Phil's was great, he discussed the issue with me and said that he would ring the Vauxhall help centre to get a proper idea of what needed to be done. He also said that warranty's are useless unless the car blows up whilst being carefully driven and even then the company who sell the warranty can dispute the claim. So there really is no point in having one, but chin up and he would give me a ring when he'd discussed it with the right people. He did, very promptly and explained that it was the bulbs filaments that cause the problem, a bulb is £1 and the labour for an hour is £48 (potential saving of £36). It doesn't have to be done now, so I will give them a ring when the bulb eventually dies.
Always get a second opinion.
Especially if you feel like you're being treated unfairly or being pressured into something. Especially if you know nothing about cars and don't like dealerships who try to charge you too much money.
This morning, after Jazzercise and collecting some apples for various people from one of the congregation, I headed to the place where I brought my car and asked them to fix it for me. Initially the receptionist said that they couldn't fix it because they didn't have the right tools. I kicked up a little bit of a fuss, because I'd brought it from them, and the guy (who was in the showroom but kept well away) said that if I had any problems I should bring it back and they would fix it. I was also told that because they didn't have the right equipment I would have to go to Dunton to get it fixed. So I insisted that they should at least have a look, but they wouldn't unless I had a warranty. I said I wasn't sure if I did and the receptionist asked me to go home and check my paperwork.
(Now I realise that they took a copy of everything and could easily have checked instead of me driving two miles, urgh! I've only just started)
I do have what I thought was a warranty, but I was told that it didn't cover the problem I had. They had a mechanic look at it for me, who simply hit the top of the dashboard and the display reappeared. The problem was a bulb apparently, and yo replace it would cost money and take time. So I would have to pay for the labour, an hours work to replace a bulb at a cost of £85. I told them that I would be seeing my own mechanic to get a quote from him before I went ahead with anything.
So I headed off to Phil's at Gooseberry Green to see what they could do for me, and if what I was being told was right.
Car + regular Jo(sephine) = Always get a second opinion
Malcolm at Phil's was great, he discussed the issue with me and said that he would ring the Vauxhall help centre to get a proper idea of what needed to be done. He also said that warranty's are useless unless the car blows up whilst being carefully driven and even then the company who sell the warranty can dispute the claim. So there really is no point in having one, but chin up and he would give me a ring when he'd discussed it with the right people. He did, very promptly and explained that it was the bulbs filaments that cause the problem, a bulb is £1 and the labour for an hour is £48 (potential saving of £36). It doesn't have to be done now, so I will give them a ring when the bulb eventually dies.
Always get a second opinion.
Especially if you feel like you're being treated unfairly or being pressured into something. Especially if you know nothing about cars and don't like dealerships who try to charge you too much money.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Default
"Default option - an option that is selected automatically unless an alternative is specified."
My default option after this weekend seems to be singing. I was with Chris on Saturday night, at a Harvest Supper in the wilds of North Essex, and found myself singing a lot of the time to the music that was playing. It seems that whilst I'm concentrating on something else, if there is music playing in the background, I will sing along to it. Of course, this is made easier by the knowledge that all the songs were really well known to me, but still, when I woke up the following morning and realised I had a sore throat, I had to think as to why that was. Strange. I sing a lot of the time. Some times are better than others, but mostly I do it for my own amusement/to worship God.
Anyway, like I said, I have spent most of my weekend with Chris and seeing family that I haven't seen for a very long time. Catching up with news is always good, it's nice to hear that things are moving on, but the way that it happens doesn't change very much...
This week is half term and I will be preparing for Christmas with my free time and preparing an essay for CCS. This will be my first attempt at writing such a think in more than three tears, so I'm a little apprehensive to say the least and I'm trying to figure out exactly how I'm going to fit it in whilst working, because the last time I had to write the only focus was the essay. So time to read up and answer the question! I'll tell you what it is when I've got some idea of where I'm going, because I haven't got the piece of paper that's got the exact title in front of me... but it's definitely something to do with the story of the Exodus and Christians today.
So here's to spending a week reading and planning!
P.S. The links are different for Chris' name because he now has a photography website and a blog!
My default option after this weekend seems to be singing. I was with Chris on Saturday night, at a Harvest Supper in the wilds of North Essex, and found myself singing a lot of the time to the music that was playing. It seems that whilst I'm concentrating on something else, if there is music playing in the background, I will sing along to it. Of course, this is made easier by the knowledge that all the songs were really well known to me, but still, when I woke up the following morning and realised I had a sore throat, I had to think as to why that was. Strange. I sing a lot of the time. Some times are better than others, but mostly I do it for my own amusement/to worship God.
Anyway, like I said, I have spent most of my weekend with Chris and seeing family that I haven't seen for a very long time. Catching up with news is always good, it's nice to hear that things are moving on, but the way that it happens doesn't change very much...
This week is half term and I will be preparing for Christmas with my free time and preparing an essay for CCS. This will be my first attempt at writing such a think in more than three tears, so I'm a little apprehensive to say the least and I'm trying to figure out exactly how I'm going to fit it in whilst working, because the last time I had to write the only focus was the essay. So time to read up and answer the question! I'll tell you what it is when I've got some idea of where I'm going, because I haven't got the piece of paper that's got the exact title in front of me... but it's definitely something to do with the story of the Exodus and Christians today.
So here's to spending a week reading and planning!
P.S. The links are different for Chris' name because he now has a photography website and a blog!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Gathering together...
Yesterday was a busy day and started with a late arrival for me at the 8am service. I some times forget how quickly a spoken service can go, so before I knew it, it was time for breakfast and then time to start preparing for the next service.
The third Sunday of the month is always a little strange. The children are in for the whole of the service, it's shorter and more interactive. I do enjoy it a lot as I'm often at the front doing something or helping with an activity and this months service was no different!
We had Peter Hylton and his team from St Mary's take the majority of our service. They were launching Operation Christmas Child for our church, which went down really well. We had a fuller congregation that normal because we had over 50 children from the uniformed organisations join us. It was great to see so many faces and hear from people who had been out to places to give out shoe boxes. (We sang Father Abraham, which I haven't sung for ages)
After that it was time to head home for some serious rest. To watch the gymnastic world championship (well done Beth Tweddle on your gold) and the Brazilian Grand Prix.
That period of time went far too quickly and I found myself willing Jenson Button on (He won and became the 9th (?) British F1 champion) as Mum and I walked the short distance to the Catholic Church for the penultimate CTB pilgrimage service. I've never been a part of a traditional Catholic service so it immeadiately caught my attention as something that I'd like to go to.
I found it intriguing that nearly everything was sung and there was Latin as well. I missed some of the bits of the service because I was reading the Latin, but I got the gist of it and found singing Latin really easy! I would recommend going to a Catholic service if you don't attend a catholic church regularly when you're giving the opportunity. The last service is at St John's so I will hopefully be going there in November.
When I find the piece of paper I'll tell you what the service was called.
Then it was quickly home for a bite to eat and out again to see the Baptist church in action. We've joined forces to help with the leader situation and to see how our youth groups can work together. It was good fun. I was definitely ready to go to bed when I got home!
The third Sunday of the month is always a little strange. The children are in for the whole of the service, it's shorter and more interactive. I do enjoy it a lot as I'm often at the front doing something or helping with an activity and this months service was no different!
We had Peter Hylton and his team from St Mary's take the majority of our service. They were launching Operation Christmas Child for our church, which went down really well. We had a fuller congregation that normal because we had over 50 children from the uniformed organisations join us. It was great to see so many faces and hear from people who had been out to places to give out shoe boxes. (We sang Father Abraham, which I haven't sung for ages)
After that it was time to head home for some serious rest. To watch the gymnastic world championship (well done Beth Tweddle on your gold) and the Brazilian Grand Prix.
That period of time went far too quickly and I found myself willing Jenson Button on (He won and became the 9th (?) British F1 champion) as Mum and I walked the short distance to the Catholic Church for the penultimate CTB pilgrimage service. I've never been a part of a traditional Catholic service so it immeadiately caught my attention as something that I'd like to go to.
I found it intriguing that nearly everything was sung and there was Latin as well. I missed some of the bits of the service because I was reading the Latin, but I got the gist of it and found singing Latin really easy! I would recommend going to a Catholic service if you don't attend a catholic church regularly when you're giving the opportunity. The last service is at St John's so I will hopefully be going there in November.
When I find the piece of paper I'll tell you what the service was called.
Then it was quickly home for a bite to eat and out again to see the Baptist church in action. We've joined forces to help with the leader situation and to see how our youth groups can work together. It was good fun. I was definitely ready to go to bed when I got home!
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