Monthly Archive for November, 2006

The Secret Millionaire

Published
by
Jon
on 30 November 2006
in Media and Youth Work
. 0 Comments

Last night Kirsty and I watched an interesting show on Channel 4 (Wednesdays, 9pm) where a millionaire goes under cover in a tough deprived area to find a worthy cause that would benefit from their money. This first one showed a 25 year old self made millionaire Ben spending 10 days in Hackney, East London.

The show raised a lot of questions (at least in my mind) about the benefit that such a donation could make in areas of deprivation. How can you ensure that you choose the best place to give the money? Would those who receive money spend it wisely? Would there be resentment from those who didn’t receive anything? Could such a relatively small amount really make a difference? It certainly made good viewing.

After a lot of doubts and confusion, Ben eventually gave his money to a local boxer who’d done a lot for the community, a young guy with aspirations for fashion designs, and ‘Pedro’ the only youth club in the area. It was a very familiar picture: the building was very run-down, in the centre of the community, had few staff or resources, financial issues, attracted all the ‘difficult’ young people, etc, etc. The only reason it was still going at all was down to one dedicated individual who kept the club open even when he couldn’t be paid to do it.

There are hundreds of these clubs scattered across the country. I used to work in one. It wasn’t easy, but an essential lifeline for the many young people who attended. When Ben chose Pedro as the place to donate his money, he wasn’t investing in the building, but rather placing his trust in the person who ran it - endorsing all the blood, sweat and tears that had gone into the place and recognising that this one person has and will influence many, many more.

Generally, the show seemed quite balanced giving both a positive and negative view of living in such an urban place. I particularly liked when Ben asked a group of young men if the area was really as bad as he’d heard - they all gave a resounding “No”, it was the police who caused the problems! Needless to say, I’m looking forward to following the rest of the series!

Fire update

Published
by
Jon
on 23 November 2006
in Personal
. 0 Comments

Well, it turns out that there’s more to this house fire than just flames. Upon investigation, the firefighters found a large number of cannabis plants growing in a ‘factory’ upstairs. It seems one of the lamps used to grow the weed caught fire and started the blaze. The police are now on guard and the full investigation gets underway tomorrow.

Interestingly it appears the occupants were there at the time the fire started as there was food still cooking in the kitchen and the back door was found wide open. They must have realised the fire was out-of-control and legged it.

The smell of the burnt plants is still pretty heavy down the street right now, and I heard someone comment that it was the happiest fire crew they’d ever seen…

Fire!

Published
by
Jon
on 23 November 2006
in Personal
. 0 Comments



Fire!

Originally uploaded by bobweasel.


Right now the fire brigade are outside my house battling a blaze 3 doors down. I phoned them only 10 minutes ago when a friend knocked on the door to tell me smoke was coming from the roof. Fireman al says the back door was open but no-one was in there…

ebay hijacking…

Published
by
Jon
on 21 November 2006
in Personal and Technology
. 0 Comments

so I got back to my desk this afternoon after being out the office for 3 hours to find around 60 emails from ebay! Most were confirming that I’d listed a Chanel bag/purse, three were asking questions on the listings and the around ten were ebay telling me the listings had violated trademarks and were removed. The final one stated that due to inappropriate activity, my account was suspended.
Of course, I tried to login to ebay to work out what had happened… and find that my password doesn’t work! Someone has hijacked my account! I’m not too sure how this happened as I’ve never given out my password and not even logged into ebay for months. I’m now waiting on ebay to respond to the mail I sent them. Very odd!

Theology: The Basics

Published
by
Jon
on 20 November 2006
in Christianity, Media and Youth Ministry
. 1 Comment

Having grown up in the evangelical/free church movement I have a rich heritage of vibrant, exciting worship and inspiring experiences of the Holy Spirit which have helped to shape my view of the faith over the years. However, although I have heard many gifted preachers and spent a lot of time in Bible Study (particular thanks to Johnny & Debs!), my understanding of the historical and theoretical background to the church has always been woefully inadequate.

Earlier this year I picked up The Lion History Of Christianity, a concise and colourful book that outlines the last 2000 years of Christian activity. Although I’ve not yet finished reading it - it’s good to dip in and out - it challenged me to look deeper at why Christians believe what they do and how they got to that point of view.

Hence I bought Theology: The Basics by Alister McGrath. In a few short chapters, McGrath covers the major themes of Christian thinking such as God, Jesus, Salvation, Church and Heaven by presenting a step-by-step analysis of the questions they raise for believers, the historical perspectives, and any significant alternative viewpoints. Although many of the topics within the book are complex, McGrath succeeds in outlining the main issues concisely in a simple and easy-to-understand way.

For me, I can simply say that this has been the most useful and influential book I have read for a few years. Its power is not in telling me what I should or shouldn’t believe as a Christian (as much religious literature does), but in simply helping me understand what has come before and where I stand in my Christian heritage today.

Since completing this book on holiday 2 weeks ago, I have had many conversations and heard much preaching that has been enlightened by my newfound understanding of the faith. Ideas and events such as the Reformation, Calvinism and Eschatology have a meaning beyond vague impression, while my thinking on theological subjects and my own opinions have deepened.

In all my gushing praise for this book, I do not believe that it will be as beneficial to everyone. My circumstances and interests made this purchase a timely and fascinating insight, yet the concepts may be too in depth or confusing for those with no questions about the history of church development.

I have two different outcomes from reading this book. The first is that I now intend to do more personal study around theology and widen my own understanding. The second is that I believe it would be beneficial to pass on some of this basic knowledge to young people so that they too can make sense of their faith. I’m not yet sure how ‘Theology 101′ will fit into my youth programme for 11-14’s, but it’s got me thinking…

Wally the Worship Leader

Published
by
Jon
on 16 November 2006
in Christianity
. 1 Comment

Ever needed a life size robot worship leader for your church or youth group? Well your prayers have been answered in the form of Wally the Worship Leader. Wally’s features include:

  • You can always worship, even if no one in your small group can play guitar
  • Worships in ‘upbeat’ or ’slow’ modes
  • Fully animatronic with moving mouth, strumming hand, and flexible hip joints
  • Folds into a suitcase
  • Programmable phrases like “Praise Him church” and “Let’s give the Lord some applause”

    • As if that wasn’t enough, you can also purchase a second character to add onto wally in the form of Pete the Praise Pirate! (He may even give Jim Bailey a run for his money ;))

  • Kids love his ‘harrrt’ for Jesus
  • ‘Safety Hook Hand’ available as optional accessory (may limit number of songs Pete can play)

    • All of this is of course a joke, but part of a wider aim of TheChurchYouKnow to get people thinking about church and the unhelpful traditions, values and cliches that we accept as part of our faith, and to focus on the important and Christ-centred aspects of being a community of believers. From the site:

    We intend to stimulate, to question, and to provoke – hopefully in love – the Church, because we love the Church. This love compels us to question some of the characteristics and practices we see in much of the institutional church… We do not claim to have a monopoly on what is best/right/perfect for the Church… we are genuinely frustrated and concerned by the issues we address and pray that each of them will become less a part of the Church you know.

    CoffeeTea

    Published
    by
    Jon
    on 12 November 2006
    in Media and Personal
    . 2 Comments

    Coffeetea

    This picture is of a billboard on the main highway outside Kuala Lumpur. Kirsty and I travelled past it a few times during our holiday and just had to take a photo as it took us a long time to work out the product it was advertising. Take a close look. Yes, it does actually say “Coffee… Tea… Coffeetea!

    We had a great laugh imagining what Coffeetea might be or taste like. It reminded me of the brilliant Fast Show sketch: “Like Cheese? Like Peas? You’ll love Cheezy Peaz!” (Here’s the youTube video for Skweezy Cheezy Peaz)

    We tried to buy some coffeetea to bring home but were unable to find it in any of the local supermarkets, so after lots of searching the internet, I’ve actually discovered what coffeetea is and that you can buy it on ebay! So go ahead and order some today…

    it’s a favourite among many Malaysians to mix their coffee and tea also known locally as ‘Cham’ or ‘Yin-Yeong’. Coffee Shops and restaurants here serve this as well. A great mix for the lovers of coffee and tea, this one is sure to get conversations started anywhere you serve this!

    Photos

    Published
    by
    Jon
    on 5 November 2006
    in Media and Personal
    . 0 Comments



    DSCF0535

    Originally uploaded by bobweasel.


    I’ve been very economic with taking photos this trip because I borrowed a friends digital SLR and it only had a 128MB Compact Flash card. Today I found a good internet cafe that put all the photos onto CD for the grand price of a quid which means I can empty the card and start again!

    I’ve uploaded some of the best shots to flickr which you can view now, the others will be added at some time in the future…

    Sabah (Northern Borneo), Malaysia

    Published
    by
    Jon
    on 4 November 2006
    in Personal
    . 0 Comments

    This is the first time I’ve managed to get to a PC while we’ve been away - my other two posts were done using my cameraphone! It’s surreal that I can get full internet and upload photos while standing in the middle of lush virgin rainforest surrounded by Orang Utans (and Kirsty)…

    We flew into Kota Kinabalu this rainy afternoon and are just settling into our exclusive 5 star hotel the Shangri-La Tamjung Aru. It’s a far cry from the wildlife lodge we were in this morning! This should give us a bit of a chance to chill out, see the local islands, explore the fish market and eat well before heading back to Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

    Orang utans!

    Published
    by
    Jon
    on 1 November 2006
    in Personal
    . 1 Comment



    Orang utans!

    Originally uploaded by bobweasel.


    We’re now in borneo going on a 4 day jungle tour. It all starts with a visit to the orang utan sanctuary…