Moving At The Speed Of Life...

Life is an interesting thing. At times it goes by in a flash, sometimes it is mind numbingly slow. Last Tuesday was one a moment where the speed of life really smack me in the face, as I celebrated my twentieth birthday. The years have well and truly flown by. It seems like only five minutes ago I was seven years old and running around on the school playground playing tag!


On Saturday I will be moving to Exeter to start studying Theology. The summer has flown by and now I find many new experiences and challenges staring me right in the face. Our time spent at university (so I have been told) is the time in life where we change the most, it's the time when we form our outlooks on life that stay with us and the time when we make friends that will journey with us through life.  

For the past few weeks I have been in a rather anxious state, wondering what university life is going to be like. Will I be able to make new friends? Will I lose contact with my current friends? Will I cope with the work load? Those of you who know me reasonably well will know how much of a worrier I am. 

Then yesterday it hit me. For someone who raves about the sovereignty of God, I wasn't acting as if God is sovereign. I was worrying about all these things when the truth of the matter is that GOD IS IN CONTROL! God knew that I would go to Exeter university, God knew that I would study Theology, God knows who I am going to be living with and by his grace and the power of the Holy Spirit he will empower me. 

The next few years are going to provide some of the most joyous, challenging and life changing times of my life. I look forward to journeying with my awesome God (for the remainder of my life) and having him as the centre of all that I do. He has been faithful to me, guiding me, leading me my entire life even if I didn't know it and appreciate it for the first fifteen years. God's grace is sufficient for me and for you.

Adventures in the Peak District

This week I have been up in the Peak District visiting my uncle. This trip has offered a chance to get away from the busy life and relax before heading off to university in a few weeks time.

Being in the countryside provides freedom to roam the fields and get to grips with nature. On Monday we went for a walk around the Derwent reservoir dam. The scenery is just spectacular.

This is a popular cycle and walk route and bank holiday Monday sure attracted a lot of visitors. I can see why. The main track goes all the way around the water, which meant we walked roughly 12 miles.

Yesterday we took a short walk into local town Bakewell (Home of the Bakewell tart). We had a look around the few shops there was and then had lunch by the river. The river is highly populated by different bird species, however wherever I seem to go there is always sea gulls!

Local farmers like to keep a variety of animals. Up the road is a small herd of not so wild wild boar. On the way to Bakewell are three Lamas and today we walked through a field of water buffalo. Not your average farmyard animals.

Being in the countryside is great but I don't think I could live there full time. I'm a city/town boy through and through. I like people. And there aren't many people in the country. Being here this week has really confirmed that I want to live in a big city one day. Where? I don't know yet. I guess we shall just see.

We have a few more days up here so i'm sure I will post some pictures before the week is over.

FP Impact 2010/2011

I find it slightly strange, if not crazy looking back and thinking that a whole year has gone by. Most of you who read this blog will know that I have spent the last year at Gateway Church Poole doing a FP Impact year. This is a year dedicated to growing in your relationship with God whilst working in the local church.

The year provides opportunities to develop gifting and more importantly character. You are well and truly thrown in the deep end, out of your depth often not knowing what to do. This is the beauty of it. When you don't know where your next months rent is coming from or where you are going to be after the year, you are forced to run to the steadfast rock that is our God.

There were several times in the year that I thought about jacking it all in and just moving back to Winchester and working. There were times when I struggled to sleep because of an upcoming task I had to do. Through it all I have found God to be so faithful to me. Never letting me out of his safe grip whilst at the same time allowing me to be tested. His grace has really been overwhelming.

Many people choose to stay at their home church for the year. I chose to move away to experience life away from home as well as a new environment---if you are going to do an Impact year I would definatly recommend this option. Doing this provided me with freedom to grow and to be myself without any of the baggage that I had back in Winchester. It also gave me to opportunity to make many new friends and to get alongside many fathers in the faith.

I am a firm beleiver in the caught not taught method of learning. I believe you can learn just as much, if not more just from hanging out with someone than by them teaching you. This year has provided fantastic opportunities to hang out and learn from men who love God, love their wives and are amazing fathers to their children. It has been invaluable spending time with, being encouraged and more often than not corrected by these men. Thanks to James Pope, Jon Clark, Alan Mainstone, Matt Hosier, Mark Absolom, Steve Cox, Gordan Carter and Rich Stamp. There are many others whom I am also very grateful to.

Another beauty of the year is being able to share it with other people. Gateway had three students this year Rich Fishlock, Jacqueline Bennion and myself. I also need to include Elsbeth Barnett in this section as well because even though she was not a Impact student she served as the church administrator. These three have proved to be three of my closest friends. I cannot be more thankful for the times we have been able to spend together. A man could not ask for three better companions in his pursuit of God! You are all an inspiration and massive encouragement!

The year also helps you to see and to clarify what God is really calling you to do with your life. We all have a calling and our callings will all be very unique. God has really been speaking to me and preparing me for my future. I have been in a church where the word of God is esteemed very very highly and it is faithfully preached week in week out, with extreme care and accuracy. The church also knows how to worship God. Some of my favourite nights with the church were our prayer and praise evenings where we would just sing and praise God using his word.

I could probably write a whole book on my experiences as a FP Impact student, that's the extent of how much you gain and get out of the year. None of it would really be possible without support from so many people. It would be impossible to name them all. I really want to thank everyone at Gateway Church Poole for being a church where there is evidence of the grace of God. Just as Barnabbas encouraged the Antioch church I want to encourage you to stay true to the Lord with your whole hearts (Acts 11:22-23).

I also want to thank my friends and family who have been praying for me and supporting me in anyway possible, whether that be financially or by being an encouragement. Thank you also to Winchester Family Church for your love, support and prayer throughout the entire year.

What a fantastic year. I am excited for all that is ahead of me. Grace and peace to you all!

Holiday Time

It has been a while! This past term of Impact has been the most hectic one yet which means blogging has shot right been the list of things to do. It is nice to be back writing and I hope that I will get some more inspiration soon.

Anyway, I am currently taking a week off from Impact and I am back in Winchester. The weather is beautiful! I have had opportunities to catch up with friends and spend the day with my cousins which was great. It has been nice to shut down for a week before I head back to Poole to take on the last term of Impact. 

Last week we had our Easter holiday club. Over the course of the week we had 100 children join us for gospel centred stories, messy games, worship, the extremely popular drama, walk the plank (where the losing teams leader was pushed into the baptismal pool) and lots more pirate based fun.
Holiday club is an amazing week of the church calender. The whole church unites in prayer leading up to the event, up to 20 people join together as the core team and we get to invite so many young people and their families into the church building. 
We are continuing to pray as we seek to see some of these families attending the church and ultimately having faith in the Jesus.

Time fly's when you are having fun...

This morning as I was walking to work, it hit me that actually I have been in Poole now for two and a half months. Where has the time gone? It will be Christmas soon! It always seems to be that way though. When you are enjoying something, time just goes so quick.

Anyway, tonight I am heading back to Winchester, let's hope the weather is good...I highly doubt that though. 
It is going to be a very busy weekend, seeing family on the Saturday, then Church Sunday morning and evening before heading back to Poole.

It is going to be great seeing family and friends again. It has been a while since I last saw most people, and I can't wait to hear stories and attempt to relax.

Until next time...

All's well in Poole.

It's a Wednesday afternoon, just me and Matthew in the office, and seeing as he is doing preach prep it is very quiet so I thought I might as well do an update on how everything is going.

Every time I post an update I seem to boast about how amazing the weather is...well I'm sure you are glad to here that the weather is being a bit erratic at the moment. It can't decide whether it wants to rain or not. Yesterday was especially bad. Thankfully my landlord gave me a lift into the office which was great.
I will hopefully be back on the bike within the next few days. I have not been riding for the past three or so weeks because I had a minor accident and consequently needed a new chain...AND a helmet! The parts are on the way so I look forward to cutting the journey to work by 30 minutes or so. 

On Sunday we had our first youth band meeting. This is something that I am setting up in order to get the youth leading worship in the children's work. I was very encouraged to see everyone come together, and the youth were a real encouragement to me. Leading worship was never something I really explored before I moved here, but it has been great seeing my gifting grow as I use it. People have really got around me and given me the push I need which I am thankful for. 

I shall be heading back to Winchester on the 20th-21st of November. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone again and for the baptism's taking place on the 21st. After that visit, I will not be back until Christmas. 
Christmas in Poole is going to be exciting. We have our annual carol service, that I am helping to organise and run. I am also thinking of exercising my vocal chords and boosting the testosterone levels of the choir...we shall see!

Until next time...

Miracle of the week!

I am writing a short post here just to encourage and stir your faith. Yesterday in the office, one of the administrators came in on crutches because she had fallen down some stairs subsequently tearing ligaments in her foot, which in turn also pulled some bone away. Anyway, we prayed for her, and she was then able to moved her toes, which previously she couldn't do. The pain remained so we prayed again and the pain immediately left, she was able to walk, then run, and then jump on her foot. Amazing!
It doesn't end there though, we prayed one more time for the swelling to leave her foot/ankle, and before our very eyes it went...all I can say is I was in shock, but overwhelmed with joy.

God is great!

Crabbing, Tree's and Other Poole times.

Good Morning all, 

I write to you from a sunny, yet rather chilly Poole. The Sun is very high in the sky and shining very brightly, and as i look out my office window several seagulls circle the car park. The Office is unusually quiet as the "big boys" are up in Peterborough today at prayer and fasting. 

I enjoyed a lovely weekend, the weather was fantastic! Saturday morning was an early start, as I was doing the "finding your place course" at church which means i will soon be a member of Gateway. The morning took us through the basics of what church life is like at Gateway and what our mission statement is.

Sunday was brilliant! A lie in, followed by a great church service, student lunch and then an afternoon and evening with two visitors from Winchester, or should i say Eastleigh...

My one clawed BEAST!

 We spent the afternoon crabbing, took a walk in the woods and then had "chats" on the trampoline back at home. The Crabbing session was not as fruitful as previous afternoons however it was still good fun. In total we caught around five, would have been more if the fish didn't keep stealing our bait! We then headed over to Upton Country park for a stroll in the woods, and some tree climbing action. The woods are beautiful, if you ever visit down here, you must take a walk. The girls especially liked the wishing tree, a tree that people over the years have stuck colourful bits of paper on with wishes written on the paper. 


Life in general is going well, its busy, with lots of late nights and early starts. The reality of being in a different environment still has not fully hit me yet but I would say that I am settled and enjoying life. I will soon be going to my second training session in Bristol on the 26th-28th October. I look forward to yet more exciting times, and I am sure I will have many stories to tell.


 More Photo's from Sunday:

Poole Life Continued...

Hello from a now very rainy Poole,
                                                          
The weather has decided to take a sudden turn for the worse, as i discovered this morning on my ride to work. Good job i packed a spare pair of trousers other this my colleagues would have had to endured a day of me "lounging". Weather is a funny thing, but i won't go there now, maybe that could be another article for my "General thoughts" section. Who knows?

Anyway, all is going well, i am enjoying office life. I am really blessed to have such a great team of workers around me. We are all getting on very well, and having a good laugh (and of course getting on with lots of work). Lunch times generally tend to be manly bonding sessions, involving Frisbee's, footballs and Matthew Hosier riding my BMX around the car park).
I am now getting well and truly stuck into my project work. I had a meeting with the guy who oversees the youth the other night and he has given me the go ahead to start meetings for the 14-18 year old youth which is great. They are the age i really wanted to work with, but i shall gain vast experience from working with all different age groups. 
I have started some minor admin work for the children's work, this involves putting together power point presentations, researching questions for quizzes and creating a points system for the term. We are currently on a Wild Wild West theme and our points system is currently Gold Bars. The children can earn them by winning games, answering questions and bringing friends. They can then exchange them at the end end of the term for prizes. 

Life in general is going well. I am now getting to know the area quite well, which means i am getting lost on a less frequent basis. I have signed up in a Life Group (the small group meeting's within church), this will be great because it will provide a great opportunity to get to know people i may not necessarily get to know otherwise.

A friend visited me on Saturday and we had a great time down at the Quay crabbing. We caught loads and also two fish who were so relentless in eating the squid on the hooks, that they held on despite being pulled from the water.  

Poole Quay

 My mum and cousin also visited on Sunday, and we then went off to Dorchester in the afternoon to see some friends who were being put onto the leadership team at the church there. It was lovely to see them, however seeing people from home did make me miss home quite a bit, but that's just natural.

Overall, i am thoroughly enjoying life in Poole, i look forward to the rest of the year.

 Prayer Points...

• That God would continue to excite me, and give me a passion for him.
• That he would reveal himself through his word.
• I would have continued motivation to study his word.
• That I will be a godly influence to the young people I work with.
• That relationships would continue to build. 

Into the adventure...

Hello all,
               This is my first post (hopefully of many) to keep those of you back home (and all who are interested) updated on my year serving Gateway Poole Church in Dorset. Many of you will have known for some time that i am taking a year out to serve God and his church on a FP Impact year. This is a year that involves a project focus (of which mine is kids and youth work), theological training which shall be based in Bristol at City Church. The year is geared towards spiritual growth and i have high expectations for what God is going to do through this year, both for me in my walk and for the church with me serving them.

So far...
All is going well. God has provided me with a very kind and loving family to live with and they have really welcomed me into their family life. The father of the family is a tree consultant and he is already teaching me the art of chopping wood which is great fun, and very stress relieving believe it or not. The hours spent chopping will be well rewarded in the cold winter months when we can sit in front of the fire and benefit from its warmth.
As every person who moves home will find, getting to know a new area can be quite a challenge at times. I myself have already fallen victim to Poole's long and similar looking roads, walking several miles more than i had to in order to get home from town the other day. I suppose the smart thing to do would have been to stop and ask someone, however as most of your men out their will know, we have to much pride for that and would rather get lost than admit we were going the wrong way.
Today was my first day in the office and i must say i thoroughly enjoyed it. The day started with some personality and team work style tests which are designed to give you an idea of what sort of personality you are and how that effects your role in team situations. I found that i generally have extroverted tendencies, which i am sure those of you who know me would agree with. It was great to meet the others who i shall be working with this year, God has provided me with some very strong male role models which i feel is what i really need at this time in my life. They are all a great bunch, and the office atmosphere is very warm and lively.

Prayer Points...
It would be great and very encouraging for me if you could pray for me every now and then as i embark on this adventure with God. I believe prayer is a foundation of our faith and we serve a God who listens and answers us.

• That God would continue to reveal himself to me through his word, and i would grow in love and passion for him.
• For my mum, this is a tough time for her as she starts a new season with me having left the nest so to speak. Pray that God speaks to her about her own life and that God would give her a new sense of freedom.
• My FP partner Rich, that we would continue to encourage each other and start to blossom a great friendship.
• That God would continue to provide for me with financial needs, for a job to open up somewhere in the city that has the hours i need.
• That i get chances to get out in the community to meet people and see the gospel impact their lives.

Thank you for all your support so far on the journey...

Matthew Ch 5 V 14-16:

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a basket, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven."