How could we raise £25000 in 4 days for a dog, but not support youth mission?

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It was in the news this morning that Jasper the dog was rescued from Scafell Pike after he had gone missing a few days ago. I’m delighted that he’s back safely and I’m very happy he’s been reunited with his owner!

What stood out to me about this story was the £25,000 raised by 6000 people through social media since Sunday this week. This is an enormous amount of money raised in an incredibly short amount of time and – without wanting to make light of the situation, or the fantastic work to bring Jasper home – for a reasonably innocuous cause.

Humans have a much more generous nature than we give them credit for.

There are many things we can take away from this. We can possibly conclude that humans have a much more generous nature than we give them credit for. We could perhaps conclude that when people are presented with a clear need, then they are much more willing and likely to give. We could also conclude that it easier to make a decision to give to something that doesn’t talk back and doesn’t present complicated choices.

A huge part of my job is fundraising. It’s hard, it’s often embarrassing and it’s absolutely necessary. I work with hundreds of young people with an enormous spectrum of issues, difficulties and widespread lack of hope. The unfortunate truth is this that this costs money and sometimes lots of money. In order to be effective in the projects that I manage I need individuals, groups, churches, causes and businesses to support what we do financially.

In the youth work church world we are always competing for funds. It takes an inordinate amount of time, and it sometimes really is like trying to get blood out of a stone. It always shocks me to learn how much money churches give to overseas mission in comparison to local mission. It bugs me that individuals would rather give towards one specific event than regular ongoing relational work. And it does my nut in that so many people only consider giving when a project is about to close.

There are young people on our doorsteps who are desperate for the compassion ministry that only Christ driven projects could bring them.

Youth Ministry Architects say we should spend around $1000 (£630) per young person per year to be healthy. What does your youth work budget look like? How does it compare to other expenses? There is research to suggest that the average amount of church income spent on youth work is about 3% – and this doesn’t necessarily mean reaching the unreached.

Giving is an act of worship. There are young people on our doorsteps who are desperate for the compassion ministry that only Christ driven projects could bring them. If we can raise £25,000 to bring a dog home then we can dig deep in our pockets and give to the most important need in the UK: the Jesus driven health of it’s young people.

Church pastors please consider placing a high priority on local youth mission in your next budget meeting. Please don’t let us compete with Jasper the dog.

I’ll end with a story. Last year I went to speak at a women’s coffee morning. There were about twenty of them and they were absolutely lovely! I gave my usual short presentation on the work we’ve been doing in North Wales and I asked them, as I always do to consider volunteering, praying and giving to support us.

At the end they bought me a cup of tea. While drinking this cup of tea someone had walked around the sandwich bag. Moved with compassion for the young people in North Wales, these twenty lovely, elderly women dug deep into their pockets and filled the sandwich bag with all the change that they were carrying. It came to about £80. This still feels like the biggest donation we’ve ever had. This was the widows offering.

Let’s make giving to young people’s mission a priority and let’s make it so youth leaders don’t have to spend their time pleading for it. Support youth mission!

Today’s Discipleship, Tomorrow’s Disciples by Nathan Iles and Phil Knox

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This was a live blog for Youthwork, the Conference, originally published on their webpage here.

It’s ​9:08​ in Devonshire 1, and the room is slowly filling up to experience the first seminar of Youthwork​,​ the Conference 2014; “Today’s Discipleship, Tomorrow’s Disciples”. The air conditioning is whirring, the awkward ‘chair-next-door conversations’ have started​,​ and the title, ​​Today’s Discipleship, Tomorrow’s Disciples is stirring interest.

Our speakers, Nathan Iles and Phil Knox, are here holding the torch for British Youth For Christ, so we’re expecting this to be fuelled by a drive and passion to ‘take the good news of Jesus Christ relevantly to every young person in the UK.’

(This is live, sorry about any mistakes!)

An opening question “how good was your breakfast?” with a hearty response breaks the ice and kicks us into gear. This is a fast paced, high energy presentation with masses of important information and deeply applicable challenges – so buckle up!

Ten Unique Challenges of The Millennial Generation

Sociologists have been saying ​that ​‘there​’​s something different about this generation’​, something that​ creates new categories, reaches for new terms and raises new questions for how we do youthwork today. They go by many names​:​​​ ​​the millennials,​​ the paradoxical generation, ​​the dot-coms,​​ the emerging adults,​​ the 18s-20s –​ ​and they come with unique wordviews which require us to ta​i​lor our approach to youthwork accordingly.

So what is unique about this generation and what are some of the ways that we can speak truth to them?

  1. They are digital pioneers.

They don’t just go online, they are online. Over half will check their social media as soon as they wake up. They live in the moment and that moment is on the smartphone, the tablet and the laptop.

Paradoxically this hyper-connectiv​ity​​ ​with a whole net of other digital users also creates a sense of isolation, and often a polarisation between the persona in reality and the persona online.

There needs to be a definite level of incarnational involvement in that world. We need to be God incarnate online, and help our young people be responsible digital pioneers and good citizens of the online world.

  1. They are anti-institutional

Once upon a time we trusted politicians, we trusted organisation and we trusted institution. Those days are rapidly wearing thin. There is a pandemic lack of desire to belong to, or be a card-carrying member of any kind of institution.

However, this does not mean that this generation is not deeply spiritual. They are! There is a rejection of organised religion but a widespread searching for a deeper sense of reality.

We need to tackle nominal church going. Phil reminded us that ‘small is beautiful’ and that we need to see a de-emphasis on the Sunday morning service and a greater emphasis on the small group. We further need to give young people a bigger image of what church can be, moving away from consumerist models. “We need a society to contribute to rather than a church to consume.”

  1. They are instant consumerists

The mo​t​to of this generation is tesco ergo sum, I shop therefore I am. This is the first generation to identify as consumerists, and specifically instant consumerists. We can go from hearing a song on TV to downloading and owning it within thirty seconds. There used to be a day where we browsed video rental shops – now we feel hard don​e​ by if we can’t stream a video within seconds.

We can address this by speaking out on generosity and speaking out against consumerism and the desire craze. What kinaesthetic experiences can we give to our young people (like visiting homeless kitchens) to teach them about generosity?

  1. They are influenced more by friends than romance or family

Peers have replaced parents. Friends have become the most dependable unit. Even in popular culture, TV shows have moved away from the family unit (The Simpsons) to the friendship circles (Big Bang Theory).

The church, however​,​ can uniquely give people a broader vision of family through all-age community. When young people were asked in a recent study, ‘what do you look for in a youth leader?’ 85% responded with a parent or grandparent figure.

Nathan gave us a great example of a program called ‘sponsor a young person.’ The deal is the young person has to say hello to an older person, and the older person has to commit to pray for that young person and give £1 a month to support them to go on a residential. Brilliant!

  1. They have paradox between need for community and increasing isolation

There is a deep desire for individualism and a parallel longing for community. They are the ‘have it your way’ generation but​ they​ also have a deep need to be part of something bigger than themselves.

In youth ministry we need to hold these tensions and speak into these paradoxes. We need to speak into individual decision and church community  This should be easy for the church! Faith is rooted in individual decision, in light of a whole community.

  1. They are a post-christendom generation

Religion is no longer at the centre of public life. Jesus is a swear word and ​N​oah is a myth. In 1985 520,000 18-30s were going to church​; ​in the 20 years since that has more than halved. This generation no longer has the context, the background or the language to engage directly with Christian culture.

Sunday school for many in this generation is a thing of the past. People don’t know the Bible stories now. We need to translate the language and use words that young people understand. We also need to look at a different paradigm for the communication of Gospel, using stories works more often now than using something like the 4 points Gospel. Not least because the lack of prior understanding also means that the stories also now have a real freshness.

  1. They are spending more time in adolescence

The average age of Adolescence is extending and now sits somewhere between the ages of 10-27. They are also sometimes called the ‘Peter Pan’ generation because ‘they never grow up.’

There are ways, like being sexually active, where they are growing up faster​,​ however transitioning into full adulthood is getting harder and taking longer.

As church and youthworkers we need to intentionally celebrate the translations into adulthood by inten​t​ionally addressing transition issues and by supporting parents more. One of the things Youth For Christ has done is changed the age spectrum in its constitution from 11-18 to 7-25. We should consider running our youth groups older.

  1. They have a ‘Moralistic Therapeutic Deist’ worldview

The way that emerging adults view God is like Santa Claus or like a cosmic butler. He helps us be happy by bringing us good things and encouraging people to be nice and fair. The ultimate purpose of life is hedonistic – that is to be happy. ​(​Ideal moment to kick in with Pharall Williams.​)​

Bottom line here: We need to get uncomfortable. Comfort is the enemy of growth. We should as youth workers give our young people a sense of adventure and of mission. It’s not enough to entertain young people and show them a good time. We need to dare young people to do incredible things in their world for Jesus Christ.

  1. They are anti-commitment

The average ​A​merican has 7 jobs in their 20s and on​e​ of the most downloaded apps in the UK today is ‘try before you buy dating’ which allows you to hook up with no strings attached. This bleeds into our profession too: the average time a UK church leader spends at a church is 7-10 years, however the average time a youth leader spends at a church is 18 months.

What does commitment to Jesus look like to an ant​i​-commitment generation? We must help young people to chose day in day out for Jesus Christ. The challenge is enabling teenagers to dream again. Helping them think big, aim high and work hard to get there. All the while we must constantly remind ourselves that generationally, things do shift. Things can change.

  1. They have a happy midi-narrative – worldview

Happiness is the central goal of life. Period. This isn’t necessarily new, however​ what​ might be is how that is achieved. You don’t pursue happiness through metanarrative (the big picture of life), but on a much more modest scale that you can control in your microcosm of your own contacted life. An interesting picture this is our Facebook profiles. A small reality that we can control and protect.

We need to tell the big story though. We need to tell the whole story of God, creation, life, Jesus Christ. We must tell the metanarrate and challenge the microcosms. One of the best ways we can do this is to invite them into it. They too are part of this great story!

Youthwork in Wales… some thoughts

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Youthwork in Wales. After just 3 and a half years working in Wales I’m anything but an expert! I am, however, a learner, and I’ve put together these quick thoughts as a result of my own growing observation and conversations in the Welsh-ministry world. I would of course heartily welcome any feedback from experienced Welsh pastors and youth workers in order to grow and adapt these thoughts. I am holding them loosely and (I hope) with an open hand.

Most of my experience is in North Wales… creeping into Mid Wales, with very little in South Wales (other than some epic holidays and knowing some amazing people). So I guess I’m mostly talking about the North here.

I’m an Englishman living in Wales. My ancestry is Welsh, I became a Christian in the town which I now work, and I am in love with the culture here and never felt more at home. I am, however, definitely English (watching the World Cup proved that!) – so do take my observations lightly.

 

Big, Whopping Preliminary Thought:

– Wales really is a whole other country! Let’s treat it that way. I have another post on this topic here.

 

What We Have

– Wales is beautiful! I have a friend who has been working in Wales for a long time who once said ‘when God made the Earth He started with Wales.’ I think my friend was right! Wales is gorgeous, rich, and diverse – and perfect geographically for outdoor pursuits! There is lots available (mountaineering, canoeing, climbing, surfing) within easy driving reach of each other and easy reach of town bases. This is one of the key reasons that Welsh Youth Camps are so successful.

– Legacy. There is a proud and broad Church and missionary history in Wales. There are many countries (such as India and South Korea) that still view Wales as their spiritual home. Don’t forget the epic Welsh revival(s) just over a century ago, and the founding of charities like Scripture Union and The International Beach Mission. This gives people huge pride in – and openness to – ministry, particularly with a view to mission.

– Unity. Another friend I’ve made here settled in Wales after working for years globally with people like Billy Graham. He told me just last week that he hasn’t seen such an unprecedented level of churches and charities working together anywhere else in the entire world… Go Wales! There are disagreements and factions of course, but when it comes to mission there is a huge willingness to pool resources and march forward. I spoke at a camp last week that had people involved from Young Life, Urban Saints, and YFC which was attended by a huge range of denominations. There was no ‘look at us’ and a whole load of ‘look at JESUS!’

– Multicultural… but not like what you’re thinking. Wales’s as a culture is split several ways, but what you really notice is the incredible Celtic heritage bleeding through the older Welsh communities, particularly from the West Coast. This heritage is spiritually aware, open and ready to hear about the mysteries of God in a unique way. The Welsh language is also incredibly rich, broad and adds a whole host of considerations for ministry.

– Community driven. Much of North Wales still feels like a village community. This bleeds through into Church and School culture and makes community projects and particularly events that cross the age spectrum work really well.

– Love of creative arts. Wales has an ancient history with art and creativity, and this forms many of the foundation blocks of its culture. Art galleries, poetry, folk music, architecture, sculpture and theater are mainstays of just about every Welsh settlement – and should be taken seriously for Welsh ministry.

– The highest poverty in the UK. Almost a quarter, 23% against England’s 22% and Scotland’s 18%. When you consider population sizes that’s huge!About 700,000 people in Wales living under the breadline. Further, the cuts have damaged the Welsh working poor more than the rest of the UK. By 2015-16 tax payers in Wales will be paying £900 million a year for benefit reforms.

– Highest Child Poverty in the UK. About 15% live in what’s described as severe poverty in Wales. Read more about poverty in Wales here and here.

 

What We Don’t Have

– Clinical resources and support groups. There are, for instance, no clearly advertised self harm support networks across the whole of North Wales. Waiting lists for NHS counsellors are huge, and there are few local competitive free-lancers. There are a lot of emotional needs that go unaddressed in North Wales because of the lack of support.

*edit (2015) – Mind, the Mental Health Charity, are pushing hard to make inroads to remedy some of the above.

– Up-to-date First Language Welsh Resources. There are groups like SU who are working hard to remedy this, but much of the Welsh resources for young people are old! Google Translate and Babblefish simply do not work for Welsh! There is a huge need for properly translated modern songs, Bibles and youth resources. This is a need, but an incredibly niche huge market, so good luck trying to convince the publishers!

– Crowds. For some perspective, North Wales has the same population as Sheffield. I once tried to run a crowd event just for Christian young people in a North Wales town where I had only 20 or so show up. This was really disappointing until I realised that those 20 constituted about 80% of the Christian youth in that town! If you want to run crowd events across a larger area though, you are plagued by geography. We need something other than standard crowd events to build wider community here.

– Large school districts. The largest areas of North Wales only have a couple of Schools serving them, and in some cases these school populations have been coached in from miles away. Cross-school based projects are going to struggle, as is any group or project that depends on multiple feeder schools.

– Cities. OK so we’ve got a couple… 6 of them. In the North we’ve got two: Bangor (population 17,575) and St. Asaph (population 3,491). Both of them are 20 minutes away from my base in Llandudno (population 20,710 – almost bigger than both cities put together.) Considering that there are 51 cities in England (average size about 200,000), it should become instantly clear that this is a totally different world! City ministry models in England are not going to help us much here.

– Motorways. So this sounds like a small thing, but in order to get from North Wales to South Wales the quickest, easiest way is to leave the country, travel down the M6 then come back in… Yeah. The lack of mobility infrastructure (& the fact that mid Wales is incredibly sparsely populated) really makes Wales two countries.

 

What We Don’t Need

English City Driven Youth Strategies. Even in the few years I’ve been here I’ve seen several English City youth workers come to the area, try to start a big event only to see it pop and fizzle. Then they move away. I’ve come from 7 years working in London and I’m still saying it! We don’t have feeder schools, we don’t have several key massive youth groups, we don’t have mainstay youth projects and we don’t have the resources available to English cities. We also have a very different geographical town structure than City clusters. Please think contextually. Think about Wales.

Events, projects and physical resources that are crowd-drawing, resource-draining, and lacking follow-up that are created without a proper understanding of the context are not going to make disciples here. They’ll only make even more church debt! It’s just bad stewardship.

 

What We Really DO Need

Methods and praxis for developing mission strategy in schools and a mechanism for rolling that out more widely.

More resources in terms of cash and people to invest incarnationally and intentionally in the area – particularly in para-church projects.

Welsh speakers working alongside veteran youth workers to come up with innovative, fresh and culturally relevant youth work resources and Bible translations.

Churches, cities and towns to pray for us intentionally as a country.

Churches and charities to step up with their resources and take risks by setting up counselling and support networks for emotional and mental health.

To maximize the use of our pre-existing, well established camps and to work them into our church youth strategies.

To keep working in partnership and unity with various other groups and to pool our resources – it’s about the name of Jesus after all!

Underage Drinking: You think you’re cool – we think you’re an idiot!

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Have you ever been in a pub with some of your mates? You somehow managed to get in and get served now you’re sat at a table laughing loudly with bright blue drinks and empty glasses littering your table just like – you think – everybody else. Does a thought ever stray past your mind whispering, “I wonder if they’re all looking at us?”

Yes. Yes they are. And they all think you’re a moron.

In the youth work world there’s a bit of a golden rule when considering how to pitch a program stylistically: Aim 2 years higher. If you’re running a group for 11-14s, pitch it to 14-16s. If you’re running something for 14-16s, pitch it at 16-18s. This is based on the idea that teenagers always want to look a little bit older, a littler bit cooler and a little bit more street wise and if you scratch this itch they will come. When deciding who they want to be, young people look to their immediate elders. This is often the years above them at school, older sisters or brothers, tv show characters, or some weird uber-cool persona that exists only in the teenage zeitgeist; It’s little wonder that every 16 year old wants to drink until they’re off their ass!

Underage drinking is one of the most hideously exploited markets that exists today. It’s sanctioned child abuse. It’s a conscienceless adverting campaign running through culture that goes unchecked and unchallenged by anyone under 60. It hangs off the same rule that we use to pitch a youth work program, namely ‘get em young!’ The sly thing about this is it plugs into viral teenage folklore; ‘your Sixth Form friend told you a story about getting sloshed at the end-of-year after party? Isn’t she cool! Even better, it could be you!’

A few harsh realities about underage drinking culture:

The only ‘of age’ people who drink like you do do so because they started underage.
The only over-18s I know that get wasted in pubs on alcopops or in the streets on cheep cider – who publicly chain drink until they can’t feel their fingers – started doing so before they we’re 18 because ‘they thought it looked cool.’ It wasn’t cool then, and it isn’t cool now.

… Or they do it privately.
And here it’s neither fun, big nor clever! Just very sad, very painful and it quickly drives everything good out of their lives.

Your body genuinely can’t handle it.
When you’re 16-24 you’re body is still going through massive changes. Your liver and other organs are still asserting themselves and they are still learning how to communicate with your brain and nervous system. You may have had three pints and ‘not felt it’ but you can guarantee your body did, and you can guarantee your brain will catch up to… too late.

Alcopops pretend to be sweets not drink.
Every wondered why alcopops exist? It’s to get you! The high visibility colours and ridiculous sugar count are aimed at building on what you’re already addicted to. You’re meant to go, ‘wow this tastes just like fanta, booze is great!’ Which anyone who enjoys a real pint or glass of whiskey will tell you is simply childish – and when you do it in a pub they defiantly think you’re a doofus. Did you know that the average 275ml bottle of alcopop contains 171 calories? That’s around about the same amount as hot chocolate with whipped cream.* It’s the sugar that gets you – not the alcohol!

Alcopops are advertised to teenagers.
I almost wrote ‘subtly’ in the title, but it’s not really. Compare the ad campaigns between say Carling lager (aimed at 20s-30s) and Alcopops like WKD or Bacardi Breezer. The latter are more colorful, community/party driven, new experience based and are highly comparable to playstation, ipod, and x-factor adverts.

New energy drinks are designed to make you feel like you’re drinking.
Have you looked at the shape of the cans, the logos, the adverts, the design ethic?  How do they look on the shelves? Who in pop-culture are drinking them and why? What about the colour of the drink itself? Even the taste has a bitter-sweet quality and of course more and more pubs are selling them too. Mixing both the extreme sports world and drinking culture creates a very sly transitional ploy to get teenagers associated with drinking. It may be worth pointing out how incredibly bad for you these drinks are too, and how if mixed with alcohol they can be disastrous!

Alcohol is not a stimulant, its a depressant.
It’s amazing how many people think this is the other way around. Alcohol works by depressing brain function and has been shown to effect long term mental health because of this. While a small amount might temporarily improve your mood, large amounts does exactly the opposite.**

Drinking to get sloshed is neither big nor clever – and no one you respect thinks it is either.
If you hear sensible, fun, of age people talking about going to a party or pub they talk about hanging out with friends, swapping stories, dancing, watching football, meeting new people and generally having a good time. They often have memories and photos of the last time they did it and they mean something to them in their small community. Having some drinks adds to their experience. The only people who talk about getting sloshed do so because they started younger and thought drinking their mates under the table and having to be put into a taxi was what it was all about. Chain drinking and going out ‘in order to drink’ is what people do because they didn’t know better and didn’t have chance to learn properly. This leaves you with an immature approach to friendship and a very shallow small community. The former group have people who go too far to, and there’s no one in those groups who doesn’t roll their eyes when they think of them.

Some rules of thumb for moving into drinking culture:

Don’t believe the lies.
Everyone wants to have a drinking story of going ‘too far.’ Hey, I once got drunk off communion wine during a confirmation service with two bishops in attendance and it does make for a hilarious tale! What you’ll find though is as the story teller gets older they tell less stories about themselves with bravado and more stories about others with pity. They start to realize the truth: getting ratted is not fun and it’s not cool. Don’t believe all the stories people tell you, and don’t hurry into making your own.

Grow community culture, not drinking culture.
What your heart is yearning for is community: Friendship, companionship, place and people. This is why fun people go to parties and pubs, they don’t go out to drink! If you take the ‘to drink’ bit out of the ‘going out’ idea, life becomes so much more fun and fulfilling! Go out to have a good time with people, take lots of pictures, laugh lots, talk lots, remember it and build on it next time.

Give your body time.
Ok lads and lasses, ditch the drinking games and seriously, I don’t know, play cluedo or something! When you start to drink have the odd one, have it with food, intersperse alcoholic drinks with other soft drinks. Give your body and brain time to adapt and learn. Your body and your friends will thank you!

Aim for under your limit, not to your limit.
Your ‘limit’ is how much can you drink before you start to loose senses, not how much can you drink before you can lie on the floor without holding on. Your own limit takes time to work out and it changes throughout you life depending on age, diet, routine, sleep patterns etc. Stay safe and stay a unit below it to give your body and mind wiggle room. Average limits are about 3-4 units for men and 2-3 for women.*** This is obviously lower if you’re still developing. So keep it between 1-3 yeah?

Keep it legal.
The legal drinking age for buying alcohol is 18. Consuming wine, beer, or cider (only) is 16-17 on licensed premises with a meal as long as the person ordering is over 18.**** One of the best ways to learn about your body and limits is to do it safely with parents. Go out for a meal with mum & dad and have a small glass of wine (red with burger, white with pasta!).

The picture with the bottle on your facebook account… no.
It’s become something of a rite-of-passage to get a facebook profile picture with a drink in your hands, the more bottles you can squeeze into your hands and the more deranged look on your face the better. Of course what this actually does is make your friends, teachers, family and potential employers think you’re an idiot too.

A Wee Plea:

Please think harder (or just at all) before buying into the lie ‘drinking lots makes you cool.’ It simply doesn’t, and in the ‘of age’ world where people actually drink – they all think you’re obtuse and frankly a little bit stupid and embarrassing. What you’re experiencing as an underage drinker is not an early step into drinking culture, it’s an entirely different culture aimed to get you addicted early. The only reason it looks like some of drinking culture is because the bleed is going both ways and people who learned to drink early never learned to drink properly.

I’m tired of having to scrape good teenagers up off the streets!

And can someone please kick alcopop and energy drink companies in the teeth?

Thanks!

*http://www.drinkaware.co.uk/check-the-facts/what-is-alcohol/types-of-alcohol/alcopops
**http://www.drinkaware.co.uk/check-the-facts/health-effects-of-alcohol/mental-health/alcohol-and-mental-health
***http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Recommended-Safe-Limits-of-Alcohol.htm
****http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/relationships_e/faq_index_family/faq_family_legal_age_drinking_and_smoking.htm

Open letter to Mike Jeffries, CEO at Abercrombie and Fitch

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Mike Jeffries
CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch
6301 Fitch Path
New Albany
Ohio 43054
USA

11th May 2013

Dear Mr Jeffries

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your helpful and up-building words to young men and women in the west.

As a youth worker, I spend a lot of time listening to the trivial  and disparaging woes of teenagers, and if they just understood that they will never belong with the “cool, good-looking people” then maybe I could catch a break.

If I could just explain to Tony as simply as you did that some people just “don’t belong” because they don’t have the “Washboard stomach” or look as if they’re “about to jump onto a surfboard” then maybe he will stop cutting himself. If I told Dory that she simply isn’t one of the “hot” or “cool kids … with a lot of friends” and simply isn’t supposed to fit into your “cute underwear for little girls” she will stop starving herself to death. Perhaps with that clarifying approach to social standards and self-esteem they will get on with life and succeed at whatever it is the sub-attractive people do. Working in an Cambodian A&F sweat shop perhaps?

If the young people that I work with every day just got that there’s an in and an out – and that they are out – then perhaps they would just stop trying, and get out of the beautiful people’s faces. As you so delicately put, they are not the people you want!

Perhaps it was the dim lights, the lack of air conditioning, the supermodel staff, the soft-pornography walls, or the purple haze of the latest scent – but when I was last in A&F I swear I had an out-of-body experience. Floating in a corner above the plus sizes (6 I believe?), and the ‘eye-candy’ labeled thongs in the kids section, I looked down at my self in horror! Not being one of the cool kids with my shock of ginger hair and lanky frame I realised I was trespassing on some exclusive nirvana, and I was dragging down the image of the store and the unsuspecting beautiful people within. Needless to say I left as quickly as I could without buying anything – as I’m sure you’ll appreciate.

So again, thank you. Thank you for being such an understanding, knowledgeable, experienced sage. Thank you for giving young boys and girls the crushing dose of reality that my counselling just doesn’t achieve. Thank you for dashing dreams, breaking hearts, locking doors and seeing that yet another generation grows up with fingers down their throats and photo-shopped pinups on their walls. Thank you for saying what needs to be said from your lofty position of popular culture. Thank you for continuing to make money the easiest way possible – by making teenagers afraid to be who they are and exploiting their fear. Thank you. perhaps now I will be able to get some much needed beauty sleep.

Yours sincerely

Tim Gough

——–

Other open letters online:

Andrea Neusner – Huffington Post

Sheila Moeschen – Huff Post Comedy

Moody Teenagers – The Chemical ‘Romance’!

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After reading this article on ‘Moody Teenagers’ I thought I’d blog a few ‘control points’.

The gist is this: A £5 million research grant has been given to a bunch of Cambridge research scientists to study the chemical balances and patterns of 14-24 year old’s brains. The aim is to discover what make them overly ’emotional,’ ‘impulsive,’ and ‘moody’.

The hypothesis behind the article is that during teenage years the more primitive areas of the brain are switched on and develop faster than rational areas. The brain is therefore carrying a lot of ‘evolutionary baggage’ that isn’t necessarily distinctly human which is responsible for teenage behavior and emotions.

The evidence? Well, they possibly see it in some reptiles and some less complex mammals. They also hope this study will show it too.

By the wonders of science, they’re even hoping they can ‘accelerate’ the maturing process of the brain’s wiring so parents, teachers, and indeed us youth workers can catch a break!

With the study going ahead I thought I’d list off some ‘control’ areas that people might want to consider before dismissing teenage behavior as an evolutionary baggage or dodgy brain wiring. As much as we’d all love to find quantifiable reasons to write teenagers off, perhaps there’s more to their life than simply chemical imbalances.

In no particular order:

  • Teenagers today sit exponentially more exams than any other generation before.
  • Teenagers face unquenchable pressure to perform from parents, teachers, councilors, the media, the postman, the dog, themselves, their friends, and just about everyone else in the known universe.
  • Teenagers are constantly written off by the media as being hoodies and hooligans, while at the same time told their exams are getting easier and all their choices are soft options.
  • Teenagers move in about 15 distinct social circles whereas the rest of us move in about 5.
  • Teenagers are the target generation for cyber-bullying, sexting culture, online predators, serious fraping, and the isolated wonders of being internet-dependent.
  • Teenagers are also the target generation for the vast majority of popular culture marketing including gadgets, clothes, diets, sex, sportswear, music, TV, games, and everything else that will sub-culturally brand them by what they can afford.
  • Teenagers – who don’t have the luxury of independence – live in constant fear of judgement of their appearance and lifestyle which they have little or no control over. They need to live a certain way to avoid stigmas, but rely on others to provide it.
  • ‘Evolutionary baggage’ apart, teenagers go though the most bodily changes in their lives during all of the nonsense above.
  • Teenagers today are growing up in more broken homes than any other generation before.
  • Teenagers have very few places to discuss and manage their confusion and pain that they can trust and that are marketed to them clearly.
  • Teenagers today are far more likely to become pregnant, engage in self harm, commit suicide, take drugs, start smoking, view pornography, or drink underage than any other generation before.
  • Teenagers are taught to treat adults who act sympathetic and compassionate toward them as potential dangers.
  • Teenagers have less chance of getting a job after they leave uni today than any other generation before.
  • Teenagers today will work at least 15 jobs in their lives and will more likely spend a considerable portion of their working life unemployed.
  • Teenagers benefit from being at the short end of the cuts-stick. Libraries, museums, youth centers, youth programs, and sports centers are closing down around them whereas rest-homes and failing small businesses abound.
  • Teenagers living in poverty have a fraction of the amount spent on them that adults living in poverty do.
  • Teenagers are told to go to uni at a ridiculous price, with little or no hope of getting a job at the end. Uni for many now is simply unaffordable and impractical, but they are seen as second rate if they don’t go.
  • Teenagers at uni right now are reporting significant lack of value for money in their studies.
  • Teenagers have no vote, no place in the process, no say and no voice in the decisions the government is making that will affect their futures more than anyone else’s.
  • Teenagers are a convenient scape goat. The recent riots – which were most significantly participated in by over 18 year-olds – were blamed almost exclusively on teenagers.
  • Teenagers are rarely treated seriously for the issues and pressures that they face.
  • Teenagers have the freedom of social and artistic expression that many adults long for. Thus much of teenage expressionism is treated badly from – lets face it – sour grapes!

So do we think there could be other reasons for teenagers being emotional, impulsive,  moody and unable to express themselves? I can think of a few better ways to spend £5 million on teenagers.

How NOT to do Youth Ministry!

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How to relate to young people… ish

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I gave a training night a few days ago on ‘Relational Youth Ministry’ mainly ripping off Mark Yaconelli’s brilliant book, ‘Contemplative Youth Ministry.’

Mark outlines the premise to his book in the phrase “young people are not blank slates, and Christianity is not words” and hints at the tendency we have to try and fill one with the other. He boils down the issue that leaves us with said tendency in the following three statements:

“We don’t know how to be with our kids,
We don’t  know how to be with ourselves,
We don’t know how to be with God.”

What he makes clear is the symbiotic relationship between the three, and how systematically one effects the other, and effects the other, dominoing into a swirling votex of bad relationships.

We know how to entertain, test, market to, and judge kids; how to make our own lives about jobs, roles, stuff, and busyness; and we know how to talk about, sing to, debate, and defend God. However we don’t know how to hang out with, find space for, or just take time to be with any one of them.

If I planned my marriage day by day, hour by hour around romantic activity and left no room for spontaneity, silence, or simply being agenda-less with my wife then we simply wouldn’t have a marriage.

Now there’s a lot of material out there on ‘how to relate to young people’ and some of it’s pretty good too! However, learning how to relate to young people is like learning just how to put ketchup on a hotdog without learning how to make it first. All you’ve got is a messy hand!

There is a causal relationship between relating to God, relating to ourselves, and relating to young people; one overflows into the over which overflows into the other. You can’t start pouring half way and hope for the best, even if you do manage to ‘successfully’ relate to young people you can guarantee you’ll be shattered by the end of the week and be heading for a spiritual sink hole.

There’s lots we can say about this (and indeed did at the training evening!) but for now with only a couple of minutes of battery left I’ll leave you with the absolute, ultimate, golden rule on relating with young people. Are you listening? Shhh it’s a secret… … …

IT STARTS WITH YOU RELATING TO GOD!

If you want your relationships with young people to thrive, be purposeful, and have a lasting impact on their lives then put your energy into your relationship with God. Period. It starts with him! Draw near to God and He will draw near to you… and you’ll both draw near to young people.

If you want to be an effective youth worker, you must be a personal, powerful, and passionate disciple of Jesus Christ. It really is that simple. The more I experience youth work, learn about youth ministry theory, and read youth pastor books and blogs the more I know how little it all counts without a personal and whole-hearted commitment to draw near to God.

Relating to young people is smoke. You can’t learn to make smoke. Your relationship to God is fire. Fire makes smoke.

Battery… nearly… gone…

end note.

Viral Youth Ministry Part 1. Online Community IS Community

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Social-media-for-public-relations1Ask FM, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter et al – the city gates of a new century. They are what coffee shops and pubs we’re to the generation before: the hub of community, gossip, news and living interactions with real people.
“Communities have social rules, cliques, groups, hierarchies, activities and spaces. You will find all of these in the villages of social media.”

About this time last year I ran a training day on how to juggle social media and child safeguarding in youth ministry. The aim was to dovetail the two together and empower youth workers to be involved in online spaces responsibly.

The session was a success and has since been highly requested, so I will attempt to unpack some of the presentation parts of it over the next few posts.

Part 1. Online Community IS Community.

Community is defined as the condition of gathering and sharing with real people with real attitudes and experiences. Communities have social rules, cliques, groups, hierarchies, activities and spaces. You will find all of these in the villages of social media.

The inter-connectivity of social media sites within themselves, with each other and with off-community internet sites through via sharing creates a very real social digital world. Social media spaces are villages with easy public transport between them. Your avatar travels, takes photos, has experiences and leaves marks. Avatars are born and die all the time, and are not always what you think.

Digital community relates to ‘natural’ community (that which is outside the online world) in three potential ways:

1. Digital Community as Extension of Natural Community

2. Digital Community as Distinct from Natural Community

3. Digital Community as Memorabilia of Natural Community

God loves community and it is his plan to see his community ideals put into effect everywhere that community springs up. Wee need to be his fellow workers, on His team to create this in the digital world that is flourishing.

1. Digital Community as Extension of Natural Community

A foot in both worlds might be another way of putting this. One has a natural community experience then continues it on through sharing in social interactions online. Or a friendship that blossoms through meeting in reality takes on new layers and depths through online interaction.
“Ask FM, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter et al – the city gates of a new century.”

Extension of natural community is a hi-tech way of sending notes, owning walkie-talkies or sharing scrapbooks on the life and experiences that happen to you and your friends.

This in the main is a relatively safe way of belonging to the Digital Community. It all comes down to balance – does the digital extend and supplement the natural, or is it the other way around?

For a youth group, a Facebook page is a great way of sharing memories, carrying on conversations, creating deeper friendships and advertising projects. This works as an extension of the youth group meeting in reality.

2. Digital Community as Distinct from Natural Community

This is perhaps where most unhealthy interactions with natural community crop us. Distinct is when one has a totally separate identity or life online from the one that is lived in reality.

Distinct online life be as simple as telling a few fibs to test some social waters or make yourself look cooler. It can however be as full blown as multiple personality disorder leading to a segregation of the self with some disastrous results. For instance, this is from where cyber self harm often originates.

When the two communities are thrust back together (like meeting someone in reality that you met online first) the pieces often don’t fit and at best expectations are let down and at worst you have situations that you read about in the news.

For a youth group, you can inadvertently create groups online that allow different characteristics of your members to surface unknowingly which can feel like you have an online group and a natural group of the same people but with different personalities. We need to manage and moderate content well and not be afraid to talk about the differences we see as a result.

Excursus: Digital Community as Replacement for Natural Community
In the worst case scenarios, distinct turns into replacement when again the balance shifts (just like in extension) and the individual starts to see the online world and persona as the real world and persona. For all intents and purposes they live online.

This is incredibly unhealthy as it bears all the marks of escapism and denial which can fester or awaken bipolar, mania, paranoia and other serious mental / social health difficulties.
“God loves community and it is his plan to see his community ideals put into effect everywhere that community springs up.”

3. Digital Community as Memorabilia of Natural Community

Remember the ‘find your classmates’ site? This was – for many of us in our late 20s and beyond – how social media began. Digital community can simply be a place to catch up without actually relating. You view pictures, and read what people are up to – and you share the same, but you don’t comment and you don’t seek responses. It is simply a bulletin board of memories and experiences.

For a youth group this is the safest (albeit most boring) community space to set up. A site that shares photos and stories of your group’s exploits but without having any real time, or roving avatar interactions.

All a Question of Balance

When it comes to online community you need to think balance. How do you as a youth worker keep the balance on the natural and the real, without diminishing or disregarding the digital. How do you keep a check on spaces that you manage to ensure that real interactions are happening safely and unmolested while creating boundaries that allow only appropriate interactions.

For me, this means 9 times out of 10 I use pages rather than groups. I have several adult moderators from within and outside the youth group structure within the spaces. I avoid personal spaces (like private chat) and I avoid off wall content. I keep a daily check on what is being posted and I call people out – in person, not online – for abusing the community space.

Next time – Social Media Spaces: from the playground to the bedroom, do you know where you are?

The EU Debate and Young People

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Like many of you, I too have struggled with the poisonous rhetoric and toxic conversational tone surrounding the EU Referendum debates. The well-slung mud has been mixed with arsenic and so many previously respectable voices have been claimed by street thuggery and gang postures.

Whatever view you hold, and however you decide to vote, our popular political symposium has been laced with so much subversive racism, sanctioned disinformation and slanderous deception that it may never recover.

In Shakespeare’s tale of Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio – just before dying in public agony, scandal and humiliation – yells out, “A plague o’ both your houses! They have made worms meat of me: I have it, And soundly too: Your houses!” There are no clean parties, no pure sides and no higher-ground opinions left in this debate; whether the house is Leave or Remain, there’s blood on our hands.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should share that I will be voting to remain in the European Union on Thursday, however that is not the point of this piece. My concern today is the blunderbuss language and theologically inept attitudes that we may be unintentionally and subliminally impressing on our youth groups. This is addressed to both sides of the debate.

What’s the issue in a nutshell?

This in-out question has struck a chord with many of us. We’re passionate about it, fearful and desperate. It’s been wrapped around every headline and under-girding all of our conversations for months. It’s slathered over social media walls like cheap emulsion rolled over old graffiti. Do we really think that our young people haven’t noticed the change in us?

When parents argue at home, things are overheard and issues ooze through the walls. When parents gossip about the pastor over the breakfast table, the kids take in every word – and often adopt them as their own opinions. The same is true for youth workers. Our young people know! They hear our fear and can sense our distaste for those who disagree with us.

They have noticed the suspicious lack of Gospel-hearted attitudes and grace-seeking edification emitting from their youth pastors. They have noticed the people we are appealing to as authorities on the world – and those whom we are not appealing to. There has been such a drop in our Spiritual standards of who to share and what to claim that we must assume that they have noticed.

This could be because we never had a conversation on how we we’re going to talk about it. We got so suddenly shunted by this that we walked in a little blind. I feel that somehow God got lost in the debate, though, and our attitudes of grace, mercy, self-sacrifice, community development, reaching the lost, helping the helpless were unintentionally shelved until later.

The way we have had these conversations, the nonsense that we’ve posted on our social media walls, and the ridiculous suspension of our analytical faculties has subtly pushed aside our usual faith-driven tone.

In the name of catchier arguments and tweetable memes we have effectively demonstrated to our young people that it’s okay to put our radical, faith-driven approach to life on hold for ‘more important issues.’

Fifty years of modern youth ministry and did we really forget to look at this through our Jesus goggles?

What are the specifics?

Forgetting the sovereignty and plans of the El Shaddai

There is so much fear and uncertainty regarding the Britain’s future, and so many tales told of crippled economies, disintegrating health services, and pointless education systems, that our young people are naturally concerned.

We need to be seasoning every comment we make with salt (Col. 4:6), and pointing back to the sovereignty and power and ultimate good plans of our Almighty God, El Shaddai. When we share our opinions on the EU, they should be buffeted and saturated with our opinions of who God is, and the miracles that He alone can accomplish.

Our young people are scared, and it’s our job to point them back to The Rock in this time of uncertainty. We are knocking around the word ‘sovereignty’ as if this country belonged to us rather than to the Lord of the world. Jesus Christ is sat on the throne, Britain is His, Europe is His and we are His.

Letting Unwholesome Talk Drift From Our Mouths Without Accountability

There is a culture alive in certain circles of Christianity – and thriving in youth work – that propagates standing up for whatever is true no matter what the consequences. On the surface that sounds right, ‘For we should not be ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation’ (Rom. 1:16).

The reduced simplicity in which we apply that, however, totally disregards other clear commandments in the Bible. It is right that we should stand up for truth, but how and why we choose to speak are also equally important as what we speak. The Bible couldn’t possibly be clearer about this:

‘Speak the truth in love’ (Eph. 4:5), ‘Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen’ (v.29).

‘If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.’ (1 Cor. 13:1-3).

Passages like these, and many others, are easily rejected or downplayed as soft theology, made inapplicable through context – although it takes some exegetical gymnastics to do so!

We let these passages effectively fall away in the wake of ‘unashamedly declaring truth no matter what’. We forget ourselves, though – these are Biblical commandments. They are taught by God, demonstrated by Jesus and empowered in us by the Holy Spirit. They are required. We cannot pick and choose which commandments that we think are important.

We are called to speak truth and do so seasoned with salt, inspired by love, aimed at edifying and never just to be right. The Bible constantly tells us to tame the tongue. Being theologically correct is absolutely not enough if how you do it and why you do it breaks other commandments required by God. It’s simply not ok.

I absolutely need to remember this too. I love debating and I love winning, but I too am not to let any unwholesome talk come from my mouth that is not aimed to build up and benefit those who listen. I am not to let any unwholesome talk come out of my mouth that has not been nurtured in the soil of love, mercy and Christlike sacrifice.

I feel that so much of our EU conversations have been seasoned with crap rather than salt. How we speak about the EU and how we love our enemies and pray for those persecute us (Matt. 5:44) needs to obey the same rules as everything else. There is some genuine truth in if you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all. That’s not soft if it respects and recognises the work of accountability and sanctification that needs to happen in our hearts so we can approach people in a way that honours the words that God has given us to speak.

We can’t be perfect (yet), we will get this wrong and we will need to keep remembering grace. We should also, however, make every effort to show our young people how and why truth or opinions should be given – not just what those opinions are. That standard – I think – should also apply to what we share online.

Not Talking About Spreading The Gospel

Surely one of the first things we should talk about in a debate that could restrict movement geographically is how do we spread the Gospel in the most effective way. The Great Commission should be driving this conversation! If you vote remain or leave, it should be at least partly because you believe that that outcome will help to spread the Gospel more effectively.

If for any reason your vote (again leave or remain) could restrict the movement of the Gospel, then you had better have a pretty darn good argument for how it might advance the gospel in other ways or other areas!

We keep telling our young people to share the Gospel. We keep harping on about going to the unreachable areas! Let’s make sure it’s not empty rhetoric and we use the movement of the Gospel as a key feature of why we will vote the way we will.

Not Addressing Their Needs

I wonder if you’re able to list how leaving or remaining in the EU will affect your young people? That should have been the first thing we looked up, right?

  • The housing crisis, which disproportionately affects young people is heavily affected by the EU, especially considering increased immigration and the lack of available social housing.
  • Educational law, standards, transferable accreditation and affordability are largely linked to EU legislation.
  • Unemployment (which also disproportionately affects young people) is heavily affected by free movement and trade within the EU.
  • Money available for youth centers, libraries, schools, playgrounds and not-for-profit groups (like churches and youth charities!) is also negotiated in several directions within the EU.
  • Free movement gives gap year options, work-experience placement and study abroad programs that may not be available, or cost more money, if we leave.
  • Young people looking to become independent and start families currently have cheaper options in Europe’s other capitols than Britain.

You may not agree with the helpfulness of the EU with any of these issues, but they are issues young people care about and want to talk about.

Not Discussing Eschatological Issues From A Sensible Place

By eschatology, I mean end-times, and as a good amillennialist I believe that’s now – and has been now since the cross. There’s certainly a lot of conversation about end times surrounding the EU debate coming from Christian circles, but very little of it (that I’ve seen) has come across as sensible.

Shoehorning Brussels into Babylon and making the EU out to be some bloated antichrist-driven superstate is just a bit silly. I’m yet to see any credible use of the Bible in making these claims, so can we instead move on to those we can.

It’s important to talk about end times with young people, and it’s important to talk about eschatological issues that will affect their faith. I think this includes sharing the gospel to every tribe, tongue and nation (Rev. 5:9), not storing up treasures on earth (Matt. 6:19), seeking God’s Kingdom above our empires (v.33), and seeking to pray for and influence our governments in a way that ensures peace and free movement of the Gospel (1 Tim. 2:2).

We also need to keep saying in the middle of all these debates, that Jesus Christ is Lord. He sits on the throne and one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:10).

Unintentionally Shunning Immigrants and Refugees In Our Youth Groups

Our subliminal attitudes could easily be filtering through into the culture of our youth groups in such a way that migrant children – whatever generation they might be – could feel like they’re not welcome.

We need to bear mind that there could be young people (or their friends) in our groups that feel that we don’t love them, don’t care about their needs or that Christ just isn’t for them because of our approach to the EU. With increasing refugees in UK school’s, it’s also too easy to forget where they have come from and what they have seen in the light of this debate.

We could easily be unintentionally humiliating migrants and refugees in our youth groups by some of the things that we’re posting and they are hearing from us.

This of course doesn’t just affect EU migrants in our groups, as the vast majority of immigration to the UK is from countries outside Europe. Our rhetoric about immigration within Europe, which has no effect on them technically, could easily be making them feel inferior.

Leading With Fear Rather Than Hope

The Bible tells us hundreds of times not to be afraid. It tells us not to be anxious about tomorrow (Matt. 6:25-34). Why then are both sides using fear is key tactic?

That’s an unfair question really, because we know why they do it: They do it because it works! The question really should be why do we keep propagating, sharing, and developing those same lines of arguments as Christians?

Leave are saying that millions of radicalised Muslims from Turkey are going to march on the capital (as if there are more radicalised Muslims that could come from Turkey than are currently already living here in the EU as citizens), and Remain are predicting doomsday prophecies of World War Three with Russia. It’s just not necessary, and totally disregards the hope we have in our powerful and sovereign God.

Forgetting That Some Of Them Can Vote

A bunch of our young people might be voting in this referendum for the first time! That’s exciting. We can help them take it seriously, believe in their vote and make Godly decisions. We can work through the issues with them and demonstrate for them what it means to be a Christian in the political arena and what it means to look to God for the future of your nation.

There are so many opportunities here! You can take them to the polling station, take a picture with them outside and be involved in this historic moment for them.

Not Cultivating A Culture Of Prayer

I have mostly ignored the issue of the referendum with my young people. I have some very politically aware and active youth group members with very strong opinions, who also have parents with very strong opinions. This makes me nervous and careful with how I talk about politics in my group.

I also need to be careful not to show too much political leanings as a politically passionate youth leader. It will be too easy to bring the Charity Commission down on us for no good reason.

What I should have been doing more of, however, and what we can all do still, is to cultivate a culture of prayer. You don’t have to take sides or run debates to pray for the future of Europe and the result of the vote. We can get our young people involved in praying for it and help them to lay it at God’s feet. This is a golden opportunity to demonstrate the importance of trusting God and being dependent on Him for all of our needs.

So What Am I Saying Really?

Recognise that we are visible, and lead with love. Our conversations should be held accountable to the standard God gives us in His Word. We should speak about this issue in a way that would honour the sacrificial example that Jesus gave us.

More specifically, we should talk about eschatology, we should talk about young-people-pertinent issues, we should converse with hope and come to decisions that advance the Gospel.

We don’t need to simply appeal to worldly authorities as our only authorities. We should of course look at facts, do careful research and be involved in the debate, but God has spoken and is always speaking, so we must make sure we are listening for His voice on this important issue.

I know this was long – and a bit ranty, but I hope you hear my heart in it.
What Did I Tell My Young People?

Here is the last message I sent to a group on facebook about the Refurendum. Lots of my guys n’ gals are passionate about politics and responded well to this:

(This is not a post to start a debate – any such comments from either side will be removed).

Dear Redefine.

Last night someone asked whether there was an official ‘Christian position’ on the EU. There isn’t – but that doesn’t mean we can’t seek God for it and in it!

Whatever your views on the EU or Britain’s membership in it, we need to recognise the impact this referendum will have, and commit it to God together.

We should remember that our personal views (whatever they are, and however strongly we feel them) might not be God’s views, and more than being right, wrong, or ‘in-the-know’, we need to seek His face and His opinions.

I urge you over the next few days – and on Thursday specifically – to pray for Britain, for Europe, for the EU and for the referendum. Let’s be praying together for God’s will to be done and for Him to overrule!

Both official campaigns have done a pretty bad job, and both campaign slogans miss the true picture: Leave say ‘take back control’ – we instead need to relinquish control to God. Remain say we’re ‘stronger in’ – we instead need to seek God’s strength to rely on.

Migration, sovereignty, the economy, security etc. are all in God’s hands anyway! He knows the way we should take.

Pray with me that the result will be God’s result, and – whether we leave or remain – we will as a nation look more to God and less to ourselves for help, guidance, strength and security.

Pray that hope and not fear will drive this vote, and pray that wisdom and not foolishness will win out in the end (and I say that to both sides!).

Whatever the result, let’s pray together that this Thursday will be a significant turning point that will bring us closer to God as a nation.

Let’s seek first His Kingdom – His world – His sovereignty – His plan – His purpose – His Europe – and His Britain.

Let’s all be praying this week – and especially on Thursday!

Thanks!

Tim

“Pray without ceasing” [1 Thessalonians 5:17].

PS>>TO THOSE OF YOU VOTING FOR THE FIRST TIME:<<

1. Don’t panic! God is bigger than you are. I’ve never voted for anyone or anything that won – but the world hasn’t fallen apart yet.
2. Don’t freak out! Do some research, think carefully and make up your own mind.
3. Don’t underestimate your vote. God can use one person to change whole nations.
4. Don’t underestimate God. Whatever the outcome, He can use it for good (Genesis 50:20).
5. Don’t fear. The Bible tells us that hundreds of times(!) – let’s trust that God has the best plan and big picture in mind.
6. Don’t forget the Gospel. All our decisions should be made with Christ-Likeness – so vote from a place of sacrificial love, grace and mercy. Vote in a way that puts others before yourself, and in a way that seeks to love, protect and serve.

Think wisely, but trust in God. Don’t just vote because your leaders/parents/church is leaning a certain way. Ask Him to guide you and – in the end – vote with your heart. Listen for His voice in you and vote your conscience.

WANT TO CHAT?

Redefine is politically neutral, however all of us leaders have different views on this issue as people. If you would like to chat about them, or have someone listen to your thoughts – feel free to get in touch with any of us.