Saturday, August 26, 2006

Myspace, whoo hhaaaa haaa haaaaaa!

So it would seem that myspace is taking over.

I agree with Lesbo, more freedom to choose style, layouts etc and you get to know more of people at first glance. I do agree Lesbo.

It's kind of like e-mailing but with more colours and personality to it. You can of course message each other on myspace, leave a comment or, like with my myspace, leave a message on my fridge with magnetic letters. Fun, fun, fun.

I am scrumpy_jon at myspace. www.myspace.com/scrumpy_jon

You know, a good friend of mine, John Allan, you might have heard of him (John, if by some chance you are reading this, I thought you were a great lecturer at Bible school but you don't know me from Adam so don't fret), wrote a superb article in August's edition of 'Youthwork' magazine here in the UK. He wrote about the potential for myspace if you're a youth worker or work with young people in any capacity. You can advertise events at your church by looking up those young people in your area and start up or join groups that have online Bible studies and discussion forums to talk about God and so on.
It was a great article and John Allan writes each month for Youthwork magazine on websites that are useful for youth work and for young people.

I do think myspace is helpful. It is addictive though isn't it?! You find yourself getting sucked into a fake world where you have 100s of 'friends' and all you know about them is what information they provide for you on their profile and what kind of music they listen to.

It is enjoyable and good fun to be on but it becomes unhelpful and unnatural when you spend more time looking for 'friends' than you do communicating with what friends you really do have from the real world and from before myspace even existed.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

So yeah...

Hey guys!
I haven't properly posted in over a month now I think. I want to update you on a few things and maybe have a wee rank too. So sit back and enjoy the fright (to quote a stupid tagline from what looks like an even stupider movie).

So I was working at Capernwray for a couple of weeks there. That was just fantastic, absolutely brilliant. I got to work with a number of students from this past year's Bible school. Erynne, Ian, Jo, Kylie and Emily who all did Winter and Spring school and Russell who did Spring school and who is going to be doing Winter school this year. I also worked with a number of other people, many of which I have known for years and are always a pleasure and encouragement to work with.
These were the guys we were praying for all year long. At least, I hope we all were praying for.
I also worked with a number of other people, many of which I have known for years and are always a pleasure and encouragement to work with.
It was an amazing time and I got to see guests those two weeks that I have been building up relationships with over the past 3 summers working or even longer when I was still a guest myself. I was there for international youth week 3 (the last one of the summer) and family week 3 directly after youth week 3. In the youth week I got to lead a meeting which was great and during the family week I got to do all 4 stories each morning with the kids, fantastic.

I was so encouraged by the guests and by the team. Some of the guests I have joked with for years but never seriously spoken to them before but this summer I spoke seriously with them, prayed with them, it was fantastic. I owe a huge thank you to them for their open-ness and also for straight-up, flat-out, encouraging me.

The team, wow, I owe a huge thank you to them too. I think they encouraged me in ways I wasn't encouraged over my past year here in Cheadle Hulme. They were superb to work with. I really prayed for that situation before I went as I was like, "What am I going to do for two weeks God? I mean, they have been working together for weeks now, who am I to just turn up?!" I was worried about that before I went.
And to be honest, it wasn't as soon as I walked in the door that we all bonded and clicked but it was literally a matter of days before we really started getting on well. I am so thankful to God for just taking care of that situation. He was amazing for two weeks, He really was. The thing with God is that He never changes so I've come to realise that even though God was amazing to me for two weeks, He's also amazing to me the rest of the time, I just don't see it or try and look for it.

I am back in Cheadle Hulme now and it's been our holiday klub all week in church. It's basically a big evangelistic event for kids. It's on their level, doing kids stuff. It's been a fantastic week so far but very, very tiring. Kids all morning and then young people in the evening or all afternoon. I am tired as I write this.

I am gutted, like Caleb, that I missed Jon and Marisa's wedding, I really am. Thank you to everybody who posted pictures though as I have been able to see a wee bit of what went on that day. Thank you for those.

Marisa's friend Lindsey is now living in Morley, in Leeds! I write that because over the past few months, as she was doing Bible school, I became friends with her once Marisa told me her friend Lindsey was in Bible school! I met her at Manchester airport last week and helped her with her stuff over to Morley. I am so excited to have another friend only an hour or so away. It's been lonely over this past year with only having my housemate Chris, Sarah and Becky up in Bolton as friends relitively close by so that's what makes Lindsey's move even more exciting!

Is myspace the new blogger by the way? I'm thinking of just transfering everything over to the mothership (myspace I mean). It does seem to have the upper hand.

You know, and with this I finish, I am sick to death of seeing on people's myspace or blogs or whatever, a picture of them and a friend, with this caption, or a similar one, underneath, "I was so drunk and don't remember this photo at all, but it was a GREAT night". SHUT UP! How was it great?! You don't remember it?! You were too drunk! You just drank £60 and that is a great night?! What?!

Disclaimer: I have not directed the last paragraph at anyone I know, but as you browse other people's myspaces/blogs, you see those comments all the time. It makes me just a wee bit mad. The end.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Just to keep you ticking over...

I have not posted in quite some time my friends,
But I hope to post this movie poster to keep things ticking over. I have been back at Capernwray working for a couple of weeks and I will update you all on that soon I hope.
But until then, I saw this funny movie about Mexicans. I liked it and laughed a lot.
If anyone else has seen it, tell me what you think. You can do that by leaving a comment.
Enjoy!