Today I choose....

I had one of those moments today when a song just spoke into my heart.

Listening to music while trying to work on an assignment for college I just had to stop and listen to the song a couple of times and let the words sink in...



This is what we...what I need to do each and every day. It's about making that choice...dying daily and choosing to say YES...choosing to follow...where ever that may be...choosing to listen for the voice that leads the way, and gives us life...life in its fullest sense.

And why not...

Well, everyone seems to be doing it...so I thought I might as well give it a wee go...so here's my album cover!!!!!

Follow instructions exactly:

1 - Go to "wikipedia ." Hit “random... Read more”
The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to "Random quotations "
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.

SNASS weekend - the real story!!

On friday night SNASS headed off to the North Coast for our annual weekend away. We were staying at Sheep Island View Hostel in Ballintoy. We arrived without an hitches and settled in to the accomodation.

Our theme for the weekend was FREEDOM and our speaker Hollie led the first session getting us to do some word association around freedom and there were some interesting ideas that came out. Some recurring ideas were that of chains being broken, release, running through fields, birds flying and eh...nakedness (thanks for that one Jules ;) )

Worship was led throughout the weekend by or resident SNASS band, who are so good at creating an atmosphere of worship and praise leading us into God's presence as we offer our song of praise to Him.

Our activity for the evening was to recreate a famous movie in a different genre with a specific prop. An example was Cool Runnings, filmed as a musical using a saucepan. There were definitely some interesting and very amusing results. My favourite had to be The Lion King filmed as a horror...certainly an interesting take on the Disney film!!!

Then it was time for bed and apparently for my music collection to be ripped apart - thanks for that Jules and Michael. At least I had Pete to back me up with some things!! What can I say I have a wide range of tastes!

Saturday started all too early...granted earlier for some....

The oldest and the two youngest (also the cutest!!) SNASSers who were at the weekend!! Sorry Pete but I couldn't resist.

Events soon got underway and SNASS hit Ballintoy with an interesting Photo treasure hunt and 'Egg dropping' competition at the harbour. There was an evil forfeit thought up by Jules for those teams whose egg was broken on contact with the tarmac!!

A bowl filled with soup...flour and strategically placed jam...containing 4 mini mars bars which were to be found by memebers of the losing teams. Great fun for those watching...but not so much fun for those having to do it...hehe!!!

Our first 'victim'!!!...delightful

The last victim...and what the mixture looked like after 4 people had been rooting around in it!!!...Yum!!

But don't worry our 3rd challenger found something a little tastier to eat not long afterwards!

While the crew had been out, Jo and I had stayed behind to try and get dinner ready...cooking for 28 people ain't that easy...

I don't actually have any pictures of Hollie speaking but she did help to clear up the saucepans...a true servant!!!!

Saturday night began with a further session on Freedom and a panel to answer questions posed by the young people. This gave a chance for a few of the leaders to talk a little bit about their own christian experience and how they cope with issues which the young people are facing. Also showing that even though they are leaders they also have to face these issues and the young people aren't on their own.

Saturday night seen the airing of mine and Helen's big quiz with a difference, including a play dough round, a sports round, a picture round - guess the 'baby' leader and a music round with a difference.

The star of the night had to be Steve and his 33 press ups in 30 seconds helping his team to victory.

The night was rounded up by a late night walk to the park and then a round of Mafia...a game I always beleive brings out a persons true self...hehe!!

Making friends with the Hostel's statue!!




Jules monkeying around!!!

I had a short sharp intro to motherhood on Sunday morning when Jo appeared in our room at 3.15am saying her and Pete had to go to casualty (nothing serious and everyone was ok!)...so could I look after the boys until they got back. So I got some back up in the form of Julie and we went in and slept in their room with the 2 boys. The first thing I did before I went back to sleep was to pray that they were so worn out from their busy day with their 'big friends' that they would lie in a little later than their 5.30am saturday morning!! And well they did...till 6.30!! Amazingly both boys awoke with a giggle and a smile on their face, not too bothered about the 2 strange girls they woke up to find in their room. Although it was a little disconcerting when the older pointed at me in my bed and said daddy!!! But we got nappies changed (well Julie did!) when we eventually worked out which one went on which child, without any problems...hehe...well just a bit of a close call!!!! Then we headed off to get breakfast and bobo! At this point we had to try and remember Pete's hurried instructions for making a bottle, and once it was made we discovered they were actually back so parental supervision was handed back to them. But I reckon Julie and I made a fair attempt!!

Just before lunch on Sunday we all piled in to the mini bus and headed off to the beach for a quick walk and a time to take in the peace, chat, take some more pictures and even play some rugby!

We tried to get a jumping shot...not very successfully...but eventually got one of Julie...better than nothing I guess!!

All in all it was a great weekend which everyone enjoyed, good fellowship and teaching, great worship and praise, much banter and many many laughs. They are a great group of young people and leaders and it was my privilege to be able to share with them this weekend and every week on a sunday night.

SNASS weekend

This weekend 28 SNASSers are heading off up the North Coast to Ballintoy for our annual weekend.

Im just home from doing a huage food shop, my car is so full and Im now trying to put final things in place!!

It's always a great weekend of fun, fellowship, banter, a few adventures, undoubtedly some embarrassment and really not much sleep but we love it!!

Anyway, I've lots to do so i'll fill you in on monday with how we get on...that's if I survive to tell the tale!! :)

What prompts us to serve??

I have been using Oswald Chambers 'My Utmost for His Highest' during my devotion time recently and each day there has been a phrase or a thought or something that has really got me thinking and today was no different. But I thought I would share the particular thought that got me thinking today!!

"It is easier to serve or work for God without a vision and without a call, because then you are not bothered by what He requires. Common sense, covered with a layer of Christian emotion, becomes your guide."

My thinking around this is not very clear at the moment, so in a sense I am thinking out loud. Where I'm kind of headed with it is a sense of hiding from God in our service to Him...denying our true calling or even blocking it out and instead deciding ourselves where or what we should do to serve - therefore is that for our own ends and not for God's glory. Yet will He use it to make something good come from it - yes?...because He can.

But then on the flipside my mind goes to why would you bother serving if it wasn't ultimately for God's glory - is that where the 'christian emotion' comes in? Knowing the theories, the words to say, what is expected of a christian...and then doing it!!

Here I want to call in a term used by one of my favourite authors - Terry Pratchett in his discworld series. He writes about a group of witches (its purely for escapism and he is very very funny!!) and Granny Weatherwaxes form of magic is 'headology'...not hocus pocus but instead making someone believe something.

Is it a 'headology theology' of service...our head tells us and convinces us this is what we must do so we do it. Instead of a sacrifice that comes from a sense of compassion for others and wanting to share the gospel message...from the heart.

So is it easier to say that what we are doing is for God than actually listening for the small still voice of God to guide us to the task that he wants us to do. Are we looking for the recognition and taking the glory for ourself instead of directing it towards the One whose name in which we work and who deserves the glory? Are we scared to listen because the job we are asked to do will be too difficult...or even...too menial without any recognition?

I'm not sure if any of this makes any sense...I'm not even sure it makes any sense to me...so I'm just throwing it out there!!!


(Just to note, Oswald Chambers is not suggesting that we serve without a sense of call...it was his leading in to a thought on why we serve...to read a version of the full devotion check it out here)