doughnuts are nutty! February 28, 2005

Today has been very busy, and yet still I decided to try and make doughnuts! Yesterday I successfully made buenelos (mexican ring doughnuts), so we thought we’d give the jam variety a try!
A mild disaster – first getting the jam inside and closing them became very messy, and not all were completely sealed. On tasting, it turned out that they were very doughy in the middle, not properly cooked. I’ve now put them in the oven, hoping they’ll bake right through and that I won’t end up with a burnt mess!!!!

On another note, I’m leading an assembly tomorrow on the theme of heroes. Who’s your hero?

mmmmmmmmm!!! February 25, 2005

After a few pants days, I was really pleased that hubby’s school had the day off yesterday because of the snow! By midday, I felt a lot better about life and stuff, thanks to him cheering me up and helping me work through a few things. I still have a decision to make about childcare though – do I continue to help, or is it time to back out?

Anyway, what I wanted to post was the wonderful comfort food I made last night! I got Nigella Lawson’s book ‘How to be a domestic goddess’ out of the library this week. We fancied a gooey chocolate pudding yesterday and so I made one of her chocolate recepies! It was absolutely gorgeous! Very rich, choclatey and gooey! And the best thing is that we made enough so we’ve got portion number 2 tonight!!!!

mmmmmmmm!!!!!!

leadership is serving February 23, 2005

Yesterday I was reminded that leadership is all about serving.
All this thinking about leadership is doing me good. Admitting I’ve got it wrong in the past is hard, but I can look to the future with change.

I’m not sure if there is a right and a wrong style of leadership, but different styles probably work for different people in different situations. What is important is the attitude to serve. If we have the desire to serve those who we are leading, we are less likely to treat them unfairly.

Jesus served those he led, shown when he washed his disciples’ feet. Do we have this attitude?

leadership role-model February 22, 2005

I’ve been thinking more about different styles of leadership that ministers have.

My past minister decided upon the direction he wanted to go, and then managed to make everyone think his way. The discussions at church meetings wouldn’t end until everyone thought his way (often without them realising it!). He was good at it, and dealt with the occasional conflict well. But it was a style I couldn’t copy.

My current minister makes decisions, carrys them out, and if the church don’t like it, they can stuff it. In fact, most of the time, the church hasn’t a clue what on earth is going on. They are just happy to follow.

The minister from the church where I grew up has a different style of leadership (I think). Having never been part of the PCC or anything in this church, I don’t have as much insight. It appears he leads the team (PCC), and decisions are made together. He brings ideas and direction to the group, but I expect the decision is left to the team.
This is the model I probably prefer, and I have begun to change my leadership style to this model.

What should our model be? Should we look at how Jesus led? What about other bible characters? Are there different ways of leading, and we need to find out what works for us, and the people we’re leading?

All I know, is that I’m still learning!

thoughts on leadership February 22, 2005

I’ve been thinking about my leadership style this morning. People have said that I have leadership skills, others have said I have very little leadership skills! I think its probably the case that I am good at leading young people, good at leading bible studies, good at leading ‘church stuff’, not so good at leading a team of adults to perform some kind of task.

I think the way I lead a group of young people is different to the way I lead adults. If the task was to lead both groups to organise a party for a group of children, with the young people I would let them decide what they wanted to do, and then help them put that plan into action. My role would be as facilitator. But with the group of youth leaders, I would want my ideas put into action, and conflict would probably arise! I become more of a dictator.
Looking at it this way really sheds light on it for me, more than reading numerous leadership books has! I have a different agenda when leading a group of young people, to leading a team of youth leaders.

If it is my responsibility to lead a group of volunteer youth leaders, is it my responsibility to act as a dictator or as a facilitator?

I’ve always been eager to learn about leadership, but I think its only now God is really teaching me stuff. It’s in the practice you learn, not so much from books.

it’s cold! February 21, 2005

It’s so cold, and quite frankly I’m a bit fed up today.
Hubby has gone back to school, and I am left at home with a youth weekend to organise (but no real authority to make decisions!).
I’ve got another three weeks of childcare pick-ups to do, until I can finally finish filling in for them! (would you believe I was only supposed to help until Dec!)

We had a good day yesterday. We had a bit of a disasterous fondue night with friends from church. Basically, we couldn’t light the fondue sets, and so we were warming the mixtures on the stove before transferring them onto a candle – which produced very little heat! I even managed to crack one of the containers when I was heating it on the stove!

Oh well, enough of my moaning. Time to do some more job searching!

4 mins 40 sec February 19, 2005

At youth group last night we were talking about why Jesus died. To help us in our thinking, one leader suggested that we stand with our feet together and arms out like Jesus did on the cross. The challenge was to hold this position for as long as you can. I lasted 4 mins 40sec, and my shoulders ache this morning because of it! Of course the pain we felt was nothing compared to the pain Jesus went through, but it gave us something to think about.

After our discussion, we became creative. Everyone was given a piece of paper and access to paints, pens, tissue paper, some felt shapes and glue. The challenge was to paint / draw / make something which illustrated how you felt or your response to Jesus’ death on the cross.
I stood there, thinking what am I feeling, what is my response? I felt nothing. I was thankful, but in a kind of ‘I know what this means and therefore I’m thankful, but I don’t feel it’ way.
I ended up painting something which resembled what I had been teaching the young people about earlier.

But it made me think about how we come ‘accustomed’ to the gospel, and how we can forget the immenseness of it all. Or is this just me?

There are remedies to this of course. I know for me, just reading the story from the gospels will bring back to me the amazing story of grace.

ice cream for breakfast! February 17, 2005

We had friends round for breakfast this morning – for bacon butties and ice cream! Hubby and I wanted to share our ice cream maker with them, and the only time we could meet was for breakfast!!!!!

We’ve just got back from another set of friends where we had dinner. It was lovely to see them, but these breakfasts and dinners don’t help the healthy living kick!

One of my friends had an interesting thing to say about the image of God. ‘Any image of God we have will be incomplete because we cannot comprehend all of God. We should look at how God has revealed himself to us.’ So Tony’s encouragement to focus on Jesus seems right.

Imagination – Part 2 February 16, 2005

I’m not sure that Tony Campolo’s second talk fits under the heading ‘imagination’, but he was full of great stuff. Again my notes don’t seem to flow – couldn’t write fast enough – so I’ve just put down the main points.

• Due to Einstein’s theory of relativity, at the speed of light, there is no time, every moment in time happens together. This helps us understand certain passages in the bible. For instance, when we die we can be instantaneously with God, and yet buried until resurrection morning.
• Does our theology need to change because of our changed world view? (great discussion about this on youthblog)
• In our culture, everyone is out to accumulate stuff. This drives prosperity theology. We should look at the disciples and see this isn’t true, we are called to suffer.
• Being intellectual isn’t the same as being spiritual. The most spiritual aren’t those who know the most theology.
• Why do we spend so much money on churches when we’re told to give it to the poor?
• Advertising says material things give you spiritual gratification. This isn’t true. A prophet would weep at this materialistic culture.
• We need to present the kingdom of God as an alternative. Jesus is radical. We need to meet people’s needs and win them to Christ. We are called to transform.

My reaction to this talk was that I mainly agreed with all of it! I always welcome the challenge to be more like Jesus, to be more radical. We become so settled in our culture, in our comfortable lives. We need to get out of our comfort zones!

Innovation February 15, 2005

Sally Nash’s main point was that innovation is necessary. Innovation should start in us and then go through into our work. Innovation often comes through reflecting on ourselves and then moving on. Innovation is often transformation. Romans 12 v 2.
Her talk was made up with lots of different points, which from my notes don’t appear to flow. Take what is useful from the points below.

• When reflecting on yourself, see yourself as God sees you.
• You are responsible for your happiness
• We know if innovation is right by discernment
• We must be careful when chasing rainbows, we may obsess about them, or feel we settle for second best. (I interpret a rainbow to be a dream that is impossible to fulfill)
• We should revisit what God is calling us to do, to ensure we’re following His dream
• We have a creative God, we’re made in His image, therefore we’re creative
• What brings you life? Hold onto it
• What does life in all its fulness mean for us? John 10 v 10
• John 13 v 34, we need to love one another in our staff teams to demonstrate what the community of God should be like.
• Theology is becoming more important than methodology in youthwork
• Meaningless makes us sick, meaningfulness makes us well. Look for meaninfulness
• It is only as we love Jesus we have the love to give to young people
• Innovation is like a kaleidoscope – we take something old and make it into something new.

Hope some of that is useful. The challenge is just to be innovative, a challenge I accept and embrace. Because of my current situation I have plenty of time to do this, but I know that it can be hard when we’re really busy and overwhelmed with work.

Be innovative!

Tony Campolo’s part 2 tomorrow!