The Strangest Things...

edit::I don't know why but this has jumped up to the top of the list of posts. It is from May 1st and is a bit old. Confusing... Ah. The annoyance of phones. I. have just tried to post from the train and the fun of the phone browser means if you switch to another app you somehow Los everything. Well with opera mini anyway. Anywho, as I implied, I am currently on the train to Durham for the northern version of the CU leaders' day. As well as Durham we have students coming from Cleveland,Newcastle and Sunderland. There is another happening simultaneously in leeddvalso serving Bradford, Huddersfield, Hull, Sheffield and York. The aim is to build on the New Leaders' Training Weekend we had in Doncaster back in February. Hopefully the students will come away enthused for their mission and full of ideas. I will be helping Pete Dray with a seminar on running engaging events. It should be fun :) ps: Opera Mini is infuriating. This has taken about 5mins to write and abou

So this weekend we are having a family holiday. Youth hostelling in the Peak district. A perfect excuse to go to Bakewell for some treats. It does mean that once again I will miss church in Leeds. It is becoming a bad habit, but I will take the opportunity to see if anyone is around at Fulwood. Unfortunately I already know that Lewis isn't going to be there, but I shall see. I believe it may be a bit too cold to go climbing peaks at this time of the year -  it feels freezing at normal altitudes. Apparently there are some caves we can visit which may save us if it rains. I should probably check the forecast actually.On that note... JM

Tonight things have come to a head in a way. It has become apparent that I have been dealing with some big issues for years. Or rather, failing to deal with them. I have been trying to be strong and though it out, failing to see that I need support. People have offered but I believed I was in control and could deal with things. I have been under some stress for a while and there are things I need to come to terms with from years ago. My mum is amazing and has been supporting my dad through some hard times, and she has had support from outside the family. I have tried to be supportive but I now see that supporting someone else takes its toll and leads you to need support. Which, as I said, I haven't been getting. As I have tried to keep stress contained this has led to me venting frustration at seemingly minor things and at people who are not the cause. I would like to apologize now for all the times I have messed up. I would like to particularly apologize to my mum and dad, D

I am in the midst of an application form at the moment and I need to write a page or two about my life as a Christian. This has got me thinking about the past and little of it I can remember.Whilst I currently only have 15 or so years of happenings to remember so far there is much I cannot easily recall. As I hope to have a long and happy life, and maybe even some kids and grandkids to share it with, I think I should make a record of it whilst I can remember it. I obviously don't refer to the more mundane things in life, but anecdotes from my time at school. college and uni; all the other other random things I have done such as scout camps and church trips away. I need to work out how to do this, whether to note stuff down as it occurs to me or whether to try and work systematically through the years, blocking out time spent in different places or doing different things then filling in the details gradually. It probably makes more sense to work backwards from the present, but I&

Well I have finally got back on here after rather too much time. Various things have got in the way - the back end of June and the beginning of July I was away; I helped out on a Holiday Bible Club (great fun); I went on holiday to France and stewarded at UCCF Forum. The time spent at home has been characterized by an awfully unreliable internet connection [Bad talktalk]. Anyway I am currently looking for a job in Leeds or somewhere nearer.  I am still training to officiate American football - I have now done 6 games, although the last one doesn't really count as it was not a Bafra game but an American high school game at RAF Menwith Hill. I have recently got older but I am definitely not mid-twenties yet. I got a Spanish dictionary from my parents as I thought I would try to learn a little before the big North East Relay Reunion in Barcelona next summer (or somewhere in Spain anyway). My little sister has just started uni at Sheffield Hallam so I have been down there a fa

The story continues... The queen was given the power to answer, but she remained stubborn and said, "No, I didn't open the forbidden door." So the Virgin Mary took the newborn baby out of her arms and disappeared with him. The next morning, when the child could not be found, a rumour began circulating among the people that the queen was an ogress and had killed her own child. She heard all this but could do nothing to deny it. However, the king refused to believe it because he loved her so much. After a year had passed, the queen gave birth to another son. Once more the Virgin Mary came to her and said, "If you confess that you opened the forbidden door, I'll give you back your child and loosen your tongue. But if you persist in your sin and deny it, I'll take this newborn baby away with me too." Once again the queen said, " No, I didn't open the forbidden door." So the Virgin Mary took the child out of her arms and went away