By rich | Published:
December 14, 2009
For me the number one reason for doing youth work is about loving the work and about being passionate about it.
I think it is important to want to challenge prejudices or wanting to see young people change, but this shouldn’t be your over-riding reason for doing youth work.
Let me explain a bit. It is important to challenge racial prejudices but to do youth work to ensure that you can change every young person to stop being racist is not a good reason. Why? Well what happens when a young person decides to say No. Do you force your opinion? Do you see where I am going with this?
The youth work I enjoy the most is detached youth work. Walking the streets. The Street is for me the best place to be. I love the fact that it is pure. No buildings to protect – you’re actually in the young people’s environment. Out on the streets, the young people have the opportunity to say, “No”. I need to re-think the way I challenge prejudices or shape a young person’s life.
By rich | Published:
November 29, 2009
It’s a bit complicated but a friend is asking us if we want to buy his land. Wow. There are several considerations to do with this. The biggest one in my head right now is that the railway line runs along side the plot. Not sure if that works with “retreat”. However God is bigger and He says “Lean not on your own understanding ” and “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…My ways are higher than your ways”. Please pray that we will seek God with all our hearts and make the right Godly decision.
By rich | Published:
November 1, 2009
Well I think the above says it all. The land owner now has other plans for the land and on those grounds has decided to reject our offer.
By Anna | Published:
October 15, 2009
the plan
Long term we want to build some accomodation for the young people to stay in and a communal area. We would love to be able to live there too and maybe provide a couple of affordable houses for locals. Arround this we want productive and sensual gardens. We would also like to keep a few animals, chickens, sheep, goats and a couple of pigs maybe. With the idea that parts of the garden and the animals would earn thier keep by producing crops, eggs, wool etc. We would love to set it up in a sustainable way practically and financially. It would be wonderful if at some point young people could find employment here. Possibly tying in with another dream I currently have to set up a cafe, canoe and bike hire centre all run by and for young people. Which would to allow them to gain experience and qualifications.
By rich | Published:
October 9, 2009
We have just submitted an offer to the owner of the field, in a way that we could see our way to pay. Please pray. Very much feeling if they are not interested in this we may have got it all wrong.
By rich | Published:
October 9, 2009
I walked back from school today, past the land and found myself worshiping God and praying that that would be the experience of anyone who walks past.
Matthew 9v13 “I desire mercy not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Started to pray, Lord who is this retreat for?
I have always thought christians, but hoped that non-christians may be drawn in too.
Is it for non-christians? Doesn’t seam humanly possible that non- christian teenagers would want to come to seek God. Maybe I am underestimanting teenagers and God. Lord please strech my faith.
Matthew 9v 16-17 “new wine into new wineskins” Have we got the focus back to front?
By rich | Published:
July 19, 2009
A place of retreat for young people.
Currently the world around is fast moving and concentrates on getting. There are very few spaces left to be still in a persons life and this is especially true of young people.
We plan to build a place of retreat that focuses on bringing space, stillness to a young person’s life. We won’t build climbing towers or fill the place with things to do, rather we will build a site that has walks that will take you on a journey from Genesis to Revelation. A place to be still and contemplate and find God.
Over the next few weeks, I will be publishing various posts that will chart this progress of restoration.
Rich
By rich | Published:
June 29, 2009
We have found a field that would suit us perfectly in setting up the retreat centre. It is a 6 acre field has a flattish top part (with wonderful views into Lostwithiel) and then sloping to a wooded area and stream at the bottom. It borders some housing and might or might not yield planning permission to build some houses or maybe something else.
As we have started to pray and focus on what God wants it seems that getting some land and starting to provide/build a place of retreat in the form of a garden – a place of quiet would be a beginning. We usually think of a retreat centre as buildings you go and visit and get some quiet and maybe teaching. All along we have wanted to turn the idea of retreat on it’s head – particularly with young people. This is why we think buying this land and building a garden as a place of retreat is next for us.
It is a huge task. Splitting a 6 acre field into a place of retreat. Ideas abound for a rose garden, a secret garden, paths that wind in and out and cause you to believe you’re walking miles. A sensory area, a place of discovery. Maybe some animals, an allotment? How do we include God, so that it isn’t just a ‘nice’ place. There are a lot of questions. You might have more or you might have some answers, please feel free to use the comments box at the bottom of this post to join in this discussion.
And so to the final bit. The land will cost £110,000! We have however agreed with the owner to pay him £60,000 with a further £50,000 if we get planning permission for any development. So we need to raise £60,000. It sounds huge and when I say it I feel like there is no way we can raise that level of money. But I did feel God challenging me to break it down. 60 x £1000. Well we already have some money saved so suddenly it is more like 56 x £1000. So we now need 50 people to give £1000. Ok that still seems a lot. What if 10 people each gave £100. Ok now that is even easier….. You get the drift. If we don’t start somewhere we will never start.
So, I can’t promise anything. All I can do is ask. Please could you pray and see whether this is something you want to be involved in. I am hoping that if we can raise the money without incurring debt we can very quickly move on to the next phase. I have an architect, a very skilled and gifted team who will do all they can to help us see the retreat built but we do need your help.
Pray, pray, pray and visit. Come and take a look at the field and if you feel you can give. The money will go into a Littlebigfoot account where it will be properly accounted for.
Many thanks for reading.
By rich | Published:
May 27, 2009
One of the most exiting discoveries of the Christian walk has to be that God has a purpose for your life. It doesn’t matter what went on before because however, washed up or useless you feel God has a purpose.
It gets even better because God then equips you with the gifts you need for that purpose. In Ephesians 4 v 12 we read:
for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry
The word equipping is used to describe a making fit, making fully qualified for service, ultimately it means “setting a bone” as in surgery. In other words it is recovering your wholeness so that you will be operating fully.
Isn’t that exciting. God will equip you to do whatever He calls you to do. Answer His call.
By rich | Published:
May 26, 2009
The strength of the Christian lies not in obeying outward laws but in inward character.
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His spirit in the inner man.
Ephesians 3 14-16
Pray for me and pray for each other, that we might be strengthened by God’s spirit to have inner character.
