It’s Not My Age! January 8, 2012
Posted by thehutch in Uncategorized.Tags: humility, ponderings, thoughts
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One of the most difficult things for older leaders is the ability to allow younger leaders space to grow and develop. I think that this has as much to do with pride as anything.
Hoping that my pride yields to humility more quickly than I have experienced
positive contributions January 3, 2012
Posted by thehutch in Uncategorized.Tags: lunch
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Sometimes you can come across things that make a positive contribution, can be simple yet so profound. This morning I have been reading about;
They are brilliant – check out both sites
do leaders listen……? December 22, 2011
Posted by thehutch in Uncategorized.comments closed
One of the dangers of leadership in this modern digital age is losing the ability to listen in order that we may hear and act.
Over the last few weeks, I have spoken, emailed and txt a leader at a church with information and they were ‘seemingly accepted. Today, I discover that the relevant communications have been ignored/forgotten and so another email trail begins.
In leadership, we need to demonstrate the value of people – a major component is listening, hearing and then acting. If we ignore or forget, we will soon discover that we become a leader with no followers.
Book Review – Sacralized Youth Work – Sally Nash December 8, 2011
Posted by thehutch in books, youthwork.Tags: sacralized youth work, sacred, sally nash, secular, youth work, youthwork
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The Grove Booklet Series is one that, for me at least, helps to provoke thinking and discussion. Their very nature means that they are easy to digest but they are best read when chewed over for a time. One of the most recent in the youth series is “Sacralized Youth Work” from Sally Nash.
This booklet questions our approach to youth work and helps Christian youth workers bridge the gap between the secular and the sacred. Many of the ideas expressed here relate with the ‘Generation Y’ books recently published and so, to those that have digested them, this is a whistlestop tour of the developed thinking there.
According to Nash, there are 5 key elements to sacralized youth work which are: Place, Conversation, Shared Experience, Fun and Journeying. These are fleshed out a little through the booklet and worth wrestling through with your team.
The one quote that has stuck with me over the last few weeks since reading my copy is; “young people wanted to talk more about spiritual matters, more than the youth workers gave them opportunity.” This quote should challenge us all.
Get hold of a few copies and read it through – it will be worth it!
surfs up November 29, 2011
Posted by thehutch in church, question, thoughts.Tags: advent, church, life, season, surf, wait, waiting, waves
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ever get one of those days when you are ready to surf but the waves are just not there?
It can be most frustrating….the waiting. That is the advent season…..a time of waiting.
Be patient, the waves will come!
not as many on twitter as we think! November 23, 2011
Posted by thehutch in thoughts.Tags: bacm11, gyktc, popularity, twitter, youth workers, youthwork, ywc11, yws11
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Being on twitter with lots of youthwork type folk and it feels as if lots of people are on twitter. However, last week, I was at a conference where there were over 50 attendees and no-one else tweeting from the 4 day event. Last night in Cambridge (see previous post) there were few ‘tweeters’ active in the 800 or so attendees. All this is a far cry from the plethora of folk at yws11 and ywc11 – to be honest, it was a surprise.
The truth is, there are not as many people on twitter as we think!
Get your Kids through Church November 22, 2011
Posted by thehutch in church.Tags: care for the family, children, church, gyktc, rob parsons, youth
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Am on the way home from Cambridge after an evening with Care for the Family and Rob Parsons. It was a good night and worth the trek from London. I thought that I would use the journey home to write a blogpost on the iPod.
I have to confess that my initial thoughts were that I would not like it and be rather cynical. The first few minutes supported this theory as the sound was not great and the ott adverts are not my thing but it would have been fine for the mainly white middle class attendees (well it is Cambridge!!)
My cynicism was ready to overflow until phatfish led us in some worship and my heart melted somewhat. As always, they were excellent and they overcame deficiencies in the sound with seeming effortlessness.
Rob Parsons spoke with a proliferation of stories and sound bytes that hit the nail on the head – for many youthworkers there was little that we have not said before but Robs voice is heard and people will likely act – it needed to be said. Without doubt he won me over – children need our time, every word counts, invest in youth etc.
I probably would not rush back but there are many for whom this would be important. For that I am thankful and grateful. My cynicism was crushed beneath a banner of hope. Thank God for people speaking truth in our churches.
As a footnote, some video clips of youthworkers made me smile – they spoke of time with young people, would love them to listen to Steve Griffiths at ywc11 – may challenge them 
these are rushed thoughts written on an iPod in the immediate aftermath of a busy day so may make little sense. Hope that they read ok
conference thoughts November 16, 2011
Posted by thehutch in ponderings, thoughts.Tags: alpha, battles, conference, conferences, fun, pecking order
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Conferences are interesting beasts – Christian conferences are even more intriguing. I am sat in a conference centre now, enjoying the 2 hour afternoon window before the next sessions begin again. Thought I would use the time to sum up the conference merry go round rules – whilst very tongue in cheek, there is an element of truth, this is a summary of many conferences and must not assume that this is my present experience.
As people arrive at the start of any conference, there are the nervous smiles of new participants, the loud confident laughs & welcomes from the ‘annual attenders’ and the usual folk trying to look confident whilst they are inwardly struggling with how to carry their bags to an unknown place with keys and literature balancing precariously from their fingertips.
Those who are involved in the organising are desperate that everyone is ‘happy beyond belief’ as this justifies their labours and the on-going trivial banter is a minefield of Alpha egos attempting to outdo other attendees.
Once pecking orders are set, the conference can begin proper. The initial welcomes include the in-house jokes from old as people observe who sits with who, the people to avoid and those that will need to be engaged with as soon as the first session ends. The AV system has its usual hiccups when the courteous chuckles are allowed full voice, the microphones will need tampering with on more than one occasion and lip service is paid to those who have travelled the furthest distance.
As the sessions end, there will always be one person (often more) who home in like an exocet missile on the speaker, in order that they can either heap bounteous praise or demonstrate why they know better. They will ensure that they milk as much time as possible so that others have to wait their place and suffer being lower down the pecking order.
Outside, in the coffee queue, the real warfare is happening. The knowledge sharers have to share their encyclopedic understandings with anyone who will listen, others share their historical gleanings with the rest and almost everyone shares their contacts (well their 6 degrees of separation contact base) so that their voice may ‘carry weight’.
And to think…..this is just the start…..gotta love conferences…..the good news is, you can still learn a great deal from them, the good, the bad and the ugly!
