How Rage Against the Machine Saved Christmas

It's Christmas Eve and even though most of us are still unsure about what Santa is going to bring us, or what colour of socks we will get this year, one traditional Christmas event has already been decided upon. The now 'formerly' x factor, Simon Cowell, everything that is wrong with music' sponsered Christmas number 1. Last Sunday, much to the delight and excitement of millions of people, for the first time since 2002, a single from an x factor contestant hasn't reached the coveted Christmas number 1 spot. The Christmas number 1 used to be something everyone, even if you didn't normally care about the charts, looked excitedly to. But for a few years now, it's beeen completely monopolised by the x factor. Not this year. No Sir. An amazing facebook campaign has finally ended that with...

Read More

God time.....or other suitably rubbish names for Quiet times Part 1

Last week I started to try and get into the rhythm of something that I have never really been that good at. The dreaded QT. Quiet times. I want to talk about a few things that I think I have learned over the last week about God and spending time with him. I wish I was the kind of person who was able to sit down and feel God's presence and not get distracted. But I'm not. Plus I always felt Quiet times were boring and for the overly religious. I never thought God was boring but I just thought spending time with him was. Strange. So last week I decided to have a quiet time every morning for the week. If only to see how it changed me, if at all. I have never been one for disciplines. I always thought they would make me boring and condescending or something like that. But I knew that if I at...

Read More

The Nightmare 'AT' Christmas

When I get to this time of the year I usually start looking forward to getting the Christmas edition of the Radio Times or eagerly wait for the first play of 'Fairy tale of New York' by the Pogues on the Radio (Only then can Christmas officially start). I love Christmas and it is easily my favourite time of the year but I am feeling a different kind of emotion this year. I'm still excited and I'm still looking forward to spending time with my family but something is changing in me this year. As a kid Christmas was a time when the world stopped and everything became wonderful. Whatever crap was going on in the world it stopped for a few days so everyone could be part of this wonderful time. That's how my mind thought it was anyway. And it's only been in the past year that I think I realised...

Read More

Internot

In a few hours time I will be doing something I haven't done since I was probably about 14. No I won't be listening to my Disturb CD (wow what was I thinking? What a terrible band) No I will be going without the internet for a week. If the truth be told I have never gone without the internet before. I mean when I was 14 I didn't really know much about it and certainly didn't have access to it anytime I wanted. But now I am going to say goodbye to it. For a week at least. Yesterday I wrote about why I am doing this but today I want to talk about how I am feeling about it before. Consider it the hypothesis of my little experiment. When I decided to do this I was a bit unsure if I could. There were so many things that I would miss. Things that have become so essential to me everyday. So...

Read More

Work Offline

It's crazy to think that only a few years ago when you got broadband you were at the cutting edge of internet capabilities. Friendsreunited was the best social networking site around and Napster meant we could listen to any music we like. (Thanks Lars!!)Now unless you have an iphone or a Blueberry or at least a phone with the ability to connect to facebook you are seen as a modern day neanderthal.How did we cope before the internet? I actually can't remember. I actually can't. My life can't have been fun. I mean how did I know what was going on?How did we have banter with our friends before facebook status and comment?How did we listen to music and discover new bands?How did we arrange to meet up with people?How did we express our opinions?What did we do when we were bored?These are important...

Read More

Jesus, the Pharisee, the Prostitute and I

My whole life I have pretty much been surrounded by all things 'Christian'.I went to Sunday School, Church, BB, JAM Club, Scripture Union, CE (sometimes ;)).I have been involved with ministries like Street Reach, Athletes in Action, Christians In Sport and Ambassadors in Sport ( I fully endorse anything 'in Sport').I have read "If you want to walk on water....", 'What's so Amazing About Grace', and 'Blue Like Jazz'. I have not read anything by Joel Osteen however. Oh well, 3 out of 4 ain't bad!!My point being I have pretty much been involved or read or experienced most of the traditional Northern Irish Christian activities.I don't say that to show off or seem cool. If you were brought up in a Christian house in Northern Ireland, you most likely can identify with all these things, probably...

Read More

New Wardrobe

Every now and then you get those moments when you hate your clothes and you feel like you need a bit of a drastic change. And that's how I am feeling about the layout of my blog, so expect over the next while a few changes, including a much brighter easier to read layout.So to start it all off I have installed intense debate, for comments. It's a lot easier to use, you can now comment via twitter and facebook and well just looks better. So please feel free to give it a go and let me know what you think.Stay tuned for a brand new post tomorr...

Read More

God is not a salesman

One of the things I love about Jesus Club is that it has been challenging my perception of Church and where we find God. Traditionally in Northern Ireland Church is a Sunday morning do. It's when we meet together and sing songs, and listen to a sermon. Pray a bit and then have coffee. And there is nothing at all wrong with this. It can be a beautiful thing.But I have started seeing Church as more about people than theology, or Matt Redmon songs. (Yep you heard it here first, you can have a legitimate Church experience without Blessed Be His Name). The thing I love about the group is that a few guys who agree and disagree on a lot of things can meet and talk about God and not end up with black eyes at the end. I see Jesus Club as a place where we can meet and talk and respect each others opinions...

Read More

Pulling together

Sometimes, though very rarely, I get those moments when you realise that there is something specific about life you are supposed to be learning. Something relevant to you, right where you are, right amongst everything you are going through, right smack in the face.And I had one of those moments this week. A few different things all came together at the same time to teach me a lesson I needed to learn.Let me picture the scene for you.My fiancee (that was for you Brittany, see I do remember) and I are doing a kind of sweets fast. No sweets or chocolate etc at all except for one day a week. We have attempted this before and it feels good to do somethine like this together. But the point is that I love chocolate and I to not eat any during the week is a real challenge. One, that if it was up to...

Read More

BLJ Part 2- Problems

I didn't quite get around to writing last week about our first week reading Blue Like Jazz. But I am ready to wrong that, though I will be skipping right ahead to chapter 2.It could be quite pointless writing all this. I mean why read what I have to say about the book when you can just read the book itself. Which you should. But please join in if you like. The more the merrier. Feel free to comment and agree, disagree, call me a Heretic or just say Hi.So to business.What I love about Chapter 2- 'Problems'- is that it has helped me understand the human condition better. If you are a Christian in Northern Ireland then you know that we are all sinners and need saved. Well at least that's what we are told. And ultimately I believe this and I affirm this. However I never felt comfortable with it....

Read More

Following Don

Wow. It's been over a month since I last wrote here and I really don't like that. So I am going to write more and to help me I am going to blog once a week on the book Blue Like Jazz by the amazing Don Miller.Since we are starting to read this book in a sort of small group I have joined, I thought it would be a good way to keep track of my thoughts and just as important the thoughts of the other guys in the group. And if you haven't read it, get yourself a copy (you really need to own this book!! Seriously stop reading and get a copy......why are you still here?!!) and please feel free to join in the fun by commenting on my posts on each of the chapters.I can't tell you how much this book changed my life and I know that may sound cheesy or cliched but its true and I am excited to read it again...

Read More

Music to Your Ears

The one thing that has the power to affect most people more than anything else is music. Listening to and experiencing live. I don't really understand when some people say they don't like music. I have always presumed that everyone just did.I love discovering new music and equally love going back to old music that I haven't listened to in a long time. New music inspires us to realise that creativity can be endless, that there is still hope. If we can constantly come up with new music then maybe we can always reach forward. Instead of getting stuck in life cycles where we feel we aren't getting anywhere, music reminds us that this does not have to be so and we can create and get better.There is something magical about it. It can change our whole mood and outlook on life in just 3 and a half...

Read More

The Last Temptation of Jesus

When the Bible is called the 'living word' it usually means several things. For example that even though it was written a long time ago it is still relevant today. But what I love more is that you can read something in the Bible, something you have read many times before and then suddenly a new insight jumps out at you. You get a new look at a bit of information that before was just part of the background.I love when this happens and it happened to me this week. And it happened at a time when I really really needed a certain passage to take on some fresh meaning for me.I'm talking about Matthew chapter 4, where Jesus is taken into a desert and tempted by Satan, trying to get him to give in to him. I haven't read this passage loads of times for myself but I felt like I knew it pretty well and...

Read More

I like big Buts

I'm putting my lack of blog posts lately down to being pretty busy. In the last few weeks since I got home from London I have been at school, saying goodbyes, making some money, hanging out with friends, Summer Madness and now finally sitting down and just taking some time for myself.It's much needed. It feels good and I think that everyone should take some time, every day just to be on their own. I'm finally now getting the chance. And what a lot of stuff it has thrown up!This week the temptations and issues I thought were a thing of the past raised their ugly (and I mean hideously ugly) heads again, (I need to deal with why that happened for sure but for now I want to deal with how I react in the moment). When something bad in your life that you thought was done with and has lost its control...

Read More

The End is the Beginning is the End

It seems my life has been full of a lot of 'How It Ends' recently and I guess that's just what this time of year throws up. A lot of goodbyes, finishing of degrees, courses, internships etc. It can be so exciting and exhausting all in one.This week I graduated from BBC along with a lot of friends and it was good to finally put an end to this chapter of my life. Unfortunately along with that comes the inevitable goodbyes and the farewell of friends from abroad, some of who we're not sure when we will meet again, if at all.To be honest, I'm not that big of a farwell person. I'll miss people but I know that the ones I am close to, I will see again. I know it will happen. I think that's the problem sometimes. We just never know how. We don't know when we will find the time or the money.But if...

Read More

Invisible Children- How It Ends

Six weeks ago I started this internship in London with Invisible Children and now almost six weeks later I am nearly done.I have had some ups and some downs. There have been times when I have been so excited to be here and other times when I just wanted to go home. It has been an emotional rollercoaster for sure.Today I had my penultimate activity as an IC intern. Having a screening at an community arts festival. It was pretty awesome. Reflecting on it I think that is what I have missed. I have missed the connecting with people about IC and seeing them get excited and inspired.A lot of what I have been doing has been emailing and calling and it gets boring sometimes. But strangely I wouldn't change it. It has given me a really amazing insight into how a charity like IC works.The thing about...

Read More

Glass half Empty

This weekend Brittany is coming over to visit and I really don't think it could have come at a better time. I love working with Invisible Children but the trouble with working with an organisation like this is that it is very easy to forget why I am doing this.I have been trying to book summer schools and camps for IC to be a part of or do a screening. Doing that and reciting the same spiel about who IC is can be very jading. I keep talking about child soldiers but at the same time forget about the child soldiers. If that makes sense. I know that there are child soldiers who need saved but I have lost certian emotions that their injustice evoked in me in the first place.At the start I loved it mainly because I was looking at places in Northern Ireland and people I know who would be interested....

Read More

Glass half Full

Three weeks in and I have hit the half way mark of my internship with Invisible Children. It doesn't feel like three weeks. Sometimes it feels like more, sometimes it feels like less. But I am really enjoying being here.In some ways I don't want to go home. I haven't really missed home although I have missed certain people (you know who you are, perhaps some don't). One thing is I am starting to start and think what I want to do. Maybe for the first time since school, A uni degree and a two year Bible college course in fact.I have put it off. For a long time I have felt like I am just putting off the inevitable and sooner or later I will need to decide what I will do for a proper job.But I think now I am at peace with where I am. Sometimes I have felt like other people my age already have...

Read More

Anathallo

Sometimes when you go to shows the music makes you want to cry.Not because it is really sad or really happy but simply because it is so *&"(*"$ awesome it just hits you somewhere deep inside and makes you excited and glad to be a person.Last night I saw Anathallo in London and at various points I felt like crying.That's all that needs to be said....

Read More

God and Invisible Children

Almost two weeks into my internship with Invisible Children and it's hard to believe that I am a third of the way through. To be honest I wish it would go on longer. That I could stay for the whole summer. But alas Shop 4 U is barely surviving without me as it is.This second week has been good. I have been trying to think of more contacts to get in touch with and more ideas of what I can do here.The thing I love about working for Invisible Children is that I have my own project but I am given the complete freedom to think outside the box and to use my imagination to spread the word about what is going on in Northern Uganda. They recognise that we have gifts and talents and minds and we should use them for good. That's really encouraging and it has made me think about what I want to do with...

Read More

Invisible Children Week 2, Day 1 -The Screening

I can't believe it is already a week since I started. From feeling really nervous and being over an hour early because I wanted to make sure I knew where to go, to feeling like I had been in this place for a long time.Today was a pretty cool day as I got to experience my first Invisible Screening as someone who works for Invisible Children. We were in Sydenham High School in London,an all girl school.Molly, Ashlee (I'm used to be outnumbered by women but this was ridiculous) and I went along representing IC and it went really well. The girls were all really into it and asked some really good questions at the end. We showed the 'Who we are' video and also 'the RESCUE'I had seen the RESCUE before but this was the first time I saw it on a big screen. It was amazing. Felt like watching it for...

Read More

Invisible Children Week 1

So I had hoped to write a bit more often than once a week and this next week that will be my aim but this first week I have just been getting settled into the office, finding out what I will be doing and doing it and meeting new people and so that has meant I have neglected a few things. Time for myself, time for people who are important to me and time to write.So I want to change that. But first I want to update anyone who reads this on what my first week at Invisible Children has looked likeSo I arrived on Monday and met Davy, Simon and Ami. I was pretty nervous but right from the off I was made to feel welcome and realised quickly that I was going to enjoy it. The office is right at the top of a flight of stairs and has a nice feel to it. Davy told me that its pretty relaxed and I soon...

Read More

in London

Yesterday I moved to London...well for 6 weeks at least but I think it sounds better if I say I live here now....if only for 6 weeks.I'm staying with my wee sis in Acton, London while I do my placement with Invisible Children. I'm pretty excited but I'm the kind of person that usually doesn't get really excited about something until I am actually into it and going. But it is pretty cool to be here.Today we headed into the city centre, walked aroung Leicester Square, bought a birthday present, had lunch and headed up Carnaby street for a dander. I've been to London a fair few times before so everything doesn't have quite the 'awe' factor that London usually provokes.So my sis went home to do some work and I hung about, got a coffee (a caramel Frappuccino from Starbucks to be exact) and had...

Read More

We've ALL been RESCUED!!!

Last week I wrote a bit about the RESCUE that was happening in 100 cities. Well I went and we were rescued. It was awesome. We started a revolution to save abducted children. It was good. That was 6 days agoAnd 6 days later every city was rescued. Well almost!Chicago waited and they waited and they moved, and then waited some more, then moved again, then waited, then moved once more and waited. For 6 days hundreds of people waited to be rescued. Reinforcements came. Thousands of emails to Oprah Winfrey pleading to be rescued, as many if not more tweets to get her to come out.It took 6 days but finally the peoples voice was heard and today on her Friday LIVE broadcast she will rescue Chicago. Amazing. We thought she didn't hear but she did. In fact there were times when many thought she was...

Read More

Want To End a War?

A long time ago I wrote about some excting things that were coming up. Some of those didn't come to fruition but tomorrow the thing that I was probably most excited about is happening.For years now there has been a war in Uganda where Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (nothing to with God!) has been kidnapping young children to fight for him. Kids who are just like you and me (well a few years ago now!). Kids who like to laugh and play and mess around with their friends just like kids anywhere. But they aren't getting the chance to be children because someone is taking it away from them.Thankfully 3 film students from California decided that they could do something to help these kids. Thankfully through them over 50'000 young people throughout the world are also going to...

Read More

Cause and Effect Part 1

I believe that everyone needs something to get their teeth into. I think there is more to our being alive than just the normal everyday stuff we go through. I think we all need something that inspires us to get up and help others. Something that we are specifically meant to be working at.For me there have been several over the years. Ministries that I have been involved with, supported, been excited by. One of those is xxxchurch. This is the type of thing I want to be involved in. This is what I want to do. I want to help people by sharing my story and encouraging and not being afraid to go where others are. I want to go first.I was talking to my Principal at Bible College last week about this ministry and about myself, about what I see my picture in the world looking like and I was really...

Read More

Aren't we all the same?!

For pretty much my whole life I have been learning from Sunday School and in Church and any where else where there are Christians that I am in need of being saved from my sins. Verses are quoted at me about how none of us are Ok and all of us need salvation.So far so good.The problem is that somewhere along the line I started to believe that some sins are worse than others. Where did I get this from? I know that we all need saved but somehow this has turned into "we all need saved (but really some of us need saved more)" And I think this is damgaing.I have been pretty open on here about struggles I have with porn and with temptation but other than 3 or 4 people who I have been close to, I haven't really been open to many people about it.Why is that?Surely if we all need saved then that means...

Read More

Falling On Deaf Ears

So yesterday morning I woke to the joyful sound of ringing. Not a nice ringing. Not even a phone ringing (which would be awesome as I have Jamie Lidell as my ringtone) but the annoying ringing you get after a concert. Its called Titanus apparantely. I don't really care what its called, its annoying. But unfortunately I can't even look at it with fondness like I would if it was caused my an amazing concert. That was last week.No this was caused simply by a blocked ear. Now I don't know about you but when I get this it changes the person I am. I am easily irritated and I am probably a bit more prone to losing my temper. I'm not really like that but when something like this happens to me I act like a spoiled kid.And this got me thinking.I can look at this as being the worst thing to ever happen...

Read More

Invisible Children

My girlfriend Brittany has been passionate about Invisible Children for a while now and her love of this organisation is rubbing off on me now. If you don't know who they are, they are a charity who are working at freeing the thousands of child soldiers held by Joseph Kony and the LRA in Northern Uganda. In a nutshell.When a war has been going on for as long as the one in Uganda it is easy to forget the people there or keep uptodate and it seems it fades into the background. When was the last time you heard about the war on the news. I think the same has happened here for a long time. But the truth is this is going on now in our world. There are children who are having their lives taken from them and it is our responsibility to help. Not to think that is awful, but to do something. It's pretty...

Read More

Inspiration

I was asked to write another blog by someone but I am feeling distinctly lacking in inspiration for anything to write. Life has been busy lately and I guess I could write about some of that. But most of what I want to write about I want to wait until it all goes down. But there are some pretty exciting things coming up. I'll keep you posted.But anyway I have been back at college for Dessies two week course on Jewish culture and it has been amazing. I love bringing Christianity back to its Jewish roots and realising we have got so much of our preaching and out interpreting of the Bible wrong. It's inspiring to start reading the Bible.So on that note I want to share two blogs/websites that have been inspiring my thinking and my life recently.First upStuff Christians LikeThis guy is so talented....

Read More

moving to(o) fast

Recently I decided to go on a fast. 7 days without food, just fruit juices and water. I have never done this type of thing before (except for a very on/off successful sweet fast) so I was pretty excited and really up for it. It was going to be amazing, getting closer to God, challenging myself to something and learning about myself.I managed 2 days!If I am being completely true my motives weren't so pure. I didn't want to do it to look impressive but I did think it would be a quick way of losing a few much needed pounds before the football season resumed. The whole spiritual aspect was a bit of a side issue. Which I know now is not the way that a fast, especially the type I was looking for, should be done.So I decided to read up a bit and start again sometime, ease into it instead of rushing...

Read More