Enough already!

I know I've posted too much for one day...I've had a bit of a break and now it's all going crazy. But I saw this on the brilliant Youthblog and had to share it ...

National Express

That's me that is! Not that i look like the back end of a bus although with the amount I've been munching this holiday I'm aware it's a slippery slope!!

More that I've been driving here there and everywhere over the last couple of weeks (sorry planet).

We had a great weekend youth hosteling in Shropshire, where we walked some of Offa's Dyke. It was spectacular and both the scenery and the wild flowers were glorious.

Then it was off for a return trip to the Essex coast this time with Auntie and Uncle Flower. On Mersea Island we meet up with Mike who runs West Mersea Oysters and had a fascinating tour of the 'processing plant' and a great lunch hearing him eulogise about these strange little creatures. A real food hero, his passion and dedication is inspiring. We also got to do some bird watching on East Mersea, despite being buffeted by wind and rain. We saw grey plovers, avocets, oyster catchers, turnstones, egrets and more. It's an amazing habitat full of waders and sea birds.

We stayed at the wonderful Mistley Thorn just up the estuary from Manningtree. And whilst repeating a stay at a much loved hotel is always daunting it was as good as longed for. Beth Chatto's garden saw us wandering in delight before heading home.

Then it was off to Shepton Mallet and Soul Survivor for me. Worship with 10,000 teenagers was incredible and as it has been about a decade since I attended anything on that scale it was a real treat, not to mention a blessing. It was amazing to see heaven breaking out all over.

Home now before a quick hop to Worcestershire and the parents, yes little flower is definitely a rambler and not just in word!

Ode to the Chocolate Digestive

O medium sized biscuit
there's none like you.
You are crispy and you are crumbly
when you're brand new.
With a chocolate rippled topping
- either milk or dark.
When craving a biscuit
you really light that spark.
Some may say that you are dull and plain
but I say "you're gorgeous" and "they're insane".
O medium sized biscuit
can it be true?
For dipping in our tea
there's none like you!

The village shop had none of these classics when I popped round today and once I got over my despair, I decided to channel my trauma into something more positive, as above...and then eat a Waitrose Cappucino Cup Cake!

...and of the big things

When I was thinking about my post 'God of the little things', the hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful came to me (it was a week or so before actually getting to blog it!). It was especially the lines "He gave us eyes to see and lips that we might tell". And I guess that's why I felt compelled to write about the little treasures and it made me think I should post randomly whenever I witness such gifts - I may do that.

What was even funnier was that the afternoon of this thought, we went to our friends wedding and ended up singing the very hymn! Despite all that I forgot to include it in the original post, time lapse and all.

Then when thinking about making this addition, whilst drinking tea in bed this morning, it led onto thinking about the song Beautiful One, which we were singing at Soul Survivor last week.

You opened my eyes to your wonders anew
You captured my heart with this love
‘Cause nothing on earth is as beautiful as you

Beautiful one I love
Beautiful one I adore
Beautiful one my soul must sing

These little findings really do make our souls sing...

God of the little things

I've had a desire to seek out the signs of God in the normal, non-religious, everyday things of life for a while now since hearing someone talk about 'ordinary grace'and realising that if we aren't attending and noticing we are denying ourselves those brushes with heaven that warm the heart. And the things that remind us that God is indeed Immanuel, with us, beyond that spell of human form and in a way that connects with our longings to see, and to be seen and understood.

I have started reading Soul Grafitti; making a life in the way of Jesus by Mark Scandrette. He touches on this idea...

"Most people will never see the artwork that hangs on gallery walls unless the galleries are sidewalks, fences,and telephone poles. An artist I met named Dave hangs hundreds of brightly coloured paintings throughout the city, bringing smiles to the faces of people as they walk to the store or subway. Stenciled on the sidewalk at my feet I see proclamations left by neighbours: "Your existence gives me hope", "sluts against rape","stop oil wars": or from a now deceased friend, simply the word "Grace" written in flowing cursive letters. One artist even fills in the gaps in the concrete with rows of glass jewels. In our heavily pedestrian neighbourhood, we have learned to look for messages scrawled in chalk or stuck in the cracks of the sidewalks and to find beauty in small or hidden places...I like to think that the message and method of Jesus was a lot like graffiti - immediate, street level, and personal. Jesus spoke as one who knew the struggles and joy of the people in his region. He spoke in words that connect with their longings...

Hence my photo...stopping to refill my water bottle from a stand-pipe at Soul Survivor I noticed the tap was ringed with rainbow coloured bands, pretty in it's own right but redolent with the mischief and joy of a major water bomb attack! Wish it had come out clearer but not bad for my phone.

Houseguest

This one thinks nothing of pooing in the garden and jumping on the beds! But she's very cute and so you can let her off - almost!

We're spending our holiday looking after Shula for a afriend, she's been with us less than 24 hours and already we're dreading giving her back. Even after she tried to redesign my prairie-style planting!!!

What's that they say about man's best friend?!

Defy the Stars

One of Mrs Admins amazing photo's of camp and I'm just itching to see the rest!

Indeed we had the best time on camp this year, awesome games, inspirational sessions, great food and brilliant community life, all incredible and even more so that for the first time I'm not completely wiped out after the event.

It's hard to pick out highlights but if pushed the laser quest in the woods was awesome, afternoon art was so chilled and really nice, getting to be there whilst several of the guys wrestled with who they are and where their going in their identities and beliefs was a real honour too.

God did loads of talking to us about being loved 'just as we are' (to paraphrase Mark Darcy!)and hearing this group of 30 plus non church kids singing their hearts out in worship each night just reduced me to tears on a routine basis. Ephesians 4:6 I guess.

One of my best moments was when I interviewed one of the girls I've known for 3 years about how she's changed and who she's becoming. We first met as she was coming out of a cupboard in the mentors hut having gotten changed in there ready for PE! She didn't use the changing rooms because the girls put a shaving foam moustache on her and threw her shoes in the shower. She earned herself the nick-name 'Psycho' because she would literally go crazy and get violent when the kids wound her up, then other times she wouldn't say boo to a goose. Three years and three LCET camps later, plus group-works and an excellent mentor, she came up in front of us all and shared her story...laughing at our unique meeting and feeling confident and accepting about the person she was.

The previous night we had cried together about how it was sometimes really hard to let the past go and to let ourselves move on to a better place and it was such a privilage to be able to describe to her the beautiful young lady that I'd witnessed blossom before me and to be there when she started to recognise that in herslef....well, I do this job for moments like that and count myself really blessed because of it.

Then getting to tell her atounded Mum what she'd done ...icing on the cake, nearly cried all over again!!

Been away...

but before a proper update, just how scary is that photo of Mr Flower in the garden?! Not because it bears a resemblance to David Tennant - so people have told us - but because one squiz at the contents of the table (weekend paper, cafetier, cups and saucers and chocolates - ambassador)and it is 100% clear the transformation into our parents is almost complete!!

Obviously it would be a great destination to end up like them but just not yet eh!?

Feel the need to go get a tattoo or something to prove I'm still young! ;-)