Tikhtak

Up the bus lane!

I have just got a ticket for driving in a bus lane on a Sunday! A few years ago I had the opportunity to do an AA advanced driving test and was advised by the instructor that I should always use the bus lane when the restrictions didn't apply. (as the other lane becomes an overtaking lane). The trouble is there are a thousand different variants for every stretch of bus lane in London and if you happen to miss the one tiny blue sign that states the restrictions in the smallest writing possible then you are scuppered. I missed the blue sign that actually had no written instruction on it which means apparently it is "car prohibited" at all times. Why can't London councils make the whole thing a lot easier by having one rule for all? The cynical side of me says that that wouldn't make as much money for them off drivers like me who are trying to obey the law. I am bitter and twisted! Check out this ticket fighter website that helps other law abiding drivers to challenge the many mistakes London council's make.

Back from another part of Europe

I arrived back from a sunny and Eastery Mission Net in Oldenburg to a cold, and season-less London. In all about 3000 young people came together from across Europe to study and engage with the theme of Mission . I was reminded on more than one occasion that Britain is part of Europe and it is important we join with our neighbours in God's Mission. Having lived in Prague for around 10 years I do have a sense of how every country has its own national identity and Britain is not alone in this. My highlights were leading a seminar with Jill Ford from All nationscollege on mission and Creative arts. It was great to finally work together and it was well received by all. I was also really glad to meet again Mime/Actor Carlos Martinez who performed on the main stage. I first came across him 10 years ago on n IFES conference and was so impressed by him that I went on a summer school he ran in Germany.  I interviewed him fro trax16 and talked about the possibility of bringing him to the UK...Watch this space. Perhaps the final highlight was being able to network with people from all over Europe and get a perspective on what is going on both there and in the UK  Check out my pics on Flicker

Joining a Mission Net in Germany

Over Easter I will be attending a conference in Germany bringing together young people from all over Europe to look at the theme of Mission. I will be leading a workshop with Jill Ford from All Nations college on Mission and Creative Arts. At the beginning of our workshop we will set up some stations around the room showcasing some missional creative arts projects from round the world. I will be talking about World to Rights and trax16 but will also share about a version of The Apprentice run last year in South London to champion models of biblical leadership. Ammie, an Actor from Battersea came up with the idea as an antidote to all the bad press about youth and gun and knife crime. After an interview process 24 young people were selected and competed in two teams in exactly the same way as the TV version. The project was so successful that this summer she will be running a London wide version. I will also share about the work of Neema Crafts in Tanzania. With both of these projects and many more nothing could have been achieved without collaboration and drawing on different peoples skills and abilities. That will be one of the main objectives of our workshop as we work with youngpeople from all across Europe. Especially in  working together across borders.

A good flutter on The National

I always look forward to a flutter on the Grand National, a real English institution. This morning the bookies was packed with other flutterers asking, "What do I put in this box?" and "What does fixed odds mean?" Well what of the race! Zara our 2 year old backed Comply or Die (2nd place), Irfana had My Will, (3rd place) and I had State of Play, 4th place. All each way bets so not a bad year. For us once a year flutterers the race is not about coming 1st but anywhere in the top 5.