An Excitingly Wonderful Discovery

Wooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!! Ok, guys it is actual almost to much to contain my excitement. Last Friday I went to the most wonderful, fantastic and amazing place, full of people, my age, who understand me and were all there to love god. I almost didn't go but boy, am I glad I did!

And to think I so almost didn't go. I so almost did my usual chicken run, my usual whimp out. Sitting in the cold, watching my brother playing cricket in his whites I so almost didn't ask. But I did and I thank god for providing me with the courage I needed to go. I thank god for helping me up that churchpath and I thank god for being right behind me as I walked into a room full of strangers of whom I had never met before.

It would be an understatement to say I was nervous, I was petrified. But god was behind me and as soon as the fun began all my nerves, literally dissapeared. For a start the leader was really cool and didn't make me feel nervouse or worried at all. She was young and took me to find some people I might know (I found out about Youth Church through a friend who unfortunately wasn't there that week) and I just had such an amazing time.

The people I met were all around my age and so nice it was unbelievable. I mean they made me feel comfortable staight away with a game of UNO! I hadn't played UNO in ages! So we were half way through the UNO tornament when bible study started. I wasn't a bit annoyed my game had been distrupted as I was quite looking forward to finally being able to fully understand the word of god.

The bible study was also really, really cool. My goodness, why was everything about this place so cool. We were studying the ressurection which was pretty big stuff for my first time but it was also really good to be able to put everything into perspective. They used a youtube clip and then questions to explain the section which was all about our coming ressurection, if you like. The woman explained about a group of people who were willing to accept Jesus' ascension and ressurection but who found it harder to understand their impending own. Which I totally can relate to. Well we sat down and disscused the whole situation and it made it very easy to understand.

How when Jesus died all sins were forgiven and everything bad was defeated. How he gave us a second chance and how eventually at the end, everything will be under the hand of Jesus. I basically now understand how amazing Jesus was and how lucky we are to have him.

And I feel very lucky to have found Youth Church and that god has helped me find Youth Church. After the bible study we played games of table tennis, table football and air hockey and kinda chilled for an hour and I managed to make some really nice friends.

So I now thank god muchly for helping me find Youth Church and giving me the courage to go through with it. :)

A Sin

I have something on my conscience and I'm finding it really hard to talk about right now - it's the hardest thing to do, admitting your wrongs. Admitting what you've neglected, rebelled against, forgotten - in my case, been too cowardly to go through with something. Two Sundays ago now, I didn't attend church and it wasn't because I didn't have the time/chance. It's quite a long story but I'll tell you it anyway.

I hadn't been to church for a few Sundays because off other commitments so it was kinda important that I attended that Sunday. The First Problem: I had been invited to a sleepover on Saturday night and was in two minds whether to go. I knew I could go to church on Sunday night if I wanted to but the sleep bit was in a camper van - which I really didn't fancy. So, after long deliberation, I decided that I wouldn't sleep, which meant mum and dad had to sacrifice their night out - they weren't happy. First problem overcome.

Second Problem: telling mum. On the Sunday mum still wasn't happy (my brother's sleepover at his friends had, too been kyboshed) and I was finding it difficult to ask if I could go to church. I had decided to stick to going to church in the evening so all I had to do was to ask mum, but I just couldn't do it. Eventually after hours of anxiety and a endorphin releasing gym session, I finally gathered the courage to ask mum. She said, 'Yeah, I suppose'. Problem two, sorted.

Now problem three was where it all went wrong. Truth be told, I was worried about going to a new church (our church doesn't do evening services), about meeting new people again. So I sat in the living room dreading, not the service, but the people - who by the way there is probably nothing wrong with. So I sat, aware it was getting closer to 6:30 and hearing dinner being almost ready. I don't know what I was feeling really. I was dreading meeting new people, I sometimes feel like an outsider in new-people situations, but wanting to go to the service and knowing god will be dissapointed with me if I don't. So, I did what I do best, ignored the problem, and walked into eat dinner at 6:30 without a word. But inside I felt like rubbish.

That night I prayed to god begging him to forgive me and I sincerely hope that he has. Because it was a terrible thing that I did and I felt sorry all night and the next day and the day after that and still today as I write. However, one good thing came out of this, I went to youth church on Friday - another newbie situation - and it was amazing

Is it Fair to be Fair?

Is it Fair to be Fair?

Recently there was a bit of a bust up at my brothers footy club. My dad is the manager and one of the mothers decided to pick a very picky arguement with him. Each week my dad starts out the game with his best team, a selection which often includes (unbiasedly) my brother and each week one of the mother hens ends up disgruntled because one of their sons hasn't been played. The thing is, my dad can't bear to see them loose so, naturally, plays a team to win. If, 15 minutes in they're winning 10 - 0 then he'll bring on other, how do I put this nicely, less abled players. Consequently, some players don't get a game. Now after this arguement - which, by the way was about the situation I just explained - my parents both came home and began their rants whilst I sat, listening, to the situation. Occasionally, I nodded my head and made comments in agreement with them (I so shouldn't have asked what happened at football). But later on I started to question where my allegiances lay. Is fair to be unfair or must we make sure everyone has equal and balance, well everything.

By playing his best team each week by dad was excluding some players from most games. How would I feel if I were in their shoes, turning up each week to training yet not making the A-team each weekend? At my gymnastics club we experience the same problem and similar arguements with better gymnasts being chosen to perform the 'big tricks'. And that time my mum sided with the underdogs: give them a chance, even if they aren't as good. Is that hypocritical or do ideas not translate smoothly between sports.

Another arguement: It's not fair on the people who are capable of winning, my dad says. By playing a politically correct team each week the clubs success will, inevitably dip, is this fair on the people who can win? But surely they could take one for the team? I am speaking in so many questions today, sorry. I am finding it hard to pinpoint a sure conclusion to the arguement. And I wonder what god would say about this? I don't know, I wonder, maybe if he would tell us to stop dwelling on something so silly an focus on something more important. He might say that or maybe he would say everyone should get a game. At the end of the day, it shouldn't be about who's the best or the worst, it should be about who works the hardest, who tries their best. Is it fair to be fair, i don't know. You tell me?

Easter - A Sad Affair

EASTER! Easter is on its way. YES! Lents almost over and I can go back to snacking to my hearts content - if I wish. I'm not sure I will though. To be honest not snacking has done my the world of good and I might start to structure my food a little more. Like try to just have one snack between meals and make it fruit not a pack of ice gems. It has been so hard this Lent but finally I can see a light at the end of the tunnel, a light shining in all its buscuity, fruity and tasty glory. MmmmmMmmmm... i can't wait. But whilst I sit snacking and munching on foxes creams and Scotland shortbread I must remember the real meaning of Easter and Jesus's tragic and heroic death on the cross. A minister in a church once said that we often like to celebrate to celebrate the happy christian festivals but neglect the negative ones with a more serious tone or dress them up in frills and feathers until they almost loose their meaning or the substance behind that meaning desintegrates. Easter is far too morbid, too serious for the taste buds of many. Jesus hung and bleeding on the cross. It does sound pretty depressing doesn't it. But it's fact not opinion and its important we remember it just like that. Theres no point dressing it up in some fabulous and frivolous affair-we are celebrating a sad moment-and that is it.

Easter eggs, daffodils and baby chicks do serve a purpose though. This feeling of new life and a new leaf taken from Jesus rising does give a good and accurate meaning behind Easter. A chance to take a U-turn in your life and be forgiven for all sins. And teach this teach this, teach this to the children. Tell them of a new-life, a happy day and a chance to be forgiven ... but also teach them why. Why we get this chance...

Teach them the story of Jesus' betrayal, his bravery, his pain. Tell them of Judas's mistake, his greed and betrayal. Teach them of the last supper, the bread the wine. Of Pontius Pilate and the robbers on the cross. Teach them of the grief and sadness. Also teach them of the happy ending, of everyone's second chance. Their second chance. But make sure they know how much was sacrificied to get them this new chance. They will appreciate it more - grasp it with both hands. The story of Easter is just as important of the meaning. Don't dress it up and ice it with a cherry on the top. Let people begin their new life, new start with the truth in their heart.

This Sunday I woke up at 7:10 am and draped down the hall way to my parents room. It wasn't much later than my usual wake up time on a school day but Mothers Day is a special occasion. I took the occassion as a chance to snuggle into the double bed with my brother, mother and father. My original plan was a surprise breakfast in bed, flowers and something special but at such an early time snuggling into bed alongside the family seemed ideal. Bed in breakfast kind of went ahead. At about 7:30 me, dad and Alex (my little brother) departed from the comfy quilt and left mum in peace whilst we went downstairs to cook breakfast - the full monty (bacon, eggs, sausage, beans and fried bread) however the bed part dissapeared as we - out of habit - yelled up the staiirs, 'MUM! BREAKFASTS READY!'. So breakfast was eaten at the breakfast bar like usual. Presents were given and smiles and hugs were exchanged along with two very humble thankyous from me and Alex. After the celebration (if you could call it that) me and mum made our way down to church...



A FACT - i totally didn't know this but mothering Sunday is a christian day named as it was a day when everyone would revisit their big 'mother church'. It was often a day when servants were allowed to go back to their home town to see their family and mothers. It is slap bang in the middle of lent and traditionally a day to relax the lent rules - i so didn't know that.



But now mothers day is a day to celebrate and appreciate the women who share its name. To thank them for all they do for us - and they do do alot. Mothers truly are wonderful aren't they! I mean the amount of things they do for us :

• Cook our meals



• Clean our clothes (and bedrooms)



• Buy us things



• Taxi us around to different parties, houses and clubs



• send us to school



• Help us learn, help us grow



• Play with us, entertain us



• Take us on holiday



• Love us

Thats quite a big list and it could go on. Mothers are an amazing micracle but if we think about it we are all mothers. From when a baby is born we all participate in its ubringing. Primarily the responsibility is with family - grannies, grandads, aunties and uncles - visitng and nurturing the baby helping it learn new words and develop a personality. Then, as the baby grows, school teachers become a part of its life taking part for a good few 11 years there job to teach and help the child grow and mature. And now arrives everyone else: friends, churches anyone who knows or has contact with the child. It is our job to look after the child and make sure they grow into a happy and healthy young adult. We must first and formost be a good role model for every one around us. Carry Christs word on our shoulders for every one to see and help these children to overcome the challenges the face. Make time to listen, play and teach them. Greet them with with a smile everyday and be the light in their life. It is a simple and rewarding thing to do, to show a child the way and just be there

Mothers are like omelettes

When God created mothers,
I'm sure he must have said
'Let's make them just like breakfast
My favourite daily bread'

Lets have them make the children grow
And start their day with caring
'Goodness son, what a wonderful smell
What meal are you preparing?

Jesus, in his chefs chappo
Appeared as from a comet
In his hand a splendid dish
'A thing I call a omelette

It's fluffy on the outside
A treat for the nose and eye
But what I think you'll like the most
is the beauty thats inside

A treasure of suprises
In this case ham and cheese
And a pinch of love and tenderness
Just like all our recipes'

God thus raised his magic fork
And gave the dish a try
'Mmmmm...Good indeed
To this I say...Bullseye!'

These mothers I'm creating...
This is now my will...
With wonderful surprises
They too all shall be filled'

'To start the day a loving way
Shall be their tender aim.
So it shall be written
So I have proclaimed'

So it was from that day on
Mother got their start
the omelettes of our breakfasts
The breakfasts of our hearts.


A wondeful poem I found on the internet. Hope you enjoyed, Happy Mothers Day!

Why?

1st kid: why did Jesus have to go to heaven before he went to hell?
2nd kid: because he wanted to rescue his friend Judas ...

Jesus gives us 2nd chances so why do I find it so hard to forgive x

Don't give up...give back

What have you given up for lent? Chocolate, Sweets? I've given up snacks (eating between meals) and now only eat breakfast, dinner, lunch and supper. Supper - there was a whole debate about that one in my house! Was supper a meal or not? Eventually my mum said that, seen as I wasn't eating snacks I could count supper as a meal. Oh gosh, its killing me. If anyone knows me then they will know I eat - a lot. So this is very very hard for me but i fully believe that god will help me through. I also thought that giving this up for lent was doing good until I read an article about giving up more serious things for lent.

A church minister from Scotland planned a 'Chocolate Sunday' where people could go along and enjoy chocolate fountains and treats to get them to think about the true meaning of lent. At the evening you could eat chocolate or all the other luxuries we give up 4 lent but the idea was to think about helping others - a worthy lent activity. He said, 'Many people use the discipline of these weeks to give up chocolate or fish suppers or the likes, but I prefer the idea of Lent being a time to give ourselves in service to others'. I found this an interesting and very relevant comment. Most of the time we give up small things for lent that don't affect us very much like chocolate and sweets. I believe the list below is the most popular items we give up for lent..

• Chocolate


• TV


• Crisps


• Sweets


• Chips


• Games Console

It all seems pretty silly to me now. I look at that list and see that everything we give up half the world aren't even priveleged to have. Who is giving up these things satisfying apart from ourselves? So what can I give up? Well I suppose the answer is not quite clear. We could give up something that could help the environment such as TV or our ipod. But we also give up something that we do which affects others such as backstabbing or swearing or being aggressive. Or, alternatively we could give up nothing at all but devote the whole period of lent to helping others; doing odd jobs for neighbours or maybe volunteering somewhere in you local area. I guess you could say it is bringing lent into the 21st century but then was lent already into the 21st century and we were just lagging behind? Anyhow I believe we should start a new tradition this lent, instead of giving up we should give back to our community.

Sex Education. A waste of time or a necessary life lesson? What's your opinion? I know what most of the kids in my school would say. I have many memories of sex education lessons right from the start of year 7: I sat at the back of a science lab cringing and giggling with my best friend as theTV screen played out the birth of a baby - zoomed in (officially scarred for life). I apologise if that innapropriate image has put you off your next dinner. My point being I was just 11yrs old and, 3yrs later, that image is still imprinted on the back of my brain. So I think you've probably guessed my theme for todays post but if you haven't it is the relevance of sex education lessons (that sounds really fancy compared to the hormone fuelled affaires in our classroom). This is quite a delicate subject to blog about...erm...i think i'll start with the news article that inspired this post.

I was watching TV on a weekend morning and 'The right stuff' came on. I don't know if you know what that is but its basically people talking about the latest news. So, anyway, they were discussing this new government law thing about sex education. You may be wondering why this is all relevant to christianity, well as part of this new law it states that faith schools will not be able to opt out. All the people on the panel seemed to agree with this new law and it got me pondering - at first my view was conclusive but as I began to think more and more about it the scales kept tipping from side to side until eventually they ended in the indecisive middle. So I quess I'm asking you for your views on the law - kinda like our own 'It's the right stuff'...

I've read a few newspapers (cuz im cool like that) on the subject and I found that some seemed less drastic than others. Obviously I found it so much more interesting to read the drastic articles but i had to consider the others too. The basic outline of the plans are:



Key stage 1 (5-7yrs)

• Taught the basic changes we go through from birth.


• Understand the difference between boys and girls


• Identify different relationships

Key Stage 2 (7-11yrs)

• Puberty and the physical and emotional effects


• Reproduction


• Learn the different types of relationships: marriage, civil partnerships and seperation


• Respecting views and feelings

Key Stage 3 (11-14yrs)

• Sexually intercourse, STI's, Pregnancy and Reproduction


• Same - sex relationships


• How to deal with relationship breakdown


• The importance of marriage

Key Stage 4 (14 - 16)

• Impacts of divorce, bereavement and seperation on famalies


• Parenting skills


• How to obtain information about sex


• How the media portrays young people and body image.

Alot of these things do not agree with the christian way and at first I believed strongly that Catholics should be able to opt out but then I understood the goverments wish for everyone to have the same education; what do you think? I am totally indecided - I think i believe that if every child in the country were taught in the Catholic or Christian way then problems such as STI's and pregnancy just wouldn't exist.

Hey guys,
I am goin to start this post with an apology, an apology that it took me so flippin long to write it! It took me ages to come up with inspiration for my second post (something I probably should have planned before beggining) but, ironically, it was it's belated arrival that gave birth to the ideas inside. Strange, hey?
Well I started my blog in the school holidays when I had bags of time to sit and write my post but now the school bell rings once more in my ear it is so much harder to find the time to concentrate. I log on to the computer but often find myself wandering into daydream land, the world of Google, or if I'm really tired, comeplete dreamless slumber. Distractions at the click of a button take me away from my focus point. And thats when the lightbulb went 'ping!'... Our daily lives are full to overflowing with schedules, jobs and - in my case - lots and lots of coursework and it is so easy to become lost in these distractions and forget the true focus in our lives, God. So, yes today my post is about focusing on God.

How much time, per day, do you devote to God? I beleive is the question we must ask. Life is full of inevitables, nesscaries and distractions which detract our attention from Christianity. Everyday tasks can soon take over our daily lives as responsilities mount up and we end up neglecting our responsibilities to God. I think the priest at my church called it a sin of neglegence - something not done on purpose but by forgetfullness or human nature. For me, I find it extremely hard to keep my focus on God. Homework is my inevitable, School my (unfortunatly) necessary and TV, internet and other forms of popular culture my distraction. May be you could take a few moments to think what your inevitable, necessary and distraction are?... Please don't assume I am saying you must devote every waking moment of your lives to God (but if you do then thats great) for most that would be almost impossible, but just to remember him in most things you do.

So, with that in mind I decided to come up with some ideas that might help us to focus on God that won't take to long to do. I have tried to make them relevant for both teenagers and adults:

• Try, every morning, just as you wake up, to thank God for the day ahead and ask him to guide you through the day.
• If you like to listen to music in the morning try switching to Gospel; it is refreshing and enlighting
• Small breathing exercise just after getting dressed can help you to become calmer
• Always remember to say Grace before a meal, this is a simple and easy way of recognising God
• Before bed, make time to read your bible and say a short prayer. If you have a Gideons bible (you should have recieved one in year 7) it gives you daily guidlines of what to read.
• Try to make it to a church service most Sundays

I hope these points were useful and if you have any more ideas please feel free to leave a comment, any comments are welcome. These are just simple ways of devoting time to God and I sincerely hope you have enjoyed reading this post. I promise you I will try and be quicker with my next one

thankyou Hannah x

First Blog, Aaaaaaaaaaaah :)

Hi guys... .... ....well this is awkward...how do you start writing your first ever blog? I'm a total novice at this, as you've probably guessed, and I have absoloutly no idea what to write, sorry guys. I suppose a few personal details would be a good start right? I am a teenager and I live in the almost-middle of England. Ha... thinking about it theres not much more to write. I live with my mum, my dad and my little brother in a pretty hectic house and I go to school, like most people, five days a week. Please don't click of this page because of my inadequacies in first blogs, everyone's got to start somewhere, I'm sure I'll get better as keep goin - I hope ;). OK, so seeing as I'm pretty pathetic at this whole blog thing I've just opened up a google search and types 'how to wrtie your first blog post' and found a very helpful website that tells me I should tell you why I am writing this blog, and I didn't just do it for jolly. I am writing this blog because, well to spread and promote the legacy of being a good two shoes. I am, and have been for the past few months, a church-goer. Makes me sound like a right geek doesn't it! Oh, it gets nerdier trust me. Yeah, so I am a church-goer (please don't judge me) and I suppose I am writing this blog to inform and amuse you with the daily musing of a teenage church-goers life. Obviously it would be lovely to convert some people to the ways of christianity but I'm happy, if you are, for peeps just to read and digest my work. No, planning has gone into this whatsoever - I did it totally on spontaneous impulse - but I quess I would like to blog about latest church news and my church experiences but also my daily life. Please don't think this blog is going boring, I love going to church and would be really happy if you fellows could join me on the ups and downs of writing my blog and stick with it, even if I do get writers block. So this blog will be filled with stories of church, school and all things a goody two shoes would do. I will be happy to inform you on latest christian updates and how you and me can relate it back to real life. I would also be extremely happy to recieve comments good or bad about my blog (email - paritesindapark@hotmail.co.uk). Ask me questions and please tell me if I'm being boring, I will try my best to add more excitment. Sorry this probs wasn't my best blog, but - practice makes perfect! :)