The trouble with being sanctimonious...

The scene is youth group on Wednesday night.
We've just begun the 'CY' (Christianity Explored for youth) series and the first question is:
"If you could ask God one question, and you knew it would be answered, what would it be?"
Well, everyone has their own booklet, so we started with all the young people writing their 'question for God' in their booklets.  There are a couple of tough things we're dealing with at church at the moment, and I was sat there wondering what everyone was going to be writing.  The lad next to me kept glancing my way and I started imagining what he was in the middle of writing.  I figured it was something that he wasn't quite sure of, and I couldn't work out whether I'd need to go for the reassuring, hand-on-the-shoulder-whilst-nodding-and-furrowing-ones-brow approach, probably topping it off with a bit of a deep sigh.  I also wasn't sure whether he was wanting me to look over and read it, or whether he was trying to keep it to himself.  (I thought a lot in the seconds we had!)  I decided that, despite his continued glances my way, I'd remain eyes-front and wait to do the helpful-youth-leader-thing when he actually read out his answer (if, indeed, he plucked up the courage to vocalise what was, I was by now sure, a deep and probably painfully searching question).
We went around the circle, and others asked questions along the lines of, 'why are we here?', and other such classics.  And we came to the lad next to me.  "What's your question then?" the leader asked him.  I'd still managed to resist the temptation to read over his shoulder (it was going to make my response so much more real and heartfelt).  I braced myself - poised to react.  He spoke - the question he'd ask God in full certainty that he'd receive an answer:
"God, what's your favourite football team?"

A little idea.

Just thought I'd share this one with you...

I hope you can see it clearly enough.  Joshua and I went shopping (this was ages ago - I'm a bit behind on the old blog-thing) and I thought I'd get him a bit more involved, so he had to find all these things.  My list was, sadly, much longer than his, but he did seem to enjoy it.  (There were six pictures on the other side of the bit of paper too, but I figured you'd get the picture (!) without seeing both sides - besides, the other pictures were even worse than these ones...)
Just a little idea for shopping trips :)
And you're probably thinking you don't have time to be drawing things for a shopping list, but if it's a choice between a pleasant shopping experience, and one where you end up wishing death upon everyone within a 200 metre radius, you'll make the time for the drawings!

Open wide.

Well, landmarks aren't always fun, but this one was taken in very good spirits.  Monday was our first trip to the dentist (well, not my first, Joshua's!)  I figured it was high time he went, as he has now got teeth...
One slight concern I had was that the only dentist he's seen on the telly was the one in Finding Nemo, where things go a bit wrong, and end up with drills, screams and writhing patients...
We've also got a Topsy and Tim trip to the dentist, which is a more positive approach. 
Anyway, I figured we'd go down the line of 'going to the dentist is an absurdly fun and exciting activity'.  This was backed up with the fact that
a)  The dentist has a cool chair
b)  The dentist helps us look after our teeth and keep them in (Joshua already knows they fall out if you don't brush them enough - simplistic but effective)
The big day arrived, and we duly pottered off to the dentist.  We had a couple of books to read in the waiting room, which we'd bought on the walk from the car park to the dentist.  Sort of a treat for being good at the dentist, and to make it a special outing.  Joshua was duly suckered and had not the slightest inclination to fear anything.  We were called in, and I went first to demonstrate how painless and cool it was (a slightly risky strategy, given I haven't been to the dentist for, ahem, a while...)  Sadly, Joshua had not the slightest interest in my dental progress, choosing to read his books while he waited.  Then it was his turn.  He was a little wary of the chair, but the dentist was, it must be said, fantastic with him, and he got quite into the whole thing.  We were both told that our teeth were fine, and Joshua was told his were really well brushed, and he got a sticker.  All in all a very positive first trip!

You've been framed.

Who thinks up all these rubbish titles?
Anyway, having laid the ground cover, and attached it to two sides, this was step one:

 Yesterday's work was the get up the main structure, and this is how we left it at the close of play (well, roughly - the end bit that's on the ground in this picture was actually attached, as was the slide):

 This morning saw the addition of the monkey bars...

 ...followed by the first bit of roof (I can stand up under it)

 ... and the other bit of roof (yes, there's a bit of wood missing)

 This is the view from the climbing frame, complete with little boy dying to go on it.

 At last!  Play time.

 

The view from space.

 Project for the holidays:
Build a climbing frame.  Easier said than done.  Climbing frame is the sort that I'm sure must be visible from space.  Climbing frame needed sanding down and painting.  Painting, painting, painting, painting.  I think it took about 2 1/2 lifetimes, or that's what it felt like, anyway.
I did think that maybe I should just make it like this:

 But after careful consideration, I decided that Joshua would probably struggle to get up the pole to the slide.  It was, however, very tempting.  The plan is to put a boundary around the area, lay some ground covering fabric stuff, build the frame in the middle, and add about 5 tonnes of chipped wood.
Here are some of the climbing frame bits.

 The question is, why are we building (I say we...) a climbing frame when he has so many trees?

More to come tomorrow - it's going to be finished then.  (Wishful thinking?  You bet!)

Jesus and the three little pigs

Well, it's about time for another contribution from Joshua...
Tonight, we sort of ran out of time for a story, but as I was tucking him in, he asked, "Can I tell you a story".
I agreed, and was then informed that it was actually the same story as last week, but the ending.  Here it is:

"There were two little pigs, and they settled down together ..." (ok, I'm going to have to confess, I lost track briefly here - I'm tired and the story wasn't exactly grabbing me at this point.  However, I did tune back in when this happened:)
"Then the pigs ran to the brick house and they got into the brick house and the big bad wolf came.  Then Jesus came up in the sky, and said, "What's going on?", and the big bad wolf said, "Nothing".
"Then I [this is still Joshua speaking] came along, and I said, "Something is going on"".
"That's the end of the story."
"It's a true story because Jesus was in it."

I thought it lacked a certain something, personally (like a satisfying conclusion, for one!), but did like the link between Jesus and truth.  Perhaps that's how heresies start though.
We then had prayers.  After a brief silence, Joshua said, 'Come on!' (indicating I shouldn't be silent, I should be praying) I said I'd like him to pray first, and he came up with:
"Thank you Lord Jesus that the pigs got to the brick house so they were safe, Amen"
I have to say it was a struggle to get my prayer finished without completely cracking up.

Rootedness.

I got a couple of books for my birthday.  Well, a few, actually (good old Amazon wish list!), but I'm not going to mention all of them...
One was this:

Yes, I asked for it.  (I do have a gardening blog you know...)  And thinking about it, it's basically telling you how to make plants grow.  For seeds, you're looking to make sure they shoot and root.  For other types of planting, you're doing the same thing - you plant a twig in the ground, and hope it will sprout roots.  When it's sprouted roots, it feeds, and when it feeds, it grows.  Simplistic, maybe, but pretty much how it works.  Without the roots, the twig can only last as long as its own stored energy allows.  It actually works though. 

I also got these two:

And they're about a similar thing, just in a different realm.  We move from the garden into our lives, and the same need for rootedness appears.  We can only last so long without roots, and these books (I haven't finished reading them yet) are painting a picture of a rooted life.  That's a real challenge to me.  I often remember the phrase, "if the grass is greener on the other side, start watering your own".  But the grass on the other side still looks SO GOOD.  I mean, what do they do to it to get it that lush?

But maybe the challenge for me is to have the courage to root myself where I am now.  To accept that, at least for now, my understanding of God's will is that THIS is where I belong, and I need to put down roots here.  Not just as a sort of stop-gap, but with the intention to remain.  It kinda makes sense too, because I'm more likely to be of use here if I'm assuming I'll stay, than if I'm assuming I'll go.