A Christmas Challenge

I for one am always up to be challenged, that's why I am going to be running 52 miles in May, up and down the Malvern hills. Will I make it? Can I do it in under 10 hours? Will I be able to walk after?

Do you enjoy a challenge? Are you keen to try something you might not normally do? Do you want to know what I am about to ask you?

Well wait no more the Christmas Challenge is...

To borrow a book from our youth library at church (located in the Upper Room) and read it over the Christmas period. It's that simple. If you are wanting to make it more of a challenge you can write a review to be added to the website as well.

Have a thought provoking rest of advent and I pray you will be bless (not just with presents) this Christmas

Looking forward to seeing you at 'the library' - Jon

Excited or Exhausted?

The big news of today is...It's one month until Christmas!!!



Reaction One.

Oh no we've got another month of this hype, we've had a month or two already, it's getting in the way of my life.



Reaction Two

oh yeah, oh yeah, Christmas is nearly here, I'm so excited I'm going to pop, I just can't wait, I need to do some more shopping!



Christmas seems to bring out two extreme reaction. For me, I sit on the fence. It is without doubt an extraordinary time of year, a chance to get off the treadmill and spend time doing things that for the rest of the year keeps on getting pushed back on the list of priorities. But there is also a false hope, to believe that life is great and wonderful, just isn't reality, pushing all those problems weather personal or otherwise to the side hoping that with a new year they will somehow disappear.



So how do I deal with Christmas? I have to look at Jesus, a king with an eternal reign, born on the maternity wing of a farm!



Not glamorous but with a purpose, and that is how he lived his life. Jesus while on earth was rooted in reality but with his sight on a world to come.



As you prepare for Christmas, may you be excited about all that Jesus offers.



Looking forward to seeing you at the next event - Jon

Obituary of Penny Sweet

It is with great regret and sadness that I have to inform you of a very sad and solemn passing. Penny for many years have entertained, pacified and brought joy to many children throughout the United Kingdom. Cause of death is unknown, but many speculate that the financial down turn and increased food costs are to blame!



Well this, for me is quite a moment in history, not big enough to make local, national or international news, but note worthy I think. Whilst shopping in our local cash and carry, looking for the penny sweet section, it became obvious to me that my search was in vain. As I paid for my purchases I commented to the cashier that I was in mourning, you can't get penny sweets anymore! I was met with a look and a patronising 'oh'. He was too polite to say move with the times old man!



All the old sweets I have brought for myself and in recent years for many youth club tuck-shops. White mice, banana's, lips, cola bottles, fizzy cola bottles and the like are all no longer 1p, some have gone up by 400%.



But there is good news, we decided that any profits we make with the tuck-shop should go to charity. I am very pleased to say we are about to send a cheque to Hope for Justice for £60 (http://www.hopeforjustice.org.uk/)



The penny sweet maybe no more, but our penny's are making a difference.



Looking forward to seeing you at the next event - Jon

A little tweak here and a little tweak there...

Here a tweak, there a tweak, every where a tweak tweak, old Bathampton had a youth club E-I-E-I-O.

For the past six weeks, we have been trying something new at youth club. Our old Thursday club, Mayhem once played second fiddle to Wednesday's K-OS. But now they stand shoulder to shoulder.


We decided to go from just a youth club that hangs out to a more organised, structured one. It has included cooking, table tennis competitions and a Chalk hunt. We finish this term with a bit more cooking and have a Camp fire, T-shirt painting and games in the woods as some of the activities on offer as we run up to Christmas!

Our slogan is 'your imagination is the only limitation.' We strive always to better what we do and tweak what's happening.

Don't forget we have quite a lot of activities planned over the half term holidays.

Looking forward to seeing you at the next event - Jon

It's all still going well....

Can you jink yourself? I'm not too sure and I hope I haven't spoken too soon, but... the clubs and activities continue to run with great enthusiasm and numbers. It has been great to see the 'regulars' back and also to meet some new young people, who have started coming to our varied activities.

Our two youth clubs are buzzing with life, Wednesday's new toy is a wii, and Thursdays varied organised activities have been really fun. This week was going to be a bowling trip out, but unfortunately we weren't quite able to fill a bus, so we are down at base, bowling. I have just been given an indoor bowling set (not the ten pin type) so I think new skills and a good time is planned. As an aside we are going to have a twister competition as well!

Pathfinders got off to a great start, we are looking at the whole of the Old Testament of the Bible, looking through it book by book, starting with the minor prophets. We are covering a book a week. We have also got off to a flying start with YF, about 7 or so school year 9 and up are studying Jesus, all those things you didn't know about him are being discussed. We still have spaces if anyone would like to join us.

Looking forward to seeing you at the next event - Jon

All Started Well

We are well over a week back into the autumn term, and so far so good. Our Wednesday night youth club continues with great gusto and the new Wii has been a big hit. The Thursday Specials (we have only had one) has broken all records with 14 young people all trying to beat the legend that is Ray Bennett on the table tennis table. None succeeded, not bad for an 87 year old! YF has started again and like last term includes quite a lot of laughing, mainly at me, but never the less, we do have a great time studying the Bible. The theme is Jesus Christ and we are taking a leisurely look at different aspects that makes Jesus unique (and also God). His incarnation, His atoning death and triumphant resurrection. Pathfinders is also due to start this Sunday as well and during these sessions we are going to be concentrating on the Old testament especially the minor prophets and see who they were and what they had to say. Maybe even to see if they have anything useful for us today, so 3000 years later!

Looking forward to seeing you at the next event - Jon

Vote to moving the Summer Holidays

Term has pretty much started and the summer is now over, well that is apart from the sun now deciding to shine again. I vote to move the summer holidays to when the sun shines, either June and July or September. I'll ask Simon Cowell, and get a TV show commissioned! Oh no the X Factor has started again, is this really the best television companies can do for prime time? Good job I don't have a telly!

Indeed the autumn term has started and I have just about finished the programme of events from now until August, yes that's right, I thought I'd get my head down and plough through it all, oh course there are going to be tweaks and additions, but the format is there. From now until Christmas is definitely set in stone, all this can be viewed on our website going to Jon's calendar to view month by month the youth activities, it's even colour coordinated.

I shall leave you to peruse the calendar, (click on the biscuit) see you at the next event - Jon

Welcome to the grrreatest show on earth

Is this an exaggeration? Is this going to change life as we know it? or just a good old bit of Jon hype? This Saturday (17th July) sees Bathampton Celebrate 200 years of the canal being opened. now I don't claim to be an expert in anything (definition of an expert is a drip under pressure!), I can't even say I hear this on QI so it must be right. So the following can be taken with a pinch of salt.

200 years a lots have changed, I guess the village itself must have been only a few houses when digging started, men in hob nailed boots, sweating and working hard are now exchanged with people in flip flops chilaxing. I guess the main idea of the canal was to transport goods around the country a type of motorway, now we see stag and hen parties, exchanging roller coasters and pubs to a leisurely cruise for the weekend. Can you see the Michael McIntyre of the day making jokes of canal transport and being stuck behind a coal barged? So 200 years are being celebrated this year on Saturday on the school playing fields with a fete and music, it's going to be fun because it's a village celebration and that's why it's going to be one of the greatest shows on earth, leaving you breathless (but let's hope not in anaphylactic shock!) When Bathampton parties, it's a group of friend old and new enjoying life and each other. if medals were given out to communities, Bathampton would get GOLD!

See you at the next event - Jon

4 months since I've been on the Blog!

Ouch, 4 months is quite sometime away. But I haven't been idle, just quite busy and the though of writing some wise words to entertain, inform and provoke, became an ever increasingly bigger mountain to climb. Had I been suffering from the ill fated writers block, staring endlessly at blank pieces of paper (or computer screens) waiting for inspiration to flow, but ending up thinking how much weigh could sellotape hold before it snapped. Thankfully I didn't try, well, that was only because I couldn't find any weights! There was only one thing to do, and that was just start tapping and see what happened, so here it is, my first blog for 4 months.

It's a strange phrase from strength to strength, but surprisingly that is what has been happening here. The youth work is going well, our main youth club night on Wednesdays see at least 20 young people and our Sunday night Bible Studies (YF) we now are using crowbars to get them to leave. We also have a great head of steam with the Sunday morning Pathfinders who are going to be leading the 10:30am service on 25th July, The week long holiday club for the primary aged children and a weekend of celebration of the canal (16th - 18th July) sees a very hectic, but greatly exciting couple of weeks ahead.

looking forward to see you at the next event - Jon

I Didn't Win a Gold Medal

Jokes aside, my challenge to Amy Williams
of there being a new kid on the block did
not last long. When you start taking sport to
a more serious level, start trying to beat your
time, or improving the smallest of techniques it
has to be admired. I was very pleased to
achieve a time of 1hr 48 mins and 28 sec.
Now that one challenge is complete I am very
keen to do another. The next goal that I am
eagerly looking at is a full marathon, 26.2 miles
an achievement I made in 2001. I was able to
run then in a time of 4hr 19 mins and 58 sec.
I am looking at being able to run the
Snowdonia marathon in 3 ½ hours, quite a
courageous or is it a stupid goal to set, but with-
out setting yourself goals is like always eating
ordinary ready salted crisps, fine for a while but
like the long saphenous vein very draining!
Just in case you were wondering I didn't need to
do a Paula Radcliffe, as Smithy suggested on
the sport relief sketch. How he did that and
didn't feel like a gooseberry I don't know, I guess
it just goes to show what a brilliant actor and
writer he is. Okily smokily I guess that is it from
me, Easter is round the corner and then by jingo
I'm off on holiday.

See you at the next event - Jon

Amy wins Gold

Wow, heart stopping stuff. It felt like Bathampton was holding their breath. The first two runs and Amy Williams was in gold position over night and got a course record. Was it on? Was it possible? Talent and skill she had, but what about nerves, could she hold it. I'm sure her stomach was in knots, I expect her duodenum was even twisted. A whole day to wait. We couldn't bear it, how did she? Day two and run three was about to start, my legs were jelly, but Amy was as cool as you like, bam, another course record. Then the long wait, last to go down, we're all praying that she doesn't tumble and her chance for gold missed. The sled goes down on the ice, she pushes and gracefully starts her slide. One corner two, and the rest, all eyes on the clock, it's looking good, it is, Amy Williams wins gold.

I feel the pressure on. No more than a week or so away and I am competing in a half marathon. Eight years Amy trained and practiced and honed her skills. Eight months I have tried to run along the footpath of the canal, sometimes succeeding, other times I've had to walk a mile or two back home, defeated unable to run any further. What makes it worst, I thought I could achieve my own personal gold, to complete 13.1 miles in under 1 1/2 hours. Why didn't we opt for a jumble sale instead, to raise money for the youth activities? But negative feelings I can't have. This is as much a mental feat as it is a physical. What if Bob Dylan listened to his critics or Al Pachino thought he weren't good enough? Would we have some of the finest songs to listen to or some of the greatest film to watch? Positivity and self belief is good, and that is going to help me achieve my gold.

look out Amy Williams, another athlete is on your tail!

See you at the next event - Jon

Of Happy Disposition?

We are a month into the New Year and new decade. We all have expectations of what a new year brings, and especially a new decade. I remember the year 2000, all the possibilities of what a new century was going to bring, but the bright lights of the fireworks fade as quickly as they appear, and so our aspirations of a new year and new decade! The old Scandinavian proverb says ‘Don’t skin the bear before it’s been shot.’ There’s a difference between planning to do something and actually doing it. Don’t get too ahead of yourself. Wise words. As I am sure Alberto Contador would agree, he, the current Tour de France Champion is a Climbing specialist (on his bike) to tackle those hills you can’t sprint off it takes a plan and loads of determination to achieve your goal.

2010 sees me body building, but not in the convention sense. My plan is to build one muscle only, my heart. I have embarked on the challenge of Bath Half marathon in March and ‘the big one’ Snowdonia marathon in October. Each run so far I have been determined to run a bit further, for a bit longer to achieve the 13.1 miles for the half marathon distance. My last run I had a great run, I went to Avoncliff and decided to then instead of turning around and coming back, I’d run up the ‘cliff’, I am off my noggin, will I kick the bucket? Thankfully not, although I did manage a heart rate of 186 (which is quite high) thankfully my Pericardium (that’s the sac that contains the heart) did its job well and contained all vital parts! After (the day after) the feeling was great, achieving my goal was superb, all the muscle fatigue, pain and exhaustion forgotten. It was worth it!

In Pathfinders, this is our Sunday morning Bible study group; we are looking at one of the books in the Bible called 1 Peter, the first letter that one of Jesus’ disciples wrote to Christian. He encourages them to keep going, although as a Christian you will find it tough and face trails and will be persecuted and find it difficult to ‘be Holy’, but Peter sees the bigger picture and says ‘For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children.’

If you do see me running and you pass in the car, tooting will keep me going for a good few hundred yards!

Looking forward to seeing you at the next event.

Jon
p.s. I’m running for sponsorship, in aid of the youth activities at St. Nic’s BAFTA