Being A Christian Student/Young Worker, Part 2: Demands of the church - Demands of the individual

Following up on the previous post, this is an article written thirty years ago by a minister I had the priviledge of hearing this past week, Geoff Thomas of Alfred Place Baptist Church in Aberystwyth. What he writes should, I think, be a challenge to all of us who worship at Carrubbers - both students and non students. Again, it raises issues of church and CU involvement which I feel are very relevant to our current time and place, and which I'll be posting on soon. Moreover, it has challenged me and perhaps will challenge you. One question, certainly, resounds in my mind - are we praying for our church?

Being A Christian Student/Young Worker, Part 1: Preparation

It's never too late to learn! And it's never too late to start firing up things on the blog again, IMHO at least. This is an article I've recently read on making ourselves 'spiritually prepared' for university, although I'm sure it can be applied to all our immediate situations. Do you think the author is right in what he says? What about the stuff he says regarding the Church and CUs? Or regarding socialising and choosing friends? All I'll say is that I wish I'd read this before my first year at uni.

There will be at least a couple of follow-up posts on topics raised in this article shortly.

Learn something useful at Napier? (shurely shome mishtake)

Yes folks it's true. For the next two months at least, this leading Napier alumni can confirm that you will be able to learn something useful down at Napier's Merchiston Campus. For from October 14 to December 14, there's going to be an exhibition called 'Bound For Glory', and the blurb states 'The exhibition will celebrate the printing, publication and distribution of the Bible in Scotland in recognition of the significant role that the it played in the development of the country’s printing and publishing industries'. I think the next bit was written solely for our own chief of staff, Mikey Luehrmann: 'One of the exhibits on display will be the Bassandyne Bible, the first to be produced in Scotland'.

So get yourselves down there. If you want more blurb, or are just really interested in the printing industry, it's all here: http://www.500yearsofprinting.org/activities.php

And I can speak from personal experience and say that the typo in the date for this year's event should not come as a surprise for something related to the aforementioned industry.

Meet the ‘Team’ at the ‘Core’ of INDEX, Part 2: Anna

Name: Anna Joy Lambert
Aka: Banana, AJ, Anna Spanner, Banane, The Nature Laydee

Born: April 5th 1985 in London

Favourite Scripture: Galatians 2:20; My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Favourite Places: Edinburgh is where I love to live my normal life, Paris is where I enjoy family holidays, and Camp Wonderland, Massachusetts is my happy summer place.

Favorite books: Appart from the Bible and Shakespeare, Blue Like Jazz (Don Miller), Redeeming Love (Francine Rivers), Disciplines of a godly woman (Barbara Hughes) News of a kidnapping (Gabrièl Garcia Màrquez), and Lonely Planet guides.

Things I like: Chocolate, photography, music, brushing my teeth, dreaming, laughing, chilling with friends, children, writing, travelling, meeting new people, my bed.

Pet hates: The smell of wet dog, a messy kitchen, exams and getting up early (my definition of early.)

Favorite films: Amelie, Finding Neverland, Stage Beauty, Mean Girls, Raising Helen, Walk The Line, A Beautiful Mind, Miss Congeniality, L'Auberge Espagnole.

Interesting facts:
~ I moved to France when I was 5 and lived there for 13 years.
~ I once saw Ludacris in Paris.
~ I'm the only lefty in my whole extended family.

Here come the hotsteppers

Meet the ‘Team’ at the ‘Core’ of INDEX, Part 1: DCW

OK folks, it’s that time again. What time? INDEX time. More specifically, blog time. More specifically still, INDEX blog time. Note the capitals in INDEX - this is important. Lying somewhere between Occam’s Razor and Crabtree’s Bludgeon (look it up ignorami - ignorami being plural for ignoramuses, cf hippopotami being plural for hippopotamuses), this is your plenty of nonsense, utterly dispensable guide to all things INDEX. But who be we harbingers o’lore, piffle-paffle and Church-sanctioned general risk-assessed youth-focused activities?

I be David C Warden, known to my friends as plain old, down-to-earth David Warden. You can keep the C however until at least casual acquaintance stage. Part of the ‘core’ ‘team’ at INDEX for the past two years now (this be my third), my role, more specifically, is to host a lovely little prayer meeting ere a Sunday morn service, and to communicate in the language o’ yore at every opportunity (hence all this nonsense). Before I continue, it is a truth universally acknowledged that 96% of folks reading my blog spraff (that’s everyone except my mother and, occasionally, sweet lady wife) move on to less wordy spraff somewhere else on the superhighway d’informatique by the end of the second paragraph, so to those of you leaving us now I bid a less than fond adieu.

Hi there mum, and Claire too, if you’re still reading. How are things? Don’t mention it, anytime – it was my pleasure. Yes I am a nice boy, I know. Anyway, as you can gather I ridiculously have an ‘other half’, or 'significant other' if you will, she being called Claire. She’s far friendlier and more amiable than me, which comes in really handy at social gatherings and when you have people round at your house who you don’t dislike, but at the same time don’t really have a ‘connection’ with, as it means I can look at my hands or fumble with the coasters or something and not be too disconcerting for the guests in question. It also means that when INDEX looks at the old ‘relationships’ chestnut the the spring, I’ll be able to bask in the comforting glow that can only come from knowing everything there is to know about the subject at hand. Great stuff.

Otherwise, I work for a publishing company as an editor, which always provokes the immediate, yet paradoxically final question from people, ‘What do you edit?’ You needn't have asked. The answer’s diaries and other business-related, time plan products, btw. I live in Leith and you are all lukewarmly invited to come and visit us (best to make sure Claire will be in first, though, or it could be a little awkward). Seriously it will be awkward so do make sure you ask.

Anyway, my name’s David, I’m 25, I am a Christian who believes everything in the Bible is true/infallible etc and then tries to work it all out from that basis but isn’t too worried if he can’t. I enjoy music (Pink Floyd, Yes, King Crimson, Hair metal, 80s sell-out supergroups etc); films (all sorts, Terrence Malick if I’m out to impress, pretentious Barry Levinson Robin Williams vehicle ‘Toys’ if I’m out to bemuse, anything with Cary Grant in it if I’m out for a laugh); television (Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace - I better mention it since I've 'borrowed' from it royally in this post - anything by Chris Morris) and reading books and pointless stuff on the internet. The best sermon I’ve ever heard was delivered in a church in Derbyshire when I was about 15, but I believe the man responsible went a bit crazy and got booted out from his church (for being a bit crazy) so I’ve tried not to get too obsessive about preachers. I do like guys who tell it straight though, and don’t leave out the sometimes gory details.

Anyway (again), that's me. Feel free to sift through some of the wreckage that is the old blog archives (it's not really wreckage but you can't say 'sift through' without adding the word 'wreckage' now can you?), cos there be plenty of other wordy piffle by me to have a gander at. Bye!