I don't know if you have heard about them, or about the situation the Northern Uganda, but there's been a civil war there for more than 20 years, and the biggest casualty of that conflict has been the children. Josef Kony leads a rebel group called the LRA who raid villages and abduct the children, the boys to be soldies, and the girls to be brides. Its an awful situation, and for years children from all around would be 'night commuters' and would walk miles in the dark to the relative safety of the capital of the northern province, a city named 'Gulu'.

Well three american travellers found out about this situation and decided to do something about it and set up a remarkable initiative called Invisible Children. Its one of the most original and creative projects I've seen in my whole life and seems to have captured the imagination of a generation of Americans and empowered them to make a difference.

Now the revolution is coming here!!

Check out their video here... http://www.invisiblechildren.com/media/videos/detail.php?id=673477611

And join their facebook group to find out more. Book them in for a stop on their UK/Ireland tour!

 http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=28416878068&ref=ts

UK News - Pupils wear stab-proof vests as gang wars start at school

(link is below)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article5548728.ece

I've always been fascinated by society and different cultures, and what happens when they clash. I pray for revival to come and sweep all of our problems away.

I long for an end to violence, where swords would truly be turned into ploughshares, and rich western countries would stop making a profit out of selling guns to poor countries.

I don't understand much, but I wish things would get better and not worse.

A lyric from Bono.."where you're born should not decide, whether you live or whether you die"

however, it is the second time in about 12 months that i've updated it. sad.

here's something that should bring everyone much joy this year! i'm going to order his calendar right now...

www.cartoonchurch.com

I'm connected!!

I also hate the news, its so hard to find news about the real stuff in life. Find out about the news that affects the most people, not just the richest nations!!

heres a story for you...

http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/12/08/1702199.aspx

Yes i'm still in Wales as a Youthworker in an anglican church (I thought I was a methodist!)

But yes, i'm still married and still loving it too!!

More posts to follow, but in the mean time check out this link to Tim Hughes Blog

 http://www.worshipcentral.org/blog/tim/the-enemy-of-great

its been that long since my last update, i'm sorry. time is precious and time has been flying for me! i've done a good bit of travelling, in a kayak, by foot, up a mountain on a train to a plane to get a bus...

well all this busy-ness is for a very good reason, a life changing reason.. I have decided to get married. to share my life and my bank account with the one i love and the one God has given me to love! so the wedding is actually in 4 weeks, so its a big countdown with much to be done...but enough about that.

I like tv. and on tv one day i was learning from ray mears about survival techniques (essential preparation for marriage). Well on this episode he was making a canoe out of bark with the help of a native american guy, the last of a long line of canoe builders. the guy makes everything by hand out of completely natural materials and the boat that he makes at the end is absolutely beautiful!

We spend so long trying to go so fast, working our butts off to save up for a jet ski that will just make lots of noise and use loads of petrol so we can go fast....and then fall off and break our ribs.

but when we go slow, on the water, close to the waves, with a paddle like an extension of our arms taking us through the currents so naturally....when we slow down, it all makes sense, and we can remember that life is worth living, not rushing through.

so for my rob bell impression....may you come to know, that God is with you every moment, and may you come to see that when we slow down, we catch up with the thing that we're chasing after...peace.

 but read this, its an email that came to me from the moravians. if this Christmas is not everything you hoped it would be read these scriptures, pray this prayer, and thank God for the morning that is to come!!!

Tuesday, December 18
Psalm 144:5-8
Nahum 3; Habakkuk 1; Revelation 14:17-15:8

Gideon answered the angel of the Lord, "If the Lord is with us, why
then
has all this happened to us?" Judges 6:13

We know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the
complete comes, the partial will come to an end. 1 Corinthians 13:9,10

Lord, you suffered so much for our salvation. We may endure weeping for
a night but through the manifold grace of our God, joy comes in the
morning. Thank you for the mornings, which usher in new hope enabling
us
to go on another day. Amen.

AMEN (says steve)

Heres a prayer of Mother Theresa's, it was inscribed on the wall of her childrens home in calcutta. Its shocking to think that something written on a wall in india a few years ago can speak so profoundly to us, now, here...

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; ... Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; ... Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; ... Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; ... Be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; ... Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; ... Be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; ... Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; ... Give the world the best you've got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.

I was talking to an international relations student last night who hadn't really heard much about burma....well he knew where it was and what was happening but he didnt really know what we could do or what to think about the whole situation!

did you know that the worlds population is around 6.6 billion people.

and that 33% of these people would classify themselves as Christians.

so if theres 2.2 billion people on this planet who love Jesus...why do they not forgive eachother? why do they hate eachother so much as to create war? how could they not love their neighbour enough to give them food...or at least some drugs to stop the disease thats killing them. why would the 2.2 billion Christians not encourage fair-trade and abolishing debt that cripples countries and keeps people in poverty.

why would the 2.2billion Christians not use their voice and say something against whats going on in Burma and maybe encourage governments to do something more than economic sanctions.

its a hard thing to be a Christian.

its because love costs something.

it costs our comfort, it costs our wallet, it costs our lives!!

love is what cost Jesus his life.

and thats the only reason i'm living, He is who i'm living for.

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/tf.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK

Burma is ruled by one of the worst military dictatorships in the world.  Last month Buddhist monks and nuns began marching and chanting prayers to call for democracy. The protests spread and hundreds of thousands of Burmese people joined in -- but they've been brutally attacked by the military regime.

I just signed a petition calling on Burma's powerful ally China and the UN security council to step in and pressure Burma's rulers to stop the killing. The petition has exploded to over 500,000 signatures in a few days and is being advertised in newspapers around the world, delivered to the UN Security Council, and broadcast to the Burmese people by radio. We're trying to get to 1 million signatures this week, please sign below and tell everyone!

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/tf.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK
 
Thank you so much for your help!