Andrew Frazer
Praying.Waiting.Listening
Highlights of 2011
Jan 1st
In no particular order…
Holiday in Italy with Esther
Taking some young people to Summer Madness
Starting Union Theological College
Watching friends get Married
A friend telling me she gave her life to God
Seeing real growth in our youth group
Organising an acoustic cafe…and people showing up!
Woodvale Summer Team
Boyce Avenue Concert
So there you go – a few highlights of 2011. Roll on 2012, got a feeling it’s going to be a big one.
The correct response?
May 3rd
May 1st 2011 will be a day that many people will remember. I woke up early, climbed out of bed and wandered to the living room where I was greeted with the breaking news graphic and Obama addressing his nation with the news that special forces had killed Bin Laden, as I heard more about what happened it became clear it was a defining moment in history. I watched the news for a while then decided to see what the reaction was on facebook and twitter and, as I expected, many people were rejoicing at the news and some were cracking jokes.
As more information was released and pictures of people celebrating Bin Laden’s death flashed across the screen I started to feel uncomfortable and began to wonder what the Christian response should be. Should we be celebrating the death of a man or that justice has been done?
My own reaction to the news is that justice had been done and an incredibly evil man has been removed from the earth, yet there is a sense of sadness as he died without coming to know God and I think it’s safe to say that God did not celebrate his death either.
A few verses that spring to mind are:
For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!
Ezekiel 18:32
Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, & let not your heart be glad when he stumbles.
Proverbs 24:17
What do you think the correct response is?
When God closes a door
Mar 21st
For the last six months in work I have been acting up to a job higher than my normal grade. A few months ago it was announced there would be interviews to fill the positions people were acting up in. No problem I thought, interview will be easy, I’ve been doing the job, I’ve got the experience, all I’ll need to do is a little preparation.
Fast forward a couple of months to last Saturday and a letter arrives through the door. Dear Mr Frazer….thank you….regret to inform you……blah blah blah. You can probably guess the outcome wasn’t a positive one, I didn’t even make the reserve list! The door was well and truly shut. At first I was disappointed as I genuinely enjoy the job I’m doing at the minute but slowly I came to the realisation that this was God trying to get my attention and giving me a kick up the backside.
When I took my current job I viewed it as a temporary thing until I figured out what I wanted to do(see called to youth ministry post) yet during the course of the interviews I found myself thinking if I get offered a permanent post I could easily stay here. I had become comfortable. I’m grateful to have the job but the truth is it’s easy, doesn’t stretch/challenge me and clearly it’s not where God wants me to be.
I honestly believe this was the kick up the backside I needed to get me out of my comfortable position, get me motivated to change my current situation, make me pray more for guidance and opportunities and go after what I feel God has called me too.
Things are already happening…..Today I was contact by someone from Union College and have got an Interview with the principal of the college on Thursday afternoon to discuss courses. I also finally contact a minister I’ve wanted to talk too for a while. In a short conversation he gave me some really good advice about ministry and Bible College and said a few things I really needed to hear. Exciting/challenging times are ahead.
When God closes a door….sometimes he opens a window and sometimes he gives you a kick up the backside.
Waiting
Mar 8th
A study suggests the average person throughout their lifetime spends fives years waiting in lines, four years doing housework, eight months opening junk mail, six years eating, six months waiting at traffic lights, and one year looking for lost possessions. Waiting is tough, especially in an age were everything is geared to be instant – instant results, instant news, instant purchases and instant gratification to name a few. Waiting is tough.
Waiting is what I’m finding myself doing. My earlier posts talked about getting into youth ministry, helping at The Link and withdrawing from some other things so ensure my life is balanced. To date none of these things have happened. Our captain at BB has had to take time off which has meant everyone doing extra to ensure things keep going, needless to say stepping back is just not an option at this time. It also means that I do not have time to get involved at the Link, which is frustrating as I feel it’s where God is calling me to be. Waiting is tough.
This week I’ve been annoyed because I’m in a job I don’t see a future in, frustrated that things aren’t happening and confused about the direction my life should be going in…and it’s only Tuesday.
Earlier though I came across a post that talked about how God’s timing is always perfect which made me realise I’ve been running ahead and wanting things done on my time which is complely wrong. I have to understand that things happen for a reason and God has a plan which will unfold in time.
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
Waiting is tough but patience and trust in God are vital. His timing is perfect and I leave everything in His hands.
Wait for the LORD, be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Psalm 27:14
Waiting is tough……but I believe it will be worth it.
Adiós Fernando
Feb 1st
As the dust settles on transfer deadline day and I head to bed I am gutted to see Torres holding up a Chelsea Shirt.
I think deep down Liverpool fans knew the day was coming when he would leave, he’s looked disinterested and unmotivated for a long time. At first I thought it was maybe down to his injury but as time went on it became clear his heart wasn’t in it. However I honestly thought we would get one more season out of him when the new owners came in, but after a poor start to the season, being dumped out of the domestic cups and being well behind the league leaders I guess he had just had enough.
Chelsea have got a world class player who ,when on form, is unplayable with Liverpool getting £50 million in return, a nice return for a player signed for around €25 million 3 years ago.
I have no doubt he will do well at Chelsea. I can’t blame him for going but it’s where he has gone that makes it a little harder to take.
Ardnabannon
Jan 13th
Last friday I packed my bags, headed to the church, got on a bus filled with 35 young people, 10 leaders and headed to Ardnabannon for a joint Girls Brigade/Boys Brigade weekend packed with outdoor activities.
And what a weekend it was.
As we drove to our destination the snow was falling and we we’re greeted with a picturesque scene,with the old Victorian house and grounds covered in snow. Unfortunately the snow meant the usual game of midnight hunt was postponed, but it meant we had time to settle in and have some time to get know the young folk from the different organisations.
As expected little sleep was got on the friday night with the young people excited and full of sugar(who thought tuck shop before was a good idea!!), most of the night was spent prowling the corridors and telling the kids to get some sleep cause they were going to need it. I must say the girls were much worse than the boys!!
Saturday started with rock climbing, archery and the zip line, it was great to see some of the kids who were scared of heights really give it a go and overcome their fears, just one of the many positives from the weekend. After luch we headed to Tullymore forest for an adventure walk which was involved us all getting slightly wet and very mucky, it was great fun and really wore the young people out, one of them managed to fall in the river after not quite landing a jump but thankfully he was ok and was swiftly taken to the bus to change clothes and warm up.
With positives always come negatives and Saturday night saw the first of them. With the snow disappearing and the group left to run its own programme in the evening we decided to play hunt. Everything was going fine until the second game when one of the young people retuned to the base crying, he had been running and hadn’t seen a low wall in front of him, he did some nasty damage to his knee and was taken to hospital. After a bit of a wait and an x-ray he was given stiches and sent home, unfortunately he missed the rest of the weekend.
Sunday saw us head to Castlewellan lake for canoeing, it was a beautful morning with the sun glistening of the lake. Part of the lake was still forzen so we got to take our canoes up to the ice to try and break through and make a path, the kids loved this and will definately be a memory that will stay with them(officers too).
Soon it was time to pack up and get ready for the bus picking us up. 10 minutes before the bus arrived, disaster struck again, one of the kids tripped on someones bag and fell down the stairs, after resting his foot and some painkillers he was ok to get up and walk, we didn’t think much of it until he turned up to BB on monday night limping and told us he’d gone to the hospital and they discovered he tore ligaments!! I’m sure he was in a lot of pain but was very brave.
The weekend also gave us a change to spend some time doing devotions with the kids. The theme was New Year, New Start. I got to take the Saturday evening one for which the theme was new life (1 Peter 1:3-4). It was great to have the chance to share with the young people about the new life you can have with Jesus in your heart.
Weekends away are brilliant tools in youth ministry, they can really help you connect with the young people and depend your relationship with him. It’s something I would love to do with the Youth Fellowship in the future.
A great weekend was had by all……..and I think I’ve finally caught up on my sleep!
The Year Ahead
Dec 31st
As the year draws to a close its time for the list of aims and hopes for the coming year. Not in any particular order:
Aims:
- Figure out where God wants to use me (see previous post)
- Get involved with The Link community centre
- Spend less time on the computer
- Do a PCI team
- Read more
- Get to the gym more often
- Keep in touch with friends better
- Tweet more
Hopes:
- Get to more Ulster games
- Meet new people and make new friends
- Get a holiday
- More time with loved ones
- Take part in the Belfast city marathon
- Get to bed earlier.
Thats all I can think of at the minute, I’m sure more will come to me so I’ll add them when they do.
See you in 2011
Called to Youth Ministry
Dec 19th
Woodvale
Cym
Union College
youth ministry
coffee
sacrifice
bb
pray
guide
weekend
detached youth work
placed a calling
The link
experience
The other night I was thinking about writing this post (which i’ve been meaning to writing for a while) but something came up, which seems to happen a lot these days.
To make sure I remembered what I was going to write about I jotted down all the things that were going through my mind so that when I got time to write I didn’t forget anything. However as I was looking at the list tonight I thought it would be kinda cool to leave the words as they are, kinda thought it would be like an insight into the words that are currently flying round my brain.
What’s all this about? I hear you asking.
Quite simply since the summer team at Woodvale I have felt that God has been calling me to youth work/youth ministry and its something that been on my heart for a while now. I feel this calling was confirmed when I went on the weekend retreat for the course I am currently doing where I got the change to be still and listen to God. So at the minute I am currently exploring lots of different avenues and speaking to as many people as possible to find out about getting into youth ministry.
I had coffee with Graeme Thompson last week who is currently heavily involved in youth ministry for the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. We had a great chat which covered a huge range of topics, he confirmed things I wasn’t sure about and gave me other things to think about. My main concern was I had heard that in a couple of years all youth workers would need a recognised qualification to gain employment, Graeme had said he had heard this too but there was nothing official so not to worry about it at the minute. His bottom line advice was, get experience and possibly look at the OCN level 2 course, then maybe look at a masters once I was in a job.
I had a look the OCN level 2 course but unfortunately the course ran during the same time as the youth ministry one I am currently doing and all the places were taken so I guess it wasn’t the right option for me at this minute but I’ll definitely be looking at doing it next year.
Something that’s been coming up again and again when I think about youth ministry and somewhere I feel God is guiding me to is the link, which is a community centre in Newtownards birthed from the vision of a couple of churches in the town. Its this kind of place I imagine myself working rather than in a church. I’ve made contact and hope to find out about volunteering there this week. As excited as I would be to help out there it would mean making choices about stepping back from organisations within my church, it would be tough but I know if Gods directing me to the link I have to go.
This is a very exciting yet uncertain time and can’t wait to see where God takes me in the coming year. I know the worst thing I can do it sit and do nothing I must act on what I’m feeling – as my dad says “God guides a moving ship”
The Natwivity
Dec 1st
Surely you mean nativity? Nope.
From today we can all follow the Christmas story as it unfolds and get updates from Mary, Joseph, The Shepards, Wisemen and others through twitter and facebook.
The Natwivity takes advantage of social media’s unparalleled capacity to engage people as they go about their everyday life to re-tell the Christmas story in a fresh, personal way. People will be able to pick up the ‘tweets’ in their homes, in the high street using their phones and at work.
Each 140-character entry will be a thought or comment from Mary, Joseph, Wise men and Shepherds, with further entries from Herod, an Inn Keeper (and his wife) and friends of Mary and Joseph.
Personally I think Its a brilliant idea and really taps into the power of social networks as an evangelism tool.
Find out more here.
Web Work
Nov 22nd
A couple of months ago I got asked to do some finishing touches to the website www.soakseaweedbaths.co.uk. The site was designed by www.hartydesign.com and he had done a good portion of the basic code behind the site but came to a point were he could not do anymore.
I was unsure about taking the job at first as I was very busy and also hadn’t done any development for quite a while. However I’m glad I did take it as I really enjoyed doing it and getting the buzz from seeing the finished site.
I still feel that web design/development is not where my future lies but I do enjoy it and I’m planning on keeping my options open should the offer of more work come up.
AF
