6/27 - Party Time

What I did:

I didn’t know what time graduation stuff started today for Cliff, but I woke up just in time for some breakfast and found out that the service would start at 10:30. So I went and got last things packed up and got ready.

I knew I would be leaving with Matt at around 12, and didn’t really know what all the graduation ceremony entailed, but I wanted to support my new friends (plus I didn’t really have anything else to do). It started with some worship and we sang some songs and prayed. The students had an opportunity to share some testimonies and then right as a lady was about to begin a sermon type of thing, me and Matt had to go.

So I went back into Sheffield and arrived at Matt’s house where they were preparing for their street party. I helped out a little, then went with Matt to pick up some sound equipment. We arrived to find a lot more stuff than we expected and Matt displayed his superior Tetris/puzzle solving skills by trying to fit as much of it as he could in his small car. It took two trips, but soon we had everything over to the street and got some music going. There was one resident of the street who was a real DJ, and had some good music going on for most of the time (plus it is always really cool to watch that stuff in action). There was also a really good duo (guitar and keys) that came to perform for us.

Other than that, there was a lot of food (an overflowing cooler of meat) and a lot of friendly neighbors. We sat around for a long time talking and hanging out, listening to the music. After a while, one guy who is some sort of fitness instructor, organized some silly group games for us. It worked out nicely because everyone could participate. There were a lot of young adults and families, so there were also a lot of young kids. There was a whole section for the kids and their games, but we got to join in with stuff like three-legged race, a game of French cricket, and a game of real street cricket (which involved a trashcan as the wickets and one batsman).

All that was a lot of fun and people stayed out from about 2-10 by the time we finished cleaning up. I got to meet a lot of great people and got to eat a lot of tasty hamburgers. I could tell a good amount of work had to go into preparing it, but it is definitely something I will tuck back into my mind for a possible future event if I ever live in a neighborhood where something like that is possible (which should be any, I guess).

What I learned:

In one sense only staying in one place for a max of a week makes it easier to leave and move on (no really deep relationships), but I definitely don’t like it and would trade this moving around for staying in one place for eight weeks any day.

I should go into politics (according to one guy at the party). Haha.

Jumping Jacks have a somewhat similar equivalent here called star jumps. I have never heard that term before, so either it is something new or a UK thing. Either way, I find the new term (especially compared to jumping jacks) excellent.

6/26 - Living on the Edge (or at least taking a trip out there)

What I did:

After a nice, but what felt like a very early, breakfast this morning I got ready for morning prayer. It has been going on all week at Cliff led by the students, but today was a little different. We met and then all walked up to what is called the Edge. It is the top of some cliffs somewhat close to the college. It was a nice long walk up there, but the weather was great. When we finally all got there we congregated right near the edge of some rock face and had some time of worship through singing and praying. It was really nice standing on the large, steady rocks that reflected the strength of this community founded on the unchangeable and immoveable faith in an unchanging and ever-present God; and the wind rushing over our faces seemed like it was carrying our prayers and praise straight up to Heaven.

We spent a pretty long time up there, but eventually headed back down in time to grab some lunch. I ate and watched some of the Wimbledon coverage. Eventually my tiredness (and probably the effects of the allergy medicine that I took just a little too late in the day to work when I really needed it) took its toll and I laid down for a little nap. I came to a couple hours later and realized I needed to go settle my account with the college. Unfortunately it was just a few dollars over my limit for my card (grrr exchange rate), but mom to the rescue to get it worked out. Also during this time I began to stress out a little since I realized I had nowhere to sleep tomorrow night (for sure), or for that matter, the next ten days. But I finally calmed down, realized it was ultimately out of my hands, and just waited to see what God would provide for me.

I watched some more Wimbledon as I ate dinner and eventually got ahold of Matt and sorted out staying with him. I managed to book a hotel for a night in London that I need and so far so good for all of that. I have almost got all my accommodations taken care of for the rest of my trip. I also realized that I will have to return the book I checked out of the library tomorrow, so I have been hurriedly trying to finish it. My rollercoaster of brief anxiety has returned to a reasonable low and I am ready for a restful night.


What I learned:

I get stressed out over little things that just don’t work out and are barely in my control, which is silly and unnecessary. But I have also learned through this that dependence on God and the provision he provides through his people is to never be overlooked or forgotten, and can make for a much more peaceful day.

Take allergy meds first thing.

Sunny evening with light breeze = beautiful opportunity to sit outside and read, but necessitates a jacket. However, as soon as you go get a jacket, the breeze stops and the bugs come out. This is especially frustrating when reading about how we should live an example in being content and not complaining.

Anything over 470 pounds is just too much for my debit card limit.

I really don’t think the people at the bank know why I can’t buy train tickets online.

6/25 - I just wanna tell you how I’m feeling; Gotta make you understand...

What I did:

I had some tea and spent a little time in my hotel room this morning after waking up. But it soon became 11 o’clock and time to check out. I figured I would go check out Nexus café in normal working hours for lunch, but I had some time to kill before that, so I went shopping to get some food and laundry detergent. I walked around town some more, too. I just followed the signs that point out the important attractions around the city. I went and saw town hall, and then it was getting to be lunch time, so I walked back.

I was pretty much the only one in the café. But it was really good. I had a nice jacket potato and some tea. I took a closer look at one of the exhibits on display there that had something to do with keys. It was interesting, and I definitely enjoyed having a nice meal there. I finished up and still had some time before my train was leaving, so I figured I would go check out the John Rylands Library.

As I walked to the library, I saw a giant statue of Abraham Lincoln. Last thing I would have expected, but I am sure there is some important history behind it or something. Then, on to the library. A guy that works at SMU sent me an email with some church people he knows in Manchester and also suggested I stop by that library. I did, and it was pretty interesting. They have one of the oldest pieces of a printed Gospel. It is just a little sliver of the Gospel of John. They also had several other interesting pieces in their collection and hundreds and hundreds of books. It is really more a museum than a library, although I think students can study some of the collection they have there.

I walked back towards the train station, although I still had a lot of time. I made my way back through the shopping center and saw a bunch of different street performers. One old guy who was doing some horrible dancing (but also drawing the largest crowd), and a string trio were two things that attracted my attention, but for very different reasons. I finally got tired of just walking around, so I made my way back to the Piccadilly Gardens and sat for a while to read.

Soon, it was time to go get the train, which was nice and relaxing. Maybe a little too relaxing since I dozed off quite a bit. But I soon got back. And this is where things really got interesting. I was walking out on the street behind two guys. I was still a little tired from the ride, but I heard they were talking about Methodism and churches, so I listened in a little more carefully. Before long, I overheard one guy explain that he is the general secretary of the Methodist church (which is pretty much the head guy, and one of the first guys I contacted over here thanks to Elaine). Not long after that they split up and I passed them, but then I stopped and decided to go back and at least say hi to Martyn, the general secretary. I introduced myself and explained how I knew him and said that I just wanted to thank him for the help he had been months ago. He of course did not remember, but offered me a ride back to Cliff. I graciously accepted and got to talk with him for a good 10 or so minutes as he drove me right to the door of the college. It was probably the most unexpected, astonishing experience I have had while I have been here. Not to mention I did not have to wait or pay for a bus.

After that, I cleaned my clothes (which my mom will be thrilled about) and hung around my room a little. I knew there was going to be a barbeque this evening and knew that it started when I heard music blaring throughout the grounds. I soon went down and joined them. We had some delicious burgers and hung out for a while. I do have to comment that whoever’s ipod we were listening to has great taste in music – Rick Astley, The Final Countdown, Smash Mouth, (later) some BSB, Queen, all the good classics to make a good party. This whole time of being at Cliff has definitely made me feel right at home, and has reminded me a lot of my time back at SMU (with some very noticeable differences, of course).

A game of boules started and I at first watched to see what it was, then jumped in. We played for a very long time, but it was a nice game that does not require a ton of concentration, so we could talk and sing and just chill outside in the wonderful evening. Eventually, a group went to go see Transformers, but I stayed behind. Some of us wound up watching Prince Caspian, which just seemed more appropriate to watch over here.

It was a good day with lots of expected, and unexpected fun.

What I learned:

Apparently the United Methodist church in the States (through the Bishops) has recently established a committee of people to function very similarly to the Fresh Expressions team over here. It is a big commitment with some money being put into it. I think what he was talking about is called “Rethink Church.”

You never know who you’ll meet on the streets.

How to play boules, which I learned is a French game but highly associated with Southern, posh Britain.

A couple other students here are DMB fans, but most British people do not know who the band is.

"Never Gonna Give You Up" was Rick's first video and was shot in 1 day in a West London athletic club. Gotta go find that place next week.

6/24 - New sights and sounds

What I did:

I woke up, but too late for breakfast. I did have plenty of time before morning worship though, and eventually made my way down there. It was just so much nicer to know faces and names when I walked in. The other guy named Patrick was leading it this morning and we sang some dance-y songs and some other songs and had some good time of prayer. It was over before I knew it, so I headed back up to my room to continue to get caught up with stuff.

At around 11:15, I went to find Veronica, the receptionist, to try to find the office of the guy I was supposed to meet with today. I met her as she was coming up the hill and she showed me. I waited until it was time and went in to meet with Phil. He was great and very helpful in getting me to think about my project in its original terms of fundamentalism and globalization. He seemed very interested in that and kept everything he said related to that in some way. It was a great meeting and he gave me a lot to think about as far as what does it really mean to be “fundamental?” We met for a pretty long time, and as I left his office, I realized I missed lunch too. So I dug into my tuna stash for a quick lunch before I packed up and headed out to Manchester.

I went to visit Sanctus1, one of the most popular and longest running emerging churches, today. I had been in contact with one of the leaders, and although I knew he would not be there, I went to check it out. I got into Manchester pretty early intentionally and did a little more work before heading out to check out the city. My first impression of Manchester – It is like a condensed London on crack. That probably deserves a little unpacking, but take it as my initial reaction with my limited experience of both cities. My hotel is right by the Piccadilly Gardens and in the center of the city. So, I walked out among the chaos of moving people and cars. First I found the Nexus café, which is where Sanctus would be meeting later. Then I walked around the ‘Gardens’ some, which is really just a grassy open area with a fountain and some statues that was filled with people. I kept walking around through the Arndale shopping center (gigantic mall). I walked past a huge ferris wheel and down to Manchester Cathedral. I looped around again and it was about dinner time, so I backtracked to a place I passed by.

I had my dinner at Barburrito, the British Chipotle! Then I sat in Piccadilly Gardens for a while before Sanctus started. I made my way over to Nexus and walked in. I think I may go back there for lunch tomorrow, because it seemed like a really cool place. I met a few people who had already arrived. I talked with some people, including Chris who is a leader and would be running the service tonight. More and more people trickled in and eventually we got started. It was a very interesting and different service. Chris was the only one that spoke at all, and it was very centered around images and videos that were projected on a screen and music that played behind that. The focus was on the phrase, Love your nieghbour as yourself, which Chris dissected word by word looking at how God loves us, how we should love ourselves, who our neighbour is and how we should love them.

There were some really interesting images and funny clips (including a scene from Forest Gump). I really enjoyed it and could definitely see myself going to something like this. They also had communion and Chris explained that it was his last time leading. I realize that they do very different things each week, and even have people from the ‘congregation’ lead some (I think). After the service, we cleaned up and went to the pub, which they do every week. It was a good opportunity for me to meet with some of the members and talk with them. We talked some about past services, American politics, Texas in general, my research, the differences in pronunciation and definition of words (I got made fun of a little bit on behalf of all America), and British things that I absolutely have to experience. It was lots of fun and I really got along with all the guys that were there.

Unfortunately, the time soon came to go. I feel like going to one Sanctus service gives me absolutely no idea about the whole picture of what they are about. I didn’t really get to talk to any of the leaders either. All in all, I wish I would have some more time with them, but I don’t know if that will be able to happen or not. Maybe.

What I learned:

You haven’t lived until you have heard a British man try to imitate Forest Gump.

Don’t pronounce the ‘h’ in Birmingham.

Fannie means something different over here.

We (being any church I have been a part of) haven’t even begun to enter into creativity in worship compared with Sanctus1.

Manchester is crazy (but filled with some really good people).

6/23 - Jumping In

What I did:

I woke up and left with Matt to go to Cliff. We had a nice talk about his church that helped me understand it a little better and helped for my research. When we got there, Matt gave me a schedule of all the activities that are going on at Cliff this week. Apparently graduation week is full of lots of fun activities planned and run by the students. So, I saw that there would be some worship at 9:30 and went to get some breakfast before heading to worship.

I got to the common room and saw a bunch of people I did not know. I kind of slipped in the back of the circle and we sang and prayed for a while. I actually did not know many of the songs we sang. It is always interesting what songs come up that I have sung hundreds of times back home and then the few that come up that I have never heard before. After it was over, I sat for a little while, trying to figure out how to introduce myself to everyone. I am not bad at introducing myself and talking in a small group, but when it is a roomful of unfamiliar faces, I don’t really know where to start. Luckily, a guy named Ernest (sorry if it is misspelled) came up to me and introduced himself, then introduced me to the whole group. I talked to a few of them about why I was there, then Ernest took me to a kind of students only lounge called “Diggs” (that is my best guess at what it is called). It was a nice lounge area with some TVs and game systems.

Then we went back to the common room and I went back to my room to get some scheduling stuff sorted and to try to get caught up on computer stuff. I went back down for lunch and ate with several students and kept explaining what I am doing there then went back to my room to kill some time before a game of rounders.

I walked down to the bottom field, which is a little field close to the road with moderately cut grass. People trickled in and we divided into teams for the game. Rounders is kind of like baseball (like a little girls version of baseball is how I think it was described :) ). There are 4 bases not including home plate and you have a very short bat that you can only swing with one hand. We played with a base ball for one game and a tennis ball for the other. You can run whether you hit it or not and you have to make yourself around the bases to get back to bat. The only runs we counted were rounders, which would be the equivalent of a home run. My team lost both games, but it was very fun.

After we played, we were all very hot and tired, but some people decided to go down for a swim in the river. I joined and in a little while we walked down across the road to the river. We looked around and could not find a place that looked safe and clean enough to jump in (not to mention it may not have been completely legal to get in at that point). So we decided to hop in some cars and travel to Chatsworth. This is a place that has a nice clean river (actually I think it is part of the same river, just in a better spot) and has a large stately home where some movies have been filmed (like the more recent Pride and Prejudice). It is the home of the Dutchess of Devonshire. We found a nice spot to jump in. The water was terribly cold, but refreshing. We walked around some and saw some guys jumping off a stump into the water. So we went to try too. Brought me back to my cliff jumping experience several years ago, only much less terrifying. We stayed for a while, then headed back for the evening meal.

We went to dinner wet and smelly, but it was worth it. Then, I went and got cleaned up and came back down for Celebration. It was kind of a years end worship service for the students and faculty. It was really great. We sang some and danced (led by some men from Africa), prayed, and had some testimonies then a message and some reflection time. It was really powerful, and if for no other reason than this, I am glad I came. That might sound cheesy, and I have probably said the same thing about other parts of this trip, but it really was a great time to spend with God and some new friends.

After that, I was invited to go to the pub with some of the students, so I tagged along and ended the night rather peacefully relaxing and talking with them.

What I learned:

This week is going to be much more exciting and busy than I thought.

The kind of end of the year week that I have always thought would be great (and I think Blake is with me on this one) is what is going on this week at Cliff. So, that kind of thing does happen, just not at SMU.

Jumping into a nice cold river sounds great right after a game of Rounders, but not so much an hour later after you have cooled down.

How to play rounders. Although it may take me a while to really develop my style and get good at it.

I am probably going to butcher this story, but here it goes. All of the houses around Chatsworth had to be moved centuries ago when someone living nearby said that he did not want to be able to see the houses of the workers. All the houses were torn down and moved further back except one that is now separated from the others and lasted just long enough to not have to be moved.

6/22 – This place is a rollercoaster and I am not strapped in

What I did:

I woke up and left pretty early to travel over to Coventry. I had set up a visit to spend some time with the Coventry youth group. I had met with the guy that leads it, Keith, several weekends ago. I made it to Coventry fine and even had a little time to look around the cathedral before I met up with him. Apparently, Coventry was heavily bombed several decades ago and I don’t know if it was because of that or something else, but they have the ruins and tower of the original church and a new modern cathedral built right beside it. So I walked around a little then met up with a guy that works with the youth.


This guy, Ash, was about my age and is also studying while working with the youth. He explained some of what he does while we grabbed some Subway, then took me back to the youth center where everyone would be gathering later and where the offices were. He gave me a brief tour, it is pretty much a run-down building with two big rooms (with a sound system, pool table, and GameCube). I then went up to the offices and greeted Keith and another student who, like Ash, works with the youth. He was called Beaver (and I never heard another name for him). I don’t know if it was because he was as charming as Beaver Cleaver or if it was because he has some sort of rodent-like characteristics.

I sat through what vaguely seemed like a meeting about what was going on (there was a ton of banter back and forth and I was surprised anything actually got done, but I know if any of them read this they will just laugh and agree). After a while, Keith had to leave and I was left in the capable hands of Ash again. He took me up to the top of the cathedral tower and I had a nice view of Coventry, which despite its drabness seemed like a pretty cool place to live. After that we walked back to the youth center and talked a bit and watched a Nooma video followed by an episode of Family Guy (what a combination!). We were just killing some time before Keith got back and we could open the doors at 4pm. We did run to the store to get some bread, and Ash could not walk a block without bumping into several youth he knew.

Finally, we opened the doors and some youth came in to immediately play some pool and Mario Kart. It was pretty much just free time for about an hour or so, and I think Keith stayed up in his office which was open for some counseling/pastoral type of stuff. Then he came down and we all gathered together for some slightly more structured time looking at what it means to be a Christian. There was so much banter and wit the whole night. And everything was so high octane and high energy it was unbelievable. But it worked, and it has worked for a while now. I met several other leaders who help and just chilled with some of the kids for a while. After the structured time we had a lot more free time, some of which I spent talking to Keith. Then we closed with a semi-serious time of prayer after about half of the kids had left.

It was a great experience and made me feel alive the way only youth work can. I was really excited even after leaving. It was an interesting place to visit, and I doubt I will ever see anything like it again in my life, but it was great and I feel very blessed to be able to see the work that is going on there. I left and came straight back to Sheffield, but did not get back in until about 11pm. I had to get Matt out of bed (I am very sorry) but I made it back and got some rest before the next day.

What I learned:

There is an international Rotary convention going on in Birmingham I believe.

Fresh expressions of church/emerging churches are getting steadily harder to characterize or define.

I could probably not break into Matt and Rachel’s house. I tried to think of anything I could do to get in without getting them out of bed, but could not get to anything. I also realized that it would probably have been worse to wake someone while halfway up their stairs than in their doorway.

It is best to not try too hard to learn something or understand something everywhere I go, especially in Coventry. But it is most definitely worth it to go, no matter how crazy and confusing it is.

Subway is not the same thing in Britain as America.

Twix xtra are very long!

6/21 - Let's go fly a kite

NB - Despite what you may think from the title, there will be no kites appearing in this post. Sorry. It just seemed to be the best way to describe the day.

What I did:

I got up and had some breakfast then jumped in a bath (the first actual bath that I have had in a very long time). Then Jack and I tagged along on some shopping that Matt and Rachel had to do. It was actually pretty fun, we went to a camping store so it was interesting to see what was similar and different from camping gear in the States. It also reminded me a lot of my trip to Ireland in 06 because then, every time we would go into Dublin with some of the Irish scouts we would have to stop by the scout shop and look around. I did that so many times with different groups of people and I knew that store very well. Maybe that can be my new thing whenever I travel – make sure to check out the camping store.

Anyway, as I have said several times it was just good to be around other people. Then we came back and made some sandwiches, grabbed George, a Frisbee and a football and headed to the park for a little picnic and relaxing time. It was the same park I went to yesterday, but a different part of it. I had a nice PB&J and got to show off a little bit in Frisbee (finally a sport I can play). We threw around the American football some too and then just sat and chilled for a while.

Church started at 3, so we left and headed that way. Matt and Rachel are involved in a church that is part of a group of churches called Crowded House. We met in someone’s home (and it really was a crowded house) and had some worship time of singing, praying, sharing what is going on in each other’s lives, discussion based on the story of the life of Moses and what God did for His people during that time, so interactive response to that, a bit more singing and praying, and a shared dinner. I met lots more great people and it was wonderful time of connecting with God and other people.

After that, we went out for a walk out in the countryside. We drove out a ways and found a nice little path up to some small cliffs. It was really beautiful. There were sheep all over the place and the sun was setting on the valley. We walked up to the top of the cliffs and found a guy from the church that had left to go straight there to do some climbing with some friends. We sat and talked with them and each other some then headed back down. I took my camera, but my battery died after a couple of photos. Even though I brought an extra battery and a charger, it had to happen at one of the most scenic places I have been to yet. Oh well, I guess that is what eyes and memory are for.

We left and went back into town and met up with Matt and a friend from church, but pretty quickly headed back home.

What I learned:

Being over here may make it seem like I am slightly better at American football because of everyone else’s lack of experience with it, but it really takes a lot more than that to cover up how poor I am at it.

Young sheep look like human babies to human mothers.

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are very uncommon here and often not liked. What a shame.

Pickle does not mean the same thing in both countries. And UK pickle is much better in my opinion than US pickle.

B&Q stands for something like Barry and Quinton and is the Home Depot of the UK. Lol.

If a picture's worth a thousand words, then why does looking at or experiencing something that could never be captured in a photo (at least by me) only leave me speechless?