Advent Poems (Dec 11th) - Radio Times

As that beautiful day approaches
And the anticipation climbs
There is always one thing that makes my heart sing
It’s the Christmas Radio Times

With all of that seasonal telly
There is only one source you can trust
It’s detailed and forthright and lasts for a fortnight
The Radio Times is a must

With all of its info on programmes and films
And its practical family guide
Through the Times I’ll be thumbing. I’ll know just what’s coming
This Christmas I’m staying inside

So bring on those holiday listings
From now to the new year’s eve chimes
No matter what’s aired, I’ll know, I’m prepared
With my Christmas Radio Times

Advent Poems (Dec 10th) - The Retailer's Christmas

Watching millions and millions peruse the shelves
In my suited up Christmas-themed store
Spending their money and losing themselves
In a world that will always want more

Oh how I love the consumers of Yule
Those wide-eyed, excited young shoppers
A young spender’s cash is a retailer’s fuel
Their notes, their coins and their coppers

I love it, I love it, the closer it gets
The last minute panic and rush
Well meaning mothers working up debts
In that purchase crazed, pre-Christmas crush

The spin and ker-ching of the roll in the till
The pile-up of notes in the bank
The wallets are emptied, the shopping bags filled
And who do we have to thank?

This wonderful season of products and things
Of marketing, posters and ads
Reminding the public what joy it can bring
To fill up your stockings with fads

Never allow the silence to stir
Drown out the peace with a cry
Spin Christmas into a spend-crazy blur
And keep them believing the lie

“The value of love is the value of cash
A man without love is a thrift
The more that one loves, the more one should dash
The more one should spend on a gift”

Force them to buy, remove their autonomy
Make Christmas spend without reason
The loss of the spirit boosts the economy
God bless the retailer’s season

Advent Poems (Dec 9th) - Wise Men Limerick

This is the tale of some men
Whose wisdom exceeded them when
They followed a star
Which took them quite far
And led them to Jesus – Amen!

Advent Poems (Dec 8th) - The Innkeeper's Limerick

There was an innkeeper named Ned
Who offered some hope when he said
You’ve taken too long
The birthing suites gone
But I know of a beautiful shed

Advent Poems (Dec 7th) - Santa

Sitting
At
Night
Thinking
All

Christmases
Lack
Any
Unusual
Saviour
Expectations

Advent Poems (Dec 6th) - My First Mince Pie

My first mince pie and I’m in heaven
The flaky, crumbly, mincemeat bliss
Give me the choice, I’d eat eleven
Sweet pastry it doesn’t get better than this

Serve it hot or serve it cold
I do not care just serve it
If someone’s selling, deem it sold
If I’m not there reserve it

Clotted/double/single cream
I’m a mince pie eating fool
I go to bed to mince pie dreams
If only it were always Yule

So stuff me full, I’ll still surmise
I’ll never tire of fresh mince pies

A Special Non-Advent Limerick

There was an old man named Andy,

Who wanted my poems to scandy.

If he thought that was bad

Well I'm really quite glad

Coz then this is really gonna wind him up

Advent Poems (Dec 5th) - Jack's Limerick

This is the story of Jack
Whose energy started to lack
See Jack was a donkey
Whose legs were quite wonky
With a pregnant girl on his back

Advent Poems (Dec 4th) - Christmas Trees

Real
Christmas
Trees
Die
Brown
Languish
Shower needles
Make mess
Have to be watered
Need to be thrown away!
Like spoilt children
They always demand attention
Insisting they be kept and tended to.
But I love real Christmas trees
They make a room smell of Christmas
They bring life to a warmly decorated lounge
They change the air, the atmosphere
They turn a neglected corner into a centre piece
They become an extra seasonal character to the family
And for this reason
I’ll always love
Real trees



Fake
Christmas
Trees
Last
Survive
Keep going
Do not change
Continue.
They are practical
Can be used year after year
They want for nothing
They effect their job effortlessly
Spending summer months in the attic
They wait for next year patiently
They do not intrude on the atmosphere
Simply offer visual stimulus for those who look
In their manufactured shades of green.
They are clean, cost effective, strong and plastic
Nothing can be more reliable than a fake Christmas tree
And for this reason
I’ll always use
Fake trees

Advent Poems (Dec 3rd) - The Christmas Lesson

They wait
Wide eyed and expectant
In a season where good things come
From the darkest places

They know
From the dull comes excitement
From frowns comes laughter
And soon those who oppressed and restricted
Will join and smile and encourage and play.

He stands
Before them and smiles
Allowing their hope to grow
Filling their hearts.
Behind their eyes he can see it
A joy unmistakable
Waiting
Shaking
Leaning forward
Ready to breakout across their faces with one word:

“Christmas!”

They smile,
They laugh,
They sigh with relief
Their brains switch off and their hearts engage
A veil dissipates
The room brightens

There will be no writing today
No marks
No assessments
No judgement
They know this subject
They do it well
This is their speciality

“What is Christmas?”

Hands shoot up,
Stretching to the ceiling
Like vines to the sun
Answers explode:
Food
Chocolates
Santa
Snow
Reindeer
Trees
Jesus
They laugh

He stops
He looks
He asks

“What about Jesus?”

They pause
They think
They consider
They discuss

The boring nativity
The children’s play
The distraction from what’s really important

Silence

They continue

They ask
They answer
They learn
They teach

The importance of a childish tale
The relevance of an old fable
The excitement of a dull story
So much knowledge to be acquired from that already known
No separation but a solid synthesis
Everything they felt
And believed
And knew
Confirmed by what has been procured

They leave
Unchanged
Unshaken
Affirmed in their faith of what is pure and perfect and real

He stays
Inspired, refreshed and challenged
He sits and he waits
Wide eyed and expectant
The only student in the class

Advent Poems (Dec 2nd) - Mary Limerick

There was a young girl named Mary
Whose encounter with God made her wary
He said she’d give birth
To the saviour of earth
I think I’d have found that quite scary

Advent Poems (Dec 1st) - Advent Calendars

I love advent – advent calendars
The chocolaty, picture based, countdown challengers
I love opening advent doors
Advent windows, advent drawers

December first and I start counting
Christmas is coming, the excitements mounting
Put up the tinsel, break out the lights
Stockings are great but you’ll get more in tights

Keep shopping, no stopping it all starts here
December the first – it’s commercial cheer
The presents, the trees, the food – it’s great
Putting off budgets and putting on weight

I’m already singing, I’m already Dancing
And Dashing and Blitzing and Donning and Prancing
It’s time to join throngs of festive scavengers
And it all starts here with advent calendars.

Contemplative Youth Ministry

I don't normally like posting quotes in my blog and I especially don't feel comfortable with quoting a book that I am only 40 pages of the way through. However, I really wanted to post the following quote of a book I'm reading now because (a) I think it's so spot on it hurts and (b) if I wait until I've finished the book...well I will probably never finish the book because I never do. Anyway, this is from Mike Yaconelli's "Contemplative Youth Ministry":

Most ministries with youth in the West are ministries of anxiety. In fact, most Christian communities don't even consider the spiritual needs of young people until there's a critical mass of anxious adults. Look behind most youth ministry programmes and you'll find pastors and church boards nervous about declining memberships, parents afraid their kids lack morals, congregations worried that the Christian faith has become irrelevant to younger generations, and the persistent frustration among adults that something ('anything!') needs to be done with 'those kids'! To be unaware of adult anxiety toward youth is often to misperceive what drives most youth ministries.

...

Young people are about energy; they have bodies they want to move, they have emotions they want to express, and they have developing relationships that are incredibly interesting and important to them. Adults - especially in a faith community - want young people to listen, to behave, to be still, to stop talking, to soothe adult fears, to fulfil mission statements and support programmes. This makes young people wary and anxious.

Confessions of a 10-Year-Old - Part 4

Monday 27th September 1993:

On Friday I went to Aaron's house and it was fun, first of all we looked at Aarons magazine and then we wathed some t.v. and had some tea. Then we played on the super nintendo and then watched the generation game.

Ok, I know this isn't my most profound (or even vaguely interesting) entry but it warrants a special mention because of my super awesome accompanying picture. Check out Blanka's deadly electric shock move from Street Fighter. One word - awesome!!

(I'm also quite proud of my depiction of Aaron's hair but I appreciate that not many people who read this blog will be able to verify that)

Once Upon a Time...

...Glyn Harries blessed the world with his music.

Once upon a time, Glyn Harries sported a rather smashing nineties haircut.

I went to see my parents last night and they showed me a Christmas card they'd been sent with this photo in it. It made me smile and I thought I would share.

In Need of a Cure

After being called out of the shower by Matt this morning for taking too long, I was prompted to reflect once again upon the fact that I'm pretty certain I have a disease. It's a condition which I've suffered with from a very young age. A severe and very specific psychological defect. You see, ladies and gentlemen, I suffer from Showerlingeristus.

Showerlingeristus (noun) - A condition of the mind which blocks memory, anxiety and concern of external matters when the body is brought into contact with streams of steaming hot water. Those affected by Showerlingeristus will likely experience symptoms of severe punctuality deficiency, social tension and wrinkled fingertips.

Here's how it works: I wake up in the morning and find that, due to an overzealous affection towards the snooze button, I am running ever so slightly late (this might be for a meeting or a lesson or just to get into the office at a reasonable time). I spring out of my bed and set a time limit to everything. I need to pack my bag with everything I need for the day, leave it lying by the door with my coat, pick up my clothes, run into the bathroom, jump in and out of the shower, brushing my teeth and shaving while I'm in there, get out, throw my clothes on, pick up my bag and coat, and then, if all has gone according to plan, I should be able to get out the door within 15 minutes. But everything has to be quick. Ok? Ok. So go.

I grab everything I need for the day, stuff it into my bag, leave it lying by the door with my coat, pick up my clothes, run into the bathroom, get the shower gel, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush and razor ready, turn on the hot water, jump into the shower...and then it all goes wrong from there. I physically and mentally cannot have a quick shower. As soon as I step under that water, that's it. You've lost me. I could be rushing to the hospital with a cure that will save millions from an epidemic (a breakout of acute showerlingeristus for example). But as soon as I get in that shower, it all fades away. My mind drifts to all sorts of philosophical quandaries and imaginative daydreams and I completely lose track of time and awareness that I'm running late. Fortunately, it rarely becomes an issue in the Whitehouse as everyone tends to get up at different times but it's a real pain when I'm trying to get somewhere on time.

Does anyone else suffer from this debilitating illness? Is there a cure?

New Hair

What do you think?

In Which Glyn Does Some Serious Coveting and Some Serious Thinking

In Need of a Drive Transplant

So my blogging as of late has been on the slow side. And by slow I mean, of course, simply not happening. I've been blaming this on various things. Facebook has featured quite highly in my list of reasons. I was also about to name my lack of inspiration as a culprit but as I was doing so I realised that I worked in a bookstore for a year and during that time I was the Blog King (officially named at the 2006 blogspot awards in Stockholm). I am out and about so much more these days that I should have inspiration oozing from my sweat glands. But inspiration has not been oozing from my sweat glands. Sweat has been oozing from sweat glands. But no inspiration. And anyway, even without my sweaty inspiration I still have plenty of ten-year-old diary entries to regale you all with and I know how much you love those (when I say "you" I am, of course, referring to the one person who has not given up on this blog - hello Glyn. Sorry. Still no comments. Try again in 5 minutes).

So if it's not inspiration lackage that is to blame, where can I point the finger? Unfortunately, it would seem that my lacklustre blogging efforts (and by "lacklustre" I mean, of course "non-existent") is part of a much larger problem. I am suffering from drive failure. I am losing my drive. You know the way Austin Powers lost his mojo? That's kinda like how I've lost my drive. Except I'm not going to go on a time-travelling adventure to reclaim it from the hands of my arch-nemesis because, well, I can't be bothered.

I've lost drive in most things. I've lost drive in my church. I've lost drive in my writing. I've lost drive in doing a lot of the things that I really want to do. I wouldn't say that I've lost my drive in my job so much but I'm certainly starting to feel it slip. And the reason I'm losing my drive in these things. Well it's lots of reasons but I think mainly just because I'm fed up. I'm fed up with the way things are and I want to do something about it but I don't know where to begin and nothing's changing and no matter what I try to do, someone will convince me I'm wrong or naive or incapable and a lot of the time I'll convince myself that I'm wrong or naive or incapable and I don't know what I want to do or which of my hairbrained schemes to persue or where to start with any of them and I end up not working towards any of them and get really frustrated and then start using words like hairbrained and it all goes to pot.

This weekend a group of us went to Eastbourne for the youth worker's conference and while the others seemed to come away from it feeling really inspired and strengthened I came away feeling really bogged down by all the things I want to do but can't. I felt like I was hearing from a lot of great Christian youth workers who were doing great Christian youth work and that was great for them but how would I start putting that into practice. And where do I start? Do I start up the theatre company that I've wanted since I was 16? Do I spend more time fighting the traditionalism in my church? Is that even an issue worth worrying about? Do I do more detached work in my job? Do I do more assemblies in my job? Do I spend more time with fewer young people or less time with more young people? Do I work to feed myself or do I stay where I am so that I can serve no matter how frustrating and draining it gets? Do I do this or do I focus on that and how can I do it all and whinge whinge whinge whinge whinge...

And with all this confusion and fumbling around and whinging my drive has decided to take a vacation until my brain gets back into gear and I can begin to focus. I think I need to come to the realisation that "Here Lies the Man who Saved the World" will probably never appear on my gravestone.

But the reason I'm blogging now is that I feel that maybe there's an answer and as much as I hate to admit it (so I won't - not yet) I think it's an answer that I've known for a while. I've had a couple of really positive conversations over the past few days that have helped me realise that the answer to my lack of drive and general feeling of peace may well lie with something I've been putting off for the past couple of years. It's really scary but at the same time I'm feeling a certain peace and excitement about it that I haven't felt in a long while.

So I guess what I'm saying is: I need more drive and watch this space....

Just So I Don't Have a Blog Free Month

Sorry.

I know this is cheating.

Have been really busy lately.

Will try and make November a better month for blogging.

Thank you for sticking with me.

I don't deserve you.

Lots of Love

Glyn