starts this weekend June 30, 2009
Posted by rickhill in Thoughts.Tags: enniskillen 360
1 comment so far
fresh inspiration June 28, 2009
Posted by rickhill in Thoughts.Tags: fresh inspiration, phil wickham, sailing on a ship, worship industry
3 comments
at a time where i am struggling to connect with much of the music that is being churned out by the worship industry here and beyond, i’ve stumbled across some fresh inspiration in the form of a guy called phil wickham. have found his music and expressions to be really refreshing and profound in many of the moments.
so here’s a wee sample…he comes highly recommended!
quote June 26, 2009
Posted by rickhill in Thoughts.Tags: prejudice, quote, racism, robert f. kennedy
2 comments
“But suppose God is black? What if we go to Heaven and we, all our lives, have treated the Negro as an inferior, and God is there, and we look up and He is not white? What then is our response?”
- Robert F. Kennedy
a wee glimpse of some highlights… June 23, 2009
Posted by rickhill in Thoughts.Tags: play off final, snow patrol, turning point, wembley, windsor
1 comment so far
i posted a blog in march with a list of things i was going to be up to in the next few months. read it here. there have been many good times since and some real highlights…
so thought i would lighten the mood of this blog a wee bit and throw up a few snaps from some of these events. hope it gives you a wee glimpse of what i’ve been at.
1. the first ever stag cup golfing weekend in april!
snow patrol gig
getting on the pitch at windsor park at half time during the great win over Slovenia
speaking and hanging out with young people at the Turning Point Youth Festival
outside anfield with a few mates for the hillsborough memorial. we were over at the world snooker championships.
finishing my first season with Dundrod Old Boys (i’m no. 7!)
and the end of year dinner!
sarah finishing uni and us buying a house. we celebrated up in the north west for a day and ended up with some friends who just had a new baby!
me and tommy in london
at wembley for the play off final
good times!!
identity June 21, 2009
Posted by rickhill in Thoughts.Tags: belfast, identity, nationality, northern irish, racism, romanian attacks
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so all this happened not long after i wrote this blog post. feel like there’s so much i could add on this week’s disgusting events in belfast but i’ll just pick up the theme of identity. this is mainly because one of the arguments i hear so much of against groups of migrant workers entering and settling in our country, is that it threatens our own unique national identity. that their own culture, language and food will undermine our own.
how insecure in our own identity are we to believe or feel threatened by other nationalities living alongside us? is our own culture really diluted by other cultures living among us? or is it actually enhanced, as amidst increased diversity, our own identity and culture is highlighted within this backdrop of difference?
i find it bizarre that as a group called ‘diversity’ wins a national talent contest that our nation continues to feel threatened by difference in our society. i feel so saddened that we still haven’t learned to live alongside others who are different to us in race, in politics, in sexuality, in beliefs, and in values.
now i love belfast. i love northern ireland. but the attacks on the romanian families this week has almost made me ashamed to be from this wee country. we have ceased to become the land that ‘welcomes the stranger’ and become a country that is defined by labels, borders and groupings.
and i guess in the midst of all that, i need to be more secure in my identity. in who i am. and in who God has made me, so that i can cope and live better with people who talk, live and think differently than i am.
making your mark 09 June 17, 2009
Posted by rickhill in random.Tags: castlewellan castle, making your mark, pupil leadership, schools ministry, scripture union ni
1 comment so far
every year without fail, this weekend is one of the highlights of my year as i get to spend time with young people who are leaders, committee members or active senior pupils within their school SU group. it is such a privilege to invest in these young pupil leaders and such a vital part of the schools ministry i am a part of in SUNI.
it’s not a new idea. in fact, it’s ridiculously old. and something that Jesus seemed passionate about – bringing people together to train them up and then send them back to their environments to serve. and the heart for this 2009 weekend remains the same:
inspiring
investing
equipping
so just for your info, or your prayers, or for spreading the word, or your own participation if that applies, see the flier above!!
primary role: to speak or to listen? June 11, 2009
Posted by rickhill in Thoughts.Tags: listening, speaking, voice of young people in church community, youth ministry
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one of my most hated phrases in my teenage years was when a teacher or youth leader said: “my job is to speak, yours is to listen.” in fact, i still hate hearing it today, probably because i think its a huge pile of rubbish. probably for education, but almost certainly for the church.
for me, it sends out such a negative message to the ‘listeners’…that their voice is not to be heard. that what they have to say is not important. i’m beginning to fear that this is something we are continuing to back up in the church. for too long, young people’s voices have been lost within our church communities.
perhaps the opposite of this statement should be true. that as leaders of young people, “our job should be to listen, and theirs should be to speak.” maybe in their conversation we will learn and be challenged. and as young people articulate feelings, beliefs and challenges, we should find ourselves in a better place to minister and influence.
i’ve loved watching some of our young people in church grow in confidence this year as they have had more space to interact, discuss, create, present and do this year. yes it’s a well known educational fact that these methods are among the best way in discovery, but more than that, i truly believe that our young people need their voice to be heard. and not just heard, but valued.
and as we hear more of these voices, we will grow in ways we never imagined. as we listen more, our words will suddenly gain more power.
“a time to be silent and a time to speak”
ecclesiastes 3:7b
those foreigners… June 10, 2009
Posted by rickhill in Thoughts.Tags: foreigners, God and the foreigner, immigrants, oppression and the Bible, ulster attitudes
4 comments
from time to time i hear a lot of negativity towards the foreigners in our midst. especially around the antrim area, we have had an increase in migrant workers from eastern europe over the past few years. and with that, an increase in hostility towards them.
and i guess things like shortage of jobs for locals, a lack of integration into society from some of the people groupings and a small amount of crime.
but was reading my bible the other day and it suddenly struck me how so many of the great heroes of the bible were foreign immigrants. i guess as i open the great story of God more and more, it seems to me like God is constantly on the side of the poor. or perhaps more specifically the oppressed.
:: joseph gaining favour in egypt
:: moses born into slavery and oppression
:: the israelites taking over Jericho and moving in to take over the promised land
:: the 3 friends who refused to bow to the foreign statue in Babylonian captivity
:: Daniel not eating the food in his new land or follow the laws of the land
:: Jesus as a Jew living under Roman rule and occupation
too often its a scramble to be at the top. or a desire to state our rights. and others wrongs. perhaps this is a sobering thought for me the next i begin to get impatient at the subway worker who can’t understand my accent in my own country. or when i meet a foreigner in need on the street.
but i have a feeling it goes much deeper than just my individual attitudes. and as i discover this theme that almost seems central and fundamental to God’s word, i’m left wondering what implications it has on us in the West? in the middle class? in the richest 10% on this tiny planet?
and what impact does it have on our Ulster attitudes? is God on my side? or is a better question to ask…am i on God’s side?
will maybe explore this theme again soon on this blog. just an intro for now!!
enniskillen 360 June 9, 2009
Posted by rickhill in random.1 comment so far
i’m excited about the potential as we launch into the 2nd year of the Enniskillen 360 project next month. last year was a great start and we are hoping to build on that this year as we continue to develop this new mission.
aiming to reach out to teenagers in a creative and relational way, 360 is a week’s activities aimed specifically at teenagers and runs between Monday 6th – Friday 10th July.
every afternoon between 2-4pm we have sport, beauty and art streams running in 3 separate locations, with 2 separate venues running each night.
i love working with young people and so this week last year was a real highlight for me! hoping that this year is no different. but i also love serving with others who are passionate about making a difference in the lives of young people…and so it will be a privilege to lead such an amazing team that week, who i know will teach me, challenge me, and actually lead me!!
Enniskillen 360 is fast approaching and so it would be great if you could pray for God to impact many young lives through it. and please do spread the word about it too!!
break June 5, 2009
Posted by rickhill in Thoughts.1 comment so far
current blog break will be broken soon….!
