It has been an amazing weekend, I spent most of Saturday night half awake on a slowly deflating airbed at E:merge in the centre of Bradford. I got less than an hours sleep, but there was a reason for this. The reason was that we were enabling ninety six young people from Leeds and Bradford to bless a deprived community not ten minutes from where our church meets in Shipley, West Yorkshire. The overnight stay was to look after them whilst they cemented relationships with each other. Then the next morning we went in, cleared gardens and ran a family fun day. One woman seeing all this was almost reduced to tears. What an amazing feeling it is to see how the lost respond to being loved.
Whilst we cleared the garden it rained intermittently, I think the only thing that kept me going at times was the thought of a time of worship to come and a warm meal in my belly when we got back that evening. It was an amazing weekend, but God wasn't finished yet. I arrived the next morning to run Latitude, the youth I help run for my church in Shipley. One of the young people was complaining about severe back pain and was having trouble standing for long periods. He spent most of our game time sat in a chair. So I thought you know what this time we will pray for his back and God will answer. So I gathered the youth round and the other youth worker and we prayed and God answered. As he stood up out of the chair the smile that stretched across his face was huge. "That is so much better." Rest assured God is on the move at City Valley church. I went out to lunch with some friends, came home after, thoroughly knackered out due to lack of sleep. God was not finished for the day yet, I received a text later that evening from a mum whose son I know, he needs a role model desperately. I already have his name on a prayer list on my wall. In truth I don't have the time, but to be a father to the fatherless I will make the time. We were talking with the youth this morning about time, money and gifts and actually what the other youth worker said spoke volumes, you can't take your riches to Heaven, you can't take your Lamborghini but you can take people, and I for one intend to take as many people with me as possible.
