"That's Broughton," are two words that I have heard more times than I care to count. Along with phrases like "I can't be bothered" and "I can't be asked," these are the typical responses I get from young people that I work with when challenged to think about and consider some type of life change.

A typical conversation might go like this:

Me: "So what did you do this weekend?"

Young Person: "I got pissed (drunk) and smashed up someone's car."

Me: And was this a positive thing to do this weekend?"

Young Person: "I don't know. I was bored and that's Broughton."

Or:

Me: "Can you please stop smashing the table tennis bats on the table please?"

Young Person: "No. I can't be bothered."

Me: I'm asking you to stop so that you don't break the bat so you will have something to play table tennis with when you come to the club next time."

Young Person: "I can't be asked to stop."

Me: "Well you do know there are consequences for your actions and I need to get Dave or Marie now?"

Young Person: "Go on then, I'm not bothered."

These are examples of some of the less than shining moments of our young people. However, in those times when the young people are being a bit more sensible they will readily tell you that they wish things in Broughton would change but the answer quickly reverts to, "But they won't, because that's Broughton."

When we suggest to that particular young person that he/she could begin the change in Broughton the response is typically, "Why should I be the one to do it? You tell so and so to . . . ." and it goes on from there.

Richard J. Foster writes:

Our world is hungry for genuinely changed people. Leo Tolstoy observes, "Everybody thinks of changing humanity and nobody thinks of changing himself." Let us be among those who believe the inner transformation of our lives is a goal worthy of our best effort (Celebration of Discipline p 11).

In both Broughton and Blackley in order to inspire change, we have to model and reveal change to the young people. They don't believe things can be different until someone like Dave acquires funding to get the lights fixed at the football pitch (they had been broken for years. Dave has also acquired 80,00 pounds or roughly $160,000 to do additional improvements to the youth club and football pitch) or a church in the States donates new activities equipment and we can model how to respect new/nice things or we model speaking to a young person with respect when there is a misunderstand etc. The list of ways we try to model transformation, both outward and inward, goes on and on.

On Thursday I am to begin leading our team in a book study of Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster. It is considered a classic to the modern Christian faith (it's been in print for over 20 years) and has changed countless lives.

At the heart of the book is this idea:

A farmer is helpless to grow grain; all he can do is provide the right conditions for the growing of grain . . . . The Disciplines are God's way of getting us into the ground; they put us where he can work within us and transform us. . . . God has ordained the Disciplines of the spiritual life as the means by which we place ourselves where he can bless us. Richard J. Foster "Celebration of Discipline" p 7

The work in our personal lives (inward) and in the community (outward) are both very difficult. However, I hope to be able to echo the Psalmist when he writes:

Restore our futures, Lord, as streams renew the desert. Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest (Psalm 126:4-6, NLT).

May we sing songs of joy as the Lord reveals, restores, and renews His harvest!!

Chad

P.S. The countdown is at 38 days until my visit to South Africa to see Heather!!