A few thoughts after the skate pilgrimage. Flow as God, has had a powerful effect on the young people. At first Flow was all about their interpretation and worldview of it, however as we journeyed together their view was corrupted (redeemed?) to include God. As the Spirit invaded their frame of reference it has changed their view. Whilst on the one hand they can reject this they will not forget it. A critical questions for us in this generational work is how do we create space and opportunities to maintain contact, grow or stretch to be trans-generational? My initial thought is that Flow is the trans-generational experience (the yp have had an experience / encounter with God) that is more than the story of God (I think this may be really important but not sure yet). The critical issues now would be How do we enable the young people to encounter the rest of the story which tell the whole of life and will enable them to see/experience Flow in the whole of life; both over time terms and in terms of the scope of life?

It is interesting to note that we have started with their experience of God, and used this to frame the story of God. The interpretation of this story in the light of their experience of God is up to them. On one hand this could be seen as little different to youth ministry that centres on sung worship, where young people are drawn into the corporate experience, then get the story. The CRITICAL difference is that we suggested they were already experiencing (at least an inkling) God, (or God was present in the moment of Flow) further more this is a redeeming process of something that is already intrinsic/internal to them, rather than a borrowed non culturally relevant experience, and finally the onus rests with them to explore the experience and make sense of the experience, we will simply tell the stories of Flow and allow them to interpret.

Apologies if this makes little sense to you, but I wanted to get the thought down.Eastern Promises the movieCurious George Goes Green The Doom Generation dvd

Good chat with Paul Reservoir Dogs hd

today, (thanks Paul) reminded me that I needed to put up the diagram from church on the edge process and links with Off the beaten track that the other Paul helpfully did. For more info on the circles check out the links in the right hand column either “The Tacking Church” under articles or “Off the beaten Track” under Talks and Presentations

So much happened over the weekend it is hard to know where to start. At the beginning of the weekend in the bus we did a Flow gauge, where (using pictures of a skater in various stages of performing a trick) we asked the young people to gauge where they were in their understanding of what flow was all about eg 1 if they were clueless and 9 if they thought they had is sussed. At the end of the weekend they again completed the gauge to see if their understanding had changed. What was most interesting was that the young people who we had the best conversations with either marked themselves the same or decreased, whilst the yp that didn’t engage so much increased or stayed the same.

We told the story of Abs which was great and some really good dialogue around it although I would not tell them what I thought the story meant. One guy was really anxiously trying to work it out, asking all sorts of questions trying to get a handle on what it meant he did not see how you could break your board and flow all the time or even experience Flow when not riding. The following day we get to this great skate park, that was too wet to ride and he is stoked and calls up from the bottom of the bowl “hey Rich I think I know what Abs was on about now I can feel Flow even though I’m not riding”. Yet on the gauge he marked his understanding as lower than at the start of the weekend.

I think this is something about God being beyond their paradigm of understanding, and blowing their concepts of Flow. It was real upside down kingdom stuff. Paul helpfully reflected on this with me earlier citing about how the disciples must have had preconceptions about the Messiah but Jesus quickly blew this out the water and they must have experienced the same confusion.

Just putting the finishing thoughts to the skate pilgrimage this weekend. We are taking 9 young people and going with leaders and family to cornwall to discover and explore Flow.
Below is an extract from the information we discussed with the young people and what we are hoping to discover. If the weekend goes well we will ask the young people to consider undertaking a rite of passage on the Sunday to join us in the Church on the edge.

Flow is hard to describe, is it those moments you have when you are in the moment, when you forget everything else and it just Flows? It is not about the amount of practice, or trying hard but about when it all just comes together and flows. As we visit skate parks and other places we will be provoking Flow, we want your help to make sense of the what Flow is all about. We want to go with the Flow, and talk about how we bring Flow back.
Skate and Bike Pilgrimage is limited to those people who want to explore what Flow is. If you are unsure about if this trip is for you, give Richard a ring with any questions.

In the beginning there was Flow and the Flow was God and God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And God’s Flow was hovering over the surface of the waters.

As God created the light His Flow was present, both in the darkness of night and the lightness of day.

As the waters separated Flow was all around, it ebbed and surged with the waves and the tides of the seas. At the creation of the land, Flow was in the soil and the solid rock, in the dust and in the sand, in the darkest depths of the land mass and on the surface of the land that was bathed in light.

So this creation might grow and learn itself to join the flow, God gave the sun to nourish the creation, and moon to increase and govern the tides and make the whole world flow in His likeness.

Gods Flow was so embedded in the land it came to breath, in colours of green, and textures so magical that Flow inhabited every corner, every leaf, every stump and root and plant. And because the seas were bubbling with Gods Flow they too sprung to life, and these creatures knew the Flow. So these creatures inhabited the sea and the land, and when their feet were rooted in the soil they were rooted in Flow. All these many kinds of living and flowing animals, birds and insects, creatures large and small Flow created.

Finally God said Let us create humanity, they will have Flow within them like us and live in the earth.

Little Big Man movie The Digby Biggest Dog in the World divx

Bad Boys dvd

In a town not so far from here there was man known as Abs. The town was a pretty desolate place, with not much going on, so Abs grew up to skate and ride, as soon as he put his foot on his first board he knew he was born to ride. As he rode he experienced life and energy in a way he had never known before. The more he rode the more he flowed with ths life and energy. Slowly Abs began to understand the life and energy was beyond him, it was not created by him, or generated by himself, but as he forgot himself in the ride he would experience it more and more. Abs began to call this life and energy Flow, he started to recognise when he was about ride with Flow and when Flow was not present. The more he understood and experienced Flow the more he wanted to be in Flow all the time. Slowly Abs felt Flow beginning to communicate with him, it was strange unnerving and Abs was not sure at first if he was imagining things, but Abs knew Flow. Unsure he uttered to himself as much to the Flow that he wanted to experience Flow all the time. Whether it was a voice, an internal impression of a voice, or just something in his mind Abs was unsure, but he knew it was Flow. It seemed a strange contradiction, This voice was saying to Abs if he wanted to really know Flow then he would have to break his skateboard. Abs was confused “wasn’t it through riding that he first really began to experience Flow, wasn’t it through those moments of laughter and relief after pulling the best hand plant, or kick flip that Flow was most present� Yet Abs longed for more and had grown to trust Flow and so reluctantly, he agreed. He made his way to the Skatepark Quarter the highest ramp around, to smash his board on the concrete edge of the ramp.Two Brothers movie Fire Down Below divx