Outstanding in my field...

Lessons from Starbucks

2008-08-06T11:26:00.005+01:00

Last year I read Howard Schultz's inspirational book "Pour your heart into it" and was inspired by the way he kept the core values within Starbucks.

Recently as part of my work with

http://www.genesistcc.co.uk

I have been working with a couple of clients regarding Culture and Values within their organisations and once again the example of Starbucks has come up. Reading their corporate values I was challenged about how these could be applied to our Church:

1) BE WELCOMING. Offer everyone a sense of belonging.
2) BE GENUINE. Connect, discover, respond.
3) BE KNOWLEDGEABLE. Love what you do. Share it with others.
4) BE CONSIDERATE. Take care of yourself, each other, and your environment.
5) BE INVOLVED. In the store, in the company, in your community.

Now that wouldn't be a bad start for most churches, would it?

PS - if you want me to do some culture or values stuff in your company, then e-mail me at: enquiries@genesistcc.co.uk or goto the contact page on the website:

Understanding self...

2008-08-04T13:20:00.005+01:00

http://www.genesistcc.co.uk

As you all know by now, the new company is up and running and I've got a reasonable amount of work on (enough to pay the mortgage - not enough to think about retiring yet!).

One of the strings to my bow is that I am licensed practitioner of the Insights Discovery profiling system. This is a fascinating system that by some clever piece of software produces a remarkably accurate personal profile from just a few choices of words that you are given on an online form.

The first purpose of this is to understand ourselves, and as I reflect on some of the statements, I am constantly challenged by the difference between who I am and who I need to be both in work and in my social and church life.

For example - my strengths (from my profile) include the following:

+ Draws people together.
+ Forward looking, quick thinker.
+ Displays high levels of energy.
+ Outgoing and direct.
+ Frank, honest and straightforward leader.
+ Ingenious thinker with a great ability in long range planning.
+ Sees the positive in every situation.
+ Constantly strives to make improvements.
+ Constantly juggling a large number of projects.
+ Competitive and wants to win at all costs.

However my weaknesses include:

- His need for variety may leave some tasks incomplete.
- May step on the toes of others to achieve objectives.
- May ignore the practicalities.
- Judges strangers on first impressions.
- High sense of urgency can create stress for others.
- Generates so many ideas that chaos often ensues.
- Avoids showing his true feelings.
- His confidence can sometimes be interpreted as arrogance.
- Tends to be perceived as arrogant in stressful situations.

I'm troubled by the words "arrogance" and "arrogant" appearing in the final two.

The Insights discovery profile is a powerful thing - I need to use it to reinforce my gifts and to challenge myself to confront my weaknesses.

If you fancy having a profile yourself, or finding out more about it - drop me a line:

enquiries@genesistcc.co.uk

Website goes live!

2008-07-09T15:35:00.003+01:00

My new company website has gone live! Very exciting!

http://www.genesistcc.co.uk

My new company

2008-07-01T15:01:00.001+01:00

Still around

2008-05-07T12:23:00.001+01:00

I really am a terrible blogger - I'm still here but active Facebooking.

My new company's website will be available soon - keep checking www.genesistcc.co.uk

Take care

Garry

My celebrity look-alikes

2007-09-28T11:15:00.000+01:00

New term

2007-09-05T10:52:00.000+01:00

So my little boy is off to big school - this is him at 06:55 on his first morning (he has a c. 1-hour journey each way).

It's funny how he can look so innocent and yet so grown up all at the same time.

He had an "OK" first day (according to him) and hooked up with a couple of new mates that he made at a 10-pin bowling event we had organised on the Monday.

So far so good...

Facebooker

2007-08-05T11:25:00.000+01:00

Apologies for the now random updates to this blog as I have become a devotee of Facebook instead which I can highly recommend.

I'm nursing sunburnt feet today after a day on the beach at Frinton with the family yesterday.

Tania took this great pic of Me, Elliot and my dad which I love!

Take care

Help me not to be just another face in the crowd...

2007-06-27T18:58:00.000+01:00

If any of you have any Salvation Army literature, at some point you must have seen the following photograph:

The Salvation Army officer in the picture is the late (and great) Major Keith Lloyd who fell ill shortly after retiring last year and was Promoted to Glory (a great Salvation Army phrase!) a couple of months back. I had the privilage of working with Keith for but a short while and am immensely proud of having spent some time with the great man. There's too much to say about him - in fact I hope someone writes his biography on day - but here is the tribute to him I was honoured to give at his funeral to give you some idea of what I felt about him.

Keith Lloyd was a big man. As expected therefore he leaves a big impression. In fact so big an impression that it seems strange to be talking about him in the past tense.

I had the privilege of working with Keith for quite a short while compared to many of you. It is therefore an honour for me to have been asked to say a few words in tribute today.

So what were the qualities of this big man which so impressed me?

Firstly, Keith had Presence - you knew he was around even when you couldn't see him. You heard him coming down the corridor humming or whistling the only 4 bars of the march "under 2 flags" that I think he knew. The presence of Keith was nigh – as my colleague Mike Emberson used to say, cutting around like the old actor Sidney Greenstreet.

Keith wasn't an official part of our unit, but given the fact that his team was home-based or out and about visiting centre and his office was close to our area, he soon became one of the team – especially if someone had left cakes, sweets or biscuits on the table! In fact I am aware that he became an adopted member of several other teams around the building for the same reason!

If delicacies ever arrived courtesy of guests north of the border which required slicing, Keith could be relied upon with a plate and knife ready to oblige (in exchange for a generous portion of course).

But I remember his presence most at a very difficult time for our unit, when due to central financial issues we were asked to make cuts which led to possible redundancies. I shall never forget Keith coming into my office to talk to me before I had to undertake the difficult task of telling those staff affected, neither will they or I forget the fact that, whilst others found reasons to be off the building, Keith sat outside my office waiting, available as a listening ear to anyone who needed it – his presence at a difficult time for all of us being highly valued and led to us conferring on him the position of chaplain or padre to our team (without official permission of course!). Keith was a big man with a big presence.

Principles

Keith was a man of high principles, firm in his beliefs and never afraid to express them – not in a confrontational way, but solid and unwavering. You knew where he stood on issues as he told you. At a time when all too often principles are compromised for expediency, Keith remained firm in his beliefs and never flinched from telling people what he believed in and what he thought the correct response to a situation. Amazingly, even when you disagreed with his point of view, it never felt threatening with Keith because of his total honesty in his views and his acceptance that others may hold alternative views – he was not argumentative but simply stated the truth as he saw it.

Keith was a big man who was big on principles

Proud

Thirdly, Keith was a proud man – proud of his faith and the way he had come to faith all those years ago in Westminster. He was proud of his family, of Madelaine, the girls and the grandchildren.

Keith was proud to be a Salvationist, of our flag and what it stands for – I remember him once insisting that Facilities Management replaced the flag outside THQ because the one hanging there was dirty.
Keith was proud of his uniform – he was one of very few THQ officers who were always seen outside the building or on public transport to and from work wearing his cap. He said that The Salvation Army paid for his ticket so therefore they deserved the advertising! But really he was proud to be a Salvationist and not afraid to be identified as one in the community.

As he approached retirement, it seemed at the time that he would not be able to continue working for The Salvation Army and he therefore talked about becoming a greeter at B&Q. Well I think that he was the greatest greeter that B&Q never had because I can imagine he would have been superb at the job – mind you I’m not sure bright orange was really his colour! However we can console ourselves that heaven has a top class greeter on the gates now – standing smartly in his cap and stand-up collar, humming those 4-bars of “under 2 flags” and serving the Lord that he loved so much. Keith Lloyd was a big man, but we remember him for the big impression he made on our lives.

Soldier Of Christ Well Done

Praise By They New Employ

And While Eternal Ages Run

Rest In Thy Savior's Joy

A young Bamber Gascoigne...?

2007-06-24T21:46:00.000+01:00

Isn't it funny how your friends turn out...

Long time no blog

2007-06-01T15:19:00.000+01:00

Blimey - how time flies! I am embarrassed that I haven't blogged since the London Marathon and that was ages ago!

Here's a bullet point summary of my life since then:

ran the marathon.....slowly - in fact very slowly! (Slowest ever due to heat) but finished and have the medal to prove it

Got accepted for accreditation on Insights Discovery Profiling system http://www.insights.com/core/English/TheDiscoverySystem/default.shtm

Major Keith Lloyd - a top bloke, friend and former colleague - died quite suddenly and I had the unexpected privilege of speaking at his funeral - first time I've ever done this

Southend got relegated

Went camping with the http://www.urbanarmy.blogspot.com clan - or Boots 2007 as they like to call it!

Recorded a personal best bowling analysis of 5 for 10 in the Corps 20:20 cricket match

We looked after my sister's Westie Puppies for the weekend (Frank & Beans) - put me off ever owning a dog!

That's about it - there's probably more but these are the bits I can remember.

I promise I'll try to be a better blogger in weeks to come

London Marathon

2007-04-17T10:23:00.000+01:00

Haven't blogged properly for a while - things have been pretty hectic at work and there's also been the little matter of training for the London Marathon which is on Sunday.

I am filled with a sense of dread about the race this year, mainly because I know I haven't been as disciplined with either my training or my eating as I have with my previous two marathons. Consequently I am not as fit but too fat!

Some of my longer training runs have been really tough going as my body seems to have run out of fuel towards the end and I am really worried about "hitting the wall" on Sunday - although I have been fine on both previous marathons. I had a rubbish half-marathon in Brentwood the other week - caused by trying to go out too fast in order to get a sub 2-hour time. This was just stupidity on my part as I haven't been training at that pace.

Tania and I have been working out a Mars Bar and Jelly Baby strategy for Sunday to try and pump some sugar into my body to keep me going.

I'm sure I'll get more excited about the race as it gets closer, but for now I'm just panicing a bit.

Oh and by the way, predictably I started my fundraising too late (I need to raise £1500 for NCH) so, if you can help on that side, go to http://www.justgiving.com/shrimpergarry

HE DID IT!!!!

2007-03-01T23:19:00.000Z

Found out this morning that Elliot passed his 11+ and, although he didn't make the cut for the most local grammar school, he did make it into his 2nd choice Southend High School for Boys.

We're all well chuffed and mightily relieved.

Praise God for answered prayer.

11 plus agony...

2007-02-28T14:51:00.000Z

This is a big week for the Smith clan. Any of you with 10/11 year old children will know that 1st March is “National Offer Day” where local education authorities send out to parents notification of which secondary school their child will attend. Elliot starts secondary school this September and so we will discover later this week which school he is going to.

For many parents in many areas, this is a “no-brainer” as they simply have local comprehensive schools with a catchment area and all kids in that area go to that school. However in Essex things are rather more complicated than that!

We still have a partial 2-tier system in Essex and have some selective grammar schools – 1 boys and 1 girls grammar in both Chelmsford and Colchester and 2 of each in Southend (1 of which was my old school). There are also a number of schools which select by different criteria – 1 we looked at was mainly Roman Catholic but took some Christian children active in other denominations. 1 other specialised in languages and so would take children with extensive foreign connections.

We looked at all of them in September around the time we had to submit to the local authority our choice of 4 schools in order of preference. After a lot of debate, we came up with the following list:

1. King Edward VII (boys grammar school in Chelmsford, 2-miles from our house)
2. Southend High for Boys (my old school in Southend)
3. Westcliff High for Boys (the other boys grammar school in Southend)
4. Chelmer Valley (our local catchment comprehensive – about ½ mile from us)

In order to get into the top 3 preferences there is an entrance exam – thankfully run as a common entrance exam for all boys and girls grammar schools across Essex. This consists of tests in English, Maths and Verbal Reasoning all sat on the same day last November.

To further complicate matters the 3 selective schools operate different entry criteria. Both the schools in Southend reserve a certain number of places for local boys who reach a defined “pass mark”. Non-local boys (like Elliot) compete competitively for the remaining places based solely on the exam results. Sadly our local grammar school offers no such local places and all 114 places are therefore “first past the post” regardless of where the boy lives (we were told by the deputy head that the furthest away travels from Edgware Road in London every day!).

In reality Elliot’s chance of getting into any of the top 3 choices rests on his performance on that day in the exams.

Such is the standard of these schools, that places are highly over subscribed (over 800 applicants for 114 places) and in an effort to get in, many parents have private tutors to ensure their child is as prepared as they can be.

We decided not to go down that route feeling that it was wrong to put Elliot under so much pressure and that if he was bright enough he’d get in anyway and wouldn’t have to struggle to keep up if he made it (as some who needed tutoring might). His school did a small amount of preparatory work for the 8 children (out of 50) who chose to go in for the test, and Elliot performed really well in the prep. tests that he did.

We were therefore fairly confident that he would do well on the day as he went in as relaxed as he could be (compared to some of kids from prep. schools who went in in blazers and caps!) in his favourite “slob out” jeans and t-shirt. Elliot is a “happy go lucky” sort of kid anyway, not often phased by anything that life throws at him.

When we went to pick him up, he spotted us among the crowds of expectant parents, gave me a big hug and burst into tears saying “I don’t think I got in – I left loads of questions out”. Bless him – our biggest fear was that he wouldn’t perform on the only day in the process that mattered and from his reaction it seems that may have come true. We will find out for sure tomorrow (and on Monday when we get the actual test results) but we sadly fear he won’t make it into any of his chosen schools.

Fortunately the local comp. is OK and those parents we know with children there seem very happy with it. However there is still that sickening feeling that he won’t have realised his full potential.

I’m the worst at worrying about it and have been a frequent (Tania would say obsessive!) visitor to a web-forum for neurotic 11+ parents. I have also set up spreadsheets calculating the possible results and examined in detail results from other years, correlated with the number of questions he missed out and his average performance in prep. tests to see if there is a chance he’ll still do it. Realistically the local school is probably beyond his reach but if he did as well as he can (on a good day) in the questions he attempted then the Southend schools are a possibility. Of course everything depends on how all the other boys did too as the results are comparative not absolute.

Tania has been amazingly philosophical about the whole thing, saying that we dedicated Elliot to God when he was a baby and therefore God has a plan for Elliot now. I wish I had the faith that she has as I’m feeling quite low at the moment.

As a parent I realise I have the responsibility of encouraging Elliot whatever the result tomorrow – I just know that kids are perceptive and he will read any disappointment that shows on my face.

PRAYERS PLEASE!!!!

Great weekend

2007-02-12T15:16:00.000Z

Had one of those delightful weekends when everything seemed to go pretty well, it also involved things that I really enjoy (although worryingly didn't involve going to the Army at all!!!)

Friday night - watched Southend win 5-0 at home to QPR - nights like these don't come around very often. What's more it was live on Sky and my father-in-law recorded it for me so I could watch the best bits again whilst tucking into a Chinese when I got back.

Saturday morning - had a rehearsal for a 10-piece brass ensemble called "Wonderbrass" that I am involved in. It reminded me how much I enjoy blowing a tuba.

Saturday lunch - met Tania and the kids for a relaxing lunch out, just enjoyed their company and Elliot's quirkiness (he ordered a peanut butter and honey baguette!).

Saturday evening - went on a 6-mile run and felt brilliant afterwards (this is not always the case!) - ran a long route to my parents to wish my mum a happy birthday.

Sunday - Tania and I left the kids with her mum and drove up to London for a family do at a posh London club. Arrived early (this definitely does not always happen!) so walked around the corner to the Royal Academy where we had enjoyed a cuppa in their cafe. The family do was absolutely amazing - 111 people to celebrate my Uncle and Aunt's 40th wedding anniversary. Met up with some family members I haven't seen for years.

Sunday night - had the kids returned to us, supper with the in-laws and then watched a recording of last night's Top Gear.

What a fantastic weekend - football, music making, family, running and all of them went really well. Shame it didn't involve Church too - but sometimes I feel like I need a break, don't you?

Still only halfway to the 92...

2007-02-08T14:55:00.000Z

One of those things that I always wonder is how many football grounds I've seen Southend play a competitive match at. Just worked it out and it is 50 exactly - this includes 44 current premiership or football league teams, 5 former league teams now plying their trade in the conference and of course the Millenium Stadium Cardiff (twice!)

I know you're just so interested in this, so here's the full list!

Portsmouth
Spurs
Fulham
West Ham
Charlton
Watford
Derby
Southampton
Cardiff
Colchester
Wolves
Crystal Palace
Sheff Wed
Ipswich
Norwich
Coventry
Leicester
QPR
Luton
Barnsley
Hull
ROOTS HALL
Scunthorpe
Swansea
Gillingham
Brighton
Millwall
Bradford
Chesterfield
Orient
Northampton
Bournmouth
MK Dons
Wycombe
Notts County
Bristol Rovers
Chester
Barnet
Mansfield
Peterborough
Bury
Rochdale
Grimsby
Boston
*York
*Exeter
*Aldershot
*Rushden
*Cambridge
**Millenium Stadium

Shrimpers' new ground approved!

2007-01-25T10:11:00.000Z

Exceeding my wildest expectations, Southend Borough Council have approved Southend United's application for a new ground.

For those of you who know your geography of Southend, this is where it is:

Sort of between the Crematorium and Waitrose. It's been designed by the same architects that had a hand in designing the Sydney Olympic Stadium, The Emirates Stadium for Arsenal, The Reebok Stadium and the new Wembley - Have a look at some of their projects:

http://www.hoksve.com/sport/projects/proj_list_location_1.htm

When complete our new ground will seat 22,000 and looks absolutely stunning!

So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye...

2007-01-15T11:40:00.000Z

Just said goodbye to Richard and Heidie who fly off to Zambia for another 18-months this afternoon. It's been great to spend a little time with them over the last month and, as with any good friends, the time is never enough.

We still hope to visit them in Chikankata but the cost is pretty horrendous for 4 of us. Richard is trying to persuade me to do the Soweto marathon with him in November, but I don't think so!

On the marathon front, I now have a place to run London in April so training must start in earnest. After vowing "never again" I have a Golden Bond place with NCH which means I've got to raise £1400 for them. I'm not going to push for it too hard and will just make up any shortfall myself.

I'm a rubbish dieter and exerciser so I need a goal to aim for, and for the last 3.5 years marathons have been my thing.

Just come back from a weekend at Center Parcs which was great - went with my Mum and Dad, my sister and her husband (Uncle Albert!), and Tania's mum and her husband, Geoff. We were also there at the same time as Statford Nick and Lisa (and young Joshua) and Lisa's sister Jo and her husband Richard, who are members of our house group. Had a great time - it's a bit expensive but good value for money if you get my meaning!

Out but not down...

2006-12-21T23:05:00.000Z

So the Carling cup dream has come to an end, but what a performance from the lads! Had a great night courtesy of my old mate (and Colchester fan!) Graeme Howell, who invited myself and Richard (aka Charlie Chikankata) as guests in his company's box at White Hart Lane. This is the way to watch football - I'll have to have a word with Paul about radius 360 getting one at Roots Hall! In the end we fought bravely all night but were kept at bay by England's no. 1 (Paul Robinson) and went out to a (offside) "goal" in the 115th minute from an England striker (Jermaine Defoe). We were applauded off the field by the Spurs fans and the team can walk away with a lot of credit. It was a great night - except for the journey home on London's woeful public transport system - eventually got home at 01:20!

Anyway, just penning my final Mashbury sermon for this Sunday and " 'er indoors " has come to disturb me (albeit with a nice cup of tea) to insist I look at her arty pictures she took from the garden yesterday morning and post them on "our" blog!

Well, it's not really my style, but Christmas is coming and I don't want to end up with just socks and hankies so I'd better keep the old girl (did I mention she'll be 40 next birthday?) happy so here you go, don't blame me if you think they're boring!

Spot the heron!

Spot the pheasant!

Happy Christmas One and All!

2006-12-14T12:01:00.000Z

Latest family pic (taken Saturday 16th December 2006)

3 generations of Smiths carolling last Saturday

Our family normally sends out a Christmas newsletter to far flung friends and relatives, but these have got rather a bad press recently, so instead we decided to post it on my blog. That way if people really are interested in what's been happening in our lives over the last year, they can log on and read it. If they're really "not bovvered" then they don't have to and we've saved the resources of ink and paper!

Watch this space for updates over the next few days...

Just in case you hadn't noticed....

2006-11-10T15:27:00.000Z

Still not quite sunk in!

2006-11-09T11:21:00.000Z

I watched the pre-match build up and then the whole game again last night (thanks to my father-in-law who had recorded it off Sky for me!). What a fantastic performance! It will be one of the following clubs in the Quarter Finals: Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool, Newcastle, Charlton or.... Wycombe Wanderers!

Just read this great account of Tuesday night on http://www.shrimperzone.com from someone who didn't manage to get a ticket. I thought it deserved a wider audience!

My neighbours will never speak to me again. When I awoke on Wednesday morning to find my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth and an empty bottle of white wine in my bed, I was dimly aware that something incredible might have happened. It took another 30 seconds for the memories to filter back into my mind. As they did so, one fuzzy image at a time, I became aware of a gentle ticking noise in the background; the property value of the area was still dropping....It was with heavy heart that the door to my flat was opened to a legion of Southend Exiles on Tuesday night. One by one, they arrived, clutching bags of booze that they hoped would take away the pain of not being at Roots Hall. We'd tried desperately to get seats for the game, but with a ticketing system that left the door gaping for touts, we were all left empty-handed. Still, we thought, not too worry. We've spared ourselves a fruitless night in the cold. It wasn't like we were going to win the game, was it?James, a gaming executive, arrived first with his girlfriend, Jenny. Neither of them were particularly confident. "I've heard that Rooney's in the starting line-up," whispered James conspiratorially. We all shuddered, as if an icy breeze had crossed the room. Next in was Matt, a barrister from the city. Pulling drinks out of his bag, he addressed the room with grim fatality. "Five-nil to United, I think." I thought he was wrong. I reckoned on at least seven goals. By the time the match kicked off, the front room was audibly straining as sofas were hauled round, chairs shifted and needless obstructions, like Jonny the token Leyton Orient fan, were moved to the back. Manchester United imperiously pinged the ball about on the slick surface, but then found to their horror that Southend could do the same. "Well, that's two minutes on the board and we still haven't conceded," beamed Mark from Muswell Hill, keeping his expectations low. "You know what?" I said as a plate of white chocolate fingers went round the room, "if someone told me right now that we'd be guaranteed extra-time, I'd be happy. I just don't want us to get humiliated in front of the world." "Not for me, thanks," said Matt eskewing the white chocolate fingers and clutching the dark chocolate ones close to his chest. "Once you've had black, you never go back."Ten minutes passed and as belief spread through the blue shirts, it spilled out of the TV and across the room. Every tackle was met with a cheer, every Eastwood run provoked a roar that rumbled around the flat and echoed out of the windows and down the street. When Southend were awarded a free-kick some distance outside the box, we were edging forward on their seats. Surely it was too far out? Surely Freddy Eastwood wasn't considering a shot from there?"Is he going to have a crack?" I asked. "I think he is, you know...."The next thing I remember is being on Matt's back, kissing Mark's stubbly cheek and wondering who was screaming. It turned out to be me. Somehow not a single drink had been knocked over in the melee, the girls scattering behind us with quick fingers as we tumbled off the sofa. "Your hands, look at your hands," said my girlfriend, as the screaming faded away. "They're shaking!""Wibble," I said faintly and slugged at a drink. "Wibble." Others were more coherent. "Jesus Christ!" squeaked Matt. "Jesus Christ, we're one-nil up against Manchester United!" Camera-phones were hauled out to snatch a memory of the scoreboard before something horrible happend. Young midfielder David Jones confirmed our need to capture the moment by crashing a shot off the post seconds after Eastwood's goal. We were looking wobbly. In the front room, our shouts became incoherent and panicked.By now we had attracted the attention of the people across the street. Our windows, opened wide to prevent a crowded room getting very sweaty, presented the neighbours with a reality show more gripping than anything on television. Curtains up and down the street twitched as residents weighed up whether or not they should call the police.When half-time finally arrived and our lead remained intact, the pacing began. James took to the kitchen, Matt turned circles in front of the telly and I smoked and fidgeted on the window-sill. "What would you say to them at half-time?" asked James. "How do you get them to repeat that performance?""Brian Clough did something interesting once," I said, in between shaky drags. "He had to go to Anfield and just hold Liverpool to a draw to qualify for the next round of the European Cup. At half-time, with Forest and Liverpool locked together at 0-0, he made everyone sit down in the dressing room. 'Listen to that,' he told them and they listened. For 15 minutes, not one of them dared to make a sound, they just sat there in silence. Then when the buzzer sounded, they headed out for the second half.""What happened?" asked Mark."They lost 0-3," I said, "but it was an interesting approach."The second half was a very different story. For the first 45 minutes, Southend had kept pace with the Premiership leaders, but as the minutes ticked by they were stretched further and further by the relentless waves of red shirts. Daryl Flahavan, the shortest goalkeeper in the league, played like a man possessed. He hurled his 5ft10 frame around the goal, refusing to be beaten by a succession of Cristiano Ronaldo drives. Spencer Prior, the ageing journeyman centre-back, simply picked up Wayne Rooney and put him in his pocket.On 70 minutes, Matt cracked. "This," he announced to the room, "is no longer pleasant." He began to bellow, "Out!" every time the ball entered the Southend penalty area, his deep, crisp voice richocheting around the leafy, North London street. The people across the road were now watching our antics openly.Moments later, and James was in difficulties too. He left his spot on the sofa and paced up and down at the back of the room, occasionally sinking to his haunches when the pressure built. "You know what?" said Jonny the Orient fan. "You might just win this!""Shut up!" we screamed. "Chickens and eggs, man! Don't count anything yet!"As the seconds ticked down, the volume edged up. Heads were buried in hands, drinks were being kicked over by twitchy feet. "Out!" bellowed Matt again. "Out!" he demanded seconds later."Wibble," I said, unable to form words.We didn't hear the final whistle when it sounded, we were already locked in a wide embrace. For the exiles in that room, this was less about a result and more about vindication. Vindication for the times that people had found out who we supported and asked whether we were non-league or not. Vindication for putting up with people confusing us with Southampton. It was revenge for the moments when plastic Premiership fans looked down their noses at us. It was a tonic for the regular long and crowded train journeys that we made from London to Southend. Every dire 0-0, every league game lost, every inept manager, it was all forgiven with that final whistle. As more drinks were poured and kisses exchanged across the room, some of the older hands sat quietly, grinning from ear-to-ear. For people more loyal to the cause than me, this was something of a religious experience. I've never been rained on in open terracing in Macclesfield, if I had, last night would probably have killed me. The shouting and whooping continued apace, but there, dear reader, my recollections come juddering to a halt like the end of an old cinefilm. I await with bated breath, the angry visits from the neighbours. I wonder if they'll understand....

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!

2006-11-08T00:01:00.000Z

What a night, what a win!

The day has arrived

2006-11-07T06:56:00.000Z

Well, here we go, the day has finally arrived when my little club plays the biggest club side in the world. Sir Alex has put Rooney and Ronaldo in his squad of 20, but on (Southend's)current form he could probably play himself and the coach driver and they'd still beat us!

Never mind, I'll try to enjoy the game and the experience, whatever the final score. If you're watching the game on Sky (or from some foreign tv station) I hope to have a Zambian flag just above the corner flag to the right of the South Stand goal in honour of RB (Charlie Chikankata) who I so wish was there with me, but will be watching the game live on Zambian TV.

Up the Shrimpers!

"If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito." - Bette Reeves

2006-10-27T17:14:00.000+01:00

Good quote from the blog of an interesting bloke: http://www.andylothian.com

They think it's all over...

2006-10-22T15:57:00.000+01:00

...it will be at Christmas.

It was announced to the congregation at Mashbury this afternoon that I will be reliquishing my responsibilities there at Christmas.

A tough decision this one, and one which I made over a month ago, but I'm quite comfortable that it is the right one.

There is not one reason behind it, but a combination of a number of factors that have come together.

It is loads more time-consuming than I ever imagined. I am conscious that the hours I spend in meeting prep. are hours that I am not able to spend with my wife and kids. They are very understanding about this, but I would hate for them to resent this later or for it to damage my relationship with Tania.
I have not felt valued by the whole Corps at Mashbury, more to the point I am often made to feel (by the senior census locals) that I am inadequate for the job and that I don't do things properly. Whether they mean for me to feel like this, or it is just me being over-sensitive, this has been quite hurtful and damaging to me personally, and quite frankly I've had enough.
I am encouraged by the new things happening at Chelmsford Corps - both through the leadership of our new COs Alan & Lynda Watters (despite the length of his sermons!) and also by the spirituality in the emerging younger generation. There is an interesting group of young people emerging and arriving at the Corps and I wonder if God has a plan for me to be there with them as an older person to support and mentor them. Whatever the future holds, I am conscious that I need to be at Chelmsford Corps to part of what is going on there.

Intersting that there are a few bloggers among this emerging group:

http://www.ipodupdate.blogspot.com/

http://mattpie.blogspot.com/

http://confessions-of-an-innocent-man.blogspot.com/

So that's the news then - will I have to change the name of my blog at Christmas too? (Can't really be rural army and more! Shall I become suburbanarmy? Actually Gordon hasn't become ivorytowerarmy now he's gone to the training college so why should I change!)

Cardiff Half-Marathon Completed

2006-10-16T09:43:00.000+01:00

2:11:59 really pleased with that, I ran the whole way and was just about bang on 10-minute mile pace (except for the mile when I went for a wee!). A great experience on a nice flat course with an outstanding finish in the Millenium Stadium - I, of course, did a big sprint finish for the last 50 metres in front of the cheering crowds!

Big day tomorrow!

2006-10-10T17:49:00.000+01:00

Well, I've been in my new job for just over a month and the big day comes tomorrow when I actually have to stand up in front of a group and deliver a whole training course on Customer Care, all on my own!

I must admit that I'm a bit apprehensive, although everyone keeps reminding me that I've delivered far more demanding things to far larger and more demanding groups than this before so I should be fine. I suppose it's the first time you do something, you want to make sure you get it right.

Anyway, to keep Nick happy, here are my vital statistics for this week!:

Days until Cardiff half-marathon: 5
Miles run in the last week: 18
Pounds (in weight!) lost in the last month: 12
Number in congregation at Mashbury last Sun. 13
Secondary Schools visited for Elliot: 5
Schools still to visit before choices made: 2

And finally:

Number of people needed to complete Chik. Challenge: 29 (tell your friends!) and point them to: http://www.justgiving.com/gisatenner

Keep on running!

2006-10-07T22:20:00.000+01:00

Did my longest run for a while today - 10 miles - and I felt really good, it took me 1 hour 30 mins. and 31 secs. which is pretty good for me, and more importantly I felt strong at the end.

Sunday 15th October is the Cardiff half-marathon, which I think will be the 5th time I have run that distance, I am trying to fill in the gaps on my times, so this post may be edited a bit in due course. I think they are as follows:

March 04 - Brentwood - 2:11:40
June 04 - Southend - 2:09:00
Sept 04 - Great North run - 2:16:00
March 05 - Silverstone - 2:??:00
Oct 06 - Cardiff - ??:??:??

Vital statistics

2006-09-25T09:20:00.000+01:00

Weight lost since 5/9/06: 9lbs

Weight still to lose to reach target: 24lbs

Miles run in last 7 days: 14

Days until Cardiff Half-Marathon: 20

Number in congregation at Mashbury last Sunday: 12

Hours spent in meeting prep. for last Sunday: 4

Number of people donated to Chik. Ambulance: 58

Gis a tenner

2006-09-10T22:47:00.000+01:00

I'm one of Richard Bradbury's (a.k.a. Charlie Chikankata) gang of nine - charged with finding 200 people to give us a tenner each: http://www.justgiving.com/gisatenner is the place to go if you'd like to join us.

Here's a picture of Bradbury for those interested - he's on the front row, right hand side wearing a maroon t-shirt in case you had trouble picking him out!

Citroen 2CV parody commercial

2006-09-06T21:50:00.000+01:00


The remake of the Citroen C4 commercial where the car transforms into a robot and start dancing. This time it's the old 2CV to dance. Awesome computer generated movie from x-bam.com

Send the fire today?

2006-08-22T10:00:00.000+01:00

Had the excitement of a (small) real fire at THQ today! Meant we all got to go off for a coffee and a chat!

However when we returned we were told it was a fire in one of the air-conditioning units - as a good friend on the building pointed out, we're not getting fried, we're just getting slowly roasted!

It's B

2006-08-15T22:25:00.000+01:00

All the jobs I listed (except Charlie Chickenkorma's suggestion!) are ones which I have at one time considered or would like to do in the future. However from September 5th I will be working as a self-employed associate with http://www.radius360.co.uk if you are a friend or relative, I will be in touch with business cards!

It's quite a scarey decision for me, leaving the security of salaried employment, but it is the right time for me to go and I believe the right place for me to go to.

I will be working with a fantastic new team of very positive and gifted individuals and I am looking forward to facing new challenges. I'm grateful to the MD, Paul Cook, for approaching me and having faith in my abilities - I hope I can live up to his expectations!

Makes you wonder....

2006-08-14T11:27:00.000+01:00

I was at our floor prayers this morning (not the whole building, just those staff who work in the 3 departments based on the 2nd floor).

There were 15 of us there, and it struck me that it was 3 more than attended morning worship at Mashbury yesterday!

12 people is a good sized house group (or a good sized minibus!) - sometimes I get discouraged by the numbers that show up and question whether the hours I spend in preparation of a sermon and a meeting are worthwhile - especially in the context that they are hours I do not spend with my wife, children or friends.

Just made me wonder what it's all about.

PS My mood was slightly lifted after the meeting by one of our adherents who told me that she would like to become a soldier - God must have known that I needed a bit of encouragement!

And I thought nobody read it....

2006-08-10T11:21:00.000+01:00

I really thought nobody (besides Charlie Chikenkorma!) read my blog, but all sorts of people keep asking me if the decision has been made about my job yet!

Well, the decision has been made, I have handed in my notice and will finish my employment as Director of Research & Development with The Salvation Army on Monday 4th September.

I will then be doing one of the following:

a. Preparing to enter the training college in order to become a Salvation Army officer

b. Working as a self-employed management consultant, associated to a man in Mashbury

c. Filing a bond with the PFA to allow me to work as a players agent

d. Enrolling at the Public Carriage Office in London to do "the knowledge" to become a London taxi driver.

Watch this space for the final answer, or leave a comment to let me know which you think it will be!

Standing at the crossroads

2006-08-01T09:36:00.000+01:00

Career-wise I stand yet again at another crossroads (not again I hear you cry!).

I have an opportunity to move on and need to make a decision one way or the other by the end of this week.

Normally my career moves have been to the next rung up the ladder (although my move into my current job from being a CEO of a smaller charity may be considered a bit of a sideways move) - however this one is a bit more of a jump and involves a fair amount of personal risk.

I am so fortunate to have a supportive wife who sees the potential benefits of the new opportunity and as a result I'm 99% sure that I will go for it, although in some ways it will be a wrench to leave the security blanket of The Salvation Army behind and some good friends that I have made (just found some cracking new lunch partners and I'll miss them and a couple of trusted colleagues particularly).

Keep me in your prayers please, as I need the comfort of knowing that I am doing the right thing.

to run or not to run....

2006-07-21T10:05:00.000+01:00

Those of you who know me fairly well will know that, much to the amazement of my friends, I ran the London Marathon in 2004. The time was no world-beater (5hrs 5 minutes), however for a fat bloke like me the achievement of running 26.2 miles was enough.

To prove it wasn't a fluke, I ran another marathon last year, this time in Stockholm. I managed to beat the 5 hour barrier this time (4:56).

I then got in my head that I would try and run a marathon every year - just in order to keep reasonably fit and trim. This year I applied to do London again but was unsuccessful (I don't want to do another charity place just yet as the fundraising takes as long as the training).

I've identified the Cardiff marathon on October 15th as a possibility, but am struggling to get the will to go training in this heat. I've now got 12 weeks left and really that's not long enough. I've therefore got 3 options:

Sack it for this year
Start the training and see how it goes, if not too bad by the closing date for entries, to go for it, but take it easy and not try to break my PB
Start the training with a view to doing the half-marathon which takes place on the same day.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Bad blogger

2006-07-20T11:40:00.000+01:00

I'm so rubbish at this! Really don't find the time to sit down and type often enough.

London is so hot at the moment - I really don't want to be here! However it is made more bearable by some terrific people that I come into contact with.

Over the last couple of days I've had a couple of conversations with Roger Batt, who leads The Salvation Army's work in Childrens ministry in the UK. It is so refreshing to talk to Roger - he is just a top bloke. I am lifted up by the way he cares for the spirit of God's precious children. Elliot will hopefully be joining the sports week this year and hearing about all they have planned made me want to be 10 years old again!

God is good and I am grateful for the opportunity to network with guys like Roger - it's one of the few benefits of working at THQ!

This is hilarious!

2006-07-08T15:52:00.000+01:00

http://www.nearlygood.com/audio/shaggytaxi.html

Cricket

2006-06-20T16:45:00.000+01:00

Had an unusual day at the cricket today - went to watch Essex 2nd XI play the Afghanistan national team. the Afghans are an emerging nation having learnt to play the game in refugee camps in Pakistan during the Taliban rule. Cricket is now 2nd only to their national sport ofBuzkashi ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzkashi )

On today's showing they could be quite useful in a few years.

Essex 2nd XI 238-9 off 40 overs (Will Jefferson 65, Graham Napier 96)
Afghanistan 242-9 off 39.2 overs (Napier 3-24)

Afghanistan won by one wicket

Here a few pics. from the game in Billericay:

Sing your hearts out....

2006-06-01T14:25:00.000+01:00

I had the privilege last weekend to be invited to go on a trip to Scotland with the songsters (choir) of Chelmsford Salvation Army. I used to be heavily involved in the songsters (deputy leader) but withdrew after taking on my Corps Mission Secretary responsibilities at Chelmsford, which I subsequently relinquished last year in order to take on the envoy role at Mashbury.

The songsters http://www.ccsongsters.free-online.co.uk/ have a fine reputation and, although I resented the giving up of a Tuesday evening to rehearse over the last few weeks, I enjoyed singing with them.

I was happy to get involved with whatever they wanted me to do, but was really nervous about one particular responsibility. We split the group into 3 parts in order to minister separately on the Sunday morning - 2 groups went to Elderly Care homes, a 3rd went to Edinburgh Prison. I was asked to lead the worship service in the prison.

I've only been into 2 prisons previously and must admit to dreading the thought as both times I had felt really intimidated by the prisoners. However the experience was most uplifting and I'm glad we went. My wife made a really good point in her testimony during the Sunday morning meeting - we had no conductor and no music and therefore the only place we had to look whilst singing was into the eyes of the prisoners listening. She said she saw God in those faces and I know what she meant.

Tribute should also be paid to the local CO - Iain Hudson (who is a 2nd cousin of UrbanArmy's Gordon!) who has a regular ministry in the prison.

We had a cracking trip and a lot of laughs, but the experience in Prison on Sunday morning is the thing that will stay with me for a long time.

"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners" Isaiah 61:1

This is cool

2006-05-20T13:38:00.000+01:00

I realise now what a lot of the world I am yet to see!

You can do your own @ http://douweosinga.com/projects/visitedcountries

Champions!!!

2006-05-06T19:33:00.000+01:00

Say no more...

2006-05-01T20:30:00.000+01:00

Nervous now..

2006-04-20T12:02:00.000+01:00

Right - I'm nervous now. The mighty shrimpers are on the brink of promotion to the championship, but even though we're 6 points clear at the top and only 3 games to go, I still think they could blow it!

Donny Rovers at home on Saturday, in the meantime here's a Freddy Eastwood goal from earlier this season - I sit in the front row, just above the corner flag where he hit this shot from, one of the best goals I've ever seen.

Encouraging Easter

2006-04-17T18:59:00.000+01:00

After a real downer on my Mashbury ministry last week, Easter proved a real encouragement for me.

For the Good Friday meditation, I had focused on the last 7 utterances of Christ(inspired by the book "Seven Words for the 21st Century" - see link below).

I had a guest soloist, Nicola a friend from work and member of the ISS, who willingly gave of her time on a bank holiday to assist in the service.

I also had a 6-foot wooden cross, made for me by a fellow bandsman at Chelmsford.

Despite the PowerPoint not working exactly as I had wanted, the atmosphere that I had wanted to create was created. I had two phonecalls from Corps members at home that evening thanking me for the service and another 5 came up to me on the Sunday specifically to thank me for it. I felt that God had really blessed my preparation and felt really encouraged.

Easter Sunday was also encouraging, a young family from another church who had come on Good Friday came along on Sunday too and our congregation had almost doubled from Good Friday! With the visit of the UrbanArmy clan on Sunday afternoon/evening it was a good day.

Today I had arranged a bank holiday ramble. I'm always worried on occassions like this that nobody will turn up, but today there were 40 of us, taking advantage of the good bank holiday weather and we had a 3.5 mile walk in the countryside which surrounds the Corps. It was a good chance to chat to fringe members of the Corps who are infrequent attenders. Here's a photo of us outside the hall before we set off.

When ruralarmy met urbanarmy...

2006-04-16T22:31:00.000+01:00

Spent an enjoyable afternoon and evening with my old pal Gordon (http://www.urbanarmy.blogspot.com) and am seen here introducing him to the joys of allotment ministry!

The frustrations (and blessings) of ministry

2006-04-11T10:06:00.000+01:00

I'm a full time employee of The Salvation Army, most weeks working in excess of 50 hours plus 1.5 hours commuting each way.

I have a young family (2 kids aged 10 and 8).

I also have a life - I have friends I like to meet, a football team I am passionate about (attending all home games as a season ticket holder), a house group I participate in and I also like to watch a bit of telly!

My ministry at Mashbury is also important to me, but it takes place in the context of the rest of my life. Meeting preparation is time-consuming, but also rewarding and last Sunday was no exception to normal. I did my research on Palm Sunday over a couple of evenings and on the train to and from work and wrote up my sermon on Saturday morning and evening as well as planned out the service.

My research taught me what a hugely significant day Palm Sunday is, with its links back to old testament prophecies by Daniel, Zephaniah and Nehimiah.

So important and significant is it that eleven people showed up for my meeting on Sunday.

Eleven!

We're not a big corps, but eleven is about 30% down on normal attendance.

Perhaps it's me, perhaps they don't like my preaching or leadership style? Perhaps they just can't be bothered!

When only 11 people show up, I reflect on the preparation, on the hours that could have been spent with my children, my wife, my friends or just chilling out.

I wonder if it is all worthwhile. Whether The Salvation Army would be better off just shutting the Corps and bussing people to Chelmsford.

I hope the eleven got something out of the meeting. I'm glad I got something out of the preparation, otherwise I would have been really naffed off!

Southend 2-1 Blackpool

2006-04-08T18:55:00.000+01:00

http://www.soccerbot.com/fa/tables/uk2div06.htm

It was the "bucket and spade derby" today as our seasider friends from the frozen north visited the Essex riviera. I took my customary spot in the South Upper, Row A, Seat 143 (My season ticket seat) at 2.30 pm and readied myself for my favourite way to spend a Saturday afternoon - at Roots Hall watching the Shrimpers.

We played OK in the 1st half but gave away a sloppy goal (scored by a player on loan from Essex rivals Colchester!) and went in 1-0 down at half time.

Second half we were much brighter, first we equalised through our star player, Fredy Eastwood - another fantastic goal - beat 4 defenders and picked his spot. We got the winner with 4 minutes left, a good run down the left from our sub. Mitchell Cole (like Eastwood and ex- Wet Spam trainee that we plucked from non-league Grays Athletic) and stabbed home by Luke Guttridge, the diminuitive midfielder who was arguably our Man of the Match (although the sponsors gave the award to Eastwood).

Points to note:

All 3 goals were scored in the goal I sit behind - that doesn't happen very often!
Crowd of 8180 is great compared with previous seasons but a little disappointing considering where we are in the league
All the other results went for us today - Brentford drew, Huddersfield, Colchester, Swansea and Oldham all lost. We're 9 points clear of 3rd place with 5 games to go.

I love football and I love Southend United! (Irrational I know but there you go!)

In the beginning:

2006-04-06T17:14:00.000+01:00

This was first published in The Salvationist in 2002:

"HERE’S an interesting story from CSM Leon Owers, who’s responsible for Mashbury Corps. Leon tells me that some weeks ago a woman, with her husband and a couple of friends, was driving through some Essex lanes and passed Mashbury corps hall. This was of particular interest to her, as her grandfather had been involved with the commencement of the Army’s work in that area. The group contacted London North-East Divisional Headquarters, who put them in touch with Leon. As a result of this, and subsequent correspondence, the party of four attended a meeting at Mashbury. After looking at a number of photographs it was confirmed that the inquirer’s grandfather was the late Major Isaac Watson, and during the same meeting the granddaughter’s husband read from a Young Soldier report of Major Watson’s 1950 visit to Mashbury to conduct 60th anniversary celebrations. The article relates how, along with seven cadets, Major Watson left the training garrison in Clapton with three horses and a caravan bearing the inscription ‘Faithful’ to take the gospel to the county of Essex, commencing their work in the villages of Mashbury and Good Easter. Also recorded is Major Watson’s diary entry regarding the start of the Army at Mashbury in 1890, when 90 souls were won in seven weeks. CSM Owers took the visitors to the field where the party ‘opened fire’. In all probability this was the field where the photograph reproduced here — showing Major Watson (seated, centre) with the cadets — was taken."

Amazing service

2006-04-04T09:55:00.000+01:00

Saturday evening saw a service of recognition (NOT RETIREMENT!!!) for my 80-year old Corps Sergeant Major at Mashbury. He can be a bit miserable from time to time and I think gets a bit frustrated by me (my administration is really nowhere near his standards), however his service is absolutely exemplary - he has run the Corps for the last 20 years, and in all honesty still runs it!

He was called on to give a speech on Saturday night and although he had prepared copious notes, unwisely decided not to stick to them. 35-minutes later, the DC had to step in to shut him up and he'd only got as far as 1967 and had got rather bogged down in the finer details of the construction of the hall (how many cement mixers, whose tractor they borrowed to dig the trenches etc. etc.). Picking the bones out of this speech was not easy, but what struck me was the devotion of him (and his colleagues) in spending their evenings and weekends building their own SA hall. I have some involvement in the construction of new buildings now and never have I seen this level of commitment recently.

On my office wall I have a picture of the original horse-drawn caravan that came out of the Clapton training garrison and planted the Corps at Mashbury. It has painted on the side the inscription "The faithful" - that spirit still lives on.

A bit about me

2006-04-04T09:45:00.000+01:00

...well I suppose I'd better let you know a bit more about me:

Age: 38
Occupation: Work for The Salvation Army
Hobbies: Southend United Football Club, Divisional Envoy responsible for Mashbury Corps, Long Distance Running (have done 2 marathons)
Family: 1 wife, 2 kids (1 of each variety), 2 chickens, 2 guinea pigs, 1 hamster

More will undoubtedly follow in the course of this blog, but that will do for now

Bandwagons

2006-03-31T12:56:00.000+01:00

Always one to jump on a bandwagon, now that the other 3 Bareges ski-bandits have their own blog, I thought I'd better get one too!

For what its worth, the other 3 are:

http://www.urbanarmy.blogspot.com/

http://notthatstratford.blogspot.com/

http://www.charliechikankata.blogspot.com/