It’s felt like a slow week in theonehundredyearsproject world – what? Slow again I hear you cry!!!! 😂 Janet’s been out with a stinking cold/flu since we returned from England and with other ongoing wider family health stuff it’s been tough to try and focus on the assignment ahead.

However, one thing I (Neil) have realised about this project is that it is as much about a lifestyle, a longing, than it is about structure, and so while it has looked a little disjointed over these past few weeks we are still called to make investments with one hundred years in mind.

So, I thought I would post a little update of how we are making these seemingly small investments in our everyday.

Home – Janet and I have been married for 18 years this year and as you will know, if you’ve been reading any of these posts, we are also blessed to have a son who just turned 13 at the end of last year. We’ve always believed that family is as much of a calling and an assignment from God as any job, project, or ministry. I once remember a pastor talking about his family to his congregation and he said; “if at the end of my life I have thousands clapping me for the job I did in the church, but my wife says she has never seen me and my boys don’t want to know me then I will have failed.” I agree wholeheartedly with that. One of the greatest gifts we can give the next generation is a healthy marriage that thrives throughout the years and kids, nieces, nephews, and grandkids who stand on our shoulders in terms of their spiritual inheritance. Our work, in the best possible sense, begins at home.

We realise that for many people, through no fault of their own, their family hasn’t worked out in the way they had hoped and dreamed and so we write this with no judgement or negativity if this hasn’t been your story.

Personally we have always tried to keep those truths at the fore front of our mind. Janet and I spend as much time as we can together and love to take time to chat through where we are and what is in our head. We prioritise having dates together where we ensure that our world doesn’t simply revolve around being a parent or a leader. We talk about what God is speaking to us about, we pray together everyday, and ‘try’ to prefer one another. You may think this sounds like an idyllic relationship……..don’t worry…..we have our fair share of disagreements, grumpy moments, and selfishness! (I’ll not divulge who is most responsible for those 😂)

Since our son has turned 13 we’ve entered into a more structured space for his growth in faith and becoming a man. We were inspired by Jon Tyson’s book; ‘The Intentional Father’, where he talked about how he prepared his son for the adult world he was about to enter. We haven’t used all the material but the foundations were so helpful and so for the past 3 months we have been getting up early in the morning and reading the Bible together, chatting about what it is revealing about our hearts, and praying before the day at school begins. Janet and I have also been thinking through what skills and experiences we want him to have before he hits adulthood. These will vary from things like serving those who are struggling in our own community, to visiting other cultures, to learning to cook some healthy meals, and how to clean a house!! He’s got a fun few years ahead 😂 We are young in this journey but we have loved building on the 12 years before where we have tried to model a desire for him to become all that God has created him to be.

We believe the home is the beginning of our everyday investments for the next generations.

Clubs – Another way we have sought to invest in the next generations is through volunteering in the community. For the past 18 months I have been helping to coach football at the club my son joined. Whilst he was the reason I got involved, my volunteering there goes way beyond helping him. Through the club I have been able to meet a brilliant group of lads and I’ve been able to serve them through the medium of sport. I love the opportunity to teach them about discipline, team work, dedication, reacting to disappointment, as well as developing new skills and growing their confidence. Alongside that it has been great to be up close watching my son learn the same lessons.

Our communities need mentors; mothers and fathers who are willing to serve and speak life into them. Often as the church we can become too focused on only serving those who already have community within the church. Whilst this is brilliant (and will form my next point) I think it is also important that we serve as the church beyond the walls of the church. We can do that in so many different spaces – sport is just one way we can lean in.

Church – this is probably the most obvious space that we get to make these investments for the next one hundred years. This year I was excited to be a part of a team that started youth ministry at the church plant we are a part of. It’s been such a joy to get to invest in this group of young people who are hungry to grow and learn more about the Kingdom. We’ve only been running for 3 months but already we are watching the group grow and gain confidence for their journeys with Jesus.

I’ve always believed that our job in youth ministry is not to ‘look after’ young people or to ensure that ‘their faith holds’ in the midst of the world around them. As I’m sure you will have heard before, there is no such thing as a Junior Holy Spirit, and when we read through the Scriptures we see God using so many people who were very young in years but mighty in authority – David, Samuel, Timothy, Mary, Jeremiah and Josiah are just a few. Our role in investing in these young people is to help them become who God has created them to be so that their faith transforms the world around them. We don’t see our youth gatherings as a safe space to recover from the week that has occurred, but a place to prepare for the week ahead. I feel so privileged to get the chance to be a part of this.

Anyway, that’s what we’re getting up to on some other fronts!!!!

Please pray for our son who has to deal with me at home, at his club, and his church 😂