Year 3 at NGUK

Last night we had an end of year barbeque with the whole Team from New Generation UK and the Team from New Generation Switzerland, and after indulging in some amazing ribeye steaks and barbequed shrimps, we recapped some of the highlights of the year and looked back on what we've been up to at the UKHQ.

Here's the condensed version:

- Set up a new office and base to make room for a bigger Team

- Trained first Swiss Team & helped set up bases & run events there

- Trained first Finnish Team & helped set up bases & run events there

- International conference in London with people from 10 countries

- 4 regional Wired weekends with 90 young leaders

- Over 50 youth meetings, seminars & events

- God is Colourblind tour with 10 concerts in 8 schools

- Launched 12 new websites and subsites in 3 nations

- Overhauled and relaunched our online Login Area

- Produced NG Bibles in 5 languages

- Released 2 ONE magazines

- Produced 2 video series and 3 trailers

- Signed our first UK book deal

- Signed our first DVD deal

With a new Team on the way in this September and our first 3 pioneer years behind us we're amped and ready for NGUK 2.0 To stay up to date with what we're doing, or even join the Team for next year (yep, if you're lucky and you're good we might still let you in) check us out at www.newgeneration.co.uk

Circle the Mag

Last week at Christ Air skate camp I bumped into old friend and fellow veteran boardrider Daniel Månsson. Daniel is the man behind a new project called Circle the Mag, a skateboarding magazine featuring premium photography and skating from some of the greats, interviews with 3 all-time skate legends, and the book of John all rolled into a nice, crisp magazine. The mag is perfect for passing around to fellow skaters and boardriding enthusiasts with little or no connection to circles of faith, and the first print run of 4000 have been well-received from all over the industry. Daniel has put this thing together with some help from friends at Lonka boardclub in Jönköping and skate contacts in the States he acquired whilst working on his Faces of Skateboarding project. Faces was/is a highly-acclaimed coffee table book profiling 100 of the greats in the industry, and Daniel has worked on similar surf publications, as well as other stuff like album covers for bands such as Blindside and press shots for high profile businessmen and celebrities everywhere from Stockholm to LA. You can see the holding site for Circle the Mag at www.circlethemag.se, check out the Faces of Skateboarding site at www.facesofskateboarding.com, or drop by Daniel's site for a full portfolio at www.danielmansson.com

Reading Neue

The 3rd edition of Neue is out, and as usual, it's great. With thought-provoking articles covering everything from sabbathing and social engagement to the miseducation of missions and how to avoid false Bible worship, the book/zine aims to give you the core content of 15 books in one publication. That sounds like a lot of good stuff and a lot of saved time. If you don't have Neue, you can find some stuff on their site at: www.neueministry.com

The Moleskine Bible

For fellow journal/diary-lovers the tried-and-true Moleskine won't be anything new, but recently Crossway released a Bible modelled on the Moleskine called the ESV Journalling Bible. With a third of each page devoted to free space for note-taking, these guys have finally found a way to make room for personal scrawlings without having to resort to scribbling all over the Bible text, or worse still, getting out the old flourescent pens and turning your Bible into a technicolour nightmare. I picked one up on Amazon for under £20 incl. shipping and have to say, it's changing the way I do the Bible!

To see more go to www.crossway.org

Inside Steve's Brain

A few weeks ago friend, colleague, and fellow-Apple-lover Fredrik bought me a book called Inside Steve's Brain. Part-biography, part-business book, it not only includes all the stuff you'd expect from a book about Jobs (that is the tantrums, the control freakery and the weird antics) but also some of what goes on inside the man's head, and why he behaves the way he does. Where other biographies cover the juice and skip the genius, this one's a bit more rounded, and there's stuff in here that will help you understand what goes on at Apple and Pixar and where they get the creativity from. If you're even slightly interested in tech, animation or business, this is worth a read for sure! I finished it in a couple of days, and already bought a copy for someone else.

Rio Rim

One of the things I did whilst "on tour" in Sweden last week was stop by a new clothing store in Alingsås where my old friend and part-time Skate Pastor Fredrik works as Store Manager. Apart from stocking collections by the likes of Ed Hardy, Affliction and a few other "LA rockwear" labels, the boutique is a showcase and retail outlet for an up-and-coming label based in Alingsås called Rio Rim. Specialising in unique upper end tees and tops for guys, Rio Rim draw inspiration from the traditional artwork of various ancient cultures, reinterpreting them into their own unique motifs and packaging them with the help of various different print techniques not often seen on the high street. I liked what I saw, and considering they now have retailers on board all over Sweden and beyond, I guess I'm not alone.

Check out their stuff and find a store near you here at www.riorim.se

I Am Second

I Am Second is a new initiative featuring a collective of celebrities featuring on billboards, advertisements and video sharing sites, all explaining why they are second.

The official I Am Second website has lists of various vices and addictions people struggle with, and famous people with corresponding issues who've come through them thanks to an encounter with Christ and help from clinics, charities and churches.

The campaign is intended to point people to a place near them where they can get help, and to inspire them to take the first step, having seen others who have fought through the same struggles and come out the other side.

To see the site, go to www.iamsecond.com

It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All a Dream! It's Alright!

Now that I've had a little over a day to consume, digest and consume again, I have to say that the new mewithoutYou album is an absolute beauty! Whether you're a fan of their earlier - and substantially angstier - stuff or not, this one's definitely worth a lash. You can get it free on Spotify, or support the lads and pick it up cheap on iTunes. For a sneak peek, check the trailer above...unless you've already done so of course, in which case you might like to watch it again.

Frontline Facelift

Frontline Youth Ministry is part of RCC Church Solihull and home to a couple of hundred young people from around the Solihull/Birmingham area. Frontline is also now the name of the annual youth event formerly know as Momentum. In keeping with the times, Frontline have coupled the name change with a snazzy new site...and it's even got fancy inter-changable backgrounds.

Check it here

Get Relevant

The May/June issue of RELEVANT Magazine arrived in the mailbox yesterday and I have to say the publication just keeps getting better. With spotlights on Kings of Leon and Jon Foreman, some great book picks and all the usual goodness, it's well worth a read. What's better, for all you cheapskates who don't want to spare some change to support a good cause, you can view the whole thing online here

Join the Team at NGUK

Team With NGUK from New Generation on Vimeo.

To find out more about joining the Team at NGUK click here

Ranui Says Relax!

My buddy Rans recently launched a new site alongside his existing RISE Worldwide site and DayThree design site. The new homepage is a place to showcase fashion and design and talk on philosophy and theology...oh yeah, and a reminder to some of us to relax, I guess...whatever that has to do with it. I suppose you'll have to go see for yourself.

www.ranuisaysrelax.com

Back on Blog After 12 Busy Days

It's been a busy couple of weeks with a 2-day Team Reunion before Easter, then Good Friday, a Free Methodist youth event up north on the Saturday, a trip to London for some time with the UK family Easter Sunday, a day in Brum with my Sweden-based parents Monday, Spring Harvest down in Minehead Tuesday to Saturday morning, a session with the boys at the Momentum youth conference in Solihull Saturday afternoon and then a service with Eastman Curtis at church this morning. All in all a whole lot of people, a whole lot of preaching, a whole lot of miles and not a lot of sleep! Hoping to catch up on some shelved blog posts and write on a few of the highlights over the last couple of weeks, but tomorrow we're back in business at NGUK, so duty calls!

Creative Acoustics

Acoustic jam genius a la Aldrig Ensam. For more Stockholmsk-Skånsk goodness go to www.jonathanjohansson.se

Christ Air Skatecamp

This May Pingstkyrkan in Alinsgsås, Sweden, are hosting Christ Air Skateboard Camp for the 5th year in a row. A weekend for believers, boardriders and believing boardriders from all over Sweden and beyond, the camp offers everything from bands and demos to skate competitions and seminars. I've been at 2 out of the 4, and it's just been growing and getting better. This year I'm down as speaker, but here's hoping I'll be on form to do some cruising too. Last year I bailed on the boardriding in exchange for a spot on the judges' couch, but who knows?! I may just enter the comp this year before I'm an old man and it's all too late!

Check out the swanky site for the camp here

Scary!

This is a video Jonathan at NG showed me today, him being a tech freak and all. A little scary if you ask me.

Blindin Design Portfolio Now Online

To see some sweet looking site samples and other graphic goodness swing by www.blindin.com and check out the new portfolio from the Solihull-based company now online.

Driscoll, Deepak, Pearson and Lobert Debate Satan on Nightline

"Indie Pastor" and Mars Hill founder Mark Driscoll and ex-prostitute and Hookers for Jesus founder Annie Lobert debate the existence of Satan with philosopher Deepak Chopra and "so-called Bishop" Carlton Pearson on Nightline. Check out the program here but beware of the video player...evidence of the existence of Satan itself!

Gran Torino

Last night Sara and I used the last of the Cineworld birthday card to go and see Gran Torino, her first (and probably last!) Clint Eastwood film. The fact that Clint both directed, produced and starred in the film is pretty impressive, and you've got to love his character and classic Dirty Harryesque antics, but the guy seriously did himself a disservice when it comes to the casting. The other characters in the film leave a lot to be desired, and the acting is in parts downright atrocious, not to mention a pretty predictable script. Having said that, Clint is bad as, and he is a legend after all, so I guess he can do what he likes...and the car is a beauty, so whether you like the film or not, I guess you can always drool. Should you go and see it? Well, we don't know how many more films he's got in him, so why not? ...just don't take your wife!

Strip Church Las Vegas

This one's no doubt controversial, but I have to say I'm stoked to see what Graig Gross is doing in the States. Together with the guys at XXXChurch he's come one step closer to realising the dream to see people in the porn industry and adult trade show circuit ministered to in a relevant and real way. The new venture is an actual church (as opposed to XXXChurch, which is a virtual "church"/ministry) on the Strip in Las Vegas. Fittingly (and provocatively) titled Strip Church, Graig and his team of staff and interns aim to be salt and light in a city full girls and gambling.

These guys are sure to face criticism and resistance both from people in the church and people in the porn industry, and it's definitely a controversial call to act on, but I can't help but think if a certain Hebrew who hung out with adulterers and prostitutes, tax collectors and other unlikely folks, and that it's to them he sent us, not to the "healthy and wholesome" of the world. Good luck and God bless to them I say.

Go Strip Church!