An interview with Barry Chuckle: TALK, DISCUSS and ask WHY?

On the 2nd of February, the car of Barry Chuckle (the name Sheffield university Hockey Club affectionately call me,) was travelling down to London in the vehicle were some bleary eyed hockey players; Scissor, The Viking, Hawkeye and Lurge. All very tired from their early awakening, particularly Viking who was dragged out of bed. Too tired to really TALK, to tired to DISCUSS, too tired to question WHY we were up at that time in the morning. They were however not too tired to be looking forward to the days activities; these involved a pub lunch and watching the Maxifuel Super Sixes Hockey Finals at Wembley Arena in London.

The maxinutrition Fives Hockey Finals are the indoor hockey finals for the United Kingdom. We had 4 great games of hockey to watch.

But first we had the pub lunch, apart from arriving excessively early to a random pub in London; there was something else that was not only unique but significant about this first event in our day. This was the talk that was given at the pub lunch. 

Unique? Well because I think we were the only group of people to start our trip with a talk in a pub by a Christian.

Significant? Well not because the food tied us over so we didn't have to spend extortionate money in wembley arena for food. But significant because of what was said, I cannot rightly remember the details of the talk or even the thrust of the point made. (And neither can the hockey boys after I asked them to recall it) So why is it still significant? Well because of the challenge that was proposed. The challenge not really a difficult one for the hockey boys in my car. What did the speaker ask them to do? Well she asked them to question me, challenge me, I'd brought them to the pub so they could hear about Christianity, I didn't realise that in the end the expectation was for them to hear about it from me.

After the talk not much happened.

We went to wembley arena and watched the hockey. (The 'Ding Women won, The 'Ding Men lost)

In the car journey back however, the boys remembered that they needed to ask me a question, they were told to by the lady at the pub to ask me a question so why not.

I was slightly nervous about answering the questions, but it was a great discussion for the first hour of our journey and a slightly more obscure one for the second hour. (Lurge who has no stamina, slept throughout, sleepy fresher)

But I enjoyed the opportunity to TALK about my faith, to DISCUSS my faith, to question WHY I trust in Jesus each day.

I may have been nervous prior to TALKING, DISCUSSING and asking WHY. But it was a good thing to do, it helped me understand my faith(trust) in Jesus more and I think it helped my mates understand my faith(trust) in Jesus as well.

Ask me a question it'll be good to TALK, DISCUSS and ask WHY.

Here are a few of potential questions to get our discussion started:

Why are you a Christian?

Why do you go to Church?

Why do you not like to get drunk?

Why don't you have sex?

Ask Why.

How to STOP me BEING A CHRISTIAN

If you know me or have met me, you may have found out something about me. I'm happy to talk about it, to discuss it, to be challenged on it. However I'm not happy to drop it, stop it or leave it in the past.
Well unless you can manage one thing.

If you manage to prove that Jesus didn't come back to life after he died. If you can prove that. Prove that he didn't rise from the dead. Prove he wasn't dead, buried and risen again by the third day. Then I'll stop.

This year I'm out on a year working for the Church and for Christians in Sport. Prove that Jesus did not rise again and this year is pointless. I might as well just be carrying on with my Medical degree rather than wasting my time here.

Christianity is nonsense, is worthless and is a lie. If Jesus did not rise from the dead. The Bible recognises this as well.

"And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith" 1 Corinthians 15:14 (The Bible)

To investigate we need to know if Jesus was truly dead.

Medically speaking you are dead if:

The body is lifeless with no spontaneous movement, no sign of respiratory effort and no pulse.

If Jesus was definitely dead then we need to see if he lived again after dying.
Currently I trust from the evidence I see that:

Jesus did Die.

Jesus was Buried.

Jesus came back from the Dead.

Here's a link to a resource on the evidence that I trust.

uncover.org.uk/
(There's loads of different ways you can start looking at the evidence, but this website is a decent start and has a lot of links off of it)

Also there's a good book called "The Case for Christ" which you can borrow which looks at a lot of the evidence. Just ask me for it and I'll post it to you.

Look at the evidence then. Show me that I'm wrong.

Prove Jesus did not Die.

Prove Jesus was not Buried.

Prove Jesus did not come back from the Dead

Prove it is all a fat lie and I'll stop being a Christian.

Audience of One

Sport is Amazing! I'm out playing hockey every day of the week from Sunday to Sunday! However the season is coming to an end....  I'm really sad that it's coming to an end!
Still I have at least one more match and that's VARSITY!

Varsity is a tough game as the opposition are good and there's a lot more importance to it than the average hockey game. Always when I'm playing Hockey however. I want to be playing for the one that gave me the ability to play sport in the first place. The one who gave me a pitch, a stick, a body, a life to live! Every game I play for this one! This is my audience of one! There may be many watching but he is the one that I play for! I play with what he's given me as worship to him. Much like someone who is given a voice like Pavarotti or Charlotte Church sings worship to God. I play hockey with my all as worship to God.



Varsity is going to be tough.... But sport isn't a Maths test, sometimes the underdog wins!
Now to finish with an adapted quote from the film Miracle.

"Great moments are born from great opportunity.
And that's what you have here today, boys.

That's what you've earned here.

One game.

If we played 'em ten times, they might win nine.

But not this game. Not today.

Today, we stay with 'em, and we shut them down because we can!

Today, we are the greatest hockey team in the world.

You were born to be hockey players -- every one of ya.

And you were meant to be here!

This is your time.

Their time -- is done. It's over.

 

I'm sick and tired of hearin' about what a great hockey team Hallam have.

Screw 'em!

This is your time!!

Now go out there and take it!" #UPTHEPEAS

Why the Siadwell Said well

This blog post is for the purpose of answering the question people have asked me 'Why the Siadwell said well?' Also I promised I would explain that and haven't yet got round to it so it is something I need to do :-)

Siadwell said well is my attempt at being clever as the name Siadwell is an anagram of said well. (If you can't see that check out the picture.)

The significance of the Siadwell name is that it is a name that my family are called by a group of my teammates who with us during the weekend meet up to play hockey and catch up at the local watering holes. All of the family are referred to by the name (although their is a slight corruption in the spelling); Mr Shadwell(Dad), Mrs Shadwell(Mum), Little Shadwells(Meg and I) and Mini Shadwell(My baby nephew).

If we trace the Siadwell name backwards the reason my Dad was first called it was for a sketch show with the character by the same name in it, (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sparkes). This character's connection with my father is that he was primarily welsh and odd. Those family traits seemed to have been passed down to me.

'Said well' -- Wells have the dual function of being a source of liquid eg water as well as a place to store it. This blog is a well for my spoken thoughts a place of storage and a source of them for you to read I.e. A said well.

Hope you followed the explanation of the Siadwell Said well and it doesn't just make sense to me.....

Ministry is People

"Ministry is people" is what. Tim Cudmore my supervisor said to me in my introduction to the Ministry Trainee Scheme.

How does that work "Ministry is People"?

Well it seems one of the big outlets of how this'll work for me this year is by meeting people individually and I suppose in some circumstances as groups. There are generally two other things required when I'm going to be meeting with people number 1 is the Bible and number 2 is fluid containing some drug either alcohol or caffeine.

People, Bible and a pint/coffee are the raw materials needed.

What does that form? Well hopefully an environment where people can ask questions and share what's going on in there life. But hopefully whether you define yourselves as Christian or not, believer in God or not we can look at the Bible and see what it has to say. I believe the bible to be alive and active and so it has a place for the Christian and the person who doesn't use that same title.

I hope over this coming year that I can share your company, that we can share a pint/coffee (yes I'll get the first round), And that we can read the bible together, as an encouragement or to answer questions and to work out those vague "big" questions of life which classically are done best over a drink with mates.

If you want to try the above then drop me a line by any communication you know how.

One little Choice

I'm not sure when it occurred, I'm not sure how it occurred, but I know I made the choice..... But why?
For the past 4 1/2 years I've been happily enough studying Hockey (Medicine) at the University of Sheffield. However I decided to pause the progression of that sometime in 2013 which means that now in 2014 I have a different 9-5 Although I've been kindly informed that this will take up much more than my 9-5. (Indeed it may be a lot of hardwork!!




The choice..... To become a ministry trainee! What's that you ask? Well I propose that I put you in touch with one of them because I don't feel like one and I'm not too sure what it means. However I'm now laden with my decision that I've chosen to be one. I'm sure as it unfolds for me over the coming year if you keep reading this blog I'll be able to let you know, or ask me and I'll try and tell you what I know. At least it'll involve a bit of sport, a bit of admin, a bit of food, a bit of bible and a bit of prayer, some great highlights and probably some low points. A journey into the unknown perhaps..... But to be honest I'm not scared really by the unknown, because what I do know is that God is with me by his Holy Spirit.

Thank you for reading and please post any comments or advice.

Would be interested to know what you would do if you had the opportunity to press the pause button on your current circumstances and do something else for a year so please comment below.


P.s. You may be confused by the name I will explain it and the purpose of this blog in a future post.