Return of Campus Breakout

Following the hiatus over the Christmas period, Campus Breakout is back with a bang this coming Wednesday.

We’re so excited for what the Lord wants to do over the next term, and think our times on Wednesday afternoons are going to be a really important part of that.

Here’s the schedule for this term:

Note well! The two Friday Night Treasure Hunts.
We’re going to be running a training session with the students from Christ Central on these Fridays, before heading out on a Treasure Hunt…it would be great if you could join us for either part!

Shacking Up

As I was walking past the Opal Estates office yesterday, memories sprung to mind: small groups of eager students pounding the streets, address lists in hand. The exhilaration of finding the house being punctuated by the sight of the landlord smiling and shaking the hands of that group from down the corridor, always one stop ahead of you. The allocating of rooms, the “I need more natural light” argument.

Yes, I’m talking about the trials and tribulations of student housing.

In fairness, it’s actually quite a lot of fun. But for the majority of you who will be sorting out your houses over the coming weeks, I thought you might benefit from some tips I picked up all those years ago! Hope it helps…

Ralph’s Top Tips for Student Housing

1. Use Manchester Student Homes
   http://www.manchesterstudenthomes.com.
   All the houses listed have passed a ‘code of standard’, which means they shouldn’t blow up when you turn the microwave on. You also get to deal directly with the landlord, meaning you avoid nasty agency fees.
   One word of caution, the properties tend to move quite fast. So be prepared to be decisive when you’ve found the house you want, and brace yourself for the potential of that deflating experience mentioned above.
   Still highly recommended!
   (They also have offices in Fallowfield – opposite Baa Bar on the crossroads)
2. Location, location, location.
   If you want to live in Fallowfield, it will be expensive. But great in many ways.
   You’ll get lots more for your money if you look further afield, such as Withington or Victoria Park. Just remember that these areas are usually more difficult to get to and have less of a “student/community” feel. It all comes down to what you’re looking for.
3. Don’t feel rushed or pressured.
   Even though properties tend to move quickly, remember that there are SO MANY student houses out there. So don’t dive into something you’re uneasy about on account of the fear of being homeless. There will always be something else.
4. Make as many decisions as you can before viewing houses.
   You don’t need to see a house before deciding whether or not you all want double beds, or if a dishwasher is a necessity (It’s not, by the way). The more things you can settle on before looking at a house, the easier it will be to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ when you get there.
5. View the houses as a group.
   This is notoriously difficult, but if you can be with all your future housemates when looking at a property it will, again, make life so much easier. You’ll avoid the awkward situation of relying of someone else’s opinion and the even more awkward situation of living in a house that you hate because Bob or Sue makes really poor choices. Furthermore, it will speed up the process and free you up to be more decisive.
6. Agencies are rubbish. Use MSH instead.
   That’s a sweeping statement, and probably not true. Agencies are helpful in terms of finding properties and lining up viewing appointments. Also, the idea of them sorting out your maintenance for you is very appealing. However, most of my experience of agencies is that they’re good at taking fees and rubbish at providing services. I’m happy to be proved wrong!
7. Don’t pay your deposit in cash!
   Make sure it’s all legit and that your landlord is putting your money in a deposit safety scheme (or equivalent). You should get a receipt for that.
   If you do hand it over in twenties, I can almost guarantee it won’t be safely stashed away in case of a housing emergency – it will be half way across the world somewhere.
   This rule applies to landlords who ask for a cash advance of a term/year’s rent – be very wary and get receipts!
8. Don’t forget about bills.
   It’s easy to see the cost of house rent in comparison to halls and think you’re on to a massive winner, just don’t forget to add bills into the equation (gas, electric, water, internet, tv license etc). Lots of student house do an ‘all-inclusive’ rent which takes care of your bills. Make sure to clarify what you’re getting.
9. Read your contract before signing it.
   Blah, blah, blah. That’s just common sense, but it’s always worth checking they haven’t added anything ridiculous.
10. These lists always need to be ten long, right?

So there you have it. Happy hunting!

Classic Posts – “Resolve”

Happy New Year one and all!

I did a post this time last year on resolutions. I thought it had some pretty good stuff in and so have reposted it right here for your enjoyment…

…Having reflected a little on New Year’s resolutions I thought it would be good to see what the Bible has to say on the subject. After an unsuccessful Biblegateway search for “resolution”, I typed “resolve” in instead and deemed the four results it yielded worth sharing. Have a little read. It’s interesting to see what different Bible charcters resolved to do with their lives at certain points…

1. “Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah” – 2 Chronicles 20:3

Here we find the King of Judah in a spot of bother. One of his fellow tribes, Ephraim, has just turned against him and here we find him on the receiving end of some news that a couple of foreign Kings are coming to take a piece of him too. J’s response? A resolution. To seek God – and not just in a wishy-washy kind of way. Properly. Fasting and everything. The result was pretty emphatic. The people of Judah also made a resolution – “to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendour of his holiness” – out of which God intervened and we read that this happened in verse 22: “As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.“

In a moment of crisis Jehoshaphat resolved to lean on God rather than himself. It worked out pretty well.

2. “Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.” – Psalm 17:3

Psalm 17 is towards the cheerier end of David’s scale – I guess he’d been having a pretty good time of it when he penned this. The whole thing is a declaration of intent. Who knows what was facing David at this particular time, but whatever it was he wanted to make sure he was approaching it as God would have him do so. David knew the meaning of grace, that we can be sure of!, but he also recognised the fundamental necessity of living a righteous life. Do we? Or have we compromised off the back of God’ unconditional love?

What’s also great about this Psalm is seeing David’s heart behind his desire to live the best he can: “And I – in righteousness I shall see your face; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with seeing your likeness.” (Psalm 17:15). The sheer awesomeness of God was what motivated David in his resolution. For that to be the case he needed to know the God he was revering.

3. “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.” – Daniel 1:8

In a similar way to Jehoshaphat, Daniel too was in a spot of bother. He’d just been shipped off to Babylon with a few of his friends, and he found himself in the service of a King whose customs would force the young Israelite to abandon his people’s purity code. What you do in a similar situation? Maybe you can think of one from your time at uni. There are two options: compromise in order to adapt more easily to your new surroundings, or stand strong – sticking with what you know to be right. Daniel did the latter, he resolved not defile himself, just as God had commanded. And, like Jehoshaphat, he too felt the benefit – he rose to the highest governmental positions in both the Babylonian and Persian empires, influencing numerous people on account of his zeal for God. All kicked off by his resolute response to the Lord’s call on his life.

4. “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” – 1 Corinthians 2:2

The last of our exemplars is a tentmaker from Tarsus, goes by the name of Paul. Embroiled in heated debate with one of his most successful church plants, he starts his second letter to the Corinthians by setting himself apart from those charismatic leaders that sought to lead people on account of their eloquence and wordly appeal. Paul’s resolution? To talk about Jesus. Jesus alive, died and glorified. In a world of new ideas and whimsical trends, Paul had nailed his colours to the mast happy that the only thing he truly needed to tell people was that Jesus was God who lived on earth, died for man’s sin, and rose again to restore us to our right relationship with our Creator. Everything else was just hot air, regardless of how well it was pieced together.

So there you go. It might be that the turn of the year finds you in a crisis point, like Jehoshaphat or Daniel. In which case I’d suggest taking a similar approach to theirs – resolve to wholeheartedly seek God and trust in him for your deliverance.  Or maybe you’re a bit more like David or Paul. 2011 stretches in front of you like any other year has done in the past, but you feel like this one might just be different; that God has got something special up his sleeve for you. If that’s you, and if so I very much think you’re onto something, then what better way to position yourself by resolving to remain focused on the central truth of the Gospel (that Jesus died for your sin) and to commit wholeheartedly to pursuing a life of righteousness?

Jesus said, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near“. The richness and fullness of being children of God is right there, just waiting for us to take hold of it. Our part is simple: recognise our need for God’s grace and turn away from the things that hold us back. Go ahead and leave them in 2009 – let’s resolve to make 2010 better than we could ever ask or imagine!