How we consider our mission for God.

The following are a collection of Tweets from one of Louie Giglio's sermons at Passion 2014 in Atlanta Georgia.  They paint the encouraging illustration that we as Christians do not wallow in sin (though we may sin), but we are NEW in Jesus Christ, and we are sons and daughters of God, greatly loved.  From that we can look at doing God's will, working on His mission as something to be greatly rejoiced in. We are invited to be a part of His plan, we are not forced to labour for Him.

1. Live @ Passion ‏@LiveAtPassion23h

   Your story is not that you are a sinner. You WERE sinners but were made brand new in Jesus Christ. #Passion2014

Live @ Passion ‏@LiveAtPassion23h

God doesn't give birth to sinners, he gives birth to sons and daughters. #Passion2014

1. Live @ Passion ‏@LiveAtPassion23h

   I do not belong to this world. I belong to God. #Passion2014

Live @ Passion ‏@LiveAtPassion23h

Mission becomes a privilege to be included in the things of God. Not an obligation or duty. It's a privilege of life. #Passion2014

Live @ Passion ‏@LiveAtPassion23h

God's gonna do what God's gonna do whether I get on board or not. #Passion2014

Live @ Passion ‏@LiveAtPassion23h

When you see privilege and you see grace, you get sent by mercy. It's not a negotiation, it's an invitation. #Passion2014

I'm a Believer

This song from Audio Adrenalin gives a great image of courage and determination.  A courage and determination we need to have with our faith in God.

The side story of Derek Rabelo illustrates it well, but as you listen to the song contemplate your own attitude towards following Christ.

Having a love for the Bible

I have a great love for the Bible.  My desire this year at Deception Bay Baptist is to see the youth, young adults, and rest of the congregation have a vibrant, impacting and convicting love for the Bible, and ultimately for Jesus.

Thinking about ministry in 2014 I feel God impressing upon me to communicate and live out my love for Him through expressing and showing people my love for His Word.  I am now investigating ways I can do this better, through my preaching, through my conversation and other practical ways.

First things first though is me passionately jumping into the Bible daily. I have always loved the Bible, but I can neglect it.  But if I want to be a shining example I know I have to remedy that first.

The gift of being Born Again

It seems to be a bit of a theme this week in my thought process, but my reading this morning once again has me thinking of our new life in Christ and being born again.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
~1 Peter 1:3-9, ESV

So in a previous post I wanted to convey the importance of knowing the concept of being born again, and in another post about the seriousness of only those who are born again are actually saved.  But today I was reading this passage and God refreshed in me the joyous gift being born again is.  The truth is we are created to glorify God... but being born into sin breaks and damages us from our original purpose.  Living our sinful life can never be completely fulfilling because we aren't doing what we were originally created to do - no matter how much someone denies it, they were created to glorify God, and until they do they will never be truly satisfied.

God created me - and you - to live with a single, all-embracing, all-transforming passion - namely, a passion to glorify God by enjoying and displaying his supreme excellence in all the spheres of life. Enjoying and displaying are both crucial. If we try to display the excellence of God without joy in it, we will display a shell of hypocrisy and create scorn or legalism. But if we claim to enjoy his excellence and do not display it for others to see and admire, we deceive ourselves, because the mark of God-enthralled joy is to overflow and expand by extending itself into the hearts of others. The wasted life in the life without passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.
~John Piper - Don't Waste Your Life - p31

So being born again into the new life Jesus gives through the cross is the greatest gift... it is not just a way to avoid hell and pain. Being born again is God allowing us to fulfill our original purpose... which is not a boring, or troublesome thing, but something we can enjoy and be passionate about.

As a pastor I think I need to be careful to express my joy and happiness in being born again, and in expressing and displaying my enjoyment in glorifying God.  Because I think the main reason people don't get this exceptionally awesome point is that most people expressing and preaching or being an example of the Christian life do it in a way that is starved of joy.

Today take some time to consider the gift of your new life, rejoice, and glorify God - enjoy glorifying God because that is what we were created for.

Ageless ideas

Mark Dever ‏@MarkDever19m

‘When I look upon myself, I see nothing but emptiness & weakness; but when I look upon Christ, I see nothing but fullness & sufficiency.’ -Gouge

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William Gouge lived during the English Reformation in the 1500's, but when I read Pastor Mark's tweet today I realised I was contemplating the exact same thought today.  The Christian faith is truly ageless... because it is The Truth for all humankind.  Forever humans have been sinful, weak and empty, and even before time God has been completely full and sufficient.

Though it is discouraging to realise my failures again and again, it can immediately be encouraging to know that Jesus has more than paid for them and I am completely safe within His grace.

The seriousness of being Born Again.

“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see..."
~Revelation 3:15-18 - ESV

Was reading Francis Chan's ideas from this verse today and thought I would share.

When you read this passage, do you naturally conclude that to be "spit" out of Jesus' mouth means you're part of His kingdom?  When you read the words "wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked," do you think that He's describing saints? When He counsels them to "buy white clothes to wear" in order to cover their "shameful nakedness," does it sound like advice for those already saved?
I thought people who were saved were already made white and clothed by Christ's blood...
Jesus' call to commitment is clear: He wants all or nothing.  The thought of a person calling himself a "Christian" without being a devout follower of Christ is absurd...
I doubt if people even considered these questions back in Jesus' day! Is this idea of the non-fruit bearing Christian something that we have concocted in order to make Christianity "easier"?  So we can follow our own course while still calling ourselves followers of Christ?
~Francis Chan - Crazy Love - p85-86

Another passage linked to Chan's thought is James 2:19, I think he's hitting the nail on the head here - our churches today need to be full of Christians - not people who claim the title but aren't devout followers of Jesus. Following on from this morning's post I think that there are many people out there making resolutions, or even claiming to make them, so they can try and fit in with the Christian image (some good it with good conscious, other's do it for their own gain to just to fit in somewhere).  Jesus doesn't want resolutions, He only accepts those who have been born again into the new life He gives. There's not halfway, no "lukewarm".

We're either hot or cold.  In or Out. Sometimes it's good to really reflect on what it means to be hot, or in.

What does it take to be a Christian in 2014?

We're in our third week of 2014 and I wonder how many people have already broken their new year's resolution?

Resolutions are like that aren't they? We make them with a stern determination, but in truth it is really a whimsical commitment that doesn't take long to wane.

So if we approach the Christian life with the attitude of being resolute to be different, then our Christian life will falter as quickly as that 'not-eating-chocolate' resolution made on December 31st.  So true Christianity then is not a resolution.  If not, then what is it?  What makes it something that can never fade away, can never be renounced and will always be part of our very identity?

The answer is, because Christianity is all about a completely new life.

The old one is gone - that simple, gone! A new life has begun, that doesn't need resolutions to do things better, because it is founded in the One who made all things new.  Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, lives in the new life of a believer... that cannot be renounced, that cannot be ignored and the Holy Spirit does not fade away.

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
~John 3:1-6, ESV

Entering the kingdom of God is this new life we have mentioned.  Once we enter that kingdom then we are not subject to the ways of the old kingdom of the world where we were born. In some sense Christians have a foot in each kingdom as they still have to live in the world, but their heart (their soul, their very self) is a resident in God's kingdom.  This comes from being born again... being born is a very definitive moment - your first birth is probably the most definitive moment of your life (where would you be if that never happened???).  A second birth would be equally definitive because it means you have entered a completely different life.  Being born of the Spirit means we now live with Jesus in us, His life gives us life, His love encourages and strengthens us, His grace has saved us from our sin and we can look forward to eternal life.

Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
~John 3:9-15, ESV

It is hard for us to understand - because the truth is, we only really know that which we have experienced. I can't tell you the intimate details of the experience of skydiving, because I have never actually experienced jumping out of a plane, but I can listen to someone who has skydived, and learn all about what it feels like and how it works through their knowledge.  Jesus is God.  Jesus is eternal and yet He came from the kingdom of God to tell us about it.  He has experienced it, so we can learn about it from Him, even if we don't totally understand it.

To explain Jesus uses the story of Moses and the bronze serpent.  At the time the Israelites had disobeyed God and he had sent a curse of poisonous snakes into their camp.  People were being bitten and were dying, but Moses fashioned a bronze snake and held it up on a pole.  Anyone who turned their eyes to that snake, lifting their eyes from the life around them and focusing on something completely different, were not bitten and were saved.  Jesus points to his own sacrifice, that He will be lifted on a cross. His suffering though will pave the way for forgiveness so that anyone who lifts their eyes off their own life and turns them to Jesus lifted on the cross will be saved from the results of that old life.  The result is that those lifting their eyes to the cross will be born again by the Spirit into a new life, into the kingdom of God and will live forever, always with a faith placed inside them by God Himself.

So in 2014 how do you live as a Christian? The same as always, but maybe we just need to stop resoluting to be better, and actually experience new life.

Come to the water...

“Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14, ESV)

Influence

I have been thinking about influence a bit lately.  I see how as a youth pastor I have a certain amount of influence over the perceptions of life my youth group teens come to have. Not just in matters of faith but in the subtle things they pick up from my actions, from the way to talk and language to use, to how to interact with others and even things like driving and eating habits.

In some cases I think my influence probably hasn't been the best possible example, and I have been checking myself in these last few weeks about improving the influence I have by making sure my life, my standpoint and my comments are the best example young people can see in their life around them. Sure I'm going to stuff up, but I want to diligently be the best example I can be.

The greater the influence, the more careful we have to be I think. If you have a worldwide influence then any little comment you make can have a huge effect on different lives.  I witnessed recently someone of great influence make some remarks which have caused ripples of uncertainty to sweep through the Church - it wasn't a core theological issue, but something small, and something not set in stone. But by one person making that comment it has impacted relationships and points of view in practical ways that I am sure the person never intended.

I think it's a reminder to look at the influence we each have and ensure that we are doing the best with it and being careful not to cause issues through bad (even if accidental) influence.

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
(John 3:16, ESV)

So famous... so quoted... so memorised... but is it now so familiar that we don't stop to grasp the significance of this verse?

This verse is a flow on from Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus regarding being born again.  Jesus has shown that the kingdom of God is at hand, a completely new life if on offer which does not dwell in slavery to sin.  Something all the world has dealt with for all of history is being made new.  A life without sin is attainable.   Why has this happened?

Because even in its sin God has loved the world so much... so much that He has now sent His Son to come and pave the way into that new kingdom. Jesus takes the punishment for that sin that we have dealt with for so long, so that anyone who has faith in Him doesn't need to pay for their sin and can live forever just like God planned it in the beginning.

This verse outlines the Gospel in such a complete and succinct manner... I know that's why it has become so quoted, but let's not allow its familiarity to tarnish the impact of Gospel truth into our lives.

Truth is truth

Mark Driscoll ‏@PastorMark5h

"I the LORD do not change." –God. When we disagree with God, one side is gonna have to change their mind…and it's not going to be God.

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I enjoy following Mark Driscoll on Twitter... sometimes his rants are just funny, but then there are these ones that just make you stop and think.  One of the things I see most as a pastor these days is people who just out and out disagree with what the Bible says and don't seem to comprehend why they can't just have their own version of Christianity that suits them.

Truth is truth... no matter what a post-modern world thinks.  Either you say God is truth or you don't.  If you don't then you're not following a Christian faith.  In some ways I'd rather people own that and walk away saying they don't believe the truth... than try and warp and infect Christian faith with selfish, human or social thoughts and beliefs.

Faith or Popularity

"I very much doubt if it is possible to be faithful and popular at the same time. I fear we have to choose." John Stott

From the context I wonder if John Stott is only talking about the world, but to some extent also in the Church. It seems in many churches today that a drive for popularity often overrides a desire for faithfulness.   It's an obvious observation when talking about the world - of course they won't hold up faith views as popular.  But it is a scary proposition when we move inside the walls of the church... that faithful actions would be deemed unpopular would be a sign of unhealthy believers. Once again we must check ourselves, because the on;y person we can really change is ourselves.

I pray I stay faithful no matter what.

Merry Christmas

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
(Luke 2:4-7, ESV)

With such simple prose we are introduced to Jesus - God, who became man, so that He could bring the world back into relationship with him, saving us all.

Being human was the ultimate act of humbleness for God - can you imagine seeing the throne of heaven and the glory of God and choosing to leave that to experience all that there is to human life... beginning in the womb of his mother - how humbling... how confining... what a sacrifice.

But there would be more to come...

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
                    “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
(Luke 2:8-14, ESV)

The angels knew the reason for the birth of this child.  The angels had been there when Adam and Eve disobeyed and began the cycle of sin which has wreaked havoc on the world ever since.  The angels would have seen the pain on the creators face, they had witnessed the continued history of man, as it turned from God again and again.  Then this night they saw God come to earth, to right the wrong, to bring peace to those who will have faith... and they can't contain themselves, they praise his name and shepherds witness this so they explain what is going on.  The Christ is here - a Saviour who will conquer sin and death.

This Christmas let's remember that... The Christ is here!  We know what he did to save us, so let's allow our own joy and thankfulness and praise to overflow just like the angels did on that night.  Let's praise His name forever!

Breakup 2013

It was great to be able to hire out the Deception Bay swimming pool for our youth and kids ministries breakup this year.  We had 160 people, some from the church and others family of kids who come along to our kids club. It was a great time of sharing together.

I made a video with my new GoPro to help celebrate the night.  Check it out.

Rejuvenating

I have not posted a blog in a fair amount of time.

If you are a friend on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter (or Instagram), you will have seen all about my amazing trip to the United States through November.  It was great to have a break, and a very distinct one by heading about as far away as you could possibly get from my work.  I think I really needed it, not just a holiday, but a distinct break and disconnection for a few weeks to have time to myself.

Part of that break was a conscience decision not to blog during those 3 1/2 weeks in the States, my devotional times and theological considerations were for my own personal gain, without processing them in a way to share with others.  Sometimes I feel my initial thought when God says something to me is to think about how I can communicate it to others.  I purposely wanted to listen to what He said to me... for me.  I don't think I did a very good job if I am honest, but it has begun a habit in my life I want to develop now I am back.

I think that processing and developing is why I haven't dived back into blogging when I got home.  I am still trying to work through things God spoke to me about while I was away, and also what He's saying as we come to Christmas this year.  Ministry and life are colliding big time, but I thank God that the holiday in November was so rejuvenating.

I feel able to cope with all that's going on, and see a bit of a vision for what is to come - and I think that's all because I had such a good break.  It's not perfect, but I feel God might be laying out things for me to do in the coming year and beyond and I am resolved to follow Him.

3 weeks leave

I am about to embark on a bit of an adventure. I have just over 3 weeks off work and am heading off to the USA.

I am going to stay with good friends Dan and Suzie Potter in Atlanta. Duzie come and help run TeenStreet each year so I am excited to go and see them on their home turf.  After a week in Atlanta I am road tripping up to Nashville and then across to Gatlinburg up in the Great Smokey Mountains.

Then I'll fly to New York before driving down to Washington D.C.  I will have about 4 nights in each place, doing the tourist thing through the days.

Some of the things I am looking forward to...

• Visiting some big American Churches (Passion City, with Louie Giglio in Atlanta; Redeemer Presbyterian, with Tim Keller in New York; and Capital Hill Baptist, with Mark Dever in Washington).
• Going to the Dukes of Hazard museum run by Ben 'Cooter' Jones from the TV series in Gatlinburg.
• Visiting the World Trade Centre memorial in New York
• Seeing the New York Rangers play the Boston Bruins on the ice of Madison Square Garden
• The Aviation Museum at the Smithsonian in Washington.

I have other things planned to, but will be doing things pretty spontaneously.  I am hoping to meet some people in New York I have only ever met online through photography pages and friends and am looking forward to spending some time on my own, just enjoying something I have never experienced before.

The Gospel Gripped Leader

A few weeks back I went to the NEO Leader conference here in Brisbane.  Adam Ramsey (from Mars Hill in Seattle) spoke about being a Gospel Gripped Leader.  Add to that the elective I went to by Joe Khan on having Gospel Centred ministries and I have had many thoughts running around my head which I've wanted to process here.

As a Christian Leader I feel I have a much bigger 'purpose' and 'drive' than your everyday leader.  There are so many books and seminars out there on leadership but as a Christian leader I find all of them lack a key element that I work towards.  That is that I, being a pastor, have a Gospel identity which in turn creates a Gospel activity which I am leading.  This is a totally different focus, and gives a completely different goal to worldly leadership.

1 Corinthians 15:1-5 holds a clear description of this Gospel I am alluding to...

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

To me the Gospel is simply this, that Jesus was punished for our sins (in our place) that He experienced death (was buried) in our place, and that He was raised so that we can have a new life in Him.  As the verse above says this is what I have received, and what I consider the first importance in everything I do as a pastor.

With that in mind the 3 points Adam Ramsey made at the conference really hit home.

The Gospel Gripped Leader always has the track on repeat.

We don't tell people the Gospel and then move on.  It's not about 'getting the basics' then worrying about other stuff.  All I ever want to see my youth and my congregation do is go deeper into the Gospel. I will preach the Gospel in every sermon, I will mention it every Friday night - in fact to the best of my ability I try and preach the Gospel to myself every single day.  I never get sick of it - I see it as the core value for my entire life - so just as Paul reminds the church again, I will do so again and again.

The Gospel Gripped Leader sees Christ as their 'there'.

Are we there yet?  We all know the question, and I am sure at some point we have all asked it.  I'll be 'there' when I finish school, or graduate college, or get that promotion or car or house or relationship...  As ministers maybe our 'there' is a certain number attending youth group on a Friday night, or certain people growing and becoming leaders, or a book series, larger building, better sound system?  We're always searching for a 'there', but Christ is our 'there' - once we find Him then everything else is just a bonus.  We aren't just given a map to find a route to somewhere we want... but we are given a person to follow continuously.  With that in mind our whole existence is our 'there' because we follow Jesus.

The Gospel Gripped Leader knows they are not awesome... but Jesus is!!

My leadership isn't based on how well I perform.  My ministry isn't rated on how well I do. My desire for self reliance to do my job is essentially an anti-Gospel, because I am not capable of doing Gospel ministry.  I am not, but I know I AM.  Jesus is God, He is awesome, He is the I AM of Scriptures. I know the I AM - I know Christ, and though I am not awesome, I know Jesus and it is not I who does the work, because I can only really do it through Jesus.

Starting tonight - This Man Jesus

The very center of the Christian idea must be an understanding of who the person of Jesus really is. Jesus is the one we have faith in, follow, worship, commit to and love. His act on the cross is the focus point of our faith and our lives revolve around the grace we received because of His substitutional sacrifice for us.

Over three sermons in our evening services during October we are going to take a specific look at this man Jesus – the center of our faith. We will look specifically at the person of Christ, grasping a theological understanding of Christology (the study of who Jesus is).

• October 6th: The Divinity of Jesus 
• October 20th: The Humanity of Jesus
• October 27th: The Unity in the Person of Christ 

Come along at 5:30pm each Sunday evening to be part of this exciting and passionate series.

Sunday morning choices...

I guess this is more a question to fellow Pastors regarding Sunday mornings...

I often wonder if I am doing the right thing before a service on a Sunday morning.  There is a small prayer gathering right before the service, but I find that is the time most of the congregation are arriving and it is the perfect opportunity for me to stand near the door, greet and converse with a wide range of people.

I understand the importance of dedicating our services to God, and the essential need for dependent prayer, but as the Pastor I feel it's too worthwhile to greet and talk with people than to not be visible and present by sliding into another room to pray.  I admit feeling torn though... and wonder if my own personal prayer and reflection of a Sunday morning is enough.

So what do you do? How do you balance it?

Which Jesus when?

Jesus likens us to sheep and him/God/the Kingdom like a shepherd a couple of times during the gospels.  But as I think of two stories in particular I see two very different illustrations.

"If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?" (Matt 18:12 ESV)

and

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." (John 10:27, ESV)

So I see the idea of going out and finding the one who is lost.  Searching high and low for the one that went astray and celebrating when it is found.  But there is also the idea that the sheep know the Master, they follow Him, and so if one strays away does it really know Him.  And is there a point where the Master realises that person wasn't really a sheep and so maybe doesn't go searching?

As a Pastor it's something I am struggling with.  I can see that the kingdom is like the 99 sheep, and it's just not complete because someone is missing. So we strive and search for that one person to come to faith.  But, as a Pastor, do I put as much effort into striving after someone who is clearly ignoring the Master's voice and going off on their own.  Is there a point where the Pastor must focus on those who do listen.

I will always be waiting and willing to share with and talk to anyone who is in need, wants guidance or has faith questions... but I don't think I can pursue someone who doesn't want to be found.

...had to share this Paul Colman video too...

Don't you love how YouTube just leads you from one video to the next...

Saw this one of Paul singing "Fill My Cup" with his daughters and just had to share it.

Enjoy.

One Thing!

I was questioning a lot this morning.  I was journaling and processing a lot of stuff and suddenly noticed in the background Paul Colman's song "One Thing" was playing.  I was able to stop and be affirmed by the words of the song.  To mediate that;

"Only one thing doesn't change,
Only one thing stays the same.
All I know at the end of the day is
You love remains, yeah!"

So I thought I'd find a video of the song to share with everyone.  Just know that no matter what goes on in life, what causes you to questions... the one thing I don't question is You! You really love me like You say You do!

Walk Humbly

"You desire big things, but they come in little steps. Walk humbly before Him and you will see his plans unfold"   

Someone wrote me a little note quite a few years back which included that little bit of a quote.  Last night I was praying and (if I am honest) having a time of question God with where I am at.  I finished and looked down and somehow this letter had fallen out of my Bible and was sitting right in front of me.  It was an instant answer to prayer.

I am drawn once again to that idea of walking humbly before Him... I'm not sure how well I've done that recently, but I understand my own attitude is my biggest hindrance most of the time, and possibly has stopped me from getting some of the things I desire in my life.

Giving up again and handing back to God - wish I didn't keep grasping back at control.

Malyon Leadership Article - Gospel-Centred Leadership

Just about every movement, personality and church has embraced this as a description of their ministry. However, the problem of uncritically embracing the latest buzz-word is that often we re-badge everything but just keep doing what we were always doing… all that changes is the buzz-word. So we move from purpose driven… to missional… to gospel-centred… without really changing anything. I guess my goal in this article is to investigate one question: What difference should being truly gospel-centred make to our leadership

This post on the Malyon Leadership Blog, written by Joe Khan, really tackles the idea of actually modelling your life/ministry/leadership around the Gospel, and not just labeling yourself to keep up with the trend.

I have used the term 'Gospel-centred' a lot and I hope that the way I do things reflects that I actually believe my life needs to be 100% Gospel centred.

Go have a look, feel the challenge and take on God's purpose for the Gospel!

In turn we need to turn back too...

"Adam turned from the Father in the garden Eden; Jesus turned to the Father in the garden of Gethsemane. #identity #inChrist"
~Mark Driscoll

This was on Mark's Twitter feed today - it's a nice simple reminder of the work Jesus has done for us.  Though He knew the pain and suffering to come He did not turn away... even though mankind turned away when everything was perfect.

So now, us as rotten people who turn away can turn back to God - because Jesus never turned away.

Cutting what we give, not what we keep.

It's a sad reflection on the heart and selfish nature of our nation that when cuts need to be made to stop our national deficit we cut the money we give to those who have nothing.  We keep such a huge portion of Australia's GPA for our own use, and give away a minute amount - but one of the biggest cuts the Liberal party has put forward in their costing for their term if elected comes from that already small amount we give away.

Some people wonder why we should give any of our GPA away to people outside Australia, but I just think that's being generous, caring and a good steward of wealth. No one can argue we do it bad here in Australia, you can't argue that when you compare our lifestyle to those we have been previously giving this money too.  Yes I know there are issues of corruptness with how some of the money is used, but that is a call to make sure we help the people who need it... not to simply stop giving.

As an Australian I am concerned for those in the rest of the world who live in poverty. I give lots of my personal money away to those people, but I feel our nation is not using its wealth in a generous and caring way.

If you feel the same then follow this link to the Baptist World Aid's website and sign a letter being sent to our probably new Prime Minister, Tony Abbott.

Australian Election 2013

I am confused.

I am frustrated.

I am at a point if I am wondering how much I really care, because I am not sure of what change if any will really happen and if my vote really matters.

However watching these videos has helped settle my mind a little.  From a Christian standpoint it answered a few questions I had.  These are the two major addresses specifically to Christians that were part of the ACL's live candidates panel webcast, which was streamed earlier this week.

I post them so maybe they can help you if you're feeling like me at the moment, and I post both videos out of a desire to remain candid and unbiased here online.



Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's address to Christians at the Make it Count 2013 Election Panel webcast from Australian Christian Lobby on Vimeo.



Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's 3 minute video address to Christians from Australian Christian Lobby on Vimeo.

This is still an issue... will it ever be resolved?

Here's a blog I posted on the 20th Sept 2007.  Yet with another election looming it is still one of the key political play points.  But as a church have we done anything about it?

Sheep or Goat?
Matthew 25:43 "I was a stranger and you did not invite me in..."How do you think Jesus feels about the hundreds of strangers in our land who are locked up in Detention Centres?
"...I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me."Where does that leave us who ignore those same people? We mightn't be able to get them out of Detention Centres, but that doesn't leave us off the hook does it????

Looking like a Christian.

Preached Ephesians 4:17-32 last night as part of our New Identity series.  God calls us, expects us and wants us to live different lives when we find our identity in Christ. He calls us to draw a line in the sand and choose to live a different life.

Why?

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. (Ephesians 4:17-19, ESV)

Paul shows us that living with our old, 'original', identity is totally worthless and useless.  He shows us the life of the person who isn't in Christ is defined by the natural state the find themselves in away from God. Their minds are darkened, their thinking futile.  They have hard hearts which causes them not to want to know the truth. All of this causes their conscious to loose its sensitivity to sin.  People who find their identity away from Christ lose their ability to feel guilt about what they do wrong. Initially they may feel the pang of guilt, but as they continue to ignore it that pang get's less and less.  Guilt is actually a part of us which God created so that we might realise our wrong and know Him and His grace. So as those IN CHRIST we have to draw that line in the sand because we can see how futile and worthless any other life is.

How?

But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:20-24, ESV)

When you become a Christian there is a fundamental change which takes place... a new life begins... a whole new identity is formed and created which we find ourselves in - losing our old identity.  But in many ways it isn't an instant transformation... salvation wise yes, we are instantly affected, saved by grace... but in terms of our nature, our ability to live like Jesus... there is no instant answer where we become perfect in a moment. It would be nice, but that's not how it works.  Paul uses the word 'taught' over and over again in this part of the passage. We have 'heard' about Jesus, been taught according to 'Jesus' truths', shown how our old identity is worthless and the worth of living IN CHRIST.

With that in mind we must acknowledge the importance of placing ourselves in an environment where we can continue to be taught... to see what Christ has done for us, to experience the Holy Spirit in our lives and to be part of something that shows us what the renewing of our mind is all about.  Because the fact is that all believer's minds change when they become Christians - the Holy Spirit renews the mind, we think differently.  We need to experience this, be trained in it and exercise it.

What?

So what does one who identifies as IN CHRIST look like?

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:25-32, ESV)

So Christians tell the truth, control their anger, work hard and don't steal, encourage others and are kind and compassionate.  Paul very plainly and simply outlines what the nature of one who has this new identity looks like.  It's not a means to salvation, we don't have to do it to be saved... but it is a result of finding our identity in Christ, because Christ first treated us in the same way!

Disappointed in the World We Live In.

After seeing the rot that went on at the MTV Award show on the news last night I was left with quite a distasteful sense of the portrayal of life our world is giving to young people today.

This article sums up very well the emotions I felt when learning of the new low Miley has gone to in her misguided pursuit of individualism and fame.

"For the rest of the day, I wondered: 

What kind of people are we?
What kind of culture have we created?
What do we want our children to be? 

No more wondering. Tonight, I weep.
I weep for the little girl who gave us Hannah Montana and became a role model to millions of little girls across America.
I weep for the lostness of a girl who doesn't see herself stumbling around in the dark..."

The article continues, but it is that sense of weeping - just being totally bewildered to the extent of speechlessness - that I felt as I saw this story, and others coming from the show.  Entertainment services feed on this stuff, they dress it up as important news and feed it to our teenagers.  It gives such a warped sense of the world to teens who are trying to find their place in the world.  Life isn't about exposing your body to get attention, or about shedding off every ounce of childishness and innocence to be seen as an individual, or about bitterly belittling ex-boyfriends to show how much power you have.

I think Aston Kutcher said it pretty well at the recent Teen Choice awards (yeah Aston... who would have thought) when he questioned the focus of the lifestyle presented today.

"The sexiest thing in the whole world is being really smart. And being thoughtful, and being generousness. Everything else is crap! I promise you, it's just crap that people try to sell to you to make you feel like less. So don't buy it.  Be smart, be thoughtful, be generous..."

Is blogging more for me or you?

Hi reader.

I have had a tough week, with many things going on that have left thoughts playing in my mind and taking up much of my focus.  Many times I had thought to jump on here to vent, or share emotions or just to write out some of the thoughts in a hope that it would help clear out my mind.

Yet I began to wonder, is that the right thing to do? Writing has always helped me, and for many years this blog played a role almost as my diary.  Getting people's comments helped me process things so I welcomed communication.

As a pastor thought I am increasingly aware that this is a very public profile.  Many people comment in person on what they read here, and sometimes they convey an idea that a pastor should be careful the impression he gives to people.  Personally I haven't posted anything on here I am not happy for everyone to know - I don't want to be a robot programmed to gain people's affection, or programmed to act how people expect, because to be honest I am me, and am happy to be talked to about any of my ideas.

Over this past 12 months this blog has evolved, and is now a much more ministry focused place.  In that sense I feel the shift that the posts are now much more for the reader than they are for me.  I still get joy from writing, but this can no longer act as a diary of sorts.  That may mean blogs are less frequent, and more thought out instead of spontaneous thought processes, but hopefully they help you, the reader, to focus your faith and mission in this life IN CHRIST!

I'll just go back to the old hand written diary I can hide away in my desk draw :-)

Stuck yet Saved...

I heard this story a few weeks ago, and shared it in a sermon.

Two brothers were playing down by a river. They loved playing down there because of the giant sand embankment that had been built as flood protection years before.  However on this day, because of some rain, or drainage, or just a freak natural occurrence the boys found themselves in trouble when they fell into a pond of quick sand.

Late in the afternoon the boys parents realised their sons hadn't returned and a search party was gathered and sent out to find them.  After a while they came across the youngest brother standing knee deep in the sand.

"Are you alright?" one of the rescuers asked.

"Yes I am ok, but I am stuck" replied the little boy.

"Where's your brother?"

The little boy replied, "I am standing on his shoulders."

The older boy sacrificed his life to save his little brother.  Just like Jesus sacrificed Himself to save us.  Yet we have even more in common with that little boy.  Just like him we are still stuck in sin.  We might be saved from it, we might be standing on Jesus' shoulders, but just like the little brother there still seems to be no way to get ourselves unstuck.

Some days I feel like I am up to my neck in quicksand, not just my knees - the weight of sin just seems to suck me down sometimes.  I get drawn in, I fail, I indulge and then realise I shouldn't have, I lose grip and fall, so many different ways to sin, so many times I realise I am still stuck.

But because of Jesus I am still saved.  I realise I have a foundation that keeps my head from being sucked under. I can stand on Him and know I am safe.

Those rescuers didn't leave the boy in the sand, just because he was saved from drowning.  They found rope and they pulled him out so he was completely saved.  One day we can look forward to that as well. Jesus will return and all those in Christ will be given new bodies and live with Him forever, where sin will have no place.  So not only am I saved... one day I will be saved completely.  There is great hope in that, and a perspective of eternity to grasp when I realise how stuck I still am today.

Some thoughts on evangelism in the church today.

Yesterday I went to a seminar session with Dennis Pethers along with a heap of other Baptist Pastors to investigate this idea of 'Turning a Community Contact into a Faith Conversation'.

As a pastor I find the majority of my interactions throughout the week are with other Christians so I see the importance of being able to effectively talk about my faith with the few community contacts I have.  It's very easy for me to concentrate on teaching 'my people' and overlook everyone else.  I wonder if this comes from one of the initial points Dennis made yesterday.  That our churches these days seem to have a 'come to us' attitude instead of a 'go to them' one.

Even with a 'come to us' attitude are we doing a good job? Dennis shared about his first experiences of church as a 19 year old who had encountered Jesus through the Word and a workmate (and was trying to find his place a a follower of Christ in the church), and he didn't get most of what happened inside the church building.  I look at how we do things and wonder how people would feel if they had never experienced church before. In many cases I think they'd be at least confused, if not completely freaked out by some of the things we do.  So even though we think others outside the church should come and see what we do to be affected by the Gospel, I am scared that those few who actually do come get chased off by our own focus on the rites of our Christianity.

Yet when we do get outside our walls, off out to engage the community, what does it look like? Another point I resonated with Dennis on yesterday is this concept Christians have of evangelism today... it is still very much thought of as persuading someone to make a decision.  "...will you follow Christ?" "...will you give your life to Jesus?" "...can you accept that Jesus died on the cross for you?"  They are all pointed questions hammering a decision onto someone who may not have actually encountered Jesus - so doesn't understand exactly who He is.

All that made me wonder how we can be more effectual in evangelism.  How does the notion of a 'faith conversation' compare to giving a tract and forcing a decision onto someone?  It just so happens I am preaching Ephesians 4 this week, and my study on that passage seems to relate.  As pastor I feel I am called to fill the lives of my people up with the Gospel - have them so connected to it, that their lives are immersed in Christ so they become the catalyst for ministry in the church.  Church is no longer 'come and see' but the people, full of the Gospel, 'go to them'.  The Church isn't a building, or even a gathering, but it is the people of God who are out in the community.  In schools, universities, shopping centres, workplaces, retirement homes... everywhere. That's the Church, and those people aren't laying down decision making opportunities, but are talking about what God is doing in their life, mentioning teaching and revelation they may receive on Sunday, describing God moving through a ministry they are involved in Friday night, essentially giving examples of Christ's work in His people to those who don't know Him, because in that way they are introduced to Jesus first - and that should make understanding what He did more deeply effecting, leading to more people giving their lives to Christ.

I think the days of standing on a corner with a Gospel tract, or preaching to strangers in the mall are finished. The main reason is that the underlying connotation of our society is no longer Bible based - 40 years ago even those who didn't have a faith, understood what the Bible was... knew the stories... realised that in some capacity the foundation of society was based on Biblical principles.  These days however that is certainly not the case.  We have this post-modern idea that truth is relative.  Each can find their own and there is no absolute truth - persisting with a decision persuasion doesn't work in this culture because people will simply decide 'no' and find their 'own truth'.

Today we need to illustrate an experience of who Jesus is, how He effects lives, how He is really the only true foundation.  That happens by going out, not staying in. It happens by living that experience on our Sunday mornings so if someone does happen to come in they aren't turned off by the socially awkward things we do. It happens by realising the church building isn't the centre of the community, but as a group we can spread into the entirety of our community as proceed to illustrate the Creator of the world to those who have no understanding of Him whatsoever.

A profound prayer...

Finished preaching the first 3 chapters of Ephesians last night.  The chapter ends with this amazing piece of Scripture.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
(Ephesians 3:14-21, ESV)

I think I need to make this my prayer for my church... my prayer for my family... my prayer for my friends... the teens I've ministered too... new Christians I encounter... and even for me.

May God make this real for you as well.

Blown away by God's creation (yet again)

Check out this photo

Indonesian photographer Penkdix Palme, 27, captured the moment this tiny tree frog sheltered from the rain in his neighbour's back garden in the city of Jember in East Java, Indonesia.  

The tiny amphibian clung to the stem for around 30 minutes while wind and rain lashed at his precious shelter. The five centimetre frog appeared even to angle the makeshift umbrella towards the direction of the fierce downpour. 

Full Article Here

I always stop and worship when I see something in creation which marvels me about my Creator. How cool is this! Natural instinct is a God created thing, and His invisible qualities are here for us all to see, even in a tiny frog!

Serving the Local Church

Here's my Thought of the Week which I wrote for the church bulletin last Sunday.

“For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
(Matthew 25:29)

We know the parable of the talents. A master gives three different servants different amounts of wealth. With that wealth two use it to generate more wealth but one simply hides it and presents the same amount back to the master when he returns. He is called a wicked servant, what wealth he has is taken and given to another.

Teaching on this parable usually concludes with the idea that our faith equips us with the wealth of the Gospel and we are to go out and produce more wealth by spreading faith. Each servant began with a certain amount and it increased… just like faith increases as we share the Gospel. But it was those who took their initial amount and worked well with it who received more—their responsibility became greater after they had demonstrated their commitment to the work.

That’s why I feel our local church community is so important. It’s our initial working ground—the place we can take the initial wealth of our faith and put it into action. We don’t ask people to get involved at dBay Baptist because we just want to put people to work, or provide a cosy environment for us all… but we do it because it provides an opportunity for people to work well with the faith they have received. If you’re wanting to change the world for the Gospel, that’s great, but if you’re not working well with the initial portion of the wealth you've received then it’s unlikely the Master will give out more. Let’s all strive to be like the servant with 5 talents, not the servant with 1.

Be alive... don't turn to death.

Mark Driscoll tweeted this today.

"A Christian who sins because Jesus "has to" forgive is like a husband who cheats because his wife promised to love him no matter what."

Puts it in a stark reality doesn't it? So many times I hear young people say "I'll do what I want because God forgives me", but the hurt it causes just doesn't seem to compute.

We're studying Ephesians at the moment, and this week as we look at Ephesians 2 we'll see that not only are we IN CHRIST but we are ALIVE IN CHRIST.  It's pretty simply really... sin = death and Jesus = life.  That means that if you are alive in Christ then any sin is lingering death inside you... not a pretty picture!  Just like a wife (who may continue to love no matter what) is deeply hurt and damaged by an unfaithful husband... so God deeply grieves our sin, even though his love and forgiveness is eternal.

Don't cheat on God.

How does your life today impact your Creator?

Living Holy.

Where's the balance of remaining holy and taking ourselves way too seriously.

Just over the past few days I've either read on Facebook or blogs, or experienced myself people who have both been too flippant with their lifestyle and moved away from the holiness that comes through faith in Jesus, or on the other scale are so rigidly adherent to what they've read in the Bible that they appear to have lost contact with the world around them.

In some cases I see the point to both sides... in both cases I see the craziness of their actions too.

Is there a happy middle road?

What does a Gospel centred life really look like? Is it totally unrestricted... is it disciplined and rigid?

I try and be generous in all things and take most things as a shade of grey and not black and white.  In different situations I might come up with completely different answers for the same questions... I wonder if that's the right way to go about it sometimes though?

Highlights Reel

Final reflection on TeenStreet twenty13.

Where it all starts and ends...

Without the gospel we hate ourselves instead of our sin.
~Tim Keller

In everything I do I look for a Gospel impact or influence. From preaching to hanging out with teenagers on a Friday night.  The key to EVERYTHING is the Gospel, we just have to find out how!

A heart for service.

How can you expect God to entrust and empower you for world mission if you don't show that you can serve the local church?"

We were doing a bit of a TeenStreet wrap up last Sunday Night, it had been a great time of reflecting and celebrating and I was just finishing off the night by going through our daily declarations we'd made on camp.  We were talking about "May your Kingdom come THROUGH ME" and the idea of us following God's plan allows His name to be glorified - "Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven." (Matt 6:9-10).

As we talked about mission and the big things people want to do for God I was dwelling on where I was, where I'd been and how I have gotten here and this quote from above came from my lips.  The culture of today is one of fame - the desperate desire to be great, to be famous to do the big things... and I wonder if our Christian culture can be a little like this too?  The idea of overseas mission, or big youth events draw people who want to serve... but should they be serving if we hardly ever see them at church during the rest of the year?  I feel people can be drawn to big things not because they are serving God but because they are meeting their own personal need for 'feeling good' (this idea that serving does make us feel good, we become passionate about it because we feel good but maybe we loose the real meaning of service)

I know for myself I've had to pull back many times, because I have pursued things in the name of service but suddenly realised I was doing them either for something to name drop or put on my resume... or just because it made me feel good to do it.

Those with real hearts for service serve everywhere, and constantly.  I was challenged by the thought and in turn challenged my youth that serving in the church isn't a 'to-do list' thing, or a 'see I'm a good person' thing; instead it is a sign we're totally sold out to God, and we'll do what He says, whether that means washing dishes after morning tea of a Sunday morning, or going to Africa to work in an orphanage.  In my experience it is the ones who are willing to serve anywhere who are used by God in great ways - because He knows their heart.

Amazing growth for TeenStreet.

I mentioned in the last post that we've had four years of TeenStreet now.  Sarah, a member of the communications team, posted this to Instagram the other day. The top photo is the group shot from the first camp in 2010, the bottom is our group shot from this year.

God has worked in such amazing ways. I look at that photo and simply must worship God for the impact his has on young lives, for the plan He has for youth in Qld, and for the provision He has provided to allow us to work with Him the way we have.

What an incredible God we have!

The impact of influence.

We've had four TeenStreets now.  That's four years I've had the opportunity to work with Duzie. Dan and Suzie Potter (or 'Duzie') pioneered the original TeenStreet idea in Europe and have taken it all over the world.  From the USA they travel all year inputting into the lives of teens worldwide, and we've been blessed to have them as key parts of our communications team at TeenStreet Qld each year.

I've really enjoyed getting to know this amazing couple, and learning more from their passion for youth. This year though I was greatly impacted by Dan's nature.  Over the week I slowly put it together in my mind and realised it was an infectious joy which Dan seemed to constantly deliver to anyone around him.  This photo captures it so well (plus I think it was as I took this photo I finally realised the influence Dan was having on me and its impact).

From short, friendly interactions to watching him communicate to the teens in the main meeting I was greatly impacted this week.  I felt Dan's joy encourage me to go out and be like him, to take my eyes off the event of TeenStreet and to see the individual teens and how my own joy and encouragement could impact them.

The very reason it could impact teens is because of the source of Dan's joy.  That source is Jesus. That is where I found my source for joy, it was merely being exampled by Dan in the way he acted and showed Jesus' joy to others.  I know Dan would want the glory to go to Jesus... I want the glory to go to Jesus, but I think there is a place to thank people for being a good example of Jesus (The Kingdom comes THROUGH US right...).

So thank you Dan.

New Identity - Ephesians...

Evening sermon series starting this Sunday at dBay Baptist:

We are part of God’s eternal plan. What an amazing truth, and one which the Apostle Paul made sure the church in Ephesus grasped completely. These new believers would have experienced the excitement of new faith, but in this letter Paul gives them a greater insight into their new identity as God’s holy people, the faithful in Christ Jesus (Eph 1:1).

Identity is the one thing we are all searching to find – who are we really? We cause ourselves the biggest heartache when we fail to understand who we really are. All people are created to be part of God’s eternal plan, all of our identities should be found in Jesus. Yet the majority of the world is searching elsewhere, and even Christians struggle with the issue of identity.

When we believe in Jesus, in his sacrificial work to save us and the new life He give us, then we are given a new identity. Ephesians will help us discover the depth of that identity, the unity it brings and the enduring life which grows from it.

http://www.dbaybap.com/evening-sermon-series/

TeenStreet twenty13

It's an amazing privilege to be part of a movement changing the lives of teenagers. Last week's TeenStreet camp was one of the most incredible experiences I've had.  Most have heard the stories either via Facebook or at dBay Baptist over the weekend so I thought I'd just share a little of my own role on camp, and how it effected me personally.

This year I must admit I was searching for a role - I didn't quite know where I'd fit into the team and so left myself available to do anything.  And anything is about what I did.  My major role was heading the service team, being their go-to person and also looking after their pastoral care.  I ran devotions each day and led the group in prayer as we held up the groups of teens during their NET times.  I also did a lot of equipment logistics, moving chairs, organising batteries and just making sure each 'event' had the equipment it needed. We had a set video team but realised no one was taking photographs for the website so I filled in there as well. I took 600 photos over the week with many making it onto the TeenStreet webpage and Facebook page.  I was asked to be a judge of the Memory Verse Competition, and then with a small mix up ended up being the face of the entire comp and having to get up in front of everyone every night and presenting the best verses of the day (what an honour to get myself up there with Dan and Sam hey!!).  Add to all this some chappy work and even some drumming and I found myself very busy over the week.  In most cases it was behind the scenes stuff, which is very different from what I do week to week at dBay, and though at times I felt God has called me to bigger things I did feel He'd uniquely equipped me for all I needed to do last week.

Seeing young people come to a realisation of their dependence on God was what I was there for... it's what I live for!!! So this week boosted me in what I feel my call and ministry is.  I had to really think intentionally how to switch from my organising role to a relationship building role with the teens (it would have been easy for me to go the week without connecting with any teens by just simply focusing on my job).  I made an effort to walk to line of teens waiting for meals, just to talk and chat with them.  I also made sure some meals I went and sat among the teens or Gap year guys just so I could interact socially with them. I played volleyball, threw frisbee and stopped to encourage any teen or leader I saw along the way.  It was important for me, because by the end of the week I felt I'd had tangible connections with people as well as organising a great event.

Because in the end it is those relationships, and not the event, which are important. Through relationship with the teens we could point to the most important relationship, that between us and God.  Through friendship and trust we could introduce dependence, forgiveness and grace. I feel so humbled to be part of the team that was able to bring this to 250+ teens last week. I am looking forward to doubling that number next year!