the first year of my MTS apprenticeship...

Well the first year of my MTS apprenticeship has come to an end.

Its one of those strange things where you look back & have no idea what you have done… but I am pretty sure I have done something! One thing I do know is that I have learnt a lot! Not just about ministry, but about our great heavenly father & I have learnt heaps about myself.

I have been involved in many different sorts of ministry & have been hugely challenged in all of them! But most of all I have been reminded about how amazing our God is & how much we are all in desperate need of him. It’s when you lose sight of this that everything starts falling part. So I am extremely thankful to the many people who reminded me of this throughout the year.

There is many more that I want thank for being apart of my training, praying for me, & supporting me so far, but I really want to thank Marty… thanks for always supporting me, & pushing me when I needed it, or telling me to stop! You always seem to put everything into perspective for me, for which I am very grateful. I am very blessed to have you lead me through life (& happy birthday for tomorrow!!)

I am really looking forward to next year & all the different things that it will bring. Just need a little break first…

I am a Gentile...

God chose the Israelites to be his people – I am not an Israelite.

It’s through Jesus’ work on earth & on the cross that has made me one of Gods chosen people (Ephesians 2:11-13). I have been grafted into his kingdom! (Romans 11:11-24)

'I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile' (Romans 1:16)

Should the fact that we are Gentiles make any difference to us?

Climate Change

I have been whinging to Marty for some time now that this whole new climate change thing is just a farce. It’s a media built up phenomenon, & I’m sure someone out there is getting a lot of money out of it!

In my view the world has always been disintegrating, the media has just decided to hype it up in the last few years. My point is that I’m sure people have been looking into this and studying it for years & realised how serious it is ages ago.

So I was stoked to read Schaeffer write in 1970!
“So there is a true dilemma. Modern man has seen that we are upsetting the balance of nature and the problem is drastic and urgent” (pg 17 from ‘Pollution & the Death of Man: The Christian View of Ecology’)

It’s a great book to get you thinking about the Christian view of creation.

Why I love being part of a small church...

1. No moments like:
   “I haven’t seen you here before - is this your first time?" “No, I’ve actually been here for 20 years…”
   Awkward!!
2. So, you know everyone there & if you don’t – you soon will!
3. There is a mixing of all ages
4. It’s more relaxed (so you can have a coffee break in the middle!!)
5. It’s easier to invite your friends to because you know people will talk to them & they hopefully wont feel to overwhelmed
6. There is a greater sense of community

Is your pastor the scum of the earth???

I’m going through 1 Corinthians with a friend of mine so I had to prepare a quick Bible study on chapter 4 - it was hard! I read it over & over again wondering, what is the point! We actually meet up & didn’t look at it because I didn’t know what to say! I then read some commentaries & decided to just skip it & go to chapter 5 instead, but that didn’t look to appealing either! I finally listened to a sermon (its #5 'True Christian Leadership') on it, and it all fell into place. But not only that, I was deeply challenged!

What is our view of Christian leaders? Do we want them to be strong & popular like many Christian leaders are viewed these days? Or do we see them as servants of Christ, entrusted with the gospel, who are the scum of the earth?

What do you want your pastor to look like?

Born again... part 2

In a sermon by Driscoll he outlines the different ways that God works in the heart of those who are born again:

New master – God, no longer Satan
New creation – New people with a fresh, clean start with God
New identity – The core essence of who you are made new
New mind – Hungry for the Bible, & to learn more about God
New desires – No longer want to sin, but want to obey God
New emotions – We feel differently
New community – Craves new community around Jesus
New Power – Have the power to put our sins to death
New Freedom – No longer slaves to sin – but are free!
New Life! – with God

We should never forget or stop praising God for this! It’s also a great challenge - are we still seeing these things in our life?

Movies

The months of October & November have been rather wet, & kind of a time to unwind a little bit – so we have been watching movies, lots of them! I have collated my thoughts (or just my favourite lines!) from the ones that I remember. So now Beck, you wont have to ring me for my reviews in the video store for at least a month!

Mamma Mia - Hilarious!
Horton Hears a Who – “Horton is my hero! Ahhhhh”
Maid of Honour – McDreamy!!
Sydney White – Just the usual school chick flick
Casino Royale in fast forward to get us ready for...
Quantum of Solace – oh yeah!!
Lions of Lambs – Movies that don’t end 'properly' confuse me!?!
The Bucket List – “Never trust a fart!”
Get Smart – Surprisingly quite funny
The Women – Lives up to its name - there is no men in the whole thing!
Step up 2 – The Streets - These movies should never do sequels!
TMNT – Ningie turtles – what more could you want!
Hancock – A hated superhero – was interesting!
Dan in Real Life - Very funny!
Jumper – Yeah, was pretty cool
Juno – Just weird! But funny
Wedding Planner – Oldie but a goodie!
X-Men #1 – Also an oldie, but also a goodie
Leatherheads – It had its moments
The Italian Job – Oh yeah... the mini’s are awesome!!
Drillbit Taylor – Actually quite funny, although really stupid

Crowded House

Well, what can I say... have a look at this - it was awesome! (The video is not that good - have lots of better ones! But it seems the computer can't handle it!)

Bottom line, Sideline & Frontline

G-Train did some great talks on ‘Back to the Frontline’ for our youth & children’s vision day. Here is a quick snapshot:
The Bottom line - Why do we do ministry? To save some! (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)
The Sideline – Are we in on the action or just watching? Get off the sideline in other words! (Matthew 5:11-12).
The Frontline - Where do you spend most of your time? That is your frontline! It’s where bold action should take place, so it will be hard & you will take some hits! For, we are in a battle (Ephesians 6:10-20). This is why ministry is so important, because people need support.

Obedience & love

In a great sermon by Brian (& this is a jet-lagged Brian!) on Mark 7:1-13, he talked about how rejecting the word of God is actually rejecting Jesus. But, in our culture which sees obedience & love as contradictory, this seems problematic doesn’t it!?!

But when you think about it, the two aren’t at all. When we love someone we change to please them, we do what makes them happy - we change our life, conforming to their desires (like Marty hates it when I leave cloths in the sink – so I try not to now :) ) But, this doesn’t feel like obedience, because their happiness is your happiness.

Is this not the same with God?

The Bible is not a book of rules. The purpose of the Bible is to show us what God loves. Look at the way David describes it in Psalm 17:

7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.
11 By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

The Bible is the words of God - to us! We should delight in it, enjoy it, love it, read it, & listen to it.

Born again

Recently at youth group we looked at how Jesus death & resurrection changes us. So, what does Jesus do in us when we put our faith in him?

What amazed me was the absolute sovereignty of God in all of this. Being born again is in fact a total work of God, in of which we have no part! It is the work of the Spirit:

5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water & the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." (John 3:5-8)

This new birth is what God does in us so that we can believe 1. So, in fact we are born again before we become Christians! This kind of plays with my head a bit, & confuses me! (so verse 8 is a comfort!). But it is awesome! ‘cause it means that God brings us to himself - it’s not what we do that brings us to God. God gives us a new heart, so that we can believe & trust in him, & have new life!

1. Wayne Grudem's, 'Systematic Theology' pg703

Are we ever to old?

It seems that the predominant age of leaders involved in youth ministry (ages 15 – 20) are around 18-25. Why is this? Are the 30+’s to old? Do they no longer have anything to offer?

Are we ever to old for youth ministry?

Tim Hawkins outlines that there are 5 stages of youth ministry (in ‘Leaders That Will Last’):

1. The “One of the Gang” Stage
2. The “Big Brother or Sister” Stage
3. The “Uncle or Aunty” Stage
4. The “Parent” Stage
5. The “Grandparent” Stage

All of these stages have advantages and limitations and are just as worthwhile as each other - you just have to acknowledge which one you are in!

So… we are never too old for youth ministry! It isn’t just a ministry that paves the way to other ministries – it is one worth staying in for the long hall!

For once we are never to old for something!

Welcome...

Well I have been thinking lately that we really don't give ourselves enough time to think, reflect, & mull over things. We are so busy with life - family, ministries, etc that we just don't stop! We have lost time to meditate on God's word, our lives, & just really thinking about things (well I have anyway!).

So... I suppose this blog is kind of a result of this - a chance for me to share my relfections on life with you (what an honour for you!). But mostly it's for my dear family who I'm terrible at keeping in touch with!

So enjoy...!!