Marty & Jess

Arrived

2012-02-01T14:58:00.002+11:00

Well it seems that often I have to start my posts with an apology for our lack of posts. Once again, very sorry to our dedicated followers!

We have arrived in Tassie and are settling into life in Kingston. It feels both strange, and nice to be back 'home' in Tas. Strange in that Sydney in many ways also feels like home. But nice in that we have been very warmly welcomed here and things are familier to us.

It seems that time has gone by very quickly and we are not really sure what we have been spending our time doing. But with February upon us and as Marty starts his chaplaincy work, it feels that we are heading towards some normalcy now. Well as normal as things can be with lots of changes coming up this year...

Leaving

2011-12-07T09:02:00.006+11:00

Well the week of lasts turned into exams, graduation, & then packing. The latter of these continues with this being our last day in Sydney!!

People keep asking what our Sydney highlight has been. This is easily answered with "Bible College and learning about God every day." But otherwise it is very hard to pin down what we have loved about the place Sydney. What we have hated about Sydney is a lot easier: The traffic...the roads...the weather.

Its quite cliche but I'm guessing we wont know what we really love about the place until we are no longer here. Well not long to wait for that now. We hit the homeland in just 5 days!!

Lasts

2011-10-31T20:23:00.002+11:00

This week is very much a week of lasts. Last chapel, last church history lecture, last time of lining up for food, and so on.

The funny thing is you would think that finishing up would give us some confidence in what we have learnt. But if anything college has shown me that I am a mere human, and don’t know much, and never will!! So the feeling of inadequacy is definitely there at the moment.

But there are also lots of other strange feelings. Like the fact that we realise we are really going to miss the strange place that is Bible college.

We are going to miss the three sermons a week we are privileged to hear. We are going to miss the constant learning about the Bible. We are going to miss eating our meals with 100 other people.

This has lead to this week of lasts being a rather emotional week, and not just cause exams are just around the corner!

Holidays...

2011-10-10T16:50:00.001+11:00

So we just spent our 2 weeks of holidays at home hanging around. Here is a bit of a snapshot of what we did:

Thought through decisions about next year...which resulted in the booking of the boat!

Visited different parts of Sydney including the Pleasantville village of Breakfast point...which resulted in being weirded out by Sydney.

Read Jane Eyre & reflected on the loss of the English language in today’s society...which resulted in many conversations in old English.

Watched lots of the West Wing...which resulted in me thinking that I was receiving all the up to date news.

Surfed the internet, cause it was actually working...which resulted in many ebay bidding wars.

Went shopping for clothes...which resulted in many fustrating hours spent, & nothing bought.

Marty went on some fishing trips... which resulted in once again being disappointed by the lack of fish in NSW.

Cookies farewell

2011-09-23T10:33:00.000+10:00

Today is a rather sad day for SMBC. After 26 years, the Cooks are leaving. David has served as the principal of SMBC for that whole time! That is kind of incomprehensible to us, because we haven’t even been alive for that long!

Just thinking about the fact that they have faithfully served God that whole time and maintained the centrality of the Bible to the college is an awesome thing. While others around them may have pushed for other things, they have kept the main thing, the main thing. This is just a huge testament of perseverance to us.

Yet, it also shows that Gods word withstands time. It is just as relevant 26 years ago as it is today and it still needs to be kept central for the next 26 years.

Cake theology

2011-09-08T09:09:00.003+10:00

I think I have a new fav book: A Meal with Jesus by Tim Chester

Here is a little snippet:

"Every time you bake a cake, you're fulfilling that creation mandate. Every cake is a reminder of our freedom to create and be creative in the image of the Creator. Every time you place a meal on the table with quiet satisfaction, you're sharing the joy of the Creator at the creation of the world when he declared everything good."

Job

2011-08-24T16:05:00.002+10:00

Whilst going through the book of Job in class, we have been reflecting on the very comforting fact that God is far beyond our wisdom. He is in control of the whole universe. He made it all and sustains it all. This is comforting because there are many things that don’t make sense to us in this world, but it does to God and he is in control.

So, this begs the challenging question in regards to Job, are we ever going to know the reason for our suffering? Or maybe the better question is, should we go and try and find the reason for our suffering?

If someone we know is suffering, so often we try and figure out why it is happening. But maybe the book of Job is showing us that this is not necessarily the best response. Instead, the best response seems to be to admit we dont know why, but God does and thats what matters.

Church...

2011-08-08T18:24:00.002+10:00

It seems that many churches, and the idea of church, have very much been influenced by individualism and the consumer culture of our society. Church seems to be more about what one can get out of it. So people choose churches based on what suits them best. This is often based on music styles, and demographics.

The sadness of this is that it is not at all what God seems to have intended for church. Being Gods people in very nature gets rid of all selfishness and individualism, so the idea of church should also be nothing like that. Instead Christians should see themselves, and the church they go to, as part of being involved in Gods plans for the earth.

One week in...

2011-07-25T17:39:00.005+10:00

So, we have started second semester for 2011, which is also our last semester! The load seems lighter at the moment, which is very nice. And the classes seem more practical in nature as well. So it does kind of feel like we are wrapping up. They are preparing us to get out there, and start implementing some things we have been learning. So it’s a nice way to start the end :)

But, another great way to start was to share oliebollen with our college community at our International Dinner :)

We made it!!

2011-06-25T15:14:00.003+10:00

It was a long 2 weeks of rather intense study and the exams were pretty horrible! But it was great to think through all that we have learnt this semester and hopefully now we will remember it!

We are now very ready for our 3 weeks of holidays!! :)

Swollen

2011-06-14T20:08:00.004+10:00

Everything here in Sydney is a little bit swollen at the moment, even more than usual!

The drains are swelling over with water (Its raining lots)

The airport is swollen cause no one can leave (The ash cloud)

The SMBC library is swollen with studious people (Its study week)

Our brains are swollen from overloads of information

Our bellies are swollen due to consuming massive amounts of cheese

Marty has a swollen foot from playing footy

Jess has a swollen hand from handwriting study notes for 2 days straight!

Hopefully it wont all burst before exams :)

Ants

2011-05-30T17:29:00.005+10:00

6 Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander, no overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.
(Prov 6:6-8)

25 Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;
(Prov 30:25)

I am finding it very hard to appreciate the ant that Proverbs describes after having them all through our cupboards, shower, floor, & kitchen, resulting in so far having to throw out:

Half a jar of Nuttela

Half a packet of chips, and crackers

Countless packets of nuts, & dried fruit

Many bags of rubbish, not quite at their prime

A drink bottle, &...

A pair of shoes – yes that’s right, they made a nest in my shoes!!

Suffering

2011-05-23T20:06:00.003+10:00

I heard a guy with Cerebral Palsy gave a talk the other day on what it is like being part of a church and having Cerebral Palsy. Many of the things he said really hit me. But one in particular...

He commented that often in churches we don't allow people to suffer. When we see suffering that can't be resolved we try and bury it. We don't give expression to it, because we don't know how to deal with it. He pointed out that this doesn't make much sense considering that the Bible is very clear that suffering is going to be part of every Christian's life.

Just thought that was very thought provoking!

Preaching Conference

2011-05-09T17:35:00.001+10:00

We spent last week soaked in good teaching, good fellowship, and good food.

The Biennial SMBC Preaching Conference was on, with speakers from college as well as overseas. Yet, this was not the only highlight of the week… we also got to catch up with friends from Tassie, and enjoy a lot of good food with them.

On Monday we went from setting the foundations of biblical preaching, and an introduction to the Psalms to one of the most highly populated Muslim areas of Sydney to enjoy a Lebanese meat feast.

On Tuesday we went from learning how to preach the Psalm and then went to the depths of China town to experience food from a small western tribe of China, which once again consisted of large amounts of meat.

On Wednesday we went from learning how to persevere in preaching and more from the Psalms, to the delights of Asian dumplings – small morsels of goodness that hopefully I will one day be able to enjoy!

On Thursday we went from learning more about how to preach the Psalms, with even a Poets view of the Psalms, to… well by then I was too tired to go out… so Marty went & enjoyed the delights of Indian in Newtown. This, along with all that had been learnt throughout the week stayed with him to the next day :)

Holiday...

2011-05-02T16:17:00.002+10:00

After mission we slowly made our way back home. We first went to Tamworth, then headed to the coast, for a very relaxing few days of fishing, reading, and catching up with a friend from Tassie. Below is a photo of us at Port Stephens.

We then wined and dined in the Hunter Valley :)

But now we are back into study, and gearing up for the end of term!!

Mission

2011-04-26T08:10:00.002+10:00

We have just come back from a few weeks away. The first part of this was college mission. We went to Narrabri, which is about 7 hours drive North-West of Sydney, in country N.S.W. The population of the town is about 13 000. There is a lot of cotton and wheat farmers, as well as your usual tradies, teachers etc. In other words, it kind of reminded us of home! It was so nice and small, and most people knew each other, or knew of them :)

We worked along side the Anglican church there, doing all different sorts of things. We went along to the many services, did pastoral visits, walk up evangelism, training seminars, school scripture, youth group, kids club, aged care etc. There was a big mixture of a lot of things, so we were busy most of the time. Yet, it was an enjoyable busy. The church there has remand faithful to the gospel, and you can see that in the lives of the people. It was so great to get to know the people in Narrabri and hear about their lives. The sense that I got, was that their lives are hard, yet they have not lost their joy in Christ. That is what gets them through and has enabled them to stand firm. This was such an encouraging thing to witness and be a part of.

Away

2011-04-01T13:53:00.002+11:00

Over the next few weeks we will be away from SMBC! Firstly we are heading to Narrabri for college mission. We will be working along side the church there getting involved in their day to day things and learning about ministry in the country. So we are looking forward to that and will learn lots through it. :) Then we are going to slowly make our way home, with a bit of a camping road trip. So we will let you know how it goes… :)

Quotes...

2011-03-22T16:30:00.002+11:00

I have two quotes for you today...
One not so useful, and one very thought provoking... I'll let you figure out which one is which! :)

"Dont let the fear of stricking out, keep you from playing the game."

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.”

Philippians

2011-03-10T13:47:00.001+11:00

God has been teaching me a lot through the letter to the Philippians these last few weeks.

We are currently going through a sermon series on it at church, so we are also studying it in our Bible study group. Yet, I also had to write an essay on it.

It is an amazing letter & there are so many great things within it. Yet, one has really been speaking out to me…

Humility.
Considering others better than yourself.

This is the attitude Christ had, and one that we to should strive for.

C.J Mahoney sums it up well by calling humility “true greatness”. It’s…
“serving others for the sake of Gods glory.”

The things we do on Frday................

2011-02-27T10:33:00.002+11:00

Friday! Yes it’s here!

Friday means the last morning mop for the week and then off to Friday Chapel at 8:30am. Friday chapel is a half hour sermon, normally done by a student, and is something we are both doing this year.

After that we have 2hrs of New Testament. In this class we are looking at 1 Corinthians, Philippians and Colossians. 4 weeks on each book.

And that is it for Friday! We usually try to work until dinner, but the after lunch lull is hard to fight on a Friday!

Often we are on dinner for Friday night, which means cooking for about 70 people! It’s full on, but good fun. Otherwise Friday night is our date night! :) We try to do something nice together that doesn’t cost too much.

And that is it, the weekend is upon us.

Saturday normally means watching Saturday Disney in the morning, and sometimes with pancakes! Sometimes we go out and see the sights, other times we read and work on essays, and then other times (when it’s footy season), watching or playing AFL. However, most of the time it is cleaning the house :(

Sunday is similar to Saturday, but we go to church at 5pm or 3pm if Marty is on drums.

Well that is it, we hope you have enjoyed.................

A week in the life of Marty and Jess at SMBC :)

The things we do on........ Thursday

2011-02-25T13:57:00.002+11:00

Well Thursday starts like every other day – Marty mopping the floors, then both of us go for a morning walk, have brekkie, read, pray....

But on Thursday we don’t have any classes until 7:00pm!

So Thursday (in theory) is a great chance to get heaps of work done on essays and catch up on readings! However, this doesn’t always happen.

After dinner we have a night lecture on the Old Testament. We are looking at Genesis, in great detail at the moment. So after 3 weeks of classes we have only covered Chapters 1 and 2!

Class finishes at 9:00pm, Jess rushes home to watch ‘The Good Wife’ and Marty hangs around chatting/doing whatever.

So that is a day in life of Marty and Jess on a Thursday at SMBC :)

The things we do on..........Wednesday

2011-02-23T22:20:00.001+11:00

We start the day with the usual, Marty mopping, Jess going for a walk, breakfast and all that, then off to class at 8:30am.

Our first class is Ethics. This is a 1hr class, and a great chance to discuss those tricky issues in life and the foundations for decision making.

Principals Hour is up next, which is kinda like a church service, where David Cook preaches every week.

This leads us up to morning tea where we quickly grab some food and rush of to Roberts Dale Campus. (Roberts Dale is the new campus just opened last year to help cope with the ever increasing student numbers).

Here we have another 1hr exegesis class on the book of Isaiah and that is it for classes today.

We have a 1hr break then lunch is up as normal, although while we eat we have either a mission meeting (planning for our upcoming mission to Narrabri) or prayer triplets.
These alternate throughout the year and are great ways of getting to know others better.

2:30 rocks round and we have some time to get into essays and readings up until dinner.

After dinner we head off to connect group (aka gospel centred communities/growth groups/bible study group or whatever you like to call it :)) which is now on the west side of the bridge. We hang out their till 9:30-10ish and then head home and crash into bed.

So that is a day in life of Marty and Jess on a Wednesday at SMBC :)

The things we do on........ Tuesday.

2011-02-23T07:56:00.003+11:00

Again it’s an early morning mop for Marty, then we get ready for class at 8:30am.

We have a certificate subject for 1hr. This is an exegesis on the gospel of John.

Ministry matters is next up. This is where we get to listen to past students and missionaries who come in and tell us all about what they have been doing and how God is growing his kingdom all over the world!

This takes us up to morning tea. Marty however, grabs some cake from the kitchen and runs (or skates) off to the train station.

Marty goes to Ultimo Tafe to work with the Chaplin, reaching out to students there. This is part of a subject called field work. Jess is going to be doing high school scripture teaching at Fairfield High School.

After morning tea, Jess then gets to work on her Essays until Marty comes home at around 3:30pm. Jess tries to continue working while Marty tries not to distract her as he has a late lunch and tells Jess all about what happened at Tafe! :)

Dinner time comes round as usual and Jess gets her dinner and heads back home to get ready for her trashy TV with Beck (Packed to the Rafters). Meanwhile, Marty’s dinner goes in the fridge and he goes off to Footy Training. Marty gets home around 8:30pm, just in time to watch Top Gear!

So that is a day in life of Marty and Jess on a Tuesday at SMBC :)

The things we do on.....

2011-02-21T16:59:00.003+11:00

Well if you’re wondering what we are up to during the week and at night this is it!

Things we do on....... Mondays!

Monday is a full day starting at 7:00am when Marty mops the main Kitchen floor, (it takes 30-45mins).
Chapel and Prayer is next up at 9:00am.
Then its morning tea (always at 10:45) and off to church planting class for Marty and Personal Life of those in Ministry for Jess.
Lunch is next (always at 12:45), with a student rep meeting as we eat our lunch.
This is followed by Theology class at 2:00pm. We are looking at the Doctrines of The Holy Spirit, Grace and Hope.
This takes us to 4:00pm where the option to play soccer is there if Marty needs to get rid of pent up energy from sitting in classes all day!
Dinner is next (always at 5:45) and then Marty has the night off! (Monday is his only night off!). Jess however, has chosen to do Intro to Greek on Monday nights which finishes her long day at 9:00pm.

So that is a day in the life of Marty and Jess on a Monday at SMBC. :)

Update

2011-02-16T12:12:00.004+11:00

Thought it was about time we gave you an update on what is happening…

College has started again & we are in the 2nd week of lectures. Our subjects this year are once again quite varied with Old Testament, New Testament, theology, ethics, pastoral skills, & many more. It has been a bit of a shock to the system getting our brains back into study after holidays, but it is great to be back & we are looking forward to learning lots more this year.

A whole new influx of students have come in & so new residents are also here. It feels strange having new people move into your ‘home’, but it has been really good to get to know new people all over again, as well as catch up with friends from last year.

So that is what is mostly happening here. Back to writing essays, & trying to learn people's names :)

Heat wave

2011-02-06T21:04:00.002+11:00

Well due to the recent heat wave there hasn't been much else to do here but remain very still & try not to get bored. So I have been doing a little bit of reading & just wanted to share with you some very thought provoking words from Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

"The great thing is to stick to what one still has & can do - there is still plenty left - & not to be dominated by the thought of what one cannot do, & with feelings of resentment & discontent."

What amazing words from a man in prison!! These words have been very relevant to us, especially during the heat wave :)

Next Gen

2011-01-22T12:39:00.004+11:00

We have just spent the last week at the 'Next Generation' conference in Katoomba.

500 youth & children's workers...

being spured on to serve God wholeheartdly

learning how to interpret the Bible properly

& how to teach the Bible to others.

Lets just say it was a great week & so encouraging!!

2 Worlds

2011-01-12T17:30:00.002+11:00

We have just arrived back from our trip in Tassie & it has dawned on us that it feels like we live in two worlds.

One world is full of old friends & family, the other with all new friendships.
One world is quiet & peaceful, the other is very busy & noisy.
One world has 4 seasons in one day, the other is always hot & muggy.
One world has easy fishing, the other not so easy or successful fishing.

Despite all this both feel familiar, & like home.

It feels strange to feel like you are living in two places at once. But maybe for a Christian, this shouldn’t be new!?! We have a life here on earth, yet we live in light of our future home in heaven.

Tassie!

2010-12-22T14:48:00.002+11:00

We have finally got through all the essays, exams, & the end of year madness!! We thought it would never come but it has & we are back in the lovely State for a Christmas break!

We can now...
breath fresh air
see trees
wear shoes without getting sweaty feet
wear more of my wardrobe
have windows
sleep without hearing pigeons, trains, planes
pick & eat our food from the garden
see the sky out of the windows
drive without having to use the horn
Stand in a pantry with too many options
star gaze...

It is lovely to be home :)

oops

2010-11-26T10:56:00.002+11:00

...I seem to have forgotten that I write a blog
...those exam didn't go to well
...probably should have studied a little bit more
...didn't watch a movie yesterday, which is not keeping with my 2 a day for the holidays :)

Forgiveness

2010-10-29T16:01:00.002+11:00

Where did the idea of forgive and forget come from? I always assumed it was a biblical idea. But I have become more and more convinced that it really isn’t at all. In fact, the biblical teaching on forgiveness is very different to what I originally thought.

In a lecture on the Psalms a lecturer discussed biblical forgiveness…

Forgiveness is not something that should just happen within yourself. It’s not the loving thing to do, to feel hurt by someone and then just forgive them in your heart without discusses it with them. For, what happens if you have it wrong? You are actually judging them. This means that the act of forgiveness becomes just about you and yourself.

So, there is actually no need for forgiveness unless the person realizes that they have wronged you. This does not mean its ok to harbor grudges etc, but maybe forgiveness is not always the appropriate thing to do. Forgiveness is not a personal activity, but something that happens between people.

I think maybe our view of forgiveness has become self-centered. Forgiveness is not about making yourself feel better and enabling you to move on. It is about love and restoring community. Because God forgave us, we should forgive others.

Auditory and Kinesthetic

2010-10-19T16:38:00.002+11:00

We have not only been learning about the Bible this year, but lots of other things as well! One of these is how people learn. From this we realised that Marty and I have a rather significant difference. I learn best from listening, and reading, which is an auditory learner. Marty is a kinesthetic learner, which means that he learns best by doing things. By being able to talk things out and by doing activities.

Thus, Marty and I are basically the opposite. So studying in our house, looks a bit like this:

I am glued to book, making notes in absolute silence. While Marty is walking around, using lots of hand gestures and talking about what he has just read. I think he is talking to me, so I switch gears, so I can listen. When I realise he isn’t inviting me into a conversation, I politely ask him to please be quiet so I can get back to my book. It is a vicious cycle!! :)

In Sickness & in health...

2010-10-11T14:44:00.002+11:00

Life for us has continued on the same despite sickness, & then coming back to good health again. We have had lectures, assignments, and apparently there were some holidays within there sometime!! So we are not all that well rested - but can't stop now because we are on the home stretch towards the end of our first year!!

Just 4 more weeks & then exams! So it's a very busy time. Yet, also a really exciting time as we realise all the things we have learnt, & how it all fits into place. And if good health prevails then all should go rather smoothly :)

Lament

2010-09-07T14:12:00.001+10:00

In studying the Psalms we have come to the laments. And our lecturer raised an interesting point – If they Psalms are an example of corporate worship, and they have laments in them, shouldn’t we also have laments in our corporate gatherings?

The Psalms show us the emotions of followers of God in all different times and situations in life. Lament is often the way we feel about life and the Psalms show that this is an appropriate emotion to have...

So, do you know any songs of lament sung in churches?
Is it appropriate to sing laments corporately?

Reality...

2010-08-31T15:49:00.003+10:00

Well we finally have some clean air back into our lungs! Well that was once we got over the cold shock! :)

We have just come back from a very brief trip back to Tassie!! Sadly we didn’t really get to catch up with people well – but we had lots of fun with their children :)

On coming back to Sydney, we were hit with a few realities...

Firstly... we are now pretty much in the middle of second semester… deep into assessments and the content of our classes. So for example... this week I’m preaching from Ephesians 3 to the other women in my class, and we are both working on essay based on one of Paul’s letters.

Secondly... spring (which really feels like summer) is here! :)

Thirdly... We do really miss our Tassie family & friends. Going there was so great cause it felt so natural - which just makes us realise how much we miss you all!

But... now we are warm! :)

relevance vs purity

2010-08-19T17:26:00.002+10:00

Well it seems that the Bible College Dilemma (see last post) has caused my brain to explode :)

So, thought I would just leave you with a interesting quote I heard this week:

"The contemporary church seems more concerned with relevance than with purity"

The Bible College Dilemma...

2010-08-01T13:14:00.001+10:00

When learning from the Bible every day how much of it can you really take in? So, not just learn & know it, but really take it in & apply it to your life?

We have 10 different subjects this semester. This means each week we hear 10 lectures on different aspects of ministry & the Bible. Then we hear 3-4 sermons a week! So within a few days you could go from discussing the accuracy & authority of the Bible, to looking at the whole book of Job! Its not light stuff! It’s stuff that demands reading, thinking, & meditating upon.

Don’t get me wrong – I love studying the Bible, & learning all the things that we are. I feel so privileged to be able to do this! But how do you do it properly? How do you not allow the learning to just become knowledge & therefore leave out the heart?

Right back into it...

2010-07-19T21:49:00.002+10:00

Well we are back from holidays and straight back into the daily grind of college.

From fishing, surfing, grazing, watching the sunrises & sunsets, to huge amounts of washing, lectures, and the constant reminder of assignments due not to far into the future...
It’s amazing how quickly life can change!

We have had a really nice restful holiday catching up with family & friends from Tassie, & also got a chance to explore more of this great country. But now, we are really excited about getting more deeply into Gods word & learning heaps of new things this semester.

Holidays!

2010-07-05T12:02:00.001+10:00

We are finally out of the vacuum and back into the real world!!

Back to socializing and talking to people… showing family the sites of Sydney… Watching TV & relaxing!

Take today for example... we got up early, caught a train to the city, met Mel & Kochie, then had breakfast at the Lindt Cafe! :)

It’s a very nice feeling!

StuVac

2010-06-14T21:30:00.002+10:00

So we are in StuVac at the moment. But what exactly is StuVac?

Is it study vacation? That is a bit of an oxymoron don’t you think!?! Since when has studying been associated with a vacation? Well some students seem to be taking the vacation part very seriously :)

Maybe it means study vacuum? This sounds a little bit more like me. I get up, study all day, & rest at night. This means that I am totally unable to talk to people, & am very vague (yes - even more than normal!), cause all I have been doing is reading & studying.

So, it’s definitely more like a study vacuum for me - even with only 1 day down!

Old Testament...

2010-05-25T12:08:00.001+10:00

At the moment Marty and I are immersing ourselves within the Old Testament. I am full of disbelief over the Israelites lack of trust in Numbers, but then elated by the great story of Joshua. Marty is continually expressing anger over how stupid Moses is in Exodus, and well, 2 Samuel hasn’t quite eventuated yet! We both have to write 1000 words on an Old Testament book, describing what’s in it and its major themes.

Once you get over the nitty gritties of the assignment, it is actually a really good one. For at the end of this week, hopefully we will both be able to tell people, in one sentence, the significance of the books we have chosen and what they are all about – hopefully!

It would be great if at the end of these two years, we would be able to do that for every book of the Bible!

Maybe there is some worth in preaching a series through the whole Bible - 1 sermon on each book of the Bible, simply explaining what’s in it and why its there?!?

Settling in...

2010-05-03T15:15:00.002+10:00

I have noticed lately that a lot of people are asking us lately how we have settled into Sydney. I suppose it has been 3 months now so it’s just the question to start asking.

Settling in to Sydney - well what can you say!

We have realised that everything in Sydney takes a lot longer & is more expensive. I think that once you embrace these two things & stop fighting against them - I reckon then you can start to relax & enjoy it a bit.

Like, enjoy the fact that you get to listen to more music in the car!
And you don’t feel guilty about not jamming heaps into your day, ‘cause realistically going grocery shopping takes all day.
That means you get more ‘nothing time’ cause you can’t just quickly ‘nip out’ anywhere!
I’m trying to think of good things about the more expensive thing, but not really getting anything :)

On a more serious side, I think we have just started to settle in. We have a routine now (I even have an exercise routine which means a lot for those who know me well!). We have also found a church to go to, which is a great blessing. Marty has started playing footy again. & I think we are finally embracing the Sydney way of life!

A Day in the Life of Marty (as told by Jess)

2010-04-19T16:54:00.004+10:00

6:00am – Awakes suddenly to the sound of pigeons – “Ga Gaaaa, Ga Gaaaa”
6:15am – Stirs in and out of consciousness plotting ways to kill pigeons.
7:30am – Awakes suddenly & shouts: “I’m going to kill that pigeon!”
7:45am – Finally gets out of bed & gets ready for the first lecture.
8:15am – Jess yells out: “Quick Marty - we’re going to be late for class.”
8:30am – In lectures listening to how humans were made to rule & care for Gods creation.
10:40am – Has morning tea with fellow students, discussing what it really means to rule Gods creation.
11:00am – Back in lectures, but has now had enough coffee & cake to get him through the day.
12:00pm – During a coffee break he discusses with fellow students why God created pigeons.
1:00pm – Has lunch, where he discusses with a fellow student the possibilities of smuggling in ball-bearing guns from Taiwan.
2:00pm – Back in room to do reading & assignment writing, but ends of trying to kick & throw things at the pigeons.
6:00pm – Dinner time, where he discusses with fellow students why the pigeons are on our roof & not there’s.
9:30pm – Secures the room to ensure the least amount of noise will come through the window.
10:00pm – Falls asleep dreaming of a peaceful, amazing world – a world without pigeons.

Back to work

2010-04-15T13:51:00.007+10:00

Well after a great house boat holiday on the murray with Muz and Fuz, and all the crew (Wagenaar), celebrating their 30yrs of marriage we are back into the books here at college.

We are trying to maintain our 1 week buffer for assignments, as we have something due every friday for the next 4 weeks. But so far this isn't going so well for Jess - at the moment she has a 1 day buffer! And my week is very quickly disappearing.

So, its been a bit of a challenge getting back into it. Going from relaxing on the boat, eating, fishing (do they still call it fishing when you get no bites 5 days running???), eating, swinging of ropes, and eating - to lectures, eating, reading, eating, lectures, eating, assignments, and eating.

Well eating is an important part of life! Especially when the first footy match of the season is this Saturday!

P.S Half of this post has been highjacked by Jess!

Mission

2010-03-30T09:40:00.002+11:00

Well as my previous post suggested we have been on college mission. It was a week that went very quickly, but at the end felt like a year!

It was so encouraging to see people with such a love and passion for the people around them that they are doing whatever it takes to try and reach them – even if it means having 10 cups of lovingly brewed coffee every day :)

So, we got a quick snippet of what urban ministry in Sydney looks like. To quickly sum it up - I think it is very relationship driven with a real need to properly understand the people around you. This means it is very long term stuff.

The way churches often do things, such as door knocking and letter box dropping, may actually not at all be effective, so you have to find other ways of getting out there. The best way to do this in urban ministry seems to be to just live out your Christian life wherever you go - smiling to people on the street, talking to the shop attended, the barista etc… Its just basic stuff, but if you are intentional about it, it can be very effective.

We were reminded that the gospel never changes, but the best way to engage with the culture around you is definitely different wherever you go.

Writers Block

2010-03-16T15:19:00.003+11:00

Well it seems as though we both have writers block after handing in our assignments! We have now handed in 2 assignments, and both of them on time!!

Next week is mission week for all college students. So, this is where we are assigned to a team which goes to a church & works with the church for a week... I think! We are going to an Anglican church in Newtown, which is close by. Marty is heading up the High School mission, other than that we dont really know what we are doing - but have been told to be prepared to give our testimony at any time...

So it should be fun :)

Columba vs Episcopacy

2010-03-04T08:34:00.001+11:00

The race to get our first assignment (a church history essay) in on time has begun! Mine is on the sixth century Irish monk, Columba, & Marty’s is on the development of church government from 0-500AD.

1750 words on events and the people who influenced the church as we know it today!

So we have frequented facebook for research, and searched at the bottom of coffee cups - but that has surprisingly taught us very little!

We have had dreams about priests with pitchforks, although, come to think about it, that was probably more due to procrastinating on Age of Empires then our essays!

We have read and read and read endless amount of words that are meant to be helpful, but just make no sense. As Marty said last night: “another day, another million words”.

So, it definitely feels like a race – probably more like a marathon, with a 50m sprint for the finish line :)

New Church

2010-03-01T17:43:00.000+11:00

We are going through the process of finding a new church at the moment. Neither of us have really done this before, & well let’s just say we don’t like it! It’s weird visiting churches & just checking them out. You end up analyzing what they do & therefore trying not to be to critical & judgmental. Ironically the first church we went to had a sermon on “stop dating the church”, so that was a good start in helping us approach this in a healthy way!

One good thing I suppose from this though, is that it makes me realise what it would be like for someone visiting a church.

Update

2010-02-25T09:28:00.002+11:00

Hi guys, just a quick post to say we are going well. We have been pretty busy with study. Also I have been helping out building the new campus a little bit, making handrails.
I've slightly torn my hamstring so wont be going to footy training for a couple of weeks.
It would be great if you could pray for me as I try to do this assignment, it's taking me ages to get anywhere! And for patience as I wait for my leg to heal.
Missing you guys......

STUDY!!!!

2010-02-11T16:19:00.002+11:00

I can't believe it, I just spent the last 2.5hrs in the library! I've never done that before, except for those times at school when we used to sneak into the library and play Doom :)

We have a church history essay due on the 5th of march so that's what we are both working on at the moment. Jess is in her element - "this is what I was made for" - were her words. I've got a head ache most of the time so might need to get some glasses if it keeps up!

Otherwise it's great fun learning about lots of different things, ie Episcopal forms of church government, and the role of Columba in the British and Irish churches.

On a more lighter note - My first footy training will be tonight, hopefully they will be nice to me :)

Our thoughts and prayers are with Dave, Evthoxia and the boys as well.

How awesome and complex is our great God!!?? It's amazing learning more about his sovereign rule of this world and a challenge to trust in him always as hard things in life come.

Missing Tas a bit - but all is going well.
Marty. :)

O Week Ends

2010-02-05T11:48:00.000+11:00

Well for many of you the idea of O Week may evoke some very exciting images: No work, free bands, free beer, no sleep, students running around everywhere…

Well let’s just say our O Week has been very different: family BBQ’s, study skills, talks on hygiene & what is appropriate to wear, dining etiquette, dinner with the other married couples (Newtown Thai of course)…

But one thing is the same - Library tours! Which I very much enjoyed – it’s just the smell of the books, & being surrounded by so much good stuff - it’s very special & a little overwhelming :)

So it was an interesting experience & now we are straight into lectures.

O week begins!

2010-02-01T10:55:00.002+11:00

Hey, well this week is O week, we start with a dinner tonight then the rest of the week is meeting new people, hearing the rules and going to study skills classes. (not much fun apparently)
Last Sat we went surfing down at bondi and got totally roasted! We didnt think the UV rays were that bad in syd, compared to tassie. But it was lots of fun. Sunday we went to "church by the bridge" and met Paul Dale and some other nice people. Its in kirabilli so we checked out luna park after that and found a good fishing spot for king fish! Later we had a bbq dinner back at college and watched the tennis outside on the big screen.
Well thats about it from me,
Marty.

Sydney!!

2010-01-27T11:38:00.001+11:00

We have finally arrived in Sydney! After a very smooth sailing over the Bass Straight & a long hot drive on the Hume we are here & mostly unpacked. We were able to celebrate Australia Day in style down at the Rocks with Gluten Free pide, Ash Grunwald, & then trying to find some New Town Thai we actually ended up in Balmain (North East of the city) – oops! We will soon hopefully get our bearings, although we have got lost every time we try & go somewhere so far!

We don’t have any College stuff until Monday, so we are just going to keep settling in and resting after a very full on few weeks!

Marty & Jess

Holidays, Youth Convention, Packing...

2010-01-15T11:21:00.000+11:00

Sorry about the silence of late… we have been very busy! In December I was tying up loose ends, then had the Christmas holidays, then we went to Adelaide for the Reformed Youth Convention, then we came home & started packing up our house to move to Sydney!

So I have now finished my ministry apprenticeship – I actually finished at the youth convention, which was a really good way to end. Clinton Berends (from Redlands Reformed Church) and Marty Ford (from Trinity College in Perth) did the talks, and they were fantastic. So besides being stuck in the middle of nowhere during Adelaide’s heat wave, with flies, dirt, & sweaty youth... it was really good!

So we are now preparing for our move up to College in Sydney. From then the blog will change a bit as Marty & I will both write about how college is going, so if you want to keep in touch with our next stage in life… keep on reading!

Supporters Letter...

2009-12-08T10:30:00.000+11:00

Things are starting to come to an end for me here in this very cold office at Kingston Church :) I am almost finished my 2 year ministry apprenticeship, but still feel like I only just started! There is still so much to learn – yet when I think back – I have actually learnt so much these past 2 years. Mostly about how majestic our God is and how much we are all in desperate need for him. I’ve also learnt so much about ministry and about myself - so I am really grateful to have been able to do this apprenticeship.

So there are a lot of people I want to thank…

Firstly, I really want to personally thank Belinda for training me and teaching me the hard stuff these past 2 years. I must have driven you insane so many times!! So a very big thank you to you and your family.

I also want to thank the wider ministry team from our churches... all of you have supported and helped me in so many ways! And also - thank you to the many men I bugged and asked random questions to when Belinda wasn’t around!

Finally, I want to thank my church families at Kingston and at Summerleas. You have supported Marty and I so much, either financially or through prayer, encouraging words etc. We both really appreciate it and feel very blessed.

So the future for Marty and I is looking a little bit scary but also very exciting! We are heading to Sydney next year to study at Sydney Missionary and Bible College where we both plan to do the 2 year diploma. We would really appreciate your prayers as we make this move, and as we really get into studying the Bible next year.

In Christ,
Jess Prins

Christmas is coming...

2009-12-01T09:33:00.004+11:00

Well it is December already! So the Christmas tree has been found, sawn, dragged across the paddock, thrown over the back fence, & lovingly decorated :) Yes it is a little wind blown & has brought many lovely crawly creatures into our lounge room - but it does bring some Christmas cheer.

I am normally a bit of a Christmas humbug – I hate the songs & the decorations everywhere, but something about this year – maybe because we are leaving soon, or maybe its because we are going to be home for Christmas this year - has drawn me to embrace the Christmas spirit!

But don't expect to hear me singing the Christmas songs! :)

Last things...

2009-11-24T10:29:00.001+11:00

The end of the ministry apprenticeship for me is quickly approaching. So I’m experiencing the reality that some of the things I’m doing are actually for the last time - last chaplaincy meetings, last staff meeting, last time looking after the kids, last mentoring meetings, last night of D-Train…

It’s a very strange feeling when things that were once part of your everyday week start coming to an end. It brings such a mixture of feelings – excitement, regret, sadness… Its very strange. Soon I don’t think I’m going to know what to do with myself :)

Sex Talk...

2009-11-18T12:36:00.002+11:00

Last night I did my first official talk whilst being in this job, & yes it was on sex.

It was to the girls at D-Train (youth group) & I focused on Psalm 51 which is the Psalm David wrote after committing adultery with Bathsheba. So I mainly talked about sexual sin being a result of our hearts, just like any sin is, & then went on to stuff about repentance. But I did go into the world of dating & sex stuff for teenage girls at the end.

I must say I was pretty nervous – more so about the delivery then what I was actually saying, ‘cause I have a tendency to speak to fast (well that’s what I have been told anyway :) )

But I think it went ok – was a very interesting experience.

Who you are, not what you do...

2009-10-30T13:50:00.002+11:00

The statement that ministry is more about who you are, then what you do, has been bandied around lately.

And I like it – I think there is something very true and valuable about thinking about ministry like this.

But, how does it affect what you do on a daily basis?

College...

2009-10-02T10:30:00.002+10:00

Well as many of you know Marty & I applied to go to SMBC (Sydney Missionary Bible College) a while ago & have been waiting the reply…

we have finally been accepted!

So next year, we will be following in my sisters footsteps & heading up to Sydney to study. We are both really excited, yet at the same time sad as the reality of leaving this beautiful state is settling in.

But its a great oppurtunity, & the idea of really getting to know Gods word & studying that full-time is so exciting. Plus, we can go visit Mel & Kochie every morning!! :)

Ecclesiastes...

2009-09-23T12:44:00.002+10:00

We have just done a series on Ecclesiastes at D-Train (youth group) called “Ecclesiastes: The Search for Meaning”. Besides creating emo youth, this series really helped to look at life a bit differently, and just to reinforce the fact that life without God, is worthless.

Ecclesiastes is a Bible book we so often just ignore cause it’s a bit weird and confusing, and it was a lot of work, but was definitely worth it!

(You can find our movie about it here)

holidays!!

2009-09-04T11:30:00.002+10:00

Well it is time for me to have some time off!! I am going to be enjoying some much needed rest for the next 2 weeks... so I will leave you these words from Col Marshall (former Director MTS Australia) to contemplate:

“Before you can have a church planting movement you need a disciple-making movement. In order to have a disciple-making movement, you need a Bible-reading movement.”

Bring back the intermission...

2009-08-28T12:43:00.001+10:00

You watch great movies like ‘The Sound of Music’ and halfway through the movie the coolest thing happens...

The scene fades out to a beautiful landscape shot with calm music and the word 'intermission' comes onto the screen!

You have a few minutes where you can go to the toilet, get some more food and drink, have a little chat about the movie, get some more pillows…

I say we should bring this back…

Be present...

2009-08-20T14:31:00.001+10:00

I heard a great sermon on busyness the other day which had some very helpful practical tips. One of them which I thought was very poignant was to ‘be present’. The point was that when you are going through your day you should think about what you are doing, and don’t let your mind go to everything else that you have to be doing tomorrow, or the next day.

For example, when you are talking to someone, concentrate on what they are saying don’t think about what is the next thing you have to do, or the next person you have to talk to (this will just cause the ‘Wagenaar vague-out’!) but just talk to them!

Very helpful advice I reckon!

Some reflections on youth ministry so far...

2009-08-05T11:02:00.001+10:00

I have noticed that youth ministry has to be organised chaos.

Things are going to change at the last minute and you are going to have to deal with random things often and on the spot. So, you have to be organised, but then not totally loose it if all those plans are totally changed, and something very different ends up happening. This means a lot of prayer – that whatever ends up happening will glorify God!

Do you reckon this is the same with all ministry or just youth ministry??

Supporters Letter...

2009-07-23T16:33:00.001+10:00

Well a year & a half has gone by in my ministry apprenticeship here at Kingston, so I thought it was about time to again let you know what I have been up to & thank the many people who are supporting me.

I am involved in many different ministries such as youth work, women’s ministry, one-to-one discipleship, & I am being largely challenged in all of them! I am also involved in doing some theological training, & have started the first CBTE course which looks at the book of Acts.

In all the different things I am doing I am continually reminded of the faithfulness of God & the truth of the gospel of Christ which brings such joy & motivation to continue on. I have also learnt a lot about myself & how I function as a person, which sometimes has been quite challenging to realise & accept!

Some highlights so far this year would have to be, the two camps we have had with D-Train this year, the Tasmanian Women’s Bible Conference, & just sitting down to read the Bible & pray with people has been such a great encouragement to me.

I would really like to thank all those people who have supported me financially. It is such a blessing to be given the chance to do this apprenticeship, & it’s through your generosity that I can do it – so thank you! I would also like to thank those who are supporting me through pray. I have been continually reminded this year how powerful & effective prayer is – so thank you to the many people that do pray for me. I would really appreciate your continued prayer for all the different things that I am doing, & that I will continue to grow in my relationship with God.

Mt Welly shows off his stuff again..

2009-07-09T09:44:00.003+10:00

I know I just keep blogging about the weather, & Mt Wellington - but it really is very amazing!!

Marty mananged to capture this one on a very frosty morning while the sun was rising over a very snow covered Mt Welly.

It's not a set of rules...

2009-06-05T11:08:00.002+10:00

I reckon that Michael Jensen in his book “You: An Introduction” has one of the best descriptions that I have heard of what the Bible is. He writes:

“The Bible doesn’t come to us as a set of rules, nor is it set our like a New Age self-help book. It tells a tale. We could say it is the script of a great play. Its dramatist is the one who made everything (we use the word “God’ to refer to this person) – including the human being who are its actors. It is a love story – a true love story. It tells how this God loves people, and though they spurn his love, he goes to extraordinary lengths to win them back”

I think this could be a great way to explain what the Bible is all about to youth, & hopefully will encourage them to read it!!

Frozen

2009-05-15T10:46:00.003+10:00

It seems that not only Mt Welly has frozen, but so has my computer & my brain! Sorry about the lack of correspondence to all my followers... Life is getting away with me a bit!

So today I thought I would leave you with some interesting things to ponder. It's from something I read in ‘The Confessions of St Augustine’ this morning:

“Be warned that a thing is good & pleasant only because it is connected with Him. Use it apart from its Source, & it will come to taste bitter. Since the good thing is His, how can it remain worth loving if you forsake Him to get it? So what it your goal as you wander these difficult, laborious ways? If it is not found in Him, there will be no rest – not where you are looking for it. You can keep looking for it, but it is far from the place you are” (pg63).

First dump...

2009-04-06T11:38:00.004+10:00

Mt Wellington has had its first dump for the year...

Oh... I do love Tassie!! :)

Ministry seasons

2009-04-06T11:22:00.003+10:00

So, as expected March was an insane month! There was busyness on so many different fronts, & many different things for me to grapple with. To be honest, if the rest of the year is anything like that dont think i'll cope!! But as I have been told many times, ministry has its seasons - sometimes its really busy, & other times you can slow down a bit.

But this brought me to thinking, I know it is sometimes good to be busy, to stop you from getting lazy etc, but what about times of reflection? Can being busy & having time to reflect on life ever go together? Or do you have to go through the busy periods, & then wait till its not so busy to actually sit down & think through things?

Can busyness & time of reflection ever go together??

TWBC

2009-03-25T12:37:00.003+11:00

Ok.. so now its TWBC (Tasmanian Womens Bible Conference) that is totally consuming my time!! Its on this Saturday & plans are going pretty well, & lots of women are coming! So that is really fantastic & I am looking forward to the day & seeing it all come together.
So I would really appreaciate your prayers!!
& hopefully once I have recovered I will be a little bit better at keeping you up to date!!

It has been a while, sorry...

2009-03-13T11:17:00.002+11:00

I think facebook has taken over my internet time & reading about the Lynch’s Seattle experiences ! But as previously stated this blog was to regularly let you know what I was up to & thinking about, so…

Lately I have been thinking & reading a bit about truth & how this plays out in today’s culture. In reading The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern world this morning, over a lovely coffee & florentine, it struck me how different a Christians world view is to the worlds. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a Christian family, so the absoluteness of God was always a given to me, but to this world, this idea is foreign.

This is something we have to remember when talking to people about our God! Any ideas on how to approach this??

News from the Prins's

2009-03-02T09:03:00.002+11:00

Thought I would give you all an update on what is the hap’s with us:

It is now the end of summer - I think that changes the mood of things. We have to start getting more serious now!! :)
I joined Facebook!
We managed to take the youth group camping to Lime Bay over the weekend without to many incidents!!
I have decided to trial being gluten-free! & no Beck I will not join the gluten-free society on facebook! :)
March is a very busy month for us, because it is ‘TWBC month’ so we would really appreciate your prayers!

Easter

2009-02-20T08:25:00.001+11:00

The supermarkets have reminded me that Easter is coming upon us… but is it really!?! Come on its not for another 2 months!! & its post-TWBC (Tasmanian Women’s Bible Conference) which is how I am ganging the first half of the year! :)

So I have decided to not eat any easter eggs, or bunnies, or hot cross buns until I am in Bicheno having a very relaxing weekend with my family! Can’t wait for that easter egg hunt! :)

Evangelism

2009-02-16T09:18:00.002+11:00

We recently listened to a talk by Tim Keller at our youth group leaders retreat about how the evangelism methods we have been using are no longer effective because of the shifts in society. In fact, Keller called for a complete transformation in the way that we spread the gospel. He did give hints on how to do this in his talk. But it led me to think…

Do evangelism tools such as 6 Steps To Talking About Jesus no longer work?
Do we have to change our whole thinking about how to present the gospel so that we can be effective in spreading the word of Jesus in this postmodern society?
Or has postmodernism not reached Tassie yet!?! :)

Bible Reading

2009-02-06T08:36:00.002+11:00

At TLC Andrew Reid reminded me how important reading the Bible regularly really is…

We often tend not to enforce the importance of reading the bible every day to stay away from legalism. We know it’s a good thing to do, but if you can’t find the time we say, “oh that’s ok, cause you don’t want it to be legalistic do you!?!”. It's almost like legalism has become an excuse for the lazy!

Andrew gave the great example of when we are training for something we work hard at it, we create habits to help us fulfill our goals.

So as Christians, who want to get to know more about our great God, why should we not create habits to help us do that? And reading the bible daily is a fantastic habit to help with this, & if it is done with the Holy Spirit & prayer this could not be legalistic, could it?

TLC

2009-01-29T08:30:00.002+11:00

Marty and I had the great pleasure of going to the Tasmanian Leadership Conference (TLC) on the weekend. Here are some things I was encouraged & challenged by -

Encouraged:

We got to lead a group of rather young first-timers who had never written a Bible study before, so to see them really get into the passage & interpret it for themselves & write a study was so encouraging.
To listen to what people are doing around the State in terms of ministry is always really encouraging to hear.

Challenged:

About our singing – Andrew Reid defined song as putting you in touch with what it means to be Gods people in Gods world. So, it’s making theology our own with our experiences & emotion. Have we concentrated too much on theology & left out emotion?
I was reminded of how important the Bible is to continue reading individually & corporately. Andrew really challenged us to think about whether or not this is done enough corporately these days.
How much I am like the Israelites & try & self-rule instead of let God rule.
As Christians we are to live authentic lives, not putting up a face of ‘goodness’, but truly living out the gospel & there is no better evangelism than that!

Once again TLC proved to be a great conference for training people to read & interpret the Bible for themselves! So, be there next year!

I became a true Kingstonite & Australian in 1 day!!

2009-01-16T09:52:00.008+11:00

I have been told that you are not a true ‘Kingstonite’ until you have done the big walk above the trees into the sky - the Tahune AirWalk. Well I finally did it! And it was amazing - being above the trees & seeing everything from a bird’s perspective was very cool.

But the coolest thing was actually those swinging bridges (yes there is 2!). You may have been there & not done them as it’s not really talked about or hyped up – both those swinging bridges are a whole lot more scarier, & very possibly cooler, than the platform in the sky. To see the terrifying experience watch the movie….

And I am also now a true Australian as I have seen ‘Australia’. It was also pretty cool - just another movie really!

What is wrong with me?

2009-01-14T14:41:00.004+11:00

As I was planning the year – I felt nothing for it, just a bit taken back about how busy it was! There was no excitement for things coming up, even trips to Sydney which I love doing. In fact there was just not really any feeling at all.

What was wrong with me?

I did a lot of thinking about it - I even took a day off to try & figure it out. Finally it was an epiphany that came to me in Gloria Jeans one very warm morning over a skinny cappuccino & a great book - I had momentarily lost my passion for full-time ministry.

So I went back to some inspiring talks & it brought me back to Jesus. This should come as no surprise to you - but it is always God & all that he has done for us that brings us back to reality isn’t it!?! It’s through being totally humbled & realising how crap you are that puts everything back into place.

Being in full-time paid ministry is such a privilege – I am apart of this massive plan of spreading the great news of Christ to the world! This should never be left out of the picture when you are planning your year!!

The 5 P's

2009-01-13T13:39:00.005+11:00

Well the second year of my MTS apprenticeship is well underway & so has the planning. It feels strange to spend almost a whole month planning the rest of the year. But as BV shared – ‘Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance’. So let’s hope that comes true!

the first year of my MTS apprenticeship...

2008-12-23T09:14:00.002+11:00

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...

2008-12-18T11:26:00.002+11:00

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

2008-12-15T12:43:00.003+11:00

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...

2008-12-10T12:26:00.003+11:00

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!!
So, you know everyone there & if you don’t – you soon will!
There is a mixing of all ages
It’s more relaxed (so you can have a coffee break in the middle!!)
It’s easier to invite your friends to because you know people will talk to them & they hopefully wont feel to overwhelmed
There is a greater sense of community

Is your pastor the scum of the earth???

2008-12-05T14:27:00.002+11:00

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

2008-12-04T09:47:00.002+11:00

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

2008-12-03T09:14:00.004+11:00

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

2008-12-02T08:59:00.003+11:00

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

2008-11-28T14:11:00.002+11:00

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

2008-11-26T15:33:00.013+11:00

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

2008-11-21T13:33:00.004+11:00

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?

2008-11-19T14:11:00.006+11:00

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...

2008-11-18T14:11:00.000+11:00

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...!!