Mobile Phones with Bling - China Edition

Our cousin Andy has just come back from China with these phones - and they are for sale!!!

He is a budding young entrepeneur learning the ins n outs of doing business in China.

One is a genuine Nokia - and all have capacity for 2 SIM cards. The Ferrari edition makes F1 car noises. The Gucci one is my favourite.

It is interesting the stuff that is not available here in AU. We are still such a small market.

PS - I can put you in touch with Andy if you are interested.... and they are not all that pricey.

Green Friend

Have a look at what appeared in our bathroom recently!!!

If this frog had a voice he probably would have simply said, "Good morning!"

Four

I was reading Proverbs 30 this morning

It includes:

Four Insatiables
Four Mysteries
Four Intolerables
Four Small Wonders
Four Dignitaries

Well worth checking out.... but I am confused about 1 of them.
Need to look at it a bit harder, me thinks!

PS - I was reading chapter 30 because today is the 30th. If you ever get short on ideas on how to read the Bible.... Proverbs has 31 chapters, there are generally 31 days in a month... so read the chapter that corresponds with the day number of the month.

So what chapter of Proverbs will you read on your birthday?

BIG Wednesday - Coming Soon!

They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity....
— Acts 2:46 (NLT)

More info coming soon!

FB2009 - Get your Face in the Book in 2009

It seems like everyone is on facebook!!!


Here is my very first post about facebook and my "friends."

I have a concept brewing – I am sure someone has already done it. But it seems new to me!
I have taken the popular "facebook" and converted it to FB2009 - Get your Face in the Book in 2009.

This is part of how I got there..........

I recently did a post about some "Word-snippets" - random God-phrases from The Message that have caught my attention when reading Psalms recently. This is one that I forgot to add in....

…… soak yourself in the Fear-of-God—that's where your future lies. Then you won't be left with an armload of nothing.

Proverbs 23:17-18 (MSG)

and then it make me think of this....

Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don't get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you're going. And don't for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you'll get where you're going; then you'll succeed.

Joshua 1:7-8 (MSG)

And then I remembered this post I did in July 2008 .... here is a bit of a cut n paste....

....."Connected with God...Fuel for the Journey." The BIG idea was that a dynamic and intimate connection with God was a key to effective ministry to others.....Imagine if we could understand the power of our commitment to connecting with God…….And when we really understood that

1. the ongoing strength of our ministry depends on us being able to hear and discern God's voice in your life - and then growing in and obeying what we hear

2. the effectiveness of our ministry and its impact on the community and with lost people depends on our spiritual growththis should be a motivator for us and should guide for us in all we do to come to a place of spiritual maturity.

So here it is - FB2009 - Get your Face in the Book in 2009.

.......... with a bit of artwork that I roughly whipped-up!

No doubt there will be more on this "live" thought - so stay tuned!

What is God starting to talk to you about for 2009?

Early in the morning....

Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city…….
Matthew 21:18 (NIV)

I dropped Mum at the airport very early this AM... wow!!
I love the city at that hour of the morning.
There was a passenger liner at Bretts Wharves ... a City Cat gliding the river near Bulimba, and church bell was quiet in New Farm. It was a shame that Vue Coffee was not open... but I did find a new bakery in Brunswuck Street.

10 Frugal Ways to Show Them You Care

Came across this article while filing some stuff recently.

I have it down as being written by Kim Tilley at http://frugal-moms.com

Although it is written in the context of mums and kids, the principles are transferable.

Over to you now, Kim.

Who says love has to be expensive? With a little creativity, you can show your love in ways that don't break the bank and create special memories together.

COMPLIMENT FAMILY MEMBERS EVERYDAY
How often do we find ourselves reminding our loved ones of all of their faults? Get into the habit of saying something nice about each member of your family on a daily basis. Kids, and spouses, need this reassurance, and it will help you to focus on the positive rather than the negative. There will be days when finding something to compliment may be really difficult. Save the generic compliments for these days, such as "Wow, you've got such strong arms" or "Your hair looks very nice today."

SURPRISE THEM WITH LOVE NOTES
...in their lunches or coat pockets. This can be so much fun! I like to stick notes to the fruit in my husband's lunch, such as "You are the apple of my eye" or "You drive me bananas!" He enjoyed the notes, although he was a little embarrassed to discover them in front of his coworkers.

MAGNETIC MESSAGES
You can also leave funny notes on the refrigerator with magnetic letters. We bought some to teach my youngest child his ABC's, but soon found the entire family leaving silly notes to each other on the fridge. This is another great way to compliment your family as well, you can leave "Dad is great" on the refrigerator, but watch out-some kids like to "edit" these messages (I recently came home to find "Mom is not great" and "Beau eats bugs" on my refrigerator.)

ESTABLISH A FAMILY NIGHT
Set aside one night a week to do something special with your family. It might be going out somewhere, but it can also be something as simple as watching a moving together at home and eating popcorn. Take the phone off of the hook and keep the focus on the family. Other fun activities you might try include playing board games together, cooking a special meal together, going through old photos, singing and dancing, playing musical instruments, whatever you like.

BIRTH STORIES
Tell your kids the stories of their births. Take out some baby pictures and tell them what they were like at a young age. Sharing these memories with your children is precious, and may even trigger some long forgotten stories. We recently discovered some old pictures and videotapes of my oldest son as a baby, when we lived overseas. Watching the tapes and going through the pictures, I felt like I had my "baby" back. Sharing these stories is also a great way to deal with jealousy -- when I find my older two getting annoyed at my youngest child, I recall some of the things they did at the same age. They really enjoy the stories, and it makes them feel special.

LOVE PIZZA
Whenever someone in our family has a birthday, gets good grades, (or a promotion!), we celebrate with a "Love Pizza". Just make your favorite pizza crust, shaping it into a
heart. Add the sauce and cheese, and cut the pepperoni with kitchen shears into letters to make a special message. I like to write "I love you" or "Happy Birthday" on our love pizzas. I've also tried making the words out of green peppers, but the pepperoni seems to be the most popular at
our house.

HUGS
No child is too old for hugs. Sometimes we assume that older kids don't need or want to be touched, but they may need hugs the most. Make yourself openly available for hugs and
kisses from kids of any age, and keep that shoulder ready for them to cry on. Just knowing they can come to you is half of the battle!

READ WITH THEM
Every night we have a family reading time at our house. Sometimes the kids read to us, sometimes we read to them. Together we have discovered some fantastic books, as well as
each other. Chapter books such as Willy Wonka, the Wizard of Oz, Harry Potter, Frankenstein, all work well. It's fun because we can't wait until the following night to read the next chapter. We've also read "Green Eggs and Ham" forwards, backwards, and as many different characters. Sometimes we'll even put aside the books and make up our own stories.

TALK TO THEM
It sounds so easy, and it is. Share your day with your kids and spouse. "Unplug" them from the TV, video games and, yes, even the computer. Ask them how their day was, share your
day with them, and make yourself available to answer their questions, no matter how silly those questions may seem. Laugh with them, counsel them, be there for them.

GET THEM INVOLVED
...in something you normally do. These are great opportunities for learning and sharing. Even the mundane things, such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, and yard work can become fun when done together. Doing these things may take longer at first, but you are teaching your kids skills they will need to be independent one day. The most important thing is to be consistent and make it fun. Turn on some music, tell some jokes, and talk about your day. You may rediscover your child over a load of laundry or a stack of dirty dishes.

Over to you now - do any of these look "doable" for you?

Christmas Ice Cream

There were many great things about our Christmas.
One of the highlights was that my brother came to the Wonder of Christmas presentation and then slept over.
He got involved in making our Christmas ice cream on Christmas Eve. We all ate it on Christmas Day and it was delicious. It had cherries, marshmallows, nuts, and turkish delight!! Yummo!!

Ice Man!

We had a great night at Wonder of Christmas last night.
There will be another post soon - but one of my highlights was the ice sculpture!

Check out some of these photos I got from someone’s facebook photo album.

Love your work, Bluey!

Wonder of Christmas - Tonight!

Hope to see you there!! 6pm!

We Have a Saviour!

I was really chuffed by one of Jillian's recent posts - it is called "We Have a Saviour."

You can check it out here.

Her use of The Message bible freshened up an old truth.... especially in the Isaiah 9:6 text...
"He'll take over the running of the world"

Schweeet!

The Saviour

I did this post recently called, The Saviour, Our Saviour, My Saviour.

The lauching verse from the Bible was
The Saviour--yes, the Messiah, the Lord--has been born tonight in Bethlehem!
Luke 2:11 (TLB)

Here is a bit more.

This verse reminds me of what God did to meet your need and mine
—how God saw the condition of planet Earth and did not look away.
But he looked at our sinfulness and fallenness, and he knew that we needed a Saviour, so he sent one.

My favourite all time Christmas story is one:

“If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator.
If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent a scientist.
If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist.
If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer.
“But our greatest,” and “my greatest need was for forgiveness.
So God sent a Saviour.”

At Christmas we’re reminded that God sent the best He had for our most pressing need, and He met that need.
And He had you in mind when he commissioned his only son to take on human flesh.

He had you in mind.
He had me in mind.

Awesome!!!

What I Say to Myself has Power!

I read this Word for Today entry today and was inspired!

Here is the BIG idea:

My own words have more power to affect me than anybody else's.

Check out the entry.

"He who invokes a blessing on himself...shall do so by saying, May the God of truth...bless me."Isaiah 65:16 AMP

Did you know you can bless yourself by what you say?
The Bible says: "He who invokes a blessing on himself...shall do so by saying, May the God of truth...bless me...because the former troubles are forgotten" (Isa 65:16 AMP).

Two important truths are taught in this Scripture:
(1) Your own words have more power to affect you than anybody else's. Ultimately it's not what others say that counts; it's what you say to yourself after they get through talking! You always have the last word.
(2) You'll never enjoy what God has for you in the future while you're still living in the past. To enter the Promised Land, you must first leave the wilderness. So come into agreement with God; begin to say what He says about you.

This is no small matter. What you say from the time you get up in the morning until you go to bed at night not only influences your day, it influences the entire outlook and direction of your life.

If you've been praying and asking God for specific answers, you can affect the outcome by making sure what you say lines up with what He says. In other words - get in harmony with God. Your body is God's temple, so be careful what you allow to come out of your mouth (See 1 Cor 3:16).
Faultfinding and negativity destroy and tear down, but Scripturally-based, faith-filled words open the door to God's blessings. That's why Paul writes: "Let no...worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such...as is...beneficial" (Eph 4:29 AMP).
So before you sound off, ask yourself - is this beneficial?

Here is another version of the opening Isaiah text

"Whoever asks for a blessing in the land will be blessed by the God of Truth. Whoever swears an oath in the land will swear by the God of Truth. Past troubles are forgotten. They are hidden from my eyes. "
Isaiah 65:16 (GW)

"You own the day, you own the night"

Here are some "Word-snippets" - random God-phrases from The Message that have caught my attention when reading Psalms recently.

They seem to work their way into prayers and conversations.

God is my King from the very start; he works salvation in the womb of the earth.

Psalms 74:12 (MSG)

You own the day, you own the night…

Psalms 74:16 (MSG)

You laid out the four corners of earth, shaped the seasons of summer and winter.

Psalms 74:17 (MSG)

...Your Name is our favourite word

Psalms 75:1 (MSG)

…Your mighty works are all we talk about.

Psalms 75:1 (MSG)

You say, "I'm calling this meeting to order, I'm ready to set things right. When the earth goes topsy-turvy And nobody knows which end is up, …I put everything in place again."

Psalms 75:2-3 (MSG)

He's the One …., he's the One.

Psalms 75:6 (MSG)

I'm telling the story of God Eternal

Psalms 75:9 (MSG)

Have I told you - or have you noticed - that I love the Word??!!!

The Saviour, Our Saviour, My Saviour

I am really looking foward to preaching this morning!

We are in part 2 of our Simply Christmas series.

Here is a chunk of my opening text - I love this passage of scripture.

1 About this time Caesar Augustus, the Roman emperor, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the nation.
2 (This census was taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
3 Everyone was required to return to his ancestral home for this registration.
4 And because Joseph was a member of the royal line, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, King David's ancient home--journeying there from the Galilean village of Nazareth.
5 He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was obviously pregnant by this time.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born;
7 and she gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn.
8 That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly an angel appeared among them, and the landscape shone bright with the glory of the Lord. They were badly frightened,
10 but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you the most joyful news ever announced, and it is for everyone!
11 The Saviour--yes, the Messiah, the Lord--has been born tonight in Bethlehem!
12 How will you recognize him? You will find a baby wrapped in a blanket, lying in a manger!"
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others--the armies of heaven--praising God: 14 "Glory to God in the highest heaven," they sang, "and peace on earth for all those pleasing him."
15 When this great army of angels had returned again to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Come on! Let's go to Bethlehem! Let's see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
16 They ran to the village and found their way to Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.
17 The shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.
18 All who heard the shepherds' story expressed astonishment….
Luke 2:1-18 (TLB)

Verse 11 - "The Saviour"!!!! Yes!!!

Church News Bloopers 2007

The "wow" of showing our 2008 Church News Bloopers reminded me of the 2007 edition that we did. I had a look at it recently and saw how much we have grown as a team!!


Check out the 2007 edition here.

If you missed the previous post about the 2008 edition click here.

Church News Bloopers 2008

We recently showed these church news bloopers in the BIG house - and we all laughed!

I love our church news - our team puts in such a great effort.

So sit back and enjoy... and thanks Richard!

How much do I have to hate somebody not to tell them about Jesus?

Something is stirring up in me lately.

I have a copy of Just Walk Across the Room on my desk.
Our 2009 calendar has some great strategic chunks allocated there for "reach preparation."
Something happened to me recently in the Goodna Cash Converter store (post for another time).
And I did another blog entry recently called Do I Really Believe?

Then I come across this blog entry from Darryl via Ed Stetzer.

It's called "How much do you have to hate somebody not to proselytize?"

Penn of Penn and Teller is an atheist. His response to being evangelized after a show may surprise you.

"I don't respect people who don't proselytize. If you believe that there's a heaven and hell, and people could be going to hell, and you think, 'Well, it's not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward'...How much do you have to hate somebody not to proselytize?"

Check out the video clip below of him speaking... and at about 3:00 on the counter...

For inauguration prayer, Obama splits ticket

Check out this article from Associated Press. Thanks to Scrapsister Kerryn for the lead.

Here is a start:

The clergy chosen by President-elect Barack Obama to pray at his inauguration fill separate symbolic roles: One is a nod to the civil rights activists who made Obama's election possible. The other is an overture to conservative Christians who rankles some Obama supporters.

The Rev. Rick Warren, who will give the invocation, is the most influential pastor in the United States, and a choice that has already caused problems for Obama.
Warren is a Southern Baptist who holds traditional religious beliefs and endorsed California's Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage. But he also wants to broaden the evangelical agenda to include fighting global warming, poverty and AIDS.

The Rev. Joseph Lowery, 87, is considered the dean of the civil rights movement. For the benediction at the Jan. 20 swearing-in, he says he will pray that the "spirit of fellowship and oneness" at the inauguration endures throughout Obama's presidency.
"He gets a lot with these choices," said David Domke, author of "The God Strategy: How Religion Became a Political Weapon in America."
"Here's a guy who wants to run a progressive administration .....

You can read the rest here.

I really like this bit:

With Warren, "Obama shows he is willing to work with a new breed of evangelical and kind of move beyond the tired figures associated with the religious right," said Randall Balmer, a Barnard College professor of religious history and author of "God in the White House."

"A new breed".... now there is just another post to be developed!!

PS - "Well done, Rick Warren! Love your work!"

"Yes Pete I am Listening..."

"Yes Pete I am listening... but I just want to get the last bit of triffle from the bottom of the glass!"

This was taken at our team Christmas celebration last Sunday night.

PS - I really like triffle!

"Thanks, Bruce!"

I have been linked to Garden City Christian Church since 1978.

I was even on staff in 2000.

It is a great church. I love GCCC. My Dad took me and my family there when I was 11 years old. I got married there. Our daughter Katie was dedicated there. My Dad's memorial service was there. I served as an Elder there. I was asked to launch a new church from there.

I am sort of sad. Pastor Bruce Hills has just resigned. The people will be hurting, and sad, and frustrated, and .... hopeful.

Here is what now appears on the GCCC website

Important Announcement
On Sunday 14th December 2008, Pastor Bruce Hills announced his resignation as the Senior Pastor of Garden City Christian Church. Pastor Steve Dixon, previously the Associate Pastor, has accepted the Church Board's request that he lead the church as the Senior Pastor for now, to allow them time to pray and consider applications for a long term replacement.
(The Church Board).


Thanks for leading in your season, Bruce. And thanks for the opportunities that you gave me.

"....This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.

Matthew 16:18 (MSG)

".... and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. "

Matthew 16:18 (NLT)

"....and upon this rock I will build my church; and all the powers of hell shall not prevail against it."

Matthew 16:18 (TLB)

"And c'mon GCCC - you can do it - it's time to gather together and to pray and to build the next chapter, together! You are a prevailing church!"

Church Governance

I am a happy lad!!

I came across this post from Mark Connor from CityLife Church in Melbourne.

I visited the church in 2000 as part of a study tour I did with their executive team.

Some of our team are working with me our incorporation and constitutional processes. I think it is exciting stuff! And I feel that I have been shaped for this season.

So Mark's post was such a bonus - and they generously gave me a copy of their constitution recently. Good one!

Here is a start of the post:

In many ways, churches tend to rise and fall based on the quality of their leaders. Strong godly leadership is important, as is good governance, clear decision-making processes, and appropriate accountability.

When it comes to the subjects of leadership and governance, the New Testament presents a fairly fluid and emerging model for local churches. That's why there are so many different views on what church leadership should look like today. [For a detailed look at the subject of leadership as portrayed in the New Testament, click here to download a paper I wrote on this topic as part of my Master's Degree at Ridley College back in 2001 - A New Testament Pattern for Church Leadership]..........

Click here to read the rest.

The post is practical, relevent, and solid.


Thanks Mark!

Get Fit - New Series Coming - January 2009

Just finished the outline and concept for a new series starting in January 2009.

This series will answer this potent question:

What are the habits that we need to develop in our lives so that we can run this race of life with purpose in every step?

A key text will be:

You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win.
All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one that's gold eternally.
I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me!
I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (MSG)

So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step.......
1 Corinthians 9:26 (TLB)

The series will go something like this:

part 1 - get spiritually fit
part 2 - get physically fit
part 3 - get relationally fit
part 4 - get financially fit
part 5 - get intellectually fit

Ray and I signed off on the music and art yesterday AM - video promo will be appearing from this Sunday.

Starts Sunday 4 Jan 09 with Alan Goode! See you then!

My Future Son-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law

I love our kids - Katie and Jethro.
I want the best for them. If you have kids, I am sure you know what I mean.

I was so inspired by this post from Mark Beeson - it is titled "Aaron & Tracy Are Engaged!"
It is well worth the read here. It includes a prayer he has prayed for many years for his future daughter-in-law.

Check out this snippet:

"Lord, somewhere there is a little girl who'll grow up to be my son's wife. Wherever she is at this moment, bless her with Your favour. Pour out Your provision on her life. Watch over her. Give her everything she needs to become a wise and faithful woman. Fill her with courage and compassion. Strengthen her. Put a hedge of protection around her. Discipline her and train her.
Give her loving and wise parents. Lead them in the Way that leads to life so she'll follow them in righteousness and learn to live for You. I pray she'll fall in love with Jesus. Show her how You've made her "special." Show her Your plan and purpose for her life.
Prepare her for life with my son - as You prepare him for life with her. I trust You to make her a great woman - so she can be a great wife, as You make my son a great man - so he can be a great husband. I entrust my son, and his future wife, into Your care. Oh Lord, be their Lord! Oh God, be their God! Let my son, and this little girl, bring honor and glory to You, as they play their part in Your great Story."

I want a great relationship with my children's life partners. So I better lift my game in relation to my future-focussed prayers!

What do you pray in advance for?

A Mean Merry Christmas

DNA

I am doing some electronic “doodling” at the moment with the “DNA” theme.

My heart is unpacking what we must do to capture the next phase of the prophetic season at Westlife (unleashed!). So thoughts are towards leadership development, preparing our people, Jan 09 training and DNA management.

I try and find an image that starts to capture what is my heart. … that prophetic thread that sparks and catalizes!!!!

Here is one that came up on my radar recently.

Nice one!!

The part that I find interesting with this one is the colours – and how they could link with the colours of our 5 purposes – hmmmm!!!

The Christmas Pledge

Today we did part 1 of the Simply Christmas series.

Tracy did the main chunk of the speaking and she finished with this great practical application - The Christmas Pledge

How do you think you will go?
Which point in the pledge will you focus on?

Our Great Team

Tonight we are having a party for all our people who serve and who “build the house.”

The ministry team is going to serve the volunteers as our way of saying “thanks.”

It has been a BIG year – and we are so grateful for the contribution of so many people – and their families.

Thanks team for the great job that you – and for being co-workers for the sake of the Gospel!

For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.

1 Corinthians 3:9 (NIV)

Would you do me a favour, friends, and give special recognition to the family of Stephanas? You know, they were among the first converts in Greece, and they've put themselves out, serving Christians ever since then. I want you to honour and look up to people like that: companions and workers who show us how to do it, giving us something to aspire to.

1 Corinthians 16:15-16 (MSG)

……. Be proud that you have people like this among you.
1 Corinthians 16:18 (MSG)

Here are some samples of the photo montages that have been done up for tonight. Awesome!

Zimbabwe unveils 500 million dollar note

Here is an article that appeared today on ninemsn.

Zimbabwe's central bank has introduced a 500 million dollar note, as the African country struggles to cope with the world's highest inflation and crippling currency shortages.
The half-billon note, worth about $US10 ($A14.89), was released on Friday, together with a 200 million dollar bill, which the central bank said in a statement was introduced for the "convenience" of the public.

Finance minister Samuel Mumbengegwi announced the new bills in a government gazette, bringing to 29 the number of new notes put into circulation this year alone.

Just last Thursday, Zimbabwe introduced a 100 million dollar bill that at the time was worth $US14 ($A20.84). One week later, it's worth less than 50 cents......

You can read the rest of it here.

Here is an image of me interviewing our Zimbabwean ministry partner, Ps Richmond, in Sept 08. He said that the pain in his country is terrible!!

Simply Christmas

We start a new series tomorrow – and I am looking forward to it.

It was birthed out of a Christmas Eve planning session one Sunday afternoon. Ideas were flying backwards and forwards…. and then out of the brainstorming melee came this focussed phrase, “Simply Christmas.”
And thus, a series was born!

It is about “getting back to the basics” and “turning the season right-side-up-again!”

If you are in the Western Corridor why not come at check it out at 10am!!
Directions are on the Westlife Church website in the “contact us” section.

Genesis to Omega – "The Wonder of Christmas"

Alpha to Omega - Genesis to Revelation.
I really like it when an idea in a team is added to and then developed.

It started with the word "wonder." And the colour blue.
And a base concept was developed.

Check out the progression.

We all love the final product!

PS - really like that Merv was to be in the photo. Thanks to Pete Williams for that!!!

Do I Really Believe?

This UNLEASHED theme for 2009 is very powerful!!

It is impacting so many areas of life and leadership.

One area is the unleashing of our energy and passion - and identifying what it is that we really believe.

Tracy did a great post that included an interview with an athiest.

He is very direct about what he thinks I should be doing about my beliefs.

Check out the post and video here.

What do you think?

WARNING - Be Careful!!!

2008 Preaching Bloopers

Today was a great day in the House

There was a lot of laughing as we reviewed parts of a great year of Favour.

Here is what Colin did up for us – a summary of some the 2008 preaching bloopers and me trying to sing! Nice work Colin.

PS - What a classic – “who you mate you will date!”

Unleashed!

Today is the day!

We let everyone know in the 10am Celebration what the 2009 theme will be.

Check out this clip here to find out!

Thanks Ray and Lourdes for the production!

New Song - "God, I Love You"

Here is a cracker of a new song - from our friends at Garden City Christian Church

This song has been bouncing around in my spirit since Sept 08 when I was doing some ministry at GCCC.

These are powerful lyrics... and then check out the video clip below (we are showing it on the BIG screens this morning in the BIG house).

Call +61 7 3422 8500 to get your hands on a copy of the CD and DVD.

GOD I LOVE YOU

Sheree Nield and Sloane Simpson
© Garden City Christian Church 2008

Your greatness, Your faithfulness
Your love unfailing
You’re full of mercy, You are God

Your goodness, your kindness
Your grace amazing
You’re everlasting, You are God

We’ve come today to praise, to worship you
For you alone are God
For you alone are God

chorus
God I love you, You are faithful
My heart’s desire is you and you alone

God I love you now and forever
You never change, You remain the same
Always, You reign

bridge
You are my greatest delight
You are the truth
You are my greatest desire
My heart is after You

Staying Clean and Connected With God

I will post some more information here soon about Staying Clean and Connected With God.

I did several workshops on this during the year.

SO watch this space for some powerful life truths.

3 Minute Temptation-Buster

I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another comforter. - John14:16

In his great book, Spiritual Breakthroughs, Bruce Wilkinson writes: "Imade a dramatic breakthrough when I discovered that right before every temptation, my emotions were distressed (inwardly agitated) and that I was actually seeking for comfort. That's when I remembered the promise,
'I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that hemay abide with you for ever' (Jn 14:14-17).
"Incredibly, Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to be our ever-present source of comfort. I wondered what would happen if I specifically asked Him to comfort me in the time of temptation."

I decided to try.

I prayed:
'Dear Holy Spirit, I'm in desperate need of you. I don't want to sin - please comfort me now.'

At first nothing happened.
How discouraged I felt.
But then I slowly became aware ofsomething - I felt comforted.
I didn't know exactly when I was comforted,I only knew that I was - that my soul felt soothed and no longer in pain. When I turned back toward the temptation, it had miraculously slithered back into the darkness, far away from my senses. I was free.

"I've prayed to my Comforter many times since, and I've discovered two indisputable truths:
(1) The Holy Spirit always - and I mean always -completes His responsibility in my heart.
(2) He always gives me Hiscomfort within 3 minutes, though I can never put my finger on the momentwhen He does.

I call this prayer for comfort, my "3-minute temptation-buster."

Thanks for that Bruce.
We also covered this powerful truth during the 31 Days of Favour campaign we did in Feb 2008.

Why don't you try it!

Fireproof - the Movie

I will be showing this movie trailer on Sunday AM during the message.
I am looking forward to seeing this movie in Oz in 2009 - and know that it will bring hope to many people.

FIREPROOF is the story of a successful, well-respected Georgia fire captain whose marriage does not enjoy the same success. Caleb and his wife cannot seem to stop arguing unless they occupy different rooms.
With divorce threatening and his motivation waning, Caleb seeks advice from his father, who’s newly birthed faith in Christ leads him to offer Caleb a Love Dare. As Caleb works through The Love Dare devotionals, Christ begins to change Caleb and his marriage from the inside out, giving hope that perhaps his marriage can be "reborn" as well.

Check out the movie website here.

Prayer... "giddy up!"

“… they were all together in one place …suddenly ……they saw …..all of them ….when they heard ….. a crowd came together …. utterly amazed….amazed and perplexed… “
Acts 2:1-12 (NIV)

Something happens when we all get together to pray.

See you this Sunday night at 6pm - for an hour. Giddy up!!

Sex ....for Husbands and Wives .. "yes please!"

I have done a previous post on Perry Noble. A bunch of us heard him recently in Sydney.

He was inspiring... again. I have been tracking him awhile now. And he is a great communicator.


He has been doing some great blog posts recently about relationships and sex in marriage. His posts are here, here, here and here.

To help understand some of my message this Sunday AM these posts are well worth checking out. I you can't click the links above, here is the text of the posts cut n paste below.

Husbands…Want To Have More Sex With Your Wife?

Sex is on everyone’s mind…ESPECIALLY if you are a man! UNFORTUNATELY…the church hasn’t had the stones to address the issue…thus resulting in a lot of confusion and false teaching about the subject.

One of the things that people seem to forget was that sex was God’s idea! He created it to be enjoyed frequently and to be viewed as special between a HUSBAND and HIS WIFE!
(There IS an entire book of the Bible dedicated to the subject of sex!!! Song of Solomon!)

However, the world has taken it and ran with its own ideas…and so in today’s society, when it comes to sex…people have a “whatever” attitude!

Recently, my friend Ed Young challenged the married couples in the congregation at Fellowship Church to have sex for seven days in a row! (Their church membership increased 1,293 %–just kidding!)
I thought that was an incredible idea. I love what he said about regular and intimate sex between a husband and a wife is the best way for a couple to combat sexual temptation in a marriage.

BUT…I started thinking…what happens when the seven days are over?
SO…I sat down and made up a list of five things I really believe a husband can do in order to have a consistent, healthy, vibrant and exciting sex life WITHIN marriage!
And I will post about it…tomorrow! :-)

Five Ways Husbands Can Have More Sex With Their Wives

Here we go! :-)

#1 - Serve Her!!!
The Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:25 to love our wives as Jesus loves the church! He modeled this love in John 13:1-5 in one of the most powerful examples of servanthood in the Scriptures!
Unfortunately, too many times we as husbands make the sexual experience all about us “being served” and not about doing all that we can to “give ourselves up” for our wife by placing her needs as a priority in our lives.
I had a friend once who, on honeymoon night, took his wife by the hand and led her into the bedroom…where he had a bowl of water and a towel. He got down on his knees and said, “Scripture tells me to love you like Jesus loves the church. He modeled that love for us in the Gospel of John when He washed the feet of the disciples. I want to make it my goal in life to put your needs before mine, to serve you as best as I can. And so right now, before anything else takes place tonight, I want to wash your feet as an example of how I plan on serving you for the rest of my life!” DANG!!!

#2 - Talk To Her
When we get home after a long day…we should talk TO HER! All too often we sum up our day in 30 seconds or less, then sit on the couch, expect her to have dinner ready, expect her to get the kids ready for bed…and then expect her to be “ready” in “30 seconds or less!”
BUT…one of the things that I am continually discovering is that my wife wants to have an emotional connection with me…and a lot of that happens as a result of me talking to her, telling her about my day…and including the details of things that take place.
I used to be HORRIBLE at this! I didn’t realize it until we were in a group one time and people were saying things to her like, “Hey ‘Cretia, did Perry tell you about (BLANK),” and she would look at me and say, “No, I guess he hasn’t had time yet.”
Truth is…I didn’t MAKE the time to communicate with her, to tell her the details of my day…thus she didn’t feel as close to me.
So now…I MAKE IT a priority! I don’t want her finding out about my day through other people…I want her to KNOW she’s important…and the formula I’ve discovered is DETAILS = IMPORTANT!

#3 - Listen To Her!!!
I once heard that the average man uses 5,000 words per day…and the average woman uses 10,000 with gusts up to 15,000!!! Men, they use twice as many words!!! Do you know why?
DETAILS = IMPORTANT!
When they are talking they want to communicate EVERYTHING to us…not because they want to bore us to death, but because they want us to FEEL like they FEEL!
SO…that means we can’t tell them, “Talk to me during the commercials please!” That is NOT romantic!
We can’t sit there and zone out of the conversation with her and proceed to watch the movie on television we’ve seen 100 times and then think we’ve had “intimate” conversation! Just doesn’t work!
We can’t ask them, “Does this story have an ending? Can we get there please?”
“Well Perry,” you say, “it’s hard to be patient when she’s going on and on!”
I am quite sure God has felt the same way about us at times when we are talking to Him!
We’ve GOT to make time for the details!

#4 - Spoil Her!!!
When was the last time you did something “over the top” for your wife…with NO STRINGS ATTACHED?
When was the last time you gave her a foot rub…and didn’t expect a “favor” in return?
When was the last time you let her sleep late and handled the responsibility of the kids all by yourself?
When was the last time you have her a backrub…with NO STRINGS ATTACHED?
Here’s the deal…if you are doing something “for her” with “selfish motivations,” SHE KNOWS! SHE’S SMART!
BUT…if we as husbands make it our PRIORITY to absolutely SPOIL our wives…that will naturally overflow into them wanting to spoil us!!! We’ve GOT to take the lead on this!!!

#5 - Treasure Her!!!
We can’t make the sexual experience ALL ABOUT US! We can’t reduce her to a sex object. We can’t ONLY show her attention when “we want it!”
It is our responsibility before God to VALUE her, to TREASURE her, to see her as a daughter of THE MOST HIGH GOD!
Does your wife feel TREASURED? (Ask her!)
Let me make you a promise…a wifes perceived value will most likely be determined by how much undivided attention she receives from YOU!!!
That means no freakin’ cell phone when you two are on a date!
Heck, that means actually getting a babysitter and GOING on a date!
Here’s a question to ask her (which will require you to listen to her answer!) What are some things that I do that make you feel valued and treasured? And…after you ask this question…SHUT UP AND LISTEN! Your wife has WAY MORE INSIGHT about what she needs than ANYONE else on the planet!
Whew…those are five things that I believe will help some of us guys out! Enjoy! :-)

Three Ways Wives Can Have More Sex With Their Husbands
To be fair…I thought I should blog about the other aspect of this relationship/sex thing…here goes…

#1 - Check and see if he is awake!
#2 - If he is…simply tell him you would like to have sex.
#3 - If he isn’t just whisper the word “sex!” He will immediately wake up…when he does just tell him you would like to have sex.
That’s it!

Thanks for all that Perry!!!

Over to you - what do you think?

Preparing - Please Pray

I am finalising my message for this Sunday morning - Avoiding Having An Affair.

It has been months in the making.... and I want to get it right. Really right!

The bible talks a lot about sex ... sex is awesome. But I need some help with this message prep.

Please pray!

Schoolies, Toolies, Foolies and Moolies

Jillian is supporting the army of Schoolies Week volunteers this week by coordinating the nightly catering. What a job!!!


She and her friend Kerryn are "moolies" - mothers at schoolies.


Here is how the Courier Mail are reporting on the week. And below is a video clip they have developed with interviews with schoolies.

And it good to see by old friend Andy Gourlay in the news there again. Here is what the ABC writes:

Volunteers from the Hotel Chaplaincy Group are again offering their support but spokesman Andy Gourlay says they do not just operate in Surfers Paradise.
"We've been doing this for about 11 years now and we have 1,800 volunteers in around 17 locations around Australia looking after 75,000 schoolies.

Here is the rest of the article.

I'll have to find the photo of me in my Hotel Chaplaincy shirt in 1998 and 1999. Watch this space.

Apprenticeship

I mentioned in my John Mellencamp post that the theme for me on the night was “apprenticeship.”

There were 3 performers - John Mellencamp, Sheryl Crow and Shane Nicholson.

Shane was “new talent” and was given the opportunity to “have a go” and shine. His mum was in the crowd – and she loved it. Shane used the opportunity to quickly mention another new act visiting in Jan 2009.

Sheryl mentioned that she had previously visited Brisbane as a singer with a Michael Jackson tour. And she sung a Crowded House number because she was a support act for them in USA. And she played a Paul Hester song because of that performing relationship.

John Mellencamp then got Sheryl to sing a duet with him during his set. And Mellencamp worked his band hard – and they moved into the “front row” position on cue, and then retreated.

At the encore, Mellencamp introduced his 13 year old son who did some great guitar work.

The night for me was about opportunities for new talent.

I saw the journey of a background singer to lead singer

I saw an example of a support act being involved in a main act.
I saw the journey of a support act becoming the main act.…and I saw artists acknowledge “their path” by honouring their “stepping stones”

This had me thinking a lot about apprenticeship – and how we grow – in both our character and our leadership.

Here is an excerpt from the introduction to the book of Philippians in The Message:


None of the qualities of the Christian life can be learned out of a book. Something more like apprenticeship is required, being around someone who out of years of devoted discipline shows us, by his or her entire behaviour, what it is. Moments of verbal instruction will certainly occur, but mostly an apprentice acquires skill by daily and intimate association with a "master," picking up subtle but absolutely essential things, such as timing and rhythm and "touch."

Here are some inspiring bible verses

You've been a good apprentice to me, a part of my teaching, my manner of life, direction, faith, steadiness, love, patience, troubles, sufferings—suffering along with me in all the grief I had to put up with in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. And you also well know that God rescued me! 2 Timothy 3:10-11 (MSG)


He quoted a proverb: " 'Can a blind man guide a blind man?' Wouldn't they both end up in the ditch? An apprentice doesn't lecture the master. The point is to be careful who you follow as your teacher. Luke 6:39-40 (MSG)


Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won't lose out on a thing." Matthew 10:42 (MSG)


Hold fast and follow the pattern of wholesome and sound teaching which you have heard from me, in [all] the faith and love which are [for us] in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 1:13 (AMP)


I don't write these things merely to make you feel uncomfortable, but that you may realise facts, as my dear children. After all, you may have had ten thousand teachers in Christian faith, but you cannot have many fathers! For in Jesus Christ I am your spiritual father through the Gospel; that is why I implore you to follow the footsteps of me your father. I have sent Timothy to you to help you in this. For he himself is my much-loved and faithful son in the Lord, and he will remind you of those ways of living in Christ which I teach in every church to which I go. 1 Corinthians 4:14 (Phillips)


The master may get better work from an untrained apprentice than from a skilled rebel! Proverbs 26:10 (TLB)


God, help me to be a great apprentice to You!

PS – this will no doubt lead me to another post on “building apostolically.” And some references to the ministry of Steve Dixon.

John Mellencamp Concert

I had an awesome night last night at the John Mellencamp concert. Nick shouted me a ticket for my birthday - wow!!

Here are some pretty lame pictures from my HTC Dual phone - but who cares - I was there!!

Casey Chamber's husband, Shane Nicholson, was the opening act, followed by Sheryl Crow.

Mellencamp is a master - and he sure knows how to work a crowd. The music was tight and professional - and the energy coming off the stage was powerful. The lights and backdrops worked a treat - so we'll have to advance that in 2009!

The theme for me for the night was Apprenticeship. You can read about it more in this post here.

Mellencamp was recently in Adelaide. He has a private jet... but Sheryl Crow does not. Check out his Adelaide Now article titled, "No luxury as the Sheryl Crow flies."

Here is how Adelaide Now wrote about that concert - "Mellencamp rock still hurts so good."

PS - He did not sing the hit - "Hurt So Good." Probably the only disappointment of the night.

Win-win for President-elect as He Hands Clinton a Golden Straitjacket

This article and analysis from Andrew Sullivan in The Australian - November 24, 2008 was a great read.
Here is a start....

THE Obamaites remember the chaotic amateurism of the Bill Clinton transition in 1993. From the look of it so far, the Obama transition is as smooth and professional as the running of the campaign - and one of the swiftest jump-starts in recent American political history.
Only the Reagan transition went so quickly.

What of the content? The biggest shock, of course, is the tapping of Hillary Clinton for secretary of state. I say shock because no one expected it, including Her Imperial Highness of Appalachia. But the more you think about it, the less surprising it is. Clinton remains the biggest domestic threat to the Obama presidency. The Republicans, decimated by the feckless campaign of John McCain and the malign incompetence of Karl Rove, have become a toothless, bitter rump.

The Clintons, however, retain a following ....... click here to read the rest.

Here is my question - is this political acumen or self-protection?

Time will tell, I am sure.
See you in 2016.