Baby Dedication and Parent Commitment - "Off to a Good Start!"

Today at Westlife some people are bringing their children to be dedicated to God.

This is a great thing!

“Children are a gift from God” Psalm 127:3

Westlife Church dedicates children because we read in Luke 2:22-25 that as a baby, his parents dedicated Jesus.
In Mark 10:16 we see Jesus bestowing blessings on the children.
The Dedication ceremony is a time to publicly make that commitment to pray for the child, love the child and guide the child toward a personal relationship with Christ.

The child dedication is truly a parent commitment service.

At Westlife Church Our Goal Is To:

* Help parents recognize that children are a gift from God
* Facilitate the parent's verbal commitment to raise their child in a Christian
environment.
* Challenge parents to be examples in service and worship for their children.
* Assist parents in laying a firm foundation of learning about God and an
example of the power of salvation for their child.

Parents cannot decide their child’s salvation. Each person must make the decision to have a personal relationship with Christ.
When children are old enough to understand the concept of sin and responsibility for that sin, then they are ready to make the decision to accept Christ as their personal saviour and assure eternal salvation.

Parents must however, lay a foundation through teaching and example that will help children to make that decision at the right time. The same is true of marriage.
We cannot decide when or if our children will marry and we cannot guarantee them a happy marriage.
But through positive example, we can lay a foundation for making good decisions when the time comes.


“..., then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, ……
but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
Joshua 24:15—NIV

Relationships are VITAL!! - part 2

We need to value relationships and focus on personal renewal.

This is the starting point.
Everything starts in the heart.

Only changed people can change the world.

The foundation for everything is getting to know and love God, and serving His 5 purposes for your life.

But you were never meant to live your life in a vacuum. In fact, you cannot fulfill your life’s purposes by yourself.
You need other people’s help, and they need yours.
We’re better together.

We also need to desire relational renewal.

You must not only learn to love God with all your heart (personal renewal) you must learn to love your neighbour as yourself (relational renewal).

With conflict, divorce, violence, prejudice, abuse, division, and polarisation around us daily, it’s obvious we all need some lessons in building healthy relationships.

We need a revival of relationships and love that would change the cultural climate of or world.

It can start with you.

LET'S FOCUS ON RELATIONSHIPS and make a commitment to hear Bruce Sullivan on Saturday 10 October 9am.

Testimonials - Bruce Sullivan - Red Hot Relationships

Bruce, Bruce, Bruce... it's all about Bruce!


Really, it's all about quality relationships!


Here are what some people have said about Bruce after they listened to his presentation. These things are called "testimonials"........



You can check out the lists of satisfied customers over the last decade.... here goes!


http://www.brucesullivan.com.au/testimonials/testimonials2009.html

http://www.brucesullivan.com.au/testimonials/testimonials2008.html


Bruce is visiting Greater Springfield on Saturday AM 10 October for 2 sessions.

Tickets are $15 each for the 2 sessions.

Call 07 3381 9988 or email redhot@westlife.org.au.


Remember, great relationships just don't happen automatically!


You need to get intentional - so book a ticket today!

Relationships are VITAL!! - part 1

I wrote this post back in May 2009 about "The Relationship Principles of Jesus."

Here are some sections from that blog and some wise words from Rick Warren......

God tells us that our dominant life value is to love. Because God is love, and because he created you to love you, he wants you to learn to love too. Learning to love is the #1 lesson God intends for you to learn here on earth. Life is the school of love. Jesus once said that the entire Bible can be summed up in two commands: Love God with all your heart and love your neighbour as yourself.

Learning to love God and others is to be our highest goal, our greatest aim, our first priority, our deepest aspiration, our strongest ambition, our constant focus, our passionate intention, and the dominant life value of our lives. The more we learn to how to love authentically, the more like Jesus we become.

Selfishness must be replaced by unselfishness. Conceit must be replaced by compassion. Ego must be replaced with altruism. The focus on “me” must give way to “we.” It’s all about loving God and others.

But how?

In our fallen world where every heart and relationship is marred, broken, and damaged by sin, how can we apply the healing power of authentic love?

Learning to love unselfishly is not an easy task. It runs counter to our self-centred nature. Only Jesus can teach us the kind of love that heal, restores, and deepens relationships. And only Jesus can give us the power to love that way.

The Many Faces of Bruce Sullivan - Red Hot Relationships

Bruce Sullivan is a great guy. I have a friend who knows him too. He says great things about Bruce.

In addition, Bruce is one of the world’s leading authorities on relationships and personal motivation.


Here are some of the many faces of Bruce Sullivan.

Bruce is visiting Greater Springfield on Saturday AM 10 October for 2 sessions.

Tickets are $15 each for the 2 sessions.
Call 07 3381 9988 or email redhot@westlife.org.au.

Remember, great relationships just don't happen automatically!

You need to get intentional - so book a ticket today!


Check out more about Bruce at his website - http://www.brucesullivan.com.au/ - you'll be impressed!

My Region Greater Springfield Has a Soul!

It has been an interesting few days in my community. Our local state MP made some interesting comments in state parliament about the progress of community infrastructure.

Here is a sample of what hit the media:

Satellite city in a soulless orbit: MP
Natasha Bita September 18, 2009

SPRINGFIELD Lakes is an award-winning prototype for a 21st-century city -- but does it have soul?
A half-hour's drive west of Brisbane, the city-under-construction offers its 18,000 residents every convenience. The shopping centre will be the biggest in the southern hemisphere; it has a university campus, golf course and man-made lake; and bulldozers are clearing bushland to build a medical precinct to be known as Health City.

But local member Jo-Ann Miller reckons the satellite city in suburbia has "no soul". The Labor Bundamba MP's tirade on developer "greed" has triggered a debate on the future of low-density development in the 'burbs......

I knew something was "on the go" Thursday morning... an ABC twitter entry used the 2 words "Springfield" and "soulless" - and then I turned on my mobile phone and there were 3 messages - one from Ipswich City Mayor Paul Pisasale, one from Channel 7 TV reporter Neil Warren and another from ABC TV reporter, Josh Beavis.

Here are some TV media clips (below) about the story.

This one is from ABC TV - I get to appear in this one with a snappy quote about "new options" as pastor of Westlife Church.

Here is another from Channel 7

It was great to see and hear how vocal my community is about it's value - powerful stuff!

I'll write some more soon about my thoughts on community infrastructure and social capital development. All this means that my community is continuing to grow and mature.

(if you are viewing this post in my Facebook "notes" section click the link below somewhere called "view original post" - it will redirect you to my blog page with the media links)

Special thanks again to Peter Williams for his great HDD work!

Here is what was on the front page of the Queensland Times on Thursday.

Transitions - Expect the Best

I had a great chance to launch the new Transitions series on Sunday AM.

I have really enjoyed the privilige of preaching to a great group of people on a regular basis.

Here are some notes and quotes from part 1... and the podcast will be available soon.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)

The gap between seasons and events is called "transition."

Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares

Proverbs 1:20 (NIV)

Wisdom and common sense and life principles to help with transitions are everywhere – if you are looking for them.

Sociologists say that now, there is more change today than there used to be. Not only are we in an everchanging world of situations, relationships, and identities - these situations, relationships, and identities are themselves in transition, - many of us are caught in a semi permanent condition of transition and change.

Throughout nature, the normal growth process involves periodic accelerations and transformations: things go slowly for a time and nothing seems to happen –until suddenly the eggshell cracks, the branch blossoms, the tadpole’s tail shrinks away, the leaf falls, the bird moults, the hibernation begins. With us it is the same. Although the signs are less clear than in the world of feather and leaf, the functions of transition times are the same. They are key times in the natural process of self-renewal.

Transition and change can be your friend – if handled wisely.

Expect the best from your transitions and changes – a transition is an opportunity to end something and also start something new.

One of the benefits of reviewing your experience of endings is to see how often they have cleared the ground for unexpected beginnings.

Transitions clear the ground for new growth. They drop the curtain so that the stage can be set for a new scene. What is it, at this point in your life, that is waiting quietly backstage? - Bridges

You will always be torn between a developmental thrust that brings about life transitions
And the impulse toward repetition that aborts the change your life needs.

How do I understand – and how do I expect the best?

1. Get a “God-word” for the journey - Get a fresh God word

2. Keep talking to God and drawing on His strength

3. Chart your location on the transition journey

4. Reflect on what you are learning

5. Get a moving buddy – someone to listen

6. Move with the transition rhythm

7. Seek to “get a clue” – open your eyes and expand your awareness

8. Keep on going – if you are on a train in a dark tunnel don’t get off in the dark tunnel, wait till the train stops at the next station – gut it out!

9. Determine to transition well – people remember how you finish

10. Celebrate and honour at the right time

11. Get a song for your season

Do your best, prepare for the worst— then trust God to bring victory.

Proverbs 21:31 (MSG)

There are 4 common aspects of the natural ending experience – disengagement, disidentification, disenchantment, disorientation. These involve 4 important life ingredients - connection, identity, reality and direction. Jesus meets all 4 needs – He knows how all this works

Be willing to transition into your new season
Make up your mind to enter your new season
Let go of the old to embrace the new
Expect the best from your transitions!

Bridge from Desert Song -

All of my life, in every season
You are still God, I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

We’re like shellfish that often continue to open and close their shells on the tide-schedule of their old home waters, even when they have been transplanted to the laboratory tank or the restaurant kitchen. - Bridges

Leadership Vision Night - Something New!

Transition brings change ... and the leadership gathering format changes too.

Westlife is trying something new about the way we gather as “build-our-housers.” We have reworked the scheduled Saturday AM 26 September Build our House gathering into a new opportunity called….


Check out the date (above) and mark your diaries!

Red Hot Relationships - Bruce Sullivan - Saturday AM 10 October

Good intentions are not enough!!

That's why I am really looking forward to this relationships and personal development opportunity.

Bruce is a world class speaker.

So Jill and I have booked our tickets and we will be there. We are getting intentional.

Because great relationships don't just happen by accident!

Here is what Bruce says....

"My goal is to provide you with a genuine understanding of how you can practically apply what I teach, quickly and easily to your own relationships."

"Introducing Jesus Christ" - Steve Harvey

The challenge for this comedian was "How Would You Introduce Christ to a Room Full of People?"

Click on the media clip below to see Steve Harvey at work!

Umbilical Hernia Repair

There is a lot of change in my life in this season. "Transitions" is the key word.

I went and saw a surgeon this AM - and a recently diagnosed umbilical hernia needs to be repaired ASAP.

So tomorrow morning it is.

This verse came to me when I was praying this AM

Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Psalms 51:6 (NIV)

God is interested in my inner parts.... my guts. And He desires wholeness and integrity.

So the healing process starts tomorrow under the care of a skilful surgeon.

I was "encouraged" greatly by Jill when she sent me this Youtube clip (below) of an umbilical hernia repair.

Enjoy it... if you are game!

Transitions and Grief - Blockages in the Grieving Process.

I recently wrote a blog post called Good Grief.

I also came across these notes - blockages in the grieving process. These are from Malcolm too.

It is possible to have a blockage in the recovery process due to any of the following reasons:

1. Resentment and bitterness.
2. Anger against God.
3. Refusal to come to terms with the loss.
4. Refusal to hand your grief over to God.
5. A refusal to accept and readjust to new circumstances.
6. Failure to give yourself permission to grieve.

“He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds
(curing their pains and their sorrows)
(Psalm 147:3 Amp.)

“Surely our grief’ He Himself bore and our sorrows He carried”
(Isaiah 53:4 NASB)

Transitions - A Book by William Bridges

I came across this book recently by William Bridges. I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

It has been helpful as I have been preparing for the new Transitions teaching series.

Here are some bits n pieces about what Amazon says about the book.

This book deals with the transitions in an individual’s life—marriages and divorces, family births and deaths, relocations and career changes, retirement and all the other personal changes that disrupt our lives today. This book—which first identified the three-phase transition process—has now sold more than half-a-million copies. It explains how one can make transition less disruptive and how an individual can launch a new life after it is finished.



Product Description

Whether it is chosen or thrust upon you, change brings both opportunities and turmoil. Since first published 25 years ago, Transitions has helped hundreds of thousands of readers cope with these issues by providing an elegantly simple yet profoundly insightful roadmap of the transition process.

With the understanding born of both personal and professional experience, William Bridges takes readers step by step through the three stages of any transition: The Ending, The Neutral Zone, and, in time, The New Beginning.

Bridges explains how each stage can be understood and embraced, leading to meaningful and productive movement into a hopeful future. With a new introduction highlighting how the advice in the book continues to apply and is perhaps even more relevant today, and a new chapter devoted to change in the workplace, Transitions will remain the essential guide for coping with the one constant in life: change.

About the Author

Formerly a professor of English, William Bridges made a shift to the field of transitional management in the mid-1970s; out of his workshops has grown a long career of consulting, lecturing, and helping others through transitions. He lives with his wife in Mill Valley, California.

I'll start posting some great quotes from the book from time to time. So keep a look out for future posts.

Good Grief

In 2006 we did a teaching series at Westlife called Desperate Households. In that series we talked about things that families need to deal with - parenting, communication, money, family values, time management... and grief.


We had counsellor, Malcolm Lindridge come in and speak with us. He did a great job.


Here are some the points I remember him making. They are useful too for our current Transitions series.


We spend a good portion of our lives working diligently to acquire those things that make us happy and give us a meaningful purpose in life. What happens to us when we lose any of these things which are important to us? Quite naturally we grieve over the loss of anything that is important to us. Sometimes if the loss is great, it can shake the very foundations of our lives and toss us head-long into despair. Does a person’s faith have anything to do with the way they grieve over the loss? Sometimes people think that a person with a strong faith does not really need to grieve.


Remember the following three important points about grief:
1. Grief is a God-given process.
2. Grief is personal.
3. Grief and faith work together.


There is nothing heroic or noble about grief: It is a painful process. It is hard work. It is a lingering process. It has been labeled as everything from intense mental anguish, to acute sorrow, to deep remorse. There is a multitude of emotions involved in the grief process. Grief is a complex mental and emotional process.


1. Grief is not an event, it is a journey.
2. Grief is a personal journey and individually experienced.
3. Men grieve differently to women.
4. Grief has many faces: anticipatory, delayed, chronic, masked, exaggerated and
shadow grief.
5. Grief has a purpose.
6. Christian faith never denies the reality of grief.


Grief can journey down three different roads:
1. A normal grief curve: loss, shock, numbness, denial, emotional outbursts, anger, bargaining, fear, panic, guilt, depression, isolation, acceptance, new strengths, new relationships, helping others, adjustment, future hope.
2. A difficult and long-term (2-4 years) process of healing and restoration.
3. Acute emotional pain (pathological) is experienced when it is denied delayed or distorted.

“Simply put, grief is the pain of loss. It is the emotional/spiritual/physical response to the loss of a person, significant object or situation in life.”


“He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds
(curing their pains and their sorrows) (Psalm 147:3 Amp.)

“Surely our grief’ He Himself bore and our sorrows He carried” (Isaiah 53:4 NASB)


Great work, Malcolm!

Transitions Sometimes Involve Grief

Transitions sometimes involve grief. Change can mean that you are "losing something."

Here is a diagram developed by Phil Kitchens called "The Valley of Grief." I have seen a similar diagram called The Grief Trough.

This can be helpful to see at what stage you are in the grief process.

I was talking to someone recently who is moving towards divorce. They are almost at the "acceptance" stage. It is still very sad... and I remember when there were back at the "emotional outburst" stage.

Watch out for another blog post I am doing soon titled, Good Grief.

PS -
Some of you found this helpful when I put in on my blog in Jan 09 when we grieved the passing of our good friend, Merv Locke.

Transitions - The Curve

Everything on earth has its own time and its own season...
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (CEV)

Tomorrow AM we start a new teaching series about understanding life's changes.

It's called Transitions.

Here is a great diagram which helps you plot where you are on the transition journey - and how you might be feeling.




Isn't it great to know that denial, anxiety and shock can at some time be hope, energy and enthusiasm.

Night of Honour - Sunday PM - 11 October 09

We have just found out what Westlife is starting plan for our farewell.

Here are some images of the artwork below. Nice one!

The Wingman, The Man-Crush, The Bromance and Friendship – The Power of Men Connecting in Healthy Ways

I have been really enjoying 1 and 2 Samuel reading recently. I have been invigorated by themes of people, leadership, connecting with God etc.

I have found that about once a week I get a “convergence moment” – when the daily readings sync and a powerful theme emerges – and an “ah ha moment” is enjoyed. I had one recently when I read about David and Jonathan .... and when David sang a song of lament when his good friend Jonathan died:

I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women.
2 Samuel 1:26 (NIV)

Here is one man saying to another man... ”Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women.“ My investigations led me to this study bible note....

David is not suggesting that marital love is inferior to that of friendship, nor do his remarks have any sexual implications. He is simply calling attention to Jonathan’s nearly inexplicable self-denying commitment to David, whom he had long recognised as the Lord’s choice to succeed his father rather than himself.

A key to David’s emergence and leadership strength was that he was surrounded by dedicated, skilled and strong men. Men are made strong by other strong men. There is a power in men connecting with and supporting other men in healthy ways.

This makes me think of several words.

The first word is “wingman.” A wingman is a pilot who supports another in a potentially dangerous flying environment. The idea behind the wingman is to add the element of mutual support to aerial combat. A wingman makes the flight both offensively and defensively more capable by increasing fire power, situational awareness, attacking an enemy threatening a comrade and most importantly the ability to employ more dynamic tactics.

This thought of man-connection and support has since the 1990’s been encapsulated in new words like “bromance” and “man-crush.”

A "bromance" is a close but non-sexual relationship between two men. "Bromance" is a combination of the words "brother" and "romance".

A "man-crush" is similar – it is when a straight man has a "crush" on another man, not sexual but kind of idolizing him. Urban Dictionary describes a man-crush as follows:

- a man having extreme admiration for another man, as though he wants to be him.
- a man who has a very close platonic friendship and/or admiration for another man.

Aristole described a concept similar to the bromance as early as 300 BCE, writing, "It is those who desire the good of their friends for the friends' sake that are most truly friends, because each loves the other for what he is, and not for any incidental quality".

So I like the spirit of words like “man-crush” – “bromance” – “wingman” – and “friendship.” They start to capture the power of men in healthy, biblical relationship. And David and Jonathan help us see that power.

I like the words of Solomon.....

He who walks with wise men will be wise....
Proverbs 13:20 (NKJV)

Let’s get to it men!

"Transitions" Teaching Series - Starts this Sunday

God never changes – but seasons do. Winter, Spring, Summer or Autumn; all of them are necessary for the earth’s ecological system. My favourite time of year is Spring. However if it were Spring all the time there would be some serious issues that would affect the planet.

Likewise, in your walk with God, you will go through various seasons and transitions as well .

"Be ready in season and out of season." 2 Tim 4:2 NKJV

We live our lives in seasons, and seasons have beginnings and endings. So, diversity is the key to longevity. If you don't understand this, you can lose your sense of purpose, because when one season is over you've nothing left to carry with you into the next.

That's why successful farmers keep rotating their crops. They plant corn in one field, then when it goes out of season they plough that field and let it rest. At the same time they're busy elsewhere harvesting alfalfa to make hay, after which that field goes through the same process. In spring they change the order of things so the field where corn once grew now produces alfalfa, and so forth.

When Paul told Timothy, "Be ready in season and out of season," he was encouraging him to broaden his spiritual horizons. In Timothy's case he needed to understand there's a time to correct people, and a time to comfort them (See 2 Tim 4:2 NKJV). Timing is so important. The Psalmist compared the blessed man to "a tree...which yields...fruit in season" (Ps 1:3 NIV). To succeed, you must recognise what season you are in!

And you must also understand that God is more concerned with the depth of your roots than the height of your branches; more interested in quality than quantity. With God 'the quality goes in before the name goes on'.

That's why He takes your struggles and uses them to cultivate the kind of soil (and soul) necessary to produce good fruit. And one more thing: from time to time He will permit storms to blow away those people and things that hinder what He's working to produce in you.

- be willing to transition into your new season...
- make up your mind to enter your new season ...
- let go of the old to embrace the new...
- expect the best from your transitions!

Saturday Night LIVE - The Photos

We had a blast at Saturday Night LIVE! There were a lot of guests on the night... and a lot of laughter.

Here are some of the photos that Peta M took and put up on Facebook. Great work Peta!