Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! - 2 Corinthians 9:15

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The Future

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On Sunday, Marty preached on Revelation 21 & 22 :: 'I wanna go home'.
It was a hope filled sermon and pointed you to long for complete restoration of relationship with the Living God. Living with the people of God in a New City where there is no temple as we have no need for one for God himself dwells with his people.

It was also stressed that this would be a NEW home. Brand New, Good Home, Not all people are welcome to this home and only those who get in get in by the Lamb.

In question time after the sermon someone asked: Why do we need a New Heaven... understand why a new earth but a new heaven - what is wrong with the current one??? Is it just to push the idea that God will create "all things new"?

But as I heard Greg Clarke @ CASE speak on Christians and the future yesterday - he presented the argument that it is not so much of the "New" and the Old is destroyed but the Christian future is more about "renewal, restoration and reconciliation". (Think Noah!)

I guess I am stuck on the word "new"and what the difference is to "renew" and balancing the ideas of RR&R with the image presented in Rev 21 of NEW City, NEW things, FORMER Passed Away - and 2 Peter 3:8-13 Heavens will PASS AWAY, SET ON FIRE, DISSOLVED...

The NEW is to be free from the effects of sin and secure from sin ever entering in:

• What really can remain from this creation that has not been tainted by sin?
  
• Do we not need NEW not just renewed - for that is what happened to Noah and look where we are now?
  
• Or is it a different 'type' of renewal?
  
• What is the link with the future 'old&new' and the fulfillment of old with Jesus: Matthew 5:17-20???? What is the continuity here?
  

Whether the Old is completely destroyed and the New brought in, the old burnt in a crucible to purify and keep the glorious and precious things for the new... I am looking forward to when Jesus will return and I can dwell with the KING, finding complete satisfaction in him and enjoying him FOREVER!

Above is a video Hannah and I made about Rev 21 for the series on Rev at church - Hannah killed two birds with one stone as she had to do a visual representation of a text for a uni video project, but in the end it didn't get shown in church. oh well!!

What I'm...

READING...

• The Narrow Road : Stories of Those Who Walk This Road Together, by Brother Andrew & Others. It is an easy read... a book I had lying around the house. It has encouraged me greatly to trust God more in prayer. He does listen, he knows exactly what we need and always delivers - he is faithful. Brother Andy takes the bibles to the closed countries after the war. His persistence and passion for encouraging the persecuted church is motivating to be bold for the gospel.


• A Call to Spiritual Reformation, by D.A Carson This is not as an easy read as the above, but enjoyable to read nonetheless. I haven't read it all yet... but am looking forawrd to chewing on Paul's prayers....
  
• Hosea - really great read. I like how Hosea's wife narrative is sandwich into the prophecy. It is a very powerful depictiction of the sprirtual adultery we commit - it is so black and white the betrayal and disgust Gomer brings on her husband - and so it is a helpful rebuke not to forget the name of the Lord, not exchange worship of God my Father and Creator for the temporary & fleeting things this world has on offer.
  
  I also got up to this part of the Middle Chunck of the Bible with my MCB girls last Thursday. We were reminded so powerfully in Hosea of the comfort that God is so faithful:
  
  "And I will betroth you to me for ever.
  I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy.
  I will betroth you to me in faithfulness.
  And you shall know the Lord"
  Hosea 2:19-20

LISTENING TO...
(My youth girls gave me a iTunes voucher for Xmas so I have just acquired some new music - woo hoo!)

• Shawn McDonald - "Take my hand" is the song I like... I like the rythmn and like most songs it is the lyrics that really get me drawn in... A song that spurs me on to continue to reflect of the majesty and awesomeness of Him who gave me Christ, to desire being changed and transformed by Him for his glory, to hand my life over and live with Christ as ruler and king over ALL my life...
  
  As I sit here and think
  About all that You've done
  About how You gave me Your one and only Son
  And I'm trying to fathom
  All that You are, but so far, Lord
  You're so beyond me I fall down in reverence
  And I fall down in fear
  And I'm asking You, Lord, won't You please draw near
  Won't You open my eyes
  So that I can see
  The way that You are working in me
  And I lay down my life
  And I put it before You
  All that I have to lay in Your hands
  And I'm not going to question, why You're so faithful
  Why that You give me the blessings that You do
  Let the glory be known, let the glory be shown
  I just lift You up unto the throne
  
  
• Brooke Fraser - Album: "Albertine" She has produced a great album yet again. When I went and saw her live last year I was blown away by how well her music is captured and recorded. She sounds just as good live as on her album. This new album has some interesting song titles: CS Lewis Song, Hosea's Wife.... I haven't had time to really get into it yet... but am looking forward to think about her lyrics and what she is trying to convey in Albertine (strange album title too... must go check out what it means)

THINKING ABOUT...

• Generation "Y": At Evening Church this next year we are starting two new ministries... ELEMENT - for workers and SWITCH for 18-24yr olds. I will be leading a group in SWITCH and so I have begun thinking about that age group and what it is these young folk (which includes myself) think, what motivates them and what do they live for.
  
  "The Spirit of Generation "Y" - The Spirituality of Australian Youth & Young People aged 13-29 by folk at ACU & Monash University - is the text I am starting with to think this topic through: 49% of Gen Y's believe in 'god'! and 27% volunteer in some capacity or involved in some civic duty which shows that perhaps this isn't so much a self-centred "i" generation???
  
  
• Topic of Guilt: It has been my hobby horse topic all year, trying to nut out what is a biblical understanding of it, I guess I will have a blog about this when I come to some conclusion!
  
  >What is the role of guilt in a Christians life? Just to lead to repentance?
  
  >What is the difference between guilt & godly sorrow?
  
  >What is the difference between the fact guilty and the emotion feeling guilty?
  
  >Is it a lack of trust in the power of the cross to "feel" guilt/sorrow for past sins?
  
  >Pilate could find no guilt in Jesus? Of course He can't be guilty if He is not sinful - so as Christians will guilt be natural part of our lives until Christ returns or when we are called home?

MAKING...

• I have 4 quilts on the go... 2 x "Stack & Slash" design (1 orange and the other is black/red/white) and 1 x "Picket Fence" design (purple floral) and 1 x red "Double Irish Chain" design.
  
  I have had a few of these going for a while but am sure I will complete eventually. It is one of the simple joys to sew. It is really thereputic to hear the hum of my sewing machine and feed fabric into the machine - listen to music or a sermon at the same time. It's just brilliant!

GETTING USED TO...

• My new MacBook laptop... Mac's do things just that little differently to PC's... I am slowly getting there and trying to learn all the short cuts. I am having loads of fun fiddling with the photo and movie programs - which I am hoping will be very handy for youth stuff - oh and just for having fun - as you can see I use the iSight camera often!! Love that you can distort, recolour etc. Endless hours of procrastination to be had!



• No Sammi in the office. Sam has moved to Wild St to be their administrator and I miss her heaps - so I made a visit yesterday to her new office and took her a coffee since there is no cafe near by... the sacrifices one makes for the gospel.
  
  She is my faithful prayer warrior and friend who always seems to know when to write me a email of encouragement or stick a bible verse on my desk when I am tired, sad or frustrated! I have learnt so much from her this year in the way she serves our church and the staff- Her love, hard work and faithfulness is amazing - I miss her heaps.
  
  

December Prayer Update

I am so overwhelmed by God's kindness this year to me. I have become a part of a new church, tried new ministries, obtained new skills, developed old ones, realised poor skills, I have learned a lot, cried a lot, laughed a lot and met so many new and wonderful people this year (probably met 400+ new people this year)!

:: My Youth Girls ::
Praise God for them all :: Ellen, Nikk, Verity, Suzanna, Chloe, Louisa and Caitlin. They have been a huge blessing to me this year. God has used them in so many ways to shape me, train me and encourage me. I was blown away yesterday of how generous and how well they know my co-leader Alicia and I as they gave us thankyou/xmas gifts. The gifts were really thoughtful!

:: Drama ::
All year Robyn and I have struggled to reconcile the amount of time and effort we put into a non-word/bible teaching ministry, especially as we are essentially employed as bible teachers (or trainee one anyway). But God has shown me this year the ministry of drama is a unique way to build trusting and genuine relationships with families who would never come to church.

Not-yet-Christian families think highly of Robyn and myself and now after the success of the end of year performance think very highly of the Matthias community - One mother saying how it must be a joy and privilege to belong to such a community... and yes what a springboard for a gospel conversation. PRAISE GOD!

:: Outside Matthias Ministries ::
Summerfest 07 – January 06th to 13th. Pray for good leading with Andy and smooth running of the week. Pray that organization and delegation goes well!

KYCK 07 – (April) Pray that God would give me creativity to think through the bits that I am responsible for. Pray that we will have productive meetings in the next few weeks!

:: Personal ::
In the prayer update at church on Sunday it was asked that people "pray to find a replacement for Hayley in Drama 2008". This is sad – but I know long term bible college is a good thing and something I really want to do!
Pray for peace of mind – to just keep on serving whole-heartedly and worry about decisions for 2008 when I really need to.

I have realised this year, the many opportunities available to me to serve and the vast contexts I can promote the gospel… this has been really helpful to have experienced and good to help me to begin thinking in creative ways to serve, especially as a woman pursuing full-time ministry.

Thank God for the BIG answer to prayer - in providing opportunities and time in building my friendships with my not-yet-Christian friends. Pray especially for Lisa and George - that I will not be lazy in finding time to genuinely relate to them, and to not hide that I am a Christian. Pray that my speech would be littered with the way God is at work in my life, share what I am learning about myself, God and the world in a natural manner - really I guess I am asking that you pray I would shine like a light for Him.

Praise God for all that I have been able to do through his strength this year. I am so thankful for the MTS role at Matthias. It is truly a privilege and am thankful that I can continue on here next year.


NEXT YEAR:
Pray that Caro, Warwick and I will be able to work out well the best use of my time, the ministries to invest more time into and the ones to pull a little back from.

Working out what areas I need more training or experience in and stretching me in that. But also that I won't be stretched too thin and that I will have the energy to keep working hard for the gospel.