SummerFest 07

Summerfest was a great week serving our Lord Jesus giving me a good kick-start to this year - I feel I have been energised for the gospel. It got my blood racing and now that I am back I am keen to get stuck into the ministries I am involved in here.

Suzanne @ Tuesday Night Teenz :: All things Royal!

Game :: Carry the King

PRAISE GOD for:

• For the 850 or so children/youth/adults who came along to the programs each day.
• The families that turned up to morning church at CCEC on Sunday as a result of door knocking. (and the joy it is to knock on doors and proclaim Christ)
  
• Praise God for the awesome hands on training the team received this week especially in evangelism by Craig Dobbie - evangelism and training pastor up at CCEC - He is an evangelist who excites me to just get out there and do it. To think hard how to challenge peoples world-views plausibility structures. Really thankful for his insights shared this week.
  
• For the FUN and joy to serve co-leading with Andy on Xtreme Teenz. Thanks that I could share games and resources with others to bring back to Matthias.

Olivia and Me @ All things Royal

ASK GOD for:

• Energy and wisdom at CCEC for the follow up of many we doorknocked and the many new families we came into contact through the programsn.
  
• For all those who served on the team - that God would refresh them and excite them to go back into their home churches to serve Him. That he would continue to sustain them and equip them for ministry.
  
• Raise up more people to be on team next year so we can cater for more people and so hopefully reach more people.
  
• The spread of his gospel - may God grant repentance to many on the Central Coast.

Verity, Bethany & Bron @ Erina Fair for final Lunch!

T-shirts Plug

For my section we left it late to get section t-shirts and so on Tuesday I was trying to find some one to get some screen printing done by Saturday!

Contacts on the Coast couldn't do it.
2 other contacts in Sydney couldn't do it.

So i googled Fast Screen Printing and I stumbled upon:

PSI Screen Printing

www.psionline.com.au

Now what follows is a blatant plug for PSI Screen Printing, because I am so impressed with them.

I emailed. Joel called. I designed. Joel made. The courier came and delivered today at 8am.
PSI Screen Printing ROCKS!!!

CHEAP... EFFICIENT... FAST... GOOD QUALITY... LOOK GOOD...

15 t-shirts done in one day. Joel went above the call of duty to get these done! Praise God for PSI Printing.

So if you need any t-shirts done for an event or mission give Joel a call or check out their website - it isn't that great but apparently is undergoing some work and the new one should be up by the end of the month.

He also happens to be a Christian...

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Please pray for SUMMERFEST as we start Saturday the 6th. We will spend Saturday and Sunday setting up and then Monday is the kick off of the sections with the children and youth.

Praise God for CCEC and that they have raise additional funds for the mission than budgeted for. Praise God for their generosity to see the gospel go out in their community.

Please pray for me as I lead the woman leaders in my section, for the talk that I am giving on Forgiveness on Wednesday to youth (almost finished writing it) and all the others giving talks this week.

Pray for the hearts on the Central Coast - may God show mercy and grant repentance to many.

Pray for the Matthias folk joining me, that it will be a great first mission for many of them. That they will be sharpened by the training they receive, better equipped to serve and that the mission bug would catch - that they would see how awesome God is and how privileged we are to be used by him to proclaim the life giving news of Jesus.

AMEN

Hymn/Prayer for the new year...

Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice and let me sing
always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as You choose.

Take my will and make it Thine
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is Thine own
it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord I pour
at Your feet its treasure store
Take myself and I will be
ever, only, all for Thee.
Take myself and I will be
ever, only, all for Thee.

Here am I, all of me.
Take my life, it's all for Thee.
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Take My Life (and let it be)
Frances R. Havergal, 1874 - Copyright Public Domain

PASSION: Hymns Ancient & Modern
Chris Tomlin, 2004

www.268generation.com

Nerdlinger Siblings...

(Re)New(ed) Creation

While I was away at Bonny Hills, between Boxing day and New Year with my family, I did some reading of Michael W Goheen’s article - (Re)New(ed) Creation: The End of the Story.

:: IMPACT FOR THE NOW…
The quote below somewhat annoys me as its used to illustrate The Importance of the Future Hope and so the importance of accepting the RENEWED RESTORE CREATION view…

…if one believes that the earth will be destroyed and we will live in a spiritual heaven forever, there likely will be little interest in caring for the environment; evangelism is the only activity with lasting significance. However, if one believes that God will restore this earth then care for his creation will be part of our mission alongside evangelism. Our view of the future matters because it shapes our lives today…

The RESTORE view also worries me that if we seek to place environmental care as a top priority or interest alongside evangelism…

>>> Does it not in some way limit God’s ability to restore anyway???
>>> Does God need us to help with restoration by starting now???
>>> What will our work at maintaining earth do for God anyway???
>>> Isn’t the fact that God created us stewards of his creation motivation to care for the environment???
>>> If he is going to restore could He not restore this creation even if this earth underwent mass destruction - say a worldwide nuclear disaster???

:: IF GOD DESTROYS THE CREATION SATAN WILL HAVE WON A TREMENDOUS VICTORY?
Hmmmm… Well Satan definitely has no reign over it anymore???
>>> Why does destruction mean no victory?
>>> Does Satan have the power or authority to destroy like this???
>>> Why does destruction rule out the ability for God to create a NEW heaven and earth???
>>> Won’t God’s perfect reign in the NEWness where God’s people can live with him and not be tainted or tempted by sin and evil demonstrate a GREAT victory???
>>> Has victory not already been won???

:: WORDS, WORDS, WORDS…
Being the Biblical Languages scholar that I am not this requires further investigation for me… neos means new in time or origin whereas kainos means new in nature or in quality. And so Goheen concludes that a new heaven and a new earth means a world that is renewed not brand-new.
To annihilate or purify - that is the question? 2 Peter 3:10-12 AND Revelation 21 are addressed – judgment burnt destruction or refiners fire… Goheen reckons the language can mean both things.

:: WILL MY DOG BE IN HEAVEN?
Goheen says “the non-human creation shares in this liberation [life in all its aspects is purified] of God’s people.” I am not too sure how non-human liberation will work.

>>> What non-human creation gets into the new? What is alive at the interruption???
>>> Will dinosaurs be in heaven?
>>> Will I see my dog Taffy again - in the new earth, if he will experience liberation of all aspects of his life???

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Hmmm… I feel I have answered no questions just gone around in circles, and my brain hurts so I will put this blog to rest for the moment but will be sure to continue thinking this all through.