The Gospel According to the OC!

PRAISE GOD!!!!!!!!!!

11 girls turned up on Friday lunch. One of whom was completely new!

It's quite funny as the new girls who think it's really cool that we watch the OC have come late both weeks to the group and so have missed out on the OC viewing bit and just get the Bible study - hopefully they will keep coming! Please pray they do.

I think out of the 11 girls 6 are Christians... so that means there are 5 girls I would really love your prayers for that God would bring them into his kingdom! Please pray for the Christian girls that they would come regularly and make it a priority.

Hannah mentioned to me on Friday that when she was at school the Chaplin would bring hot chips to the group - CHIPS n CHATS... and the smell of the chips got many girls in! So I may try this one week instead of doing a Pizza and Talk like last year.

Please also pray as I try to encourage the year 10 girl that this group needs to continue in years to come and get her on board with taking the group on into 2008 - as I will not be around!!!

Prayer Update - July

Praise God for:

• the birth of my Niece. Liz gave birth to her on the 25th June. I think her name is still to be confirmed but more than likely will be Maisey or Evie! Pray for Toby and Liz as they adjust to the sleeplessness of parenthood and also wisdom to raise her to know and love Jesus!
  
  
• hanging out with Jerry Bridges the other Tuesday - as he spoke in a lounge room with 15 of us, about Perseverance of the saints. He was a great encouragement and loved his 4 G's in Isaiah 8 - GOD, GUILT, GRACE, GRATITUDE... motivation for continuing on in the service of our awesome and holy God!
  
  
• hearing Louie Giglio (from Passion Conf.) speak at the Hillsong Conference. His Indescribable passage really lifted my eyes to the majesty, awesomeness and brilliance of the God who created this universe. He made me look into my heart and reminded me not that I am at the centre of the universe. And he took us back to the wonderous Cross of our Saviour Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed to cleanse us from our unrighteousness, He is truely the centre of the universe. Also being led by Chris Tomlin & Brook Fraser in singing praises with 10, 000 others to this glorious God was a treat as well.
  
  
  The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims his handiwork - Psalm 19:1.
  
  
• school holidays, which has allowed me to get ahead on preparation - especially "The Gospel According to the OC" series for Randwick Girls. I have about 4 complete studies.
  
  
• the gift of friendship. Thanks for all of you who uphold me in prayer. For my Christian brothers and sisters who continue to point me to Christ, when I am down, flat, sad, tired, miserable or overjoyed, elated and feeling good.
  But also thank God for the friendships I have with people outside the kingdom. Praise God for Lisa and the gift she is to me in my life, for our trip to the Hunter Valley last week and for opportunities to share Christ.
  
  
• the encouragement of seeing maturity and growth in people at Evening Church. It is God's kindness that he continues to transform his people to the likeness of His Son and gives us the joy to marvel at his hand in peoples lives.
  

Please Ask God for:

• smooth running of the Night Train Course I will be running - 6 Steps to Sharing Jesus. Ask for His sustaining hand to strengthen me as this term looks to be a busy one. Please pray that I would be wise with my time, be faithful and diligent in preparation and loving towards people I serve.
  
  
• my youth group girls, (Caitlin, Chloe, Verity, Suzanna & Ellen) as they soon hit their HSC trials.
  
  
• understanding, insight and creativity to finish a 6 more studies for the OC Series.
  
  
• for wisdom and clarity with decision making re: NEXT YEAR.
  God willing I hope to be at college next year, which means at some point I should go get an application form. Also need to work out where to church if I do go to college (or even if I don't go to college I will need to work this out). What's best for my training? Should I take up the opportunities to see other ministries and church life? Should I stay at Matthias and continue on with the many opportunites here?
  

Please Pray...

for Randwick Girls Lunchtime Group - "Curious?"

One of the girls feeding me Chocolate Mousse while blindfolded.

Over this year (well and last year), I have struggled with the lunchtime group and found it to be discouraging at times. No week is ever the same. I am always perplexed by what faithfulness looks like with this group. Is it wrong to think I 'waste' a study if only 1 girl turns up, or is it okay just to pray with the one girl and send her off... and it often passes through my thoughts of whether its worth it going in week by week to find that no girls turn up!

Irregularity of girls makes it really hard to be motivated to plan well and limits potential of being creative and making the most of the opportunity of being in the school.

PRAISE GOD for technology - being able to sms text the girls on Friday mornings has been a help to reminding them to come.

PRAISE GOD. Over the term 3 year 10 girls who came sporadically last year are coming regularly! They said that when they were away on their church camp, they were convicted of the importance to support school ministry and to reach out... and so they are keen to be there every week! But since that there has been lost of planned school events on Friday lunchtimes.

PRAISE GOD. Last Friday, I had 3 year 10 girls and then we were playing Feed-Each-Other -Chocolate-Mousse-while-blindfolded Game and one of the girls sisters in year 8 walked past with a whole bunch of friends - and they all came in wanting a go! They got mousse all over their faces and then stayed for the discussion on John's Gospel - Doubting Thomas. So this week there were 3 new girls who had never been before and 8 girls all up!

PRAISE GOD they all heard the gospel and read from God's word!

I invited them all to join us next term when we will be looking at The Gospel According to the OC - They seemed really keen and thought it was so cool that we would watch a snippet of episodes each week.

Please pray for this as I think it will be a great outreach tool but also means a lot of work in getting the research done! I haven't watch The OC but the box set series on DVD has landed in my lap so I thought it would be good to use it for the Kingdom.

Pray that I will be able to find suitable scenes from The OC to help illustrate glorious truths about our glorious King. Also pray I would use my time well while writing these studies as watching series on DVD is a lot of hours in front of the TV!

And PRAISE GOD that SCEGGS Lunchtime group will probably use the material as well!


THE CRAZY WORLD OF SCHOOL MINISTRY...

For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness...By the word of the LORD the heavens were made and by the breath of his mouth all their host. Psalm 3:4-6