Relationsips #2

May 10, 2009

Trina Roy, 10/5/09

Revolution is our Sunday night service at SouthLife Church.  We’re currently doing a series on relationships.  It’s good stuff, so here are some notes for your reading pleasure…

Trina says she is a relationship expert – she has a whole lifetime of experience!

Since you were born you’ve been in relationships – a son or daughter, a brother or sister, a cousin, a niece, a nephew, a sudent, an emplyee, a colluge, a friend, a “special” friend… a wife, a husband, a mother a father…

Human relationships are so important.  A premature spending the first few weeks of life in an incubator thrives on human touch, without it they struggle.  Thats how God created us.

Even God is in relationship, the three in one.  In the beginning He says, “let US make man…”

The Bible often refers to us as brother/sisters. (Check out Hebrews 13:1, 1 Peter 1:22, 1 Peter 3:8 plus heaps more) In fact Jesus called us His brothers and sisters.

So why the emphasis on brothers and sisters?

1. Grow up in the same family you grow up with the same values.  Sure, kids grow up and choose which of those values to live by, but they’re presented with the same values as each other.  There might be different personalities, but siblings similar ways, mannerisms, experssions etc.

As brothers and sisters in Christ we need to share the same values.  There will be many different expressions, but the same underlying values. So, what is the ultimate value?  Jesus made it clear as day when He said…

” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ‘This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Mattew 22:37-39)

Some questions to ask myself:

  • Do I treat others as I want to be treated?
  • Am I putting my agenda ahead of caring for others?
  • What kind of impact would it have on others if I really loved them like I love myself?

2. The relationship that you have with your siblings will be the longest relationship you have.  You’re stuck with them for the long haul.

We need to be prepared to be in it for the long haul with each other, to endure conflicts and survive rather then run from it when it gets tough.  We need to be quick to forgive and address issues.  We also need to realise that we’ll get dissapointed and also be the one to do the dissapointing.

Some questions to ask myself:

  • Am I tempted to run from conflict rather then deal with it?
  • Are there any disappointments that I need to forgive?

3. Your brothers and sisters have got your back.

As God’s family we need to have each others back.  If someone is going through a rough time we need to be there for them. One of the biggest ways that we can do this is by avoiding gossip.  The book of James tells us clearly that when we gossip we’re falling into judgment.

Some questions to ask myself:

  • Is there anyone that I need to be looking out for?
  • How am I doing with the gossip thing?  Do I talk about others when it’s really none of my business?

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Posted by Sarah

Relationships #1

May 3, 2009

Ps James Roy, 3/5/09

Revolution is our Sunday night service at SouthLife Church.  We’re currently doing a series on relationships.  It’s good stuff, so here are some notes for your reading pleasure…

Life is relationships, everything else is just detail.

Here are three things we can learn from Psalm 139 about our relationship with God and also every other relationship we have, wheather its work, home, friends, ministry… it applies to all.

1.  Transparency: allowing light to pass through, allowing others to see whats going on in our lives.

  • The worlds way is to put on a mask to impress
  • v11 What are you like in the dark areas of your life?  What don’t you let people see?  What do you try to hide from God?
  • When we’re not transparent and honest with others about how we feel it’s like a trail of dynamite… the enemy uses it to blow up relationships.  Relationship messes happen when someone hasn’t been honest and transparent about their heart.

2. Authenticity: when the outside matches up with the inside

  • Don’t use authenticity as an excuse to stay bitter and angry or complacant.  It’s too easy to say… “this is just the way I am, I’m not going to change”…
  • David is a good example, in a lot of the Psalms he started out grumbling and being real about how he felt but always came out praising God.  He didn’t stay in the pit.
  • Don’t use “transparency” and “authenticity” to manipulate others into felling sorry for you.

3.  Intimacy

  • Happens when we invite someone or something into our live and allow them to influence us.
  • v23-23 allowing God to point out any wrong way in us creates intamacy with Him.
  • We become intimate with people when we allow them to speak into our lives. That sometimes means pointing out our stinky attitude and flaws.

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Posted by Sarah

Notebook Top 10

April 7, 2009

Here are some of the highlights from my notes of what people have shared at church and meetings over the past few weeks…

10

If you ever thing you’re too small to make a different, think of a mosquito in a tent! (Ps Nick Klinkenburg, Church Leadership Night 24 March)

9

Prayer prepares the way, opens doors and invites the Holy Spirit into a situation.  (Jill Smith, Prayer Block course)

8

Strong Apostolic leadership creates space for gifts and anointing to flow. (Jill Smith, Prayer Block course)

7

Conviction comes with grace and a clear understanding wir shat you should do.  Condemnation is just confusing. (Jill Smith, Prayer Block course)

6

Jesus didn’t start discipleship at the cross but before (Ps Paul Bennett, Church Vision night)

5

Our purpose isn’t just to build our own life but to be contributors to our community in Dunedin.  We have a God given mandate to actively look for opportunities to share the love that God has for us with those around us. (Trina Roy, Revolution, 29 March)

4

We will be a generation who see crowds hearing the gospel becuase we were obedient to Jesus and launched out our boat – see Luke 5. (Ps James Roy, Launch Camp)

3

Your mind has been created to think God thoughts.  (Ps Nick Klinkenburg, Church Leadership Night, 24 March)

2

Be human in what you do, not just good at what you do.  (Ps Paul Bennett, Staff Meeting, 2 April)

1

Veer on the side of boldness! (Jill Smith, Prayer Block course)

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Posted by Sarah

Don’t think stink, you’ll sink!

April 3, 2009

I was totally challenged about comparing myself with others the other day when I read 2 Corinthians 10. Later that day I just happened to stumble across a blog where someone was talking about exactly the same thing! (Hat tip to Gina McClain) I like it when God does that!

The Apostle Paul was talking about a bunch of his peers that compared themselves with each other. They thought of as many things as they could to bring Paul and each other down so that others would think that they’re awesome. I wonder if you compare yourself with others. I wonder if you compare your ministry with others. If you don’t then you must be some kind of superhuman!

Can you identify with any of these things?

She’s way prettier then me… He is way better at sport…  I wish our relationship was like theirs… We have way more kids on Sunday then them… There is no way I could get up and MC with the confidence they do…  My kids  LifeGroup is way more controlled then his… he must be doing something wrong…  I can’t believe they said that, I’m way more mature!

We all want to look good. We want other people to think we’re awesome and have something that they want. There is something inside us that makes us feel good when others respect us for what we do.

Comparing ourselves with each other is a dodgy business. Here’s why:

• I makes you feel stink. When you compare what others have with what you don’t it makes you feel like you’re not good enough, or may like you’ve been ripped off.

• It makes you proud. There is a good type of pride (when you do your best at something and are glad and satisfied with it), and the bad type (when you think that you’re better then someone else). Pride is super dangerous. It’s what make Satan rebel against God. (Isaiah 14), and it’s what causes almost all our sin.

• You fail to see what is really going on for others. I bet they’ve put in the hard yards to get to where they are. Sure God might have blessed them but they will also have insecurities. And if you think you’re better then them, watch out, there will be a bunch of things that they have going for them that you might miss.

• You fail to recognise what God is doing in you. If you don’t feel good enough, remember all the other things that God is doing in your life. Look how far you’ve come! Look at the potential that God has placed in you! But at the same time, don’t think of yourself as better then you are! (Romans 12:3) Just because you’re rocking it in one area of your live doesn’t give you licence to think you’re better then others. There are miles and miles of growth yet in you. God hasn’t finished with you yet!

Check this out:

“But in all this comparing and grading and competing, they quite miss the point.” (2 Corinthians 10:12, Message)

And then this one…

“What you say about yourself means nothing in God’s work. It’s what God says about you that makes the difference.” 10:18

Spend some time waiting on God and allow Him to speak into your heart. What does He say about you? What does He like about you? What are you disappointed about? What areas do you feel not good enough in? Allow Him to refresh you and give you a confidence from the inside that overrides the fear of what others think.

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Posted by Sarah

Brokeness

March 5, 2009

serach-for-one-3There is a lot that we can learn about kids ministry when we look at what the Bible says about sheep and shepherds.  This year at LifeKids we’re all about sheep… baaaa.

Matthew 9:35-36 says

“When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd.” (The Message)

Wow, Jesus’ heart broke.  Jesus is showing us what God is like, His heart for people is so huge, so deep, so moved, so hurting for those who are lost and hurt. God’s heart is so moved towards us that it lead Him to send His perfect Son to die the most horrible death, go through hell so that we can be rescued.  That’s a lot of broken heart.

As Jesus’ followers, we need to have the same deal.  We need our hearts to be broken and moved for the lost and hurting, causing us to love like He does.  But do we?

To be honest, my heart isn’t as broken as it could be.  It’s so easy to be moved by someones story or something I see on TV and then in the next moment to be swept back up in my own world.  Here are some things I think can help us be broken like Jesus…

1. Spend time with Him talking about the lost and hurting.  Don’t just stick to the same old prayers about yourself and your corner of the world. Ask your best friend about what is on His heart, chances are He will be only too willing to share.

2. Be prepared to hurt.  Often I turn down the opportunity to be broken because I know it will weigh heavy on my heart.  There is a cost.  It sucks sometimes.  But that is a part of sharing in Jesus’ suffering, picking up our cross to follow Him.

3. Go out of your way to see what is going on in the world of the hurting and lost, the ones who are desperate to know the love of God.  Recently I took the opportunity to be a buddy at Southern Cross Kids Camp.  My life was changed on the final night when my 8 year old buddy got out of control, yelling and screaming at me.  It was then that I broke, knowing that the only thing that will bring her hope and wholeness is Jesus.

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Posted by Sarah

Session 2 Winter Retreat – Revelation

July 17, 2008

Hi guys

Here is a brief summary of what I spoke about at our recent winter retreat. I hope it makes sense!

The topic of my session was on gaining personal Revelation and Vision from God.

I believe that God has a perfect position and purpose for each one of us, and has designed us with unique characteristics and skills to fulfill that purpose. He desires to reveal to each one of us his plans and purposes for our lives, and give us wisdom and understanding on how to live, solve problems and interact with others. As it says in 1 Corinthians 12: 18-19  (NIV)

“God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be?” 

He uses everybody, and the purposes he has for us differ from one person to the next, just as the parts of a body differ.We are not all skilled in the same areas, and I therefore believe we must ask God to reveal to each of us the things he has designed us, and desires us to do, because if we are not living in his plans then we are not living in our kingdom calling.

Vision and revelation are powerful weapons that God gives us. Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybles defines Vision as – a picture of the future that produces passion. God has designed us in a way that each of us feels very deeply about something. We need to ask God for revelation, and when he gives it to us we must get it into our hearts, as it procduces passion in us , and grunt that can’t be taken away from us. We must speak it over our lives and desire to seek it from him.

When God gives us revelation we need to pray about it, and ask him to clarify it and give us understanding as to what it means. I believe that God desires to reveal things to us, and we must therefore be connected to him, through regularly reading his word, praying and listening to him so that we can walk in the plans he has for us.

I encourage you to seek God and ask him to reveal what he has for you, because when we are walking in his revelation we will be most effective and are fulfilling our important position in the body of christ.

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Posted by pennz

If I Could Talk to the Animals

July 10, 2008

I spoke at our winter retreat about what we, as leaders, can learn from Proverbs 30:24.  I have tried to put together a condensed summary for the blog, although I realise it is still quite long!

Carly

 

IF I COULD TALK TO THE ANIMALS

 

If we could talk to the animals, what would they say?  Perhaps our pets they would laugh at how easily we fall in love with them! Or perhaps they would share with us a little part of their world.  Proverbs 30:24 says

“There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise;

Ants:        they are not strong, but they store up food all summer, 

Hyraxes:  they are not powerful, but they make 
                            their homes among the rocks, 

Locusts:  they have no king, but they march in formation,

Lizards:   they are easy to catch, but they are
                            found even in king’s palaces.” 

 

ANTS

Ants teach us the importance of vision.  There is a famous cartoon which shows a line of ants walking and an ant near the middle says ‘I hope the first ant knows where he is going.’  As leaders in children ministry it is our job to be seeking revelation and vision from God so that we can lead in the right direction.  If we don’t know where we are going, then neither will the leaders below us, nor the children in our ministry! 

 

HYRAXES (ROCK BADGERS)

Rock badgers understand their strengths and their weaknesses.  They are small and slow movers; they are no match for an eagle.  When an eagle flies across the sky they run into the shelters in the rocks.  Their strength is not in what they can do, but in what the rock can do for them.  Why do they choose rocks to run to?  Rocks are strong, solid, never changing, great foundations and good hiding places. 

 

Think about how many bible verses you know that talk about God as a rock!  We need wisdom like the rock badgers to know where our security lies: in God our rock. 

 

LOCUSTS

A single locust is not much of a threat, but when a swarm of locusts unite and demonstrate the power of community, what they cannot do alone, they can accomplish together.  Similarly, the power of Christians is in community.  Our unity is our strength.


I love the words on the Hillsong United We Stand CD insert: “United we stand, it’s not supposed to be a clever slogan or a fancy title.  This is way bigger than that.  It’s a statement, and it’s a call to action for the church, it’s a call to action for us.” 

 

LIZARDS

Lizards are often quite small, yet they still manage to find themselves in the most amazing places on earth.  There are two things to learn from the lizards.  Firstly, like the lizards, we should not limit ourselves or others.  Let’s look beyond outward appearances, attitudes, and circumstances in others and ourselves in order to see what God sees: the beauty and potential of everyone.  Secondly, some lizards can change colours to blend into their environments.  When we are challenged, do we reflect our environment or do we reflect God?  Do we hold onto God’s promises and act accordingly?  Or do we react the way the world expects us to? 

 

We may not be able to chat with a chimp in chimpanzee or converse with a polar bear or python, but we can learn about vision from the ants, know our strengths like the hyraxes, be united like the locusts and not limit ourselves or others like the lizards.  They may be small animals, but they are unusually wise!

 

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Posted by shaca

How far are you willing to go?

June 23, 2008

As Last week I read Luke15.

The Lost Sheep is about a sheep that wandered off and got lost. When the shepherd counted the sheep and noticed one missing, he left all the others to look for it. The shepherd would have done anything to find that animal. When he finds it, he throws a party!

Then there’s the coin. A woman had 10 silver coins, but lost one. She searches her entire house by tidying every thing. She lights a lamp so she can see, even in dark corners. She finds the coin and throws a party!

Next, a father is sad because his son has left. He’s taken his inheritance with him, not planning on coming home. Every day the father looks over the horizon, searching for a hit of hope that his son might return. One day, to his delight, he sees him in the distance. The father doesn’t care what the son has done wrong, he is so excited to see him. The father runs to meet him, and throws him a party!

In all three of these stories there are some themes that show us what the Shepherd is like.

  1. He is sad when we are “lost”
  2. He is willing to do whatever it takes
  3. He throws a big party whenever someone is “found”!

As I read these stories I thought of some of the kids I’ve encountered as a relief teacher. I recently met a 7 year old girl, tough as they come, who has somehow learnt to make herself throw up. A 7 year old! I also met a 5 year old boy who shows no sense of physical boundries. He has no probalm touching other kids in inappropriate places. The only way a 5 year old kids could think that that’s OK is if someone is doing that to him. These are kids that will never make it to our amazing Sunday morning programs, but they so desperately need to know the love of Jesus. He loves them so much more then we could ever imagine. His desire is that they know Him, no matter what crap they go through in their life. What a party it will be when those kids are found by Jesus.

The question that the Holy Spirit asked me as I read this was, “How far are you willing to go?” Good question! Am I willing to do whatever it takes search for these kids? It may take spending less money on the technology we want for our Sunday programs and putting it into outreach. It may take giving up a lunchtime every week to hang out in a school playground (with permission for the school of course!). It may mean spending money in an area that we can guarantee we won’t see a financial return in. It may even be more then that.

I would love to hear your thoughts about reaching kids that we will never see on a Sunday morning!

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Posted by Sarah

Careful Planning

May 20, 2008

“Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind.” Proverbs 21:5. (The Message)

Other traslations add in “hard work” after the careful planning bit.

This proverb is some handy dandy practical advice! I don’t know about you but I often find myself overwhelmed with the urgent and putting of the important. Sure, I have a list of things to do but I find myself busy doing the things that I feel like doing. I can end up spending hours perfecting the weekly handout, adding funk and style to that video, or re-re-organizing the supplies cupboard, only to get to the end of the week to discover that I’ve forgotten to do something really important.

The worst thing is to be doing stuff that God isn’t even asking us to do. I reckon that loads of Christians burn out because they are trying to do things that God hasn’t intended them to do.

No one would say I’m a slacker. I often have flatmates and friends telling me I work too hard, but I work too hard on the wrong things. It’s not enough to just work hard, we need to plan well too.

Here are some handy hints that have worked for me…

  • Organise the things you need to get done on a white board. I have one next to my desk that’s divided into the different areas that I’m responsible for. As soon as I find something else I need to do I write it up.
  • Each week plan what you will do and when. I work from my white board, prioritizing the things that are most important. If I don’ get something done today, I’ll add it to tomorrows list.
  • When you strike a problem that you would often spend ages working on or get distracted by, brainstorm! Grab a piece of scrap paper and write down even the craziest ideas. Often it helps to get a different perspective on the challenge.
  • PRAY! Allow God to show you the things that are on His agenda today.

Have you got any other tips or ideas?

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Posted by Sarah

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