Cyclone Glenda ... wow

This is a picture of Tropical Cyclone Glenda.

This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite on March 29, 2006, at 10:40 a.m. local time (02:40 UTC). It shows Cyclone Glenda as a well-developed storm, sitting 525 kilometers (330 miles) west of Broome. Clouds from the storm covered most of the northwest coastline of Western Australia. Sustained, peak winds in the storm system were roughly 220 kilometers per hour (140 miles per hour) at this time. The storm’s spiraling clouds appear as a nearly solid white disk, but in several places, it appears as though some clouds are “boiling” up above the rest.

It struck me as I was thinking about how awesome is the power being unleashed by this storm, that the words of Jesus calmed a raging storm on the Sea of Galilee. I realised that it is not the size of the storm we are going through that matters, but the size of our God!!!

The word that Jesus actually used to calm the sea was "Shalom". Most people know that one of the meanings of this word is "peace", but if you ask a Jewish person what "shalom" means to the Jews, they will tell you that it actually means three things - "peace, health and prosperity".

Makes you think, doesn't it!

Shalom ...

Back to front is good ...

Have you ever heard sayings which when mixed up a little, make a whole lot more sense?

Here's a couple of well known sayings (or not so well known - depending on where you're from) and their rehashed context.

1. "That person is so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly use"
... and turned inside out by Steve Beckingham to read ...
"That person is so earthly minded that they are of no heavenly use".


2. "Don't just stand there - do something"
... and turned inside out by Mark Geppart - author of The Attack Lambs - to read ...
"Don't just do something - stand there (and pray!!!)".

3. "I'll believe it when I see it"
... and turned inside out by Kirsten Williams - YWAM New Zealand - to read ...
"We'll see it when we believe it".

If anyone has anymore sayings that make more sense when reversed, then leave a comment!

An evotional blog ...

Thanks to Bruce over at His Method blog for introducing Pastor Mark Batterson, who has some really neat things to say. Here are some examples from his blog called "Evotional.com" ...

This one is an excerpt from a message called "Lame Parties" - to read the full post, go here.

Luke 15:10 is one of those verses that gives us a glimpse through the glass floorboards of heaven. There is a holy party happening. It says, "There is joy in the presence of God's angels when even one sinner repents."

One person putting their faith in Christ sets off a cosmic celebration. According to the latest research I've come across, approximately 100,000 people put their faith in Christ all around the world every day! And there are only 86,400 seconds in a day. Do the math and you discover this: there is a cosmic celebration of infinite proportions initiated every second or every minute of every hour of every day! Heaven is a non-stop celebration! The church ought to be a mirror reflection of that reality!

I'm absolutely convinced that our biggest problem isn't the fact that we don't feel bad enough about what's wrong with us. Our biggest problem is that we don't feel good enough about what's right with God. We let what's wrong with us keep us from worshipping what's right with God. Our gravest sin is under-celebrating the greatness and goodness of God. We don't celebrate half as much or half as well as they are celebrating in heaven. But that's the holy standard. Our church parties ought to approximate heaven's parties. We've got to throw better parties! In the words of Rob Bell: "The church has nothing to say to the world until it throws better parties."

I must confess I've never been to a really good party, except for my 40th birthday party! It was so good, I wished it would never end. Sad and tragic I know.

Here's another excerpt from another good one ... strangely titled "12,771".

I have a growing conviction: the Church should be in the business of redeeming technology and using it to serve God's purposes.

Isn't that what Johann Gutenberg did? He redeemed the printing press and used it to get more Bibles into more hands. Why not redeem the iPod and turn it into a high-tech tool for e-vangelism or digital discipleship? The message is sacred, but the medium isn't. The church needs to use any and every medium at its disposal to share the gospel with as many people as possible. It's a stewardship issue. We're far too analogical in our approach to ministry. We've got to carpe digital.

Who said preachers have to preach from behind a pulpit and parishioners have to listen while seated on wooden pews?

In 1728, John Wesley was ordained into the Anglican priesthood. It was assumed that preaching would take place behind a pulpit inside the four walls of a church sanctuary. The hierarchy within the Church of England considered preaching outdoors a violation of canon law. John Wesley broke the law and broke the mold.

And finally, here is the best of the bunch, IMHO ... from a post called "Ten Buzz Commandments".

I'll expound on them in a future blog, but here are the Buzz Commandments. I've got to narrow it down to ten commandments. Here are twenty:

Buzz I--Thou Shalt Hang Out at Wells
Buzz II--Thou Shalt turn Water in Wine
Buzz III--Thou Shalt Touch Lepers
Buzz IV--Thou Shalt Not Wash Thy Hands
Buzz V--Thou Shalt Offend Pharisees And Call Them Names
Buzz VI--Thou Shalt Be Shrewd as Snakes
Buzz VII--Thou Shalt Speak in Parables
Buzz VIII--Thou Shalt Wash Feet
Buzz IX--Thou Shalt Not Put New Wine in Old Wineskins
Buzz X--Thou Shalt Seek Lost Sheep
Buzz XI--Thou Shalt Not Wear Extra Long Tassels
Buzz XII--Thou Shalt Heal on the Sabbath
Buzz XIII--Thou Shalt Curse Barren Fig Trees
Buzz XIV--Thou Shalt Climb the Mount of Transfiguration
Buzz XV--Thou Shalt Defend Adulteress Women
Buzz XVI--Thou Shalt Turn Over Tables In The Temple
Buzz XVII--Thou Shalt Be Innocent As Doves
Buzz XVIII--Thou Shalt Ride Donkeys
Buzz XIX--Thou Shalt Withdraw To The Wilderness
Buzz XX--Thou Shalt Walk On Water

I highly recommend that you go have a look see on Mark's blog, and be challenged and entertained at the same time.

You liddle bewdy ...

Thomas is back home from Thailand, the shed is up and almost finished, the new landscaper is coming here on Monday, the new Hyundai Sonata car is soooo nice to drive, and my wife gets more beautiful every day! What more could a guy want?

No seriously, in spite of all the crap things that get thrown at us in life, God is consistently good. Full of mercy, and rich in love. I love the way our God is always exactly how He describes Himself in His word.

We have become overcomers because Jesus has overcome the world. It has absolutely nothing to do with us!

The trip to Thailand was the best ever, and it was such a blessing for Karen and myself to visit the Chiang Mai DTS (YWAM) base that Thomas has been staffing at, and to participate in the graduation ceremony. It was especially good to see the way the kids we met back in October at the beginning of DTS, and to see and hear about what God has done in their lives. Awesome stuff! It was also cool that Shane was able to get a leave pass for Friday arvo and Saturday to travel down from Chiang Rai with some friends and attend the graduation as well. It was so good to just hang out with him, and to share our hotel room with him on Friday night. In the house Shane !!! Sweet MacGregor.

On the Wednesday after Thomas had finished de-briefing from DTS, the three of us (Karen, Thomas and me) jumped on a bus to Chiang Rai, and went to visit Shane's DTS base. We got to meet with Paul Willcox - the base director - and met all of the crew. We stayed in CR for three days, and stayed (off base) with a young couple called Uab and Jesse Ford (who have the most delightful little boy named Silas). We were so blessed that they invited us into their home.

It is always awesome to see the way that God uses DTS to challenge and change peoples lives. In the few days that we were there, we saw how DTS can be a life changing experience. Karen and I both came away from there feeling strongly that we would like to do a DTS one day. In fact I think I would prefer to do a DTS rather than Bible College (in Thailand of course).

This week ended on a high note. I was invited to speak to two classes at Lumen Christi College here in Perth about building electric vehicles for the high school electric vehicle challenge coming up later this year. It was just so cool to be able to speak into these kids lives, and to impart something to them. Some of the heavy technical stuff went over their heads, but they were so keen to learn, and they blessed me at the end of it with a nice bottle of red wine, and the school photographer took some photos of me with the kids - which will be used in an article in the next school magazine.

And Thomas flew in from Thailand yesterday morning ... ready to go back to Curtin Uni to finish his degree. How much better can it get?

Oh well, I'd better go and finish painting the floor in my new 12m x 7m shed ...

Proverbs says that "the Lord's blessing is our greatest treasure, and He adds no trouble to it!"

Memories ...

The words of an old hymn just popped into my head. Here they are ...

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever,
I will sing, I will sing.
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever,
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord.

With my mouth, will I make known
His faithfulness, His faithfulness.
With my mouth, will I make known
His faithfulness to all generations ...

God is soooooooooo good ...

My new shed/workshop/garage is going to start being erected today - yay!!! (Only been waiting since October)

Things are busy already at work - 2006 is going to be a fantastic year for our (God's) business, because He is blessing our efforts. Did He not say that He would cause us to prosper in everything that we do!

I am believing for many opportunities this year to preach and teach more. My desire is to get back involved in worship ministry, and to sow truth and life into every one that I meet or minister to.

I found someone who is going to possibly be able to fix all of our brick paving and limestone wall messes that we were left with. Another yay!!!

And I am married to the most wonderful woman on planet earth, who truly rocks my world.

And it's all because of God's promise to me - that He knows the plans that He has for me, and they are plans to prosper me and not to harm me. Plans to give me a hope and a future.

Where would I be without Him? Where would I be without Jesus and His finished work of the cross? Where would I be without His Holy Spirit?

Jesus nailed it when He said that only God is truly good. Only God could truly love me and bless me the way that He does.

Leadership in the relational church ...

Continuing on with the theme of life in the relational church, here are some more thoughts from Wayne Jacobsen ...

Clearly Jesus warned his disciples that in God’s reality leadership serves a different function than it does in the world because it is not based on management. Yet many books on Christian leadership today are so easily adapted to the business world. That alone should make us stop and question.

Jesus didn’t view leadership as the power to command, but the passion to serve people as they sort out what it means to live as God’s children. In the last decade my understanding of leadership has changed completely. I used to see it in terms of power—thinking leadership was defined by influence, institutional power or the value of their giftedness.

That’s not so in God. Those who have helped me most to grow in Father’s love, surprisingly enough, don’t hold positions of power but simply loved me enough to point out the way to God’s heart and then let me decide if I wanted to follow it...

I guess that it's true (when I think back) that the pastors/teachers who have influenced me the most over the past few years were all gracious, humble, and yet were not perfect!

It is also so true that we are all looking for the perfect church … which means something different to every person I know. The one thing “perfect church” seekers have in common is a desire to find a place of community where they can grow in Christ – a place where grace is the rule (we already have grace from God, but rarely receive it from man) – where we can exercise our gifts for the glory of God, and for the building up of His body.

I want to be in a church were the spiritually lost take priority over programs, buildings, and every other thing that gets in the way of being missional in the true sense of the word.

Why are churches spending tens of millions of dollars on flash buildings and other frivolous pursuits when children and women in Tanzania (I have been there and seen it with my own eyes) have to walk 10 kilometres or more to collect muddy disease infested drinking water from a well or creek?

My desire is to be Christ centred, Christ focussed, and as a result of that, to become more like Him. To act like He would act, to do what He would do, for His priorities to become my priorities, to rejoice when He rejoices, and to grieve when He grieves.

I feel like He is gently guiding me in the direction that He has planned for me – to make a difference in this world. To declare all of the awesome things that He has done for me, so that others can catch the vision.

And church can be a very good training ground …

Why house church isn't the answer ...

Found an interesting article by Wayne Jacobsen on the website "Lifestream.org" which has an excellent discussion on why "House Church" may not always be the answer people are looking for.

Here is a small excerpt ...

We've taught for years the mistaken notion that we need to go to church to fill up on the life of God. Not true! We can only fill up on God's life through a transforming relationship with the Father through his Son. We were never meant to come to fill ourselves with church, but to live full of him and then share his life together with God's people.

Here is the problem with most of what passes for church life today, including many house churches: Rather than teaching people how to live dependent on Jesus Christ, it supplants that dependency by its misguided attempt to take the place of Jesus in people's lives. Instead of teaching them how to live in him, they make them dependent on the structures and gatherings of what we call church. Our expressions of church life just become another thing to stand in the way of people living deeply and fully in him.

It's well written, and Wayne earnestly encourages people to centre their dependence on Jesus himself. Well worth taking the time to read in my opinion, as are many of the other articles on Lifestream.org website. Click here to read the full article.

Oh... and by the way, we recently left a mainstream Pentecostal church to join a brand new home church.

Let's get rid of the Pastor ...

Seems a bit radical doesn't it. But if this article from "Present Testimony Ministry" is anything to go on, if begs a thought or two.

Frank Viola has written a book called "Pagan Christianity: The Origins of Our Modern Church Practices."

The article in question takes excerpts from this book and unpacks them in quite an orderly and well researched fashion. To say that he challenges the position of our modern church pastor is an understatement. Here are some excerpts from the article ...

The Pastor.

He is the fundamental figure of the Protestant faith. He is the chief, cook, and bottle-washer of today’s Christianity. So prevailing is the Pastor in the minds of most Christians that he is better known, more highly praised, and more heavily relied upon than Jesus Christ Himself!

Remove the Pastor and modern Christianity collapses. Remove the Pastor and virtually every Protestant church would be thrown into a panic. Remove the Pastor and Protestantism as we know it dies. The Pastor is the dominating focal point, mainstay, and centerpiece of the modern church. He is the embodiment of Protestant Christianity.

But here is the profound irony. There is not a single verse in the entire NT that supports the existence of the modern day Pastor! He simply did not exist in the early church.

Pretty much in your face for an opening statement, but I must admit, it did keep me reading right to the end of the article. The bluntness continues ...

The Pastor is in the Bible . . . Right?

The word “Pastors” does appear in the NT:

And he gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as PASTORS and teachers (Ephesians 4:11, NASB).

The following observations are to be made about this text.

* This is the only verse in the NT where the word “Pastor” is used. One solitary verse is a mighty scanty piece of evidence on which to hang the entire Protestant faith! In this regard, there is more Biblical authority for snake handling than there is for the modern Pastor. (Mark 16:18 and Acts 28:3-6 both mention handling snakes. So snake handling wins out two verses to one verse.)

* The word is used in the plural. It is “Pastors.” This is significant. For whoever these “Pastors” are, they are plural in the church, not singular. Consequently, there is no Biblical support for the practice of Sola Pastora (single Pastor).

* The Greek word translated “Pastors” is poimen. It means shepherds. (“Pastor” is the Latin word for shepherd.) “Pastor,” then, is a metaphor to describe a particular function in the church. It is not an office or a title. A first-century shepherd had nothing to do with the specialized and professional sense it has come to have in modern Christianity. Therefore, Ephesians 4:11 does not envision a pastoral office, but merely one of many functions in the church. Shepherds are those who naturally provide nurture and care for God’s sheep. It is a profound error, therefore, to confuse shepherds with an office or title as is commonly conceived today.

On the subject of ordination, here are Frank's views ...

The Fallacy of Ordination

In the fourth century, theology and ministry were the domain of the priests. Work and war were the domain of the laity. What was the rite of passage into the sacred realm of the priest? Ordination.

Before we examine the historical roots of ordination, let us look at how leadership was recognized in the early church. The apostolic workers (church planters) of the first century would revisit a church after a period of time. In some of those churches, the workers would publicly acknowledge elders. In every case, the elders were already “in place” before they were publicly endorsed.

Calvin and Luther apparently did their bit ...

From Priest to Pastor

John Calvin did not like the word “priest” to refer to ministers. He preferred the term “Pastor.” In Calvin’s mind, “Pastor” was the highest word one could use for ministry. He liked it because the Bible referred to Jesus Christ, “the great Shepherd of the sheep” (Heb. 13:20). Ironically, Calvin believed that he was restoring the NT bishop (episkopos) in the person of the Pastor!

Luther also did not like the word “priest” to define the new Protestant ministers. He wrote, “We neither can nor ought to give the name priest to those who are in charge of the Word and sacrament among the people. The reason they have been called priests is either because of the custom of the heathen people or as a vestige of the Jewish nation. The result is injurious to the church.” So he too adopted the terms “preacher,” “minister,” and “Pastor” to refer to this new office.

And my final snippet from Franks article/book is bound to raise the ire of most people ...

Now that we have unearthed the roots of the modern Pastor, let us shift our attention to the practical effects a Pastor has on the people of God.

The unscriptural clergy/laity distinction has done untold harm to the Body of Christ. It has ruptured the believing community into first and second-class Christians. The clergy/laity dichotomy perpetuates an awful falsehood. Namely, that some Christians are more privileged than others to serve the Lord.

Our ignorance of church history has allowed us to be robbed blind. The one-man ministry is entirely foreign to the NT, yet we embrace it while it suffocates our functioning. We are living stones, not dead ones. However, the pastoral office has transformed us into stones that do not breathe.

Permit me to get personal. The pastoral office has stolen your right to function as a member of Christ’s Body! It has shut your mouth and strapped you to a pew. It has distorted the reality of the Body, making the Pastor a giant mouth and transforming you into a tiny ear. It has rendered you a mute spectator who is proficient at taking sermon notes and passing an offering plate!

All in all, a pretty interesting read. And I thought I was being radical reading Mark Geppert's book - "Bridges: Getting from A to B" which seriously and convincingly challenges the pyramid shaped style of modern church hierarchical leadership. Sounds like I'm talking up the emergent/post modern church model doesn't it?

I'd be interested to hear your comments on Frank Viola's article, but I would ask one thing. Please read the article first!

Also, has anyone else read Mark Geppert's book "Bridges: getting from A to B"? Definitely worth the read in my opinion. I think it may be hard to get hold of here in Australia though, as it is published in Singapore.

Good stuff ...

One blog that I enjoy reading is His Method by Bruce Chant. Bruce has this uncanny knack of finding the most interesting links and articles.

One excellent gem he recently dug up was this post by Bob Kauflin on his blog "Worship Matters". You can read it here, or read Bruce's subsequent post on Bob's post here. (It's interesting that Bob's blog address is Worshipmatters.blogs.com and mine is Worshiprules.blogspot.com) So thanks Bruce for alerting me to Bob's excellent blog - I am sure that I will become a regular reader.

There's a link on this comment about backmasking which has a subsequent link to a website known as talkbackwards.com - this is a very interesting read. Brings back memories of the John Todd tapes we all listened to in the late '70s. Hmmm ... I think I still have my copies somewhere!!

Another goodie is the link Bruce has to Ed Stetzer, who is a church planter ... among other things. Bruce's post is here. The page that the link goes to is pretty ordinary, but at the bottom of the text are these words ... For fun, you could read a scathing critique of Dr. Stetzer here.

And so I did, and it was very interesting. It links to a site called "The Christian News and Views On-line Newsletter". It's an article about several aspects of the modern church, including "worship". Here is a sample line from that text ...

In the world of the church, promoters of "ancient-future" faith are making a splash with a theology of worship that blends early Christian practices with a postmodern culture.

Whilst I agree with some of the things the writer says, I found myself disagreeing with most of what he wrote in the complete article.

Here is another example of what the author says about "there's a new faith in town" man Ed Stetzer ...

He says that people want something mystical-magical-supernatural and spiritual. Too often, postmoderns feel they're meeting an alien culture when they encounter evangelical Christianity, Stetzer says. He says it’s not the job of the unchurched postmodern to enter our culture. It is our job to invade theirs. In other words, the lost in sin should not be expected to make a “change”, it is the job of the church to “change” and CHANGE it is doing.

Stetzer says that churches should worship “experientially”, while Christ says we are to worship God in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23) The Nehemiah Project church-planting center at “Southern Baptist Seminary” in Louisville, Ky. says, “postmoderns want to “experience” God. They want to FEEL God. They want to MEET God on familiar, informal, personal, relaxed terms. BUT, the Bible teachers that people are to FEAR God.

Dunno about the magical/mystery thingy, but the supernatural and spiritual is a given when God is involved in Church by His Spirit.

The article raises lots of issues about worship such as drama, dancing in church (worship dancing??), banners, pageantry, and reciting creeds, etc.

I have my own ideas about these things, and I am what most people would call traditional in this respect (if there is such a thing as traditional post modern). Having been involved in using some powerful YWAM dramas during missions outreaches in Thailand, I have seen the Holy Spirit mightily annoint these dramas with amazing results. They never cease to impact me, and I have seen some of them dozens of times. The question remains in most peoples minds though that do these things belong in a church worship service? In my mind, if they cause people to seek God's face, then why not! If they are there purely for entertainment, then I say forget it!

Banners and pageantry? Symbolism for the sake of symbolism is just symbolism - nothing more. Meeting around the Lord's Table for Communion is Sooooo much more than symbolism - it is obedience to Christ's command.

A very thought provoking article, and worth reading just to understand how some people think.

Whoops, I did it again ...

I (and Karen ... and Camille) just sent our second son Shane off to Thailand to do a DTS with YWAM in Chiang Rai. And our first son - Thomas - is still leading a DTS team outreach with YWAM students from the Chiang Mai DTS that ends in Feb this year.

What an experience! Firstly getting Shane (love you son) onto that plane, and then dealing with the adrenaline deficit that has hit since yesterday morning. And then hearing (last night) that Thai Airways misplaced his backpack - in other words it didn't turn up at Chiang Rai airport baggage carousel with the rest of his gear!

Karen was feeling the stress a bit when she heard the news ... and she reminded me this morning that it wasn't fair because we had specifically prayed that his baggage would NOT get lost. Hmmm ... crisis of faith here potentially for me ... until God inspired me that if we prayed it in Jesus name, then it would surely come to pass. And so I said to Karen, it's not lost - just misplaced. Shortly after, I rang Shane on his mobile to be informed that he was at the airport picking up his backpack :-)

Isn't God good, and He is true to His word.

It seems so strange having our two boys both overseas on missions. As I just said ... God is good. Just when we thought it would be really quiet around here with only Camille (my daughter) and Karen home, and knowing that Karen and I are going to Thailand to help Thomas bring all of his stuff home in February, and Camille would be by herself (no bro's or folks) - one of Camille's old school friends decided to move back to Perth and needs somewhere to stay. So Camille has temporarily lost another bro, but gained a "sister". So as Shane would say ... "welcome to the hood Rebecca!"

Tomorrow morning I am preaching (sorry ... bringing the word) at 11/9 Church in Langford. This is the new house church Karen and I have been attending. It started on September 11th, 2005 - which expains the name (pronounced "eleven nine church").

It's funny how God's Spirit moved in a number of loosely connected people at the same time last year to leave their established churches and to step out into something new. Karen and I had both felt that it was time for us to leave Bethel Life Centre for several months, and eventually decided to make the move in August last year. When the pastors there asked us where we were going, we answered that we didn't know yet, but that God was leading us into something new to do with missions. Maybe a church with a HUGE focus on missions, or a new church! After all, missions is our passion ( oh okay ... and worship).

Karen and I both feel that one day we would like to do a Crossroads DTS with YWAM (thats a DTS for oldies like us). I have known in my spirit for some time that we were destined to be a missionary family. It is slowly coming to pass!

I remember during one of the last services that I worship led at Thornlie CoC about 5 years ago, that I played a segment of a video recording of Bill Gaunson's message (just before he was killed in that car accident) where he says "the only kind of Christian God wants is a missionary minded Christian". Those words obviously really impacted me, and it was not long after that when God turned our lives upside down and started preparing us for what lay ahead.

And so Shane is just beginning a 5 month experience of discipleship and cross cultural missions in nothern Thailand, and Thomas is drawing to a close his 3 year involvement in the Chiang Mai DTS - firstly as a DTS student, and then 2 years of staffing.

God has grown Thomas into an awesome leader, and a fine young man whom I am looking forward to spending time with again when he returns to Perth in February. If you want to read what God is doing in Thomas' life at the moment, go here ...

If you want to follow Shane's journey over the next few months, go here ...

And in 5 months it's back to Thailand for Shane's graduation. We're already praying for God to bless us with cheap airfares so that all 4 of us can go back for the big event. Hmmm ... I wonder if the kids will come to Karen's and my graduation if we do a Crossroads DTS?

To quote Napoleon Dynamite ... "peace out".

Why blog ? ...

I must confess that I enjoy reading other peoples blogs more than I enjoy posting on my own!

It's fun to note all of the different styles of blogs - some people talk nonsense and others talk serious stuff. Some Christians are very intolerant when they comment on other peoples blogs - it seems there is an ongoing war between "calvinists" and "armenians". Apparently people can shoebox you depending on what you say on your blog. One blog I read had a calvinist (commenter ... commentator?) condemning an armenian (blogger) to hell. The sad thing is that the "armenian" didn't even know he was an "armenian"!

As a person who hates tags, I try my hardest to keep everyone guessing ... to be quite honest I wouldn't have a clue what I "am supposed to be". If you'd asked me 5 years ago what I was, I would probably have said calvinist. After reading what a calvinist actually believes, now I'm not sure I want to be one of them.

And then you get the "emergent" versus the "pre/anti/non/don't wanna be emergent" (or whatever the opposite of "emergent" is). Probably "traditional"! They tend to be a little less violent verbally, although they still disagree.

And then you have blogs that are encouraging. They build you up in your faith! They share stories about how awesome our God is, and tell about His fame and the amazing miracles He has done on their behalf.

Some use blogger or similar canned format, and others use their own design webpage with awesome graphics and content. Some have great links, and others have no links. Some attract dozens of comments, and others go months on end without a single comment. Chris (over at http://www.foreigndevil.org) has just got 6 comments on a "non" post. That must be a record!

Cyberanger (over at http://www.cyberanger.blogspot.com) has some great links, and has a very enjoyable blog to read. One of the links shown here is about God's grace. I have heard a lot said about grace lately, and this link explains my position on grace very well. Go here to read it ... http://www.gospelfortoday.org/jteachings/fallfromgrace.htm

And then there are the people (like me) who go for months on end and never post. It's probably because we're too busy reading other peoples blogs and leaving comments on them :-)

So as one of my favourite bloggers says ... "I'm tired, and I've run out of things to say".

New Creation ...

Whenever I visit Singapore for a few days, I go to New Creation Church ("The Rock") to experience amazing corporate worship, and to receive some good teaching.

The Senior Pastor there is a young man named Joseph Prince, and he teaches on the "Word of Faith" principles and God's grace.

When the Lord first guided my family and me to this place one Sunday several years ago, we were absolutely amazed at the whole experience of heart melting worship and annointed Bible teaching. Many things that previously had not made sense in the Word of God suddenly became clear and easy to understand. The whole service we just sat there and thought to ourselves - how wonderful it would be to attend a church like that in Perth.

I had heard lot's of bad press about the "word of faith" movement, which seemed to be famous for the "blab it and grab it", "name it and claim it" type of theology. I had pretty much made up my mind that I wouldn't want any part of that kind of teaching, and so for God to lead us all to a church that was teaching this kind of theology was a bit of a surprise. Even today, most people that I speak with seem to thing that the "word of faith" movement is all about the infamous "prosperity doctrine". It only takes a quick search of the internet to find numerous sites that slam everything to do with "word of faith" teaching, and some of the men who have taught that theology. Unfortunately, a lot of the "bad" things that are reported are true, but that doesn't mean that everything they said or did was wrong. A lot of the dodgy things that they are accused of were accepted and pursued across a broad spectrum of pentecostal churchs. That doesn't make all of their teachings wrong. The believers responsibility (according to scripture) is to rightly divide the word that is taught, and to weigh it up against the Word of God. The Spirit of the Living God leads us into all truth, using the living Word of God to determine what is right and what is wrong.

I was actually amazed to discover that the contemporary "word of faith" teachers (like Joseph Prince) are very serious about studying the original languages (Hebrew and Greek) that the Word was written in, so that a true understanding of the meaning of the scriptures can be understood. This has revolutionised my beliefs about health, healing, prosperity in all aspects of my life, and what God's grace is really all about.

Anyone who has read most of my blog will realise that God has done awesome things in my life, and I attribute most of this to the things and the principles that I have learned since moving closer to the charismatic camp.

Recently I ordered a whole heap of teaching CD's from New Creation Church, and they have arrived! Needless to say, I have been eagerly listening to them and learning so much - and am looking forward to the opportunity to share some of these principles when I next preach at church.

Also, a friend recently loaned me a Keith Moore teaching tape about how we are blessed, not cursed, because Jesus came to redeem us from the curse of the law. Sometimes we need to be reminded of the truth. How many of us still believe that even as Christians, we are affected by generational curses and suchlike.

I am lately being forced more and more to question what I have been taught, and to re-assess what I believe. But it's all good - I am growing in my understanding of just what exactly Jesus did upon the Cross.

I am blessed beyond the curse, because Jesus died to redeem me from the curse of the law. He died so that I would be healed, and suceed in everything that I do. Wow, what an awesome God we serve. How fantastic that we can call Him Father, and that He calls us His children.

I am reminded to be careful of what I speak out of my mouth, because the Word states that "the power of life and death are in the tongue". I will speak only that which reflects the fact that I am BLESSED, not cursed.

I will believe what God has said in His living Word.

God answers prayer ...

Ever had one of those prayers that you prayed and then forgot about ... but God hasn't forgotten?

Had one of those this week. Karen reminded me of a prayer that I prayed some months ago regarding something that really irks her and me, but which we both felt powerless to change. So I prayed for the "mountain to be removed", and then forgot about it.

And now it looks like my request will come to pass. And what a blessing it will be. When it happens, I will share the full story here - about how our awesome God "removed" our mountain.

How often do we just accept the situation (translated = mountain) because of unbelief. We are somehow convinced that God doesn't get involved in "un-spiritual matters". I would like to suggest that on this earth this no such thing as an un-spiritual matter. Everything that matters to us matters to our loving and awesome Heavenly Father.

He loves to do miracles on our behalf ... because He can! Because He is God! Because He is King of kings, and Lord of lords!

Now for something different ...

I was so pumped when Kate DeAraugo won Australian Idol. I must confess that I voted for her a few times, because I believe that she truly deserved to win.

Her voice is so mellow, and she has a beautiful smile which shows how she feels inside. And considering "shark boy's" rude "tuck shop arms" comments, I thought that she showed amazing grace in putting all of the criticism behind her.

The final clincher for me, which convinced me beyond a doubt that she was going to win, was the final night of performances. Her rendition of Mary Mary's "Shackles" blew me away. She was singing it like she really believed it.

So good on you Kate! Well done - you deserved the reward for never giving up - for trying three times to get into the competition.

Can't wait for Kate's album to be released. I might just buy my first Australian Idol related CD.

Snippet #2

Mark Geppert's book - "The Attack Lambs" is one of the most awesome books I have ever read. Here is my favourite excerpt from chapter 4 which is aptly called "Neutralize the enemy".

Mark had been a missionary to Guatemala in the early days of his ministry. At this time - in 1976 - God used an earthquake to open the doors for evangelical outreach into the country.

God had given Mark a burden for small villages in "marginal" areas. He would walk between villages distributing Spanish Bibles. He found huge success in reaching the villagers with the Word of God, until the enemy threw up a challenge. He visited with a co-worker - Gilbert Dilley - in the town of San Jose del Golfo, where they were met by a local elder, Lazuro Ochoa Catalan, and two policemen. One of the policemen was a new brother in the church, and he delivered the news that Mark and Gilbert would not be travelling out to the villages as there was a very important meeting they had to attend. Here is the rest of the story in Mark's words ...

San Jose is the municipal centre of goverment for about thirty small villages extending from the Atlantic Coast Highway to the Motagua River just fifteen miles east of Guatemala City. The Lord had given us small groups in each of the villages and a church in San Jose. Our influence was building in the area and had caught the attention of the government.

As we entered the large meeting room of the town hall, I recognized most of the men. The mayor of San Jose was there as well as the sub-mayors who presided over each community where I had been distributing Bibles. They were easily distinguished by their hats and official sticks.

The mayor greeted me and thanked me for being there. He wanted to know who Gilbert was and said that Lazuro did not have to stay but could if he wanted to. Two of the closest friends I will ever know, both men said they would be glad to stay.

The mayor explained that this was a special and very important meeting because these men wanted me to declare my intention in their communities. When I asked him exactly how important, he said it would be the most important meeting I would probably ever attend.

Calling the meeting to order, the mayor had each man stand in front of a chair all of which formed a circle. He explained to the men who I was, although most of them knew me. He took great pains to formally introduce Gilbert and Lazuro and expressed their desire to remain. He explained my Spanish was fine so there was no need for translation. I would understand their questions and could answer quite well.

While all this was going on I was in the Spirit quietly asking God to neutralize the power of the enemy arrayed against us so His work could go on to bear fruit. When the mayor suggested we start with questions, I immediately jumped in with what the Lord had given me, not knowing where it would lead or even what the next step would be.

"I realize that this is a very important meeting and I want to express my appreciation for your coming all the way to be here. May I suggest, since this is such an important meeting, we follow a custom which we have in my country for such occassions."

They thought that was a good idea and so I explained to them, "In meetings of this importance in my country, we always start with prayer."

They looked at each other and again at me. They were not men of prayer.

"Since this is such an important meeting," I continued to cover their hesitation, "it is important the prayer be done properly. Just custom you understand."

They were getting a little upset with the length of time this was taking, but they were going along with it, just to be customarily correct.

"Now in prayers like this it is customary for us as men to pray with our hats off."

They looked to the mayor who, with a condescending shrug, removed his hat. They too removed their hats and looked around at each other. I cannot recall another meeting in Latin America in which all men had their hats off.

Now I was nervous, but I continued as the Lord gave me instructions.

"Since this is such an important meeting, and we surely want it to go well, perhaps we should follow custom another step."

The mayor was not smiling when his eye caught mine. I had pushed this about as far as I was going to be able.

" Perhaps," I suggested, "we should join hands to pray."

Latin men do not stand around with their hats off holding hands. They looked to the mayor and then to me; you could see the fire in their eyes. I took the hands of Gilbert and Lazuro and they in turn reached out for the others. The men placed their hats and sticks on the chairs behind them and took hands. A nervous laughter went through the place.

Now, feeling very hung out there by the Lord, I said, "I know that many of you are not used to praying and since this has to be right, may I suggest I lead you in prayer and you all repeat the prayer after me."

Somewhat relieved, they were quick to agree.

"Lord Jesus," I began, and they followed. "Forgive me of my sins. Come into my life as my personal Saviour and Lord. Give me the power to be a good man and a good leader for my people, in Jesus name."

When they said "in Jesus name," the earth literally shook! There was an earthquake. The place shook violently from side to side as well as up and down. I was scared to death. Holding Gilbert and Lazuro's hands tightly, I did not open my eyes.

The quake measured 6.5 we found out later. The mayors ran from the building as they were afraid the terra cotta tiles would come crashing down through the wooden rafters and crush our skulls. Taking no thought for important hats or sticks, they dashed from the building.

Now, when a tremor stops, there is complete silence. Dogs do not bark, birds do not chirp, all creation stands still waiting to see if it is going to happen again. As the dust cleared around us, we three stood petrified by the impact of what had happened!

One by one the men re-entered the room, found their hats and sticks, nodded to us and went off to find out the condition of their village. Finally, the head mayor came back in. He put on his hat and, drawing himself to full stature, he said, " I do not know how you did that; but I am authorized to tell you that whatever you need in any of these villages, you have only to ask the man who was in this room and he will get it for you. You are to come tomorrow with your passport and those of your family and friends and you will receive courtesy visas. From this day forward you are the invited guests of the government of Guatemala, you have no need to stop for immigration or customs and, should the national police stop you for any reason, just show them this seal and you will be conducted safely and speedily to your destination."

Satan had not only been neutralized, his attack had been turned against him.

(Note: "The Attack Lambs" is written by Mark Geppert, and is published by Genesis Books and ARMOUR Publishing Pte Ltd - Singapore.)

Random thoughts ...

I'm currently reading "Beyond Jabez - Expanding your borders" by Bruce Wilkinson.

I read the first book and the study/prayer guides about three or four years ago. I remember being so excited by all of the things that I learnt from reading that original book, that I bought three copies to give to my brothers and sister for Christmas presents. I guess I figured that if God could change my life so much with that llittle book, then maybe my family would want to read it too. We had all been bought up in the same "poverty doctrine" church after all.

I remember going to a music practice at a church we were attending about that time in our lives, and somehow getting into the middle of a discussion on the Prayer of Jabez. The keyboards player was quite strongly opinionated about the whole prosperity doctrine / Prayer of Jabez thingy, and I recall him asking/stating the question - "who other than Bruce Wilkinson has benefited from the Prayer of Jabez booklet" to which I promptly replied "just about everyone who has read it!" Turns out (as is usually the case) that he had never read the book, and he had already formed his opinions on why the book was written. (This was in a charismatic church by the way.)

Several years down the track and I still see God answering that prayer every time I pray it. And by the way, I am anti "prosperity doctrine" as the world knows it. So where does the misunderstanding creep into the church.

I have heard countless sermons stating that when God says He is going to prosper us, it DOESN"T mean financially. Give me a break !!! Read about Job, Abraham, and Joseph just to name a few people who God prospered financially because they did what was right in His sight, and obeyed Him.

Weigh this up against the blatant tele-evangelism fund raising that goes on in the USA. You don't have to read many blogs to work out that many Australians include Hillsong and Riverview in the same bunch. This is - I believe - the reason why so many people have chosen to live under an ungodly "poverty doctrine" - out of protest because it is so repulsive to cheapen the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a mathematical equation. ** Give x GOD = more **

The refreshing thing about praying the prayer of Jabez, is that when we ask God to bless us, we don't ask for a specific blessing - God gets to choose what He wants to pour into our lives each day. In other words - we actually let God be God - what a scary thought!

When we ask Him to expand our borders - well watch out - because you've just become a missionary with no limitations. Be assured - God WILL take you at your word.

"Let your hand (favour) be with me" - why wouldn't God answer this prayer? Did God not promise to give favour to those who honour and obey Him?

Asking Him to deliver us from evil (harm) - hmmm - seem to remember Jesus saying something about this.

Asking Him to keep us from causing ourselves pain - not a bad idea however you look at it.

As disgusted as I am with the ungodly "prosperity doctrine", I refuse to live anymore under the ungodly "poverty doctrine". A balanced perspective is what God wants for every aspect of our lives. God has proven to me over and over again that He is the God of multiplication. Whatever it is that we give back to God, He takes it and multiplies it for His Glory, His Kingdom and His fame. Our lives become a testimony to His greatness.

Garth over at "Emerging Blurb" has some interesting thoughts on the same subject - well worth the read.

Here is the link ...
http://emergingblurb.blogspot.com/2005/08/emergent-church-video.html

Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water. Stay focussed on God - the person - not the benefit.

Statistics show that if every Christian tithed as commanded by God's word, the "Church" would have an abundance of funds to wipe out poverty, provide clean drinking water, and evangelise the whole world as we know it today. Food for thought isn't it?

In His abundance for every good work,
Steve

"The Lord's blessing is our greatest treasure - all our work adds nothing to it." Proverbs 10:22

A change is as good as a holiday ...

Silly me ... made mention of wanting to change my tagboard. Next thing I know, my super creative blogger afficcionado son has me changing templates, colours, and every other thing that can possibly be modified ... hehehe :)

Thanks Shane!~!!

Anyway, the new tagboard doesn't take half an hour (small exageration) to load - without text at the end of it all. Frustrating to say the least. Call me a copycat, but Thomas and Shane both changed theirs, and it loads super fast.

Next thing was to find a photo of me that doesn't make me look like a middle aged, married, self employed, well fed man ... IYKWIM (if you know what I mean). Nah, anyway it's probably one of the better photo's of me. I wanted one that was taken 15 years ago, but was out-voted. Seem to remember being out-voted by the same two people when we bought KAREN'S car - I wanted yellow - we got dark blue (a secret ploy no doubt to make it less obvious how dirty it is).

On a more serious note - was wondering how many people out there suffer from OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). For anyone who has experienced it, or knows or lives with someone who suffers from it, it can be a very misunderstood condition.

Being a Jennifer Garner fan, we hired Elektra last weekend. I also enjoy a serious action movie. It was interesting to note that the character of Elektra (played by Jennifer no less) suffered from OCD. It shocked me to find that there was an aspect of OCD that she experienced exactly like I did when I was younger (before God healed me of it).

I never knew what was wrong with me until after God had healed me from it. I didn't know or understand why I acted the way I did. I kept it secret because I was afraid to let anyone find out about me - in fact the only person I ever shared it with in my whole life (until just recently when I started to talk to my wife Karen about it) was a young friend called Gary whom I led to the Lord when I was in high school (I was about 14 at the time).

I believe the Lord gave me a revelation about OCD just recently when He showed me that OCD and fear are closely linked. I know for me that fear, loneliness, rejection by peers and an abject lack of self esteem all played a central part in my living with OCD for over thirty years. And this was all compounded by a speech difficulty - I stuttered and stammered until well into my twenties. This was largely overcome by the selfless love and support given to me by my precious wife Karen.

Dealing with OCD was different - only God can set you free from that which controls you without you ever really understanding what it is, and how it controls you. I've never told anyone in my family, and my children and wife were left wondering one day recently why I reacted so strongly to someone making fun of a friend who is OCD. It was actually at that point when my spirit identified with this young OCD sufferer, that God dropped into my spirit that this was what I had suffered from for most of my life - I just never knew what it was. Finally it had a name. I was able to mask it by controlling it - instead of letting it control me. I know I have shared in a previous post how singing helped me to overcome my speech problems. Worship really is the key to experiencing healing.

Anyway, praise God that OCD is all in the past. I would welcome anyone reading this blog to leave comments about OCD here if they have something to say that may add to the discussion. Maybe someone can be helped out of it all.

Funny how life is all about putting the past behind us so that we can move into the destiny that God has for us.

By His grace ...
Steve

Snippet # 1

In his book - "The Attack Lambs - prayer that changes the world" - Mark Geppert shares this story. Following are some excerpts from his book (in italics).

The story is set in Nepal in 1983 when Mark was trekking from village to village - distributing Christian literature and praying for the sick. Pretty gutsy stuff to do considering that jail terms were one year for converting, three years for leading someone to the Lord, and six years per person for water baptism.

They had just been handing out about two hundred tracts, with great response. They came into a village of Panchat - town of Gaighat, Sagamatha province. They entered the place in the heat of the day, and stopped to rest on a stone wall near the local school ...

"The children were attracted to the two very different looking Westerners. They ran over to see us and were very curious about what might be in our rattan baskets. Our porters, also weary from the journey, were looking forward to spending the night in this town and had left us there on the wall to fend for ourselves , while they went to make arrangements. The crowd of children grew and two of the braver boys, perhaps ten years of age, began to open the baskets. We let them.

Across the way from us was a man in legal garb. Attorneys in Nepal have a very distinctive haircut and robe. This was obviously a man of some legal influence. As the children began to open the baskets and shout with joy at the books they found, this man turned and hastily headed toward the police station.

Calling to the porters, I expressed my concern, but they were not inclined to move quickly. So we Westerners took off as fast as we could go and left them behind. We were certain there was going to be a problem. We were right."

... cutting to the chase - Mark was caught, arrested and bought before the Chief District Officer (CDO) ...

"As I walked back down the trail to face certain difficulty, the Lord spoke to me, "If you deny Me before man, I will deny you before the Father."

The voice was as clear as day. The certainty of its tenor gripped my heart so that minutes later when the CDO asked, "Are you a Christian?" it was very easy to say, "Yes." When he further asked, "Are you a baptised Christian?" It was even easier to say, "Yes sir, I have been baptised three times," (once as a child, once as an adult believer, and once in the Holy Spirit).

As I said that, the same voice spoke to me saying, "I live to make intercession for you." It was so real. No one else in the room heard it. The CDO never heard it. But there was Jesus telling me He had the situation under control. He was standing in a major gap in my life that day. He was drawing together these events and the perfect plan of the Father.

After lengthy dialogue in which I shared the message of the Gospel with the CDO, he decided to let me go, along with our team. His exact words were, "I have decided to show you grace." Where did a Hindu official come up with the word "grace?" God was speaking through him. Instead of six hundred years in jail, I was going on with the rest of our scheduled trek.

Six months later, that same man walked out of his office and from a clear blue sky was struck dead by lightning. It was reported in the Kathmandu paper and the Christian brothers in Nepal saved the clipping for me. For years I thought about that lightning strike as retribution; you know, "Touch not mine annointed, and do my prophets no harm" (Chronicles 16:22). But one morning the Lord corrected me. "Rather," he suggested, "see how much it took for Me to get a pampered, self-centred, Christian preacher over to Nepal to share the faith with that man, knowing he had just six months to live."

(Note: "The Attack Lambs" is written by Mark Geppert, and is published by Genesis Books and ARMOUR Publishing Pte Ltd - Singapore.)

It can't be ...

Yes it is! One month since I last posted. And so much has happened!

My oldest son - Thomas - is home from Thailand. It's been fun having him home. We used his birthday as a good excuse to go and run rampant at Zone 3 (laser games for the uninitiated) with a heap of his mates and family. Even had people drive down from Muka (Mukinbudin for those not in the know) to help celebrate. Unfortunately his departure to go back for a second term of staffing DTS in Chiang Mai will be here before we realise it. Good news is Karen and I have already booked to go up to Thailand in October to visit him. Yee-ha! Now that #2 son has his drivers license, Karen has found this new fangled thing called FREEDOM.

Next few months will be oh so busy. My oldest brother is moving from Muka to Perth (retiring from farm life) next month, and things are kinda busy at work and with family stuff. One more trip to Tanzania soon (possibly August) to collect some stuff that we left over there, and a hectic work schedule back here in Perth.

Preached last weekend at Bethel - expounded the "keys of the kingdom" using the book "Shattering your Strongholds" by Liberty Savard as a reference. Awesome truths contained in those passages from Matthew. Message really impacted some people - even considering the length of the sermon. I know that when a speaker has my attention, it doesn't matter how long it goes for - just so long as the information keeps flowing. Some people do switch off after 20 minutes though - 5 seconds is all it takes me if the message is boring or uninspiring. I seem to have this hunger for annointed teaching that is not being met. I should start downloading Joseph Prince messages, or something like that. I'm sick of "motivational" messages week after week. Or dry teaching loaded with facts, but no passion or annointing.

I'm reading my way (again) through "The Attack Lambs" by Mark Geppert. I have been thinking of sharing snippets of the stories he tells in my blog. There are some absolutely awesome accounts of amazing miracles that God did for him. Most people reading this blog will find it hard to get a copy of this amazing book because it is only sold in Singapore. Last visit to Singapore, I bought about 5 copies of this book to give away to friends, etc. He has also written a challenging book called "Bridges - getting from A to B" which turns the traditional concept of church government and leadership structure upside down. I don't imagine that most current church leaders would take kindly to it because he challenges the traditional pyramid sturcture for leadership, and suggests that the Biblical model is actually a horizontal model with everyone being accountable to everyone else - instead of the normal situation where often the pastor or leader is not really accountable to anyone else.

I've been really challenged lately about the need for a church where politics is outlawed (church politics that is) and where the word is preached powerfully every week, and where awesome worship takes place regularly. I believe that such a church would be flooded with people who want to experience a life giving church from week to week. People could stay and worship as long as they liked, and there would be no "booting out" of people just because the person on lockup wanted to go home. Some people might think I'm crazy, but I reckon a church like that would be a runaway success. Might have something to do with the fact that I believe that's the kind of church God wants - a church that is passionate about Him, and hungry for Him. A church where people fit their lives around God, and not vice versa. A church where the worship team is more interested in engaging God than the "audience".

One can only dream ... and hope ...

Steve