acceptance and love.

today i went along to one of the local church services.... it was the first time that i had been to that church and i knew noone there. I had a really good time... it was easy to see that this church was a part of God's Church, for i got there at 10.30am for their service, i was welcomed with a smile, then introduced to someone else my age. After the service i enjoyed lunch with them and nearly everyone there introduced themselves to me, then played indoor cricket, pool and a little bit of basketball (all in their main hall). They included me, and it was coming naturally to them.... and they were genuine about it.
How often do we include people into our circles, churches and anything that we are doing....
And how often are we genuine about it.
You see that is exactly what Christ did... He included those that were on the fringe, the people that didn't know anyone, the people that were different to the "norm" or more like what is seen as the "norm". Christ loves everyone....
We are called to love and accept everyone like Christ... and the only way that we are able to do that is by accepting Christ love for us... and allowing that love of Christ to flow through us....
Christ gives us the ability to love others because of His love for us, you see we don't deserve this love... But Christ chooses to love us... He wants to love us.... and it is by His grace that we have a relationship with Christ and recieve that love....

Jesus thankyou for Your love for me, help me to see everyone one the way that you see them and love them like You do.... Amen

reflection of 2007

Well since this is my first blog for 2008, i thought i would begin with reflecting on 2007
A lot of things happened...
I have seen friends come and go from our cell group and some stayed...
Housemates have moved in and moved out...
Been to New Zealand... travel approx 700km there in 6 days (and not in a car)
Saw some beautiful countryside.
Ran a training program - Combat training
Been to Vancouver and helped with Battle School
And just helped and hung out there for a while after.
Went camping
Seen friends move to Vancouver....
Spent time with friends on the Gold Coast.
Seen spiritual grow in a number of my friends..
Seen at least 5 friends that became Senior Soldier.
Been to Melbourne at least 3 times.
Seen spiritual growth in my self...


I Praise God for the work that He has done in me over the past year, it has been really cool... And His gentle proding and calling me to step up more... this is one thing that i have been realising over the few months of the year... You see, i am used to someone else being the leader, and leading the charge.... and i just got alone side them and helped... God has been calling me to step up.... to lead people to Him, closer to Him.... I don't know how to, but i am learning, and there is a lot for me to learn from God on this....
Some of my friends say that i have an impact on the people around me.... i don't always see how, cause to me i don't do much.... so i know that any impact i have is because of Christ... However i sometimes take the credit/praise, instead of giving the credit/praise to God.... And then when i realise that i have been taking the credit/praise.... I start to question my motives in why i do some of the simiplest things. Whether i do them cause i really care about a person, or do i do them just in order to feel like people love me.... And then fall into where the enemy wants me... worried about why i am doing things, and not wanting to do things in the wrong motive and also wanting to do God's will, and nothing that isn't of Him..... and therefore sometimes not doing anything at all....
We can't just sit and do nothing.... that is what the enemy wants us to do...
You see, if we are doing nothing, the Gospel isn't being preached, there is no praying, there is no one to look out for and loving the people on the fringe of society.... We are called to do something... to preach the good news to the world, to share it, to love one another.... These are things that everyone is called to do, and can do... You see preaching the good news doesn't mean that you have to stand up on a platform and preach a sermon (tho some are called to that). It means for us to go out and share the good news with our friends, family, and people that we meet.... Now you don't need to know the bible like the back of your hand, you just have to answer one question... What has God done in your life...
A lot people (in the Western World at least) have heard about Jesus and His story, and they don't think that the story is relevent to them or even this current era... However Your story they haven't heard.... they haven't heard what Christ has done in Your life... They can't argue with your experience, with your story...
so don't just do nothing, at least you can tell your story... that is enough to have the enemy shaking in his boots....

this blog has changed focus as i typed.... and has become a little long.... Sorry...

Anyway I pray that God will fully bless you in 2008, may you to step up into what God is calling you to...

Lux

A great Aussie Christmas carol

On Thursday night, i was at a local Christmas carols in the park... and one of the songs they sang was an aussie Christmas carol, it is a bit of a challenge when you listen to the words.... The words are below...

Good old wally king looked out
upon his crop of barley
Bless my soul, blow me down
that looks to me like Charlie
Haven't seen him 'round these parts
many a long year
reckon i might offer him a
Glass of Christmas Cheer.

Agnes put the kettle on
as quick as you are able
Let us make another place
For him at the table
He looks a little worse for wear
His clothes are old and baggy
It's along and weary road
For an honest swaggy*

Mates they've been in years before
Now the two were older
And so we welcomed Charlie in
A hand upon his shoulder
Gladly those three feasted there
And in the warmth of sharing
Christmas season brought again
A time of peace and caring

This Song shows what Christ was all about.... He was about loving and accepting people as a part of His family... Sharing/giving of Himself to see us come to Him and live with Him...

I pray all of you had a ripper Christmas, full boar ripper Christmas, dead set ripper Christmas and a Snappy New Year... (line from the Aussie we wish you a ripper Christmas),

*(for those who don't know, a swaggy is a person who would go from town to town looking for work, and often sleeping rough...)

Adelaide

God is working in Adelaide. Praise the Lord...
Today i met a guy who lives in Adelaide, and he runs a house church, his place is open for people to come in between something like 8am and 10pm. He regularly has people sleeping on his floor, shares his food with people that are around when it is a meal time. And 2 or 3 times a day he will read his bible with who ever is around and then talk with them about what was read....
I also met some other people today that have a heart for people, to see them saved... and a focus on people who are poor, homeless, or have addictions...
And none of these people are Salvos.... God has raised them up to be doing what they are doing...
They are one part of the Church in Adelaide, and we at Gen1 are another part... These people were excited to hear about Gen1 and what we are doing, just as i was excited to hear what they are doing....
I truely believe that God is bringing us together.... all with common goals.
So i pray that God will continue to unite us with the different people/groups that are doing things around Adelaide already, and may we work along side them, encouraging and helping them, and reaching out ourselves....
Cause the calling of God is to preach the Good News to everyone, William Booth said for us to Save the world for Christ.... Neither of these things says to grow the Salvation Army, like we are the only place people can meet God.... How ever it would be cool for the Salvation Army to grow like that.... However if people are getting saved and are growing in their relationship with Christ, in Sanctification, who cares whether they come to Gen1, to West Care, St Lukes, Sturt St, or some another house church.... It is all for the Glory of God.... and God is in all these places... We should Praise God, when other groups see people saved, and not be jealous, or think it is unfair, cause we did a lot of work with that person... Cause we are told that one person will sow and another will reap.... So when we hear reports of people coming to know God, lets join in Praise and when we hear of people growing in their relationship with Christ, lets join in praising the Lord... Cause He alone is worthy of praise.
So bring on the unity, that we would all work together to obey Christ in His command of the Great Commission.

John 6:26

Today i was reading John 6 and vs 26 jumped out... now the context of this verse is that Jesus had just fed the 5000, and gone across to the other side of the lake... and people from the crowd went looking for Jesus... and this is Jesus' response when they found Him... vs 26 "truely I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves"
How often do we look for/to Christ for what He has/can do for us.... Instead of looking for Him for who He is....
I know there are times that i look for Christ because of what He has done, or can do for me... And i have to repent of this.... Cause it is being selfish, just looking at myself, looking out for "my best interest".
This was a reminded that we are to look for Christ because of who He is... The Son of God, The Messaiah.... Christ is the one to be praised, the one that is worthy of praise... Our relationship with Him should be focused on Him not on ourselves and what we can get out of it...
Jesus came to show us a better way, He knows what is best for us... He wants that deep fullon relationship with us...

The Bee movie

I went and saw the bee movie with work lately... It was a fun movie i enjoyed it...
However the movie was also a great reminder that we need each other, and need to work together and do the things that we were created to do...
You see in the movie the bees stopped making honey cause they had enough... and after a while everything started to die, flowers, fruit trees, veggies, which then effected everyone else...
And it is true, we have all been created for a purpose... God has given us all different gifts, and when we all work together, things run, God is glorified not us, cause we only do a small part for God. However when we don't work where God wants us, using the gifts He has given us, we find ourselves bumping into people more, and more friction, cause we are focusing on ourselves and our work being taken advantage of and others getting glory and not us... God gets pushed out, the big picture of everyone working together, like God created us to do, has been pushed out and replaced with a narrow view and only seeing a tiny part of the big picture.
One of my mates suggested in a blog to go out side at night and stare gaze, and realise how small you are in God's creation.... (her suggestion was to do with over coming excessmas during this christmas), but it is a great idea inlight of this blog as well... The universe is huge, and the way God created it is awesome, the way everything is interlocked, relying on something else to survive.
As the Church we are interlocked as well, the things that we do effect other parts of the Church...
How is your life effecting the Church...

Lux

Loving people.

One of my mates in the War College, wrote a blog about how she is learning to love and how love hurts at times... which as i read, my mind was going to a friend of mine that i saw tonight...
i was at a Christmas Carols in the Square, down the road from my place, and i saw one of my friends... i haven't seen him since the beginning of the year... Now each time i see this friend he is drunk (sometimes more than others), he asks me for money... or/and gets a little sleezy, trying to crack on to me, get me to go with him... So each time i see him, i have to remind him that we are nothing more than friends and will never be anything more than that.... Even though i have to do that, I love him... I love the fact that i saw him... that he remembered me (a bit anyway). I love him because he is created in the image of God, and i see this little boy just searching for love... his eyes sparkle with the hope of love... My heart breaks for him cause the only way he knows what love is, is by sex...
However my heart also rejoices, cause there has been growth in him... cause he used to be worse than he is now.

Lux