Mission Beach- not meh!

Now I'm in Mission beach. The bus trip here was a little meh. It took only 3 buses to get here from Cairns. But the place where Steve, Dave and I are staying is not meh. It's a beach side apartment with 3 bedrooms. My room is an ensuite equppied with double bed, spa, TV and air con, and it faces onto the beach. So yeah, its not meh, because I fall asleep to the calming sound of the ocean. Did I mention that I have an ensuite?

Yesterday we went for a walk on the Kennedy trail. 3 hours return. The sand by the water's edge was a metallic gold. A fool's gold maybe, but gold nonetheless. PLus the beaches stretch for miles. We need more beaches like this in Sydney.

We also went snorkelling near Bingel Bay. To be honest there wasn't much to see except for a few tropical fish and dashes of coral. At one point I thought I saw a stinger's tail (they are grey with a white tip, right??) I even found myself protectign my heart with my hand in case the guy felt threatened by my presence, but come to think about it, that was pretty stupid huh? Like if a stinger's tail could go through Steve Irwin's sternum and pierce his heart, it could do the same thing to my hand and my sternum I'm sure. But one does not think about these things when you are snorkelling and see a stinger's tail poking out from under a rock.

Tomorrow we conquer Dunk Island.

Did i mention I have an ensuite?

So yeah, not meh.

More than just a trip to Cairns

OK, so here it is. Especially for Shannyn, cos I’m sure that since I haven’t been updating as regularly as I used to, my blog readership is suffering drastically. So Shannyn (and anyone else who still visits this page) ... enjoy!

So I’ve been in Cairns for the last few days. Palm Cove to be exact. The flight in was rather smooth. An air stewardess comments on my Thirsty Merc t-shirt and tells me that one of the band members had flown with Virgin Blue recently. I wonder if that’s true. And if there is any way of finding that out.

I reflect on how flying is such a strange phenomenon. To think that you can get inside this little capsule and be hurled through the sky to the other end of the country and come out and feel like it was no real distance that was travelled. I open my drink bottle at mid-flight. When the plane starts to descend, I go to open it again, and I notice that my drink bottle is all crumpled. My mind starts whirring about differences in air pressures and how there is a lower pressure in the bottle at a higher altitude, but then I wonder if cabin pressure would cancel out such altitudinal differences. I conclude apparently not.

Then I land and Chris is there. Chris used to attend my church but moved to Cairns to recover from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. We just talked on Skype the night before so it doesn’t seem like so long since I’ve seen him. We chat away about the last 24 hours and the few days ahead we have to hang out, how his chronic fatigue is going. And I start to realize I’m here and how much I’m hanging out for these next few days with my friend. And I know he will challenge my own walk with the Lord, as I trust I will refresh him.

And, can I just say, not by way of rubbing it in, but by way of thankfulness to God, that I am utterly loving it here. I could put it down to the jogs by the beach, the lazing on the sand to the sound of the waves washing up on the ocean. It might even be the coffees near the water, or the warm temperature (OK, so those things are rubbing it in…I realize that!). But I think most of all it’s the time of refreshment I get with Chris. He really does challenge me to be Christ-like. To live in the fullness of grace. To simply have faith and believe. To learn what it means to be forgiven. To realize the depth of my own sinfulness. To learn what it means to have a contrite heart. We talk about brokenness and how everyone is filled with something…and we talk about being filled with God. We talk about humility and waiting upon the Lord. We speak about loving God with all our heart. We talk about helping others to love God more, and setting others hearts on fire with the love of Christ burning deeply within them. We talk about growing in godliness and forming good habits, and trusting in God. We talk about how people love doctrine but neglect God. I’m challenged to not just love the doctrine of justification, but to love the One Who Justifies. I’m challenged yet again about my own pride and selfishness and need to believe myself dead to sin in Christ. To depend upon Him as dying to sin for me, and to look upon myself as dead to sin in Him. We talk about how we trust Him for salvation, but we trust Him for so little beyond salvation. We talk about how the Lord wounds and also heals. We talk a lot about things that are on my heart at the moment. We talk about God’s sovereignty, how He hurts us where it’s precious to us, so that we will hand over every single area of our life to Him. We talk about giving up precious dreams by faith. We talk about how we don't have to hang onto things if we are in Christ. We talk about how desiring in God actually changes our desires. We talk about how the notion of 'I feel, therefore I am' is such a lie. We talk about prayer and telling God how we feel. And handing all over to the Lord. We talk about abiding in Christ. We talk about the Puritans. And Luther. And Calvin. And Spurgeon. And Romans. And Galatians. And complacent Christians. Above all we talk about being IN CHRIST, the paradigm for my life which I keep coming back to again and again and again.

So yeah, you can see why I love spending time with Chris, and how refreshing it is to be with a brother who sees me through the eyes of Christ, warts and all. A man of God who encourages me to love God more. God bless him!

Too much info Shannyn? :)

Happiness

O LORD,
Help me never to expect any happiness from the world, but only in thee.
Let me not think that I shall be more happy living to myself,
for I can only be happy if employed for thee,
and if I desire to live in this world
only to do and suffer what thou dost allot me.
Teach me
that if I do not live a life that satisfies thee,
I shall not live a life that will satisfy myself.
Help me to desire the spirit and temper of angels
who willingly come down to this lower world to perform thy will,
though their desires are heavenly,
and not set in the least upon earthly things;
then I shall be of that temper I ought to have.
Help me not to think of living to thee in my own strength,
but always look to and rely on thee for assistance.
Teach me that there is no greater truth than this,
that I can do nothing of myself.
Lord, this is the life that no unconverted man can live,
yet it is an end that every godly should presses after;
Let it be then my concern to devote myself and all to thee.
Make me more fruitful and more spiritual,
for barrenness is my daily affliction and load.
How precious is time, and how painful to see it fly
with little done to good purpose!
I need thy help:
O may my soul sensibly depend upon thee
for all sanctification,
and every accomplishment of thy purposes
for me, for the world,
and for thy kingdom.

~A Puritan Prayer

(p168, Bennett, The Valley of Vision, 2005)

The Pain of Knowing God

1. I asked the Lord, that I might grow,
In faith, and love, and ev’ry grace;
Might more of His salvation know,
And seek more earnestly His face.

2. ’Twas He who taught me thus to pray,
And He, I trust, has answered prayer;
But it has been in such a way
As almost drove me to despair.

3. I hoped that in some favoured hour,
At once He’d answer my request,
And by His love’s constraining power
Subdue my sins, and give me rest.

4. Instead of this, He made me feel
The hidden evils of the heart;
And let the angry powers of hell
Assault my soul in ev’ry part.

5. Yea, more, with His own hand He seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe;
Crossed all the fair designs I’d schemed,
Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.

6. ‘Lord, why is this?’ I trembling cried,
‘Wilt Thou pursue Thy worm to death?’
‘’Tis in this way,’ the Lord replied,
‘I answer prayer for grace and faith.

7. ‘These inward trials I employ,
From self and pride to set thee free;
And break thy schemes of earthly joy,
That thou may’st seek thy all in Me.’

John Newton, 1725–1807

Heaven- Working the Crowd Eternally

My mate Jimbo has been in love with a girl- Viv- for years and years. Well, she finally accepted (wore down? gave in?) Jimbo's advances. And today they were announced to be husband and wife....and I had the joy of attending their wedding.

What struck me about the day was there were so many people from my church past who were there- people I'd laughed and cried with, people who had lost babies, people who I've seen married and have kids (well, I wasn't in the delivery room if that's what you were thinking!), people I've planted churches with, people who I've seen fly overseas to be missionaries, people I've been in Bible study groups with, people I've been on church staff with, people I've prayed with and prayed for, people I've studied at Uni with, people I've seen come to the Lord and...the list just goes on and on.

More than one person commented to me 'this is what heaven will be like'. It sure did feel that way. Time stood still. We picked up relationships where they left off. I 'worked the crowd', catching up with as many people as possible.

And I'm sure the new heavens and new earth will be an eternal opportunity to 'work the crowd'.

I can't wait. Until then there is work to be done. Like tomorrow's preaching on the resurrection body. What a great joy to tell everyone about this! (And that's exactly what I plan on telling people!)

To Booze or not to Booze...

I was in big trouble on Sunday- one of my parishioners complained that the Communion wine was alcoholic.

Whenever we have communion at church, I try to make sure that we have grape juice, and not port, sherry or wine. You never know if there are recovering alcoholics in the congregation who may get a whiff of the stuff and want to get back on the sauce. And you don’t know who is going to be offended. So I insist on grape juice (must be my strong Baptist heritage- thanks Mum and Dad!)

In my church however, there is a couple who are constantly offended that we use grape juice. So instead, we give them a seperate cup of port, but everyone else gets grape juice.

On this particular Sunday, since we had run out of grape juice, there was no other option but to use the port. I didn’t know at the time we had run out. Imagine my surprise when I took a cup and gulped it all down! Man, did that put hairs on my chest that morning!!!

Afterwards, a lady came up to me the following week and told me that she had taken a vow before the Lord that alcohol would never ever pass her lips again. D'oh!!!

So this Sunday, its back to the grape juice. The things a minister has to deal with…*sighs*

Ridiculous Grace

I met a guy at a house warming party who used to come to my church when he was a teenager. He was telling me how he wandered away from the Lord, but now he was back. He said 'the grace of God is ridiculous'.

The grace of God is ridiculous. I love that description. Calvin said irresistible grace. I'm going for ridiculous grace.

I mean, grace is what we are constantly learning. Grace teaches us how to forgive, how to give, how to live. Grace that changes our hearts. Grace that means that everytime we fall flat on our face, or stray or stumble, the grace of God is always there to restore us. Grace that means its not by our own efforts. Grace that means that a squeaky clean track record means diddly squat, for we are all on equal footing at the foot of the cross. Grace takes away the Pharisee's pride of clean living. But by the costly grace of God, go I.

Grace- amazing, irresistible, costly, rich and free. I'm going to throw around ridiculous.

Ridiculous grace. Isn't it?

Bondi & Recovering Humility

I had an awesome day today with my cousin Clare, who has just moved to Bondi. It was good to explore some cafes while we read the paper, sit on the beach and draw, and then have dinner. Bondi became my new favourite place today- the packed cafes and restuarants, the smell of coffee and pizza, the laid-back atmosphere, the buzz about the streets- everyone just loves being there. We ended the day at Boarders at Bondi Junction, reading magazines and sipping coffee.

Whilst browsing through the magazines at Borders, I came across an issue of Quadrant, an Australian commentary on society and culture. Tom Frame (Anglican Bishop to the Australian Defence Force) has written a fantastic piece called Humility: The Depised Virtue? It sparked my interested because of my own reading and understanding on humility lately. The article basically looks at how humility is such a foreign virtue in our society. But yet so important because it affects the way that we see the world, how we treat people, and conduct public debate (like national apologies by governments for the misdeeds of the past).

The article is not available online, but some articles from back issues are available here.

Happy Resurrection!!!

Phew...I made it.

Don't get me wrong, I love Easter, and love sharing the Easter message. But its a crazy time for us ministers because of so much preaching and organisation of services that need to take place. While this is a great privilege, its also going to be nice to just chill out now that Easter is over!

Some highlights over the last few days :
Receiving TWO home made lots of Rocky Road from a woman in my congregation who wondered if I was allergic to nuts...so she made TWO lots- one without nuts and one with! (in dark chocolate too might I add cos I love dark chocolate the most- yum!)

Going to a bucks night where my mate Jimbo got dressed as a Raider when he is really an Eels supporter...it was to an Eels vs Raider game (I hope he didn't get bashed...I'll find out next week at the wedding!)

Doing kid's talks where I am popping balloons in church and one of the kids took off cos he was so scared...

In sermon tonight, saying 'the tomb was rolled away...' Not the worst slip-up in a sermon I have made.

Getting addicted by the on-line community of facebook. Check it out! And make me your friend if you join!

Being challenged by my own study of 1 Cor 15...Jesus is the man who has defeated death. He brings order to God's universe and rules the way we were supposed to. So make him your ruler!

Can't wait to just chill out with my cuz in Bondi tomorrow... fun times.

The Way a Day off Should be...

With apologies to other days off I have had.

This was probably one of my most favourite days off ever. Why? Time with friends, time to relax, time to hang out in our great city, and time to for 'silly Dave' to come and play for a while and no one seems to mind. Its all part of the destressing of ministry life anyway! Here's how it works.

Start by riding a river cat from Rydalmere and actually run for it in order to board. But once you are on, you can relax and enjoy the surroundings. Laugh at the little girl who sits behind you and asks her Mum after every bridge you go under: 'Is that the Sydney Harbour Bridge?' Little kids are good for a giggle like that.

After some lunch, cruise on in to the Sydney Aquarium. You'll love the crocs and stingers, but you can act like a bigger dill than you already are. Crickey! How long can you hold your breath under water?

Next, re-live that time you got lost in the mirror maze when you were a kid, and the time you threw up after going on the Gravitron as a teenager by heading to Luna Park. You'll see magnificent views of Sydney Harbour from the ferris wheel, and your thirst for silliness can be quenched a little more.

Throw in some quality time spent in Conney Island with slide races, spinning out on big wheels and through tunnels. Once you're done, play some pinnies and race each other in Daytona! And may the force be with you, because relfexes and sheer talent certainly won't be! (Why can't I ever win at these things?)

And then, when the day is over, sit back and chill back over dinner, share some more laughs, have some 'serious' time in talking about life and God and relationships- some of my most favourite topics. Intense stuff!

Then, when its time to bid thee a farewell, release all that excitement that is left and teenage angst that you never got rid of as a teenager by shooting up some bad guys! Yeah! bring that on!

Ahhh...now I'm ready to get back to the grindstone!

Any similiarities to real people are intentional and voyeuristic on your part.

Evangelistic Dinner- How it went

Well, a number of you have been asking how the dinner went, so here goes.

In a word- fantastic!!! The food was great, the atmosphere was inviting (although muggy). Around 90 people were packed into our little church, and a number of them there for the first time. My sister did a great job singing some of her songs. And then a cracker of a sermon was preached on the paralytic whose sins were forgiven.

And after Ray's talk...silence. You could feel that people had been touched by the Word of God.

I asked people to fill out cards. Some from church indicated that they had responded to Christ. One woman, who doesn't come to church, responded by saying that she had prayed but wasn't sure if she should feel any different.

I love seeing people come home to Him! God is indeed merciful. Thanks for your prayers. Keep in prayer for those who asked God for forgiveness.

Dinner update: 90 people and counting

At last count, we had 90 people coming to our dinner for Saturday night!!! I couldn't have asked for a better response if I tried. I've had to turn people away who were coming without bringing any friends along. We are even setting up a video link in the next room of the church to accomodate all the people who are coming!

Someone asked me 'why do you think it was so successful?' What do we tribute this success to?

I'd like to think it was the sermons I've been preaching on the Coming Kingdom. I'd like to think that the 5 minute spots on 'building bridges to people' and then 'how to invite someone to an evangelistic event' had a lot to do with it. But that would be arrogant.

The success was due to people actually making effort in their friendships and inviting others to come! People really took the message on board that we need to form relationships and be inviting people. Relationships is where its at folks!

And it goes without saying that God had His hand in it too. People got excited in church when I shared with them the story of how the man dying of cancer became a Christian. The gospel got people excited!

(A couple saw the dinner advertised in the local paper, and rang up this afternoon to come!)

Please keep praying!!!! Its THIS Saturday! Go God! Woo-hoo!!!!

Light Sent into the Dark

Last night we went to College Graduation. I began to appreciate the voyeuristic nature of blogging….a friend I haven’t seen in ages said to me ‘I have come across your blog!’ Whilst I don’t tend to spill my guts on the blog, it does strike me as a way that people can access your private life, and see what you have been up to, without ever seeing you. Even though my blog is random, I tend to think of it as a way of keeping in touch with people more than anything.

Anyway, what I loved about the night was not only the singing of great hymns and songs, seeing people I know get their piece of paper after 4 years hard work (I know what that’s like), hearing the Word expounded…BUT what I loved the most was the thought of the gospel going into all the world through these people- UK, Japan, Spain, Australia…God is doing amazing things in our very own city.

When I was waiting on the steps to go inside, a passer by said to me ‘what’s going on in there?’ I merely said ‘Oh, it’s a college graduation’. If I had that moment again, I would have said ‘A celebration of light being sent into a dark, dark world'.

Or something cool like that. Good enough for Jesus, good enough for me.

For all the voyeurists out there, I close with some pictures of some of my friends. Congratulations!!!

Smile At Life Again

Life ain't over. Life ain't done now.
So get back up in your place, child.
When you feel like its the end,
no mother and no friend could love you more.
These are dry days.
And your heart breaks when the best years seem to have gone by.
I've made promises before,
But no mother and no friend could love you more.

You've got to smile at life again.
Smile at you. There's a time to let it go, and then you
Smile at life again. There's a time to let it go.

I know that sometimes you need someone,
And the soul you want is nowhere.
When you're scared and left alone,
your faith becomes your reason to go on.
If you'll hear me, I have known truth.
I have hurt, and I have cried, too.
I've made promises before,
But no mother and no friend could love you more.

It's time to let it go.

The Elms, 2002

Evangelistic Dinner- Progress Report

On March 24 we are holding an evangelistic dinner at church. Its pretty exciting- people are actually inviting others to come. But why am I surprised? My church has been gripped by the gospel, and they love seeing people come to Christ. They have been praying for this for a long time. At last count, we had 60 people coming. I’m so excited! God is stirring up this place, working through His Word and Spirit. People keep ringing me to tell me that more are coming. One is a lady who has never been to our church before, but brings her kids regularly to our kid's club. Another is a couple I married, but they didn't quite make friendships at church.

So please pray for this night. Pray for Ray as he preaches. Pray for my sister as she sings on her guitar. Pray for me as I MC the night. And pray for the unbelievers who will be there. I can't wait to tell you how it goes!

Its a Lost World After All....

I’ve recently downloaded Google Earth onto my computer. Its awesome. I just type in my address, and I can see where I live, and every house I’ve ever lived in. I can relive overseas trips. I can see aerial shots of that island in Fiji I’ve visited twice in real life and many times in my imagination…then there’s San Fran, Great Keppel, Cairns and Adelaide- all places with fond memories, and I haven’t even touched Poland or Thailand.

Plus it’s a great reminder about how small our world is, and how great the need is for the lost people of this world to know Jesus. I used an aerial shot of my suburb in the kid’s talk to make this very point on Sunday.

In other news, I don’t like Monday night meetings that go late…

The Prayer of a Dying Man

Today was a good day. No- today was a GREAT day!

I went to visit a dying man. His partner called me to ask for some pastoral care for him. It turns out he used to be a church-goer. He used to sing in a choir. He grew up knowing Bible stories and the rest. But he had wandered so far from God.

I asked him ‘so is God someone who you feel is out there in the distance, or is he someone who is very close to you?’

After a thoughtful pause he said ‘God feels quite far away'.

He said that he felt like he was a hypocrite, coming to God in his hour of need, when he had spent so long ignoring God. Then we talked about the prodigal son. He seemed to remember the story.

We talked about the son who wandered away from his father, and squandered his father’s inheritance money on wild living. But at his lowest point he returned home, begging for mercy, as he asked his Dad to take him back in.

But then we talked about what the father was like. He watched the road patiently, waiting for the son to return. And when he finally saw the son return, he ran! He ran as fast as his old legs would carry him, and embraced his son, wanting to throw him a party and restore him to the place of son. ‘That’s what our God is like!’ I said excitedly. ‘He loves it when people who have wandered away from him come home. He is only too ready to take us back!’ I explained that it would take a proud person to stay away from God. Only a truly humble person can admit their fault and turn to God.

That parable had his name written all over it.

I told him that the reason why God has spared his life in this way is to give him time to repent.

‘What do you think about that?’ I asked.

He looked at me puzzled. ‘When you talk about repenting, I don’t think that I have done anything wrong.’

And I believed him. He seemed like such a nice man.

I explained that sin is not about how good or bad you are. Its about rejecting God, and living a life of ignorance about Him. We talked about heaven and hell, and the reality of those places, and the rightness of God to send us to hell if we chose to want to have nothing to do with him. The punishment Jesus took on the cross deals with our rejection of Him.

‘It makes sense when you put it that way’, was the reply.

I then asked him if did he want to repent- to do some serious business with God- start treating God as God, and change his attitude to God, and trust in Jesus for forgiveness. He said he did.

So I prayed a prayer out loud, while he prayed it in his heart. And by the end of it, he had asked God for forgiveness, and trusted in the mercy of God at the cross.

It was the quickest conversion I’ve ever seen. But when your time is up, and you could go at any moment, you don't want to stuff around.

I don’t mention this to boast. Far from it. But it does put things in perspective, doesn't it? Some days I wonder what God is doing. I wonder if His Word just keeps falling on deaf ears all the time. But then I get a moment of clarity, like today, when I see Him at work so clearly. Preach the Word, in season and out of season.

And I get paid to do this?

Thanks for your prayers.

The Sovereignty of God

At the moment I don’t know what the future is.
I wish I knew what the specifics are.
Is that a lack of trust?
At least I know the generals:
That God is leading me into holiness, godliness and a stronger trust,
Even though the details are sketchy,
There are so many questions.
And answers are wanting.
Is this what it means to live by faith and not by sight?
Yet God is in control!
This causes me to rejoice and be confident,
And be prayerful and faithful.
And work with all my might.
For He knows,
And cares,
And is compassionate,
And is in control,
Of the details.
So take comfort.
For He’ll get me there.
I even know where ‘there’ is,
Even though I don’t know the details
Of the itinerary.
But they become clearer
The longer I’m alive.

When Death Comes Knocking...

Bible studies for the week have been written...enquiries about a weekend away have been made...meeting with the boss with future planning accomplished...sermon notes updated...phone calls made...emails sent...wedding for couple planned.

In fact, the only thing out of the ordinary thing that happened today was the phone call I received to meet with a man dying of cancer. He wants some pastoral care. Some advice. About how to die. Maybe he read my article in the local newspaper? Who knows. He wants to prepare for his untimely death. What do you tell a dying man? The gospel of course.

That's tomorrow's job. If you can call it a job. Pray I'd be clear. Pray he'd accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Pray that God will use his early death to soften his heart to Jesus.

Its at times like these that I remember why I went into ministry. God knows that He's also teaching me things during times like these.... I'll keep you posted.

Emancipate Yourself

Me thinketh that Thirsty Merc doth rock.
Rocketh on!