NO!

This weekend in the 6pm we kick off a new series called 'NO!'.
When most people hear the word no we tend to focus on it's negative implications...
But the truth is that when we say NO! to one thing... it means that we are saying YES! to something else.

When I married Tarryn I gave her my YES! ... and so in effect I say NO! to every other woman.
My NO! to every other woman is a positive YES! to Tarryn.

My NO! to sex before marriage is a resounding YES! to having the very best that God has for me in my relationship with my partner.

Unfortunately, because many times we have a weak YES! we find ourselves having a weak NO!

So check out the 6pm's over the month of June... its sure to be a cracker!

Until next time...
Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

Growing Up

I have been reading a great book by John C. Maxwell called 'Winning With People' and in it I found a really interesting piece about Angelina Jolie.
The following is from pages 60 and 61 of that book:


I recently read an article about actress Angelina Jolie. The catalyst for her change in perspective was a script. Jolie who had won an Oscar in 1999 for her role in 'Girl, Interrupted' could have been the poster girl for a life adrift. The child of actors Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand, she had grown up in Hollywood and indulged in many of its excesses. She was called a 'wild child'. And she was well known for drug usage, outrageous behavior, and sometimes self-destructive actions. She was convinced that she would die young.

"There was a time where I never had a sense of purpose, never felt useful as a person," says Jolie. "I think a lot of people have that feeling- wanting to kill yourself or take drugs or numb yourself out because you can't shut it off or just feel bad and you don't know what its from."
Success in movies did little to help her. "I felt so off balance all the time," admits Jolie. "I remember that one of the most upsetting times in my life was after I had attained success, financial stability and I was in love, and I thought, 'I have everything that they say you should have to be happy and I'm not happy.'"

But then she read the script for 'Beyond Borders', the story of a woman living a life of privilege who discovers the plight of refugees and orphans around the world. Jolie recalls, 'Something in me really wanted to understand what the film was about, these people in the world, these displaced people and war and famine and refugees.'
For a year she traveled around the world with UN workers. 'I got my greatest life education and changed drastically,' she observes. She visited camps in Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Cote d'Ivoire, Cambodia, Pakistan, Namibia, and Thailand. Her entire perspective changed. She realized that the entire world was made up of other people, many of whom were in dire circumstances, many of whom she could help.

When the United Nations High Commisioner for Refuggees asked her to become a goodwill ambasador in 2001, she was happy to do it. She also began donating money to help refugees and orphans, including $3 million to the UN's refugee program. (She says that she makes a 'stupid amount of money' to act in movies.) And she adopted a a Cambodian orphan, Maddox. Recently Worth magazine listed her as one of the 25 most influential philanthropists in the world. She estimates that she gives almost a third of her income to charity.

Jolie puts it into perspective: 'You could die tomorrow and you've done a few movies, won some awards - that doesn't mean anything. But if you've built schools or raised a child or done something to make things better for other people, then it just feels better. Life is better. Why does she feel that way? Because she finally gets the big picture. She stopped focusing on herself and began putting other people ahead of herself.

I am so proud of our missions involvement as a church. Just last year we saw - in partnership with other organizations - 535 churches planted. Thats one every 16 hours. Thousands of people have come to Christ... and all because as a church we got involved in faith promises... we sacrificed from our abundance... and we let Christ build his church.
I urge you to get involved in the faith promises this year! You may think that your giving is saving lives overseas... but you may just come to discover that your giving is saving you... as it did for Angeline Jolie.

I'll close with some wise words

A person first starts to live when he can live outside himself.
Albert Einstein

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

5 Reasons To Go To Church

In April I had the privilege of going to a Q&A day with Bill Hybels of Willow Creek.
One of the things that Bill discussed was in this day when people have so many choices, that we need to remind people why they should be coming to church. Gone are the days when the majority of people come to 4 services a month.
So without further chitter chatter, here are 5 (certainly not the only 5!) reasons that we should go to church:

1. Our Lord and Leader was in a worship community every 7 days. Luk 4:16 ALT (16) And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And He entered, according to His custom, on the day of the Sabbaths into the synagogue, and He stood up to read aloud [the Scriptures].
   
2. The New Testament instructs us to. Heb 10:24-25 ALT (24) And let us be considering one another for [the] stimulation of love and of good works, (25) not abandoning [or, neglecting] the assembling together of ourselves, as [is the] habit of some, _but_ encouraging [one another], and so much more as you* see the Day approaching.
   
3. God speaks uniquely in the corporate setting.
   
4. Every time that we participate in a worship service we encourage others who are there.
   
5. We are leaving a legacy to our children and grandchildren.

What are some of your 'reasons' for coming to church?
I'd love to hear your thoughts

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

WELCOME!!!

Welcome, welcome , welcome to the very first post from the Eastside managment team! Our heart behind having this blog is to create another avenue for communication (2 way!)
As you would have seen from the side-bar, there will be 2 posts each week from individuals from the managment team at Eastside church.
Please do feel free to comment and give us feedback... even if it does not relate to the post.

This last weekend I had the privelege of going on the very first Inspire Tour with 19 others made up of Eastsiders and Vision College students. We travelled to Palmerston North, Fielding, Taupo & Tokoroa. It was so exciting being apart of what God is doing around the country!
I personally loved to be in the church 'homes' meeting my 'extended family' and being able to encourage them.
We are so blessed at Eastside and our only response can be to bless others as we have been blessed.

This has been enabled by Ps Nick's apostolic leadership and the launching of the Vision Churches International network. This is a relational network through which we know that if we build the house (houses of God) we can change our nation/s.
If you would like to know more about this then please do chat to Ps Nick!


This sunday we launched a new series in the 6pm service called RED LETTERS (its all about the Bible) and with it the RED LETTERS PROJECT.
Simon shared a brilliant message. Here are some of the highlights:

• only 21% of New Zealand Christians read their Bible daily
• The Irony that the generation with the most accurate versions of the Bible accompanied with the greatest availability of Bibles is also the generation that is the most Biblicaly illeterate!
• Only 9% of American Christians hold a Biblical worldview.
• There is no Christianity without the Scriptures!
• Reading the Bible does require hard work (getting into the mindset of the day in which the Scriptures were written)

Psalm 119:9-11
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.

10 I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.

11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.

We also launched the RED LETTERS PROJECT... a 30 day challenge to commit to reading your Bible daily.
Will you accept the challenge?
We'd love to hear the testimonies of those who are taking part in the project!


Just as I close off... we will be launching the new Eastside website very shortly... which will include podcasts (or downloadable audio files) of the messages that are preached on sunday. So do stay posted!


We'd love to hear your thoughts, comments and suggestions : )
Clive