Eastside Church

Defined By Your Love

2010-04-14T09:29:00.000+12:00

YEEHAA!! ...It’s Girls Day Out next Saturday (24th Apr)!

It’s so great for ‘Girls’ (Women) to get together, chill out, be pampered, be encouraged, be inspired, have fun and eat!
Nadia Clark (Get Smart Director & Youth Pastor) from LIFE, Auckland will be speaking on ‘Defined by Your Love’.

Mmmmmm... an interesting thought... What defines you?

Zephaniah 3:17 says... ‘For the Lord your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty Saviour. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song.’

Does God’s love define your life?

Through life, so much barrage of stuff comes our way – and often we can start to believe words that have been spoken over us or actions that have been done to us... which are totally contrary to the Word of God – the Truth.

God’s love for you is unconditional – that is, He loves you no matter what!!

His love will calm fears... it will bring strength... courage... peace... joy...

Let His Love envelop your being... and let His Love define you!!

Blessings

Ps Jan

Easter

2010-04-06T09:31:00.001+12:00

This is a very powerful video on Easter. May it help you to reflect about Christ's sacrifice for you in a fresh way.

Leave a comment and let us know what you thought.

Godspeed & Kaizan

Clive

Relieving Status Anxiety

2010-03-30T10:00:00.001+13:00

The title of philosopher Alain de Botton’s new book 'Status Anxiety' (Hamish Hamilton: 2004) describes an emotion capable of hobbling the most astonishing life.

He uses the term ‘status’ in its broader sense to mean one’s value and importance in the eyes of the world. When one has status, life can be very good: you are considered important, perhaps even indispensable; you are invited to the right parties, flattered by the right people; everyone laughs at your jokes, regardless of whether they’re funny or not.

The author notes that anxiety arises whenever we are in danger of failing to conform to the ideals of success as endorsed by society. However, de Botton challenges the normal assumption that the prime reason for our hard work is financial. Rather, he believes that our efforts – late nights, extra hours, political smiles – are in fact motivated by something that economists rarely acknowledge: love. He observes,

To be shown love is to feel ourselves the object of concern. Our presence is noted, our name is registered, our views are listened to, our failings are treated with indulgence and our needs are administered to. And under such care, we flourish. [1][1]

There is food for thought here for us as Christians, and particularly Christian leaders – do we appreciate those with whom we work? More to the point, do we show it? Do we allow people a voice? Do we validate their opinions and feelings? Do we value them? In short, do we love them?

In writing on ‘the social self’ the American psychologist William James suggested that if we remained completely unnoticed, ignored and overlooked, if no one ever acknowledged us when we entered a room and everybody treated us as non-existent entities, then “a kind of rage and impotent despair would ere long well up in us, from which the cruellest bodily tortures would be a relief.” [2][2] Why should the attention of others be so important? Why should we need their approval?

de Botton proposes that we suffer from an innate doubt of our own value, that “our sense of identity is held captive by the judgments of those we live among.” In an ideal world we would know our worth; however, as we all know, life ain’t always that simple…

The author states, “There is no definitive solution to status anxiety. The best we can do is hope to understand it, talk about it.”

How dreadful, that one must be locked into such a way of life, ever seeking approval, looking for love, hopefully in the right places, driven onwards to sate the furious desire to be loved…

Jesus offers another way. On one occasion the disciples ask him “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” They were jockeying for position, flexing their muscles, preening their feathers. Then Jesus takes a child in his arms and says, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matt 18:3-4 NIV).

A child.

It’s important to understand the first-century Jewish attitude if we are to grasp the full impact of Jesus’ teaching here. Today we tend to idealize childhood as the happy age of innocence and simple faith. However, in New Testament times the child considered of no importance. They couldn’t fight, and they hadn’t been around long enough to gain wisdom from experience or to accrue wealth. Albert Nolan declares, “Children in that society had no status at all-they did not count.” [3][3]

Of course kids are important – valuable, a treasure – Jesus himself got angry when the disciples tried to keep children away from him (Mk 10:14). However, in this sense, For his followers becoming like a little child meant, as Manning puts it, “the willingness to accept oneself as being of little account and to be regarded as unimportant.” [4][4]

This is not to say we act like doormats for the self-absorbed to use and discard or the bullies of life to trample and mock. As John Stott declares, our chief claim to nobility as human beings is that we were made in the image of God. [5][5] We are of great worth – indeed, God says we are worth the life of his only Son. However, rather than seeing people as resources to be exploited, as mere carcasses to be crawled over as we climb the slopes of acceptance to take the citadel of self-worth, God calls for us to imitate Jesus – to step back and prefer others, to willingly live for the good and best of others. The ability to, “in humility consider others as better than yourself” (Php 2:5); to serve, to put others first. To be happy at the back of the line, with the smallest slice, with a cup of water because the wine has run out. To rejoice when your colleague is esteemed, to mourn when another suffers.

I once heard Jack Haines preach that the key to abundant living was to live for others. This is a superb way to break away from striving for acceptance and status, and reflects the nature and character of Jesus, who came not to be served, but to serve (Mk 10:45).

With regards to this overwhelming human desire for love, the Bible tells us of a God who loves this world so much (Jn 3:16; 1 Jn 4:10) and calls for his people to love one another (Jn 13:34-35). And this is, indeed, is good news. As we live for others, we glorify God on our obedience, we fulfil a deep need within ourselves to love, and we express love to those around us. While relieving ‘status anxiety’ might by no means be a simple task, the gospel offers a way to alleviate this dark emotion, and to set us free from the tyranny of status…

Which is great, because I can’t afford label clothing anyway…

Blessings

Ps Simon Moetara

A CHEERFUL HEART!

2010-03-22T15:14:00.000+13:00

Life is full of ups and downs – sometimes things are easy, sometimes they’re not!
That’s life!...
I believe choosing to have a cheerful heart gives strength to our very being.
Proverbs 15:13 even says that a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day.

David (in Psalms) reminded himself over and over again to... “Bless the Lord, O my soul!!”
He often would not have felt like doing that – because things were often really tough!...
Yet I believe he knew that having that ‘cheerful heart’ – an attitude of praise – helped to lift his countenance, giving strength for each day.

Go on!... Choose a ‘Cheerful Heart’ today!... Smile – and make someone else smile! Bless the Lord – He is for you!!

Pro 15:13-15 A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day.
An intelligent person is always eager to take in more truth; fools feed on fast-food fads and fancies.
A miserable heart means a miserable life; a cheerful heart fills the day with song.

Ps Jan

Finding God's Will

2010-03-16T09:36:00.002+13:00

As with just about every subject in theology... there are varying viewpoints that people take. In this video The Skit Guys talk about figuring out God's will for your life.

The point of posting this video is to get you thinking... and asking yourself questions about 'God's will' and how you can follow it in your own life.

If you have any great thoughts on this subject please leave a comment and share your thoughts with us. In our interaction we are bound to grow and stretch each other's thinking and action.
It's sure to be an interesting conversation!

Godspeed & Kaizan

Clive

Twilight... Some Thoughts

2010-03-09T14:20:00.001+13:00

Some thoughts on Twilight…

Bella Swan ( played well by Kristin Stewart) moves from sun-drenched Phoenix, Arizona to perpetually drizzly Forks, Washington to live with her father, where she encounters the intensely striking but initially boorish Edward Cullen, a somewhat pasty taller version of Jason Priestly (remember Beverly Hills 90210? No? oh…). Edward is drop-dead gorgeous, wears designer clothes and drives a Volvo S60R (I had to look that up – I’m no petrol-head). After being saved by a display of superhuman strength by Edward, Bella learns that he is a vampire, but he and his ‘family’ are vegans – i.e. they take blood not from humans but from animals (and not just any animals – only those that are over-populated; humanitarian and eco-friendly…). They fall head over heels in chaste love. She meets the family, bad vampires turn up, one of whom stalks her, which leads to a difficult time for our star-crossed lovers…

The enduring popularity of vampires -- from Bram Stoker’s 1897 gothic novel Dracula. to 1994’s controversial Interview with a Vampire with Cruise and Pitt, from HBO’s graphic TV series starring our own Anna Paquin, to Buffy and Blade, and Hammer Horror and Anne Rice, and countless other expressions -- has been attributed to two key factors: the representation of sexuality and the perennial dread of mortality. (1)

Author Stephenie Meyer takes a different approach to sexuality than the sordid approach often associated with the vampire theme. Meyer’s devout Mormonism is reflected in the film’s attitude to sex, which has our couple maintaining carnal abstinence. One reviewer says that this allows young girls “to splash around in a pool of obsessive love without having to swim in the turbulent waters of scary teenage sex.”(2) This is a pleasant change from Hollywood’s usual laissez-faire treatment of issues of teen sexuality. Edward’s efforts at self-control are admirable in a postmodern world that says ‘if it feels good, do it.’ Edward’s ‘family’ also attempt to fight their inner struggles and powerful urges, choosing rather to live lives that help, rather than use, humans.

I decided to read the first book in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga about a year ago. It’s not a boy book. Man, was I bored. Nothing happened. Edward looks gloweringly at Bella, Bella’s heart palpitated a lot when his finger brushed her skin, they pledge undying love, teen angst, etc. etc. And the main bit of action at the novel’s conclusion we don’t even get to experience because Bella – who’s narrating the story! – is unconscious! Here I was expecting a big climactic fight, and my commentator is out for the count!

Okay – I’m a 38 year old male, not a teenage girl, which may have something to do with it. And I think that’s significant – the novels are written with teenage females in mind, and lack the broader appeal of the Harry Potter books, which were read by young and old, male and female alike.

But before I dismiss all the hysteria as including only a horde of hormonal teen girls, I also found out that one of the most active and popular fan sites is www.twilightmoms.com. Mums who love Twilight. I went to a John Rowles concert recently, and there were women fawning over the iconic singer, but at least they were the same age. I mean, imagine if you had a bunch of Dads screaming over a group of 17 year old girls – they’d either be arrested or beaten up. Can you imagine Miley-CyrusDads.com? Billy Ray would have a fit. Sad; so sad…

Anyhooo… as tedious as I found the book, the written page gives more scope for the relationship to develop and allows the minds eye to be utilized to envisage some fantastical images. For example, when Edward shows Bella why vampires can’t go in the sunlight in the novel, the imagination is employed to startling effect; on film, it comes across kind of lame. “Oh, is that it… Sparkly.”

Some parts of the film are likewise unconvincing. I’m not sure why the movie Bella suddenly falls for Edward and trusts him so much. Perhaps this was an issue stemming from condensing 460 odd pages into a couple of hours viewing time, but it just didn’t ring true. By the time Bella eventually declares that she’s “unconditionally, irrevocably in love” with Edward, I’m still not sure why she feels as powerfully as she does. You trust him with your life when he says he’s not sure if he can control himself around you? Why? You don’t know him. I found it rather unconvincing…

Strangely enough, the presence of vampires and wolves wasn’t the major concern for me in considering the appropriateness of the book/film. Not that I’m Vampire Goth or horror fan; it’s just that I agree with Wendy Lee Nentwig that the biggest issue I have with this series is the one that probably seems the most innocuous on the surface: the love story. (3)

Allow me to explain: The idea of Romanticism grew extremely popular through the efforts of the Romantic poets of the eighteenth century When I did my BA in English Lit, one of the papers I did was a 2nd year paper entitled “Romantic Poetry and Prose.” I thought it was about writing love poems. It actually looked at the poetry of Wordsworth, Coleridge and Keats, as well as the writings of guys in floppy shirts like Shelley and Byron. These guys argued with great passion that it was a travesty, a crime, to marry for any reason other than “love,” by which they meant intense feeling and grand emotion.

Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Katherine Anne Porter lamented the surreptitious creeping of romance into marriage over the centuries, “bringing its absurd notions about love as eternal springtime and marriage as a personal adventure meant to provide personal happiness,” and rather declared that the reality of our humanity means that we must “salvage our fragments of happiness” out of life’s unavoidable sufferings (4)

“What?!” I hear you cry. “Are you trying to say that romance is bad?!” Not at all. Buy flowers. Go out for dinner. Speak often of your love for one another. Romance and feelings are important – it’s just that they are not everything. Consider: when I no longer feel as intensely passionate about my wife now as I did in the heady days of our courtship, can I leave? Or is a more muscular and mature form of love called for?

Gary Thomas, in his book Sacred Marriage: What If God Designed Marriage To Make Us Holy More Than To Make Us Happy?, writes (and I wholeheartedly agree), “Romantic love has no elasticity to it. It can never be stretched; it simply shatters. Mature love, the kind demanded of a good marriage, must stretch, as the sinful human condition is such that all of us bear conflicting emotions… This is the reality of the human heart, the inevitability of two sinful people pledging to live together, with all their faults, for the rest of their lives.” (5)

And that’s a concern of mine with the books and movies. Edward is too good to believe. He has those old-fashioned values (he was, after all, born in 1901). He shows Herculean physical restraint around Bella. He is powerful and can protect her always. He runs as fast as the Flash and is as strong as the Hulk. He’s always there – even while she’s sleeping. He drives a $100, 000 car (way too fast) and appears to have almost limitless disposable income. The slightest touch from him sends her heart into overdrive, and her scent drives him crazy. What real man can compete with that? I love my darling wife, but she doesn’t give off this natural perfume that sends me into heady spins of delight in her presence... (but please; just keep that between us).

When the Harry Potter phenomenon was in full swing, I remember reading an article in which author J. K. Rowling suggested a reason for the popularity of the young bespectacled sorcerer. Rowling believed the main reason for the success of her stories was that people were having their desires to be special met through empathising with Harry Potter, particularly young children. Using Harry’s orphan status as an example she told CBS, “It’s a very common fantasy with children: “These boring people cannot be my parents. They just can’t be. I’m so much more special than that.”

Rowling continues: “Nearly everyone I knew went through that…Not only are you leaving this boring existence, but you really are special. You’re not only magical, but you’re famous as well.” (6)

Harry Potter – orphaned, nerdish, unwanted by his uncaring muggle uncle and aunt, harassed by his spoiled cousin (bullied by a kid named Dudley, no less!), forced to live in the cupboard under the stairs… life sucked for Harry. Until he found out this whole other world, in which he was rich, famous… special. “Everyone thinks I'm special,” utters a humbled Harry. (7) And so off he goes to Hogwarts school, where he makes new friends and has lots of adventures…

Think about it… Shy Bella Swan moves to a new town. She drives to school in her 1953 Chevy pick up hunk-of-junk truck (shaaaaame!), makes friends and boys compete for her attention. Then in walks dreeeeamy Edward Cullen… he can read minds (but not Bella’s – because she’s special) and the scent of her – no other girl’s, just Bella -- drives him crazy (because she’s special). She frustrates him, but he just can’t get enough of her; and as for Bella, Edward has this citrus scent and mellifluous voice that are incredibly seductive to her… wow; like, eternal attraction… coooool…

I just wonder – what happens when a teenage fan walks out of the darkened theatre or places her bookmark neatly between the pages, and wanders back into reality? No man can be Edward. Only Jesus is perfect (that’s not excusing poor behaviour on our part as men – just acknowledging the false and unreachable standard of trying to measure up the literary creation of Edward Cullen). I would hate to see the false notions of romance set people up for disappointment, and fuel the thinking that such feelings are normal if one is truly in love, and that such emotions remain at the same level of intensity for the duration of a marriage. Nentwig says,

[Edward is] more than a boyfriend and even more than a vampire, he’s her own personal god. Edward is the one she goes to for help, advice, protection and love. With Edward in her life, Bella’s parents are completely superfluous. She only hangs around because her scatterbrained mom and absent-but-loveable dad need her so much. It’s dysfunction with a capital “D”. (8)

I think Twilight taps into the secret longing of lovesick teenage females – to be special and adored. I believe too often that we’re born into this world asking the question, “Am I valuable? Am I worth being loved?”, and sadly, too often the answer is in the negative: “No. You are not. You are not beautiful enough, sexy enough, clever enough, popular enough. You wear the wrong clothes. You buy the wrong shoes. You drive the wrong car. No boy will ever love you.”

However, because of Christ’s love, we now regard no one from a worldly point of view (2 Cor 5:16). The world may reject us and find us laughable, but God says that we are of infinite worth:

It was the glory of Christianity that it made people who were things into real men and women, nay more, into sons and daughters of God; it gave those who had no respect their self-respect; it gave those who had no life life eternal; it told men that even if they did not matter to men they still mattered intensely to God. It told men who, in the eyes of the world, were worthless, that, in the eyes of God, they were worth the death of God’s only Son. Christianity was, and still is, literally the most uplifting thing in the whole universe. (9)

Bella seems to look to Edward to be her all in all; we cannot make the same mistake. No human being can fulfill us – it is God alone in whom we find security and contentment, ultimate acceptance and unfailing love, and through whom alone eternal life is found.

There is much in popular culture that is seductive to the child of God attempting to walk the narrow path. A lot of emphasis is placed on wizards and vampires, but there are other subtle thing around that we allow to erode our values on a day to day basis – music, TV, peer pressure, cutting corners, rationalizing our sin bit by bit. We must all give more thought to the things we allow for our own entertainment. Food for thought, anyway…

Oh, one other thing I did find odd though… Edward Cullen was actually born on June 20, 1901 (I didn’t notice this detail in the movie; only in the book). He was transformed into a vampire by his adoptive father Carlisle Cullen in 1918 in order to save him from the deadly Spanish flu, confining him eternally in a seventeen-year-old body (poor sod).

But here’s the thing…Edward’s not seventeen-years-old. In 2005 (when the first novel was released), he would have had his 104th birthday. Bella is seventeen.

Now, as a guy you may look seventeen, but mentally and emotionally you’re an undying centenarian, over a hundred-years-old – and you’re hitting on a teenager? Maybe I don’t understand the dynamics of human-vampire immortal relations, but that strikes me as kind of creepy… but maybe that’s just me.

Blessings
Ps Simon Moetra

References:

(1) Wayne Bartlett and Flavia Idriceanu, Legends of Blood: The Vampire in History and Myth (London: NPI Media Group, 2005), 46.

(2) Will Lawrence, “Review: Twilight”, Empire online; available online at:

http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=135600.

(3) Wendy Lee Nentwig, “Taking on Twilight,”; available online at: http://www.crosswalk.com/books/11597837/page0/ [accessed 5 Feb 2010].

(4) Katherine Anne Porter, “The Necessary Enemy”, in John Gross (ed.) The Oxford Book of Essays (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991), 437.

(5) Gary Thomas, Sacred Marriage (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), 15-16.

(6) Mark Phillips, “Tough Times Ahead for Harry Potter,” CBS News, July 8, 2000.

(7) J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (London: Bloomsbury, 1997), 66.

(8) Wendy Lee Nentwig, “Taking on Twilight,”; available online at: http://www.crosswalk.com/books/11597837/page0/ [accessed 5 Feb 2010].

(9) William Barclay, Letters to Corinthians (DSB: Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 2nd ed. 1956), 24.

Spark Your Enthusiasm!

2010-03-02T13:01:00.000+13:00

Thoughts from Haggai!

I’ve recently read a book in the Bible called Haggai.

Things weren’t going the best for the people... yet when God spoke to them about their lifestyle – they chose to obey Him ‘and worshipped Him in earnest’ (Haggai 1:12).

Because they chose to obey God... this is what God said in response... “I am with you!”.

Wow – who wouldn’t want to hear the Creator of the Universe, God Almighty say ‘I am with you’ to them??!!

Haggai 1:14 says these words ‘sparked enthusiasm’ in the people.

1 Samuel 15:22 says, ‘Obedience is far better than sacrifice. Listening to God is much better than offering the fat of rams’.

Let’s obey God in our lives! He wants the best for us... and He will ‘spark enthusiasm’ in you when you respond to Him with obedience.

Be blessed and know that God is with you as you step out in obedience to Him... and may your enthusiasm be sparked!

Jan Rodgers

101 in March - The Bible

2010-02-23T10:45:00.003+13:00

As we move into March, our teaching theme is going to centre around The Bible.

With this in mind I wanted to let you know about a great resource that is being provided by YouVersion. They offer the Bible on-line in over 20 translations, the chance to create community and even set up groups for your life group, they have over 20 Bible reading plans with a facility for accountability.

They can explain it alot better than I can, so check them out HERE.

Can I really challenge you this month to make a commitment to reading the Bible daily.

It saddens me to read the stats that only 9% of born again adults hold a Biblical world view or that only 30% of Christ centered Christians read their Bible daily.

John 1:1, 14 reveal to us that the words of the Bible... are Jesus Himself. Its mysterous.

But reading the Bible is life giving and beautiful.

So why not commit to daily reading the Bible daily this month. Use one of the YouVersion Bible reading plans or come up with your own...

Who knows, after this month you could have just formed one of the most important and life changing habits of your life!

I'll leave you with some quotes about the Bible:

Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. —Jerome, A.D. 340-420

To get the full flavor of an herb, it must be pressed between the fingers, so it is the same with the Scriptures; the more familiar they become, the more they reveal their hidden treasures and yield their indescribable riches.

— John Chrysostom, A.D. 347-407

THIS BOOK contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveller's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword and the Christian's charter. Here paradise is restored, heaven opened and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand object, our good is its design and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened in the judgement, and will be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labour, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.

— Anonymous

Born in the East and clothed in Oriental form and imagery, the Bible walks the ways of all the world with familiar feet, and enters land after land to find its own everywhere. It has learned to speak in hundreds of languages to the heart of man. It comes into the palace to tell the monarch that he is a servant of the Most High, and into the cottage to assure the peasant that he is a son of God. Children listen to its stories with wonder and delight, and wise men ponder them as parables of life. It has a word of peace for the time of peril, a word of comfort for the time of calamity, a word of light for the hour of darkness. Its oracles are repeated in the assembly of the people, and its counsels whispered in the ear of the lonely. The wicked and the proud tremble at its warnings, but to the wounded and the penitent it has a mother's voice. The wilderness and the solitary place have been made glad by it, and the fire on the hearth has lit the reading of its well-worn pages. It has woven itself into our dearest dreams; so that love, friendship, sympathy and devotion, memory and hope put on the beautiful garments of its treasured speech, breathing of frankincense and myrrh.

— Henry van Dyke

"I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from The Savior of the world is communicated to us through this Book."
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), 16th U.S. President

"I have known ninety-five of the world's great men in my time, and of these, eighty-seven were followers of the Bible. The Bible is stamped with a Specialty of Origin, and an immeasurable distance separates it from all competitors."
William Gladstone (1809-1898), British statesman, served as Prime Minister four times.

"The Bible is no mere book, but a Living Creature, with a power that conquers all that oppose it."
Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), Emperor of the French

"All human discoveries seem to be made only for the purpose of confirming more and more the Truths contained in the Sacred Scriptures."
Sir William Herschel (1738-1822), English astronomer, he made numerous discoveries about the laws of the heavens.

Godspeed & Kaizen
Clive

At The Box Office - AVATAR

2010-02-16T09:43:00.002+13:00

Disabled ex-Marine Jake Sully is recruited to aid a mining expedition on the distant jungle moon of Pandora when his twn brother is killed, as only his DNA will allow him to utilise the alien body (known as an Avatar) that allows human beings to breathe the poisonous air. He is ordered to infiltrate the Na’vi and to provide information for his superiors. However, along the way, he falls in love with a Na’vi girl, with the Na’vi people and with their culture, and so difficulties follow, resulting in a climactic confrontation between the Na’vi and the heavily armed mercenary Earth forces…

Unlike Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, which is a loud and overblown special effects extravanganza with a nonsensical plot and virtually no substance (I hated it) there is more depth here. True, the tale is a simple one; this is Pocahontas meets District 9, Dances with Wolves at the edge of the universe – but simple stories well told win us over time and time again.

I can understand how this concept of an avatar fascinates people today. In Hindu mythology, a god would descend to earth from heaven in physical form, an ‘avatar’ (from the Sanskrit avatāra ‘a passing down’). In present day usage, a computer user would create a graphic image as an alter ego, a representation of him or herself or alter ego (which is usually far cuter than it’s actual user). Whether in computer games or internet forums, it allows people to ‘be’ someone else – the essence of fantasy. This ability to fabricate our human identities is a powerful draw – from kids who are unhappy at home but long to be special like Harry Potter, to the intimacy sought in chat-rooms, the ability to ‘be someone else’ is a craving of so many today. Jake Sully can leave behind his human body with its ineffective legs and enter the 12 foot body of a Na’vi male, squishing mud between his toes and leaping from branch to branch – and eventually leading the Na’vi against the destructive human forces that brought him to Pandora. Imagine what it would be like for us – no longer uncoordinated, no excess weight, able to reach that tin on the top shelf… The concept taps into the fantasy world of humans with ease.

What about the visuals? Well, what can I say? In 3-D, the film is absolutely mind-blowing. It is the most visually astonishing film I have seen. As Chris Hewitt wrote in his review for Empire, once you put on those 3-D glasses it “becomes a transcendent, full-on five-star experience that's the closest we’ll ever come to setting foot on a strange new world.” (1) The 3-D effects add depth to a spectacular and unfamiliar world, and it’s as though you are there as Jake Sully explores the alien environs in his new form, with its six-legged beasts, iridescent foliage, massive stone arches 300 metres in height and 500 metres across, and floating mountains with waterfalls that plunge into nothingness. Cameron creates a whole new world, a moon almost ten times the size of Earth (I know that because I bought Wilhelm and Mathison’s Avatar: A Confidnetial Report on the Biological and Social History of Pandaora (2) – okay, I’m a geek, but I know it and I’m proud). The 3-D technique enhances the experience of exploring the undiscovered wonders of this Eden-like world, unsullied by the rapacious greed and the countless ravages of war and pestilence of our own planet.

Phrases such as “preemptive strikes,” “shock and awe” and the need to fight “terror with terror” have led a number of critics to see the film as anti-American, or anti Bush/Republican. However, while using such recent terminology, I think Cameron’s view is a bit bigger. At the London Premiere of Avatar Cameron shared the following thoughts on the human proclivity for conquest and the insatiable need for more:

“I think there’s this long wonderful history of the human race written in blood going back as far as we can remember... where we have this tendency to just take what we want without asking. That’s how we treat the natural world as well - there's a sense of entitlement. We’re here, we’re big, we’re got the guns, we’ve got the technology, we’ve got the brains. We are therefore entitled to every damn thing on this planet.

And that’s not how it works - and we’re going to find out the hard way if we don't wise up and start seeking a life that’s in balance with the natural world [and] the natural cycles of life on Earth.” (3)

Sounds all right to me… For too many Western Christians, Christianity and capitalism go hand in hand, and to Gordon Gecko’s mantra “Greed is good” would shout a hearty ‘Here here!” Some critics point the finger at Christianity as the primary source for the present ecological crisis, with the divine mandate to exercise “dominion” over the earth used to justify ruthless treatment of the natural world (4), and the mission movement charged with being used as a vehicle to pave the way for colonization. While simplistic and harsh, the challenge cannot be dismissed out of hand. Cameron’s commentary on the first world’s lack of respect for the culture and values of indigenous peoples of the majority world is hard to ignore, and in a world where global warming, rising oil prices, oil slicks and deforestation are hot issues, Cameron’s vision calls for a respect for the planet that should be at the forefront of any global Christian agenda.

The Na’vi themselves are impressive also. The Na’vi are three metres tall, and move with the otherworldly grace of the Elves in Lord of the Rings. With their azure skin and feline grace, they are a sight to behold. They are a Neolithic society, a highly developed culture based on the spiritual connection of all living things. This connection is emphasized through the use of the queue, a long braid that houses neural tendrils that allows the Na’vi to connect to other living creatures, like connecting your i-pod to a laptop. This allows the Na’vi to be in harmony with plants and animals. It kind of reminds me of Neo in The first Matrix film where, after being jacked in, he wakes up and says, “I know kung fu.” Wouldn’t that be cool – with such intimate connections among our leading rugby players, perhaps we could bring home the Rugby World Cup in 2011… but I digress…

Regarding its religious outlook – the humans in the film show no interest in religion at all. Their interests are scientific, technological and financial, as they seek the precious element unobtainium. Obviously they didn’t take a chaplain. I think it is interesting that film prefers the simpler and more spiritual outlook of the Na’vi to the soul-less technology and voracious materialism of the human forces.

The Na’vi, on the other hand, are very spiritual. There religion is a mystical form of nature worship. The Na’vi worship Eywa (which sounds like a switched-around version of Yahweh, the name of God in the Hebrew Scriptures, usually translated as “the LORD” in capitals in our modern translations). Eywa is the guiding force and deity of Pandora. The Na’vi believe that Eywa acts to keep the ecosystems of Pandora in perfect balance. The scene where the Na’vi corporately call on Eywa while writhing from side to side had me thinking of the hideous rave scene in The Matrix: Reloaded, or the hippie 60s musical Hair. The Na’vi are in touch with this maternal, organic energy that runs through the entire planet.

This ‘mystical force that unites all things’ is the religion that the prophets Hollywood find acceptable. Consider the similarity to the spirituality of the Star Wars universe, with its mystical force is a mystical energy that permeates the universe and runs through all living things and unites all living things in the universe. Remember Yoda talking to Luke in the swamps of Dagobah in The Empire Strikes Back? (No – oh man, I am a geek!). “My ally is the force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us, binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the force around you. Here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere…” The religion of the Na’vi is very similar, although, unlike the force, they can pray to Eywa.

There’s been a resurgence in the beliefs and practices of neo-paganism – ‘new paganism’, influenced by pre-Christian European beliefs - and the desire within New Age spirituality to return to indigenous forms of spirituality, which seem to many ‘untainted’ by the spiritual lack and materialistic views of western life. Howe describes modern neo-pagan witchcraft in the following way:

The ideal in most neo-Pagan practice is to become as one with the natural world-to live in harmony with nature… Witches are people who revere both the God and the goddess. They seek a more friendly relationship with their natural environment, endeavoring to recognize the sacredness of all of nature. (5)

While the respect for nature is a positive response to poor stewardship over the last century or so, the spiritual view is clearly not a Biblical one. It can be described as a pantheistic view of God (‘pan’ – all; ‘theo’ – god; lit. “all is god”) where nature and ‘god’ are identical, and, as much as Hollywood advocates this idea, it is a far cry from the personal God of the Bible. God is not merely the energy that runs through all things. Rather, God spoke creation into being. God – Creation; Different.

Yes, “the heavens declare the glory of God” (Ps 19:1), and so creation can reflect the glory of God. However, the personal God of the Bible speaks and grieves and loves, and we can live before him in majesty and mystery, love and acceptance…

So, go put the glasses on and enjoy the visual feast of Avatar, but be wary of the spirituality that Tinseltown’s evangelists seek to preach from their cinematic soapboxes…

written by Ps Simon

References:

(1) Chris Hewitt, “Review: Avatar”, Empire; available online at: http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=133552 [accessed 3 Feb 2010].

(2) Maria Wilhem & Dirk Matheson, James Cameron’s Avatar: an Activist Survival Guide (HarperCollinsPublishers: London, 2009), 6.

(3) “James Cameron's Avatar Premieres in London” BBC News 11 Dec 2009; available online at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8406868.stm.

(4) Cf. Lynn White Jr, “The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis,” Science 155 (1967): 1203-7.

(5) Richard G. Howe, “Modern Witchcraft: It May Not Be What You Think”, Christian Research Journal Vol 28, No 1, 2005, 15, 18.

Life Lessons

2010-02-12T10:04:00.000+13:00

I’ve been walking a very interesting journey of late.
One year ago today my husband proposed to me and I said yes!
One year down the track we’re married – and would recommend it!
What we learnt in the first 24 hours of marriage to expect the unexpected – but that story will be shared another time.
The other morning I was driving my husband to work at 5am. He works out at Hatapu at the moment and so it’s out in the country. So I was driving 100km on the open road in the dark before the sun rose when all of a sudden a dog ran out onto the road out of nowhere.
I slammed on my breaks, smoke literally coming from my tyres, skid marks on the ground and grinding to a stop just in time just before I hit the dog standing there.
My heart was racing, I felt very blessed to be o.k and thanking God for his protection.

I must say I drove slowly home on the main roads. So my thoughts pondered about the happenings and how I could relate it to life.
Here’s a few thoughts.

•    Sometimes we can be going so fast in life that it takes something out of the ordinary, something that scars us to finally slow down and stop.

•    Sometimes we can be so preoccupied in our own lives and where we’re going that we don’t notice the people that stumble into our paths. Sometimes we are going too fast so we mow right over them.

•    It’s important to remember that we are not invincible and that we need to take responsibility with the role or task that God has placed in our hands
Just a few thoughts.

So be inspired – God can speak to us throughout our every day situations if we just stop and listening.

Naomi van Jaarsveld

Our Own Dr Seuss?

2010-02-11T10:00:00.003+13:00

Putting rhyme and words together is fun – particularly when it works!
So I took on a challenge to put Eph 3:20 to rhyme:

Here it goes:

He said to Mable, he is able,
To do far above,
what you can think or even pen down in ink.
And the pictures of your mind,
are not enough to find what he has in store.
There is more and more.

Now that’s not the quote exact,
but you get the matter of the fact.
He is able. He is able.

Ephesians 3:20 (King James Version)
20Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Blessings,
Ray.

It's Time To Celebrate!

2010-02-04T10:47:00.000+13:00

Our household is celebrating Sheridyn’s 40th Birthday!... Yeehaa, blow the party whistles, cut the cake – it’s celebration time!

I love celebrations!... Do you?
Have you ever noticed that the Bible is full of celebrations, banquets and feasts! Wow, what will Heaven be like?!

Celebrations can refresh, revive and invigorate us.

If you read the book of Esther (an amazing, adventurous book – with a wise and gutsy woman!)... you’ll see that the Jews stopped and celebrated (Esther 8:17) because they were given the opportunity to defend their lives on what was to be a ‘Day of Destruction’.
The ‘Day of Destruction’ was still coming – but the Jews chose to celebrate the positive, rather than moping around on the negative.
They were refreshed, revived and invigorated to go and win the battle before them.

I believe that Celebrations can also be a declaration of faith!
Let’s celebrate the positive things in our lives - as well as ‘celebrate by faith’ what God is yet to do in and through our lives!
Yes and Amen!

Jan Rodgers

The Good News of the Gospel

2010-02-02T10:00:00.002+13:00

Alot of people think that they understand what it means to be a Christ follower... but I bet that most people can not explain why there is a heaven and a hell and why we needed Jesus to die on the cross.

Today people believe that good people from all 'roads' will be on the road to heaven.

Others convientlty believe that there is no hell.

Well here is a video that gives a very clear and convincing presentation of the Gospel:

I challenge you... why not share this video with a few of your family members, friends and acquaintances'.

If you've taken the challenge, why not share what you've done with our blog's community... it will encourage and inspire others.

New Years Resolutions

2010-01-26T12:15:00.001+13:00

Hope you enjoy this video:

So what new years resolutions / goals / vision do you have for 2010?

Christmas Gifts That Make A Difference!

2009-12-02T01:17:00.000+13:00

I recon that if you click this LINK that it could just revolutionize your Christmas experience!
Go on... I dare you!

The Husband as a Loving Leader

2009-12-01T11:45:00.000+13:00

I get a weekly e-mail from Dr Chapman, and I found a really great article which I have included below. I hope you enjoy it!

The Husband as a Loving Leader

In modern marriages perhaps nowhere has confusion reigned more than in the area of the husband's role in marriage. On one extreme is the concept of the dominant husband who makes all decisions and informs the wife as to what they are going to do. On the other extreme is the contemporary "don't count on me" husband who expects his wife to support the family and make all the major decisions while he spends his time at the local gym.

Somewhere between these two extremes there is a healthy middle road where the husband is responsible, dependable, leading but not domineering. He is deeply committed to his wife and family. This is the biblical pattern which sees the husband as the loving leader. Loving in that his focus is on caring for his wife and leading in that he takes initiative to look out for her interest; in the same way that Christ took the initiative to look out for our interests.

What Does A Loving Leader Look Like?

For some, the words loving and leader are anomalies; some people cannot conceive of the two concepts working in tandem. Their idea of leadership is the authoritarian dictator who rules with an iron fist, and their concept of love is mushy and weak. But in a healthy family, the husband fits neither of these stereotypes.

One the one hand he is able to express both pain and joy. He is able to relate to his wife on an emotional level. On the other hand, he is strong and dependable, feeling a sense of responsibility for the well-being of his wife and family. He does not run when things get tough, but looks for solutions that will benefit the whole family. He is a leader to be sure, but he does not lead in isolation. He recognizes that the most effective leaders are servants, not dictators. He values the partnership with his wife; he wants to be there for her, but he has no desire to dominate her. This is the biblical husband.

A Partnership:

The idea of the wife as partner is as old as human literature. In the creation account the man and the woman were instructed to subdue the earth and to rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air and other living creatures. The man was not instructed to subdue his wife. He was told to become "one flesh" with her.

In marriage, the man and the woman become partners. We are different physically and have different roles in the reproductive process. Our uniqueness means that we each bring something different to the table, but we come the table as partners. She may not think the way he thinks; she may not have the same skills he has; but the differences are assets, not liabilities. Together we are more likely to make wise decisions, become good parents, and accomplish exploits for God. Working as a team we reap the benefits of marriage. When the husband tries to dominate the wife, no one wins. When he takes the initiative to love her they both win. Marriage is a partnership.

Communication:

Some research indicates that the average woman speaks 25,000 words per day while the average man speaks only 12,500 per day. There are certainly exceptions, but assuming this is generally true, it is possible that the average man uses most of his words in the workplace and arrives home with only one word left in his vocabulary. When the wife asks "How did thing go today?" his response is "fine." Such brevity will never build a healthy marriage.

I'm not suggesting we count our words, but I'm saying that some husbands will have to push themselves to go beyond what is "natural" for them in order to engage their wives in conversation. Life is shared primarily by means of communication. Without communication we become house mates rather than marriage partners. The husband must make time to keep connected with his wife. This may mean less TV or less time on the computer. Establishing a daily sharing time in which the two of you "connect" is the first step in being a leader.

Priorities:

All of us live by priorities. In our minds, we rank some things more important than others. These priorities are revealed most often by our actions. Answer the questions, "How do I spend my time? How do I invest my money? How do I use my energy?" and you will have the answer to the question "What are my priorities?"

For most men, vocation ranks near the top of their list. In our society, men draw much of their sense of significance from their vocation. This is not necessarily in conflict with a man's relationship with his wife unless the vocation comes to possess him. If your wife says, "He's married to his job. I only get the leftovers." It's time to sit down and talk. If that is the way she feels, then the loving husband will make some changes in his work patterns. Marriage is more important than vocation. Tragically, some men learn this too late. I've never met a man who regretted putting his wife at the top of his priority list.

Adapted from The Family You've Always Wanted: Five Ways You Can Make It Happen by Dr. Gary Chapman. To find out more about Dr. Chapman's resources, visit www.fivelovelanguages.com

Hope you enjoyed that!
Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Godspeed & Kaizen
Clive

Coming Home

2009-11-24T11:31:00.000+13:00

I absolutly love the video below! I must admit, I even had tears streaming down my face.

As I watched this video God whispered to me that this is how He responds when we come into His presence and spend time with Him. He is so excited, so estatic... He values every second!

Zephaniah 3:17

¹⁷ The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."

The word picture here is that God springs out of His throne and twirls in delight over you!

May you know His great love for you and may your love for Him increase with each day!

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

2012

2009-11-18T15:23:00.001+13:00

2012 is looking to be quite a big hit at the box office. And with it, there seems to be quite a buzz around the end of the world and such prophesies. This of course presents us with a great opportunity to talk about what the Bible has to say about the end...

The people at 'website evangelsim' have launched a 2012 website to scratch where people are itching. Click HERE to check out the site.

NASA have also launched a website to debunk the myths presented in the movie Click HERE to go there now..

Let us know what you thought of the movie and websites by leaving a comment.

Godspeed & kaizan
Clive

LOVE

2009-11-16T15:07:00.005+13:00

I’ve been thinking a bit about LOVE lately.
Not the mushy stuff but more about the bottom line.
I was chatting with God on my walk this morning and was thinking about
the fact that the bottom line for God is LOVE.
He is LOVE
And he wants us to LOVE.

I was thinking about the command to LOVE the lord with all you heart,
mind, soul & strength. Do I do that? Do I really LOVE with my everything?
Or am I like many others that only LOVEs when it makes logical sense?
when the person deserves it, or earns it, gives it first.

God says if we only love those that love us then we are no better
than those people who haven’t got a relationship with God.
We need to be different. LOVING people that don’t deserve it, have let us down, treat us poorly,
spoken badly of us or judged us. This isn’t an easy thing to really live!
And then there’s addition on how we are feeling on good or bad days...or what we’ve been facing...
Will we let that effect the way we LOVE?

So I’m on a mission...to learn how to love in a way that God loves us – in a way that isn’t determined on others behaviour or how I feel but to continue to love people no matter what.
I think it’s gonna be a life journey – but I’d love to hear any insights into your own journey on love.
It’s one worth taking! It’s the one thing that God desires of us above all else.

LOVE...

by Naomi Moore

Just For Laughs

2009-11-09T11:05:00.001+13:00

Thanks to Suzy McFarland who passed these on to me...

Kids Are Quick

TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America.
MARIA: Here it is.
TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America?
CLASS: Maria.
____________________________________

TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.
__________________________________________

TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?'
GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L'
TEACHER: No, that's wrong
GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.

(I Love this kid)
____________________________________________

TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.
__________________________________

TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.
WINNIE: Me!
__________________________________________

TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.
_______________________________________

TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with ' I.'
MILLIE: I is……
TEACHER: No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am.'
MILLIE: All right...'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'
________________________________

TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it.
Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?
LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand.
______________________________________

TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON: No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.
______________________________

TEACHER: Clyde, your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's.
Did you copy his?
CLYDE: No, sir. It's the same dog.
___________________________________

TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD: A teacher

The 6pm Service is on Facebook!

2009-11-06T12:50:00.002+13:00

For those of you who attend the 6pm service, or who want to keep up with what's happening in the 6pm service, we have created a page on FaceBook.

Click HERE to check it out. On this page we'll give you speacial sneak peaks at what is comming up as well as some resources that you will only find on the Facebook group! So if you haven't joined yet... what are you waiting for?

While we are on the subject of technology, have you checked out the podcasts of all our services available to download from iTunes or the church's website?

Enjoy
Clive

A Letter To Satan

2009-11-06T12:40:00.002+13:00

There is nothing quite like listening to people with passion! Watch this video made by the Passion For Christ Movememnt.

The Technology Revolution

2009-10-28T23:07:00.003+13:00

The digital revolution has been upon us for sometime now... and it's great to see that the church is not lagging too far behind.

One of the most exciting developments in the last couple of years has been the creation of YouVersion... an online Bible experience.

Now there is nothing new about an on-line Bible, but where YouVersion separates itself from the pack is it's innovation.

YouVersion has 16 English versions of the Bible. Nice.

But where it really leaves the rest of the pack behind is in the following 3 areas:

1) Interactive focus.

One can make contributions about verses that one has read that are available to anyone reading the verse.

One can also host live events through the mobile application. More on this later in the post.

2) Community Focus

You can form groups, where you can compare notes and even study together.

3) Mobile application.

Lifechurch.tv have made the mobile application available for free. If your phone is web enabled, you can download a version for your phone. 1 out of every 27 iPhones has the YouVersion Bible application on their phone!

Putting these all together is the latest feature... the hosting of 'Live' events.

If you have the latest version of the YouVersion Bible on your phone you will be able to connect with a live event happening in Eastside's 6pm service.

This includes: notes of the message, questions, polls, twitter comments, Bible reader, etc.

We will be running the Live events starting this Sunday in the 6pm service for a time to trial these exciting features.

If you haven't downloaded the app for your phone yet... what are you waiting for? You can download the app from iTunes for free.

I'd love to hear your feedback from this weeks first trial run. Please do leave a comment on this blog or comment through the live event.

PS: If you're interested in hearing about YouVersion and other on-line strategies that Lifechurch.tv are using click HERE.

Evaluate To Elevate

2009-10-19T00:48:00.004+13:00

I have recently written a message (which is more for myself than for the church... but that's usually the case) about our need to constantly evaluate ourselves so that we don't drift off course.

A pilot, who is just one degree out will fly 17 1/2 m off course for every kilometer traveled. Not a big deal if you're flying a few kilometers. But what happens if you're flying from Auckland to London, a trip of 18 331 km's? If you were just one degree out... you'd end up in Dublin, Ireland instead of London. Thats 530km's off course!

I am constantly suffering with drift in my life, so I have found that I need to evaluate where I am at least once a week.
Below is one such set of evaluation questions that I have used (I got this from Ps Bill Hybels):

I’m not abiding when:
1. I go through most of the day or week pre-occupied with self concerns. (You’re the big number one on the agenda).
2. I go through long periods of time with no promptings or convictions from the Holy Spirit.
3. I go through long periods without being concerned for the poor.
4. I go through long periods of time not being broken for the Lost.
5. I can sit through worship sessions without being stirred to worship and honour God.
6. I’m easily angered when corrected.

Let me challenge you to try using this set of questions to evaluate yourself weekly over the next month.

If you would like to hear the podcast of this message, you can download it for free from iTunes. Simply open up the iTunes Store, search out Eastside Church, Click on our 6pm service and you'll find the podcast entitled: Evaluate To Elevate. Its a great message... even if I do have to say so myself : )

Leave a comment and let me know what you thought... or perhaps even share with us how you evaluate yourself.

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

Lets Keep The Main Thing... The Main Thing!

2009-10-02T10:54:00.004+13:00

This week some of the staff and other volunteers have been at the National Acts Church Conference. We had some really great speakers: Jentezen Franklin, Steve Kennedy, Peter Prothero, Jordan Smith and Bruce Monk (our national leader).

The wednesday evening session was the most challenging for me personally as Ps Steve Kennedy challenged us to reach out and share our faith.

We can all make excuses why we cant reach out: busyness, shyness, spending most of your time with Christians, etc.
But as Ps Nick always says, "We need to keep the main thing, the main thing!"

Jesus put it this way:
"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
Luke 19: 10

Today as I came into work and read my e-mails I saw the video that I have included in this post. Don't you just love God's gentle nudgings : )

May you feel encouraged to reach out to those in your world.

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

Days of our Lives

2009-09-15T15:37:00.000+12:00

What are we doing with the ‘days of our life’? No-one knows how many days we have... but we all have days... and we get to choose what we do with them!

Romans 8:15 (from The Message) says... This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?”.

Let’s make the most of our ‘days’ and get away from timidity – into an adventurous spirit of expectancy! (2 Tim 1:7).

Jesus wants us to live life to the full (John 10:10)... and a key to doing this, is to put Him first in our life. Live life in close relationship with God – and ask Him – what’s next Papa??!!

Jan

A Cinderella Story?

2009-09-08T15:13:00.000+12:00

I’ve been thinking about Esther for a long time now...what is it about her life that captivates me so much I’m not sure...is it cause it’s like a Cinderella story?? The poor girl becomes a queen – every little girls dream right??

Well for me that was just by-products of her amazing influence! She saved a nation, and I don’t know about you but seeing a young lady be moved into the right place at the right time, and therefore to be able to be in position to step in and save a nation – is pretty amazing!!
God’s way of using situations in our lives to position us for plans...rather a mystery! But very exciting!

So in reading this Old Testament book I have been intrigued by the word “entrusted” - when Esther was sent to the Palace she was “entrusted” to Hagai the Kings eunich. I’ve been pondering this word “entrusted” and come to a few thoughts.
1. Esther was entrusted to Hagai – this means he had to look after her, protect her, help her develop and be all she can be.
2. Though you are entrusted to someone, for this to be effective relationship – you must trust the person you have been entrusted to, believing that that person has the best in mind for you.
3. Through Esther trusting Hagai who she had been entrusted to, she was able to hear his wisdom and inside knowledge and therefore able to follow his wisdom, which led her to become Queen.

So my question to you would be: Who are you entrusting your life with? God should be your number one person that you entrust your life with – because he wants the best for you and will help give you the secrets of inside word on how to live life well and be in the right place at the right time, so that you too one day can walk into the purposes that God has prepared for you!

Don’t be like the King who entrusted his kingdom for a time to a man that wanted to destroy his queens nation. Read Esther to see more!

God Bless
Naomi

It's In The Look

2009-09-02T12:35:00.001+12:00

Shane Willard iaa personal mentor of mine. I have long been thankful for the great insights and revelation that he carries. I was reading his newsletter and saw this fantastic piece on prayer. May it bless and encourage you:

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Not too long ago I was really challenged in my walk with God in the area of prayer. Jesus was teaching His disciples how to pray and He tells them..."when you pray, do not go on babbling like the pagans do, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." I was so challenged by this phrase. I asked myself, "what separates you from the pagans?"

I tend to go on and on when I pray. I remember being challenged as a young man to pray for an hour a day. To me, that meant talking for an hour. I would literally run out of things to say, so I began compiling a list of needs and working through them. This became an extremely monotonous exercise in spiritual discipline.

The problem is obvious and even gets more convicting when Jesus' next instruction is basically do not make your praying about listing your needs before God for don't you know that God knows what you need before you ask Him.

Well, this created a huge issue for me to work through with God. Jesus seems to be saying that the most powerful prayer life is not one of many words or a list of needs. No wonder my prayers seem to have no power. That is all they were about....words and needs. I mus admitthat if I took the words and needs out of my prayers that I literally have nothing left. Mix that with the fact that Jesus seemed to have His life in unisowith the Father, and I was left with an empty feeling inside.

I finally realized that I did not know how to pray. I had a two degrees in theology and on ordination and did not have a clue about how to pray without the focus being words or needs. Maybe what I learned next will help all of us who have struggled with this.

There is a law in Hebrew Hermaneutics that is called first mention. It means that whatever the first mention of something is in scripture defines with precedent the other mentions in scripture. What is the first mention of the idea of prayer in the Bible? It comes from Genesis 4 and says that the sons of Enosh called upon the Lord.
To fully understand this, we have to understand that the Hebrew Language was originally pictures. Every Hebrew letter was a picture, and every Hebrew word was a comic strip. The word translated called in Genesis 4 is three pictures. All three are heads. The first is the front of the head; the second is the back of a head; and the third is an ox head going into a yoke. You have this sense of a head turning front to back to look at an ox head going into a yoke. Therefore, when the Hebrew people read the word called or prayer, they read "a turning of the head in order to face the one who can bear the burden."

This makes all the sense in the world to me. That prayer is a change from self-consciousness to God-consciousness. It is an internal change of focus. It is realizing that God is as close to us as the air that we breathe and then becoming aware of it. Allowing our consciousness and imagination to feel the truth of the felt presence of God. This is how Jesus prayed for an hour and yet the words take 90 seconds to read. It was not about the words. The words were simply a manifestation of what had been built in quiet and in secret.

What would happen if our prayers could become that? Every word in the prayer built sufficiently in our spirit before they are spoken. Try it. Try praying without saying anything. Just sit quietly and become aware that the mighty One is close to you....as close as the air that you are breathing. Out of this awareness of God will come the most mighty prayers you have ever experienced.

Fantastic... wasn't it! Shane has numerous resources available on his web site. Click HERE to go and check it out.

Leave a comment and share some of your revelations on prayer.

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

Tears of the Saints featuring Leeland and Delirious

2009-08-31T12:07:00.002+12:00

What an awesome privlege and and responsibility we have been entrusted with.

Our heart beat at Eastside has always been to Win our world for Christ and see people developed into fully devoted followers of christ.

May this video have inspired you to share God's love with your world... for no matter where we find ourselves we are all in full time ministry.

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

Do the Spirited Dance!!

2009-08-24T15:24:00.002+12:00

1 Thessalonians 4:1-2 talks about living in a way that pleases God. The Message Bible puts it like this...

One final word, friends. We ask you – urge is more like it – that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance. You know the guidelines we laid out for you from the Master Jesus. God wants you to live a pure life.

To live in relationship with God – and in a way that pleases Him – doesn’t mean to live a life of boredom and glumness!

Living in relationship with God is exciting – you never quite know what He’s got planned next! He gives amazing joy and fulfilment like nothing else can bring! Go on... grow your relationship with Him - and do life with a ‘living, spirited dance’!!

In Honour Of...

2009-08-20T09:34:00.002+12:00

It's very exciting that we have Bob & Mara coming on staff to run Elevate (our high school ministry) and to oversee Noise (our intermediate ministry).
So in honour of the new crew coming in...

I (Clive) will be focusing on life groups in Eastside. So if you're not connected... give me a holla and I help you get connected with the fine people of Eastside.

Enlarge Your View

2009-08-11T12:45:00.003+12:00

I’ve been thinking lately about the phrase “magnify the lord”.
Now for some this would seem very straight forward, however as I was pondering I had this image of a person holding a magnifying glass. That takes me back to primary school looking for insects in the school gardens for our biology projects...

Anyway.....the thought being that God has given us free will, the right to choose what we want to focus on, he doesn’t demand or force us – he just welcomes us and gives us clues in his direction.

Therefore in life with our magnifying glass we have a choice....What will we look through our magnifying glass at?
Ourselves, our problems, our financies, our imperfections...there’s so many options....however David encourages us in the psalms to “magnify the lord with me”.
In other words – take your magnifying glass and fix it on Him...everything else will become it’s rightful size and in it’s right perspective when we focus it on Him.

The truth is it’s not to make God bigger – cause God is way to big to be made any bigger – it’s more for us, so that we can walk through life with confidence knowing that God is for us anT as we0fix our eyes on him all other things become in their right place.
And as Ps Martin Steel so brilliantly spoke about giving Lordship of our lives to God...this is one way of doing it....how about today you choose to let God big the biggest thing in your world and allow all the other things that seek your attention to shrink to their rightful size compared to God, and let his peace surround you!

Will You Join The Slow Dance?

2009-08-02T23:17:00.004+12:00

I have just finished reading The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss. At the conclusion of the book I found a beautiful and wise poem that was sent to Tim by a terminally ill girl in a NY hospital:

Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?

Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?

When you ask: How are you?
Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done,
do you lie in your bed

With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?

You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.
The music won't last.

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?

And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die

Cause you never had time
To call and say, "Hi"?

You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.
The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift thrown away.

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower.

Hear the music
Before the song is over.

Unknown

What words of wisdom!
I fear if I try to add anything I'll just ruin it and get in the way.
Well, maybe just one more quote:

"There is nothing the busy man is less busied with than living; there is nothing harder to learn."
Seneca

Please leave a comment and share your thoughts with us.

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

Make Everyday

2009-08-01T00:30:00.002+12:00

Most times... less is more. So let me be brief and leave you with this fantastic quote:

"Make everyday your masterpiece."
John Wooden

How do you put this into practice? Comment and let us know.

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

INSPIRE 09 is All Go!!!

2009-07-22T12:54:00.000+12:00

Our Inspire Conference is all go! The Countdown is on!

It is powerful when a team of people gather together for a united cause... the expectancy rises, faith rises and adrenalin gets pumping!

When the church unite and rise with faith and expectancy – watch out!... You can be sure that God will show up!

Ps Jordan Smith preached a great message last weekend about Zacchaeus (Luke 19). God responds to people who are wanting to see more of Him.

This incredible passage of Scripture inspires me... I hope you too will be inspired!...

Ephesians 1:18-23 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people. I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honour at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else in this world or in the world to come. And God has put all things under the authority of Christ, and he gave him this authority for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is filled by Christ, who fills everything everywhere with his presence.

May you know His power and presence today!

Jan

The Absence Of Father Figures

2009-07-21T21:40:00.004+12:00

I was writing a Happy B-day message to Harley Couper and found the following extract on his facebook page:

“I learned a great deal about myself while watching a documentary a few years ago about elephants in a wildlife trust in Africa. There were twenty-five elephants, all of them orphans, and they had been brought to the trust twenty years before. They were becoming teenagers– in elephant years.

The narrator in the documentary said the elephant musth cycle beings in adolescence, and normally lasts only a few days. But among these orphans, the musth cycle was disrupted and had become unusually long. These elephants were taking out their aggression on rhinos that bathed at a local mud pool. An elephant would slowly lumber down to the pool, enter near a rhino, then spear it through the side with his tusks. The elephant would then lean his gargantuan forehead into the head of the rhino, holding the beast underwater until it drowned. The filmmakers followed these orphan elephants who were always on their own, staggering about the wildlife refuge, fueled by a pent-up aggression they couldn’t understand. They weren’t acting like elephants– they didn’t know what an elephant was supposed to do with all his energy, all his muscle.

I have never killed a rhino, or much of anything for that matter, but there have been times in my life when I didn’t know exactly how to be. I mean, there were feelings, sometimes anger, sometimes depression, sometimes raging lust, and I was never sure what any of it was about. I just felt like killing somebody, or sleeping with some girl, or decking a guy in a bar, and I didn’t know what to do with any of these feelings. Life was a confusing series of emotions rubbing against events. I wasn’t sure how to manage myself, how to talk to a woman, how to build a career, how to– well, be a man.

To me, life was something you had to stumble through alone. It wasn’t something you enjoyed or conquered, it was something that happened to you, and you didn’t have a whole lot of say about the way it turned out. You just acted out your feelings and hoped you never got caught.

Watching television that night, however, the narrator began to speak of a kind of hope for these elephants. Elephant development, apparently, begins very early. Female elephants are only capable of having children once every two years, and during those two years between babies, the young are cared for obsessively by their mothers. They are fed, sheltered, loved, and guided in their learning of basic survival.

It is only at the first musth cycle that a young male elephant leaves his mother and enters into the African wild, searching for a mentor, a guide. The green pus running down his hind leg and his smell like fresh-cut grass alerts an older, fully mature male, that this is a young elephant in need of guidance. Upon finding a mentor, the young elephant’s musth cycle ends. The older and younger begin to travel together, to find food together, to protect each other– the older one teaching the younger what elephant strength is for, and how to use it for the benefit of himself and the tribe.

Watching television that night, I wondered if humans aren’t like that, too. I began to wonder if we guys were designed to have a father, whose very presence would cause us to understand more accurately what our muscle is for, what we are supposed to do with our energy.

You have to wonder, don’t you? Some statistics state as many as 85 percent of the guys in prison grew up without a dad. This is sobering to me.

And so watching the documentary, I began to wonder if those of us without dads aren’t making mistakes in our lives we wouldn’t make if we had a father to guide us. I wondered if there isn’t a better paradigm for our existence– a way of being men, a way each of us could truly embrace if it were instilled in us by a man who spoke with altruism and authority. I wondered if people who grow up with great fathers don’t walk around with a subconscious sense they are wanted on this planet, that they belong, and the world needs them. And I wondered this: Is there practical information we are supposed to know about work, women, decisions, authority, leadership, marriage, and family that we would have learned if there were a guide around to help us navigate our journey? I wondered if some of the confusing emotions I was feeling weren’t a kind of suspended adolescence from which the presence of an older man might have delivered me.

– Excerpt from To Own A Dragon, by Donald Miller (pp 31-34)

Leave a comment and let us know what your thoughts are on this topic.
Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

Is There Hope?

2009-07-09T23:29:00.001+12:00

Will you be apart of the change?

Leave a comment and be apart of the conversation.
Clive

Thoughts On Worship

2009-07-06T11:01:00.003+12:00

Photo By Maessive (Flickr)

I’ve been thinking lately about the thought that worship is ALL about Jesus and that it’s not to do with us.

I’ve been thinking that in this day and age we’ve actually lost something of worship in this thought and understanding that we need to bring to light.

When we’re in relationship with someone, we bring part of who we are to the relationship, part of ourselves that we offer.

In worship when we come to God he says, “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind & strength”….so why is it that we take ourselves out of the picture and say it’s all about Jesus, it’s not about our emotions and it’s not about how we are feeling, we just need to focus on God.

However as I’ve been thinking about this - our emotions, our free will, our passion and our freedom is what sets us apart from the rest of creation. It’s what God has given us as a gift. Therefore when we worship it is about us to a point. We need to bring ourselves into the picture….we need to bring our HEARTS, our MINDS, our THOUGHTS, our EMOTION, our PASSION …..all of who we are….the good the bad and the ugly and bring it before him in worship.

God wants us, not our songs, not our money, not our works HE JUST WANTS US –(don’t get me wrong those things come with it) – but it’s all about God getting us – who we are! So next time you worship God – don’t pay him lip service cause you think you should – bring you into the picture….he wants you.

No I don’t think that our worship should be based around how we’re feeling or based on the situation that we’re facing – however I do think we need to bring the genuine reality of who you are into this relationship and let HIM change us and transform us!

Just a thought….i’ve been thinking...

Naomi

INSPIRE 09 IS SOON!!

2009-06-26T10:38:00.003+12:00

Our Inspire Conference is only just around the corner! In fact, the earlybird rego’s close next week!

Faith is rising... as we are getting expectant about our exciting theme – ‘Supernatural’.

Weekly Wednesday morning prayer meetings have been kicked off – and plans and preparations are all go!

I hope you can get to Inspire - 23^rd July till 26^th July... because I know God will speak into your life – and we will experience His presence and His supernatural power!

Get expectant – get faith-filled – and get your rego in!

Jan

We Need One Another!

2009-06-20T22:52:00.003+12:00

Sometimes less is more... so today I give you a great quote:

"Nothing can make up for the absence of someone whom we love, and it would be wrong to try to find a substitute.
It is nonsense to say that God fills the gap; He does not fill it, but on the contrary, He keeps it empty and so helps us to keep alive our former communion with each other, even at the cost of pain."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Let me know what you thought by leaving a comment.

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

Moving Past Your Past

2009-06-12T10:12:00.003+12:00

We all have a ‘past’... good or bad – we have a ‘past’.

God doesn’t want our past to hold us back – but instead, spring us forward.

He has a great future for each of us... and doesn’t want us to let our past limit our future.

There are many examples of people in the Bible that could have limited themselves because of their past.

Look at Paul!... He murdered Christians in his past – but after an encounter with God, went on to become a powerful man of God.

Or if our past was really amazing, we can be tempted to live in the ‘good old days’... instead of stepping into the ‘present’ and the ‘future’ that God has for us.

Paul writes in Philippians 3:13-14... “No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Jesus Christ, is calling us up to heaven.”

Don’t be held back!... Go forward with God!

Jan

Answers To Your Relationship Questions

2009-06-06T22:18:00.006+12:00

Last week in the 6pm service I spoke on relationships briefly for 10 mins and then we opened the floor for questions which arrived via text. We got a lot of questions such as:

Sex before marriage is obviously wrong as a Christian. But what else is ok when dating? From kissing to sex there's a huge gap.
Is it ok to date when you are a teenager?
How should we treat other 'Christians' we know are fornicating?
Do you have any advice on how to prevent yourself thinking lustful thoughts when so many girls these days wear such revealing clothes?

If you missed the message then check out the podcasting section on our website, check out iTunes or click HERE.

There were some questions that didn't get answered though so I will try to briefly answer them here in this post.

Q: How do we keep forgiving when someone keeps sinning?
A: Our ability to forgive needs to come from Jesus. If we try to just force ourselves to forgive it will never stick. We actually need to ask Jesus to do a work from the inside out. This means that it may take some time to fully deal with the offense / hurts but they will be dealt with in a deep and meaningful way that will lead to freedom.
Matthew 5:3 (NLT)
³ “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,^a]">[a]
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

Let me also add here that forgiving someone does not mean having to trust someone or even have a relationship with someone. If someone is constantly breaking your trust, abusing you, etc. then you need to get out of that relationship. Please talk to one of the pastoral staff here if you are faced with this situation.

Q: How can you forgive yourself after God has forgiven you?
A: Our pride steps in the way and often prevents us from receiving. In such a case we need to ask God to deal with our pride and to help us to receive His forgiveness and grace.
We need to take captive our condemning thoughts and replace them with God's truth and the revelation of that truth can sink in and bring freedom.
I find it no coincidence that Jesus was crucified at Golgotha which means 'The Place Of the Skull'. It is in our minds that the greatest war wages and it is here that God's Word will triumph if we will meditate on it!
Matthew 27:32-34
³²As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. ³³They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). ³⁴There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.

Q: How do you know when you are ready for love?
A: What a great question! I would say that if you are desperatly seeking a relationship... then you are probably are not ready for one!
Some of the wrong reasons / motivations that we seek relationships out for include: the need to 'fit' in / peer pressure; looking for someone to complete you; lonliness, desperation or insecurity; to control or dominate the other person; for sexual gratification; to recover from a previous relationship; to make someone else jealous.
Remember that love cost me and benfits others. Lust is all at others expence and is for my gain.

Rember the great advice given in the Song of Solomon 2:7
⁷ Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.

Here are some signs that you may be ready to pursue a relationship:

You are comfortable with your singleness but you know that God has more for you.
You are emotional mature and are ready to put someone elses needs before your own.
You are in a stage of life that you can pursue a relationship towards marriage (it's kinda tough hanging out for marriage when you're 11).

For more resources regarding dating and relationships check out the 'Dating & Relationship Resources' page in our church website. Click HERE to go check it out now.

I hope this has been useful. Leave a comment and share your thoughts or experiences with us.

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

3 Critical Issues Facing The Church Right Now

2009-06-05T00:18:00.004+12:00

The following post WILL disturb you and leave you feeling unsettled!
I know because that is what it has done for me.

Click HERE to check out a post that I have written on the 3 Critical Issues Facing The Church Right Now.

Let me know what you thought of it by leaving a comment.
Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

Are You 'Changed'?

2009-06-02T23:58:00.003+12:00

I have been having a grand old time revisiting the book of 1 Samuel. I love reading the Word of God. It continually amazes me the fresh revelation to be had even when I have read the passages 100's of times.
Just yesterday I came upon this incredible piece of Scripture:

1Sa 10:5-7
(5) Next, go to Gibeah, where the Philistines have an army camp. As you're going into the town, you'll meet a group of prophets coming down from the place of worship. They'll be going along prophesying while others are walking in front of them, playing small harps, small drums, and flutes.
(6) The Spirit of the LORD will suddenly take control of you. You'll become a different person and start prophesying right along with them.
(7) After these things happen, do whatever you think is right! God will help you.

Just for some background... the prophesying mentioned here is not foretelling of the future or speaking words from God over a persons life. Instead it refers to a passionate and enthusiastic praising of God inspired by the Holy Spirit... or put slightly differently an ecstatic expression to an intense religious experience.

This wasn't just the run of the mill Sunday sing-song. These were powerful moments when people connected with God's presence.
Interesting how it says that from this sort of encounter Saul would become a changed man.
Which leads me to question... what happens when we are not regularly having these encounters? Do we simply slide back into our 'old selves' and 'old ways'?

Another interesting thought was that once Saul had these encounters, once he had met with God and was walking in the anointing... he was simply charged to 'do whatever you think is right.'
When we are walking from a fresh encounter with God we know that we are keeping in step with the Holy Spirit.
What happens when we aren't having these encounters?

I'd love to hear your thoughts about my thoughts : ) Go on... leave a comment!
Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

10 Ways To Avoid Building Community

2009-05-19T22:15:00.004+12:00

One of our key values here at Eastside is Doing Life Together. It's our conviction that we can't walk out Christianity in isolation. We were designed to 'do life together'.

I saw this great post written by Bill Reichart and I knew that you'd love it. It's written sarcastically and gives you all the tips on how not to connect.

10 Ways to Avoid Building Community Within Your Church

1. Keep conversations short. Just like the old Dragnet character, Joe Friday, "Just the facts..." Don't get into details. Don't share anything with an emotional element to it. Make conversations short and sweet. You are busy, you have a lot to deal with in your life, if you talk to someone you might get close to them and that takes time and energy that you don’t have. Just keep it short and sweet, don’t bother talking about anything more than the weather. The key is if you don’t know a person is hurting, then you don’t have to do anything about it.

2. Always sit in your “assigned” seat By always sitting in the same seat you always sit around the same people. These folks know the deal, and stick to the appropriate 30 second conversations: weather, sports, how the new preacher is doing, etc. Also, this keeps you from having to venture out, meet new people, and possibly sit next to someone you aren’t familiar with. Also, if you catch someone sitting in your assigned seat, make sure to stare them down and feel uncomfortable. That will teach them and perhaps they won't come back your church again.

3. Avoid new people If possible come to church through the back door. It’s one thing to deal with all the people that you already know at church, but it’s another to actually meet new people. Seriously, you aren’t good with names, you don’t have the time, or the energy, so just walk right past anyone you don’t know. After all, they won’t notice that you totally avoided them.

4. Come late to church Don’t overlook the beauty of this one. By coming in late you totally avoid even the 30 second conversations. And (bonus), you avoid the new people! It just makes life easier.

5. Leave immediately after the service (or early) You got to get out quickly in order to get a seat at the local restaurant. This strategy has the same benefits as coming in late. If you add this method with the coming in late method you could go to a church for years and never meet anyone.

To read the other 5 simply click HERE.

Let me know what your thought about the post.
What have been the best strategies that you have found to connect with others?

Godspeed & Kaizan Clive

How Time Management Can Ruin Your Life

2009-04-21T09:58:00.004+12:00

Check out this fantastic post by Mark & Angel which looks at the 2 extremes of time management. Click HERE to visit the post.

Being in the ministry you tend to always have a to-do list long enough to wrap up the skytower... and every time you get through 10 tasks it seems that 18 more are added.
It's just part of the world we live in.

The most helpful time management system that I have found is one called GTD (or Getting Things Done). It's not your usual time management stuff (like prioritizing and scheduling every bit of your day).
I have found it so useful that I have given it to all my youth staff. I know you'll benefit from it too.
Click HERE to check out David Allen's GTD website.

Please leave a comment on what you thought and what some of your best tips are.

Until next time

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

Did You Notice...

2009-04-07T09:27:00.003+12:00

David Luke past on this fantastic video clip to me.

This video reminds us that it is so easy to get caught up in our own Christian club and become imperceptive to a world around us who are in desperate need of Jesus.

Leave a comment to share your thoughts on this video.

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

The Christian Placebo

2009-03-24T10:39:00.000+13:00

Following is an exert from Tear Fund's Blog:

Have you read the article that’s circulating at the moment in which self proclaimed atheist, Matthew Parris argues cogently that Africa needs God?

“Now a confirmed atheist, I’ve become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa, Christianity changes people’s hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.” (Matthew Parris from TIMES ONLINE 27/12/08 )

Parris goes on to argue that tribalism and traditional beliefs stunt the individualism and initiative of African people, leading to passivity and inaction. Christianity, Parris states, liberates and energizes its African adherents, allowing them to be more confident, and proactive, enabling them to stand tall.

To read the rest of the post, click HERE.

What were your thoughts?

Leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

Godspeed & Kaizan

Clive

Jesus Our High Priest

2009-03-19T10:00:00.002+13:00

I've been pondering about the thought of Jesus being our High Priest, like it discusses in Hebrews 7.

Rather fascinating the way it all came about and what goes on....

Firstly in Hebrews 7:12 is says "For when there is a change of priesthood, there must also be a change of the law."

The rule of thumb stated by the law was that all priests had to come from the line of Aaron....

however Jesus came from the line of Judah. Therefore Jesus became a priest "not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the Power of an indestructible life (vs16). ......"The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (For the law made nothing perfect) and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God (18,19). He changed everything!!!

How he came was not religiously, he made a way that was unconventional! A way to freedom! He also crushed the need for day to day animal sacrificing that the priests did by sacrificing his own life, once and for all. Paying our debt, where he stands in the gap as he petitions his father on our behalf. How amazing Jesus is.....he's the ultimate Box Breaker.

Don't be bound by rules and region but find Christ in a personal way and see the boxes in your life that he want's to break you out of!

Just a thought.....Jesus is our High Priest.....and there will be no other!

Naomi Moore

If You Had 30 Days To Live

2009-03-10T01:22:00.000+13:00

It's easy to loose your focus in life... get caught up in the mundane and just blur through life in a vapid existence.

In the video below (taken from a series called 30 Days To Live at Lifechurch.tv) a young woman who is terminal gives some wisdom on living.

Staci Mcauley Interview - Part 2 from LifeChurch.tv on Vimeo.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, please leave a comment and lets get the conversation going.

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

You Live With God's Presence!

2009-03-02T15:16:00.002+13:00

Hi from Jan...

One of my favourite passages of Scripture is Psalm 139.

It’s totally amazing how God knows EVERYTHING about us!...

He even knows what we’re going to say before we say it! (verse 4)

In verse 7 it says we can never get away from God’s presence... He will never leave us! Wow!

If you’re going through a tough time – don’t forget God will never leave you and His strength will support you (verse 10).

His love for you is never-ending and unconditional – that means no matter what you’ve done – He will love you always!

Be encouraged that you live with God’s presence, His strength and His never-ending love!

Pursuing Christ

2009-02-24T00:58:00.000+13:00

I have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of people who have told me that they are planning to read through the Bible this year.

In an age of Biblical ignorance... there is nothing sweeter to my ears!
As Jerome said, "To be ignorant of the Scriptures is to be ignorant of Christ."

I have personally taken up a challenge to read the 4 Gospels weekly for 3 months.

How are you going to step up your pursuit of Christ in 09?

Matthew 7:22-24 (New International Version)

22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

May we never hear those words from Jesus!

If you do decide to try something like reading the Bible in a year... may I suggest these 2 great on-line tools:

1) E Word Today... a one year Bible reading plan that offers 5 ways of reading the Bible including chronologically and historically. Click HERE to go and check it out.

2) You Version. This site offers the ability to organize, share, contribute and have community in your Bible study as well as a one year reading plan. (I have signed up with Youversion... and use it especially on my iphone). Click HERE to go and check it out.

Let us know how you are planning to increase your pursuit of Christ by leaving a comment.

Godspeed & Kaizan

Clive

Hi From Jan

2009-02-11T17:34:00.002+13:00

Women’s Conference is only 7 weeks away!! J Fri & Sat 27^th & 28^th March.

If you’re at Eastside this weekend, make sure you grab a brochure!

It is so exciting for me to be planning my first Eastside Women’s Conference – it’s going to be great!

Our theme is ‘Unique’... it’s incredible how diverse we all are... many different talents and abilities, shapes and sizes! J

God created us to be confident in who we are – not trying to be like someone else. So let’s encourage each other to rise up in our ‘unique-ness’!

We’ll have loads of fun too – with an opportunity to design a ‘unique’ garment or ‘wearable art’ to be paraded at Conference... or create your own ‘unique’ piece of art or craft to be displayed. We’ll also have a ‘What Not to Wear’ Parade!

Gather your girlfriends – I hope to see you there! J

Bless ya lots!

Jan Rodgers

To Life Group or Not To Life Group...

2009-02-10T09:18:00.000+13:00

Welcome back to Eastside's blogoshere. I trust that you had a phenomenal summer break and that you're ready and excited for all that 09 has in store for you.

In this first post I really wanted to encourage you to consider finding a life group that you can be apart of.
Christianity is meant to be lived out in the context of community. (The truth is... you just don't want to end up like the fellow in the video below!)

If you'd like to know more then click HERE to send an e-mail to Brett Bennett (brett@apo.org.nz) who oversees the life groups at Eastside.

If you had some great feedback about your life group experiences please leave a comment... as it will really encourage others to step out and experience the joy of a life group.

Until next time...

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

Parachute 09

2009-01-30T23:53:00.001+13:00

For those of you who didn't get to see Parachute this year... this video will help you to feel like you were there : )

What Does God Really Want?

2008-12-19T09:16:00.001+13:00

The reality of worship – What does God really want? This has caught me off guard many times in my lifetime. Yeah it’s true people say it’s a lifestyle; it’s all that you do, and I agree, yet when we come down to actually do that it’s so easy to interpret the bible in the way that we want to.

For instance, one morning I was on worship leading and we were in the middle of rehearsal just before the service. God reminded me of the scripture I had been reading the day before…“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. FIRST go and be reconciled to your brother; THEN come and offer your gift.”
…Ouch! Now that was a hard pill to swallow. So to God my worship was not the songs that I was about to sing to him– but instead it was about me FIRST going before the service and humbling myself before my friend and apologizing and seeking forgiveness. Then he would receive my offering of praise and worship.

You see, we often come to God, at his altar and ask HIM to work out all our problems and issues with others - when he actually commands US to FIRST go and be reconciled with the other person BEFORE coming to him with adoration and praise.

I think we can over spiritualize our offerings to God, by bringing to Him all the issues we have with other people, yet never working it out with the person. Or the ‘spiritual’ act of asking God for direction in what we should do in the situation, when God’s Word is plan and simple.
So therefore is it an act of worship at all - or is it disobedience!

Until next time
Naomi

'Tis The Season...

2008-11-27T14:39:00.004+13:00

Hey gang... I don't know about you but I certainly have felt the wave of the 'Silly Season' sweeping over me. Christmas is such a special time, but it can all be easily lost in the blur of activity. So I thought I'd introduce some quite counter consumer cultural links that could be quite useful for you this Christmas season.

The first is a link to a great site where you can give presents that would truly make a world of difference. Click HERE to find out more.

The second link is to a wonderful site that hopes to sweep the world with an Advent Conspiracy. It has plenty of great practical ideas like these ones: (You'll have to click HERE to find out what they are)

If you are more visually motivated then watch their video below:

Finally, for all you parents out there who are trying to keep up to date with the latest music and movies that your kids would like (and if they are appropriate) you can check out this great site that gives Christian reviews. Click HERE to check it out.
A big thank you to Jonathan CP for passing that link on to me (& therefore you... you see you never know how influential your actions and choices will be!)

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

Does God Take?

2008-11-25T09:14:00.001+13:00

Does God sometimes take things out of us, for the purpose of creating something different with it, so that he may give it back to us in a greater form?
Take Adam for instance. When he was created God brought all the different animals to him to name, but it was scene that there was no suitable helper for him. So God put Adam to sleep and took one of his ribs…that’s right just one rib. In Gen 2:22 “Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.”

God had to removed something from Adam – a rib so that he could form a woman to partner with Adam.
What does God see lacking in your life? Does he need to take something out of you that he may fashion something greater out of it? and then return it to you to help you fulfill your purpose.

For me, God took the pain and shame caused by my past – a massive wound and brought healing to it that today I can be proud of the scare that I bear from my past as it is a reminder of what God has done in my life. He took my shame and made something greater out of it – FREEDOM and HEALING!

Does God sometimes take things out of us, for the purpose of creating something different with it, so that he may give it back to us in a greater form?

Until next time...
Naomi

What has God given to you?

2008-11-19T11:08:00.001+13:00

Gen 2:5

When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens – and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground…

Take note of the TWO reasons why there was no growth:

a) Cause God had not sent rain

b) Cause there was no one to work the ground.

Sometimes we cry out to God to send rain, either in our own lives, our families, work places or churches…yet why would he send rain if there is no one to work the land and look after it?

------New testament: The harvest in plentiful but the workers are few…?

2:15 The Lord took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Our mandate to:

a) Work it

b) Take care of it

What ground has God given you? What environment? He’s put you there to work it and take care of it so that he may send rain that there may be growth and a harvest.

Until next time
Naomi Moore

We have more than what we relise!

2008-11-13T09:08:00.003+13:00

Who we are in Christ is so important! BUT more than this who CHRIST is IN us is even more vital! Do we really know what we have in HIM? For example; we sing or maybe even pray, "purify me - purify me." Yet we already are the rightousness of Christ! In fact we are Holy...we have royal blood flowing through us. That doesn't mean we are sloppy in our walk with Christ it simply means we live & walk from a place of Holiness! Here is another one! "Please Lord anoint me, I need your anointing I need your presence". But we need to understand we already have His anointing, His presence is here! He is Emmanual...God with us! Amazing! There has been since Jesus came to earth a radical relocation of God! Amazing! He is with us!! Learn to walk in His anointing.

There is sooo much that God has already given us...lets walk in that & live in what He has already given! For example; Faith...is ours! Every born again person has Faith...it maybe as small as a mustard seed - but it's there...it can move things!! The beautiful thing about any seed is that it grows with the right ingrediants! So it's not, "more faith more faith," it's exercising the faith He has already given!!! here are some Scriptures: 2 Cor. 5:21 / 1 Cor 1:30 / Roms 8:1-3 / 1 John 2:20 /v.27 / Matt 17:20.

Anyway that all from me...until next time - Nick.