Published June 21, 2009 by

Ministry

“At the same time you love it but you also hate it with all your guts” (Thanks Les…)

This is exactly how I feel, or at least in the past have felt about Gush. It intrigues me to work out if this is where I need to again pour some effort or if I should wait for somewhere else to pour that expense. It is an expense. It is time, heart, pain and mental energy. It is well and truly worth it.

Do we get a say in what our ministry is? (I don’t like the term ministry by the way, and I’m not even sure of the concept of it as a stand-alone but just run with it). Or do we just somehow arrive there?

I also reckon marriage is a ministry by this definition. Not in a bad way – of hating it’s guts, ha. It’s wonderful, but at the same time it’s a lot of giving up of self and that’s marvelously difficult at times. Today Geoff made me breakfast in bed and made me lunch (err.. when I was in bed again being lazy/sleepy). It was very good.

Christianity Church Life Ministry

Christianity kingdom of God Life Ministry

Published June 20, 2008 by

Christianty and expression

upstreamfishAndrew Hamiliton has posted an interesting little advertisement/imagery thing.

Check it out.

Two almost identical images that mean very different things.

Oddly (or perhaps not) it reminds me of the label ‘Christian’. There is only so far you can go with a post-modern, ‘truth is what is real to me’ when it comes to Jesus, and yet we have a wildly diverse level of expression ‘Christian’.

I am somewhat dissatisfied with what my picture looks at the moment. I think it if could be bothered re-jigging the picture on the left, I would often colour in one of the blue fishes orange and call it Rebecca.

Christianity Life

advertising Christianity dissatisfaction Life

Published May 24, 2008 by

Changes

I haven’t mentioned them previously due to either uncertainty or confidentiality but there have been some pretty significant changes going on.

In two weeks Geoff finishes up where he’s worked for the last three years for a new job – closer to what he originally wanted to do with IT. It’s been a slow and interesting haul working out what was happening and if he/we’d actually head down that route.

And last night Geoff and I let the youth kids know that we’d be finishing up at the end of this term. This too has been a long and interesting journey. Because to be utterly honest we don’t want to be finishing up.

I’m really not sure about the whole often held idea that God has a set plan laid out for our lives, but regardless I think this is what we need to be doing, and we’ve kind of been told. We have no idea what’s next. In some way it’s a part of establishing what it means to be a Christian and not to be a part of such an obvious ‘ministry’ (Gosh I’m starting to really hate that word). It’s a sucky thing to be leaving youth behind, it will be interesting to see what’s ahead, but for now, I’d rather be back hanging out with 14 year olds. What lies ahead for the youth at YVV is also in question, please be praying for that, there’s no smackingly clear direction or person.

Christianity Church Life Ministry

Christianity Church God plans youth

Published April 14, 2008 by

Base level and back to insight

Apologies for surviving on coffee for the past three or so days – the posting quality indicates that although the good black stuff is a stimulant, it sort of just exists to taste nice and to keep you awake, rather than provide any kind of clarity of thought.

I must rave on about some of the stuff at Forge. I did find the whole deal very different to last year’s gig. Dangerous Stories was this beautiful play of theory and inspiration. Grassroots was more a lovely kind of depth filled encouragement basement that affirmed the heart behind things rather than just ideas.

I say encouragement but in a small way I need to flip that on end again and say I came away with a little lingering sense of hope while staring at a mountain with this bloody big compulsion to change. Erm… I hope you get the gist

My favourite workshop of the whole weekend – and possibly my favourite of the lot (besides Danielle Strickland who was hilarious and just really good, oh, and Tall Skinny Kiwi) – was a workshop by Steve Drinkall – ‘God doesn’t need another Church’.

I was going to explain it through but after a short Google search to find a link, I found the stuff pretty much explained.

Monks, Cheerleaders and Activists.

It was so good to hear about something that’s being lived out and it is stories like these that give me confidence (For a sometimes very young feeling 22 year old) that I can be a part of something similar and that it’s something that I want to be on about.

Christianity Church Coffee

Christianity Forge grassroots mission

Published April 11, 2008 by

Away with your noisy

Tonight Forge – Grassroots started. Mike Frost spoke around Hebrews and the warning of falling away (5:11ff) with the correlation between ‘slowness to learn’ and our ideas that aren’t completed with action and so cemented or true. I cannot possibly do it justice, but the following you tube clip (Jon Foreman) may express a small sentiment. Thanks to Anne Jackson for sharing the clip.

Christianity Social Justice

Christianity Forge Justice You Tube