Have you aver played the game Guess Who?
For those who may not have, Guess Who is a game where you ask a series of questions to eliminate possibilites and identify the character on the card your opponent is holding.
Do you ever feel like you have to play this game for real?
Do you sometimes feel like you have to ask a million questions just to really find out who someone really is?
Have you ever felt like you have had to do this to work out who you really are?
Have you ever felt like you have had to do this to work out who God is?
I guess the reality is that God is so big and amazing that we will never be able to fully comprehend Him completely, but we can know who God is and grow to know him as well as we can understand this side of eternity.
Guess Who is the theme for this years Youth event. More details will be released over the next couple of weeks, but for now, book in the 23rd and 24th of August for Youth Event and stay tuned for more details.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Would The Real Leader Please Stand Up
This is a subject that I have been reading and thinking about a bit lately, I would be interested to hear what others think.
It seems that a lot of people have a lot of different ideas about what leadership really is, and this is cool, I respect that, but I would like to share some of what I think leadership is about.
Some people ascribe to leadership as written, spoken, taught by people like Borden, Maxwell, and Hybels. Others prefer a view of leadership which seems to be at the opposite end of the scale to the teachings of people like John C. Maxwell, Bill Hybels and Paul Borden.
Personally I think I sit somewhere in between.
The reality is that everywhere in nature and society you will see one individual stand out above the rest and take on a role of leadership. We see it in pack animals with the Alpha male and female, we see it in social situations where one person takes the lead and coordinates with the others to achieve an outcome, we see it on the sporting field where one player is chosen as the team captain to encourage, motivate and direct the team. I think that anyone who denies that leadership is unnecessary or unnatural will struggle to support their supposition.
I think the real issue people have with leadership has a lot to do with what they have seen modelled to them. Of course, if people have been hurt by leaders then this will lead to a negative perception of leadership by them. In the same way, if you have had good models of leadership shown to you then your attitude and opinion of leadership will be much better.
So here is what I think makes a good leader, feel free to agree or disagree with me, let me know, I would be interested to hear what you think.
I truly believe that a leaders job is to seek the common purpose of a group and to co-ordinate, encourage, equip and resource those around them to move towards the goal. A good leader does not lead from the front, or the rear, or the middle, or from the top, or from the bottom. A good leader will lead from all of these positions at various times; sometimes leading the way and taking others with them, at other times empowering others to strive toward the vision, at other times holding the group up and together, and at other times allowing the group to take the lead for a time.
While a group may seek and decide upon a vision together I believe that it is the leaders job to keep this vision in focus and the group moving toward it. Occasionally it becomes the leaders job to say the hard words to some of those they are leading; while this is not something that either party is likely to particularly enjoy, it is necessary for both that this is done. For the one having the hard words spoken to them it is important for their growth and development, for the leader it is important that they do it for the well being of the team and the vision they are striving toward.
Leadership should never be about exerting power over others and seeking position for one's self, this style of leadership will always ultimately fail.
I don't believe that leaders are supposed to be some far off person out of range of those they lead. Good leaders need to be able to relate to the people they are leading. Leaders can only lead effectively if those they are leading are able to come to them and discuss questions, concerns, troubles and successes. But at the same time leaders need to be open about them selves, to a point. I believe that at some point, a leader being too open can affect the ability of the group to continue moving forward. People need to see that their leader is fallible and human, and has experienced much of what they are experiencing, but at the same time, a leader who is too open can lose the confidence of the group around them.
This may be an unpopular view, but I would like to suggest that not everyone is meant to be a leader. Have you heard the sayings "Too many cooks spoil the broth" or Too many Chiefs, not enough Indians"???
It is my experience that not everyone has the ability to be a leader, that is just the way it is. Many people will argue that leadership is not something that you are born with, but learn. I am not totally convinced that this is true. I think that leadership ability is something that comes naturally to some people, and while it can be taught, there are some who naturally will be better at it than others, just like in every area of life.
the reality is that leaders should be a minority. It is very hard to lead if no one is following, and if more than a small number are trying to lead, often in several different directions, the group, the goals and the vision will suffer.
Leadership is no picnic, it is hard, at times unpopular, incredibly demanding, and should not be lusted after. There is no shame in being a follower. Followers are vitally important, there is no condemnation, or shame, or lack of value in not being a leader.
My encouragement to you is this: If you feel called to be a leader, stop and think and pray about this. Leadership is incredibly rewarding at times, but it can be painful and unpleasant too. Decide if you are prepared to make the sometimes hard, and sometimes enormous sacrifices that a leader needs to make at times. If you are able to do this, then proceed, because it will be worth it in the end.
It seems that a lot of people have a lot of different ideas about what leadership really is, and this is cool, I respect that, but I would like to share some of what I think leadership is about.
Some people ascribe to leadership as written, spoken, taught by people like Borden, Maxwell, and Hybels. Others prefer a view of leadership which seems to be at the opposite end of the scale to the teachings of people like John C. Maxwell, Bill Hybels and Paul Borden.
Personally I think I sit somewhere in between.
The reality is that everywhere in nature and society you will see one individual stand out above the rest and take on a role of leadership. We see it in pack animals with the Alpha male and female, we see it in social situations where one person takes the lead and coordinates with the others to achieve an outcome, we see it on the sporting field where one player is chosen as the team captain to encourage, motivate and direct the team. I think that anyone who denies that leadership is unnecessary or unnatural will struggle to support their supposition.
I think the real issue people have with leadership has a lot to do with what they have seen modelled to them. Of course, if people have been hurt by leaders then this will lead to a negative perception of leadership by them. In the same way, if you have had good models of leadership shown to you then your attitude and opinion of leadership will be much better.
So here is what I think makes a good leader, feel free to agree or disagree with me, let me know, I would be interested to hear what you think.
I truly believe that a leaders job is to seek the common purpose of a group and to co-ordinate, encourage, equip and resource those around them to move towards the goal. A good leader does not lead from the front, or the rear, or the middle, or from the top, or from the bottom. A good leader will lead from all of these positions at various times; sometimes leading the way and taking others with them, at other times empowering others to strive toward the vision, at other times holding the group up and together, and at other times allowing the group to take the lead for a time.
While a group may seek and decide upon a vision together I believe that it is the leaders job to keep this vision in focus and the group moving toward it. Occasionally it becomes the leaders job to say the hard words to some of those they are leading; while this is not something that either party is likely to particularly enjoy, it is necessary for both that this is done. For the one having the hard words spoken to them it is important for their growth and development, for the leader it is important that they do it for the well being of the team and the vision they are striving toward.
Leadership should never be about exerting power over others and seeking position for one's self, this style of leadership will always ultimately fail.
I don't believe that leaders are supposed to be some far off person out of range of those they lead. Good leaders need to be able to relate to the people they are leading. Leaders can only lead effectively if those they are leading are able to come to them and discuss questions, concerns, troubles and successes. But at the same time leaders need to be open about them selves, to a point. I believe that at some point, a leader being too open can affect the ability of the group to continue moving forward. People need to see that their leader is fallible and human, and has experienced much of what they are experiencing, but at the same time, a leader who is too open can lose the confidence of the group around them.
This may be an unpopular view, but I would like to suggest that not everyone is meant to be a leader. Have you heard the sayings "Too many cooks spoil the broth" or Too many Chiefs, not enough Indians"???
It is my experience that not everyone has the ability to be a leader, that is just the way it is. Many people will argue that leadership is not something that you are born with, but learn. I am not totally convinced that this is true. I think that leadership ability is something that comes naturally to some people, and while it can be taught, there are some who naturally will be better at it than others, just like in every area of life.
the reality is that leaders should be a minority. It is very hard to lead if no one is following, and if more than a small number are trying to lead, often in several different directions, the group, the goals and the vision will suffer.
Leadership is no picnic, it is hard, at times unpopular, incredibly demanding, and should not be lusted after. There is no shame in being a follower. Followers are vitally important, there is no condemnation, or shame, or lack of value in not being a leader.
My encouragement to you is this: If you feel called to be a leader, stop and think and pray about this. Leadership is incredibly rewarding at times, but it can be painful and unpleasant too. Decide if you are prepared to make the sometimes hard, and sometimes enormous sacrifices that a leader needs to make at times. If you are able to do this, then proceed, because it will be worth it in the end.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Get Smart
It's that time of year again. Kids camp is quickly approaching.
The theme for this year is Get Smart. Many of the readers of this blog will remember the original Get Smart, where Agent 86, Maxwell Smart was played by the comical Don Adams. But this camp really has very little to do with that.
While we have borrowed some of the terminology from Get Smart; the name, Kaos and Control, the Shoephone concept, the theme for this years Camp is really about Getting Smart about God!!
The camp is going to be a great time of fun for our young people, please encourage those you know to attend.
Cost will be $90.00 at the earlybird rate (forms and deposit must be received by the 10th of June) or $110.00 at the standard rate after then.
Stay tuned for more info and some thoughts about Getting Smart about God.
The theme for this year is Get Smart. Many of the readers of this blog will remember the original Get Smart, where Agent 86, Maxwell Smart was played by the comical Don Adams. But this camp really has very little to do with that.
While we have borrowed some of the terminology from Get Smart; the name, Kaos and Control, the Shoephone concept, the theme for this years Camp is really about Getting Smart about God!!
The camp is going to be a great time of fun for our young people, please encourage those you know to attend.
Cost will be $90.00 at the earlybird rate (forms and deposit must be received by the 10th of June) or $110.00 at the standard rate after then.
Stay tuned for more info and some thoughts about Getting Smart about God.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Captivity and Freedom
Firstly, the Prodigal iPod has returned!!! The story of it's disappearance and reappearance is a complicated one, but let's just say that it wasn't my fault and that I am stoked that it has returned and life has gotten back to normal.
Lately I have been working my way through 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings as a part of my devotional time. It is an interesting read, to see how the leadership of Israel and Judah affected the people. But as I read the account of how Israel was led off into captivity by the Assyrians because of their sin, and as I begin to read the early stages of Judah's descent to the point where they are taken into captivity by the Babylonians, it occurred to me how people today are still being taken captive by sin.
Although today, most people are not imprisoned or deported to another country because of their sin, although in some cases this is a consequence of sin, I couldn't help but wonder how many people were captive to fear, and guilt and shame because of the mistakes that they have made in their pasts? We see it on T.V so frequently, some high profile person has a secret that they fear could ruin them if it ever became public knowledge does whatever is necessary to keep that secret, well, secret. This fear of exposure renders them a prisoner to their mistake and forces them to do things they don't want to do to keep things the way they are.
As I thought and discussed this with God, it occurred to me that even the people of Judah didn't remain captives forever. After a while (70 years if I remember correctly) god sent King Cyrus of Persia to liberate His people and allow them to return to the land that He had promised to their ancestors Abraham Isaac and Jacob. As i continued in this discussion with God about this I was reminded of Jesus, who came again to set people free from captivity, this time not from a physical captivity, but a captivity of fear, shame, guilt, injustice and poverty.
We have been freed by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, now we no longer need to be held captive by those feelings of fear and guilt and shame. All we need to do is come before Jesus in repentance (basically changing our lives so that we do not make the same mistakes again), pray and ask Jesus for forgiveness.
We also, as followers of Jesus have a responsibility to live up to His words "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." This wasn't just Jesus' mission, it is the mission of all of those who follow Him. There are many ways to do this, but I might go into that in another blog.
This week, may you too preach the good news to the poor, proclaim freedom to the prisoners, work for the recover of sight to the blind, release the oppressed and proclaim the year of the Lord's favour!!!
Lately I have been working my way through 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings as a part of my devotional time. It is an interesting read, to see how the leadership of Israel and Judah affected the people. But as I read the account of how Israel was led off into captivity by the Assyrians because of their sin, and as I begin to read the early stages of Judah's descent to the point where they are taken into captivity by the Babylonians, it occurred to me how people today are still being taken captive by sin.
Although today, most people are not imprisoned or deported to another country because of their sin, although in some cases this is a consequence of sin, I couldn't help but wonder how many people were captive to fear, and guilt and shame because of the mistakes that they have made in their pasts? We see it on T.V so frequently, some high profile person has a secret that they fear could ruin them if it ever became public knowledge does whatever is necessary to keep that secret, well, secret. This fear of exposure renders them a prisoner to their mistake and forces them to do things they don't want to do to keep things the way they are.
As I thought and discussed this with God, it occurred to me that even the people of Judah didn't remain captives forever. After a while (70 years if I remember correctly) god sent King Cyrus of Persia to liberate His people and allow them to return to the land that He had promised to their ancestors Abraham Isaac and Jacob. As i continued in this discussion with God about this I was reminded of Jesus, who came again to set people free from captivity, this time not from a physical captivity, but a captivity of fear, shame, guilt, injustice and poverty.
We have been freed by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, now we no longer need to be held captive by those feelings of fear and guilt and shame. All we need to do is come before Jesus in repentance (basically changing our lives so that we do not make the same mistakes again), pray and ask Jesus for forgiveness.
We also, as followers of Jesus have a responsibility to live up to His words "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." This wasn't just Jesus' mission, it is the mission of all of those who follow Him. There are many ways to do this, but I might go into that in another blog.
This week, may you too preach the good news to the poor, proclaim freedom to the prisoners, work for the recover of sight to the blind, release the oppressed and proclaim the year of the Lord's favour!!!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
WORSHIP STUFF
What do you find is the best way to spend time with God??
A little while ago my iPod vanished, despite searching high and low and practically tearing the last place I saw it apart, I as yet have been still unable to find it.
Now I dont know about you, but for me my iPod is no luxury, it is an essential part of my life. I listen to it in the car, in the office, and while I am travelling it is a great way to spend time waiting, or to unwind while away from home. I also use music frequently as a way to spend some time with God, I find that the right songs are able to help me enter a worshipful attitude and tune into God.
I never realised just how much I used my iPod until last week, while I was away at a conference and wanted to spend some time chilling out with God, and went to reach for my iPod and realised that I didnt have it!!
What is it about music that seems to lift the human soul and spirit?
I understand that music doesnt do it for everyone, in fact I know a few people who can think of very little worse than having to sing as a part of worship. But for me, and for many others I imagine, while I may not be a great singer, or even a good one, music has this way of lifting me to a higher plane and allowing me to really feel God's presence in a special way.
So this week, pray that my iPod turns up, and maybe even try searching for an alternative way to worship God yourself.
Also, it would be great if you could share about what ways you worship God!!!
A little while ago my iPod vanished, despite searching high and low and practically tearing the last place I saw it apart, I as yet have been still unable to find it.
Now I dont know about you, but for me my iPod is no luxury, it is an essential part of my life. I listen to it in the car, in the office, and while I am travelling it is a great way to spend time waiting, or to unwind while away from home. I also use music frequently as a way to spend some time with God, I find that the right songs are able to help me enter a worshipful attitude and tune into God.
I never realised just how much I used my iPod until last week, while I was away at a conference and wanted to spend some time chilling out with God, and went to reach for my iPod and realised that I didnt have it!!
What is it about music that seems to lift the human soul and spirit?
I understand that music doesnt do it for everyone, in fact I know a few people who can think of very little worse than having to sing as a part of worship. But for me, and for many others I imagine, while I may not be a great singer, or even a good one, music has this way of lifting me to a higher plane and allowing me to really feel God's presence in a special way.
So this week, pray that my iPod turns up, and maybe even try searching for an alternative way to worship God yourself.
Also, it would be great if you could share about what ways you worship God!!!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Easter Camp
Sorry I haven't posted for a while, things have been pretty hectic here.
Easter camp, judging from all of the reports that I have heard, both directly and indirectly, was awesome!!!
It was a great time of fun, friendship and faith, where we got to look at the Easter experience from the last supper all the way through to the resurrection.
For those who missed out, plan to come next year, it is one event that is definitely worth the cost.
Stephen and Danielle were fantastic. Some of the exercises they led us through were great, I know that the listening/imaginative prayer was a huge hit with many of the youth at camp. Stephen's amazing dive on the dung riddled hill was a great demonstration. The stories they told to illustrate their points will not be easily forgotten.
Let me know what you thought of camp, and maybe some ideas you would like to see included next year!!
On Sunday we watched a DVD about Fair trade, and heard about how Jesus came not only to redeem us as individuals, but to redeem the world corporately also. As a result of this Danielle challenged us to come up with 3 things that we would do to promote redemption of our communities and even the world.
So here are the 3 groups lists, this is so that we can all hold each other accountable:
GEELONG:
1 Find out more about Fair Trade products and encourage the church and individuals to use them.
2 See what Local coffee shops and schools are using for coffee etc. and educate them about Fair Trade.
3 Start a fundraiser with fair trade products.
TORQUAY/ARARAT:
1 Promote the coffee shops who already sell fair trade.
2 Contact local press to be in on the fair trade campaign.
3 make our churches, homes and lives fair trade.
DELACOMBE:
1 make a conscious effort to support Fair Trade products.
2 Campaign at Starbucks for more Fair Trade products.
3 Educate others by handing out flyer's about Fair Trade and it's alternative.
I hope that these are correct, let me know if I got something wrong.
Have a great time and make a difference, because as we learnt at camp; God has not forsaken us and Jesus died on the cross not only to bring redemption to our lives but to the whole world!!
Easter camp, judging from all of the reports that I have heard, both directly and indirectly, was awesome!!!
It was a great time of fun, friendship and faith, where we got to look at the Easter experience from the last supper all the way through to the resurrection.
For those who missed out, plan to come next year, it is one event that is definitely worth the cost.
Stephen and Danielle were fantastic. Some of the exercises they led us through were great, I know that the listening/imaginative prayer was a huge hit with many of the youth at camp. Stephen's amazing dive on the dung riddled hill was a great demonstration. The stories they told to illustrate their points will not be easily forgotten.
Let me know what you thought of camp, and maybe some ideas you would like to see included next year!!
On Sunday we watched a DVD about Fair trade, and heard about how Jesus came not only to redeem us as individuals, but to redeem the world corporately also. As a result of this Danielle challenged us to come up with 3 things that we would do to promote redemption of our communities and even the world.
So here are the 3 groups lists, this is so that we can all hold each other accountable:
GEELONG:
1 Find out more about Fair Trade products and encourage the church and individuals to use them.
2 See what Local coffee shops and schools are using for coffee etc. and educate them about Fair Trade.
3 Start a fundraiser with fair trade products.
TORQUAY/ARARAT:
1 Promote the coffee shops who already sell fair trade.
2 Contact local press to be in on the fair trade campaign.
3 make our churches, homes and lives fair trade.
DELACOMBE:
1 make a conscious effort to support Fair Trade products.
2 Campaign at Starbucks for more Fair Trade products.
3 Educate others by handing out flyer's about Fair Trade and it's alternative.
I hope that these are correct, let me know if I got something wrong.
Have a great time and make a difference, because as we learnt at camp; God has not forsaken us and Jesus died on the cross not only to bring redemption to our lives but to the whole world!!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Favourite Characters
What is your favourite Bible story?
Who is your favourite bible character?
My favourite bible story prabably has to be about Gideon. I love the way God takes the smallest man from the smallest family, from the smallest clan from the smallest tribe in Israel and uses him to bring about freedom and a renewal in the faith of Israel.
My favourite character though is probably Josiah. I find Josiah's character quite inspiring. Despite growning up with godlessness all around him, somehow Josiah manages to become a grat king and a great man of God. I love what 1 Kings 22: 1-2 says:
"Josiah was eight years old when he bagan to reign; he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mothers name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. He did what was was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or the left."
Josiah was completely obedient to God, right up until the battle when he was killed, a battle that God had advised Josiah to not go into. Josiah cleared out all of the idolatry of Judah and led them back to following God.
Can you imagine what it must have been like to be the king at age 8!!!
Josiah inspires me to walk closely with God, to lead others to walk closely with Him and to lead others even if they think that I'm too young.
Who are your favourite Bible characters?
What is your favourite Bible story?
What do they teach you about God, about you, about life???
Who is your favourite bible character?
My favourite bible story prabably has to be about Gideon. I love the way God takes the smallest man from the smallest family, from the smallest clan from the smallest tribe in Israel and uses him to bring about freedom and a renewal in the faith of Israel.
My favourite character though is probably Josiah. I find Josiah's character quite inspiring. Despite growning up with godlessness all around him, somehow Josiah manages to become a grat king and a great man of God. I love what 1 Kings 22: 1-2 says:
"Josiah was eight years old when he bagan to reign; he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mothers name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. He did what was was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or the left."
Josiah was completely obedient to God, right up until the battle when he was killed, a battle that God had advised Josiah to not go into. Josiah cleared out all of the idolatry of Judah and led them back to following God.
Can you imagine what it must have been like to be the king at age 8!!!
Josiah inspires me to walk closely with God, to lead others to walk closely with Him and to lead others even if they think that I'm too young.
Who are your favourite Bible characters?
What is your favourite Bible story?
What do they teach you about God, about you, about life???
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