This Sunday at Generate....

I've ripped this straight from James Macpherson's blog, this Sunday night Grant & Chris Mackay are preaching on the topic of Identity. I don't want to spoil anything, but I know they will be using the following clip from a Dove Commercial advertisement.

I'm totally believing that God will do something powerful this Sunday at Generate as we realise just how powerful our identity is in Christ!

Check this out...

Happy Hour

At Southside we have a new Sunday afternoon 3 on 3 basketball competition that we are launching on the 9th of November. It's called 'Happy Hour' and will include a cheap BBQ dinner, drinks, coffee & some great live music - plus some basketball action of course! For more info or to register a team you can check out our Southside website here....

http://www.southsidecc.com.au/

Just for a bit of fun I've included the 3rd prize winner from the recent World Press Photo Awards, you can check out the site below.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/gallery/2008/feb/08/photography?picture=332436253

The Extra 2%

Anyone who saw the game between the Broncos & the Melbourne Storm last fornight would understand that the difference in a good game a great game is that little bit extra. The extra tackle. The extra training. The extra committment to live well, not just play well. The extra 2%.

The mighty Broncos led the entire game but with 40 seconds to go (4o seconds!!) they dropped the ball and the Storm somehow managed to get over the line. For every Bronco supporter it was their worst nightmare!

It got me thinking though. When it comes to a great team - it really is that extra 2% that makes the difference.

I have the honour of being a part of an amazing team at my church, Southside! I pray we are always the team that are willing to put in the extra 2% to see lives changed and Jesus lifted up. I am constantly inspired when I see members in our team doing the little things excellently....

And
do
you
know
what
I've
realised.

The extra 2% reveals character.


As we determined to put in that little bit more, we are really saying 'I believe in what God has called me to do'. It's no longer just a job

...it's a mission

....it's a calling.


Check out Galatians 6:9 in the MSG....
So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.

Did you hear that? Behind the words is a conviction! I'm not just doing anything, I'm doing good.
Let's all determine that make that our conviction - I'm living to do good (the extra 2%) and as I do good...I'm living by faith!

The extra 2% reveals faith

Faith acts on what it cannot yet see.

Like the young man spending his life savings to purchase a beautiful ring for that girl!
Faith is willing to sacrifice now to have something much better later.
As Christians - we are called to live by faith.

Living a life of excellence reveals not just the character of the person, but their level of faith!
We will never be committed to the 'dream' later, if we can't be committed now.

Faith acts on a conviction that is established first in the supernatural!
Pushing through the crowd to touch his garmet....
Building the worlds first boat...
Not my will but Your will be done.....

Dont' be fooled
The extra 2% is all about faith....


Let's live above the average!

From the Compassion Website

Tragically, of the 132 million children born each year, one in four is born into a family that exists on less than A$2 a day. In developing countries, one in three children is born into abject poverty and conditions of almost unimaginable suffering and need.

Out of every 100 children
• 27 suffer from malnutrition in their first five years of life
• 25 are not immunised against any diseases
• 18 have no access to clean drinking water
• 39 live without adequate sanitation
• 18 never go to school (of these, 11 are girls)
• 25 who begin 1st grade do not reach 5th grade
• 20 never learn how to read (of these, 13 are girls)

We are blessed to be a blessing!

Pride War

2 Chronicles 26:16 "But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his
downfall."

King Uzziah was a great leader but maybe not a great worshipper. The Bible tells us that as Uzziah became more and more successfull instead of giving glory to God he allowed the success to go to his head. It's so easy these days to become consume with what we are doing, and forget that it is God that gives us the ability to do it in the first place. What an awesome opportunity we have to be a part of what God is doing on the earth!

Signs of Pride from King Uzziah:

1. Not praying before acting
2. Not listening to wise counsel
4. Got angry at good people and burned out his relationships

The humble do the exact opposite:

1. Pray constantly and thank God for opportunities
2. Listen to wise counsel
3. Are generous and thank God for the relationships in their life


Let's be passionate about God and about what we do and also remember that it is Jesus that has made a way for us to have relationship with God and live a blessed and influential life!

It's a great day to be a Queenslander!

A huge win for chaplaincy!

I had the opportunity to be apart of the 'Sunnybank Chappy River Run' yesterday. We saw over one hundred people from all over Brisbane get involved in the 4km walk or 8km run to raise money for chaplaincy. The morning started with a slight drizzle of rain but cleared up to be a fantastic day!

All competitors were asked to make a $20 donation to walk or run and also collect sponsors to aid them in raising money for our amazing chaplaincy service at Sunnybank. One of my highlights was a young guy from our church who chose to run in a 'tu tu', he received many strange looks (and strange comments) from those people passing by. Our Senior Pastor, Geoff Blight, finished fifth; narrowly missing out on four place!

However the real highlight for me was raising over $4500 and seeing so many people get involved with the event. Overall, the whole day was a huge success! A big shout out to Chaplain Renee, Chris & Jayde Mackay and Sam Mathews who really made the day happen, plus to the 20+ volunteers who helped out!

Well done guys!

Time to start training for next year....

Switchfoot go home!

Switchfoot have written a song for the Prince Caspian (The Chronicles of Narnia) movie to be released on the 5th of June. I LOVE the song, and I LOVE the lyrics. Last August, I had the opportunity to meet Switchfoot and hang out with the guys for a few hours, they are really cool guys (as you would expect) and heaps of fun to be around...

The song they have written obviously refers to heaven (created for a place I've never known) and also centres around the theme of faith, and living by our faith in God and our longing to be around Him and do his will. My favourite verse in the song is below...

Belief over misery, I've seen the enemy and I won't go back, back to how it was.
And I got my heart set on what happens next, I got my eyes wide it's not over yet.
We are miracles and we're not alone.

I just get caught up in that verse every time I hear it!

"...Belief over misery..." We no longer need to live in fear or misery - Jesus has won for us life and life to the full! I now need to choose to believe in God rather than revert to what may come naturally to me.

"...I've seen the enemy and I wont go back, back to how it was..." God doesn't go backwards! Thank you Jesus that I don't have to go back to the way my life used to be. The past is the past - there is nothing we can do to change it, and why would we ever want to go back!

"...Got my heart on what happens next...got my eyes wide, it's not over yet" Let's be people who are expecting and looking out for opportunity to be Jesus to our world! I pray that I always have my heart set towards God and what He is doing!

"...We are miracles, and we are not alone..." Yes you are a miracle! The Bible tells us that we are fearfull and wonderfully made! Take a moment to look at the beauty, detail and magnificece of creation this week and you will see how amazing our God is! Not only is He incredibly powerful, however, he is also deeply personal. John 3:16 identifies us in the same sentence as God, and describes God's incredible love for us. Not only do we have lots of people to reach and help, but we are doing it all because we have a God who is with us always! We are never alone!


Here are the lyrics to the song below....


"Switchfoot - This is Home"


I've got my memories
They're always
Inside of me
But I can't go back
Back to how it was
I believe now
I've seen too much
But I can't go back
Back to how it was
Created for a place
I've never known

This is home
Now I'm finally
Where I belong
Where I belong
Yeah, this is home
I've been searching
For a place of my own
Now I've found it
Maybe this is home
Yeah, this is home

Belief over misery
I've seen the enemy
And I won't go back
Back to how it was
And I got my heart
Set on
What happens next
I got my eyes wide
It's not over yet
We are miracles
And we're not alone

And now after all
My searching
After all my questions
I'm gonna call it home
I got a brand new mindset
I can finally see
The sunset
I'm gonna call it home

Now I know
Yeah, this is home
I've come too far
Now I won't go back
This is home

Prince Caspian & Switchfoot

Eternity is on our side

"Eternity is on our side"

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)"...He (God) has also set eternity in the hearts of men..."

In our God-given mission to help people find the love of Jesus (Matthew 28:19), I think as Christians we sometimes get the idea in our head that eternity is working against us and that it's a race against the clock we cannot possibly win, and while I totally believe we must have a sense of urgency in dealing with people who don't yet have a relationship with Jesus, I'm not entirely convinced that this is the case.

Infact, I believe that God is working eternity in our favor!
Let me explain. The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:11 that God has placed eternity in the hearts of men. Simply translated, 'God has put something in each of us that causes us to long for more than just what we have on earth.' I'm sure we are all familiar with the 'if I could only have that' experience, whatever 'that' may be (whether a car, relationship, house, career, looks), but once we get 'that' we are left to that when we have 'that thing', we still feel a sense of emptiness.

CS Lewis in his book 'Beyond Personality' writes this:
"The fact we desire something this world cannot provide should alert us to the possibility that we were not infact created for this world." He then uses this example to illustrate his point. "We are so little reconciled to time that we are even astonished at it, 'My, how he's grown', we exclaim, or, 'How time flies,' as though the universal form of our experience were again and again a novelty."

The band Plum, in their song "God shaped hole" wrote these lyrics:
"There's a God shaped hole in all of usand the restless soul is searching.
There's a God shaped hole in all of usand it's a void only He can fill"

I just figure that since God has placed a sense of eternity in the heart of every person, and since He is the same God that works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, then that sense of eternity in people's hearts must work for us, not against us.

I have great news, as Christians, our fight for people to spend their eternity with Jesus is a battle that we can win (with the power of Jesus working through us!)
There is a great story in Acts 8 about a guy called Philip meeting an Ethiopian, and after his encounter with Phillip this Ethiopian became a follower of Jesus Christ. I think there are some things we can learn from this story that will help us to share Jesus more effectively.


1. Obey Promptings from the Holy Spirit
Acts 8:26-29

26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road—the desert
road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." 27So he started out, and on his way
he met an Ethiopian[d]eunuch, an important
official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This
man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28and on his way home was sitting in his
chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29The Spirit told Philip, "Go to
that chariot and stay near it."

Firstly I need to explain something. In this story we read that the Etheopian is a eunuch, however, in this case it doesn't mean a man who had his goods tampered with (if you know what I mean). History actually records that by the first century the term had become a government title use for important military or polital officials. So this Etheopian eunuch was actually really high up in the government, you could say "People know him." He was hip hoppin, chillaxin with the Queen!

The Holy Spirit didn't give Philip all the details, he pretty much just said "Go talk to that guy!". Faith in God means being able to move and obey without explanation.
So If God is prompting you to speak to someone, give somebody a gift, take somebody out for lunch, invite a friend or family member to church, then do it! You may be shocked at what opportunities open up from your obedience to God.

2. Let your life speak for you
Acts 8:30-31

30Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the
prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked. 31"How can I,"
he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and
sit with him.

Wow, did you get that? The guy actually invited Philip to come up and hang out with him in his chariot!

Let me ask you a question. Does your life speak in such a way that your unsaved friends and family ask you to journey with them? Remember what St Francis of Assisi said "Preach the gospel at all times, use words if necessary."
I want to be the the kind of Christian that people look at and wonder what makes me different. I believe if we keep living Jesus out (not just talking about Jesus) in our life everyday, people will come to know the love of Jesus in their life!


3. Only answer questions when asked
Acts 8:32-34

32The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: "He was led like a sheep to
the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open
his mouth. 33In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his
descendants? For his life was taken from the earth."[e]
34The eunuch asked
Philip, "Tell me, please, who is theprophet talking about, himself or someone
else?" 35Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the
good news about Jesus.

I love the fact Philip didn't just shove the Gospel down this guys throat, but as soon as he asked about Jesus, Philip started to tell him! Now I'm not saying we shouldn't talk about Jesus, no way, we need to pray and believe that God will give us opportunities to share about Jesus with everybody we know (or maybe don't know yet!). However, I do think it's important we understand, we only have to answer the questions we are being asked. If somebody asks you about Jesus, you don't need to tell them about the 10 commandments or why you believe the earth was created in 6 days.

Just answer the question you were asked, stay away from all the 'super-spiritual' Christian jargon, and just answer in simple terms what you were like without Jesus and the difference he has made in your life! I would love to recommend reading Bill Hybels book 'Just Walk Across the Room', if you don't have it, you should buy it and read it!

4. Never give up
Acts 8:36-40

36As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said,
"Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?"[f] 38And he gave orders to
stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and
Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the
Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went
on his way rejoicing. 40Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about,
preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

History tells us that having heard the message of Christ's sacrifice for sin, the Etheopian responded to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Irenaeus, an early church father who live between A.D 130-202 wrote that the eunuch returned to Ethiopia and became a missionary to his own people!

So can I encourage you with this thought. Never give up! If you know people who don't yet have a relationship with Jesus.....please don't give up on them! They are so so valuable to God! You never know the impact they could have on this world and on heaven! Eternity is on our side!

Matt Higgins on Generosity

My younger brother, Matthews, preached an offering message tonight at Ignition, our highschool youth ministry, that was quite controversial however also quite insightful...

The premise was....

As Christians, God has blessed us to be a blessing (2 Corinthians 9:11). He then went on to explain that if we hold onto that blessing we become 'fat' Christians. Greedy Christians with lots of 'blessing' but no generosity.

He then went on to show images of an overweight baby and a large man riding a motorbike...
His finishing line was 'we can live fat for a while...but eventually fat people die..'

As I said - controversial...yet insightful...

God in Hollywood

I'm currently reading a book written by Jurgen Matthesius entitled 'God in Hollywood'. The third chapter of the book is focused around the topic of choice and our free will. Jurgen shares some great insight into our society today and the way we view choices. Here are a few of my favourites…

Today we live in a world that no longer has ‘right and wrong’ but rather just RIGHTS. You have the right to pleasure, the right to destroy the unborn and the right to decide when a life should be ended. The list continues to grow! This is the product of the dominant western world view known as Humanism. It’s chief end is the empowerment of ‘self’. That is why Humanism, in my opinion is one of the most destructive evils on our planet. It is hostile towards anything that sniffs of Judeo-Christian ethics and is fiercely antagonistic towards both the Bible and the God of the Bible. It radically opposes it’s laws and statutes, proclaiming that real freedom is for every individual to live for nothing higher than themselves right here, right now!

Jurgen goes on to explain that ‘there is nothing more powerful than when a man or woman lines up his or her will up with the will of God..’
Thank God that he has made a way for us to have relationship with him! A relationship where we each have the opportunity and the free choice to follow His will, not ours! The more we choose to follow God, the more we encounter His live and His freedom! There is nothing better!

I love ITV

Over the past few years, our youth ministry have developed an awesome creative video team who produce a TV show each week called 'ITV' (Ignition TV). Many of their shows can be viewed online at www.youtube.com/southsideyouthaus

The ITV team often produce TV shows with only one purpose - to make people laugh. One of my favourites is called 'Storytime with Matt'. 3 episodes were aired at one of our youth camps about a year ago...and it was a massive hit with everyone! I thought I'd post an episode from the show on my blog....quite random... and the lead star is my little brother....

I'll try and post some more recent stuff up here as it becomes available.
Great job ITV team...you people are amazing!

Confident people know their God!

On Sunday I shared a message about David, from 1 Samuel 17. The message was
called ‘Confident people know their God’; I shared 4 confidence characteristics
of David…

1. David served like God was with him

1 Samuel 17:17-28
“Now Jesse said to his son David, "Take
this ephah [a]
of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry
to
their camp. Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their
unit…”

David was already anointed to be king but when asked by his dad to carry
some cheese, he did so enthusiastically. I love that God used cheese to promote David from shepherd boy to king! What is the cheese God is asking you to carry?

Often people miss their God purpose because they are concerned with being noticed by others, rather than pleasing God. Confident people serve like God is with them, they serve with enthusiasm, joy and passion because they know they are on a God mission!

2. David reasoned that God was with him

1 Samuel 17:37
“The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion
and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine."

David interpreted set backs and obstacles as opportunities for miracles and deliverance rather than proof God had left him.

Five frogs were taking a walk in a forest, when suddenly two of them fell into a deep pit. As the two frogs, Albert & Tony tried frantically to jump out the others yelled from the top ‘give up you losers – you’ll never make it out alive.’ Tony concluded his sadistic friends were right and took
their advice, giving up he sits at the bottom of the pit and dies; however, Albert began to jump all the more. Eventually that little frog hopped right out of the hole. How is this possible? Well, it turns out Albert was deaf; while the other frogs were yelling to give up he reasoned that they were screaming encouragement.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud
of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so
easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…”
(Hebrews 12:1-2)

The writer of Hebrews gives us some great keys to creating Godly
reasoning in our own life.

- Our surroundings
Let’s ensure we surround our life with God’s Word!
- Our thoughts
Our thoughts can propel us or hinder us, throw out the stinking thinking!
- Our focus
David kept his focus on God, not the giant!

3. David spoke like God was with him

1 Samuel 17:45-47
“David said to the Philistine, "You come against me
with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD
Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the
LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head.
Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air
and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God
in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear
that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you
into our hands."

There was no hint of fear or confusion in David’s words. He sounded so incredibly confident, he sounded as if he knew His God and he knew his power! What David lacked in stature he made up for in speech and poetic prowess! David lifted the intensity of the situation with his words. In these three verses David makes reference to God six times, describes in detail how he will kill Goliath and declares not only to possess the ability to defeat him but also the entire philistine army!

Our words have the ability to inspire, to lift people’s faith and to inject courage into a situation. We don't have to pray wussy prayers, we can pray confidently and pray in faith thanking God in advance for the victory because we know our God will deliver. I want to be someone who always lifts the intensity of a situation with my words!

4. David responded knowing God was with him

1 Samuel 17:48-49
“As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell
facedown on the ground.”

I love the line that says ‘David ran quickly toward the battle line’. As Christians, God is with us, we should RUN to the battle line confidently knowing that we are about to enter into an incredible victory!

I recently heard a story, that although is fictional, illustrates this point quite perfectly. The story is set in London as a tour guide takes a group through an art gallery. The group stops in front of a painting entitled Checkmate. The guide talked about the painting, the style and texture, and then moved on. But one of the group stayed behind, staring at the chess pieces on the chessboard in the painting. The chess game was between the devil and a young man, who had sold his soul to the devil. It appears as if the devil has won.
The young man has only the king, the queen, and a weak pawn left. The devil has a smirk on his face, as if waiting for the final verdict, Checkmate! The young man who stayed to study the painting was an international chess champion. When the tour group was two corridors away, they suddenly heard their stray
member running down the marble hallway to catch up, shouting, "Wait! It’s a lie!
The king still has one more move. The King has one more move!"

There may be times in our life when it looks as if we have hit ‘checkmate’. The giant may
appear to be undefeatable and immovable! However, let’s never forget our God, our King, He still has one more move! God is with us, let’s live like it!

Passionate People

People get passionate about all sorts of things. Our passion often leads to becoming consumed with whatever it is we are passionate about. When the focus of our life; our time, energy and willingness is directed towards our passion, whether we realise it or not we have made a decision to give our life to that thing.

I recently read a true story about a Mr John Jones. Mr Jones was a compulsive collector of rubbish. Police investigators believe he died when the 4000 kg’s of rubbish he had collected in his bedroom, collapsed and fell on him. That was just the rubbish in his bedroom! Mr Jones' house in Aberystwyth, England, was so full that he built a network of tunnels so he could move around in it. When he passed away, his house was so jam packed they had to take his body out through a window.

In the words of Bob Dylan...

You may be an ambassador to England or France,
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance,
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world,You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody, Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

My own addition to that song would be: 'You may collect garbage, all day long. But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed'
I love that I can be passionate about Jesus and His Cause, and give my life to serving the most exciting, amazing and awesome God! What else could I possibly live for!

On that note - here a few thoughts on passionate people.....

1. Passionate people have a purpose

I recently preached a message called ‘God works through willing people’. While preaching, I shared the story of William Wilberforce. Wilberforce was persuaded to lobby for the abolition of the slave trade and for 20 years he regularly introduced anti-slavery motions in parliament. After years of discouragement, in which pleas for abolition were scorned or ignored, the motion was finally passed in 1807 by an overwhelming vote of 283 to 16.

William was once quoted as saying:

“The grand object of my parliamentary existence is the abolition ofthe slave
trade. Before this great cause all others dwindle in my eyes.If it pleases God
to honour me so far, may I be the instrument of stoppingsuch a course of
wickedness and cruelty as never before disgraced a Christian country.”

Passionate people have a cause or a purpose that drives them.

Jesus himself was passionate! He was passionate about God and His kingdom. One of my favourite examples is found in Matthew chapter 21:12. The Bible says that, “Jesus entered the temple area and drove our all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves”

As we connect our life with Jesus, it is He who inspires us to remove anything that may hinder us from walking in a personal and powerful relationship with Him. It is Jesus who helps us to ‘overturn’ those things in our life that may distract us from ultimately fulfilling our own purpose and potential.

2. Passionate people are attractive

When ‘Crocodile Hunter’ Steve Irwin passed away only a few months ago, millions of people around the world tuned in to watch his funeral, Australian’s and people from nations across the world were devastated. Irwin's exuberant approach to life, people, nature conservation and the environment won him a global following. (We miss you Steve!)

Passion is attractive!

People can be interested in something, or be passionate about something. They are two completely different things. Jesus tells us in John 3:14-15 that He must be lifted up so people can see and believe in him to have eternal life.

As we grow more in love with and passionate for Jesus – we actually lift him up in our life so others can see him working in and through us, therefore leading people to Christ!

That is why I love to work passionately, worship passionately, give passionately, pay my bills passionately, live passionately and help others passionately – ultimately I am helping lead people to Jesus! What an awesome opportunity!

3. Passionate people don’t take ‘no’ for an answer

My wife Emily is probably one of the most passionate people I have ever met. Emily has represented Australia for gymnastics and sport aerobics on several occasions, including two world championships. Emily once broke her wrist quite badly, only three weeks out from the Australian National Gymnastics Championships. Her coaches and other friends advised her it would be best not to compete; however, that wasn’t what Emily wanted to hear.

As usual, Emily found a way, she met up with a doctor and physiotherapist who both were willing to work a recovery plan with her and support her throughout the competition. For obvious reasons, she was unable to train properly right up until the championships. Her warm up routines on the morning of the competition were the first time she had used her wrist since breaking it three weeks earlier.

One the day she competed courageously, working her way through the routines and performed extremely well. Emily managed to win 3rd place overall at Nationals, meaning she just scraped into the Australian team. Five weeks later she went on to represent Australia against New Zealand and won gold.

Had she accepted the original advice given to her to sit out, she wouldn’t have had the opportunity to win medals for both Queensland and Australia. It can be the same with us. As we continue to hold onto the promises that God has given us, courageously sometimes, refusing to accept what the enemy throws at us. We read in 1 Peter 5:8-10:

“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring
lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith,
because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same
kind of sufferings.
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal
glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore
you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

There will be challenges in life, but as we commit to growing more and more passionate for Jesus and his Cause, we can live confidently in knowing that it was Jesus who was first passionate about us!

Epidemic Youth Camp

Last week our highschool age group (Ignition) headed off to The Mapleton Centre on the Sunshine Coast for 3 days of camp! Camp this year was our best yet by far! I'll try and post some pictures up here over the next few days. Ps Sanga (Scott) Samways from NSW Youth Alive and Hillsong was our guest and was dynamic in ministering to our students.
He wrote an amusing blog on the Youth Alive NSW Website about our camp, you can check it out here: http://www.youthalivensw.com/latestvisits.php

Thank God for the weekend!

It's Monday afternoon and I'm sitting at home reflecting on what a fantastic, full and fruitful weekend we have just had. Friday night was Southside Youth, with PowerUp (Grade 5 -7), Ignition (Grade 8 - 12) and Accelerate (Young Adults 18+). As a church we have witnessed God in so many areas already this year, however, this weekend would definitely have to be a highlight!

Let me tell you a little about it....

Our PowerUp age group, led by Mike Maires and his team, continues to grow as they minister to our older aged primary students. On Friday I had the privilege of preaching at PowerUp on the topic 'Living for a Cause'. Our regular Friday Program includes; interactive games, multimedia, Praise & Worship, preaching and connect (small) groups. Mikey is a natural communicator and is also brilliant with primary school students, he is also a Chaplain at two local state schools and is highly involved in our kids ministry.

Chris Mackay, one of our key youth leaders, preached powerfully at Ignition on winning your friends for Christ. It's so exciting to see our younger preachers develop into confident and anointed men and women, who can really connect young people with the message of Jesus. The ministry time would definitely be a highlight with the great majority of our young people coming forward after the message to pray for friends who need Jesus. 4 young people also made commitments for Christ!

Accelerate kicked off for Term 2 with a video presentation put together by Bec Franze and the video team about the state of young people in our city. I preached a message on 'God's Mission is people'. We launched our program for the next 3 months, where we will be focusing on creating events that cater for un-churched young adults. I'm really excited about this! We have such a great young adults ministry, made up for many significant young adults who really are passionate about Jesus and others! We also had 1 young man make a commitment to follow Jesus!

Saturday morning at Southside was Colourfest with over 100 women attending our very own 'Colour' conference, DVD's of the main sessions from Colour Conference (Sydney) are presented on the big screen, along with Praise & Worship and powerful ministry time, this makes for a life changing day in the lives of many of our women. Emily also sang a duet with Kristy Robinson, which was apparently amazing (of course)!

On Saturday night about 30 of our youth team put together an event for the young people in the greater Logan area, near Mt Tambourine, in conjunction with Logan Village Community Church. The event was held at the Logan Village Lions Hall and was hugely successful with over 70 people attending, and 14 decisions for Christ! Our team presented music items, multimedia, Praise & Worship and some very crazy (yet effective) games. It was fantastic to see so many young people respond to the altar call! I am convinced we have the best youth team on the planet, and I love watching great teams in action!

Sunday was also just as exceptional with Ps Sacha Pace's message in our 9am service on ‘Shoes’. She preached from the passage in Ephesians 6 which talks about the armour of God. Her message involved trying on several types of footwear and she then related footwear to how we live our life from day to day and encouraged our church to not head into life inadequately prepared! It was creative and powerful!
Sacha also shared a funny yet slightly disturbing story about when she was a child she would sneak out of her bed at night and steal dog chocolates from the laundry – to eat them! I can relate somewhat as my sister, Katie, was once caught eating cat biscuits. Why? I guess we’ll never know!

And finally we conclude with Sunday night church! Sunday night was such an electric atmosphere, we really do have a great church and awesome people! I preached my fourth message for the weekend on ‘God uses willing people’, God is so good to us and I had the privilege of leading 5 people to Christ!

Overall, an amazing, jam-packed, God inspiring weekend!