My garden

Ministry is determined character. If my character is weak and pathetic and drifts around according to whatever then so will the ministry.

I plant a garden and hope it will grow without any real care to the basics of things that are important. Fruit and plants will come but not the abundance or quality that there is potential for.

I don't want to keep producing pathetic plants in my own strength. I want my relationship with God and my character to be the focus of my life and the rest to be an outworking.

Relationship is key -- first with God, then the others will be right.

Worship as a lifestyle

This can be likened to a marriage relationship. We spend our lives pleasing and loving each other and it's not something we even think about or plan or have to do. One of the crescendos of this love is outworked in the marriage bed. Sometimes we can approach this time as if we push the right buttons then we get a euphoric experience for ourselves.

Worship is the same. Our lives should reflect the love we have for God and it should be an integral part of our reactions and life. It shouldn't be something we have to force ourselves to do or plan. Worship service on Sunday can sometimes be seen as the crsecendo of our love for God. If we approach this with the idea of pushing the right buttons so we can have a mountain top experience then this is empty and also selfish. It should be an overflow of our whole life, and a corporate time to show our love to God. It will only be as good as our daily relationship...just the same as the marriage bed is only as good as our daily loving relationship with our partner.

Passion 2010

The kind of grace at the cross demands complete abandon and surrender.
I'm going to use my life to make Jesus famous.

You can live your life in your own story--which will end OR
We can live in the BIG story--not caring what role but living for His fame and being a part of something bigger and forever.
Trade your little story in for the big one!

Take your hands off

As we pray and seek advice about going back to NZ, I feel as though God is saying to me WAIT! Be still & know that I am God. Stop trying to work it out yourself. You wont be able to know all the details, just surrender and trust. It isn't you who should be choosing where you live -- it is God, will you trust me?
I then read one of my friends blogposts about something very similiar (click here to read)
And then I got this in my inbox... I will post the whole thing here as it is worth reading. It was a timely reminder!

Take Your Hands Off -- by Warren Wiersbe
Read Psalm 46:8-11


"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" (v. 10). The Hebrew word translated "be still" actually means "take your hands off." God is saying to us, "Take your hands off, and let Me be God in your life." So often we want to manipulate and control. We talk about those who are "hands on" people. In the Christian life, God uses our hands. He used Noah's hands to build the ark. He used David's hands to kill a giant. He used the apostles' hands to feed 5000 people. But sometimes only God's hand can do the job. Sometimes our hands get in the way because we are manipulating, plotting or scheming.


A friend of mine used to remind me, "Faith is living without scheming." Whenever I discover myself pushing and prodding, God says to me, "Take your hands off. Be still, and know that I am God." The difference is simply this. If we play God in our lives, everything is going to fall apart. But if we let Him truly be God in our lives, He will be exalted, He will be with us, and He will get the job done.


Are you facing a problem or a challenge today? Are you wondering what you will do? Give it to the Lord. A time will come when He will say, "All right, I will use your hands." But until then, keep your hands off. Know that He is God. He does not expect us to do what only He can do. We can roll the stone away from the tomb of Lazarus, but only He can raise the dead. We can hand out the bread, but only He can multiply it. Let Him be God in your life.


To remain still seems to go against human nature. You want control. But as a believer, you need to remain yielded to God's will and give your burdens to Him. What problem are you facing? Are you keeping your hands off and allowing Him to work in your life?

Social Justice

A thought thread that has been running through my head for the past week or so is the idea of social justice.  Quite a few things have contributed to this...

Check out their website

A21 campaign

One Day's Wages

The Cappuccino Club, sponsoring university students in the Philippines

Christian Enterprise in Kargarlyk, Ukraine (our neighboring town)


As I have read/watched each of these organisations I have to ask the question "What is required of me?"  Like I said in my other blog I really want to strive to have my faith as the center of my life and action, not an appendage.  The verse that comes to mind is Micah 6:8

1.  Walk humbly with God -- foundation to everything else

2.  Love mercy -- my attitude to others

3.  DO justly -- the action (especially to the foreigner, orphan, widows & poor)

I know God is working on me in this area...I think this is one of the latest papers that I have been enrolled in.  I really need a lot of work in these 3 areas.

I was reminded again when watching "Faith Like Potatoes" that my relationship with God is the foundation for anything else.  It all spills from this.
I was also reminded the other day that my attitude needs to be "I have been forgiven much -- so I should forgive a LOT." 
In regards to the 3rd one (which is no good unless the first 2 are in place) I was challenged by this...Are we in love with the idea of helping so much that it blinds us from helping?? Especially watch the 8-16 min mark in this video...