29 Jan 2008

ONE HEART ONE VISION

Hey Gals!

It’s just great to have all of you all back here in Good ol’ Adelaide!As I took some time to reflect on 2007, I can’t help but give thanks to the Lord for your growth individually as well as how we have pushed through as a group!

Pastor John’s message on 1 Samuel was timely as we step into the next level of growth in the Lord this year.

As I seeked God for the direction for us as a Connect group this year, my thoughts were directed towards reaching out. During service the week after, Pastor Jonathan told us that the focus for us as a church this year would be evangelism!

The sound of the word evangelism might be a little intimidating and in the face or you may think, its not your “area”. Lets not be fazed by it coz it’s not about getting the numbers and filling up seats in the church or doubling the number of people in the connect group.

It’s really about knowing the heart of God to see all men come to the knowledge of who he is and have that relationship with him which was intended since the beginning!I am certain all of you KNOW who God is in your life, seen him work in you, correcting perspectives, urging you not to withhold all that is due to him in praise and worship! Drawing you to himself!

I really pray that in this year, all of us will continue to put the Lord as first. I urge you not to compromise spending time with him. Seek and pursue him with all your heart!Ask him to break your heart for what breaks his!





There’s the ONE event this Friday with Pastor Danny at our South campus @ 7pm.It’s gonna be a combined meeting with Boost, Stomp and Accelerate as we come together to align ourselves with the Vision that the Lord has for the Youth Ministry as a whole.I will arrange transport and let u gals know about it!

2008! New Year, new vision, Same faithful God

Love

Sarah

15 Jan 2008

Kareeann to you...

The Void In Our Heart…………..

Hi girls…………..

It has been a while...but nevertheless looking forward to catching up with everyone in 2008!!!!!!!!!!!!! My hope is that 2007 has been a great year for everyone but my prayer is that 2008 will be even GREATER for all of us personally. Just cant help but feel there is so much in Him that is in store, if only we will realise it and dig deep into it…
Not sure about u, but I’ve always struggled about the meaning of ‘life’…Towards the end of the year 2007, I often ponder and trace back the patterns of my daily life, going to work, coming home, meeting up with friends occasionally, going to church ( maybe going through the ‘quarter of century’ syndrome thingy )..I will question myself, is this all??? Is this all about life, basically??….There’s surely much more into it than just this…
Then I began to realise that each and every one of us, regardless if we consciously or unconsciously know there is a void in each of our heart. And many times, I fill up the void with physical things ( such as activities or people ) or emotions which of course only gave me a temporary satisfaction, but it would not last and the dissatisfaction and unfulfilment will come rushing through again…
I began to see that as long as the void is not filled by Him, I will not be able to tap into the true meaning of life….

As Jesus said in John 4: 13, ‘ Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks from the water I give will never thirst again. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life’....

And there is only ONE fountain of life who is able to give us eternal fulfilment. A sense of completeness and wholeness in Him..

My simple prayer, ‘

‘Forgive me, Lord for walking my own road,
This life is Yours, Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
Now and Forever,
And I Surrender’

As I began to surrender, little things which used to ‘ tick’ me off, suddenly doesn’t seem important anymore, the fact that there isn’t anything to do on Saturday morning after a hard week at work, or my main dream of coming to Australia is to travel to as many places as how I used to be in Auckland, and I haven’t even been to all the places in Adelaide, or getting upset or offended with people, all this doesn’t seem to be as important anymore…..

Hence, stepping into the year 2008, it is my commitment to keep Him my priority in everything that I do, and to ‘avail’ myself to Him not because of what He can do, but what Jesus has done in the cross and my wish is that all of u will join alongside me in this journey….

My encouragement is ( to myself and to everyone ) is to dig deep to the core, do not settle for a mediocre life or live a half hearted life because He wants us to live a life which is FULL……and what a great start to this year, by committing ‘I’m all Yours and I surrender ‘………..

Living in a year of new beginnings

Hey everyone!

We in Adelaide are looking forward to seat down together as a connect group again!!

As everything begins to kick up & build momentum, I challenge you to ask yourself, would you be a disciple this year?

Many want the rewards of a disciple, but few count the cost & are willing to lay down everything they have, lay down themselves & be a follower of Christ. A follower of His teachings, a follower of His heart not part of His teaching & arguing about grey areas, not follower base on convienience, but truly a whatever-it-takes Lord & an abandonment spirit & attitude.

Let us approach this year determine to grow individually as disciples of Christ & make disciples. Let us not be pacifiers to one another, let us keep pushing boundaries in our personal life & corporate too as young adults, to not develop a poverty mentality but be passionate, teachable, desperately hungry disciples of GOD who WILL breakthrough, who WILL praise, who WILL give up our rights for Kingdom purposes.

I look forward to journeying & growing this year with you...

How often each of you individually go to your sacred place with God, how much you grow in revelation will determine the level of breakthrough in the connect group & Accelerate.

10 Jan 2008

Updates with Accelerate

Hello? Hello?
Has anyone dropped in for a visit?

Updates for Accelerate 2008!!

Accelerate will be held every Wednesday from 8pm to 9.30pm. Its EVERY Wednesday!!!

Once every 6 weeks (on a Friday night), we will have a youth rally where Stoomp, Boost & Accelerate will get together for an awesome time of fellowship, praise & worship & listening to the Word of God.

Once every 4 weeks, Accelerate will have a social night.

Connect group will run once a month, suburb based.

As leaders we are heaps excited at what God has in stall for Accelerate. Accelerate has suffer quite a bit in the last year from a lack of vision & life in the sessions, but this year we are ready to rock & roll & building a young adult ministry where people can be discipled & the atmosphere is uplifting, & there is value attached (excellence) to all we do where we do not have programs for programs sake. We are really hungry to see God move powerfully in our meetings & I ask that you prepare your hearts, come back to Adelaide or prepare to step into February with such a level of faith & expectancy, partnering with your leaders to build the vision that God has given us.

The realisation that not much focus has been given to young adults is not only an Edge thing, but GOD has been speaking to youth ministry across Australia too, & in April 2009 in Melbourne, PlanetShakers conference's focus will be enlarged to reach & cater for young adults too, not just youth.

So come alongside your leaders, with all you have to offer, all that God has made you to be & together we can make a difference in our circle of influence & most importantly, disciple a next generation of leaders by first being a PASSIONATE disciple of Christ with a whatever-it-takes heart attitude living a daily life of abandonment for Christ, the greatest lover of all time!