Keeping it Simple

At Newlife long before I arrived as the second Pastor the Leadership had decided that we would be a church that did a few things well. Our purpose statement is simple and powerful, we aim to be a community of Christians who, "Live for God, Love one another & Lead others to Jesus Christ."
More later...

Next Sunday - full throttle living

Was inspired by the drags for the title for our new three week series - Full throttle living. I'm praying that as we look at the book of ACTS together we will once again be encouraged as a church to pursue Jesus with a faith that is fully committed, fully foot to the floor, unwavering. Full throttle. MMMMM yeah. I can smell the methanol in my sinuses again!!!

Combined service @ Graceville Wrap up

well it was absolutely amazing to come together as a one congregation today at Graceville. The music team did a knock down job, the lunch was fantastic and I reckon everyone has blessed by the time spent celebrating Jesus together. Great to get the feedback from a few guests who were blown away by the way they were welcomed and made to feel comfortable today. Great to hear, we do it simply so people who're far from God can come close to Jesus and have their lives changed forever.

Drags and Church planting

Was blown away by the sheer adrenaline rush of the drags. Spent an afternoon there and actually was hugely impressed. Man those boys and girls push it to the limit. got me thinking about what I do as a pastor... sometimes things just go wrong, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. It's just part of the ride. Sorry if thia makes no sense to you - I just had to get that off my chest so to speak. Oh and it was awesome to be there to witness this crash and hear that the driver got up and gets to drive another day - yeahhh!

Your money and your heart

Been reading a new book out by Aubrey Malphurs and Steve Stroope - "Money Matters in Church." It's a great book with alot of really good biblical wisdom. Alot of it good reminders, other things I just hadn't considered in terms of management and vision casting. But one of the things I've been most impacted by in the past little while is Tim Steven's thoughts on giving:
Remember, it's not about money. It's about people's hearts. One of the only tangible pictures that Jesus left us to figure out the condition of someone's heart is to look at where they invest their money.
Hmmmm...

Vince Antonucci - worth listening to

Here's a blogger who resonates with my heart. Check him out here.

Dr Ellice Hammond - A real HERO

I was deeply moved to real of Ellice's commitment to her daughter, even to the point of death. I pray that God will use her testimony of love, faithfulness and sacrifice to encourage others that true love costs. Ellice, you are one of my heros. Here is her story as told on ninemsn:
A GP who refused high-level chemotherapy, ultimately sacrificing her life to save her unborn daughter, was farewelled by family and friends in Melbourne this afternoon.
Dr Ellice Hammond, 37, lost her battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma on Sunday, three weeks after daughter Mia Ellice was born nine weeks prematurely at the Monash Medical Centre, where she remains in neonatal intensive care, The Herald Sun said.
Dr Hammond was diagnosed in the 22nd week of pregnancy and refused high-level chemotherapy that could have saved her but might have killed Mia, whose induced birth took place on August 20.
At her funeral at the Uniting Church in East Malvern, Dr Hammond's husband, Peter Wojcik, told mourners he would "do everything in my power to be the best father for our lovely daughter Mia. Rest in peace."