This weekend has been awesome, seeing some of the young people of Christchurch getting excited about God, and serving the house of God.
One young guy in our youth group blows me away with his dedication and servant hood.
Giving up his Saturday to help set up for a youth event, and then staying behind to pack up pa equipment and hoover and put away chairs etc.
Literally putting in hours of hard graft, and he doesn't look for any reward, he does it because he loves to serve.
A young man that is passionate about the place he worships, and loves to give into that so it blesses others.
Sunday night also excited me when one of the young girls, who is not really that confident got up and shared a 5 min devotion in front of the other kids.
You could tell that her love for God and her relationship with him is real and living.
To follow this another one of the young lads got up and shared what he believes God is saying to him about Church and also about his personal walk with Jesus.
As he shared i became more and more moved, as he shared from his heart and brought confirmation to things that i had been praying about on a personal level.
Wow God loves to use those who have a real down to earth faith, that hear and act with no questions.
God loves to use the unlikely, the weak to shame the strong, the poor to shame the rich. 1 Corinthians : 27
The shepherd boy who became a king of a powerful nation and did some amazing things.
God is on the move his holy spirit is working in the lives of the young people, and i for one am excited about what is about to happen next.
Monday 27 September 2010
Monday 20 September 2010
I stand amazed
The last couple of weeks God has just totally blown me away, he daily reveals to me he on going love and reveals through his Holy Spirit, his plans for my life.
I am more and more excited about what God is going to do in Ilkley and what he has planned for his church.
I am as it says in the hymn standing amazed in the presence
For a while i was really lost in the darkness and did not know how i was going to get through it all, but God did.
He took all my sins and sorrows and he suffered and died for me, his grace is never ending and his love never fails, and he never let me go.
Wow i really do stand amazed, at what God has given to me and what he has done and how he has brought me to this place in my ministry, to see hundreds of kids saved and brought into that same presence, the presence of a mighty king. King Jesus who can and will meet all their needs and heal all their hurts.
I am more and more excited about what God is going to do in Ilkley and what he has planned for his church.
I am as it says in the hymn standing amazed in the presence
I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me,
A sinner, condemned, unclean.
Chorus:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
Is my Savior's love for me!
He took my sins and my sorrows,
He made them His very own;
He bore the burden to Calvary,
And suffered and died alone.
When with the ransomed in glory
His face I at last shall see,
’Twill be my joy through the ages
To sing of His love for me.
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me,
A sinner, condemned, unclean.
Chorus:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
Is my Savior's love for me!
He took my sins and my sorrows,
He made them His very own;
He bore the burden to Calvary,
And suffered and died alone.
When with the ransomed in glory
His face I at last shall see,
’Twill be my joy through the ages
To sing of His love for me.
For a while i was really lost in the darkness and did not know how i was going to get through it all, but God did.
He took all my sins and sorrows and he suffered and died for me, his grace is never ending and his love never fails, and he never let me go.
Wow i really do stand amazed, at what God has given to me and what he has done and how he has brought me to this place in my ministry, to see hundreds of kids saved and brought into that same presence, the presence of a mighty king. King Jesus who can and will meet all their needs and heal all their hurts.
Saturday 11 September 2010
Only three weeks to go
Only three weeks till the launch of Big Saturday, and the alert has been set to code Brown!!!!!
Over 1000 flyer's have been distributed through schools in Ilkley and other surrounding areas, three schools have put adverts in their school newsletters, all the churches in the Ilkley churches together have had flyer's, a press release will go out to the local paper and lots and lots of prayer is happening.
I believe God is wanting to do a new thing, and raise up a new generation of church, of young children and young people that are passionate about the things of God.
God is raising up an army, an army that will go out and tell others about him, an army that will see their schools transformed, their friends come to know Jesus as their personal saviour and see their parents get saved.
Big Saturday maybe big, but to God its just a small seed that will grow and grow.
So get ready and seek God and please pray with me that as the flyer's go out and children are told about the Big Saturday, that they will come, and we will see the start of a new wave of God's salvation and Love.
Over 1000 flyer's have been distributed through schools in Ilkley and other surrounding areas, three schools have put adverts in their school newsletters, all the churches in the Ilkley churches together have had flyer's, a press release will go out to the local paper and lots and lots of prayer is happening.
I believe God is wanting to do a new thing, and raise up a new generation of church, of young children and young people that are passionate about the things of God.
God is raising up an army, an army that will go out and tell others about him, an army that will see their schools transformed, their friends come to know Jesus as their personal saviour and see their parents get saved.
Big Saturday maybe big, but to God its just a small seed that will grow and grow.
So get ready and seek God and please pray with me that as the flyer's go out and children are told about the Big Saturday, that they will come, and we will see the start of a new wave of God's salvation and Love.
Saturday 4 September 2010
A house full of teenagers
Today was a good day home made pizza, chocolate cake, x-box, spongebob and a house full of teenagers.
I must be mad but it was true we had the youth group around today and all of the above was on the menu, including games in the park.
It was good to catch up after a long summer, and i was encouraged to see all those who are stepping up from the younger groups, fit in and interact with the others and make new friendships.
Tomorrow the whole church including the youth, we are looking at Luke 14 25-33 the cost of being a disciple.
Laying it all down for Christ and what it actually means to follow him, giving things up and being selfless and not selfish.
I struggle at times with this i think we all do, giving up our comfort zones or even bad habits that we try and keep from God, one story about a boy in a youth group i ran in Bradford puts it all into proportion for me and humbles me.
The young lad was from a rough estate in Bradford and was from an unchurched family, he was also in a gang.
One day i got a phone call to say he was in hospital. When i went to see him his jaw was broken and he was beaten black and blue, i asked who done this and why.
He simply said because i chose to follow Jesus and leave the gang and get on the bus to church, they got me and took a baseball bat to my face.
I prayed with him and wept with him and was sad i asked him if he thought it was worth it, giving it all up for Christ and being unpopular with his family and friends, he said its hard, but yes it worth, because Jesus is the only one who makes me happy and takes the pain in my life away.
Wow now that's what i call taking up your cross and following Christ.
My Prayer for myself and the young people that i disciple and teach, is that we all get hold of Christ and fall in love with him enough to completely give our lives to him.
As Jm Barrie quoted in Peter Pan " to live will be a great adventure".
To live for Jesus to follow him, to give it all up now that's a great adventure.
I must be mad but it was true we had the youth group around today and all of the above was on the menu, including games in the park.
It was good to catch up after a long summer, and i was encouraged to see all those who are stepping up from the younger groups, fit in and interact with the others and make new friendships.
Tomorrow the whole church including the youth, we are looking at Luke 14 25-33 the cost of being a disciple.
Laying it all down for Christ and what it actually means to follow him, giving things up and being selfless and not selfish.
I struggle at times with this i think we all do, giving up our comfort zones or even bad habits that we try and keep from God, one story about a boy in a youth group i ran in Bradford puts it all into proportion for me and humbles me.
The young lad was from a rough estate in Bradford and was from an unchurched family, he was also in a gang.
One day i got a phone call to say he was in hospital. When i went to see him his jaw was broken and he was beaten black and blue, i asked who done this and why.
He simply said because i chose to follow Jesus and leave the gang and get on the bus to church, they got me and took a baseball bat to my face.
I prayed with him and wept with him and was sad i asked him if he thought it was worth it, giving it all up for Christ and being unpopular with his family and friends, he said its hard, but yes it worth, because Jesus is the only one who makes me happy and takes the pain in my life away.
Wow now that's what i call taking up your cross and following Christ.
My Prayer for myself and the young people that i disciple and teach, is that we all get hold of Christ and fall in love with him enough to completely give our lives to him.
As Jm Barrie quoted in Peter Pan " to live will be a great adventure".
To live for Jesus to follow him, to give it all up now that's a great adventure.
Wednesday 1 September 2010
A new Season
Well the holidays have been and gone and both kids are back to school tomorrow, i cant believe how fast both of them are growing up, and how much i am feeling older (lol).
I am excited about what God has got install for me, and for what God has install for Christchurch.
There is a lot of hard work ahead but its all worth it, with the launch of the Big Saturdays (a monthly outreach to children aged 5-11) and the launch of CY Nano for the youth on a Sunday night.
So please all that read this blog please continue to pray as all the future events and projects that are being launched need God at the centre, as with out him all of these things are pointless.
I am excited about what God has got install for me, and for what God has install for Christchurch.
There is a lot of hard work ahead but its all worth it, with the launch of the Big Saturdays (a monthly outreach to children aged 5-11) and the launch of CY Nano for the youth on a Sunday night.
So please all that read this blog please continue to pray as all the future events and projects that are being launched need God at the centre, as with out him all of these things are pointless.
All this is new to me!!!
After many hours sat at my computer, i finally figured out how to work out this blogging thing, and I'm still not sure i got it right, but hey.
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