I have really fond memories of my primary school years. I had a teacher in standard three who taught me to think ‘laterally’ which at the time meant looking at a sketch of a ladder on the blackboard and coming up with a hundred other potential objects it could be or exploring 100 daily uses for the common straw. For some reason those classes are some of my most memorable, I think because they taught me something about life, that things never have to be what they seem, that there is more opportunity at our fingertips than we can ever imagine.

Well the other day I walked passed this Primary School gate in my area. The black metal bars guarding the malleable minds of the youth with these four words ‘Not Self But Service’. I don’t know why but amongst my incredible surprise to see the saying on a public School gate I was bizarrely inspired. Ive read this “principle” in scripture a hundred times, heard it sermonized a hundred times, even tried to convince myself to do it a hundred times, but have almost never been quite as inspired as seeing those words as the passage through which our local kids walk each day as they learn about the world and who they are going to be.

This gate, as simple as it is is a quiet witness. Much like my Primary School teacher (maybe unbeknown to him) who prepared my mind for the great upside down kingdom Christ would later introduce to me, much like my parents who prayed the Lords prayer with me before bed every night, much like the nameless faces who loved, smiled, and cared for me while I was learning about the world around me.

Maybe the little things we say and do for the people around us today will be just the example they need to grow one step closer to Gods love for eternity. As loud as the words on this gate or as subtle as the passage it provides, I’m praying for more of this in my life.

Strahan.

“The best, most beautiful, and most perfect way that we have of expressing a sweet concord of mind to each other, is by music. When I would form in my mind an idea of a society in the highest degree happy, I think of them as expressing their love, their joy, and the inward concord and harmony and spiritual beauty of their souls by sweetly singing to each other.”

Jonathan Edwards (1703 – 1758).

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Contact the office to get in touch with a lovely housesitter.

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“Chuuch. To me, that means to have God in everything you do.” –Snoop Dogg

Hello. My Name is Maranda.
I am American, but I know the value of stepping off my map and living differently. I also understand why it is important to be the stranger in a strange land…
I have always wanted to live in a different country. I wondered if I could find a home halfway around the world. I am not sure why I always seem to take the long way and never seem to be interested in staying with the pack or even winning the race … I am the one stopping to smell the lilac trees and sifting through clover patches to find a lucky one.

I could write a book on the time I’ve spent walking through the valley of the shadow of death in a fog of smoke and mirrors. Some would say that I had lost my way. At times I wondered if I was losing my mind, and in all reality what I lost was a vital piece of my home; I had lost my mother to cancer.
But there is no short way of explaining just how impeccably everything came together at the exact perfect time- in a style and fashion only God could orchestrate.

I never planned on finding a church when I moved to New Zealand. In fact, I thought I had figured out that I am too weird for church people. I was magnetically drawn to the beautiful, creative, artsy family at Edge, where misfits are more than welcome, too. It was a language I could identify with- and the best part: God is the head of the household. It was a radical change from other places I had lived, where Jesus seemed to be oddly taboo.

Not only did Here Is My Home become a permanent staple on my ipod, on the two year mark of my mom’s death I was called out in church with a word: God wants me to know that I am home. So, I gave it all to Him, and I was baptized in May. And now, I am totally problem-free. Ha. Well, at least now I am set free…

God has taken me in this time of extreme fragility and in some ways stretched me out even thinner. Learning to understand Jesus has absolutely transformed the way I have relationships with others. The world around me didn’t change… I am changing. This year has been about God investing in my heart perfect love- love without pretense or expectation. I do not wander the world aimlessly… I have a travelling companion! I am no stranger, I’m part of the whanau. I am not homeless, because my true home is always in God.

M.

As the apostles grew older and their time before departure shorter, they wrote letters of affirmation and encouragement to the church.
They are great epistles because we read them encouraging the next generation to keep the faith and we can see what they value as central and important.

Two of these epistles that show a lot about the call for the next generation are Paul’s letters to Timothy. Tim was a young man who had been trained by Paul and knew all about his “teaching…way of life…purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings…” (2 Tim 3:10). He was encouraged to pick up the baton, to not be afraid of suffering in persecution, and to keep to sound teaching. Paul encouraged him to guard the faith like a soldier in a world where many people were warping the truth for their own gain.

They are encouraging words to us who are also now the next generation to bring the gospel to the world, the hope of Christ. And especially to those who feel the call to ministry like Tim did. Below are a few words Paul shared through the Holy Spirit to him. I hope they are an encouragement to you in whatever you are doing today.

“So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord…” 2 Tim 1:8

“be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Tim 2:1

“I urge then… that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness..” 1 Tim 2:1-2.

“But you, man of God, flee from all this (false teaching and controversies), and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith.” 1 Tim 6:11-12

“Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction.” 2 Tim 4:2

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Tim 2:15

“The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.” 2 Tim 4:22

Strahan.

He Whakaputanga o te Rangatira o Nu Tirani: The New Zealand Declaration of Independence

1. We the Hereditary Chiefs and Heads of the Tribes of the Northern parts of New Zealand, being assembled at Waitangi, in the Bay of Islands, on this 28 day of October, 1835, declare the independence of our country, which is hereby constituted and declared to be an Independent State, under the designation of The United Tribes of New Zealand.

2. All sovereign power and authority within the territories of the United Tribes of New Zealand is hereby declared to reside entirely and exclusively in the Hereditary Chiefs and Heads of Tribes in their collective capacity, who also declare that they will not permit any legislative authority separate from themselves in their collective capacity to exist, nor any function of government to be exercised within the said territories, unless by persons appointed by them in Congress Assembled.

3. The Hereditary Chiefs and Heads of Tribes agree to meet in Congress at Waitangi in the Autumn of each year, for the purpose of framing laws for the dispensation of Justice, the preservation of Peace and Good Order, and the regulation of Trade, and they cordially invite the Southern Tribes to lay aside their private animosities and to consult the Safety and Welfare of our common country, by joining the Confederation of the United Tribes.

4. They also agree to send a copy of this Declaration to His Majesty, the King of England, to thank him for his acknowledgment of their flag, and in return for his friendship and protection they have shown, and are prepared to show, to such of his subjects as have settled in their country, or resorted to its shores for the trade, they entreat that he will continue to be the parents of their infant state, and that he will become its protector from all attempts upon its independence.

I’ve read it so many times before, but this time Jesus’ words sting like I’ve heard them for the first time “If you want to go where I’m going, you need to pick up your own cross and follow me.”* My cross? When did I sign up to be the owner of a cross? The first people to hear these words must have been equally puzzled and disturbed. The cross was not a dainty piece of jewelry that hung around a neck. The cross was the most hideous mechanism of torture known by man. It was designed not just to kill, but to cause unbearable, unthinkable pain. Criminals were killed in this way… the bad guys, the rebels, Enemies of the State. Why does Jesus imply that I have a cross in my closet?

You would think that Jesus would advise us to destroy our crosses before following him or give our crosses to Him to carry. Why does he tell us to willingly pick up pain and suffering and carry it around? Jesus doesn’t tell us to deny the pain (he tells us to deny ourselves, but that’s another blog). It would seem that the way to freedom and healing starts with picking up suffering and this counter-logic of Jesus gives us much to think about.

The cross that Jesus carried was painful and underserved, but he chose it. He chose to carry that suffering because of “the joy set before him”**. There was a reason behind the madness. He knew that by sacrificially carrying his cross he was making way for a better life for all. Following his lead means carrying our pain and suffering to where he is… to a place of joy unspeakable.

-Erin

* Mark 8:34; Luke 14:27

** Hebrews 12:2

On our recent trip to Europe we found ourselves thrust into the place of the unfamiliar.
Walking down foreign roads, navigating our way through uncharted neighborhoods and asking for directions with a limited knowledge of the language. A communication breakdown that often left us stranded and longing for the sound of familiarity.
An adventure to say the least. A sense, that at the heart of discovery is the unknown, the yet to be found. The promise of awakening and enlightenment.
Life is a journey that takes us down a way we have never been before in order to heal our ignorance and reveal the newness of what is hidden in the fabric of all that is around us.
Walking off our map and stepping outside of our comfort zone means following a star, pursuing a dream, looking for a brand new moment that can shift us into hope.
When Joshua was given the responsibility of leading a nation into a whole new world he took the risk of trusting in God to lead him,
reminding the people that any journey God takes us on is going to be amazing!
A journey filled with sacred moments and lasting memories for future generations.
The early believers were called ‘those who belonged to the Way’. A new way of walking with God. Shaping a new community in the new world.
A faith that was fueled by the spirit of wonder and discovery.
May we be continually surprised by the wonder of living every day for the adventure that only God can provide.

Greg.