Saved to Serve

Shandri Brown — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:56:00 +1100

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Saved to Serve

So those groovers who came to the ENGAGE Sydney Youth Councils heard a pretty decent speaker lay out the 'Saved to Serve' challenge at the Sunday event.

I know I felt challenged about the extent to which I am prepared to serve others. Do I rest comfortably in my salvation, glad I have life with God and forget about my responsibility? Do I actually look for opportunities to serve? Are there any acts of service I consider to 'beneath me'? To what level am I prepared to serve? Will I just do it when it will be noticed by others?

Something that I continue to wrestle with after amazing youth events like ENGAGE is the action that should follow inspiration. Heaps of people went down to the front of the building after the 'Saved to Serve' message to have 'S's written on their hands as a reminder of what they are called to do. It was a really inspirational and motivating time, where many hearts felt convicted about serving in a fresh way.

Yet just 15 minutes later as the venue was being packed down many of those 'S' stained hands were stuffed into pockets as we avoided helping the few who were stacking chairs, rearranging rooms, vacuuming and sweeping the venue etc. It really struck me how often I am excited and convinced to change by a powerful sermon only to walk out the door and live my life exactly the same as I had before hearing that sermon.

I spent some time looking at my hands this morning and being reminded again of the challenge to serve. I am sure not everyone who responded at ENGAGE is as dodgy as me...so I am way keen to hear your stories of how you have followed up your commitment. Maybe you could enter some of your 'serve' stories, no matter how big or small, into the Save, Grow, Serve section of the website....or just comment on this blog. Maybe you have some great ideas for the rest of us who truly want to live a life worthy of the 'S's on our hands.

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are you obsessed with Chickens?

Rusty Hodges — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:50:00 +1100

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are you obsessed with Chickens?

Everyone is obsessed with chickens…

In the beginning God created the Chicken (or was it the egg?)

You have chicken salt on your Hot Chips

Chicken Twisties are the best

Chicken run is your favourite animation

You play chicken with friends

You order BBQ Chicken pizza

You even grew up doing the ‘chicken dance’ or the ‘funky chicken’

Without Chickens you couldn’t have bacon and eggs for breakfast

There would be no Sydney city (Eastern Suburbs) Roosters in the NRL.

There would be no way to egg someone’s house (BTW we don’t condone this behaviour )

And there would be no egg and spoon races at school.

Easter is fast approaching; the shops are full of Easter eggs and have been since Christmas (go figure). This year instead of buying family and friends chocolate Easter eggs why not consider buying a real chicken as we’ve seen above we’re obsessed with them. Besides Chickens are way more fun than Eggs.

The Salvation Army International Development (SAID) team are selling Chickens for $10; by purchasing a chicken the SAID team will be able to provide for needy families in Tanzania, Mozambique, and East Kenya, who are suffering from severe poverty and mulnutrion.

These chickens will provide a source of sustainable income, generated through egg production and chicken production, as well as helping families pay for their children to receive and education.

So why not toughen up and take on the challenge to make a difference this Easter. Jump online www.salvos.org.au/said and follow the links to purchase your chicken for those in need.

Then once you’ve bought your chicken go and challenge your friends, family, school or church to do the funky chicken and buy a chicken from the SAID team.

Let’s all get obsessed with Chickens and do the chicken dance together!!!

Till next time… Happy Clucking!

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What forgiveness isn't

Claire Hill — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:44:00 +1100

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What forgiveness isn't

We know we should forgive each other. We should forgive because Jesus forgave us, because God commands us to and because the alternative is bitterness and anger that only ends up hurting us! But I think sometimes we misunderstand forgiveness. Here are a couple of things forgiveness isn't.

1. Forgiveness doesn't mean pretending nothing happened

If you've been wounded by someone's actions or words, forgiveness isn't saying, "It's not a big deal. Don't worry about it. It didn't hurt me that bad."

The truth is - if it's worth forgiving, it did hurt you.

Talk it out with someone. Cry it out if you need to. Acknowledge the pain.

Forgiveness is saying, "Yes, it did hurt. Yes, it did cause pain in my life. But I'm not gonna hold it against you."

2. Forgiveness doesn't mean the relationship has to return to how it was before you were hurt

In fact, in cases where the hurt is deep it is often foolish and/or impossible for the relationship to immediately return to how it used to be.

Say your boyfriend or girlfriend does something unthinkably horrible to you, they betray your trust and you feel shaky and bruised and upset for weeks. Forgiving them means not holding on to hatred and anger towards them but forgiveness does not mean that you have to keep catching up with them every day, confiding in them and carrying on like you trust them just as much as you did before.

In some cases you'll need to put some space between you and the person who hurt you while trust is rebuilt. In cases where your boyfriend/girlfriend is consistently hurting you and shows no desire or effort to change their behaviour you probably need to put an end to a relationship. And that's okay.

Claire Hill

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Mailbag: March 2010

Emma Johnson — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:25:00 +1100

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Mailbag: March 2010

How old do you think is the right age to get a boyfriend?

This is a loaded question - especially because I don't know how old you are! Let me start by saying everyone is different. I don't think that it's so much about age, but the kind of relationship you have.

A boyfriend when you're 23 is very different to a boyfriend when you're 13! At 23, you're looking for husband material, at 13 you're still working out who you are and what personality traits you like in your friends. It's good to have lots of male friends and I think it's fine to go out in a group. But if you're talking about dating one boy and going to the movies with just them, for example, then I think 16 is probably a good age.

Talk to your parents about this though, because they will usually have some ideas of their own!

I try to pray, but I kind of run out of things to say after about two or three minutes. (Then it feels like I have this big awkward silence with God.) What is some stuff I can do to help me get better at prayer?

One simple method to start you off is ACTS.

Start by telling God how much you ADORE him. Why do you love him?

Then move through and CONFESS. Ask God to forgive you for the wrong thoughts, attitudes and actions you've allowed into your life.

Give THANKS - for the smallest thing to the biggest victory!

Finally, SUPPLICATE! Big word, but in short, now's the time to ask God for the things you need. Then spend some time just enjoying being with him.

It might be refreshing to know that there is no right way to pray. Sometimes we have short convos, other times we chat for ages. Don't forget, a conversation involves listening too! The most important thing is to keep your talks with God fresh; and remember, God loves just hanging out with you - no pressure!

I'd really like to invite my friends at school to church, but it's hard because I don't think they'd like my church very much. What else can I do?

I've found that people will put up with daggy music, bad morning tea and dodgy sermons (for a while anyway). But what they won't put up with is being ignored. If you work hard at making them feel welcome, you’re halfway there! If you're still unsure, then invite them to something that's not a church service, but has church people there.

Most of the people I know who have been saved recently have been saved through their friends. Don't tie yourself up in knots, just remember that God is the one that brings our friends into relationship with him, we just introduce them!

Going to church is a great way of celebrating that and growing in your faith. As long as the worship is genuine, it's always good!

By Emma Johnson

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Smashing celebrity status

Nathan Moulds — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:10:00 +1100

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Smashing celebrity status

Superman to Brad Pitt

We live in a culture that worships celebrities. We see them absolutely everywhere! They're on TV, in magazines, on Twitter and on billboards. And because of this hyper-exposure to celebrities, often we can feel like they're one of our best mates.

Do you remember as a kid dressing up as a superhero and wanting to be like them? In this day and age celebrities are the true superheroes; we want to be like Brad Pitt, David Beckham, Paris Hilton and Miley Cyrus. Celebrities are all about two things we tend to highly value: being successful and cool.

What would Jesus say?

In this article, as always, we'll be learning from the example set by the best servant ever, Jesus Christ. Now he said a lot blow-your-mind kind of stuff, but we're going to look at one statement in particular he made whilst talking to his disciples.

Read Matthew 6:1-4 NLT.

Wow! I don't know about you, but I read that and I get smashed! It brings a lot of challenging thoughts to mind, and it messes around with you if really decide to take it seriously.

The Salvation Army and celebrity?

I often hear young Christians expressing to me their desire to one day become a pastor of a large church, speaking to thousands, even millions. Whilst there is nothing necessarily wrong with that, Jesus' word of caution in Matthew 6 is clear. If the motivation for our good deeds is to be recognised and respected by others, then we're in a dangerous place.

Has anyone heard the phrase ‘Salvo Celeb' thrown around lately? I think we need to tread carefully - we shouldn't be creating a culture in the church where individual people are given celebrity status. Jesus says that those who give and serve in secret, not expecting or desiring recognition or popularity, will be seen by their Father in Heaven, and he will reward them.

Serving in secret

I have a Salvationist friend who intentionally lives in a marginalised area in Melbourne. He said he feels God has called him and his wife to live, work, worship and serve the poorest people in their community. They are doing some amazing work and I asked him how he markets and promotes his ministries so others can get involved and be inspired.

His answer? He doesn't.

He told me he felt God strongly say to him that they are to serve and do so very quietly for at least seven years. Only then may they begin to tell the stories and speak. I was certainly challenged after that conversation!

Is there a remedy?

In Matthew 6, Jesus is giving us the remedy for a culture of self obsession, a culture of Twitter tweets and Facebook status updates, a culture in which apparently how you feel makes the world go around. Jesus says serve and don't expect thanks, help someone out but don't tell anyone, sponsor a child and never let anyone know that you do.

Jesus promises that as we humble ourselves and choose not to buy into the culture of ‘me' and ‘celebrity', and instead choose to serve in secret, that our Father God will bless us with rewards from Heaven that are eternal and will never fade away.

So I want to encourage those of you who are hungering after recognition and celebrity status to stop and think. Ask yourself ‘does this really line up with the way and words of Jesus?'

A final thought

In conclusion I'll leave you with a verse of Scripture from John. They're words spoken by a dude who was pretty famous in his own right - a big celebrity of the day from 2,000 years ago.

John 3:30 (NLT): "He (Jesus) must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less."

Who are you making the hero: yourself or Jesus?

Nathan coordinates Streetlevel's Edify program, an urban mission discipleship program located in Surry Hills, Sydney. He is passionate about the lost, the last and the least, believing the best days of this generation are to come!

He is married to Karen and together they attend and serve at The Salvation Army's Macquarie Park church plant and Revolution Youth.

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18plus: Question, but then choose

Mark Soper — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:40:00 +1100

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18plus: Question, but then choose

Don't let unanswered questions stop your faith!

If you think back to your teenage years, your faith was probably still growing, and was probably heavily influenced by your parents, family, friends and church.

Often, we can fall into the trap of living our faith through our parents, family or friends or even just by going to church. Because of that, we may never really ask the tough questions about our faith.

When we become young adults that all changes because the more experience we have in living life, the more questions we tend to ask about our faith.

An everyday choice

Being a young adult (18plus) is a time when we establish our independence, start driving, maybe move out of home, study at uni or TAFE, work or travel overseas etc.

In those years, we start to question our faith all over again and we are forced to choose all over again what we are going to believe and give our life to.

I think everyday is a choice whether to seek God and be obedient to him, or follow the world and be influenced by society's values and direction.

What are you going to choose ...?

A time for questioning

We are either walking towards God or away from him.

What are you doing?

As young adults, we see the world and all its problems more than we used to. We start associating with people who don't share the same beliefs, who question us, and open our eyes to other ideas and ways to live.

As young adults, we start to question the ideas, Christian principles and beliefs we were brought up in, and we want to see if Christianity (Christ) is as true as we believed when were younger.

Choose God

God wants us to explore, ask questions, and open our mind and life to different things, yet we must accept that we will never have all the answers.

"If faith could be proven we wouldn't have a faith, because true Christianity is expressed through faith alone."

This quote refers to belief without sight.

In these young adult years, I came to a point where I had so many questions about faith, I had doubts.

And I still do have some doubts from time to time; at times, I'm tempted to live by the world's values ...

But I choose to trust in God and follow his ways for my life! I choose a life of faith; and I choose to follow God even when the world pulls me in another direction.

May we never let our inquisitive mind and unanswered questions stop us from living a life for God and receiving the blessings and plan he has in store for each of us! Amen.

Mark Soper is the Ministry Assistant at Menai Salvation Army, where he oversees the youth ministries amongst other responsibilities in the corps.

Mark has previously been youth pastor at Hurstville Corps and has also worked on the Street Outreach Service at The Salvation Army's Oasis Youth Support Network. He loves seeing God grow churches from Christians meeting community needs. Mark is married to Lauren.

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Engaging with God

Julia Hosking — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:14:00 +1100

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Engaging with God

Fulton Hawk's story

Fulton Hawk spent his junior year of high school either high on drugs or drunk. He passed just one class the entire year.

Before then, he had never touched drugs or alcohol. He was a Salvation Army officer's kid. He went to church. He knew all the Sunday school answers. And he regularly encountered God: he would pray daily - in the morning or in the evening, sometimes both.

"But I wasn't really engaged with [God]," Fulton admits. "He wasn't the Lord of my life. I wasn't clinging to him."

The turning point for Fulton - when he admitted defeat and turned his life completely over to Jesus Christ - was Mother's Day, 1994. Fulton had overdosed on drugs, and needed his stomach pumped. His mum rode with him in the ambulance.

From that point, he started to have a real relationship with Jesus.

"I was depending on him. I was clinging to him. I was like: 'I give up. My way is nothing. It's led me to nothing but destruction. I'll go where you lead me'."

"One of the things I love about Jesus is the fact that he's an all-knowing God - he knows how many hairs we have on our head. Except when it comes to our sin, when we ask for forgiveness, he's forgetful. He's like: 'Your sin is as far as the east is from the west, let's worry about your potential'. And potential is always what you have in front of you."

A before B

Fulton lives in California and works for The Salvation Army's USA Western Territory. For the last nine years, he has been a Communications Specialist for the territorial youth department. That means he designs t-shirts and posters, creates videos for the youth website, and speaks at youth events.

Living this life was God's Plan A for Fulton. Sixteen years ago, when Fulton was using drugs, he was settling for Plan B.

"And Plan B is never as good as Plan A, in any scenario," he says. "It's when the scenario that you want, your best case scenario, isn't working out."

The youth of the Sydney East and Illawarra Division and the Greater West Division received the challenge to live Plan A and not settle for Plan B at the combined Youth Councils in February.

Fulton said choosing not to follow the path God has laid out is settling for Plan B. Whether we're using drugs, not obeying a call from God, or not deepening our relationship with Jesus, we're settling for Plan B.

"We're saying, God, I know you're the Creator and you know how to get the most out of me, and you have a plan for me, but I'm going to settle for Plan B."

Self-inflicted pain

Some people have told Fulton that hitting rock-bottom was part of God's plan to bring him to where he is now.

"I don't buy that," he says. "I didn't have to hurt my family; I don't think my friend Tim [who also started using drugs] had to die. I don't think all those things had to happen. In fact, they shouldn't have happened.

"I'm 32-years-old and I look back to that time, and I think, 'What a waste of time'. I don't look at it as a great point for me to grow. That was self-inflicted pain. That was never God's plan for my life."

I want to die finished

"My hope ... for people anywhere is that they'd just know how exciting following the Lord is. It's not always easy. It's not always fun. But it's more rewarding than anything you'll ever do; and more fulfilling and exciting, not knowing where God is going to place you next."

After his week in February in Australia, Fulton returned to his wife of nine years, Chrissy, and his seven-month-old daughter, Isabella. Once home, he prepared for a move out of his long-held territorial position in southern California to a divisional position in northern California.

This was a hard decision to make. Fulton loved his job at territorial headquarters. But God called Fulton, and Fulton is following because he knows it is God's Plan A - the only plan that will fulfil him.

"When I die, I don't want to die old, I want to die finished. Complete. Have nothing else that God wanted me to do. And I think that's the best way we can live."

By Julia Hosking

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i was here first!

Sandy MacDonald — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:20:00 +1100

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i was here first!

On our recent overseas holiday we had a great time, of course, but we also experienced some surprising lack of common courtesy. This also made us appreciate the manners of typical Aussies (who knew that we would do better at this than some other countries?) I can also say that we’ve experienced bad manners in other places too though. Good manners and bad manners can’t really be assigned to specific countries or cultures.

Nevertheless, in a country that has a government-sponsored campaign about being nice and polite and social etiquette stuff, we were surprised to often have people push ahead of us to get into a lift or onto a train or monorail. We were a family with two kids in a stroller while the people pushing past us were individuals or groups without wheelchairs or strollers or young children. We were trying to abide by our place in the queue – and often we were the first ones waiting.

I have wondered whether it was something to do with what they call “kiasu.” Kiasu is a fear of missing out and is a cultural phenomenon in that country. Perhaps the people were worried that there would never be another lift?

Probably my strongest personal value is justice. This could account for how frustrated I get with people who push in or can’t wait in line.

Yep, I get annoyed at drivers who appear to deliberately drive up the wrong lane then stop traffic as they squeeze into the lane they actually need. I get bothered that I always seem to choose the slowest line in the supermarket. I am incensed by people who cheat or sneak through the lines for rides at theme parks. There are probably a whole host of other ways people push in that bug me as well but I’ll leave them to your imagination.

So, how do you think I would have reacted if I were in the crowded house when the roof started falling in and a guy got dumped through the hole in the roof at Jesus’ feet? Not happy, Jan!

I really do hope though that I would have been excited to witness the twin miracles of healing and forgiveness and not have been bitter because my sense of justice got crossed.

When I read the story in Mark 2:1-12, I do celebrate the determination and creativity of the paralysed man’s friends. I do celebrate the wonder of Jesus’ offering both forgiveness of sins and physical healing. And I do wonder at the homeowner’s reaction to his or her new skylight!

You know what? I have to realise, too, that I’ve probably pushed in myself in my urgency to connect with Jesus at times. Isn’t it awesome that we don’t have to queue up to get God’s attention? It’s one of those “omni-” things about God that he can respond to all of us at the same time without making anyone miss out.

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Ah, the memories...

Jarrod Newton — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:19:00 +1100

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Ah, the memories...

Hey guys!

Were you at GAC in October 2009? We've just received photos from the event, and I'm starting to sort through them and get them up on Facebook! At the moment there's photos from our 80s night up, but there's more to come!

Click here to head over to Facebook and check them out!

Jarrod Newton

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grow- nikky thomas

Julia Hosking — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:28:00 +1100

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grow- nikky thomas

When I arrived at Gospel Arts Camp in October this year, I wasn't that close to God at all. I've been a Christian for more than two years but due to circumstances, like changing schools, I had drifted away from God and dropped my Christian standards.

At camp, this changed. The worship made me feel comfortable and I could feel God touching me. I haven't felt that close to God in ages. When Mark Soper talked about spiritual laziness, it made me realise that I should be more involved in the church. So many young people just come to church and stand there. They just watch and think that that is their part to play; but God has more that he wants to do through them.

Looking around at camp and seeing all the different talents people have has made me more inspired for when I go home. My advice to other young people out there would be if you ever find church boring to go to, become more involved and find your part. You are the church, so be the change you want to see.

Peace out, Nikky.

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Guyzone: Superbowl special

Jarrod Newton — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:55:00 +1100

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Guyzone: Superbowl special

Don't hate me, but I like the NFL.

I'm a pretty big NFL fan, and have been for a few years now - and with Channel ONE showing the NFL for free on digital, it's gaining popularity here in Australia.

Yes, I know that NFL players have gotten a bad wrap for the whole pads and helmets thing, but they also make tackles by smashing head-first into their opponents at full speed. So let's call it even.

To celebrate the recent Superbowl victory by the New Orleans Saints, this monthy's Guyzone features some NFL-themed clips.

Clip 1 - Doritos "Casket" Superbowl Ad

There's plenty of people who think the ads are actually better than the game, and this was one of the best this year.

The cool thing though? The ad was dreamed up by a church in Los Angeles. They weren't aiming for a hard-hitting salvation message, but were just hoping to start conversations. Here's what church leader Erwin McManus had to say:

"We're not trying to use Doritos to propagate a message, but I think we want people to know that we have a sense of humor, that it's OK to laugh," McManus said. "So much of what comes out of the faith community seems so dour and somber and we want to say, 'Hey, we're real people. You can be a person of faith and really enjoy life and laugh."

So men: It's ok to go to church and have a sense of humour. In fact, the church needs men with a sense of humour. Don't be afraid to step it up.

Clip 2 & 3 - Superbowl MVP Drew Brees

Click on this link to go to NFL.com and watch highlights of Drew Brees' MVP Performance in Super Bowl 44. Then come back here and watch this clip of Drew Brees sharing about the first time he encountered Jesus in a personal way. Too cool.

Clip 3 - Colt McCoy says "I Am Second"

I seriously rate this clip. This is Colt McCoy, college football superstar and one of the top quarterback prospects in the upcoming NFL draft, being totally upfront, passionate and blunt about his faith. And filmed in a super-cool style as well.

We need more Christian men who have a sense of humour, but we also need Christian men who are prepared to represent their faith like this guy. Watch him and be challenged about your own spiritual depth.

By Jarrod Newton

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saying Goodbye

Rusty Hodges — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:08:00 +1100

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saying Goodbye

Cheerio, ciao, sayonara, hooroo, au revoir, auf wiedersehen, Goodbye. However you say it, at someone point in our lives we will say goodbye to someone or something.

Saying goodbye can be upsetting, it can be a difficult time. Especially if you are saying goodbye because it may be the last time you will see that person or pet or thing. Sometimes it can feel like your heart has been ripped out.

I'm sure you could tell your story about saying goodbye. I've just recently had to say goodbye to an old friend. Someone I loved very much. I was upset but not overwhelmed by the grief. Sometimes the grief of loosing someone can be overwhelming as we struggle to cope under the burden of it. We all face grief in many different ways and no way is the right way to deal with it. I can only share what helped for me.

I think God was preparing me for this event as he had been speaking to me from 1 Peter 5.

I found comfort in the fact that God cares about me so much that he is actually interested in what I am going through.

1 Peter 5:7 says ... "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

So that's what I did. I simply let God know how I was feeling. I cried myself to sleep over my loss but also cried out to God to heal the ache inside. And He gave me a peace and took away my burden. I'll always miss my old friend but that's ok. I know God cares about everything I face, so I can say goodbye and know that God is walking alongside of me, carrying me when I struggle to keep going.

So if you have faced saying goodbye to someone recently and are still living under the burden of grief, try casting all your worries on God. You know He cares about you so much.
If you need to talk to someone about your grief maybe talk to your youth leader or corps officer. Sometimes talking can really help

Till next time

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Leadership: Influence is everything

Rusty Hodges — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:43:00 +1100

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Leadership: Influence is everything

"Leadership is influence -- nothing more nothing less."
John C Maxwell

It took me a while to understand this concept but it is so true. The measure of a good leader, and a bad one, is how they use their influence.

Great leaders

Influence can be a powerful force in the world. Think about some of the great leaders in history: Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, William Wallace, William Wilberforce, Adolf Hitler, Steve Waugh, Andrew Johns, William Booth ...

One thing they all have in common is influence. And yes, I did include Adolf Hitler. He used his influence for evil; he was a great leader who leveraged his leadership to commit the most barbaric and atrocious acts of hatred: racist terrorism. How did he do it? Influence!

Nelson Mandela spent 26 years in prison because he was using his influence to fight against the 'apartheid' regime in South Africa which saw black South Africans being treated as second class citizens by the white South Africans. It was blatant racism. Apartheid eventually fell apart and Nelson Mandela was elected president and sought to bring reconciliation and peace to his nation. How did he do it? Influence!

Where does influence come from?

Influence cannot be bought. It can be borrowed from someone for a short time, but sooner or later, every leader needs to lead out of their own influence.

If leadership is nothing more than influence, then the question we need to answer is what am I going to do with my influence? How do I increase my influence to become a better leader?

Here are a few ways to leverage your influence as a leader.

1. Do your best

"If we are leaders, we should do our best," (Romans 12:8).

This advice from Paul is for us who are leaders. He says to lead to the best of our ability, regardless of our position. Whether we are the key leader, an assistant leader or a helper, we need to lead what has been placed in our hands and take full ownership and responsibility for it.

2. Listen to others

God has given us two ears and one mouth for a reason. It is a discipline to stop and really listen to people. By doing so, you win favour with that person and they are more likely to follow you, or be influenced by you.

3. Be a person of your word

Nothing kills influence more than letting people down because you didn't do what you said you would. If you commit or promise anything to someone, do whatever you can to keep that commitment. If something significant comes up that causes you to not be able to keep the promise, then be honest and brave enough to ask their permission to release you from the commitment and make another time, if possible, to do it later.

You can lead from wherever you are; you don't need a position or role. After all, no matter what your age or location is, leadership is merely influence -- nothing more nothing less.

Rusty serves on the territorial youth team as the Youth Inclusion Coordinator, where he works to help local youth groups and youth ministries connect with the poor and marginalised in their local area. Before joining the team, Rusty was a youth pastor for almost 5 years in Tuggerah Lakes.

Rusty's personal mission is to bring hope and life to a broken generation. He is married to Belinda.

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STUMP

MORE — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:49:00 +1100

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STUMP

Edify: Walk the talk

Edify's STUMP (Short Term Urban Mission Project) gives you the opportunity to engage with the disadvantaged and marginalised for a week-long mission experience in the inner-city of Sydney.

We have ten spots available for our next April STUMP from Sunday the 11th of April to Saturday the 17th of April. Click here to register for this awesome opportunity.

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Sex, marriage and Tiger Woods

Mark Soper — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:46:00 +1100

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Sex, marriage and Tiger Woods

What's going on?

I don't know if you've heard or not, but Tiger Woods -- the most successful athlete on the planet and one of the all-time champions in golf -- has been caught having numerous affairs with other women.

It's left his wife and family shattered and has brought about much pain, regret and embarrassment for Tiger.

I was really disappointed because I respect Tiger Woods, not only because he was a great athlete but also because despite all his fame and riches, he still managed to be a sports role model who had family values and who was a man of integrity.

A gift from God

I realised again just how important it is to be faithful to your spouse, and to only have sex inside of marriage. Sex is great and is a gift from God, but it is to be used within his guidelines. What does that mean? Sex is for within marriage only.

Dream a little ...

Let's think for a minute about what the world would be like if people only had sex inside of marriage:

There would be greater intimacy, trust and love for each other
There would be no prostitution; women and children would not be taken advantaged of in the sex trade
STI's and STD's would be non-existent, that would limit disease
HIV/AIDS would practically be stopped, as the majority of cases are passed through sexual intercourse
There wouldn't be millions of babies aborted world-wide every year
We would see a greater respect for women in society (evident through reduced rape and domestic abuse)
There would be more complete families (due to no adultery/ affairs leading to divorce)
Pornography would disappear, because people wouldn't seek sexual satisfaction outside of marriage
There would be a greater trust and commitment in relationships

A better world to live in!

If sex was kept in marriage the world would be a better place, not only for us, but also for the wider community and society.

What happens is that we don't look at the consequences of having sex outside or before marriage, in fact, we glorify them. We only look at the little moment of fulfilment that we want now. But eventually, we have to pay for and live with the consequences much longer.

A prayer

My prayer is that we would all strive to keep sex inside of marriage, which God intended, and that we wouldn't let society and the world tell us it's ok to do otherwise. I pray that through faithful marriages, society would be changed for the better!

Mark Soper is the Ministry Assistant at Menai Salvation Army, where he oversees the youth ministries amongst other responsibilities in the corps.

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Girlzone: Remember who you are

Claire Twivey — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:02:00 +1100
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Girlzone: Remember who you are
Remember who you are, and who you represent.

I don't know how many times I've heard this sentence -- too many to count. Maybe you've heard it once or twice too.

Remember who you are, and who you represent.

Ever since I can remember, my parents have been reminding my brother, sister and me of this. My mum once went as far as to run up the street towards us kids as we were on our way to the bus stop for school, just to tell us again. "Remember who you are, and who you represent."

I always thought it was meant to make me think before I made silly mistakes, or took a situation the wrong way -- but as I've grown up, I've realised it means more than that.

More than a daughter, a sister or a friend ... We need to remember who we are in Christ.

Here are three things to help you get a picture of what this looks like.

You are accepted

We are daughters of Christ. "Those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God," (John 1:12).

There it is, plain as day. We have been accepted by Christ, adopted into his family. More than just being accepted, we also have to vital role to play. We are part of the body of Christ. God has accepted us as we are -- right now. Not who we might be one day or who we wish we were, but who we are now.

You are secure

Being a daughter of Christ guarantees that nothing will separate us from his love.

"Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow -- not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love," (Romans 8:38).

God is our refuge and strength; always there to give us a hand. He is above any situation we may find ourselves in. We are secure in him.

You are significant

This one is so important to remember. God has a purpose and plan for your life. He wants you to live life in ALL its fullness. I remember hearing it said that even if you were the only person on earth he still would have died on the cross so you can have eternal life with him.

It blows my mind whenever I think about it!

So, remember ...

I am important to God.

You are important to God.

Take a moment this week to remind yourself of this truth. Think about who you really are.

Once you remember who you are in Christ, you are able to represent him to the world!

Don't ever feel that you are not worthy of this calling! Take it and run with it.

By Claire Twivey
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It's Jesus or hell

Claire Hill — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:10:00 +1100
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It's Jesus or hell

I remember one day when I was about 15 I was on my way to school and a man jumped in front of me and began to read to me from the book of Revelation.
He was wearing a huge sandwich board with ‘Turn or burn' or ‘It's Jesus or hell' or something like that written on it and was carrying a megaphone.

I tried to explain to him (excitedly) that I knew Jesus and loved him and was very passionate about others knowing him too, but he wasn't having a bar of it. He continued reading and shouting at me.

Good evangelism?

St Francis of Assisi once said that we should:

"preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words"

and I've always loved this. In other words, our lives should be our loudest testimony. We should live lives that are so generous, so different to the way the world lives and so spirit-filled that people recognise Jesus in us.

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Renovations

Rusty Hodges — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:00:00 +1100
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Renovations

Fresh Start

For the last two weeks I have been renovating my house with my wife. Now this is quite a feat as I'm the kind of guy who would actually go looking for a left handed screw driver and the striped paint.
We went room by room throughout the place making it our own. We ripped up carpet and laid down flooring. We patched holes in walls and painted. We have just started on the gardens, pulling out the weeds and adding new plants.

God's Work

One day as I was working on the house I felt God ask me about how the renovation of my soul is going. Weird question huh? You see when we place our trust in God he begins the process of renovating our soul. He begins his work of making us more like his son Jesus. He goes one room at a time, getting rid of the filth that our sin put there and make us new.

He does more than just a renovation or restoration he makes us new. I'm reading a book at the moment written by A.W. Tozer. I love what he wrote saying "the man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stop tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One. While he looks at Christ, the very things he has so long been trying to do will be getting done within him. It will be God working in him to will and to do."

Fix our eyes on Jesus

As we continually fix our faith upon Jesus God works in us to bring his renovation in our soul. So for me, I'm going do my all to keep my eyes on Jesus and allow him to do his renovations in me that I can be more like him and bear fruit for his kingdom.

Why don't you join me in fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who will bring to completion the work that He began in you.

Till next time... Happy renovating!

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save- harley short

Julia Hosking — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:53:00 +1100
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save- harley short
Hi I am Harley and the way I got saved is I started living with my Nan and Pop in Gorokan.
I started going to a kids club and when I got older, the youth leader asked me to come to youth group. I started to go and when the chance to go to a kid's camp came up, I went.

On the first day, we went to worship, and I had a lot of fun but I didn't know Jesus at this time. The whole day went by, and we went to sleep.

The next day we went to worship and I got a warm feeling in me. For about three years I'd felt that there was something missing, and I tried to fill it up with sport and going out and things like that, and nothing filled it. But when I got that filling from God, I knew that it was the right thing to do.

At the end of camp, they gave us a Bible, and when I got home, I started reading it and got very into it. My fave verse is John 3:16 "God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die" (CEV).

While going to youth group, I started going to church on Sunday and the people were very nice to me. Now I do the sound and the screen and sometimes I lead the worship. I love the people at my church and the kids at Kids Club are very nice to us leaders.

The GAC camp 2008 was very good and I learnt a lot about God, but the GAC camp 2009 is the best yet that I have gone to. The camp this year is very, very good and I have learnt a lot in just two and bit days so far.

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The Teen Missions Experience

Julia Hosking — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:26:00 +1100
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The Teen Missions Experience
(Around) the world for God

Nate Brown is hooked on overseas mission.

He's been on mission trips to India (2004), China (2005), Papua New Guinea (2005), Zambia (2005), Cambodia (2006), Nepal (2008), Fiji (2008) and Egypt (2009).

To have been on eight trips since 2004 is no easy task. They're hard work, and full of challenges. So why does Nate keep jumping on a plane and flying to all sorts of destinations?

"Three reasons: Firstly, because I love working with young people and it's such a privilege to go around the world with them.

"Secondly, because of what God does in my heart and life every time I go; I always come home stretched, challenged and stronger in my relationship with God.

"And thirdly, because it opens my eyes to the world, I can see what a difference we can actually make in the places we go. Oh, and the smiles ... to see kids with nothing, smile like they have everything, blows my mind."

An Egyptian summer

Nate's most recent trip to Egypt was with a group called Teen Missions Australia, a Christian organisation that gives short-term mission opportunities to teenagers over the Christmas holidays.

For four weeks in Egypt, Nate and his team renovated an orphanage in Assiout - a city located on the Nile - that houses 450 young people. As a team leader, he was also privileged to be able to lead life groups and mentor his team members.

However, as with his previous seven trips, Nate also had God work in his life. "God challenged me in this trip about living a Christ-like life ... I've had enough of mediocre Christianity, it's time to get switched on and do something."

Outside showers vs Xbox

Washing clothes in a bucket, sleeping in tents, and showering outside would push most people out of their comfort-zone. But other things we take for granted - like having supplies on hand to build a house - can also cause issues.

"There are so many ways that Satan tries to derail the efforts of young people, but every time, it's so important to bring it to God in prayer," says Nate. "He is so faithful to us, and we've never faced a challenge he hasn't brought us through victoriously."

Before Nate went on his first mission trip, he thought it would be the most boring way to spend his holidays. Judging by his eight missions though, his opinion has changed.

"What else are you going to do in the holidays? Play Xbox? Roast yourself at the beach for six weeks? Why not go change the world and travel to places most people only dream about?"

Nate's highlights

These moments were Nate's top five highlights from his eight mission trips.

India 2004: Eating curry so hot I was crying, sweating, snotting, and felt like my insides were bleeding.

Zambia 2005: Having a group of young kids sing to us while we were working; they had the most beautiful voices I've ever heard.

China 2005: Spending three weeks with deaf kids who have nothing at all, but who have an unspeakable joy in their lives.

Nepal 2008: Holding an open-air outreach in a Hindu village and seeing 15 people accept Christ as their Saviour.

Egypt 2009: Shopping at the Khan markets in Cairo ... seriously one of the craziest experiences of my life!

How you can get involved

Anyone from the age of 13 through to early 20's, from any church across Australia and New Zealand can go on a trip with Teen Missions Australia. "Teen Missions knows that God doesn't wait for us to be old before he can use us," says Nate. "He uses young people all the time in the Bible, so why should it be different now?"

Teen Missions also need team leaders, so if you're 21+ you can apply to be either a ‘head leader' or an ‘assistant leader'. "[Being a leader] is the most fruitful investment I've ever made into the lives of teenagers," says Nate.

In December 2010, Teen Missions will take teams to: Argentina (church), Uganda (refuge and AIDS orphanage), India (slum and leprosy mission), Thailand (orphanage), Vanuatu (trekking and school), Papua New Guinea (airstrip and school), China (school for the disabled) and Egypt (orphanage).

You can apply anytime from February through to November at the Teen Missions website. Because of the cost involved (cost ranges from $2000 to $3900) start fundraising the minute you submit your application!

By Julia Hosking
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