• That the girls opened up and are very welcoming and sow love towards each other.
• Hearts opening that have been closed for many years! Let his kingdom come!
• The fact that a number of campers were just in awe of what Christ has done for them last night and were eager to keep praising him througouht the evening.
• Year 9 worship sesh on the hill.
• For the new Christians coming out of last night, and those who recommitted.
• For growing unity and community in year groups.

Prayer

• For perseverance and energy for leaders.
• That those challenged by Ron’s talk will continue to maintain that conviction when they leave.
• That Christ’s endurance and passion would be sown in the hearts of those whe the Spirit touched this week – the seeds of that encounter wouldn’t just be among thorns and rocks.
• For continued safety.
• For continue safety for campers.
• For campers who are recommitting having had a tough year – pray for their journey after camp.
• For Safety in packup and travel back to church tomorrow.
• For reflection on what has been experienced and understood.
• For the continued questions after the night session last night.

Praise

• For great teamwork from Year 13 in getting the creative night together.
• For the enthusiasm of Year 7 and 8 as they served weeding yesterday.
• For the youth accepting leaders (even new ones) into their groups and slowly opening up.
• For the enthusiasm that the kids have been showing for the activities and Ron’s talks.
• For the Year 8 girls and their ability to be open, honest and real with each other
• For Jesus – he is with us!
• For kids who aren’t regulars at church/youth group being welcomed and included.

Prayer

• For continued openness and learning as Year 13 explore their faith and thoughts on life.
• For energy for leaders!
• For canamping – safety and enthusiasm and good bonding between year groups (Years 9 and 10)
• For meaningful discussions in the evening at canamping
• That youth will remember to show love to each other and listen to each other.
• For safety for the Year 12 offsite afternoon/night.
• That leaders would get deeper and deeper with our Jesus, and it would empower us to love/love with the youth.
• For Wongo’s injured ankle.

Looking at the program, rookie houseparents Al and Vikki McEwan, suspected that the boys in blue might again be required to enforce the half hour to forty-five minute period in which campers are encouraged to spend time on their own – reflecting on the Bible, using material written by some of the senior campers, or just thinking about life.

However, this was not the case. On their first full day as house parents, they confessed shock at the fact that when they went on a patrol of the campsite during the first TAWG, they found most campers sitting quietly by themselves. This certainly wasn’t always the case on Ignite. But, with the majority of campers being serial-Igniters, some of whom do TAWGs regularly at home, the routine of a number of years has bred a culture in which doing a TAWG each morning at Ignite is just what happens.

As much as this may have been surprising for Al and Vikki, it was refreshing and encouraging for those of us who have been around Ignite for some time and to whom the gradual change is less obvious.

Isn’t it great that spending personal time with the God of the universe has become the norm for 130 campers, at least for this week of the year?

So for now, at least, the TAWG Police (some of whom are now leaders) can hand in their badges. And tazers, if this was Victoria.

• That although we can’t live an unshakeable life, we can have an unshakeable hope.
• That we have time to worship together
• For the large group of Year 9 girls on camp, particularly the girls who don’t normally go to youth group or church
• The servant hearts of leaders and youth involved in the worship sessions – doing music, dance, prayer, bible reading.
• Lots of new campers of all ages.
• This amazing opportunity to share with kids who haven’t met Jesus
• An excellent bus trip
• A great first session (Monday evening)

Prayer

• That our youth will understand and embrace our unshakeable hope.
• Restful sleep for all, for health and energy.
• That God will reveal himself and be revealed by our community
• Humility for those serving up the front
• First time campers – pray that they would feel welcomed and excited about the Ignite experience, and of course God
• Group cohesion, stronger community, sense of inclusion for all
• That campers would be enthused and get involved in activities and seminars

Does cheerful giving belong on that list? Can we really be happy when we’re parting with things that we hold dear, be it money, time, resources? But that is exactly what God calls us to do, and the attitude with which we’re called to do it:

“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.“ – 2 Corinthians 9:7.

Yesterday at church marked our commitment in giving towards and serving in ministry for 2012. On Sunday afternoon before the sermon, Years 7 to 10 get together and do bible study, and Daniel provided some pretty meaty passages for us to look at in regards to this often tricky topic. We are called to be good stewards, faithful and fruitful with the things that God has given us. But hasn’t God given us everything?

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ” - James 1:17.

It’s a pretty poetic way to put it, but it’s true. Everything belongs to God. Even our bodies were bought at a price (1 Corinthians 6:20). In fact, every, single, breath is a gift from our gracious Father. He gives us life. But more than that, He gives us eternal life:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ” - John 3:16.

He who didn’t withhold His beloved Son, offers us eternity with Himself. When we realise just how big this is, either for the first time for for the millionth, even the little that we have should be offered back to Him with joy that overflows from the heart. I was really encouraged by my Year 9 boys during bible study. There was no tiptoeing around the issue, there also wasn’t a reluctant attitude towards the giving of our tithe, time or talents.

I’m praying, for myself as much as them, that this isn’t just talk limited to a Sunday afternoon, but an all of life attitude that honours God in every situation and season, when we’re rich in money and time, and even more so when we’re poor in those areas. God is big enough to look after us regardless. Let’s step out in faith and give back to the One who gave it all.

Alex

A wonderful summary of the gospel message. Check it out

Daniel

“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” – Colossians 1:16-17

What does this actually mean for us though? One train of thought that I definitely don’t want readers to be going down is that of pantheism, which is another way of saying God is in everything, which is very contrary to what the bible says above. True, God through the Holy Spirit dwells in all believers, but we cannot reduce God to a blade of grass or an ant or something like that. The Creator is not the creation is probably a better way of putting it.

What then? Can I challenge you to believe that all creation testifies to God’s glory, and through it we have a clear picture of God, which should lead us into seeking Him out. Check it out:

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” – Romans 1:20

What excuse? Well as a Year 9 Fuel group we’ve been discussing this verse quite a lot. The excuse isn’t one concerning salvation, which is achieved in Christ alone, but one that concerns the existence of God. In very blunt terms, it’s saying that from what has been made, we should all at some stage arrive at the only possible conclusion that God is behind it all. With that knowledge revealed to us, we need to act on it. Sitting idly by is definitely not what God asks us to do.

So spring has sprung. You guys can see that. How is God good? Well we don’t deserve any of this beautiful weather, wonderful creation or even our very lives. Yet God in His mercy still gives us all these things and so much more, ever patiently awaiting people to turn to Him. Remember that we were all once in that crowd. Now, can we be His hands and feet and help further His kingdom? Hope you can join me in doing that.

Alex, ever blessed by our awesome God.

At Fuse last night, the Rev, Harry Goodhew, preached a cracker of a sermon, and I wanted to reflect a bit on one idea that he wove throughout his talk. He said that all of us are living out a story. All of us have a particular way of looking at the world and our place in it, and this shapes what we choose to do and to think and to say. In the world today, the story goes a bit like this – “Everyone’s story is different, so create your own and do what you want, just don’t hurt anyone else.”

But what Harry showed us last night was how very different this story is to the one the Bible presents to us, the story of the gospel:

“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying.” (Titus 3:3-8)

Unlike the world’s story, the gospel doesn’t say we should create our own idea of what this life’s about. It tells us what life’s about – that we are ALL sinful people, and ALL of us are in need of a Saviour to rescue us from our sins. The gospel doesn’t say that we can just do what we want in this life either. It commands ALL of us to repent and believe in Jesus.

Why is this so important? Well, the Bible tells us that the gospel is the only TRUE story. It’s the only life-giving story. It’s the only story that will give you meaning and purpose in your life, because it’s the only story that gives us an accurate picture of what life’s all about. If you want to make sense of this life, you need to look to the gospel; you need to look to Jesus.

You might be saying, “Yes, I know this. I’ve accepted Jesus. I understand that the gospel is the only true story”. But let me ask you, is the good news about Jesus shaping everything that you do, say and think? Harry told us last night that the story that we hold on to deep within our hearts will come out in every part of our lives. So is it obvious to others around you that you’re on about the gospel? If I looked at your Facebook wall, or your Twitter feed, would it be obvious to me what story you’re living out? Would it be clear that Jesus is the most important Person in your life, that the gospel is the greatest news you’ve ever heard?

We’re all living in light of a story. The question is, are you living in light of the one that’s TRUE?

What are some ways that you can show others today that you truly believe that the gospel is what life’s all about?

Daniel

Why am I thinking about music? A couple of reasons. Firstly, this came about a while back when I was talking to Daniel Jones. I consider him to be a pretty groovy dude, and we both have similar tastes. I then saw something on Video Hits one morning (why I was watching it I don’t know) that I shared with him. It was a clip of a 30 Seconds to Mars song called ‘Closer to the Edge’. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLqHDhF-O28&ob=av2e) What surprised me about it was how (for want of a better word) ‘Hillsongy’ it felt. If I didn’t know who sang it and just watched the clip, I could have easily concluded that it was another big worship thing.

But I watched through to the end, and heard a message that was quite contrary to what the Bible says. This clip stated that music is the thing that saves us. In this day and age I think a lot of people would be more than happy to agree with that statement. I could even be guilty of this from time to time, like when I see someone sad I’ll just tell them “Don’t worry, be happy.” (Cue singing fish). But this can be quite dangerous, because even though the songwriter’s intentions may be good, the message in the music is from a broken human’s worldview, which can easily lead people astray.

Secondly, I was surprised to hear that Hillsong’s latest album debuted at number 3 on the ARIA charts. What? A Christian album outselling people like Beyonce and Lady Gaga? There may still be power in worship even in this broken, hurting world. And this comes at a pretty convenient time, with one of Lady Gaga’s latest singles proclaiming her love for Judas, the disciple that betrayed Jesus. A very interesting song that could be analysed in another post. But what is it that the people who bought the Hillsong album are worshipping? The music or God? Now please do not hear this blog as a rant against all things Hillsong. I have their I Heart album and it features heavily in my CD player. But I am saying that we have to be careful as to where our priorities lie.

Like the singing fish, even Christian worship is written by human beings who are susceptible to sin, no matter how Godly their intentions may be. And, as a musician, I understand how easy it is to reference and remember music to lift our spirits or change our moods. But we, as sons and daughters of God need to be listening to His voice and His music. How appropriate then, that at Fuse we’re looking at one of the Psalms, God’s very own songbook. Now I hear some of you saying that words are harder to put in your head than music is, so I offer a simple challenge to you: memorise Psalm 117. A whole psalm? Yep, a whole psalm. Here it is in its entirety:

Praise the Lord, all you nations, extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love towards us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.

Is that it? Yep. Simple? You bet. But in its simplicity lies such an amazing promise, that God’s love and faithfulness to us endures forever. Now that’s a song that I wouldn’t mind singing for the rest of my days. Hope you can join me in doing that.

Alex, worshipping God (through music too!)

]]> http://facignite2010.wordpress.com/2011/07/22/i-got-the-music-in-me/feed/ 1 facignite2010 http://facignite2010.wordpress.com/2011/07/01/the-simple-truth-now-on-dvd/ http://facignite2010.wordpress.com/2011/07/01/the-simple-truth-now-on-dvd/#comments Fri, 01 Jul 2011 02:50:52 +0000 LiveitLoveit http://facignite2010.wordpress.com/?p=449 ]]> Hello people of cyberspace!

Just letting you know that right at this very moment, the youth team are in the process of putting together copies of the Ignite 2011 DVD ready for distribution. Excited? I would be!

Each pack has a DVD with some yummy memories of Ignite: The Simple Truth. And for good measure we’ve thrown in a CD filled with even more resources like extra photos, soft copies of bible studies and so on.

$5 a disc. Bargain hey? Feel free to ask any of the youth team (Alex, Daniel, Rochelle, Ron) for them when you see them next. Although if you ask Rochelle or Ron, they’ll take a couple of weeks to get back to you as they’re in Vanuatu on mission. Yew!

Hope you enjoy your holidays with whatever you have planned. Stay safe, God bless, and catch you on the flipside!