What a weekend! Thank you Jesus, you are amazing!
So on Friday morning when Jill gave me the prophetic picture of us sitting around the pool with our feet dangling in, and only a few of us getting up to climb the diving board and jump in head first, I can't say I expected that diving board to be so high. . . and i'm afraid of heights.
I want so say to all the absolute legends who were on the weekend, WELL DONE!!
We went further than I ever expected to go at our first getaway. We got to a point on Saturday morning where my knees were shaking on that proverbial diving board, but you adrenaline junkies climbed up without a second thought and, as the mighty Mark Blond would put it, "Got wettied".
Well done for responding to God the way you did. The Gap, which is by definition, a group of people who have encountered God (true of those on the weekend), is a powerful weapon in the hand of God because as long as we are encountering Jesus, He is building His church and the gates of hell are getting, quite literally, smoked.
But commendation must also be bestowed upon those who recieved awards for their talents this weekend. Thami, with the performance of the weekend, was a huge stand out around the bonfire. The problem is however, when he moves into the shadows he doesn't stand out at all, he becomes completely invisible. A deadly threat to vulnerable bonfire bystanders such as Mark B, Amy Du C, Mark and Brigitte O, Thami used his many years of experience, of hiding in bushes and making animal noises, to actually propel these bystanders into flight with almost enough velocity and momentum to carry them over the flames of the raging furnace. Many thanks to our hero Mark Blond for offering his back to the beast, you were a lot braver than the rest of us would have been. We all know the terror of Thami's wild boar impersonation.
Other possible nominations for this award could have been Tyrone's spontaneous "hakka" after his team won the tug of war. That was a sight to behold. I'm still not sure if he knew his team weren't behind him following his moves. Or there is of course, Simon's ruthless impersonation of our true winner.
Another award winning moment was when James took out our only "famous guy" on the dodgeball court with a proper connection to the eye. Ant Stott, being the fierce beast that he is, was quick to recover and seek revenge. If it was anyone elso who had been hit that hard, the award would've gone to James for "Claim of the weekend" but the fear in James' eyes is what defined this moment as the "Fail of the weekend".
My personal vote for this award would've, hands down, been for a complete lack of discretion shown on Friday night by a certain administrator. However, no harm done and. . . such is life.(R.V we missed you)
And then there's the most awkward moment of the weekend. There was no competition for this one and no need to comment except to say, well done Lisa for accepting this award so gracefully, and shame on you Shaun!
One of my favourite memories of the weekend is watching Jeff coach Ant into a forward somersault into spin on the trampoline. All there is to remember from this scene is, and I quote, 'the coach never plays'. Definitely the quote of the weekend for me. I think Jeff should've got an award for it.
But thanks to The Gap because without you there would' ve been no memories, no laughs, no awkward moments, no epic fails, no coaching, no performances and most of all, no mates to encounter Jesus with. And that's what defines us.
So hang tight for the next time The Gap get together because. . .
WE'RE EXPLODING!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Don't just come to church. Be the Church.
What is the church about? Why should I be a part of it?
Give me one good reason!
There is only One.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. By Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things are held together. And He is the head of the body, the church.
If you've encountered Him you can't help move when He speaks. His voice is like the sound of rushing waters that sweep you off your feet to places you've never been before. When you've met Him, He's got you. He steals your heart and gives you more than can be contained in a lifetime. He's the answer to every question you've ever had, yet leaves you with one burning question,
'How can I serve such a King?"
Once you've met Jesus, the King among Kings, your whole life becomes a journey of pursuing the answer to this question.
What's this got to do with the church?
The head speaks, the body responds. That's the simple relationship between Jesus and the church.
The church exists to serve King Jesus and build His Kingdom but, not only that . . .
from him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does it's work.
The church as a whole also exists to help the individuals in the church serve Jesus better.
Within the church lies the answer to that burning question.
As each individual outworks the 'grace' that Jesus has given them, they begin to massage the 'graces' out of those around them, and we begin to see a greater release of the anointing and empowering of God in and through the Church as a whole.
It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ
That's the point of the Church.
Not to make you feel guilty, not to boss you around, not to tell you where you need to be and when you need to be there, not to ask you for your money, not to ask you for your time, but to teach and equip you to serve the One you've encountered. To give you opportunities to encounter him more and more. To help you to respond to His mighty call.
So if you're there on a Sunday because it's what you do, because it's where your friends are. If you're persevering through the sermon week after week wondering what's happening after church, you've missed the point. And I'm afraid unless you open up your eyes from your religious church going slumber, you're going to keep missing the reason.
And He's there. . . and He misses you.
Give me one good reason!
There is only One.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. By Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things are held together. And He is the head of the body, the church.
If you've encountered Him you can't help move when He speaks. His voice is like the sound of rushing waters that sweep you off your feet to places you've never been before. When you've met Him, He's got you. He steals your heart and gives you more than can be contained in a lifetime. He's the answer to every question you've ever had, yet leaves you with one burning question,
'How can I serve such a King?"
Once you've met Jesus, the King among Kings, your whole life becomes a journey of pursuing the answer to this question.
What's this got to do with the church?
The head speaks, the body responds. That's the simple relationship between Jesus and the church.
The church exists to serve King Jesus and build His Kingdom but, not only that . . .
from him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does it's work.
The church as a whole also exists to help the individuals in the church serve Jesus better.
Within the church lies the answer to that burning question.
As each individual outworks the 'grace' that Jesus has given them, they begin to massage the 'graces' out of those around them, and we begin to see a greater release of the anointing and empowering of God in and through the Church as a whole.
It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ
That's the point of the Church.
Not to make you feel guilty, not to boss you around, not to tell you where you need to be and when you need to be there, not to ask you for your money, not to ask you for your time, but to teach and equip you to serve the One you've encountered. To give you opportunities to encounter him more and more. To help you to respond to His mighty call.
So if you're there on a Sunday because it's what you do, because it's where your friends are. If you're persevering through the sermon week after week wondering what's happening after church, you've missed the point. And I'm afraid unless you open up your eyes from your religious church going slumber, you're going to keep missing the reason.
And He's there. . . and He misses you.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Tiny trainers, Teddies & Torrents
So there we were, tiny shorts, tiny vests, tiny head bands and tiny trainers.
(You know what they say about guys with tiny trainers . . . they can afford to wear tiny shorts).
All dressed up, but where were we going?
We had a one way ticket to the promised land . . . Camp Manoah . . . and that’s where we were headed.
With our teddies and blankies packed,off we headed in the silver beast of slumber. Like the seven
dwarves, or at least dressed in their clothes, we (Shaunie, Thorny, Davie, Paulie, Mattie, Si & Ty) literally
jumped, some dived, into the COGS Condor as purple haired ladies streamed out of the Tuesday
morning ladies meeting, bewildered by this peculiar sight. Careful not to run any of our spectators over,
we screamed out of the COGS gate. By screamed I’m not referring to the speed we were driving but to
the fact that we literally screamed like 12 yr old girls at a Justin Bieber show. You couldn’t contain the
excitement that was in that car in a M&B bottomless coffee mug. The atmosphere was electric. And
the voltage only increased as Audio Mechanic Ty whipped out his 100 disc CD pouch and slid Now 28
into the CD player. With the bass kicking and the tweeters hissing the rubber hit the road. Seven grown
dudes with their arms out of the windows screaming Bon Jovi ‘It’s my life’ at the top of their voices. I’m
just glad no one caught it on video . . .
oh wait . . . that was the whole point.
Huh?
This was the day that we had set aside to film the promo video for The GAP Getaway. A day worth
blocking out your diary for. Some even took the day off from work . . . COMMITMENT!
We couldn’t have asked for a better day to film or to drive. I mean we obviously picked the right day
because the heavens were open over us from start to finish. The rain was relentless!
But we stuck to our guns. We had driven all the way to the camp site and a little rain wasn’t going to
turn us away.
So with all that said, check out the The GAP Getaway promo video.
CREDITS
Guy falling out of car and being bruised by tow hitch – Shaun Tait
Guy being hit in the face with dodgeball – Shaun Tait
Guy being dragged through filthy dam on freezing day – Shaun Tait
Guy that got left behind – Thornton Vivier
(You know what they say about guys with tiny trainers . . . they can afford to wear tiny shorts).
All dressed up, but where were we going?
We had a one way ticket to the promised land . . . Camp Manoah . . . and that’s where we were headed.
With our teddies and blankies packed,off we headed in the silver beast of slumber. Like the seven
dwarves, or at least dressed in their clothes, we (Shaunie, Thorny, Davie, Paulie, Mattie, Si & Ty) literally
jumped, some dived, into the COGS Condor as purple haired ladies streamed out of the Tuesday
morning ladies meeting, bewildered by this peculiar sight. Careful not to run any of our spectators over,
we screamed out of the COGS gate. By screamed I’m not referring to the speed we were driving but to
the fact that we literally screamed like 12 yr old girls at a Justin Bieber show. You couldn’t contain the
excitement that was in that car in a M&B bottomless coffee mug. The atmosphere was electric. And
the voltage only increased as Audio Mechanic Ty whipped out his 100 disc CD pouch and slid Now 28
into the CD player. With the bass kicking and the tweeters hissing the rubber hit the road. Seven grown
dudes with their arms out of the windows screaming Bon Jovi ‘It’s my life’ at the top of their voices. I’m
just glad no one caught it on video . . .
oh wait . . . that was the whole point.
Huh?
This was the day that we had set aside to film the promo video for The GAP Getaway. A day worth
blocking out your diary for. Some even took the day off from work . . . COMMITMENT!
We couldn’t have asked for a better day to film or to drive. I mean we obviously picked the right day
because the heavens were open over us from start to finish. The rain was relentless!
But we stuck to our guns. We had driven all the way to the camp site and a little rain wasn’t going to
turn us away.
So with all that said, check out the The GAP Getaway promo video.
CREDITS
Guy falling out of car and being bruised by tow hitch – Shaun Tait
Guy being hit in the face with dodgeball – Shaun Tait
Guy being dragged through filthy dam on freezing day – Shaun Tait
Guy that got left behind – Thornton Vivier
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