I have a favourite café I go to in Botany about twice a week for a caffeine fix! In fact I have spots all over Auckland where I know where to go.
Many times I plan my travel across my city based on the coffee.
...yes I am a bit addicted!

The other day I went to the above café for a ‘fix’.
I found the young lady behind the counter struggling away with what could only be described as a poor excuse for a pen. All it was, was the inside refill part of the pen. I guess the rest of the pen gave up sometime during the day.

I stood there for a moment thinking how crazy this was.
Why use such a stupid writing device?
Couldn’t another pen be found to record my precise order of a triple shot latte, large cup, no sugar...take away?

Then a simple thought crossed my mind...
Why not offer them the pen that I had in my bag?

Even though she seemed a little embarrassed that her customer was providing something they needed, they thanked me and I left with my coffee feeling a quite good about myself. It was a nice feeling doing something, even though it seemed small, for someone with no real agenda.

That was a few days a go and then today I had the opportunity to call past again for another ‘fix’.
That same lady was behind the counter.
She greeted me with a large smile and pointed me out to the other staff as the guy who gave them his pen. It seemed to have had an impact on them beyond what I thought it ever would.
I mean, it was just a pen...or was it?

The writer in Galatians said “as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people”.
Luke said this about Jesus in his book called Acts “he went around doing good”.

‘Doing good’ is not just about big things.
It is something we can practice in small ways at any time.

I think ‘doing good’ impacts peoples lives even more now as they just don’t expect it.
It is strange to them when someone does something unmerited.

‘Doing good’ no matter how small it is, bridges gaps between out lives that we can not naturally cross.It definitely opens a way for us to connect.
And it feels really good!

Why don’t you give it a try?

When I read my Bible I regularly come across phrases or statements that challenge my thinking.
...and the even more amazing part for me is that these challenges seem to relate to exactly what I thinking about at the time.

Recently I have been on an adventure with God in regards to healing.
I love the idea of it.
The fact that the creator of the universe can fix a body in a short space of time because we ask him too! Amazing stuff really!
But I realized a few weeks a go that I wasn’t seeing it happen that much.
Maybe because I wasn’t even trying to see it happen…
Then doors opened to be able to pray with people and we have seen many healed in the last week or so. It is so cool!

Seeing God doing stuff like this got me thinking.
Maybe the reason we haven’t seen many healed or we are not sure God can heal...is because we haven’t been asking…
It seems strange to me that we can so easily think the negative about this.That we easily think God won’t do it, not that he would do it.

In the book of Romans it has this little phrase after talking about foods...

“...everything that does not come from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23 niv)

It sounds like to me that part of what is sin, is when we aren’t stretching our faith in some way. When we get to a point we aren’t growing or trying something new in God, when we aren’t standing on what he has promised…
Where we are happy to stay stagnant or wanting things to stay as they are.

Elsewhere it says:

“...the righteous will live by faith” (Galatians 3:11 niv)

We are righteous because of what Jesus did giving us right standing with God, and part of the outworking of that should be by living by faith somehow.I think it is believing for the impossible.
It is looking at what God says, and even though we can not see something in the natural, we go for it anyway.
It is ok to not have all the answers...because faith is not about having all the answers...it is about trusting in God who is so much bigger than the answers.

Faith for me is action.
I want to live out my faith, not just rest on the history of it.
Faith for me needs to grow.
So that I grow and will not become old and crusty.

Faith can grow and encourage those around you.
It shows all of us that God is working still.
Faith helps show God to our world!

My prayer for you is that you will have opportunities to grow in your faith this week.
That even though a faith opportunity may look scary...you will do it anyway and let God grow you and use you.

Go for it guys!

Can I tell you what I think?

For a while now I have been saying the same thing...which I hope hasn’t driven you nuts!
For many years, what I saw around me and what I saw in God’s word didn’t seem to match perfectly. But instead of making me question God or get cynical it made me cry out to him for answers.
I have spent quite a bit of time praying and thinking over those things…

When I read the Bible it tells me things like:
“By his work on the cross you can have healing”
“That his Spirit rests on me”
“You shall lay hands on the sick and they will recover”
“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective”
“Pray for one another”

Now I look at us, and I see that up until this time my life hasn’t always reflected these things that well. Has God got it wrong or has he changed his mind since these words were first written? NO WAY!
Like I have been saying, I think God wants to use this generation ‘as it is written’. He wants to use all of our generation for his glory, not just a select few. And all he is doing is waiting…

Many years a go God was looking for someone to help.He asked around, and one man said yes...please send me. His name was Isaiah, and he was an amazing man of God. But only after he chose to go, only after he chose to give it a go.

Even this week, we have had opportunities to pray for people for healing. In fact the subject has come up more than any other for me.And I am going for it. I am standing on what the word of God says and guess what? I have seen people healed this week!
But this is not just for me as a Pastor.You too can get in on the fun. It doesn’t matter who you are!

My challenge for us this week, is to really think, to really pray, and see whether you want to really be in the game with God.I know he wants to use you in some amazing way. He is simply waiting for you to give it a go!
Maybe you could find someone who is sick or pain and pray for them.
What have you got to lose?

Something to think about...

Did you know that you have a title that you probably will not write on your CV or Business Card, but it is yours none the less?
You could write Priest your name or whatever you send out representing yourself...because that is exactly what you are.
I would agree that it is probably not very cool. But it is truly how God sees you!

I am not talking about the general world view of a priest. You know those guys who wear funny looking clothes, walk around calmly, doing all sorts of religious things. I am talking about being a priest the way God sees you.

This is why I say that...
1 Peter 2:9 (niv) says this..
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God...

1 Peter 2:9 (the message) puts it this way...
But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

A Priest is a very special person.
In the old testament it was a role only the Levites could be considered for. They were the only ones who could connect with God.
They were the only ones who could serve him in the temple (church of that time).
They were the only ones who had total access to the scriptures.
And they were the only ones who could have opportunity to minister.

But Jesus was the fulfillment of the law and he setup a new priesthood that you can be part of.
God has picked you, not based on your family connections or planned inheritance, but because he thinks you can do it...

I hope that this is of some encouragement to you today?

Isn’t it funny how we come up with special events based on some thing that happened and the meaning gets mutated over the years?
Here we are at Valentines Day, that annual event that you look forward to or possibly dread (depending on your relationship status).

One of the images used for the day is a fat little toddler, in a nappy trying to shoot people with arrows to make them fall in love. As cute as it maybe, if you think about it, it is a little crazy.
I have personally known quite a few toddlers, and I would never give them a weapon to use or let them choose a partner for me.
The reality is that they would probably make you fall in love with a teddy bear or Barney.

Anyway, the real story behind Valentines Day is quite cool!

During the early church times Valentine seemed to be quite a common name. The name became more popular it seems because many were martyred for their faith who had that special name.
One man in particular who lived in Rome stood for his faith against growing opposition and persecution, again his name was Valentine.
Claudius passed a law banning marriage so that the young men would join his army and not be distracted by fiancées or wives. But Valentine believed marriage was in fact a gift from God and something to embraced and celebrated, not run away from. So he would hold secret wedding ceremonies. Couples would meet with him and he would whisper the vows.

Unfortunately one day he was caught and thrown in prison for his activities.
Apparently the jailers daughter would visit him many times. She supported his stand and wanted to learn more from him.
The story goes that on the day Valentine was to die he left this girl a note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. He signed it, “Love from your Valentine”. That note, written on the day Valentine died – February 14th, 269 AD – started the custom of exchanging love notes on St Valentine’s Day.

As you can see, Valentines day is for people in love, but also for people to thank others for their love.
The Bible talks a lot about the relationship we are supposed to have with each other. It says things like love another, do nothing out of selfish ambition, do what you can to get along with each other, greet one another with a holy kiss…(ok I am getting carried away, but you get the picture).
As Christians we are supposed to be the expression of Gods love on this planet.
Part of our role is to share that with anyone we meet.

So today, how about showing some love?
Maybe a simple email or text to a loved one or friend?
Thank someone for caring about you...
That is the real Valentines Day!