Sydenham Youth Service

This coming Sunday @ 6:00pm is the Sydenham Corps Youth Service – What better way to kick off a New Year than to get together for an awesome time of music, friendship, sharing and of course learning something special about where God fits into 2012 for you.

Bring a plate of supper to share afterwards…

We’ll be taking a car load or two across town to this so if you are keen – drop us a line by leaving a comment below, or give Perry a call at either the office or mobile to confirm a seat – we’ll more than likely head over about 5:30pm, leaving from the quarters and we can do pick-ups on the way!

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Doctrine reemphasised…

One of The Salvation Army doctrines states that: “We believe that there is only one God, who is infinitely perfect, the Creator, Preserver and Governor of all things, and who is the only proper object of religious worship.”

Which in many ways is at the foundation of most Christian denominations. But one thing that astounds me more and more is that in today’s world this statement in many ways runs counter cultural ‘to the pluralist religiosity of our world’.

In a world where truth apparently has become anything that we want it to be, and the idea that all religions point to the same end point this is something that as Christians we may just need reminding of “There is only one God.” As Acts 4:12 says “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”  

“We are taught by the over-tolerant spirit of our age that the gods of the Christians, Jews, Moslems, Buddhists, and Hindus are to be considered equally valid. If that were true, there would be many ways of salvation, and hence no need for evangelism. But since there is only one true God, then He is the One in whom all must believe to be saved (1 Tim. 2:5). There is no other name under heaven by which sinners may be saved (Acts 4:12). Evangelistic prayer recognizes that all must come to the one true God.

Not only is there only one God, but “one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” “Mediator” refers to one who intervenes between two individuals to restore peace or ratify a covenant. The concept of a mediator is seen in Job’s lament, “There is no umpire between us, who may lay his hand upon us both” (Job 9:33). Because Christ is the only mediator, all must come to God through Him (Acts 4:12). There isn’t an endless series of aeons, or subgods, as the Gnostics taught. We do not approach God through the intercession of angels, saints, or Mary. Only through “the man Christ Jesus” can men draw near to God. Hebrews 8:6 calls Him “the mediator of a better covenant,” while Hebrews 9:15 and 12:24 describe Him as the mediator of the New Covenant. All men who come to God must come through Him.”

MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1995). Alone with God (140–141). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

And the thing is if we are to learn anything from history and the wise men of old then we need to accept the fact that “all the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:43) or maybe we have just lost sight of the fact that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

Check out the other doctrines of The Salvation Army by clicking on the following link to the What we Believe section or alternatively check out the links on The Gospel Message page to get a better understanding of what this faith thing is all about…

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Kite Day @ New Brighton

Saturday saw us as a family head to the Kite Day @ New Brighton Beach, where there were thousands of people lining the beach to see the array of kites of all sizes on display… As can be seen in the photo’s below there were tigers, aliens, squids, a giant bear and even whales and sea horses to name just a few…

 

Along with these ‘professional kites’ there were thousands of smaller kites brought along to fill the skies. And one of the highlights was watching Emily flying a newly acquired Butterfly Kite that we bought on the day as high as she could get it holding tightly onto the plastic handle so that it didn’t fly off across the Eastern Suburbs as a couple of kites inevitably did…

By the time we left, the New Brighton Beach was a buzz with people no doubt enjoying the view across the bay.

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Afternoon @ the Museum…

This afternoon we have enjoyed an afternoon @ the museum, Christchurch Museum that is; to see the Wearable Arts collection that they have on display, among other things…

Butterfly Dress

One of the dresses that stood out for me and Emily was the butterfly Dress, not only were the colours stunning under the lights, but the attention to detail was fantastic. I must say that the workmanship of the various dresses, suits and items of clothing were all fabulous. Another highlight would have to be the dress made completely out of wood and the one made up of a variety of different types of metal…

There were plenty of other attractions throughout the museum that are well worth another visit especially since it is free admission. Emily really enjoyed the ‘Discovery’ section which was only $2 per person regardless of age, it was a bit more interactive and Emily was intrigued by all the different insects…

All in all a great family activity for little or no cost at all to do during the holidays – we’ll definitely be going back as there were a number of displays that we missed or didn’t spend enough time looking at.

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The Lord’s Prayer

The following excerpt from Alone with God by J.F. MacArthur, Jr. gives us an incite into the Lord’s Prayer that we need to take to heart as we go about our daily prayers: 

  I cannot say “Our” if I live only for myself in a spiritual, watertight compartment.
  I cannot say “Father” if I do not endeavour each day to act like His child.
  I cannot say “who art in heaven” if I am laying up no treasure there.
  I cannot say “hallowed be Thy name” if I am not striving for holiness.
  I cannot say “Thy kingdom come” if I am not doing all in my power to hasten that wonderful day.
  I cannot say “Thy will be done” if I am disobedient to His Word.
  I cannot say “on earth as it is in heaven” if I will not serve Him here and now.
  I cannot say “give us … our daily bread” if I am dishonest or an “under-the-counter” shopper.
  I cannot say “forgive us our debts” if I harbor a grudge against anyone.
  I cannot say “lead us not into temptation” if I deliberately place myself in its path.
  I cannot say “deliver us from evil” if I do not put on the whole armor of God.
  I cannot say “Thine is the kingdom” if I do not give to the King the loyalty due Him as a faithful subject.
  I cannot attribute to Him “the power” if I fear what men may do.
  I cannot ascribe to Him “the glory” if I am seeking honor only for myself.
  I cannot say “forever” if the horizon of my life is bounded completely by the things of time.

“All that we need is available to us. First we are to give God His rightful place. Then we can bring our needs to Him, and He will meet them through His limitless, eternal supply. Commit to following the above pattern for all your prayers and your entire Christian walk will be revolutionized, not just your prayer life. No longer will you lack for something to say in prayer. Being alone with God will never be the same.” MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1995). Alone with God (116). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

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The day after…

Wednesday morning, the day after, saw us packing up the car and heading further south to Twizel, before doubling back and heading home via the Inland Scenic Route.

Just prior to leaving Lake Tekapo we spent a bit of time on the foreshore enjoying the stunning views the lake offers, Patrick took a large number of photo’s as did I of the panoramic view. According to Lake Tekapo’s official information site Lake Tekapo is “Nature’s Jewel”. 

The above photo was taken just before we left; the sun was shining down making the surface of the lake a beautiful turquoise blue which is made possible by the fact that;

‘The majority of water flowing into the headwaters of Lake Tekapo comes from large river systems that extend right back into the valleys of the Southern Alps. Feeding these rivers are large glaciers and the ice from these glaciers collects in valleys and pushes its way down the valley, ripping loose rock from the valley walls and trapping it in the moving ice.
Any rock trapped against the sides of the ice flow is ground, with huge force, along the solid rock of the valley floor and walls and such is the force, that the grinding action of rock against rock results in a powder as fine as flour. It is often referred to as glacial flour and this fine flour is then carried with the ice down the valley until the warmth of the lower altitude reduces the ice to water.
In the case of Lake Tekapo, the glacial flour continues its journey in the river waters of the Godley, Cass and Macaulay rivers until it flows into the lake where the majority of the flour remains suspended within the water. This results in the turquoise colour.’

No sooner had we left Lake Tekapo and gone over the ridge we encountered low-lying cloud which contained some precipitation and headed down to Twizel on the way stopping at the picturesque Lake Pukaki which is the largest of the three alpine lakes along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin and is part of the Waitaki hydroelectric scheme. We then headed on towards the township of Twizel where the weather started to clear revealing a beautiful summers afternoon.

Twizel was originally built in 1968 as the base for one of the most impressive hydro-electric power schemes in the Southern Hemisphere. The town was to be bulldozed once the construction scheme was finished, however, the population began a campaign to retain Twizel. The Government offered the town to the Mackenzie Country Council, complete with many houses, sections, and all facilities, such as the shopping centre, community complex, medical centre, church, fire station, sports field, heated swimming pool, service station, etc. Twizel has continued its service role to the surrounding areas as well as expanding its tourist role as the nearest township to Mount Cook, the highest peak in Oceania.

In around Twizel filming of the Lord of the Rings took place and a daily tour takes you to some of the iconic spots; also it is said that some parts of The Hobbit are currently being filmed here. Talk is also rife that parts of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys & Xena: Warrior Princess were also filmed at secret locations in and around the Mackenzie basin. However, that may only be hearsay due to the fact there is a sizable collection of outfits and paraphernalia available at an Antiques shop in Omarama.

We then headed past the scenic lakes of Benmore & Aviemore before having a late lunch in Waimate. About 3o’clock we headed north through Timaru and Temuka before joining the Inland Scenic Route at Geraldine. And although the weather had closed in again by this stage we caught glimpses of the beauty of the rolling farmlands overlooked by the ranges in the distance.

The Rakaia Gorge and the Waimakariri Gorge were both gorgeous however, as Annette said as we passed through the latter we’ve been spoilt with living on the West Coast for three years as the pale in comparison with the magnificence and beauty of the Buller Gorge.

All in all we have had a delightful couple of days away taking in some of the sights and just relaxing but as always it wasn’t long enough and I’m sure that we will be heading back to Lake Tekapo for a few more days in the future…

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