Resurrection: Myth or Miracle?

I read this yesterday as part of my morning devotions (it is entitled Resurrection: Myth or Miracle?) and thought that it was too good not to share ~ Hope you enjoy it too, and if you want more information about this devotional (which is available on the YouVersion Bible App), then leave a comment and I can tell you how you can access it.

Things don’t normally come back to life, but a couple of thousand years ago on what was the first Easter, something happened that had never happened before.

A few brokenhearted people went to the tomb of a man they loved, a man who had just recently died, a man who they had watched soldiers crucify and pierce. They were told by a shining angel that He wasn’t there. The tomb was empty. “He is not here; he has risen!” (Luke 24:6).

That one fact, that single piece of news, that first Easter, is much more important than anything else that has ever happened in the history of the world.

The reason for that is not simply that the tomb was empty. It wasn’t so much about where Jesus wasn’t. It was about where Jesus was (see John 20:19).

All of a sudden He was with Mary. He was communicating to her, “You don’t have to go through life being afraid anymore. Not of anything. Not even death.”

All of a sudden, He was with Peter, saying in essence, “You don’t have to go through life feeling guilty anymore because you failed so often. Not even because you failed Me by denying Me before I died, because I’m restoring you.”

Then He was with Thomas. His message was, “You don’t have to go through life doubting anymore. Not about God. Not about Me. You can live with faith and hope and joy.”

Now, that’s good news! But is it true news?

If it’s true, then the resurrection means that your past is not unforgivable, no matter what you’ve done. So, if you need an injection of hope—and this is true news—then this is very good news.

As seen in the movie Risen, (click on the image above to see the video clip) some say Jesus couldn’t possibly have risen from the dead. There’s not a chance. That kind of stuff doesn’t happen. The body had to have been stolen.

All right then, the question is, who stole it? (See Matthew 28:12-15)

Some theorize that the disciples stole the body.

When you think about it, they have absolutely no motive. They were not highly motivated to have the unspeakable privilege of living as penniless evangelists, wandering around for the rest of their lives, being beaten, whipped, thrown in jail, and put to death.

People die for their faith all the time, right? What’s the difference? It’s this. People will die for their faith if they believe that it is true. But people will not die for their faith if they know that it is false.

Nobody knowingly dies for a lie. The disciples were so certain of it that they staked their lives on it. And they lost their lives for it.

So what are you willing to give your life to?

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Animal antics aplenty

Animal antics aplenty was the title of an article which featured in the Southland Express newspaper on the 13th of February 2014 in preparation for the Zoo Boogie concert that we are hosting at the ILT Stadium in Invercargill on the 28th of February. The stadium has only recently reopened to the public and this is one of the first events being held there.

BY JANETTE GELLATLY

A BUNCH of musically gifted animals which live at a zoo are heading south to entertain children.

Aimed at 2 to 7 year olds, Dale the zookeeper leads Zoo Boogie — Levi the lion, Max the monkey, Ella the elephant and Boris the polar bear — on a musical adventure which features stories, activities, and songs, promoting positive family relationships, Invercargill promoter Janelle Healey said.

During the show the animals learn what it means to be part of a family and put the needs of others first, as Dale, who also plays the keyboard, teaches them all about values such as patience, kindness, joy, peace, self-control and much more.

Ms Healey, who also helps out with the Invercargill Salvation Army Play Café, said Zoo Boogie was formed from the East City (Salvation Army) Corps in Auckland.

‘‘I got introduced [to them] through the Salvation Army and started using their music in Play Café and preschool programmes.’’

Levi who comes from Africa, is the self proclaimed ‘‘King of the Zoo’’, and sometimes thinks he’s more important than the other animals. His favourite colour is red and he plays the electric guitar.

The beautiful elephant, Ella, from Asia, is the oldest animal at Zoo Boogie and a bit of a diva. Her favourite colour is pink, of course, and she plays the bass guitar.

He may be a strong, grumpy bear, but Boris, from the North Pole, doesn’t talk and is often sad. However, he comes to life when he plays his trombone.

Super energetic, and the youngest animal, Max is a mischievous monkey who is full of life, which can lead to him getting a bit over excited and hard to control. From South America, his  favourite colour is green and he plays the drums.

The energetic group was already booked for the Children’s Day Event in Queenstown early in March, so decided to put together a tour from Christchurch south, Ms Healey said. ‘‘The music is fun, the show is interactive… and the children will love it.’’

As well as performing throughout the region, the Zoo Boogie team will be at Baby Factory on Friday, February 28, at 10am, for a meet and greet.

• Zoo Boogie will perform in Winton on Wednesday, February 26, at the Winton Memorial Hall, 10.30am. Tickets $5, available from The Winton Salvation Army Church and Family Store, or at the door.
• In Gore, they will be performing at the James Cumming Wing on Thursday, February 27, at 10.30am and 4pm. Ticket, $5.
• They will also perform in Invercargill on Friday, February 28, at the ILT Stadium Southland, 1.30pm. Tickets $10 for a child, with adults free, available at the venue now.

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What a show…

Last night Annette & I headed out for our second date in as many weeks to see ‘The Seven Irish Tenors’ – What a show… And for audiences in New Zealand if you didn’t get out and see them over the past month or so, you’ll have to wait for their next tour, as Saturday was the last night of their current New Zealand tour.

For just over two hours The Seven Irish Tenors thrilled the audience at the Civic Theatre in Invercargill with an array of songs not only from their homeland like Danny Boy, The Rose Of Tralee, MacNamara’s Band, among others with the occasional Irish Jig thrown in for good measure. The show also featured some more contemporary songs such as You Raise Me Up, We Are The Champions, and Bridge Over Troubled Water. And the show wouldn’t have been complete without the likes of O Sole Mio, and the spine-tingling Nessun Dorma which wooed all those gathered.

And so that I can relive the experience I even went out and got their CD that they recorded with the Vector Wellington Orchestra, as well as Jonathan Ansell’s CD ‘Live’ who came to fame on the first ever series of the X-Factor in 2004.

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The Pink Floyd Experience

Last night Invercargill hosted the 2nd night of ‘The Pink Floyd Experience’ tour which Annette had got 2 tickets for as part of my birthday present this year. What an absolutely awesome experience as quoted on their website:

“Rather than simply attempt to recreate (Pink Floyd’s) music, which it does with sheer brilliance, this New Zealand-based show takes it to the next level in terms of staging, imagination and theatrics.” – Adelaide Advertiser, Australia

We started the night off by sharing pizza & chips @ Barluca which was scrumptious. (Unfortunately Annette & I don’t get to have couple time very often, maybe we need to do something about that!) Then we headed to the show, picking up the tickets at the Civic Theatre. I must say that the venue is just as stunning on the inside as it is on the outside, they definately don’t make them like they used to – there is a certain appeal that goes with the nostalgia and it has been done up beautifully.

The concert was absolutely brillant, I was fortunate enough to go to the 2005 tour of ‘The Wall’ in Auckland and I commented back then as a Pink Floyd fan you could close your eyes and imagine yourself at the real thing. And again they did not disappoint! If you’ have never been fortunate enough to see Pink Floyd live, this is as close as you’ll ever get!

You can check them out for yourself by clicking on the image above and download MP3 audio files, video files, galleries and more from their ‘free stuff!’ tab. And if you get the chance to see them live – I’d encourage you to just do it, it is well worth it!

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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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Watties Cans Film Festival

Kiwis CAN make a big difference at this year’s Wattie’s Cans Film Festival!

This year Kiwis can help the Wattie’s Cans Film Festival reach a significant milestone by donating its millionth can. The Festival, now in its 18th year, provides essential support for The Salvation Army, stocking up its food banks and assisting The Sallies to help those in need around New Zealand. From 1 November, New Zealanders can head to their local participating movie theatre and start swapping their cans for movie tickets ahead of the event on 9 November. Wattie’s then matches this donation with a can of its own. Movie goers need to get in early, as tickets often sell out in advance.

The Wattie’s Cans Film Festival is a great night out at the movies. For just one can of food per movie ticket, on Wednesday 9 November Kiwis can see family blockbusters, such as Mr Popper’s Penguins, Spy Kids 4 and Green Lantern at cinemas nationwide. As of today, movie lovers around the country can go online to the website to find out what movies are playing in their town. It’s a cheap, fun night out for the whole family to enjoy, while also supporting The Salvation Army Christmas Appeal.

It has been a difficult year for the whole of New Zealand. One year on from the first of the devastating earthquakes in Christchurch, the cost of living has reached new heights. Never has there been a greater need to help The Salvation Army to lend a hand to our fellow New Zealanders.

“This year alone we have distributed more than 68,750 food parcels to New Zealanders in need,” says Salvation Army spokesman Major Robbie Ross. “We couldn’t have done this without the support of events like The Wattie’s Cans Film Festival and the generosity of Kiwis around the country.”

Once again, EVENT Cinemas, Hoyts Cinemas, and Reading Cinemas are generously offering their theatres for the night, along with independent cinemas, at approximately 40 locations across the country.

Our local Movie Theatre is Hoyts at Northlands and they are showing the following:

Kung Fu Panda 2 @ 6:00PM

Mr Popper’s Penguins @ 6:15PM

Zookeeper @ 6:20PM

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