Outdated vs Relevant

Hey,

So today's talk topic was about Outdated vs Relevant: What does Christianity have to do with me?

Before I go on to talk about this I first want to advertise what we heard about in CU central today which is an event called Momentum that is a 5 day camping event in Staffordshire, however this is mainly for students and young adults up to 30, I think.

2 Corinthians 4:7-9

"Yet we who have this spiritual treasure are like common clay pots, in order to show that the supreme power belongs to God, not to us. We are often troubled, but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair; there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend; and though badly hart at times, we are not destroyed."


What is a relevant Christian?

It could mean trusting in God even when it's hard or it could mean staying true to your faith and presenting something helpful. These are just some ideas, what do you think?


"spiritual treasure are like common clay plots"

The work of Jesus, It's not about you but about Jesus

"We are often troubled, but to crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair . . . we are not destroyed."

 The glory of God is in me





There are 3 areas to talk about to do with this generation

1. Trust

Don't really trust the government which is shown by the increase in votes that is likely due to young people voting more.

Don't really trust their parents as their say can't do something when they themselves have done it

Don't really trust science as people seem to think that science has the answers for everything

Don't really trust sales people as noone talks to people on the street anyone as when you see them you think what do they want or when they going to ask for money

Live out what you say and live out your faith

2. Truth

C.S. Lewis

"Christianity, If false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."

Coming out of a Post-modernism society which is where everyone acts on personal preference, but are now searching for the truth, looking for right and wrong





3. Transformed

God is not looking for able people as much as available people.



Nothing holding me back

Amy x

Spring Harvest - Music

Hey,

So now that I have told you about all that has happened at Spring Harvest and what I have learnt, I am now going to share the songs I came across during this week. Some you may have heard before, likely from this blog but most I hadn't heard before.


'This is Amazing Grace'

'Jesus Christ Cornerstone'

'Forever'

'Alive'

'Wake'

'We are the free'

'God's great dance floor'

'You are the way'

'Oh Happy day'

'More of you'

'My Lighthouse'

'No longer slaves'

'Here I am to worship'

'We believe'

'Oceans'

Now here are some songs that I liked from the evening events


Stuart Townend - 'Promise of the Ages'

Annastasia Baker - 'Fire'

Amy x

Spring Harvest - Day 6

Hello,

Sorry about the wait but had friends round when got back from Spring Harvest and therefore I haven't had time to update my blog. So here is the last and final day at Spring Harvest.

iScape - Morning

During the song Jesus Christ Cornerstone they spoke about how you are carring hope and life with you.

The speaker of today was Laura and she spoke about how when Moses and Joshua died they were left to themselves which is how the disciples must have felt when Jesus died but then came back only to leave and this is how you probable sometimes feel but Jesus made the disciples and us a promise that he will return so hold of to that.

Joshua 23:1-13

Telling the Israelites to follow God and don't compromise

Verse 11

"Be careful, then, to love the Lord your God."

The head will always justify whatever your heart wants






Joshua 24:14-24

Verses 16-18

"The people replied, 'We would never leave the Lord to serve other Gods! The Lord our God brought our fathers and us out of slavery in Egypt, and we saw the miracles that he performed. He kept us safe wherever we went among all the nations through which we passed. As we advanced into this land, the Lord drove out all the Amorites who lived here. So we also will serve the Lord; he is our God'"


Judges 2:1 

"The angel of the Lord went from Gilgal to Bochim and said to the Israelites, 'I took you out of Egypt and brought you to the land that I promised to your ancestors. I said 'I will never break my covenant with you."




Judges 2:10

"That whole generation also died, and the next generation forgot the Lord and what he had done for Israel."

They forgot what they said and therefore forgot God and whole generations were lost



Old Testament

1. Judges

They compromised and it only took one tiny step. You should compromise because you will move further away from God.

2. Kings

3. Split

4. Exile

5. Return

6. Silence

For 400 years God didn't speak to anyone, felt like they were totally alone but you are not.


Now think about how you can be game changers. What will you do:

1. Tomorrow?

2. Next Week?

3. In a Month?

4. In 6 Months?

5.In a Year?

Don't accept when you are feeling bad but ask why?



Amy x

Spring Harvest - Day 5

Hey,

So since it was such a busy day yesterday I decided to have a lay in so I didn't make it to the morning service, and the plan for today was to explore Minehead so I will tell you about that and share my photos. Then the evening service and the event tonight 'Annastasia Baker'.


Beach

 


Our walk to Dunster Castle included a walk along the side of the beach which I enjoyed although it was rather windy and therefore quite cold.


Dunster Castle

This walk was 2 1/2 miles to the Castle and therefore the whole walk was 5 miles. I was very tired by the end of it and by the end of this day my legs will feel dead as will likely be dancing in this evening service during worship. 

This was a lovely day out, but due to the timing we didn't get to look around the Castle for as long as we wanted too as we had to get back in time to eat before the evening service at 6:45.





However, there was a bird show that was going on that we were able to watch which was great and I got wonderful photos of this.






After the bird show we had a quick look around the inside of the Castle before heading back to the site for food.

As we were self-catered, dad and Nikki walk ahead of be a mum so they could get there quicker and put the food on so we wouldn't miss the evening service.






iScape - Evening

So the speaker this evening was Andy, and after the games and worship he prayed and then began.

Acts 1:6-11

You need to take a step to the next level so you know that you can grow. You followed if God is calling you to the next level.


Galatians 5:22




"But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,"

It's not about trying to be more, but about God planting the Holy Spirit within you, Therefore as you grow as a Christian you will be filled with the Holy Spirit that is here to help.





1 Corinthians 12:8-11

There are gifts to be received by the Holy Spirit, such as;

1. Wisdom

To be given Knowledge

2. Faith

3. Prophecy

Being given images and therefore putting God's word into others

4. Miracles

5. Discernment

Being able to tell that a gift comes from God (Holy Spirit) or something else which is not right

6. Tongues & Interpenetration

When your soul and God connects so that you can understand what he is saying

7. Healing

For this we were shown a video of two guys praying for this girls shoulder  as she couldn't move it pass a certain point and after prayer for her three times she could move her arm completely and the pain was gone, she was healed. After this the men help her pray for Jesus to come into her life and renew her as she asked them to lead her in the prayer.

God can heal you anywhere whether on a park bench or right here is this very room he can heal, maybe even at your school or work place.

Event - Annastasia Baker

This was a lovely event that I enjoyed. I was at the front in the middle and my parents joined me later on. This event was fun and involved lots of dancing and sing and therefore was loads of fun.



Amy x

Spring Harvest - Day 4

Hey,

First off, I should probably say that today has been a busy day so this is likely to be long and late.

iScape - Morning

So before we read the verses that we were focusing on today, Andy (the speaker for this morning) spoke about a new TV series and how it was a bit like that because people looked to Moses asking 'What is God going to do next' and it is like this in our lives, always wondering what God is going to do next through us or what is going to happen next in the TV series that we are watching and enjoying.

Numbers 13:35 - 14:9

They all wanted to go because they could see the benefits but 10 where afraid and 2 were ready for the fight. To be game changers we have to be ready to battle from our stuff. You are all up for it but you get afraid and make excuses for reasons to do other things (What about this or what about that . . .)

What are some of the excuses you've used to back out of doing something that will make you a Game changer?

God didn't die to keep you safe and comfortable but dangerous so go out and take those risks, just one first step. Don't give into fear, it may be difficult but you need to be willing to fight and be game changers in each generation.


5 points to become a game changer (TV based)

1. Hit Mute





"Caleb silenced the people who were complaining against Moses, and said 'We should attack now and take the land; we are strong enough to conquer it."

Stop doing things that make you feel bad. Silence the negativity





2. Know the Spoilers

Know that God is faithful because he has been in the past and therefore he WILL be faithful

3. Get Off the Couch

"Why is the Lord taking us into that land? We will be killed in battle, and our wives and children will be captured. Wouldn't it be better to go back to Egypt?"

Being a game changer is WORK but think about it this way if not you then who and if you don't do the work how will it get done.

4. Press Pause

"So they said to one another, 'Let's choose a leader and go back to Egypt!'"

They needed to take a pause and turn to God just like you need to do because when things get hard you seem to give up or make the wrong decision, but you just need to take a break and listen to God. You need to remember that wherever it is, whether it's exams, grades or work, that they don't define you. Just press pause.

5. Watch with the Right People

"and said to the people 'The land we explored is an excellent land'"

You need to speak with the right people, You need to walk with the right people. You need people in your life that will encourage you and cheer you on with whatever God is calling you to do.



Hearts

So the title of today's session was 'Equip', this was based on the Bible reading from this morning service so I will not bore you by repeating myself but give you the quotes we discussed around the topic.


Van Gogh

"If you hear a voice saying you can't paint, then paint and that voice will be silenced." 

Silence the negativity




Charles Spurgeon 

"A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes."







Some questions to think about . . .

1. What are the consequences of hearing the wrong voice?

Some responses of this question were;
Fear
Rebel
Wrong direction
Rely on fulfillment of the promise of God

2. What are the things that stop us from hearing God's voice clearly?

Some responses of this question were;
Fear
Past doesn't define
self doubt

3. What do we need to do in order to hear God's voice clearly?

Some responses of this question were;
Place of quiet
Place of solitude
Find space

4. What are the characteristics of the voice of God?

Some responses of this question were;
Carm
Sooth
encourages

5. What do we need to put in place in order to see cultural transformation of our world for Christ?

Some responses of this question were;
Prayer
Open
Step out to the world
Go against stereotypes - Church is open to all but some might feel/think it's an exclusive club


Os Hillman

"Culture is shaped by the Seven Mountains of culture influence - Business, Government, Media, Arts and Entertainment, Family, Education and the Church."

We need God's people in these 7 mountains just like Mark said in the Media talk.




We need to . . .

Pray
Listen
Hear
and Obey

Raise up and be a game changer in society.


How to be a great sound engineer in your Church?


I went to this talk which was interesting, However he was going so fast and telling us which each tool did which would be interesting for some people but I got bored after 45 minutes and wasn't really taking anything in so I decided to go to the Hub where I bought a new T-shirt before going back to write my blog.


Graffiti Art

I am sure that this would have been interesting but I don't think the man expected so many people because we could only do it in groups of 10, so I ended up playing pool with some Church friends from back home (Kenilworth) which was fun and an experience since I had never played pool before.



iScape - Evening

The phrase 'Awesome is often awkward' came up as loads of amazing thing that happen with God happen during some awkward moments such as kneeling on the floor

The speaker this evening was Emily . . .

Luke 10:1-23 - Sending of the 72

Jesus sees the needs of you, of others, of everyone and meets them. He knows what you need. He chose the 72 as each and everyone were significant just like you as he chose you.


2 Corinthians 2:2

"For if I were to make you sad. who would be left to cheer me up? Only the very persons I had made sad."

We don't see the needs of other but Jesus does and the time is now. Now is the time to act. The time is now.




Mark 2:3


"when four men arrived, carring a paralysed man to Jesus."

They took their friend to Jesus as he was unable to do it himself, he trusted in them and they were game changers.



Story

Emily was on the train on her way home and was very tired when she heard God talking to her telling her to talk to this girl on the other side on the train, she did (after a while). This girl have felt like she had been moving further away from God because while at University she wasn't going to church so the next day see met up with Emily and they went to church together. She now goes to church each week and is bringing more friends each time and introducing them to God, being a game changer.

God sees the needs of everyone and in this case he worked through Emily to meet the needs of this girl and therefore God's word will reach further.

Battle

It's a Battle. If you think you are going to loose then you will. You need to trust that God is with you

React

There are many distractions around you in your life. These are stopping you from seeing your own needs and the needs of others. These distractions are holding you back from fighting the battle.


Swimming

After the evening service I went swimming with mum which was lovely, However not as quiet as we thought it would be as it was like a party in the pool with music and dancing in the water.





Amy x