Have a happy Christmas!!

Have yourself a merry little Christmas and we will see you after the holidays! Hope Santa gives you what you want! If not, poison the milk and cookies...

Ray

Preach it!

What amazing people we have in Cutting Edge!

The God-given potential that came out on Tuesday night was absolutely great to see (and hear).
It was just awesome to be able to listen to personal testimonies, teaching, words of faith, encouragement.. the list goes on!

Thankyou to everyone who had the courage and boldness to step up and share what was on their heart, it just goes to show why Cutting Edge has grown considerably over the last year.

I am hugely - (is that a word?) blessed to know you guys and i cant wait to see what God will do next year its gonna Rock!!

Miguel

Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, Dodge!

Lol... Ally was great with the message she brought on the Five D's of the devil (will get an outline of it and post when not busy, meaning probably never...), and the five defensive d's as above.

Worship on friday night services are just getting better and better, and i am fully confident we have one of the best worship teams in NZ.

Just as an aside, the impartation night on Tuesday was brilliant - a great atmosphere of encouragement and prophecy... I'm pretty sure there are a few guys who are still trying to figure out how they knew what they did! It was a pretty significant night really. The last time we had a significant night like that was the preaching night last year. I believe that it's no coincidence that of the 14 last year @ that night, 9 are now in leadership of some kind at church. Pretty cool eh? If you did have a good time on tuesday and wanted to find out more, come and see Ally, Shannon or I and we can get you hooked up. Also, the clearwaters wanted to extend the invitation that anyone who was interested in becoming part of the ministry team at church should go and see them. You guys rock!!!

Ray

Friday Night Service - Taking a quantum leap

Friday Night Service was as usual fantastic... the worship was pumping, and the speakers were great (the speaking speakers, not the bose speakers...).

7 Minutes - Lauren's testimony was moving and impacting... she has such an incredible story to tell about her life and her journey with God... watch this space - she is going to do some significant stuff for God.

Offering - Wes has an ability to create pictures with his words which makes his messages so easy to relate to - being reluctant to get out of the boat is often the way we feel when we bring our tithes and offerings :)

And as for Lynda, she is just a fantastic communicator of the gospel message, as well as encouraging us to step out of the normal, and live an abundant life for God. She was encouraging and challenging at the same time, and that is something which is really rare. You go girl!!

Anyway, I had a great time last night and look forward to a repeat sometime in the near future. I still reckon we should have had a pool party :)

Ray

p.s. Gareth, you should leave the freezer door open more often - you cook a mean feed.

Old Skool Disco!

Wow what an awesome night!

It was great to see so many turn out for some ol' skool music and rock out the place! We had a great time dancing the night away to everything from Michael Jackson to The Bird Dance, and even some "Country Music" slipped in there too - it was fantastic!

Some of the highlights from the night were:

• The best dressed award which went to Antz who looked absolutely fabulous!
• The coolest (and slightly dangerous ;D) locomotion ive seen at a disco
• The limbo champion of the night which went to Reuban - (How he managed to make himself that short i have no idea!)
• The King (Gareth) and Queen (Caroline) who showed us all how to dance!

A BIG thanks to everyone who was involved in organising the disco and to everyone who came on the night - you guys rock!! I have put up some of the photos on the cuttingedge Yahoo! page so head over there to see all the action!

Mike

I pity the fool....

... that didn't go to the 80s disco @ church in the weekend... it was FANTASTIC!!!! It was such a good time - kudos to Paul and Rachel for organising an event which brought together many different groups within the Youth Ministry.

I was so blown away to see the conga line, limbo and even the chicken dance make an appearance. Never have I seen a group so unfazed by looking uncool... and that's brilliant.

Mike is going to give a full rundown of it along with some photo evidence :), but keep it up Cutting Edgers.... you guys are absolutely rockin'

Ray

Taking back the airwaves

I have removed the filth that was CPanel who nastily took over our tagboard with no warning, and in its place I have put CBox (hopefully not a related company, LOL). Let's see how it works, and if not, i am getting more confident in playing with the HTML so no problemo.

Ray

Hacked off!

Sucks to be me... the tag board idea must have been really popular as it appears it has been bought out by a bigger company who didn't let anyone know (see the big gaping advertisement where our tagboard was, and who now wants to charge for the privelege... crap, and it was really good as well. Will remove the HTML as soon as I can remember what it looked like...

Ray.

And remember: Buddy Jesus loves you!

Friday Service 061006

It was awesome to see the stack still up from Nights of Fire - which was fantastic by all accounts - someone else needs to have a rundown as i was on Dad duty.

Anyway, here's a record of the great service just been.

Worship:
We have the best Worship team in all of New Zealand. I find it ironic now that sometimes I am listening to Hillsong United at home and think to myself "I like our version better" :) You guys rock. Will put the song list up when I get a chance.

7 Minutes
Wes is a closet preacher in the making - his use of analogy was top notch. He made the excellent point that what we do is a direct reflection of what we think, and therefore shows what we value. I'm looking forward to hearing from him again.

Offering
Grant challenged us on being excellent givers - we should be aspiring to be the best givers in the Church and that everytime an opportunity is presented, we need to ask God and come prepared to give.

Message
I preached the main message, which was entitled "The Danger of Cool". The basic guts was that if we try to imitate someone else, we are limiting what we can do.

1. When you seek to please others, being accepted becomes more important than being yourself.
2. We were created to be active participants, not passive observers of life.
3. Christianity is inherently uncool - if we are Christian, then expect to be uncool.

There is a you shaped hole in the world and God created you to fill it. Don't sell yourself short by being someone else or imitating someone else. We have been created with a plan and purpose in mind. Be who God created you to be - YOU.

Will try to fill this out when i have time (meaning possibly never).

Remember: The ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic was built by professionals. Peace out.

They call me Mello Yellow...

Oh my goodness is anyone else so excited!!

It's like reliving my childhood..Mello Yellow is back in New Zealand coke fridges. Just to explain to all those under the age of 16 Mello Yellow was like the best drink ever when we 80's children were growing up and then they took it off the shelves and replaced it with lift - Which in my mind is nothing at all alike!

Maybe this means cherry coke will make a comeback someday too...I live in hope, Hope all is well in your world.

Love Cat xx

P.S I know this is a random blog - but hey I couldn't contain my excitment and I know some of you are sharing it, even if it is deep down!

Samstock Oh Six Ruled!!!

Samstock was quite simply brilliant - so much so i forgot to take photos!!!

The music festival had a community vibe to it which was hard to be ignored - I would be more than willing to take my family in the future (let's face it... Charlie is a rock chick anyway - don't frown at me Shannon, you know I'm right).

As far as food went, we certainly didn't go hungry. We even had such delicacies as french toast AND pancakes!!! And bacon and eggs for tea on Saturday night - go reverse meal day!

I found myself drawn to the cafe stage more often than not - the acoustic sets were really appealing to me (hopefully not an early indicater of my impending adulthood). I also felt that the two best acts were on that stage... Calling Elijah and Steve Apirana and Derek Lind. Having said that, the overall quality of the acts were top notch - I can honestly say there was not a dud among them.

Brief comments on some of the acts which impressed (me):

Calling Elijah: Mark and Andy D have formed something special from the ashes (OK, a little dramatic I admit) of Mozelee. The combination of acoustic rock and rap is honestly unlike anything i have come across before, and it is a sound I loved! They have an EP coming out soon, and I am 99.2% sure that both Ally and I will have this on our shelves before long. Go to their myspace page (link on the website) for several of the demos they've recorded. Also, I was amazed by their opening number (think STOMP with everyday objects - it was awesome).


Derek Lind and Steve Apirana:

Blues i hear you say? Yes, yes, and YES! These guys were jaw-droppingly great - I noticed that some of the musos in the room listening were almost literally drooling with delight. It was obvious that at times they were making it up, and that was just brilliant. Best quote of the festival: "Sing in any key you like - it's blues". The best thing is, I'm pretty sure these guys are coming to Christian Centre in the next couple of weeks - stay tuned to find out.

Mephymology:

I would say these guys were the surprise hit, BUT Ro Callander has always had talent, and it's great to see he's surrounded himself with a band that suits - songs were rocking, bass was pumping, ears were bleeding - all in all an excellent act! These guys really knew how to play to the crowd - G's stage antics at times almost subsumed his bass playing.

Therom: How could I not mention these guys? A local act, hailing from Riverton I believe, I would love to hear these guys at church sometime in the near future.

Somebody's Cousin: I've known some of the guys from the cousin now for 10 years or more so it was a pretty bittersweet reunion at Samstock 06 due to the fact it was the last gig they played as a band. Having said that, they brought the house down, and there were more smiles than tears (although more than enough of both). We love you guys - expect "Bring back the Cousin" banners at next year's Samstock.

All in all it was an absolute rockin' weekend - man, things have come a long way since the first Samstock. After we come back buzzing, I expect that ICC will represent at next year's Samstock. Peace out.

Ray to the Dog

Megasketcher Mayhem

Innapropriate use of a children's toy #182

Warning: Content may offend - Unnecessary use of violence. Parental guidance recommended (whatever happened to drawing bunnies and such?).

BTW: This is a concept sketch for the latest drink driving ads... they are using the MacDonald's marketing strategy of targeting while they are young...

Friday Night Service 220906

I thought it might be good to keep some kind of record for Friday nights for anyone who can't get to this absolutely pumping service...

Tonight - 22 September 2006

Worship:

Ysrial's team (Sam Ralph worship leading)

• Take it All
• Mighty to Save
• God He Reigns
• No Longer I
• Shout unto God
• Cant remember the other two songs sorry!!

Worship just keeps getting better and better at Friday Services... I can't believe the quality of the musos we have at Christian centre. I keep wondering why i enjoy worshipping so much and the answer is really quite simple - these guys play and God turns up! Hmm, may be seeing the ICC Worship Method appearing on informercials coming to a Manna Christian store near you!

Offering:

Cattie brought a brilliant message on being generous with your time and relating it to serving in the house of God. She also touched on your attitude towards serving will have a direct effect on your enjoyment level.

7 Minutes:
Louise Clearwater just blew me away again. She talked about Jeremiah 1:5 which talks about God giving us purpose before we were born. She also put forward the idea that by being ourselves, we are able to influence those around us who no-one else will be able to.

Message:
Being an atmosphere-changer.
Grant brought a great message from John 12 about Mary annointing Jesus with the oil. He related it to the fact that Mary was an atmosphere-changer, and that we have the capacity to change the atmosphere of wherever we are. He also made the point that when we let Jesus shine through, we are carrying an aroma or presence with us.

I will attempt to be more interesting next time - i really haven't done the service justice, as it really was great.

Important dates coming up:
4 October - Tony Anthony @ Central Baptist, 7pm
5 October - GET SMART Nights of Fire - ICC 7pm ($5 donation to Get Smart at the door)
6 October - The next installment of Friday Night Service.

Does drinking Chai Latte make me metro?

Lol, I think Cutting Edge may have just acquired its first corporate sponsor - Starbucks Invercargill...

Coffee night last night was just fantastic - it was a great opportunity to catch up with people from the different cells and just bond as a "community". The coffees were great and a few laughs were had by all. Most manly coffee award goes to... RIFT VALLEY (pronounced RIFFFFT). About 20 people attended which was cool, with quite a few more unavailable on the night.

The different coffees available have left me feeling a little confused...

Ray's coffee choices for the night: Hot Chai Latte and White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino - what is happening to me? At least I didn't get the girliest drink out of the manly men - Wayne takes out that dubious award with his Mango Tea Frappuccino choice - brilliant.

Ray.

P.S. will try to reactivate this blog - i.e. Keep regular updates and so on. I still reckon it is a great way to keep in touch.

P.S.S. To be honest, I really don't want to know the answer to the question in the post title, so PLEASE don't comment :)

WASSUP!!!

Hey, so it's been a little while since the last post - life just gets crazy... it would be cool if we could post a piece of our testimonies on the net, basically as a way to get our ideas in order, and also that would increase the scope of the blog to include outreach tool - we could send interested people onto the blog to check out testimonies of God's power and love - cool eh.

Ray

Get Smart 2006

Get Smart 2006 is cranking! 23 of us are respresenting the deep south. The road trip up here wasn't too long and we all managed to arrive safe and sound - well safe anyway.

We have joined with other youth from Outram and Dunedin Apo so there are approx 80 of us staying together. We are staying at Burwood Lutheran Church- otherwise known as the church on the roundabout and we are having an amazing time - although it seems that my duty team is always on dishes - however it is great to be serving such an amazing group of people.

The opening meeting was pumping, we arrived a little late so the threat of the overflow room was looming..however most of us made it into the main auditorium. Reggie Dabbs was absolutely amazing. He played the saxaphone, sang , taught us how to speak black then shared some of his testimony - He went on to flip the script and boom the power of God was so intense..people were laughing one minute then crying the next. Young people responded from their hearts, God has truely impacted their lives and when we arrive home the lives of those around them.

Chris Hill preached tonight and as usual we tried to contain our agreement, but the odd hallelujah and leaping out of seats occurred.

Well guys there is so much more to tell you, but its late, i'm tired so I will talk to you laters

Love Cattie
xx

Natisha's Testimony

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Natisha. I have been a Christian for almost four years- although I believed in God and went to church before then, God only became real to me after both my parents turned away from God. It was from there I developed my own faith and commitment to God.

My life growing up hasn't been easy. Both my parents had me at a young age, although my father had already had a daughter previously he said he wasn't ready for another one and my parents separated to live their own lives before I was born. My dad now has six kids counting me and a lovely wife, my mum- she has three kids counting me and a boyfriend.

There have been many times in my life when I have struggled with who I was because whenever I needed someone to talk to I could never talk to my parents about it because it was as though they had a competition going at who could be a better parent so they would try to give me a huge explanation I didn’t understand so it would sound better than the others and this caused me to feel more confused and so alone.

At first when I became a Christian I always believed God only ever wanted to hear the good stuff in life so often when it came time to pray I would be lost for words. At times I have felt like it wasn’t worth living any more and I started to let my heartache control my life, but during this time God revealed himself to me - He showed me He wanted to comfort me and also to guide and direct my life - He showed me I would never be alone. He was always there.

All my life I tried to be someone I wasn't just so I could feel accepted and like I fitted in, but I became this person I didn't even know myself . I had a split personality - at home I was someone, at church, at school, hanging out with friends, I became a completely different person at each surrounding. I was trying to live up to everyone else’s standards and I wasn't true to myself and what I believed in, inside the real me was screaming to be let loose to show people a glimpse of who I really was. I wanted to know myself who I was - my purpose for life I spent so long trying to be someone else I forgot who I really was.

Being a teenager isn't easy, I know - I am one! But don't make the same mistake I did by not letting people know who you are and what you believe in, you'll find more people understand and accepting these days. Louise is a great testament to this. She was open to what I believed and now she's a Christian. All I had to do was share God’s faithfulness and love with her and God did the rest.

In my life so far I have struggled with depression, rejection and the longing desire to feel loved. I was willing to settle for any kind of love and I made some decisions I regret but finally someone taught me I didn't need to earn love with God. He loved me no matter what I had done or what I was going to do, I just had to accept him and turn away from my sin.

If there’s one thing I have learnt in my life so far it’s this: even though God’s people might feel depressed and bummed out we should not give into it. Instead we should learn to honour God and do what is right regardless of the mess we're in.

Becoming a Christian was the best decision I ever made and my life has changed dramatically since I did. The most awesome thing that has happened to me since I became a Christian would be the Youth Service we had at the Invercargill Christian Centre. I attended a youth group called Revolution there and this one Saturday night during the youth service the old youth Pastor Lyle Pennisula called Revolution down the front. As he walked along the front praying and seeking God he called me forward from everyone else out of Revolution and prophesied that I was going to sing and lead God’s people into worship a week later this prophesy was fulfilled when I was asked to join my church worship team. Before that night I had only met Lyle a couple of times so I didn't know him personally- he didn't even know my name. It was then I realised God’s awesomeness and power it boosted my faith so much.

As a Christian and a person, God has given me an endless and overwhelming love for those who are broken and hurting. At times it's as if I know and can feel their pain and I just want them to be relieved from it. I know this love was a gift from God as I only received it after I became a Christian. I know god has purpose for it and I pray every day that I can share it with others so they don’t have to feel the pain I have known.

If this testimony has done one thing today I pray that it has touched someone that is hurting and broken. I pray that this enables you to understand that you are never alone - trust God with your heart and your life, He wants to nurture and care for you - remember no heartache is more significant than another in God’s eyes, no matter how big or how small God wants to take it from your shoulders- just let Him lift that burden. You will never regret it - I haven't!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NATISHA LUSTY 11RT 27/06/2006

Wow!

Have you ever been in that situation where there are so many things you would like to say yet the words just don't seem to go from your brain to your mouth (or keyboard in this instance).

Lately God has poured out his spirit in my life like never before, it is a humbling thought to know that a God as mighty and powerful as our God chooses to impart this into my life. This power impacts our lives in different ways, it enables us to do things that we are not capable of in the natural but when we step into the supernatural we cannot comprehend what lies ahead.
For me I now have a new confidence when speaking to Pre-Christians than ever before, I am bolder at my workplace about Jesus and what he has done in my life - I have learnt to speak up.

I guess I have always believed that this power existed and was avaliable to me, but I now understand what God has enabled me to do, that we have access to the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and that power is in us. "Greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world"

God continues to draw my attention to my mindsets and the power that these have in my life there is an amazing saying "If I believe I can or believe I can't either way I will be right" these words ring true for all of us and so often we doubt ourselves and our capabilities. Why?
God quite clearly in his word states that he will never leave nor forsake us, that he has a plan for our lives a plan for good not to harm us..yet we so often continue to say "I can't step out like that...I don't have what it takes to do that..." God has equipped us for all he has called us to do.

I understand that these faith steps are different for each of us and what requires a huge amount of faith for me may not for you. But I encourage you that as you step out and say Jesus I cannot do this is my own strength but I hand the situation over to you.

As Phil Pringle says...Stepping out with you

Cattie xx

Tres días después...

Well what can i say? Even after three days i am still blown away by the grace and power of God who moved so powerfully in the weekend. It was just awesome to have Dave Hall from Adelaide with us, who carrys such an anointing and passion for the Holy Spirit.

I am amazed at what God has done this past week through the people in our church. There is such a sense of unity and peace that has been building this year, and it is so great to see the church growing and reaching out to others in need.

For myself before the weekend I didnt really know what to expect, but i knew it was going to be beyond what i could have thought or imagined happening. I have seen the Holy Spirit move in the past but somehow this was new, different, more powerfull, more intimate. It reminded me just how much God has given to us - that his Spirit, who has the power to raise Christ from the dead, is alive and available in each of us! - Isnt that awesome!!

For this i am so thankful and privileged to part of this awesome bunch of people who make up The Cutting Edge and the Church. I am looking forward to what is ahead and the exiting things God will do in the coming months.. weeks.. days!!

Miguel

The day after the night before...

Ah, the day after the night before... what a phenomenal service!! It was just fantastic to see such a powerful move in the Spirit... my arms are still sore from catching people trying to walk through the prayer tunnel.

I really get the sense that it has been a significant weekend for the Church, and Cutting Edge in particular. Lives have been impacted, and I reckon we really need to talk about what God's been doing this weekend in more detail. It would be great to hear from other people and get them to post on the main page just what they felt God doing in their lives this weekend (Cattie and Mike, this means YOU). Testimonies are really one of the most powerful tools we have when share with others what impact God has had on our life.

It's funny. For me, I didn't really have any rhema words or aha! moments. In fact, on Sunday morning, when I fell over, it was simply because I couldn't stand up anymore!!! I remember kind of being aware of others around me and stuff happening, and thinking "I wonder if this is what it's supposed to be like..." I tried to get up and suddenly realised for the life of me, i couldn't move. I felt a pretty awesome weight, and then I realised I was completely peaceful, without fear or insecurity, and felt fully accepted. It was just brilliant. During the night service, it was pretty similar, and again I felt fully accepted.

Today (Monday 5 June) has also been a great day. It was just fantastic to be hanging out with all of the Cutting Edge group, and a real buzz to have people around even when we weren't there (oh yeah, sorry about having to go to lunch and tea). The sense of unity and community that is developing is just really encouraging, and I pray that we continue to make Cutting Edge a place of acceptance and fun where relevant and spirit-filled Christians are being developed and encouraged. Momentum is continuing to build, and we need to continue to stir things up.

Ray.

Lol, sorry there aren't any photos from last night - the Cutting Edgers weren't in too much of a state to take photos... props to the Lowe Street crew for staying up until three... hardcore socialites...

The big 3-0!!

Hey guys,
Will post about the craziness of this weekend when I get a chance (I want to get it right). Just to let you know, Cutting Edge has passed the 30 mark (these are people who regularly attend at least once a month)!!! It is just awesome to see how many of those are going on for God and serving the church in every capacity. This means a couple of possibilities. a) We are going to need to raise up leaders pretty soon. b) If numbers continue to grow, we will need another cell within the month! Not bad since we started a third cell on wednesday only a couple of weeks ago, and we have some fantastic adults already committed to going!

It's great to see that there are people from Cutting Edge going to serve as leaders in other areas of the youth ministry. I pray that as you go, you'll continue to keep your close connections with Cutting Edge, and remember, don't be strangers!! It would be cool to think that as you go into what might be your first "official" leadership role (after all, most of you have probably heard me blather on about how we are all leaders of OUR world); that you might consider continuing to come to Cutting Edge for some extra spiritual input, even if it is once a month. It's always good to continue your own personal development, as it gives you something to give out of in the areas you are serving.

Bless you guys, you are absolutely awesome, and I am honoured to be doing life with you (cheesy i know, but 100% true).

Ray.

Growing Pains...

Well, we seem to have accidentally grown to three cells in a week... Reece and Esther were unable to come to Tuesday nights anymore, so we bit the bullet and Cutting Edge now has a Wednesday cell!! First night was pretty successful, with five turning up (Shan, Reece, Esther, Heidi and Hayden). In the meantime, Ally and I will be taking one of the Tuesday's cells each, and Shannon is taking the Wednesday cell.

One of the things we've tried to do is raise up servant-leaders, and we've been really successful, with several of the current leaders in the Youth Ministry having come from the Cutting Edge ranks. Also, the amount of Cutting Edgers getting behind the friday service has just blown me away. Ally, Shannon, and I are continuing to pray for more leaders to help us with the Cutting Edge ministry, as one leader per cell does leave us spread pretty thin, even taking into account the amazing team we have. Hopefully Shannon and I running cells on consecutive nights seperately is only a temporary measure!

We have the privilege this Tuesday to be hosting Chris Low as he shares with us his passion for God. It's going to be ah-some. Tuesday cells are going to be combined, probably at Ally's house, as we really don't want anyone to miss out.

I hope and pray we'll continue to see people being drawn to Cutting Edge, as a dynamic, relevant, spirit-filled ministry.

Big Ray

Outward Focus

Terry "The Godfather" Kubala was just spot on with his message about having an outward focus in our cells, and i really believe that as a ministry we need to take it on board and make it our own mission (our mission should alway be outworked from the direction and vision of the whole church).

Last year, one of the things we looked at was how Cutting Edge could fulfill the vision of the church. I think it's probably something that would be awesome to post on the website pretty soon, but one thing that came out of it was that we needed to be outward focussed, and relying on others to provide support and encouragement for us (I think Lynda envisioned us like a big group facing outwards with our arms linked).

How cool would it be to positive impact our community? I believe we did this really well at the start of the year with O Week, but let's not rest on our laurels. How else can we influence and impact the world around us? What can you do? What can we do together? If you have any awesome ideas, let me know...

Ray

Cutting Edge Photos

Hehehe - So Mike F is a brilliant specimen and has organised an online photo album for Cutting Edge. If you want to see some of the ah-some photos from the Combined cells and 80s party night in the holidays. I'll add some of the extensive collection i have as well (Napoleon Dynamite, Candy Floss night, and many many other completely non-embarrassing moments...).

I hope the link i ripped works:
http://au.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/cuttingedgegroup/my_photos

Also, I'll link the website to the photos page on the right under links...

Ray.

We rock the party that rocks the party!

Last night was a real blast. We watched Shane and Ian beat the snot out of each other in the gentlemanly sport of Boxing; I had an unfortunate incident with a broom; and I'm pretty sure Dayle will be purchasing a fooseball table sometime in the near future...

It just reinforces how lucky we are to have the leadership that we do. It was just so fun to hang out with those guys and just hanging out with each other. You guys rock.


P.S. When Shane comes out on Friday night, give him a huge welcome back, especially if he is wearing a tan Firebrand shirt. Also, you might want to apologise to him because he did also acquire a copy of the 8 Dollars Worth CD...

Remember: we set the temperature for the services and worship. Let's make sure we rock the place out on Friday. I also reckon it would be great to give vocal support if the speakers are saying something awesome. It must be pretty nerve-racking to get the usual Southland mental nod when you are speaking... just a thought...

Good Feedback:
Amen
That's awesome.
Keep it coming.
You rock.
Throwing roses.

Bad Feedback:
I've been saying that for six months now...
That is 65% right...
Boo...
You suck.
Throwing bricks. :) :) :)

Inside Scoop!!! Don't miss Tuesday's Cutting Edge

Fantastic! It's awesome to have Shane coming back down to hang for another week, and we've invited him to come to Tuesday's Cutting Edge. Cutting Edge will be combined (at our place at this stage), and it'll be mainly a social night, just hanging out with Shane, Ian and Dayle as well as Grant and Michelle (we'll have an awesome supper sorted). Pastor Ian is always talking about the power of association (hanging around people you want to be like), and I believe this is an awesome opportunity to do just that. If you do have questions about anything, I'm sure you'll have a chance to ask.

Most of all, it'd just be great to show that as a ministry, we are a caring, generous bunch of people who are fun to hang with. If you have any ideas of ways we could bless Shane and/or any of the other leadership team, give me a yell. There was the suggestion of giving him an Eight Dollars Worth CD, but I don't know if that would be a blessing or a curse :). For two years now, Shane has had a huge impact on us in particular, and this would be a great time to show how much we appreciate his input.

Ray.

P.S. I stole this photo from Shane's website. If this is a problem Shane, no worries, i'll sort something else out (maybe a picture of beige slacks, I don't know). You the man.

Nelson...

So now we've seen Nelson and some of the other random places around the Tasman area... I must recommend the Tapawera Camping ground as an awesome place to stay (I'm not sure why you would be going through Tapawera but however...).

Shannon and I have come back feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world. It would be great to hear some feedback about the Shane Williard meetings we missed - especially the "How to read the bible like a Hebrew" seminar and Good Friday service... sounds like they both rocked out.

Hope no-one came round last night and wondered why we weren't there...

Ray

On the move...

We are on the move... Nelson should be absolutely awesome. I hope you guys have fun this easter and remember what it's all about. Take on board everything that Pastor Shane has got to offer, cos you can be sure we'll be asking when we get back. To those who are away on posting by the time we get back - have fun and we'll miss you.

Next Cutting Edge night might include a slide show and coffee... for the guys - well we'll probably be in the man's room playing pool :)

Have a good Easter and i look forward to catching up when we get back (go the school holidays!).

Ray.

Hey girls..

Hey so just been reading the blogs and have been quite inspired by the boys night to have a little shin dig of our own girls...not sure about rabbit shooting but I am sure there is someting girly we could do...

Let me know what you think.

Hope you have an awesome Easter.

Cattie

Those rabbits had it coming to them...

Rabbit shooting last night was just great fun. Around a dozen manly men braved the weather (which was starry) to go out and do our part in saving the environment from one of nature's greatest pests...

Yes, that's right, clay birds. Unfortunately hitting clay targets with a shotgun was a bit harder than a lot of us thought, so we went after something a bit more cute and cuddly (and oh so squishy).

It would be hard to say which group was in the more dangerous position. Peter Millar was behind the wheel of his V8 monster, and boy could he go once you saw the flash of the rabbit's eyes. It was pretty exhilarating to at least twice feel the back of the truck start to slide out. Simon would have to have the shot of the night where he dropped a rabbit dead which was hiding BEHIND a post.

Paul's truck on the other hand was something to behold. The door was pretty dubiously fastened to the cab... first and second gears were in high demand (mainly because the others were a little "unreliable"). And as for the brakes...

It was great to see that testosterone is alive and well at the Christian Centre.

Big things are happening...

Lol... so here's a scene from Napoleon Dynamite... Nic was VERY enthusiastic for our Napoleon Dynamite video night... and can i just say Sam Ralph IS Napoleon Dynamite. It was a little scary to look at the almost cult-like status it is acquiring :) GOSH, it's frickin' awesome!

I believe momentum is the thing which we need to continue on with. Us southerners are pretty hard to stir up sometimes but still waters run deep. I reckon once we stir the youth up, it's going to be difficult to keep control of them (in a good way...).

Also, Garth preached up a storm during the last youth service. Man, he was dangerous before he went away - now, with more biblical knowledge to back up his passion, it's obvious he is going to be absolutely lethal. My highlight for the night was when Garth put down his notes and declared "I don't need these..."

Big things are afoot... let's keep the momentum going.

Big Ray.

Branded 2006

Branded was just an amazing experience. James McPherson is my casa chico. It was just awesome to see the community and unity between the different age groups, and the worship rocked out. The prophecy that James brought for Invercargill was exciting, and quite a few of us have talked about the sense of... expectation that we feel, like something big is going to happen and soon!

The worship on the Sunday night that Jordan preached was just brilliant - it was awesome to see the youth lead the charge. I reckon it's something that us as Cutting Edgers need to continue - we are the ones the young 'uns look at to see what is and isn't "cool".

We need to be the thermostat and not the thermometer. As the oldest of the youth, we need to lead the charge. If we want to see free worship and a real breakthrough, we need to be the first ones to do it. We need to model the style of worship we want to see in the church. I think that was the thing that Jimmy and John did so well - they rocked out as much as the youth did in Dunedin. I would love to see that in Invers. Wouldn't you?
Ray