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