Summer Blast

Heres what I'm doing this summer - how about you?

Here are our 3 main events for 2011 - its going to be an awesome year so mark them in your diary now and start planning!!

Resonate Roadie - the pics

ROAD TRIP!!!!! We had a wicked time on our Resonate Roadie to Timaru the other weekend. There's nothing quite like jumping in a van with a whole bunch of randoms (ok so I knew everyone but really they are quite random!!) and enduring some of the crazy carnage that is involved with long distance travel. Being the only girl in the van also made thinkgs "interesting" - enough said. Seriously though we had a great time- it was awesome to catch up with the guys from Dunners, Timaru and Chch and Ps Leon Rakete from Equippers South was off the hook! Plus we were relly wel looked after by the guys from Timaru with the meanest suppers! If you didn't come with us then you really missed out!

But because I like to reminisce, and to help those of you reading on the interweb feel a bit of the Road Trip love heres some pics:)

Enjoy!

Keith in the van - the trip to Timaru was highly entertaining, but they say - what happens in the van stays in the van!

Simons mad as photography skills - watch out Andris Apse!!

Jairus in the van

We played some crazy games - it takes great concentration to cover yourself in sellotape!!
Haha Si!

Simon and his balloons - once they were taped on he had to race around the church twice. Very funny to watch!!

Sam & the awesome crew from Dunedin leading worship

Worship went off!!

Me and Lyds before driving back to our respective homes.

A very attractive (and single!!) Lydia (right) from Dunners and Shelom from Chch.

The morning after - these guys had all slept in the church (well if you can call it sleep!!) More like chaos and carnage!!

Resonate Roadie!!!

Hey guys of you want to join us for am awesome road trip get in touch to find out more info or to book your seat in the van - shannon@christiancentre.org.nz

Hearing Gods Voice

The voice of God is that secret voice unheard by any other ear,

which our own ear, opened by the Spirit of God recognizes with joy.

Charles Spurgeon

One of the things that I often have people ask me is how do I know if God is speaking to me? How do we know God’s voice?

Good question!

Hearing Gods voice is one of the things that I was so unsure of – what if it’s not God its just me? What if I get it wrong? How do I know its Him?

To be honest I don’t think there’s an easy one-stop-shop easy answer, but it all comes down to relationship. As I have grown closer to God and developed my relationship with Him I have come to learn how He speaks to me. Each of us are created uniquely so it makes sense that the way God speaks to us may be different to the away he speaks to someone else.

"My sheep listen to my voice;

I know them, and they follow me."

-- John 10:27

God knows the best way to speak to me. I am a visual person – images and pictures speak to me far greater than reading the Bible or listening to a preacher. But for others, reading the Bible can really speak to them. Neither are more right than the other – they are both just as valid.

When our kids were born, even as babies they recognized mine and Rays voices. They'd spent the whole time in the womb listening to us talk to them. They knew who we were and it would comfort them. When they were upset we could settle them just by our voice because they knew it was us.

As we get to know God more we learn to recognize His voice. I realize this sounds all too simplistic but its true.

There are many different ways in which God can speak to us. I would love it if God would just use massive sky-writing or a big booming voice from heaven like he did when Jesus was baptized but unfortunately it never seems to happen!! I know people who God speaks to them through impressions, a whisper, feelings, numbers - I even have one friend who God uses Physics equations! How crazy is that?

Benny Johnson from Bethel Church said recently at Manifest Presence Conference in Auckland that "God's not English, but English is one of the ways He can speak to us. God's not Russian but Russian is one of the ways He can speak to us." The same applies to pictures, numbers, feelings, impressions etc. They are all just a tool that God can use to communicate with us.

How awesome it is to know that God can to speak to us in a way that works for us - regardless of language!

I want to encourage you, as you spend time developing your relationship with God - it will become easier to recognise His voice. Take some time and chill with Him today.

Shan

SNOW!!!

We've been turned into a winter wonderland! Things are a little crazy at the moment - this is the 3rd day in a row I have been holed up at home due to the crazy weather! Snow in September - its a first for me after 8 and a half years living in Invercargill.

But what an amazing thing it is. I absolutely love snow and have always felt ripped off in winter here because we don't normally get anything decent here. I grew up with snow days from school, power cuts cooking on the fire in the dark and a tonne of afternoons in the freezing cold skidding round on the motorbike and sledging. But now we have it!! Wahoo!

Church has been cancelled all over the city because the roads are too treacherous for travel, the Stadium in town - our provinces pride and joy, had its roof collapse under the weight of the snow and more rough weather is yet to come in. With all this crazy happenings not only here but throughout our nation - flooding in the north island, crazy winds in Auckland, tornadoes and the massive earthquake in Christchurch many peopleit is encouraging to know that we do not have to be afraid or live in fear because we have Jesus.

It says in the Bible (yes I am actually going to mention scripture!) that God is our refuge and so we should not be afraid.

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging" Psalm 46:1-3
"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will rest in the shadow of the Almighty I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, My God in whom I trust" Psalm 91:1-2

Even when the world around us is falling down and unpredictable we can rely on God. Place our faith and our trust in Him and we do not have to worry - we are in Gods hands. I'm not sure about you, but I would rather place my faith in the One who is unfailing than anything else!

"Lets do this thing..............."

So today is the first day of my big adventure. Sounds exciting huh? It is - and its pretty scarey!
So whats the haps I hear you ask? Well.............

You may have seen from the previous post I have recently been in Tonga on a missions trip. It was an incredibly impacting time for me - and not just from what I saw and experienced, but in the way that God spoke to me so clearly and challenged me.

My heart has always been to live a life of reckless abandonment for God. A life that is glorifying to God and impacts those around me. Well to be honest that wasn't really happening. It was more like a life of coasting through on a treadmill - repeating the steps and going nowhere. I had gotten comfortable. There was nothing wrong with my life - in fact I liked it. I was doing my thing, loving God, family and church. BUT God has more than that for me. He knows the potential within me - and YOU. He wants the best for us.

My dream for as long as I can remember has to be a photographer - to take amazing images that inspire people, challenge their worldview and change the world. I wanted to reach a generation of young people and see them become the person that God created them and designed them to be. To preach the gospel and see lives, cities and nations changed. As a young (yes I consider myself young!) mum with 2 small children that was kind of put in the "one day" basket. The place where I'll return to when its the right time, when the kids are grown and I have the resources to fund that kind of ministry. So in the meantime I opened a photography studio and started doing weddings and portraits as a way to "keep the dream alive" until I figured out how to make it work.

Well I have not been designed as an administrative type person in anyway! So the day to day stuff of running business did not come naturally to me in any way shape or form and was more stressful in ways I cannot express. Dont get me wrong, I love taking photographs of people, letting them express the beauty and uniqueness in the way God created them and capturing special occasions - it was a privilege and a fantastic creative outlet. But it wasn't the best that God has designed me for.

When in Tonga God breathed life into those dreams that I had put aside, that I didn't know how to make happen or how it would work with the family and stuff. And He just said to me "Come on Shannon, lets do this thing................................."

Come on lets do this thing. Crap.

"This thing" was to close down my photography studio and to come and volunteer at my church full time doing the creative design stuff - graphics, web, photography etc and build the young adults ministry, Resonate - which is you guys! God was calling me, giving me permission to step into the things that He has for me, to live the BEST life designed by Him and just saying "its now. Don't put it off, lets just do this together. Lets make it happen and change your world."

So here I am. Recklessly abandoning the path I have known in favour of one where I can only see a few steps ahead. Its scarey because my safety net is gone. I can no longer tell people I am "a photographer and have my own studio". The worlds idea of success and identity can no longer matter because I am living a life on the edge for Jesus, standing in the place He has designed for me. And to be honest, theres nowhere else I would rather be.

Come on lets do this thing.................

Branded Tonga

So recently a group of us were blessed enough to go to the Kingdom of Tonga for Branded Tonga, a youth conference and missions trip with Acts Churchs (the Church movement we are a part of). It was an amazing time! There was approx 75 of us from churches throughout NZ aged between 13 & 30 who converged on the island nation to help support the existing Equippers church there and to bring Gods message of hope and love to people. There was a small team of 7 of us from Invercargill who made the trip. We fundraised for months to make sure we made it - boy was it worth it!

Below are just few photo highlights of the trip. Enjoy!

Praying for team members before we head out into some of the villages surrounding Nuku'alofa. We went giving food, clothing and toys to families in the villages.

The boys (l-r) Bevan, Luke and Billy talking with a vanload of guys inviting them to one of our night rallies.

Alana talking with an elderly man on the streets of Nuku'alofa

The main town outreach at the wharf in Nuku'alofa. There were over a couple of thousand people there - it didn't seem like it but there were a heap of people hiding in the shadows listening to the message and responding to God.

The local markets in Nuku'alofa

On thOn the Saturday we had a chill out day at the beach - looks tropical ay!!! Crazy thing was it was warmer in the water than out!

Phil warming up by lunch

A cultural group came and performed for us - they were so amazing!!

The Invercargill Team at Equippers Tonga - Shan, Ray, Billy, Alana, Luke, Bevan and Phil.





Invers team!!!

O week 2010

Hey guys,

If you are new here (in Southland or on the blog), click to find out what we're all about! We've got some exciting activities planned for SIT OWeek 2010 in Southland. Hopefully you saw us around @ the SIT Market Day and grabbed some info that obviously led you to here!

On Tuesday we'll be on campus providing a free barbie ( the sausage kind not the doll) during the chilled music festivities and generally hanging out being cool.!

This week we have some awesome things happening in the life of Resonate - Tuesday connect is up and running, 7.30pm at Shan and Rays. If you are aged between 18-25ish and are looking for a place to connect with other Jesus freaks then we're the place to be!

Wednesay night Resonate Girls kicks off for the year with a coffee and dessert night at the Invercargill Christian Centre. This is going to be an awesome chance to hang out with some really cool chicks, as well as have a great munch on YUMMY food. Resonate girls runs fortnightly on a Wednesday nite so come along this week to find what we're all about!

PLus on top all that we have amazing guests Ps Clark and Ann Taylor from Brisbane speaking this weekend at the Christian Centre. These guys are legendary and are definately worth coming along to hear. Service times are Fri 7pm, Sat 7pm and Sunday 10am and 6pm - all at the Christian Centre Leet St Campus.

Anywho hope you have a fantastic and blessed 2010 and we here at Resonate look forward to catching up and hanging with you!!

Shan