watch this space....

We have been dreaming and scheming and have some pretty exciting things in the works!!! So watch this space!

(ok so I'll be nice and give you a quick heads up on some of the exciting things. Get you pens ready and mark these dates in your diary now!

18- 21 July - Get Smart Conference Christchurch
13-14 August - Winter Blast, Queenstown
3 September - Sex, Lies & Resonate
18-29 November - Red Frogs Schoolies Mission Trip, Gold Coast Australia

More info and other exciting stuff coming soon!!

Branded Take Over

Branded was an absolutely phenomenal weekend just held at Southlife Church, Dunedin. For those of you who have never been or heard of it, Branded is the Acts Churches NZ South Island youth conference.

One of the things that came through strongly was a new focus towards young adults, 18-30 year olds, recognising that often we find they enter into this stage of life only to become old and boring. Hope no one is offended by that!!!

But really its true and its one of the frustrating things I have seen happen continuously over the past 7 years I have done Resonate. People are all excited and passionate about making a difference for God and living a life of significance but only until they graduate. Once that happens its time for them to "grow up, get a haircut and get a real job." Their new focus finding a spouse, getting a good job, and having babies. Don't get me wrong, these are all good things (and I have them too), but suddenly they are too old for being involved in youth or jumping up and down a little. I don't know about you but I think that sucks!!! I so don't want to live a boring life where I do what society says I should be doing at this stage of my life.

In fact I want to be living a passionate life, be significant for God in reaching a generation and be able to look back at the end of my life and have no regrets, no "what if " moments.

We often look at youth and talk about how alcohol, drugs and sex are such a distraction for them, pulling them away from their Purpose in God, but in realilty the white picket fence can be just as distracting for us young adults.

My challenge to you is to don't become so focused about the things this world says are important that you forget about the call and purpose God has placed within you.

Revival Pics

OK guys so as promised here are a few shots from when we had Roy and Melanie Fields here the other week. It was a phenomenal time of worship and God really switched something in the Spirit. It was like taking a 60 watt light bulb and then shoving 2000 volts of electricity through it to see what would happen - things will never be the same again!!!!

SUNDAY MORNING SERVICE

Singers Band in Worship
Worship led by Roy Fields. You can't really see but Church

was PACKED out.

Pastor Ian (with Dayle in background) deep in worship

SUNDAY EVENING SERVICE

Love this shot!!!! Resonator Lulu and members of the ministry team during the evening service.

Southern River pastor Danny Steel (centre) responding to a call for healing while Melanie Fields (right) prays.

Melanie Fields praying for people during an altar call.

Associate pastor Grant hanging with his kids after the evening service. (It was 11.5pm and they just got their second wind!!)

Let us feed u!!!!!

Hey Guys,

Yep its here again! The Resonate $2 Student feed. If you haven't worked it out by now it gonna be a regular occurance - like real regular, like every 2 weeks, fornightly or bi-monthly (however you want to look at it!)

So get involved!! Tell your class mates, your workmates, your neighbour, your nana, WHOEVER!! Bring them along and enjoy our scrumptious, yummy (and may I add healthy - who would a thought it was possible to taste good and not make you rot?)

Just make sure you let us know you are coming - we would hate for you to miss out!!

Four gifts as Christians we should be able to give...

Hey guys,

Sorry for the infrequency of posts, but I'm currently rocking it out at Get Smart: Worship 07 in Christchurch. It's one of the largest youth conferences in New Zealand, and definitely one of the most challenging.

It's just been a phenomenal time so far, with some of the greatest Christian communicators in the world, including Pastor Phil Pringle from C3 Church in Australia, and Jurgen Matthesius, currently hailing from San Diego.

Here is a hastily scrawled summary from Andrew Kubala, one of the speakers, and founder of the Get Smart conferences.

Andrew Kubala - Four gifts as Christians we should be able to give...

Andy as always was passionate in his presentation, and he presented four gifts that as Christians we should be able and willing to give.

Matthew 17:24

We can only give what we have to give away...

1. Resource
- See Mark 12:41
- It doesn't really matter the amount in which we give, but rather the attitude with which we bring our resources.
- Worship is also a resource to give. In order to honour God, worship is simply encountering God and giving our best.

2. Gift of the Holy Spirit
- See Acts 1:8
- The Holy Spirit gives us the power to be useful to God
- It can be seriously under-utilised.
- We need to make sure we are involving God in our decisions. By doing so, we are asking him to get involved.
- We can spend our whole lives doing life without the right tools (Andy used the example of using a knife to tighten a screw, all to save 30 seconds to go and get a screwdriver).

3. Gift of Time
- Psalm 90:12
- What we spend our time doing shows what we value.
- Eternal things need to be lifted up, and before worldly things.
- We have an opportunity to serve and use our time mightily for God.

4. Gift of Salvation
- John 3:16
- So often as Christians, we actually deny people the opportunity to recieve this gift.

In all of these, we are only able to give as we have recieved.

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So, yeah, there has been some really useful and challenging messages. I'll add some more with some of my own thoughts once I've processed it.

If there's something there you don't agree with or have a different opinion about, then great! Let's start a dialogue. Otherwise, eat the meat and spit out the bones :).

I love challenging messages, and I think the preachers I've always got the most out of are the ones I completely disagreed with. It meant that I was able to test the boundaries of my own beliefs and opinions. I look forward to hearing what you think.