Tauranga House of Prayer

So im just over two into this season now and ive spent the past week across in Tauranga. This is a small city close to the beach. Its basically the Wexford of New Zealand. Its the Beach town where everyone comes in the summer. But now that the summers just finished and schools are back and all that its beginning to quieten up a tad. But ive been staying in a YHA campsite in the city, so ive pitched my little tent which has become my home sweet home for the past week. Ive become accustomed to the sleeping on the floor living now so im sure ill feel the benefits of this tight sleep conditions in a couple of years. To be honest beds just dont do it for me anymore its all about the hard surface these days.
Another thing looks like im heading back to the Emerald Isle soon than i thought. I always had a visit home on the cards for 2009, but its was unlikely and more something i wanted than something that was going to happen. But then my sister has gone and decided to get married to Mr Jonny. So Mrs Susan Somerville has given me one of my life ambitions. Its not quite as good as the real thing but my first legit Brother. Now i asked every year for a brother from Santa until i realized what i was asking. But its finally coming true. So im over the moon and looking forward to getting back and welcoming the latest family member and no better man to have one of my fine sisters.
Tomorrow im moving back up to Auckland which im hoping to catch up with some old friends from the Congo. Two Northern Hemisphere summers ago I popped off to the Congo for 8 weeks with my father & some of his friends. I stayed with a New Zealand couple from Wellington called Murray & Joy Stevenson. They have been back in the country for the past couple of weeks catching up with all their churches and friends here. So im going to catch up with them for a day or two which im excited about cause i lived with them for two months and they were two very important months of my life. So cant wait to link up with them tomorrow.
But this week has been interesting. Ive been spending my morning @ the THOP so thats been a great start to the days. Following on from all the revelations from last week and continuing on through the rest of the torah and finishing Deuteronomy today. Well its been much of the same, the daily realization that Jesus is the Lamb of God and really getting what he came to earth for, and why he had to come.
John 16 v 27 - Reading John today and picking up the second half of the story while reading through the story of Moses & the Israelites. But while im dwelling on and really getting into the old Covenant I feel while i want to stay on it and dig deeper to fully grasp it, I feel God bringing me into the New Covenant at the same time. This happened alot during my DTS. Once God i was clicking during Gods revelations he was showing me i was so in awe of what he was saying and then as my hunger for more on the topic he’d then start on a new topic and start showing me something else, and you cant exactly tell tell God to stop and go back, He’s more come on Pete you’ve got that so what ya think of this. But anyway, yeah seeing the whole reason the Father loves us is because we have accepted Jesus and by accepting Jesus God the Father accepts us. Now as the Fear of God was setting in i was beginning to get a bit scared and terrified of God the Father. I was feeling his anger and frustration at the Israelites and seeing myself just as frustrating to him with my continued failures, lack of dedication and weakness so the thought of coming to him or coming close to him was not that appealing as I questioned why he’d want anything todo with me or anyone really. While at the same time my communion times with God the Son, Jesus have been great again ill say taking the time daily to remember Jesus and his sacrifice for us is priceless. Now seeing the whole Intercession side and how Jesus is the way to the father. Not only the Lamb of God and our sacrifice who cleanses us but also the only way to bringing us to the Father as in John 14 v 6.
Now this next one im not sure about but its something going through the brain. Being at the THOP and giving a good period of time every morning to praying and intercession has been a great discipline cause then the rest of the day i can do the things i really enjoy like reading the Word or Communion. But anyway as ive been interceding for lets say stuff theres also been verse’s jumping out about prayer. But its the references about how Jesus keeps talking about how People cant come to Jesus unless the Father enables them, (John 6 v 37 & 44 & 65) or unless the Father draws them or unless the father gives them to Jesus. Now one thing which has really shifted in my mind and what God has really revealed to me on week three of my DTS was the fact that God choose me. Now past blogs explains that one. But these verse’s have got me well excited about prayer and also so excited about the lads moving into Foxrock and with 24/7 prayer being based in their new house. The importance of prayer and how we need to get down on our knees and pray for the lost. But also linking it into our own lives and becoming the prayer. Being the prayer and living as a walking prayer in our communities and not just sitting in our churches or houses and praying but living out the prayers we pray. So thats why i love this quote.

Also a line in Pete Greig’s “The Vision” “To Pray as if everything counts on God and to Live as if everything counted on us”

Praise & Worship

This week has slowly transitioned into more worshipping focused aswell. Now the whole reason I feel God has called me into this season is for me to get closer to him and Worship him and get more intimate with him. So Worship has always been at the back of my mind the first week, thinking that the set up was very similar to the Congo and i wasn’t getting very intimate with God. But 40 days is a long time so i wasn’t too worried and also so much was coming out of my days that i felt whatever direction i was going it was prity good. But this week I felt one day that I was to go for a walk without any books and just to spend the afternoon with him. Now the Ipod came with me just to drain out the noise and all. But as i walked down the path on the sea front its also along a motorway so i found myself Praising God. But all of this was out of the revelations form the week prior. So its like the first week was all about setting the tone and getting into the character of God and then stripping back the whole plan and purpose of Jesus Christ. When this had been stripped down and then opened up to me this has brought me to a place of true appreciation and acknowledgment of Jesus as my Saviour. Its only the beginning and its tough as im on the edge of a motorway and people walking past every now and then and lets be honest my voice ain’t exactly like Bono and who exactly am i singing to aswell. But ah well there loss right and sure those verse’s from last week about not being of this world are fresh too.

Things will never be the same

One day aswell as i was listening to the Song by Dave Crowder Band theres a song called “the Glory of it all” But towards the end of the song its about how “For everything will change, things will never be the same, we will never be the same” Now its not like ive been off the rails my whole life and just found God. Buts its the thought of being captured by a life in the ordinary. Giving away Jesus and letting him go and walking into a life surrounded by business. I cant think of anything worse than not having enough time to spend with Jesus everyday. But my fear is that its easy to say that when im spending all my time with him everyday but what about when the years go on, days get busier, responsibilities get bigger and bigger what about then how will i be then. What will my priorities be then. Will the light slowly faint like so many others today worldwide. What makes me different and how will i stand where so many others have fallen in the past and present. Because my Tattoo Phllippians 3v8 is still ringing all through me. “ Everything else is meaningless when compared with the infinite value of knowing christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have Discarded all things counting them as garbage, so that i could gain Christ and become one with him” and to me falling away or separating myself from Jesus is just terrifying and the thought really got into me and hit a nerve deep.
Well thats it for this week, ill pop some random photos in this one cause i dont want people getting board reading through my thought processing. But as for this week im not sure where ill end up it looks like auckland with Murray & Joy then up north to the Bay of Islands to visit some family friends and then hopefully ill make it to the south island. Ive gotta make it down to Queenstown to get my Christmas present of Susie before she gets wedding planning and has no money left. And then theres a birthday & a Paddys day down there aswell. This will bring me then back up north to start earning some NZ Dollars for the wedding Home & a trip to see my Rosco.

Communion

Im now nearly two weeks into this next season here in New Zealand. No news on my visa so they are still processing all the information and my beautiful body and medical things and how much they want this sexy piece of art in their country. But however this leaves me stuck and needing to bail out of this land and across to the lovely land of convicts called Australia. So ive got my flight into melbourne but the aim is to get up to Brisbane where a certain pair of handsome young lads will be waiting for me hopefully. So maybe 2 weeks and another birthday & possibly paddy’s day up in brisbane with Mark & Wes looks inevitable.

But so far, since leaving the lads, Ive had a really good 2 weeks. My intentions of spending  40 days pursuing God intimately by myself as i have felt called too. I spent the first week in  Auckland in Cam & Jennys house. They were off down in Christchurch so this left me with the house to myself & the Cat. So as the cat was the only company I had apart from the Trinity brothers we got on great. But this first week was all about initiating into the prayer and fasting without driving myself insane. So the odd movie was good to keep me going and they were used as great breakers. But if i look back over the past 2 weeks and list all the things that ive been reading about praying about and singing about the list would just go on and on. But the highlight and something ive been working on is my communication with God and not just God but the Trinity. Seeing that ive had so much time to spare and dedicated to this its freed me to really pursue this. 

Communion

Communion has played a huge part of the day and has always been the highlight. Daily dedicating a time to remember Jesus and his sacrifice and really dwell on the thought. Giving my full thanks has brought me into a huge appreciation of him. While ive been reading through the first couple of books of the old Testiment the relevance and appreciation to what Jesus has freed us from. All those laws and then also how he is the sacrifice is coming alive and real to me. The details and explanations about how the various types of animals and all have to be sacrificed and where and when and for each type of sin and why. The whole purpose of sacrificing to God is something ive never completely grasped or even looked into. This is because we prefer to look at the Grace, Love and forgiveness way more than ourselves and our sins and what were actually doing, where as Jesus has come and completed and finished this but we still need to thank and ask for forgiveness. Because we dont daily or monthly bring a sacrifice to the altar i think i forget how important Jesus is to me. Its all vary basic but getting the revelation and understanding has just filled me with such a huge appreciation and brought me so much closer to an understanding of my need and dependancy on the cross. 

Character & Nature of God

Im not sure what order these things have happened but I'm just putting some of them down in any old order. But this next one is Character and Nature of God. I'm still only scratching the surface but its hitting home. Going through the stories of Moses & Abram and the Israelites, ive been trying to get into their heads to see what they might have been thinking. What was there relationship with The Lord like? In their eyes how would they see God? In relation to the Character & Nature of God. Because God hasn’t changed we have put the trinity into One personality and then chopped out the parts we dont like, well Pete has anyway. But spending so much time in the word daily has been letting me get and overall and completely look into what The Lord must have been like. Yeah so thats a big one Im putting it together in my journal so when its more complete ill get it up here aswell.

In this aswell im exploring in how God spoke and related with the Old lads during there days. How he used to come and meet with them have a chat and then he leave them. With Moses, Numbers 12v6-8, how he would meet Face to Face now wouldn't that just be off the charts. But you find God coming & then leaving. So im finding that prity cool

Fear Of God

Now the Character & Nature of God topic has also been leading me down the Fear of the Lord area too. Which is something ive been really wanting to just hit home one day. Proverbs is full of little one liners saying how Fear of the Lord is “ the beginning of knowledge”  “the beginning of Wisdom” and how Fear of the Lord is “the foundation of life” “ is a strong fortress” So yeah for a couple of days for the first time i had a fear of the lord on me. The Old testiment is full of this fear as God was winning Battles and moving forward pursuing the land for the Israelites. But also the holiness that was required by Aaron & the levities in-order to enter into the presence of God. How God struck down Nadab & Abihu because they offered the wrong offering to the Lord. This is how important holiness was in the Old Covenant. So with Fear of the Lord an appreciation & desire for Holiness in the Lords eyes.

The Will of God

God’s Will is something that has been resurfacing over the past couple of months. Theres been a couple of verses Romans 12v2, John 6v38 & Mark 14v36. Im reading brother yuns new book living water and throughout the book he’s tearing down the western church and most of the time he’s got very good reasons too if were honest. But his view of just submitting and obeying to God Will and only God will and thats all that matters has just got me thinking about it again. Cause as a mindset sometimes i can get confused and get stuck in the middle. Ok theres so much more to uncover for this one before I get it down on paper anyway.

Other thing i find myself looking into are “how we are called not to be part of this World” “Devotion to everything we do” “God not revealing himself to some people & Jesus being revealed to only the people whom the father gives to Jesus? so thats means we gotta start praying a load more” The Trinity’s “Dynamic’s & Job criteria”

The whole aim of this season has been to get closer to Jesus and to spend more time with him and its so far been amazing and its getting easier as the days go on. and learning so much and experiencing so much about my king has just been lets say Brilliant. Im now in Tauranga, This is a beach town and the International House of prayer is in the area. So im Hooking up with them every morning from 8-12. Its basically a 4 hour prayer room setup with live music and an open sanctuary to-do your own thing. You can join in with the Worship or you can simply study the Word or just pray. Which is ideal cause i really wanna do my own thing and this helps. Cause having people starring at ya all day in hostels & Parks wondering who your talking to can be a bit annoying but ah well their loss right.

Well since i started writing this last night the news in is my Visa is good to go. There not gonna kick me outta here until 19th January 2010. Which is such a blessing cause today i was going to have to buy a return flight to Australia & a Temporary Visa for aussie which wouldn’t have been ideal for the bank account lets say. So that means i can stay here in Tauranga for the next 3 months and finish this season & then start earning some bills & start what my plans for the year.

City Lights 2009

OK so city lights is a three day ministry in Auckland City. What happens is various groups of people and churches get together to come out and worship, pray & then go out and bless the city and people of Auckland. They do this by arranging various different projects throughout the city.

These projects can be a group of people turning up to someones home, through a connection with a social worker, and with a group of people blessing this person by cleaning the house, weeding the garden, doing the cleaning cooking up a meal and doing all sorts of jobs to try bless this person. Another project was a group of people would go to a building in central Auckland city and they were demolishing the inside internal walls. This buildings will be used by 24/7 prayer in New Zealand. Another event was a fun day in a local baptist church in Mangree, South Auckland. I was but in charge of this event so that was obviously a great laugh.

What we did for this project was we went door to door with various groups of people to hand out flyer's and to tell people about the event and also about the baptist church and some of the programs that it is running. Now South Auckland isn't exactly Fox rock and has quite a bad reputations this is where the majority of the gangs are from and there is allot of domestic violence & drug abuse plenty of other things that every city is dealing with. So that was something else to experience going around door to door walking into peoples houses in south Auckland by myself inviting people to church.

The next thing was the Saturday itself the managree community day and what we did here, was we got a bouncy castle, water slide, face paints, candyfloss machines, dj and then to top it off a sausage sizzle.Now that was the real seller. In New Zealand if you tell anyone your giving away free sausages they will actually stop walking and listen so it was a great seller. The day went brilliantly with probably 700-1000 people turning up.

City lights was a great experience and im so glad i did it.I made some great friends down in Mangaree in the local church and also with various other church groups around Auckland. I got huge heart for south Auckland and could really feel the needs down there. So I'm looking forward to hooking up with a load of different people from this and joining in with there ministries.

So now its time to say goodbye to Jonny & Ian, and to get started on this next journey which God is bringing me on while they head south and onto Aussie. I'm going into the center of Auckland for a couple of days before heading east to Tauranga again.ill be spending the next 40 days praying, fasting, worshiping and reading and just getting close to my father. Its going to be tough but also amazing. I'M really excited for it but also a tad apprehensive but here goes anyway.

The Mount

So Myself, Jonny & Ian had a week before we were going to be going back up to Auckland city for City lights so we decided on two options either go up to the bay of islands or pop down to mount maunganui for some more surfing and chilling out at the beach. So we got the coin toss out and surfing at the mount came up trumps.

We hitched down in a two and a one but ended up in the same ride the whole way down so it worked out well handy. We even got a ride with a professional basketball player who plays on the New Zealand national team. We stay at the wonder full Donna's house in Papamoa again as she again put us up and looked after us. We spent the next couple of days Surfing in the boiling sun, Watching Ian's Pittsburgh win the Superbowl, Trek down to a hidden waterfall inland & another walk up the mount as well to top things off.

After all this I needed to get some things done for my visa application. So one morning I got a Medical Check up in order to see that I'm working OK and I'm not gonna cause to many problems in my 12 month visit cause if I'm not the healthiest its safe to say they don't want me here. Then off i went to get the chest X-ray ed, and then onto a blood test. Now i nearly hit the deck on the blood test but tensed up the body and held out long enough to lie down and give this old body a couple of Min's to stabilise, Yeah i know kinda of pathetic.

So then back up to Auckland city for the final event of the hitch hiking trip with the lads.