Lots Going Down!

EMMAUS WALK:
Life in Aotearoa New Zealand has been full-on lately!  After battling sickness for a few days, I got back in the rhythm of life just in time to attend an Emmaus Walk.  This was a great weekend of connecting with some awesome women in the wider Church body as well as God ministering to me in a personal way.  After Emmaus, I came home to my flat which has been a bit more full lately. :)

AMERICAN VISITORS:
My flatmate's sister has been here visiting for three weeks.  Sadly, she heads back to the U.S. tomorrow.  Last Monday, the three of us went to the Auckland Zoo together.  It was super fun!  The zoo here is fantastic!  It's been great to have a visitor staying with us, and she is not the only American who has arrived lately, either!  Two representatives from the study abroad programme at I.W.U. have been here as well--we were able to meet up a couple of times to discuss opportunities for I.W.U. students here in Auckland.  The Bowlins, great friends of mine and fellow GP tribe members in the South Pacific, arrived on Wednesday morning to Auckland.  I was able to greet them "dark and early" at the airport.  This family served in New Zealand for two years, and they are currently touching base here for a month before going on to Papua New Guinea for a term of service.  It has been great to reconnect with them.
 
MINISTRY:
I have been able to connect with several youth leaders over the past week.  That's always a highlight for me.  Wednesday night, a group of us played laser tag with teenagers from Redoubt North.  I love laser tag. :) Thursday night, some leaders from our Central Auckland churches gathered to discuss the I.W.U. Sports Blitz outreach scheduled to take place in Auckland one year from now.

This past weekend was intense.  Friday night, I preached at a youth group, Saturday, at a youth rally, and Sunday, at a youth-focused Sunday service.  God is faithful, even to the point of helping me through leading a children's lesson on Sunday!  (Those of you who know me well know that when kids' ages can be expressed in one number, I get a little out of my comfort zone!)

Upcoming, I will be sharing at a youth group tomorrow and we are having a large combined youth rally on Friday night called "Reconnect."  (Our past IGNITE Camp was themed around getting connected, so this is an opportunity to reconnect with everyone from camp).

PERSONAL SPIRITUAL JOURNEY:
Lately, God has been speaking to me a LOT about grace and unconditional love.  I am realizing more and more how prone I am to living like I need to somehow earn God's approval--a task that proves more than depressing.  Living like I need to earn something from God just brings a constant sense of guilt and condemnation.  Yet God is slowly teaching me about His grace and the nature of His love for me.  We do not have to perform for God--in fact, He is not interested in our "performance."  He's interested in our hearts.  Anything that we do should flow out of response to His love.  Perhaps you, like me, struggle to understand grace and love in a personal way.  We can spout off intellectual doctrines about them, but the question is whether or not we allow ourselves to experience them.  I want to encourage you to press in with me that we, "may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ." -Ephesians 3:18.  Russ Gunsalus recently made a statement in a speech that has really resonated with me.  "God loves you, minister, more than He loves your ministry."  It's easy to get caught up in trying to work for God and forget what it means to be loved by God in personal relationship.  I believe I'm on a journey right now with this, one that will probably continue for a while.  I'll try to post personal insights as they come.