As a church we are having a change of pace over the summer months.  See our calendar page for details.  We decided that we needed to change what we were doing, and many of us needed a slower pace over the time.  I am going to be having a break from writing and other ministry tasks over summer and taking some time to rest, pray, play and pull back.  Sabath rest is something that even the Lord practiced and advocated.May your Christmas be refreshing and may you see Jesus afresh…the reason for the Season.

Church will be different this Sunday.  We are closing up shop at the primary school this Sunday and traveling to another part of Melbourne, to Boronia to join another church, another Vineyard community to join them for the morning.  Mountain District Vineyard.  They have been in rough spot and it will be great to join them, to stand with them.  The Bible is clear when one part suffers we all suffer and when one part celebrates we all celebrate.  As we follow Jesus, we just want them to know they are not alone.  We will be back at the school the following Sunday.

Hi.  Last week I wrote that we were having a church camp and so therefore would not be at the school on Sunday.  We had a great weekend; having fun, talking, playing, worshiping, thinking about where we had come as a church and where we were going, and of course eating. It is so good to stop and rest even though in some ways we went back to work Monday tired. We will be back at the school this Sunday.  See you then.  

Hi.  Just letting you know that we are not meeting this Sunday September 06, 2009  at the school as we are having a church camp at Philip Island.  Hope this is no inconvenience for you and that if you would like to visit us, you might be able to join us the next Sunday.  God bless you and feel free to get in touch with us through info@bayvineyard.org. au or 040 227 2088 if we can be of any assistance.  Blessings. 

Coaching in its various forms has grown as big industry in the last years.  I was reminded again the other day of the power of conversation and the power of coaching, of asking the right question or making the right comment.  In conversation with a friend, a comment was made…and clarity came to a “dilemma” I had.  All of a sudden the clouds parted and I saw life(at least an aspect) clearer again.  So simple but so profound.  

Have begun a discussion on the Book of James last Sunday as a church family.  The first section was a reminder about the trials we face and how we respond to them.  Amongst other things that section of scripture encourages us to endure.  The call is to “joyfully approach these trials, because they teach us to endure…which builds maturity in us.”   But with joy…now that is hard.  Yet have a look back a couple pages in your Bible from James to Hebrews 12:1-3 and see how Jesus chose to suffer.  The same adjective…with joy. We talked about that a bit. Jesus loved to obey His Father, he knew the benefit for us.  These aspects helped build the joy in the journey. So here is a question?  Someone answer…do you think we can choose joy when we face trials as believers, and if so how?  I await you the readers response? 

On Sunday I shared with our church family some thoughts on Psalm 86:11. That scripture says; “Teach me your way, O Lord and I will walk in your truth, give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name.” Phrase one reminds us that if we want to walk Gods way we need Gods help to do it. Phrase two reminds us that at times our hearts get divided and when they do we are not respecting God as He deserves.  The meaning of the word undivided is the idea of being joined.  In other words your heart is not splintered between things but joined together-all towards God. We reflected on how easy it is for the heart to become divided and what areas of life God calls us to be undivided in or using a different word with slightly different meaning being wholehearted in. What a great prayer Psalm 86:11 is.  I want to walk your way Lord, so please help me.  Help my heart be undivided towards you so I give you all the respect you deserve.  There is a prayer the Lord will answer.  

As a church gathering together each Sunday at 10am we have recently been watching a dvd on worship called What is Worship put together by Vineyard Worship Resources.  Great to expand our view of worship and as a community we have enjoyed the input and the discussions in response.The message version of the Bible has this for Romans 12:1,2; a key text on worship…”So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you.  Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going -to-work, and walking-around life-and place it before God as an offering.  Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.  Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.  Instead, fix your attention God.  You’ll be changed from the inside out.   

The other day I went to a presentation on some research done recently on the state of the church in Melbourne.  One statistic stood out.  In Melbourne there is 1 church for every 2070 people.  Considering the size of many churches and the amount outside the church, there is plenty of room for church plants like ours and many more.  Many people still need to hear about Jesus. 

The last few Sundays we have been talking about Jesus relationship with His Father and exploring that a bit. We have looked at some of the different stories including when he was a child and was left at the temple…in His Fathers house, when He started His ministry and was baptized and the Holy Spirit fell on Him, and last Sunday we looked at his prayer life and why he prayed.

One of the comments I made last Sunday was that the issue between Jesus and His Father(God) which is the same issue for us and God, is that the key issue is relationship. Sometimes we think prayer is the issue…prayer is the vehicle, relationship is the issue. Because God longs to have relationship with us, prayer is important because prayer is the language of the heart, the language of relationship.

We are going to explore these topics some more this Sunday.