Christian Life Issue 31 February 2016 by Initiate Media

Please take this copy of Christian Life

FEBRUARY 2016 • Issue THIRTY-ONE • www.mychristiandaily.co.nz

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

CHRISTIAN LIVING

FAMILY FIRST

Feeding the Children

Man’s Highest Calling…Worship

Keep The Easter Culture

page 03

page 11

page 18

The downward slide quickly gained momentum from substance abuse and drug dealing, to organising syndicates and P-labs, masterminding hits, theft and armed robbery until finally crashing to a stop in a prison cell. She’d lost her kids and realised she wanted to get her life back on track. TALAKIMOANA HEHEPOTO page 5

PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY NZ CHRISTIAN BOOKSELLERS ASSOCIATION AND MANNA CHRISTIAN BOOKSTORES

IN THIS ISSUE

contents...

Issue THIRTY-ONE | FEB 2016

03 Feeding the Children 05 Talakimoana Hehepoto 07 Hui Karaiti (Jesus Gathering) 08 Book Reviews 09 Local News

11 Man’s Highest Calling… Worship 12 Hearing God’s Voice for the Thinkers 14 Shine TV programme guide 16 Christian Life Classifieds 18 Keep the Easter Culture

Cover image: Talakimoana Hehepoto

NEXT ISSUE OUT March 2016 Booking deadline: 26 February Art deadline: 2nd March Distribution: 7th March, 2016

ADS FROM ONLY $80!

Publisher Matthew Danswan Art Director Nicole Danswan Accounts Elizabeth Yeo Advertising Manager Ray Curle P 09 281 4896 E ray.curle@initiatemedia.net

DISPLAY & CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Ray Curle 09 281 4896 advertise@initiatemedia.net

Correspondence PO Box 318 334, West Harbour, Auckland 0661 No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part, without prior written permission. Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect those of the staff.

299

He is risen...

999

799

499 MVF Mini Easter Story 9780745963150

Case for Easter Lee Strobel

$ 2.99 Due end of Feb

Would You Like To Know Easter Carol DVD The Story Of Easter? 589990 9781781281987

$12.99 Sale Price $9.99

$3.99 Due end of Feb

9780310339502

$4.99

SPECIAL PRICE! 3999

Communion Cups Disposable Box of 1000 867826

$44.99 Sale Price $39.99

FREEPHONE

0508 4 MANNA

Shop online... www.manna.co.nz

2 | Christian Life Issue Thirty-One February 2016

Very Veggie Easter CD 590404

$7.99

Offers valid until 31st March 2016 or while stocks last. Range will vary between stores. 14 Stores nationwide.

For bulk pricing email sales@manna.co.nz

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Feeding the Children The incredible story of BRONCA FOX, a Takanini mother of f ive and former druggie and homeless person, who now provides breakfasts for South Auckland school-children. Bronca tells MARIE ANTICICH about the Angelslight Breakfast Club.

ver the past 14 years, Bronca Fox has organised countless thousands of breakfasts for hungry South Auckland school-children. “God told me to do it,” says Bronca who first became aware of hungry children when they started coming to her door from a nearby caravan park. She launched the Angelslight Breakfast Club in 2001, and now provides 200-250 breakfasts a day for children at Edmund Hillary, Takanini, Park Estate and Cosgrove primary schools, Mansell Intermediate and Papakura High School. “Children don’t learn well on an empty stomach,” she observes. “Having breakfast in a safe and loving environment settles the children down, prepares them for the day and helps them concentrate on their work.” Teachers have reported seeing amazing changes in children’s academic achievement levels and classroom behaviour, which in turn benefits other students. Bronca bulk-buys food online from a local supermarket and collects trays of bread in her van. Food is stored in cupboards and freezers at each school, and three of the schools have commercial dishwashers. Milk for the breakfasts is provided by Papakura businessman and Green Valley Milk proprietor,

Bruce Pullman. Two local businessmen, Ian and Jim Ross, both former pupils of Takanini School now cover the cost of breakfasts at their old school. It costs around $40,000 a year to feed the children and so donations and sponsorships are always welcome. Finances and grant applications are handled by Angelslight grants administrator, Leanne Rohloff, but they won’t take money from alcohol or gambling trusts. At 7am on weekday mornings volunteers begin setting up trestle tables in the school halls. Volunteers greet the children as they start to trickle in. The children are required to wash their hands, remove their hats and sit at the table and say grace before eating a breakfast of weetbix, toast, spreads and hot cocoa. “Eating together helps socialise the children and we encourage them to use their manners. They’re often reserved at first, but then start to ask volunteers questions like, ‘How much do you get paid for doing this?’ “They’re always amazed to find we’re doing it because we really care about them,” says Bronca. “We’re like a big family, and volunteers are often able to sit down and share the love of Jesus with the children.”

Needy Children Bronca will never turn a child away: “Some children may have food at home, but how do you differentiate between a hungry child and a needy child?” she asks. “It’s not just about food – their parents may be shift workers and at work or asleep; Mum or Dad have drug or alcohol issues, or be in prison, or there is no Dad… “Critics say parents should be responsible for feeding their own children, but God said, ‘Feed my children’ not ‘Judge their parents.’ I’m concerned for the kids – I try not to think about what’s happening at home. If you look at the bigger picture it’s too overwhelming, and so I just pray.” Bronca kept running the breakfast club during her last two pregnancies: “My kids think it’s normal to eat breakfast with 50 or 60 other children,” she remarks. She and her husband Dion have five children, ranging from 25 to nine years old; they were all part of eldest son Jake’s wedding party last month. What is your greatest need? “We need Christian team leaders to supervise teams of five or so volunteers at each school. And we would also appreciate readers’ prayers as there’s lots of spiritual warfare involved in this work.” Bronca’s ministry began when hungry children

There are 150 million orphans who still need our help

If not us, then who? 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.' ~ Jesus ~

Get involved today! Volunteering, Donating, Coordinating your Church, doing a Fundraiser, helping at our Street Appeal Collections.

0800 ORPHANS www.orphan aidinternational.org

Subscribe to receive your daily Christian news at www.mychristiandaily.co.nz | 3

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Angelslight Breakfast Club volunteers serve breakfast to South Auckland school-children

from a nearby caravan park started coming to her door, attracted by my small children. “One day I was making a sandwich and these tiny kids – one was about two – were staring at me and I said, ‘Are you hungry?’ She and her sister Cheryl she went to see the principal of Takanini School who was concerned that children were coming to school hungry; food stealing was rife and teachers were bringing in food for the children. “God put the idea of providing breakfasts into my mind,” says Bronca who began serving breakfasts in an empty classroom in 2001. “I didn’t know what I was doing – we had no money and no volunteers – and we washed the dishes in big containers. We felt like kings when we were moved into the new school hall which had proper kitchen facilities.” Other schools began asking for breakfasts, including Papakura High. “When they told me about issues high school students were facing, I thought, ‘Why not feed them as well? They’re from the same families and going through the same things.” Children have told her some horror stories. “Some kids are living with trauma every day – gambling, alcohol, drugs and violence are the biggest problem. There are so many downtrodden people, it’s hard to explain.” What is the secret of your faith? “It’s definitely God,” says Bronca.”I wouldn’t be doing this if He didn’t want me to because – as wonderful as it sounds – it gets tough after 14 years. Sometimes I pray, ‘Lord get me through the day – I just don’t have the energy.’” What about other schemes which send bulk food supplies into schools? “I guess the difference with Angelslight is that we provide the personal touch – we’re serving the children and getting to know them.” “Two mothers are providing lunchtime meals at Edmund Hillary School and it’s wonderful to see the children sitting down and eating together. The servers can adjust portion sizes and encourage the children to eat their meal, and it’s run as a small business with kids paying a little to cover the cost of food.” PERSONAL TESTIMONY Bronca’s chequered background has given her a heart for downtrodden people. “I’d be dead without God – I’m a living miracle,” says Bronca whose father left home when she was four years old. Her mother sometimes took her to church, and Bronca asked Jesus into her heart when she was six years old. “I was a bed-wetter so I asked Jesus to

help me stop, and He did,” she recalls. Her mother’s second marriage broke up when Bronca was twelve. At fourteen she went to live with her father, but that didn’t work out, and so she lived with her eldest brother who put her through her fifth form year. She went flatting at sixteen, but ended up living on the streets: “I was sleeping under a bridge near the Papakura off-ramp at one stage.” Prescribed six valium tablets a day for migraine headaches, Bronca took an overdose because she felt so alone. “If I hadn’t known God I would have killed myself, but I believed in heaven and hell, and was scared I’d go to hell if I did,” she admits. Pregnant at 19, she gave birth to a son Joshua at National Womens’ Hospital, but he died at two weeks old. “I was devastated as me and my partner had planned the baby – I just wanted someone of my own I could love and adore.” Feeling God was punishing her, she took valium to numb the pain, and became addicted. “I’d start drinking and taking drugs before I got out of bed in the morning, and that would set off the drugs in my system.” While in an abusive relationship, she tried to get help from counselors, “but I didn’t know who I was and I couldn’t bring myself tell them I was being beaten up. Going on a sickness benefit for depression, she ended up back on the streets for a while, before moving in with her best friend who was a solo mother. “Although she was an alcoholic and I was a drug addict, we managed to lead reasonably functional lives. I’d babysit her children when she sang in clubs, and I managed to hold down a respectable job as a doctor’s receptionist during the day. At night I was a druggie and a prostitute – sometimes I’d come home, have a shower and go straight into the office.” Bronca finally admitted herself to the detoxification unit at Carrington Hospital, and spent several months at a Masterton recovery house. “After three months in rehab and therapy I came out clean but when I got out I had nowhere to go,” she recounts. “So I relapsed and got into trouble with the law. We broke into a couple of chemist shops and stole drugs so we could sell them and get money to leave Auckland and get our lives sorted out!” Ever since she’d been saved as a child, Bronca had always had a conscience: “It sat on my shoulder like Jiminy Cricket saying, ‘Don’t do that.’ But after the break-ins I didn’t care, and I felt prison was all I deserved.” Meeting Dion, a young Maori man from a similar background, in 1990, caused a major turnaround.

4 | Christian Life Issue Thirty-One February 2016

Within three months they were married. When their first child, Jake was born she started taking him to Sunday School because she wanted him to learn about God. “I sat in the back of the church as I was cynical about Christians. I saw their white lies and coffee addictions and felt they were judgmental and hypocritical. And I was also afraid I’d lose my husband if I became a Christian. “But one day the speaker said: ‘Come to Jesus just as you are. You don’t have to give up drugs or alcohol. Just believe that He died for you.’” At home later, Bronca surrendered her life to Jesus saying, “Do whatever you like with me.” Her journey of restoration had begun. A decade or so later she felt led to feed hungry children. “The final prompting came when a teacher from a local school asked the church bread run organisers for bread to feed hungry children. “I began approaching businesses for funds to buy food, and they asked me which trust I belonged to and so I approached the Papakura Christian Services Trust,” says Bronca, Today she is a PCST trustee, and the outreach team leader at her home church, First Presbyterian Church Papakura. “People told me I’d need this much money and that many volunteers, and I thought they knew more than me. Then I realised Jesus never faltered about feeding the 5,000, and I felt God was saying, ‘Step out in faith.’ “By the end of the first week we had enough money and volunteers. At the end of the first term a $20 donation came in when I was $20 down, and since them I’ve learned to depend on God. He is faithful and has always honored us.” But it isn’t always easy. “Some of the children’s parents are druggies – I know where they’re at and how it affects them – kids get beaten up and are allowed to roam the streets. It hurts my heart to see what’s happening. One child stayed with us for six weeks over the summer holidays and never once did his mother come to meet me.” Today Bronca lives to serve God and others. She loves the Bible and has written scripture verses on her dining room and kitchen walls, and over the doorway she has written, Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15. “God never let me go,” says Bronca. “My past life has helped me heaps in what I do now and God can turn anything to good. Life isn’t easy and sometimes can be pretty hard. But having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ gives my life meaning and purpose, and the love and joy I get from Him is unexplainable.” CL

INSPIRING STORY

TALAKIMOANA HEHEPOTO THE RED THREAD - FROM THE BULLDOG TO THE LION OF JUDAH Janet Balcombe meets the divine TALAKIMOANA BETTY HEHEPOTO and shares her incredible story of salvation

t has been an epic clash of the codes for Talakimoana. The white Catholic world and the Tongan Catholic world. The kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. Her story is of one who was lost and is now found. She has found love, trust, righteousness, grace, forgiveness, restoration, identity and purpose. Oh, and eternal life in Christ. Buckle up and we’ll try to keep up with Talakimoana’s wild ride through forty years in the wilderness. Let’s find out how it came to be that so much light and grace pulses out from her, enveloping all those within the five-mile limit. Talakimoana was born in Tonga.

Her mother was from Fasi, Nuku’alofa and her father from Leimatua, Vavau. She has four brothers, one sister, three beautiful kids and one gorgeous grandchild. She came to New Zealand with her family when she was very young, and grew up being forbidden to speak English at home, only Tongan, but spoke English at school. No wonder her heart cried, “Who am I?” By age six she was already a master at living two lives. Her other heart cry was “Why me?” which emanated from a childhood of harsh beatings and emotional abuse. At an early age she learnt to handle any beating in the knowledge that

it would end some day. One beating with a 4x2 took six months to heal. Bullied at home, at school she became a bully and punished the wanna-be bullies. Although Talakimoana did well at school and became a prefect, she was eventually expelled because of her bad attitude and was sent to boarding school. The faculty couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t press charges against her parents for the beatings. It was already the perfect setting for a life lived way beyond the speed limit, but throw in a huge deception right about now—a lie from the pit of hell—and it’s the perfect storm. The lie came from her mother,

was birthed in jealousy and aimed at destroying Talakimoana’s relationship with her father. The lie that Talakimoana’s father had sexually abused her spread like cancer through the family, the school and the community, leaving destruction and dysfunction in its path in her seventh form year. The lie left a dark stain everywhere and yet she was never surer of two things; her father had never, ever sexually abused her, and she hated her mother. She didn’t even attend her own graduation but turned to alcohol and men to numb the pain. Shame and unworthiness muscled in. At age 21 Talakimoana had her first daugh-

W TA ITH T LK H S RE AU CURA E LO CK TE CA LA D F L ND OR

Auckland Malaga 4 March 2016, 7:00pm-9:00pm March 3, 2016, 7:00pm-9:00pm The Picton Centre 120 Picton St. Howick, Auckland

THREE GLOBAL TALKS

THE FUTURE OF NEIGHBORING

THE IRRELEVANCE OF FAITH

PANEL FEATURING: EUGENE CHO, PRECIOUS JONES, AND JULIE MAVIS

DAVID KINNAMAN President of Barna Group

Join thousands convening in cities around the world to become equipped to engage the cultural moment.

LEADING IN A SKEPTICAL CULTURE ANDY CROUCH Author, Culture Making

Learn more and register at

Qcommons.com/Auckland

Subscribe to receive your daily Christian news at www.mychristiandaily.co.nz | 5

INSPIRING STORY

Until I couldn’t contain myself I finally opened my heart and allowed God to start loving me! Oh man that was the best high-buzz feeling ever! God put His arm around me and told me I was worthy!” ter and her partner’s highly challenging three children moved in with them. A son and another daughter were added to the family and then her ten-year relationship of more physical and emotional abuse ended. She moved to Taupo with her kids where she found acceptance and family with the Mongrel Mob. The downward slide quickly gained momentum from substance abuse and drug dealing, to organising syndicates and P-labs, masterminding hits, theft and armed robbery until finally crashing to a stop in a prison cell. She’d lost her kids and realised she wanted to get her life back on track. Upon her release she kidnapped her kids back and made a home for her family again. The death of her brother, family deception, lies, accusations, torment and pain caused her to take another wrong turn down the road called “The Last Long Hard Highway.” She felt she had nowhere to go but back to the family she had known, and back to the life of red, drugs and hustling, hate and brokenness. The remains of Talakimoana’s brother who had tragically been missing for 22 years were found in the Waitakere Ranges. To find closure she left Taupo and moved her family back to Auckland, back into the heart of what she had sworn she would never return to—her family. There, her lifestyle of drugs, violence and gangs took her to a new low. Out of control and with nothing left except her best friend, Crystal Meth, she moved her family to Snells Beach. Starting a new life with a history is not easy. It wasn’t long before the police turned up to her door telling her she wasn’t welcome in Snells Beach. She told the police, “I hadn’t decided on staying, but I might just stay on now and paint this town red!” They didn’t know she had already set her face like flint to make a change. It was through a family conference she connected with a place called Springboard,

and a place to call rehab and a second home. She found the beginning of hope and a culture of family. She learnt about doing things God’s way and in that, found salvation. Talakimoana spent time fixing what she could fix, letting people go that she needed to let go, slowing down and facing up to her mistakes. She learnt to trust for the first time. She began to cry and cry and cry. “Until I couldn’t contain myself I finally opened my heart and allowed God to start loving me! Oh man that was the best highbuzz feeling ever! God put His arm around me and told me I was worthy!” says Talakimoana. She committed herself to church, and her kids embraced youth church. In true repentance Talakimoana turned from the old lifestyle and the Lord took away her addictions and the taste for drugs. He has broken generational bondages off her family line. Forgiveness, restoration and salvation came for her mother before she passed on, and He brought peace to their hearts and closure to a very long, hard story. “I wasn’t only hungry, but thirsty, and willing to allow God to teach train and love me. I had done it my way and that didn’t work! I’m seeing His way working every time!” Talakimoana is a part-time family support worker at Springboard and will begin studying Social Work this year. From the Bulldog to the Lion of Judah, one thing remains the same. The Red Thread. What more do we need than the blood of Jesus? That’s where it ends and begins. Talakimoana shares her testimony wherever God opens the door. She can be contacted on moana@springboard.org.nz or you can find her on Facebook. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) CL

From top: A young and very cute TalakiMoana; There are no photos from the old days, only this reminder of her days with the Dog; TalakiMoana Betty Hehepoto in Snells Beach

KOINONIA KIWISAVER SCHEME

The ethical KiwiSaver scheme for Christians

If your provider’s KiwiSaver scheme doesn’t fit, you can easily transfer to Koinonia. www.koinonia.org.nz 0508 738 473 | info@koinonia.org.nz Contact us for the eligibility conditions and a copy of the Investment Statement Administered by The New Zealand Anglican Church Pension Board

6 | Christian Life Issue Thirty-One February 2016

LOCAL NEWS

In December last year, over 200 Christians from throughout Aotearoa converged on Kohewhata Marae, Kaikohe Northland to attend a Hui Karaiti ( Jesus Gathering). held in December to Sunday 13 December 2015.Linda Ohia (Founding Member) joined many who had been part of this movement, along with first time attendees.

HUI KARAITI ( Jesus Gathering)

ui Karaiti (Jesus Gathering) was a vision God gave Dr Monty Ohia and his wife Linda, some 20 years ago. A Spiritual Waka i.e. Te Waka O Te Atua (Waka of God) would journey throughout Aotearoa and nations of the world, creating safe spaces where indigenous people could gather to celebrate Jesus, in their own unique, cultural ways, alongside their Tauiwi (European /other nationalities) Christian family. Over years many Hui Karaiti within Aotearoa and World Gatherings of Christian Indigenous Peoples internationally were held, positively impacting the lives of thousands of people globally. Although Monty has since passed away, along with other faithful kaihoe (waka paddlers) in this Spiritual Waka Journey, the Vision of God has emerged again seeing the waka reach its Northland destination. The Hui Karaiti was very fluid in its facilitation and being directed by the Holy Spirit was packed with prayer, word, worship and whanaungatanga, which gave people the opportunity to experience the love of God through our unique, cultural perspective. Among the highlights, the Lord moved in power when Ngapuhi descendents were able to repent and ask forgiveness for offences Hongi Hika and Ngapuhi had committed against other tribes throughout Aotearoa. Deep repentance, reconciliation and healing occurred, as representatives from other affected iwi extended forgiveness and in return repented for anything their people had done and for harbouring bitterness. What started with great weeping resulted in love, freedom and unity. Since the Hui there have been reports of further repentance and reconciliation occurring. All the glory must be given to our Heavenly Father who gave us the model of reconciliation through the Lord Jesus Christ and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit this would not have happened. The Roar of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah resounds within our land! He comes to set His people free, to reconcile us to Himself, to our first love for Him and to one another! On behalf of Mt Zion Church we would like to thank all our whanau in Christ throughout the nation, who heeded the call of the Lord and came. Blessings to Pastor Helen Herbert and the New Beginnings Church Kaeo, for their support and the Hau Kainga for looking after our manuhiri. Of course all praise and thanksgiving to our Loving Heavenly Father who absolutely blessed His people and who is healing our nation! Finally we would like to leave you with this scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by My Name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Will you help to put Jesus in the hands of 1.4 million Kiwis at Easter? The Hope Project is a powerful multi-church initiative that’s working for Christian churches throughout New Zealand. Engaging through national TV, online and national booklet drops — public connections are being counted in the millions!* Lives are being dramatically changed, as evidenced by the many reports coming through — but we need your help to complete the task at Easter 2016. It’ll cost under 60 cents per home to provide this high quality publication to Kiwi households. Count it out — how many homes could you help to reach? Please partner with us and give to this very worthy cause by going online to: AllTogether.co.nz/donate

* Cumulative total for TV, online and direct booklet deliveries over two phases.

Mauri Ora For more information: Pastors Paul and Sally Wihongi (Mt Zion Church) Email: paul.wihong@xtra.co.nz

Subscribe to receive your daily Christian news at www.mychristiandaily.co.nz | 7

BOOK REVIEWS & LOCAL NEWS

COMMANDING MEMORIES

MIRACLES IN AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND

By Kathleen Nicholls

By Weston Carryer

Commanding Memories, Sixty Years of Change in India by Kathleen Nicholls tells the story of a lifetime of nearly 40 years of passionate service to India and her people. Through the eyes of her family she traces the enormous changes in India since Independence in 1947. Kathleen taught at the Union Biblical Seminary for eighteen years where she developed evangelistic dramas for village audiences. Then in the capital New Delhi she hosted a research community, directed two Christian films for national TV and briefly taught the message of Job to Hindu students at a university college. One of her five books, Asian Arts and the Christian Hope won public recognition at the World Book Fair, New Delhi, in 1982. She also served

Easter plans will need no more thought as popular holiday destination Taupo has something fresh and exciting to offer.

Miracles in Aotearoa New Zealand is the story of a New Zealand dairy farmer turned healing evangelist. Weston Carryer’s passion for Jesus began one day out on the farm where he suffered from incredible back pain. At the exact time a small group of ladies prayed for him at their midday home group, he was instantly healed. From that moment on a seed was planted that changed the course of Westons life for good. Miracles in Aotearoa NZ is the compilation of hundreds upon hundreds of first hand testimonies that were sent to Weston Carryer during the 40 plus years he was in ministry. With over 600 pages of phenomenal testimonies showing Jesus’ healing power over all kinds of sickness and disease right here

as director of the traditional cultural division of the International Christian Media Commission and in this capacity led workshops for Christian artists of many disciplines, in India, across Asia, Africa, in England and Eastern Europe. For her last six years in India she and her husband pastored an Indian church. She and her family were sponsored by Interserve, New Zealand. In her book she gives special attention to the lives and education of her children at Woodstock School, Landaur in the Himalaya foothills. For insights into a missionary family’s inspiring adventures and the challenges of changing India over four decades, this book is a must-read. For a copy contact bknichol@ihug.co.nz

This new Christian festival will combine art, music and family activities for people from Taupo and beyond from March 23-27. Events will have broad appeal and predominantly be free to give everyone an opportunity to attend. Music will be a major aspect of Easterfest; musicians and bands will

perform in and around various local cafes and restaurants playing a mix of covers and their own music to interest a range of listeners. Other activities include a twilight Stations of the Cross, family fun day, children’s art exhibition in the form of a mini art trail and much more. Church services and celebrations

Holy Land Tour 11th - 20th May 2016 RELIVE BIBLE TIMES - WALK WHERE JESUS WALKED

12 Day Grand Tour of Turkey & Greece Experience Biblical Israel and Historical Jordan Group Tour May 11th – 20th 2016 Tour Highlights : Explore the lost city of Petra, a UNESCO world heritage site. Experience the grandeur of imperial Rome outside Italy in Jerash, Jordan, the Biblical sites of Israel such as Jerusalem, Nazareth, Caesarea, Haifa, Jaffa, Capernaum, Jericho and more; visit the Holocaust Museum and the famous Jewish market Mahne Yehuda. 11 Day Holy Land tour: NZ$ 2750 * 12 Day Greece and Turkey: NZ$ 3780 * * excludes airfare

Price Includes: visas, twin share accommodation in high 3 star hotels, 3 meals (includes lunches at local restaurants), sightseeing fee, airport transfers, english speaking messianic guide, mini bus with wifi facility. Price is subject to change and is based on a minimum of 15 adults

For a detailed itinerary, contact: Jenny John ph 04 5637987 mob: +64 211 862563 or email come2holyland@gmail.com www.come2holyland.org

8 | Christian Life Issue Thirty-One February 2016

in New Zealand, we know you will be encouraged. This book is a national treasure that chronicles the kingdom of God at work in Aotearoa New Zealand. Weston Carryer is one of New Zealand’s most notable healing evangelists to date. We pray that the testimonies in the book would stir a faith in this generation, and in the generations to come, to see the impossible bow its knee to Jesus! Purchase by emailing book@inflameministries.com or by heading into your local christian bookshop. Also available on kindle.

will be held throughout the weekend and a large celebration concert will take place on Easter Sunday.

For more information, check out www.facebook.com/EasterFestNZ or www.easterfest.nz.

AGLOW INTERNATIONAL NZ CONVENTION The Kingdom of God is NOW – not in the future! That is how Graham Cooke (pictured above) presents our life in Christ. Those who have studied his training programmes on the prophetic, spiritual warfare and intimacy with God are familiar with this. In March have the opportunity to hear Graham the keynote speaker at the Aglow International NZ Convention from March 10th to 12th, 2016 at La Vida Centre, Upper Riccarton, Christchurch. As well as being a well known author Graham serves on the Aglow International Board of Directors in the USA. Convention attendees will also hear from Pastors Kevin Hight from Wellington and Lynley Allan from Auckland. This Convention is being held in Christchurch with the intention of standing in unity alongside the people of Christchurch, this is for the Body of Christ not just Aglow. Convention registration information: www.aglow.co.nz email aglownz@xtra.co.nz phone 04 568 9658

LOCAL NEWS

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY DEDICATES FIRST HOUSE FOR 2016

hosted by WORLD VISION On March 4, for the first time, Christians in NZ will have the opportunity to join with 73 other cities and an anticipated 10,000 worldwide participants to engage in a conversation that will foster dialogue, education and relationships to advance the common good in communities around the world. Q Commons is an evening event that combines carefully curated local expert talks with featured talks from forward-thinking global leaders in faith and culture. “Q Commons creates an opportunity for Christian and cultural leaders to learn from one another, discuss together and collaborate on how to address

community issues most relevant to them,” said Gabe Lyons, Founder of Q Ideas. “Since cities like Auckland are the new cultural frontier, they create a learning lab for innovation in life and ministry everywhere.” Set to take place at The Picton Centre, 120 Picton St, Howick, Auckland from 7pm For more information go to www.qcommons.com/auckland

Housing charity Habitat for Humanity Auckland has recently dedicated their first house of 2016 for a family of five in West Auckland. The Lao family (pictured) moved from a substandard, uninsulated rental home in Panmure to their new healthy, decent Habitat home in Massey over Auckland Anniversary weekend. “From now on, we can live in a warm and comfortable house. Since we came here from the Philippines almost nine years ago, we have never experienced a warm house,” explains Geroina Lao, who, along with her

husband Armando, has partnered with Habitat to build their home. Now that they have moved into their new home, the Lao family has begun to repay Habitat for the cost of their home over time and with support. All funds will go back into Habitat’s revolving “Fund for Humanity”, to enable the housing charity to continue to build homes for families in housing need. For further information please contact Katherine Granich, katherineg@habitatga.org.nz.

GREAT

GIFT

Subscribe to receive your daily Christian news at www.mychristiandaily.co.nz | 9

EVENTS

Just outside Hamilton, the gates of Mystery Creek provide many with a strong sense of nostalgia. After all, it was the home to Parachute music festival for over twenty years, which at its peak had close to 30,000 attendees. Parked cars stretched as far as the Waikato countryside, and a sea of tents, so vast, they could scarcely be counted. But there’s something palpable about driving through the gates now, on the way into Festival One 2016. Something noticeably different. Something intentional. Something that tells you, “this isn’t Parachute.” The car park is smaller. There is no grand outdoor stage. No sea of tents. Only a handful of keen volunteers, directing you into a car park, just 2 minutes walk from the front gate. Yet despite the lack of grandeur upon entry, the moment one steps foot into the Festival One community, there is a buzz like no other. A soft hum, not heard by the ears or by the head, but by the heart. It’s the hum of people engaging with one another. Eating, laughing, listening, playing, buying, selling… it almost feels like home. And how often do brothers and sisters in Christ, from all over the country, have the ability to meet, in one place, to

and Strahan; all of whom become stars of the festival, and who embrace the attendees in every moment as they walk through the Market Place and among the tents. Festival One really has the feel of a family. The artists stroll around the Market Place, they do interviews, they sign t-shirts. Some even prop themselves up on the back of a moving truck, singing serenades while people eat dinner. But only two years in and steadily growing, does the festival risk losing this feel and emotion when people begin to catch on and the numbers begin to soar? Graham is very clear in answering this question and makes no hesitation, “I don’t want to lose the feel that it’s got now. I think its hard to run something that’s got this level of feeling if you’re just driving for size… We’re aiming for quality of experience while you’re on site, and an outcome where they [attendees] deepen their relationships with each other and with God.” At a pinch, Graham said that ten thousand would be the maximum number of attendees he would be comfortable with. Headline acts of All Sons and Daughters and Bethel Music undoubtedly had a role in bringing the crowds this year. For All Sons and Daughters, the performance on Saturday night was visceral and deeply spiritual. All it was, was two fellow Christians, blessed with an unparalleled musical talent, singing praises to God, and asking the congregation to join in. No flashy lights. No big band. No stage performance. Just a time of worship. And if you’re sitting there thinking you have no clue who these people are, you only need to look up two or three of their most famous songs to realise that you know most of the lyrics as you probably sing them at your local church. So we asked Graham, exactly why it was All Sons and Daughters that he wanted at this festival. His answer; “Simple. It’s the lyric ‘it’s your breathe, in

FESTIVAL ONE

SAM HEWAT reports for Christian Life on this year’s festival at Mystery Creek

share in fellowship, creativity and love for the same God? It’s unique, it’s intentional, and it’s a game changer. When asked what the festival meant to him, Executive Director, Graham Burt replied, “It means having a lot of fun.” And he’s not wrong. Through the way he speaks about Festival One and the passion you can sense in his voice, it is really all about community. There are no crowds of 30,000 people; just a small group of 5,000, where the man you meet in the lunch line, you end up standing next to later that night in a concert. And because of that, it’s not all about the music. Graham says, “Personally, I don’t think we’re trying to make a purely music festival. We’re simply trying to create a festival that is about community, creativity, that includes music, but that isn’t solely about music.” As a result, the festival organisers are not strictly focused on bringing in the biggest international artists they can find. As Graham states “If it’s more about community, you’re not just interested in the best acts money can buy. You are still interested, but as well as that, you’re having a whole pile of other things that are of a journey and of discovery and interest.” And this manifests itself in a visible, tangible way. The amount of local, Kiwi talent on display is astonishing. Sure, people might be swayed towards attending the festival due to the big names like All Sons and Daughters and Bethel Music, but once there they get to experience the rising fame of home-grown bands such as [shift], Paper Cranes

10 | Christian Life Issue Thirty-One February 2016

our lungs, so we pour out our praise.’ I just love that lyric. It’s an intelligent, thoughtful lyric that nestles beautifully with theology.” And if breathtaking music wasn’t enough, the message of God was brought to the entire festival each day by Australian-born and world-renowned speaker, Rikk Watts. Rikk preached over three sessions on God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The reason for his appointment? Once, again, it’s simple for Graham Burt. “We’re trying to bring the great eternal truths of the stories of God and Jesus contained in the bible to life. And it’s difficult to find people who are deeply immersed in that.” “I had two people scouring the internet trying to find someone, and when a friend mentioned Rikk Watts, I listened to two messages. In one, he was talking about the disciples on the boat with Jesus and he just said “I’m in the boat.” And once again, that single phrase just encapsulated everything.” It is funny. That one word or phrase could encapsulate an entire festival with thousands of people, hundreds of crew, 50+ artists, and a programme filled with activities. Whether it was Brady Toops playing in a market-like square, Strahan Coleman running workshops on creativity, artists painting, games being played, food being cooked, friendships being made, Festival One 2016 had it all. My advice? Jump on the website now and seriously consider purchasing tickets for 2017. Because, if Graham Burt is serious about keeping it small, you might just miss out! CL You can contact Sam at sam.hewat@gmail.com

CHRISTIAN LIVING

MAN’S HIGHEST CALLING…

WORSHIP

uman beings are created with a capacity to worship, so everyone in the world worships something or someone. You name it, someone worships it! Pagan idols, cows, rats, rock stars, the body beautiful, money and sports heroes are among the things people treasure enough to build their lives around. But to worship anything apart from the one true living God is risky. We see in Psalm 115:8. Those who make them (idols) will be like them…. What a solemn concept! We’re made to worship but whatever we worship shapes our emotions, our thinking and our behaviour. The object of our worship dictates the kind of person we will become. That’s one reason why worshipping God is the best thing we can do, in fact it’s our highest calling. As we worship God and spend time in his presence we’re being changed from one degree of glory to another. We undergo a process of change that transforms us from the inside and enables us to rise up and develop our potential. Our minds, thinking, emotions and actions are increasingly conformed to God’s ways and, hopefully, we will notice a gradual increase of the fruit of the Holy Spirit coming out of our lives, or mouths. Worship causes us to grow spiritually and become more like Jesus. However our worship of God is a hotly contested issue. God is jealous over it, (James 4:5), not because He can’t live without it but because He understands what worship does for us and he wants the best for us. One commentator suggests that the Holy Spirit has a jealousy for us like a husband and wife might have for each other. On one hand the Spirit jealously guards our relationship with God, on the other hand, Satan is also after of our worship. He understands its phenomenal power in our lives and will do anything he can to turn our affection from God and on to himself (Matthew 4:8-10). Satan’s goal is to rob us of passionate worship and service for God. Keys to improving our worship Developing a vocabulary Sometimes our worship is lacking because we run out of things to say. A simple remedy is to adopt the language of the Bible. Keep a notebook for expressions of praise and worship, especially from the book of Psalms, then aim to read one or two pages each night in preparation for the following day’s worship. Bow down before God The Hebrew word for worship is ‘shachah’, which means to make oneself low, to stoop, or fall on our face and bow down as an act of submission and rev-

watched, and commented, ‘you’re digging a ditch for the glory of God’. Those words changed Richard Foster’s perspective and helped him see that even the most mundane tasks can be done for God’s glory. Everything we do can be an act of worship. Seek God Psalm 24:3 & 6 bring out that a key to coming into God’s presence in worship is to seek him. I believe God will raise up a generation of God seekers who chase Him with great determination. Like Jacob of old they will seek and wrestle with God in persevering prayer until they discover His presence, power and glory, and are changed by it.

erence. Bowing is like saying we recognize our place before God and His position before us. Get rid of any idols Psalm 24:3-4. We must worship and trust God alone, anything else that we love, or trust in, more than God is like an idol and will dissipate our wholehearted worship of Him. Surrender ourselves fully on the altar of God (Romans 12:1). Before we were saved we used our bodies for sinful purposes, but now that we belong to God the goal is to use our bodies for His purposes and His glory, hence Paul’s strong appeal for us to give ourselves to God as living sacrifices. Why would God plead with us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices as desperately as a dying man would plead for his life? Because God understands how important this act of worship is for our ultimate good, blessing and fulfilment. As we offer our whole being to God and seek to live for His glory, then everything we do, work, study, serving, home life, and so on, is a part of our worship. Richard Foster tells about a time when he went on a mission trip to Alaska. He was all fired up to do something for God but was assigned to dig a toilet drain, which was very hard work in the semi-frozen ground of Alaska. He complained and muttered as he dug. After a while an old Eskimo man came and

Focus – on God and on what we’re doing Henry Ward Beecher was a great preacher of yesteryear. One Sunday when he wasn’t able to minister in his church he asked his brother, Thomas Beecher, to fill in for him. When many of the congregation saw that Henry Beecher wasn’t preaching they began to leave. Thomas simply said…. Would those who came to worship Henry Ward Beecher please leave, but those who came to worship God please be seated. Worship requires that we focus on nothing, or no one, other than God. We can’t allow ourselves to slip into worshipping on automatic pilot, we must discipline our minds so that we focus on God and what we’re expressing or singing to Him. What we focus on determines our reality, think about people who focus on (and magnify) their partner’s faults, or on their own limitations, illnesses and so on. But can you imagine how our lives would be transformed if worshipping God was the focus that determined our reality? Yes, the drains would still have to be dug but maybe our reality would be summarised in the words of an old chorus, ‘the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.’ CL

Tak Bhana is the Senior Pastor of Church Unlimited. He has a radio and television program called Running with Fire, which broadcasts in New Zealand and other nations. His church also produces a magazine with the same name which is distributed in 70 countries, and he has written a book titled “Wired for the Supernatural”.

HEAVEN COME DOWN Church Unlimited is celebrating 10 years of hosting ‘New Zealand & Beyond’. This year’s theme is, ‘Heaven Come Down’. The Conference is now held in four locations: Auckland and Christchurch, Karachi in Pakistan, and Cairo in Egypt. But it is to Auckland and Christchurch that Pastor Tak Bhana says, ‘you are more than welcome’. He adds, ‘I believe a visitation from Heaven is on God’s agenda for our na-

tion. Make sure you are at “New Zealand and Beyond” 2016’. This year’s speakers’ are Mike Pilavachi, Lui Ponifasio, Joel Holm, and Tak Bhana. Each one has experienced a measure of heaven on earth and seen God do some amazing things through their ministries. They will equip, inspire, and build your faith to see more of heaven in your life, church and ministry and nation.

Conference dates Christchurch 14 - 16 March: Life Church, La Vida, 34a Hansons Lane Auckland dates: 17 - 19 March: Church Unlimited, 3 Te Atatu Rd, Glendene, For more information visit www.newzealand andbeyond.com

Subscribe to receive your daily Christian news at www.mychristiandaily.co.nz | 11

GOD CONVERSATIONS

Hearing God’s Voice for the Thinkers

ecently I read a book for my doctoral studies which confirmed my suspicions about the influence of personality on our spiritual experiences. The book is titled When God Talks back and is written by an anthropologist called Tanya Luhrmann. In her studies, she immersed herself in the life of a Vineyard church in the US for a year, observing and studying their prayer and worship practises. One of the things that came out of her research was a correlation between certain psychological attributes and the way spiritual phenomena is experienced. In other words, those who struggled to hear God’s voice had a different psychological make-up compared to those who didn’t. Mark Virker wrote about this too in his book Dialogue with God. It seems that when it comes to hearing God’s voice, certain personality types have an advantage. If I was to participate in her experiment, I’m pretty sure which category I would find myself in. I’ve always found sensing the spiritual realm a bit of a challenge. Compared to a number of my friends, I’m the slow one to pick up on spiritual atmospheres. I’m the one who’s more analysing than sensing; more thinking than intuiting (For those of you who are familiar with the Myer’s Briggs personality tests, I’m a high ’T’ and ’S’!) Luhrmann’s research seems to show there’s a good reason for my struggle and it’s connected to the way I was created. Perhaps you can relate! From my travels around different churches across the country and overseas, I know I’m not the only one. A lot of people who struggle to hear God’s voice seem to be wired that way. Some might even say that men more than women fit into this category. Hard of Hearing? So how does God get his message through to people like us? Does being born with certain wiring in the brain mean that we miss out on knowing God through hearing his voice for ourselves? Can this treasure of the Holy Spirit only be accessed by those who are specially geared for it? That kind of conclusion is not at all consistent with a God who wants to reveal himself to each one of us and who promised that all could hear his voice through prophecy and dreams and visions; sons and daughters, young and old, male and female (Acts 2:16,17).

Tania Harris is a pastor, speaker and the founder of God Conversations, a ministry that equips people to recognise God’s voice. With a diverse history as church planter, pastor and Bible College lecturer, Tania’s ministry is known for its all-age appeal, wisdom, and ‘God-stories’. For your free ebook, podcasts and resources that will help you recognise the voice of God, visit godconversations.com.

12 | Christian Life Issue Thirty-One February 2016

God Finds a Way In my own journey, I’ve discovered that God is able to get around it – he finds ways to bypass the idiosyncrasies of our nature and get his message across. One of those ways is through dreams and visions. Speaking to us while we’re asleep means that our conscious minds are effectively switched off and God can get our full attention. While the mind is at rest, the spirit is open and ready to receive. Another way is through prophecy. Using other people to pass on his messages means that there is an objective way to confirm that what we’re hearing is from God (1 Corinthians 14:25). We need to rely more on God’s ability to speak than our ability to hear. Our personalities are in no way a barrier for God. Those who may not be as psychologically attuned as others, are never held back. If you’re a thinker more than a ‘feeler’, be encouraged! All we have to do is make a decision to listen. We need to rely more on God’s ability to speak than our ability to hear. As the One who has all possible modes of communication at his fingertips, he is well able to get his message through. CL

WAY2GO Christian Life Full page advertisement.pdf 1 12/02/2016 12:09:52 p.m.

2016

DEEP FAITH IN A SURFACE WORLD C

CMY

Scripture Union NZ’s Conference for all Children’s Ministry Leaders

Auckland 14 May Dunedin 28 May Wellington 11 June Discover how faith grows when the whole church comes together and learn valuable leadership skills to help you with the essentials of children’s ministry.

For more information please visit www.sunz.org.nz Subscribe to receive your daily Christian news at www.mychristiandaily.co.nz | 13

PROGRAMME GUIDE

Details up to date at time of printing.

March 2016

5:00 6:00 6:30 7:00

For up-to-date 24-hour programme information go to shinetv.co.nz

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Living Truth: Charles Price

In Touch: Charles Stanley

Living Truth: Charles Price

Turning Point: Dr David Jeremiah

Lakewood Church: Joel Osteen

Hour of Power: Robert Schuller

Kingdom Connection: Jentezen Franklin

5:00

Unlocking the Bible: David Pawson

Leading the Way: Michael Youssef

The Catholic Guy: Bruce Downs

Derek Prince

Hope Centre: Wayne Alcorn

Jovis Bon-Hovis and the Creation Crew

6:00

Joni and Friends

The Exchange with Ed Stetzer

Give Me An Answer: Cliffe Knechtle

Renewal TV: Symon Drake

Your Best Life: Phil Pringle

Go Frills

6:30

Jovis Bon-Hovis and the Creation Crew

Scaly Adventures

Buzz and Poppy

Bed Bug Bible Gang

What’s in the Bible?

Bed Bug Bible Gang

7:00

Adventures from the Book of Virtues

Bed Bug Bible Gang

Superbook

Jovis Bon-Hovis and the Creation Crew

Adventures in Booga Booga Land

Buzz and Poppy

7:30

Lakewood Church: Joel Osteen

Hour of Power: Robert Schuller

8:00

Harvest TV Rotorua

Bed Bug Bible Gang

Jovis Bon-Hovis and the Creation Crew

Scaly Adventures

Adventures from the Book of Virtues

Superbook

8:00

8:30

Running with Fire: Tak Bhana

Impact for Life: Peter & Bev Mortlock

Word For You: Terry & Jayne Calkin

LIFE TV: Paul de Jong

Running with Fire: Tak Bhana

Harvest TV Rotorua

RocKids TV

8:30

In Touch: Charles Stanley

Adventures from the Book of Virtues

9:00

The Lads TV

9:30

Word For You: Terry & Jayne Calkin

Songs of Praise

Turning Point: Dr David Jeremiah

LIFE TV: Paul de Jong

7:30

9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 Noon 12:30 1:00 1:30 2:00 2:30 3:00

FEATURE:

See adjacent for details The Restoration Road

4:30 5:00 5:30 6:00

FEATURE:

See adjacent or go to shinetv.co.nz for more detail

Living Truth: Charles Price

Turning Point: Dr David Jeremiah

Joni and Friends

Brought to you by

Precious Memories

7:30

Songs of Praise

10:00

Precious Memories

Creation Magazine Live

(NEW SERIES)

Masterstroke

The Exchange

Answers with Bayless Conley

Leading the Way: Michael Youssef

Brian Houston @ Hillsong TV

The 700 Club (Tue-Fri) Full Circle (Mon-Fri)

Enjoying Everyday Life with Joyce Meyer (Mon-Fri)

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Christian World News

The Revolutionary Life

American Bible Challenge

FEATURE:

See adjacent or go to shinetv.co.nz for more detail

SUNDAY FEATURE:

Living Truth: Charles Price

See adjacent or go to shinetv.co.nz for more detail

Go Frills

RocKids TV

Bed Bug Bible Gang

The Lads TV

Adventures from the Book of Virtues

Superbook

Scaly Adventures

What’s on Shine D

Lakewood Church: Joel Osteen

Hour of Power: Robert Schuller

4:00

The Catholic Guy: Bruce Downs

4:30

Rhema Worship (Mon-Fri)

100 Huntley St

5:00

Full Circle (Mon-Fri)

Creation Magazine Live

5:30

The 700 Club (Mon-Fri)

Lakewood Church: Joel Osteen

Christian World News

N D

American Bible Challenge

Running with Fire: Tak Bhana

Harvest TV Rotorua

100 Huntley St

Jeni: Seeking the Extraordinary

THURSDAY FEATURE:

See adjacent or go to shinetv.co.nz for more detail

The Mark Gungor Show

LIFE TV: Paul de Jong

Creation Magazine Live

Lakewood Church: Joel Osteen

Destined to Reign with Joseph Prince (Mon-Fri)

Midnight

Harvest TV Rotorua: Dave & Jill Moore

00:30am

Precious Memories

1 am

Songs of Praise

Derek Prince

Renewal TV: Symon Drake

Quick Study P

Living Truth: Charles Price

2 am

Turning Point: Dr David Jeremiah

Lakewood Church: Joel Osteen

Hour of Power: Robert Schuller

Overnight until 4:30am - Rhema Worship (Sun-Sat)

A Shine viewer says... “I was saved 18 months ago and had never been to church so in the first few months Shine was my only link to the body of Christ and played a massive part in helping me along my new path in life!”

14 | Christian Life Issue Thirty-One February 2016

9:00

P 10:30

8:00

Brought to you by

Hope Centre

The Exchange

The Catholic Guy: Bruce Downs

Hillsong TV

7:30

11:30

See adjacent or go to shinetv.co.nz for more detail

D 10:00

Your Best Life

7:00

Joni and Friends

Enjoying Everyday Life with Joyce Meyer (Mon-Fri)

SATURDAY FAMILY FEATURE:

Leading the Way: Michael Youssef

Bayless Conley

6:30

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

See adjacent or go to shinetv.co.nz for more detail

The Catholic Guy

6:00

8:30

FRIDAY FEATURE:

11:00

The Exchange

LIFE TV: Paul de Jong

MID WEEK FEATURE:

See adjacent or go to shinetv.co.nz for more detail D

3:30 P

Word For You: Terry & Jayne Calkin

The Revolutionary Life

3:00

2:00

Your Best Life

The Exchange with Ed Stetzer

1:30

See adjacent or go to shinetv.co.nz for more detail

10:30

1:30am

1:00

FEATURE:

Leading the Way: Michael Youssef

TUESDAY FEATURE:

See adjacent or go to shinetv.co.nz for more detail

In Touch: Charles Stanley

D 11:30

12:30

Turning Point: Dr David Jeremiah

Buzz and Poppy

Unlocking the Bible: David Pawson

The Exchange with Ed Stetzer

Noon

Give Me An Answer

11:00

2:30

MONDAY FEATURE:

See adjacent or go to shinetv.co.nz for more detail

Y 10:30

FEATURE:

See adjacent or go to shinetv.co.nz for more detail

Bed Bug Bible Gang

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Life fm Presents

FEATURE:

Adventures from the Book of Virtues

Impact for Life: Peter & Bev Mortlock

10:00

7:00

9:30

In Touch: Charles Stanley

9:00

HarvestLite (Highlights from the Harvest Show)

FEATURE:

Colour in Your Life

8:30

See adjacent or go to shinetv.co.nz for more detail

6:30

8:00

Give Me An Answer: Cliffe Knechtle

Great Souls

3:30 4:00

Destined to Reign with Joseph Prince (Mon-Fri)

9:30

11:00 11:30 Midnight

D 00:30am 1 am P

1:30am

2 am

Preaching

N News

C Children E

M Music

Entertainment

D Doco/Drama

Y Youth

S H I NE F E A T U R ES March 2016

Barabbas (2-part Easter mini series)

The story of the man whose life was spared by the decision to crucify Jesus. A powerful story of faith and redemption. Based on the 1950 Nobel Prize-winning novel by Pär Lagerkvist.

Good Friday Mar 25 at 8.30pm (Part 1) Saturday Mar 26 at 8pm (Part 2)

Waiting for Baby Noel: Tue 1 Mar at 8pm

Passion Play: Thu 10, 17, 24 Mar at 8pm

The Saviour: Thu 24 Mar at 8.30pm

Lion of Judah: Fri 25 Mar at 7pm

After Kony: Staging Hope (2011) (110 min) American actors and Ugandan teens (many former soldiers) work together on a theatre programme in Uganda. Tue 8 Mar @ 8pm

Virtuous (2014) (120 min) A faith-based film created to inspire women to live out the principles of Proverbs 31 in modern day culture. Wed 16 Mar @ 8.30pm

Missions in the Wilderness (2014) (60 min) Dan and Renuka Brooker from Australia have taken an unusual approach to missions & development in Cambodia. Thu 24 Mar @ 9pm

Faultless: The American Orphan (2012)

Rogue Saints (2011) (105 min) Friends Nick and Dylan run out of A look at the growing interest of money. They remember a story of a huge diamond buried under a church. American Christians in foster care. Wed 9 Mar @ 8.30pm Premieres Tue 1 Mar @ 9pm

Maria Prean (2011) (60 min) Maria was 60 years old when God directed her to start a new life, caring for and educating thousands of orphans. Thu 17 Mar @ 8pm

The Passion Play (2012) (30 min) The history and making of one of the world’s largest Passion Plays - The Canadian Badlands Passion Play, performed in the breathtaking beauty of Drumheller, Alberta. Taking the Hill (2009) (60 min) Thu 10 Mar @ 8pm (Part 1) Forty years after Vietnam, Pastor Raul Thu 17 Mar @ 8pm (Part 2) Ries experienced flashbacks. Now, Thu 24 Mar @ 8pm (Part 3) he helps others find healing from Post Sun 28 Mar @ 9.15pm (Parts 1,2,3) Traumatic Stress Disorder. Thu 3 Mar @ 8.30pm Mama Shekinah (2013) (60 min) A story of brokenness, passion, tragedy From Exile to Restoration (2009) (60 min) and forgiveness. A story of two people The role of the British Empire in the in love and child soldiers in Uganda. restoration of Israel. Thu 10 Mar @ 8.30pm Thu 3 Mar @ 9.30pm Thu 10 Mar @ 9.30pm Like a Country Song (2014) (100 min) Jake Reeson, up and coming country I’m in Love With a Church Girl (2013) singer, has the whole world in his hands (115 min) until his ego throws it all away. Struggling to keep on the right side Premieres Fri 11 Mar @ 8.30pm; of the law, Miles meets the girl of his Sat 12 Mar @ 12pm dreams but she’s not his usual type. Fri 4 Mar @ 8.30pm; Sat 5 Mar @ 12pm Lost Wilderness (2015) (100 min) Two families dealing with death and Uncommon (2015) (100 min) divorce are pressured to bond during When the students of Rosewood High an outdoor vacation. lose their theatre department due to Sat 12 Mar @ 2pm budgets cuts, they create their own. Sat 5 Mar @ 2pm Heart of a Hero (2011) (108 min) Trey’s father is killed in Afghanistan. Love Finds a Home (2009) (90 min) Together, he and a father figure find A frontier doctor clashes with a nurse redemption and revive the local derby. maid while caring for the woman’s Sat 12 Mar @ 7pm; Sun 13 Mar @ 2pm pregnant daughter-in-law. Sat 5 Mar @ 7pm; Sun 6 Mar @ 2pm; Robber of the Cruel Streets (2006) (60 min) George Muller cared for thousands of Sat 26 Mar @ 2pm orphans in 19th century England. Going Strongly for the Summit (2013) Sun 13 Mar @ 8.30pm

Lion of Judah (2011) (87 min) The Easter story through the eyes of a lovable pig, a faint-hearted horse, a pedantic rat, a rambling rooster, a motherly cow & downtrodden donkey. Fri 25 Mar @ 7pm

Proof Through the Night (2010) (60 min) Francis Scott Key, the Star Spangled Barabbas (2012) (90 min) Banner & hope that transformed USA. The story of the man whose life was Thu 17 Mar @ 9pm spared by the decision to crucify Jesus. A story of faith and redemption. I Was Broken (2012) (90 min) (Part 1) Fri 25 Mar 8.30pm; Two brothers are forced to deal with Sat 26 Mar 12pm the pain of the past, and to repair their (Part 2) Sat 26 Mar 8pm; relationship with God and each other. Sun 27 Mar 3pm Premieres Fri 18 Mar @ 8.30pm; Sat 19 Mar @ 12pm I Believe in Easter (2014) (50 min) New insights into the crucifixion and Love Takes Wing (2009) (90 min) resurrection of Jesus Christ, the most A widowed doctor tries to help frontier important event in human history. town residents where a mysterious Sat 26 Mar @ 7pm; Sun 27 Mar @ 2pm illness claims several lives. Sat 19 Mar @ 2pm The Easter Experience (2007) (80 min) Author Kyle Idleman shares how Easter Catching Faith (2015) (90 min) is more than just a holiday, but the Alexa has the perfect life. The sudden turning point in human history. death of her father makes her realise Sun 27 Mar @ 8.05pm there is more to life than appearances. Premieres Sat 19 Mar @ 7pm; The Passion Play (2012) (90 min) Sun 20 Mar @ 2pm The history and making of one of the world’s largest Passion Plays - The Through a Lens Darkly (2011) (60 min) Canadian Badlands Passion Play, Moving stories of people touched by performed in Drumheller, Alberta. significant loss who share their thoughts Mon 28 Mar @ 9.15pm (Parts 1,2,3) on CS Lewis’ book, A Grief Observed. Sun 20 Mar @ 8.05pm Cody High (2014) (90 min) The impoverished Cody Rouge Civil Love (2012) (95 min) community in Detroit pulled together When Rachel finds a wounded soldier to provide safety for their children by in her barn, she realises she must shield cleaning up their neighbourhood. him from dangerous pursuers. Tue 29 Mar @ 8pm Mon 21 Mar @ 8.30pm Underdogs (2013) (102 min) Jacob’s Tears (2015) (95 min) A small-town high school football team Moving interviews with German Church rises to play their cross-town rival, while leaders and Holocaust survivors. standing up for an entire community. Premieres Tue 22 Mar @ 8pm Wed 30 Mar @ 8.30pm

Waiting for Baby Noel (2015) (48 min) The story of New Zealander Dr Jared Noel who fought off cancer long enough for the arrival of his baby girl. Premieres Tue 1 Mar @ 8pm (45 min)

Love’s Unfolding Dream (2007) (88 min) A physical therapist touches the lives of an ailing matron and a young New York attorney. Wed 2 Mar @ 8.30pm

(94 min)

The life of John Blanchard, evangelist and author, and one of the foremost Christian apologists of his generation. Sun 6 Mar @ 8.30pm Cutback (2010) (87 min) Carefree partygoer Luke Harris dreams of becoming a pro surfer until tragedy forces him to take a hard look at himself. Mon 7 Mar @ 8.30pm

Bless You Prison (2002) (90 min) Nicoleta Valery Grossu found God in a communist prison and now counts this experience as the greatest of blessings. Mon 14 Mar @ 8.30pm With God on Our Side (2010) (85 min) Is there a Biblical alternative for peace, security and reconciliation for both Jews and Palestinians? Tue 15 Mar @ 8pm

The Derby Stallion (2005) (100 min) When 15-year-old Patrick is convinced to train for the Derby Cup, he discovers more within him than he imagined. Wed 23 Mar @ 8.30pm The Saviour (2013) (120 min) Based on Luke’s Gospel, a fresh look at Jesus’ story - from miraculous birth to agonising death - a Palestinian film. Thu 24 Mar @ 8.30pm

Turning 60: A Road Trip (2014) (55 min) Grant is 60 and travels NZ, revisiting significant life events - health scares are interwoven into this autobiography. Thu 31 Mar @ 8pm Details up to date at time of printing. For up-to-date 24-hour programme information go to shinetv.co.nz

Subscribe to receive your daily Christian news at www.mychristiandaily.co.nz | 15

Classifieds... POSITIONS VACANT

PASTOR >

Inquiries Co-ordinator Manukau MissioNZ Centre

Do you love connecting with people? Do you enjoy journeying together with others and encouraging them as they follow God’s call? Wycliffe Bible Translators has a voluntary position open for an Inquiries Coordinator – connecting with those who inquire about opportunities to serve with Wycliffe and walking alongside them as they take steps towards an assignment. If you believe, as we do, that all languages are of value, that they form an integral part of a people group’s identity and that language development has the potential to serve such groups in a rapidly changing world, then you can be part of a team serving minority language communities worldwide. We are a faith-based not for profit organisation committed to serving language communities worldwide as they build capacity for the goal of sustainable language development. This includes translating the Bible into local languages, which is the most valuable resource for discipleship and community transformation.

We are an enthusiastic, friendly congregation located in sunny Timaru on the South Canterbury coast, two hours south of Christchurch. With an after-church café run by baristas; a purposebuilt hall, commercial kitchen nearing completion; outreach to immigrants; a large team of musicians and sound support, and a thriving social group for our elderly we have huge potential for more impact into the wider community. Are you passionate about God and people? A proven leader with a pastoral heart? A team player willing to empower, equip and release people to do the Lord’s work within the church and the wider community? If you enjoy encouraging spiritual growth through preaching and teaching - we’d love to hear from you!

If this sounds like you, contact Helen for more information: Ph. 09 262 8440 or e-mail admin@wycliffenz.org

Please email expressions of interest to wsbcsearch@gmail.com

English Ministry Pastor

PASTOR WANTED

Database Manager with Fundraising, Auckland The successful candidate will be involved in the management of our Raisers Edge database, preparation of fundraising campaigns and analysis of data. The position is for 1 day per week, based in our Manukau office. Candidates will: • Have good experience in the knowledge and practice of Raisers Edge software • Have fundraising experience with a desire to grow in this area • Be a team player with strong interpersonal skills, highly organised with an attention to detail Email your CV to the CEO at mfox@maf.org or ph. 0800 87 85 88

MISSION AVIATION FELLOWSHIP

To pick up your copy each month find a Christian store near you: Visit www.cba.net.nz or www.manna.co.nz 16 | Christian Life Issue Thirty-One February 2016

Timaru

South Canterbury

English Pastor of Chinese Alliance Christian Church We are a multi-staff, multi-language church of the Christian & Missionary Alliance of New Zealand. The weekly attendance of approximately 200 includes a large percentage of Englishspeaking congregants. Our potential English Ministry Pastor must be highly proficient in English. For more info visit cacc.org.nz Chinese Alliance Christian Church

60 Ben Lomond Cres, Pakuranga, Auckland P: 64-9-576 7070 E: caccprc2015@gmail.com

FIND A CHRISTIAN BUSINESS

Classifieds...

brought to you by My Christian Daily Jobs www.mychristiandaily.com/jobs EVENTS

FIND A CHRISTIAN BUSINESS

FOR ALL YOUR A U D I O V I SFOR U ALL A YOUR L N E VISUAL E D NEEDS S AUDIO

AssociAting churches & Ministries oF nZ

conVention 2016 – 18 & 19 MArch

P h o t o s a n d S l i d e s s c a n Photos n e d and t o Slides P h oscanned t o F to i l Photo e s aFiles n dand D DVD VD • Audio Cassette Tapes and Vinyl Records to A u d i o C a s s e t t e Ta p e s a n d V i n y l R e c o r d s t o CCD D • 8 m m & 1 6 m m F i l m a8mm n d &V16mm i d e oFilmTa p Video e s tTapes o DtoVDVD D • and V i d e o g r a p h y a n d Videography P h o t o g and r a pPhotography hy

cafler suites, Forum north, Whangarei All welcome, registrations essential

with guest speaker

Phone 0800 324 538

PHONE: 0800 324 538 www.EagleTV.co.nz w w w . E a g l e T V. c o . n z

Who Are AcMnZ?

RESOURCES Peter Snell Youth Village is situated on 27 acres of native bush and parkland about 45 minutes north of Downtown Auckland. With amazing sea and island views towards Waiwera and the Mahurangi. In recent years the facilities have been updated to meet the needs and comfort of the many school and community groups that take advantage of this beautiful site. Excellent catering and friendly hosts enable guests to focus entirely on getting the most out of their stay. Onsite activities include an initiative course, burma trail, horizontal bungy, water slide and trampolines, as well as an abseiling tower. Kayaking and sailing is also available but needs to be booked with an outside provider. The beach track gives access to a rocky shore as well as a sandy beach for beach games and swimming if desired.

Sy Rogers

• A national network of autonomous local churches, house-hubs and specialist ministries • Christ-exalting & Holy Spirit honouring • Mentoring Christian leadership • Assisting urban and rural evangelism & church planting • Indigenous to NZ and cross-cultural • Annual Convention and ordination of ministries

contAct AcMnZ p. 09 430 8886 e. grahamtui@life4u.org.nz Po Box 589, Whangarei 0140 or visit churchnetwork.net.nz

www.psyv.org.nz

the GLORIOUS KINGDOM is here

Do you need an evangelist or evangelism training OAC has evangelists throughout New Zealand Call 0800467 735 or visit oac.org.nz

Graham Cooke, USA

Aglow National Convention

10-12 March, 2016 La Vida Centre Christchurch

Contact

aglownz@xtra.co.nz p. 04 568 9653

aglow.org.nz

COMMANDING From your Word document to being a published author, Ark House Press is here to help you bring your dream to life. We specialise in working with authors to not only publish their book but also handle all forms of layout, cover design and distribution. Contact us today on 09 281 3796 to see how easy it is to get your book published.

www.arkhousepress.com

ARK

house

MEMORIES

2995

incl. postage in NZ

Commanding Memories tells of the author’s engagement with the people of India over 60 years A lucidly written, informative,

inspirational and challenging portrayal of an exceptional missionary couple” (Dr Bruce and Kathleen Nicholls)

Email your postal address to Dr Bruce Nicholls bknichol@ihug.co.nz for a copy and an invoice See review inside editorial pages of this issue of Christian Life

Subscribe to receive your daily Christian news at www.mychristiandaily.co.nz | 17

FAMILY FIRST

KEEP THE EASTER CULTURE

...this is not about a religious holiday time relevant to only a proportion of the population. Anzac Day is also a day where shops must remain closed and has nothing to do with Christian celebrations.

18 | Christian Life Issue Thirty-One February 2016

As we say good-bye to the Christmas/New Year period there are political attempts to once again attempt to liberalise trading laws around Easter. I personally reject any liberalisation of Easter trading laws because workers deserve this special annual break to spend time with their families. A focus on economic improvement should never come at the cost of weakening the quality and special time that families can spend together. Anzac Day, Easter, and Christmas remain the few times when the whole country stops and takes a break. I acknowledge that the benefits of a workforce taking holidays as a nation are difficult to quantify. Observing religious and cultural holidays is not quantifiable. It is also difficult to quantify the value of work / life balance. Yet research shows that families want more time together, kiwis are working too long, and Easter weekend is traditionally about family reunions, family camps, family holidays, and church attendance together. The only people who will celebrate from Easter trading will be those who will make the most money from it. Public holidays are traditions. They create rituals for families, not based on shopping but on celebrating together, reconnecting, and making memories. Polls and research have shown that both parents and

FAMILY FIRST

children want to spend more time doing family things like picnics and holidays together. However, this is becoming increasingly difficult as the retail industry is required to work almost every day of the year, and shoppers focus on the holiday specials. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks in The Politics of Hope said “Public parks make no economic sense at all. We leave a whole lot of space unbuilt on and not capitalised in any way, but that is not the reason we have them. We have parks because they do us good…. They do not make economic sense but they do us good.” The Workplace Relations and Safety Minister stated, when introducing this Bill: “The historical Easter Sunday shop trading exemptions are out of date and create an unfair advantage for certain businesses and regions that can continue trading while others stay shut. We know there is a demand from communities across the country to allow for shop trading on Easter Sunday, particularly from those districts who rely on tourism.” We note that the liberalisation of the trading laws proposed in this Bill only applies to Easter Sunday. If the arguments used by the Minister above were true (which they aren’t), there would be no justification for opposing the liberalisation of Good Friday, Christmas Day and Anzac Day. Is that the ultimate goal? The ‘unfair advantage’ referred to has only come about because of the inconsistent application of the law – not because of the law itself. Towns do have every right to protest that neighbouring towns can stay open when they can’t. The law needs to be consistent and enforced. The Ministry of Business,

Employment and Innovation (MBIE) should enforce the legislation rather than allow traders to deliberately flout the law. Ironically, under this proposed law change, the inconsistency will also continue because one local authority may allow Easter Sunday trading while another local authority nearby may not change the restriction. This Bill does nothing to change that inconsistency. What will fix the inconsistency is for the law to be applied evenly and consistently across the nation. Contrary to the claim, tourists will cope. Many countries have public holidays with shops closed, and tourists simply plan around it, accepting it as part of the local culture and identity. New Zealanders love visiting Pacific Island nations and still manage to enjoy themselves even when everything shuts down on a Sunday. There are two days that the whole of India is closed and they are not religious days; they are the Republic Day of India and Independence Day. Similar situations apply in other countries, for example Israel and Islamic countries. The current law is not out of date with international experience. To argue that liberalising trading laws is justified because shoppers are able to shop online is also a flawed argument. If it was a valid argument, retailers in NZ would have to be open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. This is also not an issue about choice as has been argued. For many workers, they don’t have the luxury of choice as to whether they work or not. Coercion by employers on employees will be strong.

St Josephs Centre Gift Shop

St Josephs Centre Gift Shop is located in the St Josephs Parish Church and School grounds in Takapuna. The Gift Shop has been open since August 1994 and has grown from very humble beginnings.

Sonshine Bookcentre

Sonshine stocks an extensive range of bibles, Christian books music and gifts. We specialise in locating titles not regularly in stock in local Christian stores and supply many clients through our nationwide courier service. Church supplies, study material, inspirational reading, children’s resources, DVDs and greeting cards are among the 40,000+ items stocked.

The Cherish range of quality gold and silver plated jewellery has over 110 designs with crosses and crucifixes at affordable prices.

Sheila, Anne and Vanessa are here to assist you six days a week: Mon-Fri 10am-4.30pm & Sat 9.30am-2pm

St Josephs Centre Gift Shop 1 Fred Thomas Drive Takapuna, Auckland 0622 Manager, Sheila Baker p. 09 489 5613 e. shop@stjosephscentre.co.nz

Bob McCoskrie is the National Director of Family First NZ. Visit www.familyfirst.org.nz for more information on how you can become involved.

Sonshine is a family-owned business that started in 1992 in the Tennent family home in Kawerau. Later that year, an existing store was purchased in Rotorua with the business base moving there. In 1994 a new store was purchased in Tauranga and now Sonshine Bookcentres service the wider Bay of Plenty and South Waikato with Christian resources.

As well as a fantastic range of bibles, beautiful icons, greeting cards, candles, books, music and movies - St Josephs Centre Gift Shop also has a great range of Christian gifts for all occasions.

Finally, this is not about a religious holiday time relevant to only a proportion of the population. Anzac Day is also a day where shops must remain closed and has nothing to do with Christian celebrations. Many families do not observe the religious association with Christmas Day but it is still an important and vital family time in our culture. We should keep the culture. (I personally would support additional days when trading was limited – for example, Waitangi Day, Labour Day, and Queens Birthday.) National MPs should be allowed a conscience vote on this issue which has always been very contentious and for which individual politicians from all parties have held wide-ranging views. The Prime Minister has previously stated that “Easter trading has always been a conscience vote in Parliament, so MPs are not bound by party lines…” CL

GREAT

The name Sonshine reflects our desire for the “Light of God’s Son to Shine through the darkness”

Sonshine Bookcentre 84 First Ave, Tauranga p. 07 5788477 e. tauranga@sonshine.co.nz 1129 Eruera St, Rotorua p. 07 3491661 e. rotorua@sonshine.co.nz

BOOKS

Subscribe to receive your daily Christian news at www.mychristiandaily.co.nz | 19

CHRISTCHURCH 14 - 16 MARCH AUCKLAND 17-19 MARCH WWW.NZANDBEYOND.COM