Church Life and Adaptive Change: Overall, humanity doesn’t like “change” if what we’ve been used to has been comforting and pleasant. Connect gathered church has looked the same for decades and has served our community well. However, our world is not the same anymore and probably won’t be stable or consistent for a few more years to come. So, we must all be prepared to adapt and keep adapting … [Read more...] about Pastor’s Pen 5th December
Pastor’s Pen, Nov 14
When and how shall we gather in person as church? : Once 90% of Aucklanders are fully vaccinated, Auckland will move to the “Traffic Light System,” and will first be in the “red zone.” This could be as soon as 2 to 3 weeks away. Here are our options for church gatherings at this point: If we require everyone to have vaccination certificates we will be able to meet in our building (max of … [Read more...] about Pastor’s Pen, Nov 14
Pastor’s Pen 7th November 2021
The power of prayer and fasting: “In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ So after they had fasted and prayed, … [Read more...] about Pastor’s Pen 7th November 2021
Pastor’s Pen Oct 31
Prayer and Fasting during a crisis: It was the common practise of the Pharisees and John the Baptist to fast (Mk 2:18). Some people came and asked Christ why His disciples did not fast. He replied: “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them? They cannot, so long as they have Him with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and on … [Read more...] about Pastor’s Pen Oct 31
Pastor’s Pen Oct 24
The comfort of having a permanent place in God’s Kingdom: The night before Christ was crucified the disciples were very stressed, and Christ said: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come … [Read more...] about Pastor’s Pen Oct 24
Pastor’s Pen Oct 17
Let’s be worth our salt: You may have heard people say that someone is “worth their salt.” This idiom means that the person is valued and respected. Jesus also referred to His disciples as “salt,” saying: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men,” Mt … [Read more...] about Pastor’s Pen Oct 17