Last week I told you how I was getting all artistic and creative for Christmas this year. I can report that there has been some success in this regard. All of the gifts for my brother and his family in Timaru have been lovingly hand prepared and are looking fabulous! I'm not sure how much more I will be able to do though, creating is fun, but it takes a lot of time...and time is running out! 

Christmas does seem to sneak up on us doesn’t it. One minute we're thinking about life and work and "normal" things, and the next BHAM...it's Christmas! I will be heading away for a week with the family prior to Christmas (we'll be back for the Christmas eve and Christmas day services!). Then we’ll be head-ing off again for a couple of weeks at the end of January. Over these times I will be intentionally blocking out time to recalibrate; to take time to smell the roses; to re-create myself ready for the challenges and opportunities of the new year...and I’m really looking forward to it! 

How about you? Have you put any thought into how you might do that for yourself this summer? Perhaps a few days out in creation; or some afternoons of quiet reflection? Maybe you could read through the Christmas story again and reflect on it; or take a chunk of scripture and allow the Holy Spirit to speak God’s word into your life. You could even spend time in prayerful con-templation during a Pacific Cruise (Sheridans..hehe ). In whatever way you choose to do it, please make sure you do! After all, God did it (“on the sev-enth day He rested”). 

So let’s express our true nature. We were created in the image of God with creativity in our blood. God intended that we create...and re-create. 

Have a wonderful Christmas! 
Arohanui, 
Pastor David Auty 

This week I have had the pleasure of thinking about Christmas presents and something struck me - instead of being all twisted up walking around shops aimlessly for hours, searching for the "perfect" plastic fantastic item that will hardly last past New Year, why not do something creative for gifts this year? This in itself was a scary prospect! After all, I'm not exactly "known" as an artist (for rather obvious reasons if you've ever seem me draw a stick man). However, this thought has stuck with me, and after a bit of perseverance, I have come up with an artistic plan which meets my three criteria of a good gift: individually meaningful; something the recipient will want to keep for years; and doesn't break the bank to get it. Now for the implementation...hmmm, I'll update you on the progress next week!

God is so creative! In fact, his creativity is such that we call him The Creator! That is a concept that can be hard for us to really grasp, so let's look at the first couple of verses of Psalm 121, a great "Psalm of Ascent":

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains--
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

I like to paraphrase verse two to read: "My help comes from the Lord, Maker of Mountains!"  

God's creativity is not simply a matter of fact...it is also a message of his faithfulness, it is a promise of his help in times of difficulty and struggle. Creation speaks to us of a God who is interested in everything that we do...because after all, we too are his handy work!

So as you get into the "Christmas spirit", bear this in mind. Don't let yourself get all wound up in the hustle and bustle, but take some time to bask in God's creation, to enjoy BEING God's creation, and to mirror his character in some creative way. Where does my help come from? From a God who speaks to me through his creation and invites me to participate in it with him.

Arohanui,
Pastor David Auty

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12

Not everything bad that happens to us is due to spiritual attack, but certainly some of it is!  It is important that we are on our toes when it comes to spiritual things. As we look through the Book of Acts together we see a church that is plagued by spiritual opposition in the midst of a time of real effectiveness in sharing the Gospel. This week we look at Stephen, the first Martyr of the church, who lost his life while declaring Jesus as Lord.

I think that it is important that we expect Satan, the author of lies, to mount strong attacks against us at two crucial times in our Christian walk: 1. when we first come to faith; and 2. when we look to be moving towards greater effectiveness in our witness.  At these times it is crucial that we are walking alongside one another; speaking words of life and truth into hard circumstances; sharing together in the real challenges and concerns that we face.  It is also important that we are developing good personal habits in our devotional life: studying the Bible; exploring God's truth through His word; being purposeful in our prayer lives etc.

One of our church members wrote me an email this week and said in it, "I really believe that the Lord is stirring things up in the church" - I agree. And when the Lord is at work, the evil one seeks to undermine and destroy all that God is doing - and he targets us at our weakest points.

Let us stand together as God's people. Let us rely on the goodness of God. Let us face the challenges that come our way in the power of the Holy Spirit!

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes." Ephesians 6:10-11 (the Armour of God: truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, Salvation, the Word of God)

Grace and Peace,
Pastor David Auty