On Monday I left Hawera early in the morning to go to Rotorua for a day of
meetings about my "sinking house" saga - just what everyone wants to do on a day off (sarcasm intended). Over half way into the journey I noticed that a strong frost had developed and as I drove past Lake Whakamaru there was an "ice" sign on the side of the road. I responded by slowing down a little, but on rounding a corner I found myself on ice and the car sliding all over the road.  I braked and tried to correct the sliding but after a scary skate along the road the car spun out of control and crashed into a raised ditch at the side of the road.

In some ways we could say "it was just an accident", but in other ways I believe that we can see God's hand in and around the circumstances of this accident. Let me share a few reasons I think this with you:
 
- My heavy, late model car did a great job of keeping stability and allowing the car to slow down before it inevitably crashed...a different car may not have handled nearly as well and probably would have gone off the road a lot earlier at a much higher speed.

- There was a bank down to the lake on my right hand side and a very high cliff-face on my left when the car started sliding. I ended up on top of the only area with a small raised ditch - far preferable to a cliff-face or lake!

- My mum told me that she felt concerned for me at the time of the accident and "knew something was wrong". She started to pray for me on the spot - how awesome is that!?

- I am safe and unharmed (if not a little rattled).

It's difficult to know how I might see things if the result were different (scary thought)...but the fact is that they weren't this time, and I can see God in the circumstances and worship Him for his care and protection of me. Can we worship God in every circumstance?  Can we honour him even amidst sinking houses and smashed up cars?  Yes we can...and we will!

Blessings
Pastor David Auty

Wasn't it exciting to see snow on Monday morning! I was over the moon because I've never lived in a place where snow falls. My excitement was put into perspective when a relatively reliable source informs me that the last light dusting of snow in Hawera was in 1964, but that snow hasn't settled on the ground like it did on Monday since 1936 - wow - pre-WW2!

Speaking of "once in a lifetime" events...the Rugby World Cup (RWC) is just around the corner and everyone is gearing up for a festive six weeks. Do you remember what George Wieland said about festivals and politics? I bet the National Party are hoping for an All Black win to launch their election campaign.

Snowfall and World Cups don't seem to have a lot in common, however they pose an interesting question for us. How do we engage with our world in a way that connects our faith to our shared experiences? I'll put it another way: What difference does it make to our lives that we are Christians? Many of us enjoyed the snow on Monday; many of us will enjoy the RWC (I've got my tickets!)...but how is our engagement in these things any different from anyone else in the world? What difference does Jesus make to a RWC?

It is important that we ask these questions, because if we are to "pray without ceasing", if we are going to "run the race to completion" then our faith needs to be able to engage with all parts of our lives. Let the games begin!

Blessings,
Pastor David Auty

Helen, the girls and I have been on holiday up in Auckland for the past week - it's been a really nice family time! The great thing about holidays is that they give us an opportunity to get things into perspective. Holidays help us to reflect on our part in the world with fresh eyes; to notice the opportunities and challenges that our circumstances present; to rest, and allow God to re-create us - that's why it's called recreation!

Often we can get tied up in the busyness of our lives and forget to spend the time to simply "smell the roses". When was the last time you took an intentional break from the hustle and bustle of life? Are you planning on giving yourself some space to get that fresh perspective and recreation any time soon? It's worth asking yourself the question.

When we take the time to care for ourselves in this way then we find that we are more productive, more imaginative...simply better at doing the things we do, and being the people that God has made us to be. The Sabbath principal in Scripture relates to this. A weekly day of rest and regular time of recreation and restoration - it's the way God has created us to function best.

So go on, take a break! Take the time to smell the roses.

Blessings,
Pastor David Auty

I had a very interesting time on Tuesday night. Helen and the girls drove me up to New Plymouth to catch a 7.35pm flight to Auckland only to find that the flight had been cancelled. Why had it been cancelled?  Something to do with a plane in Blenheim having been grounded after being hit by lightning. What that had to do with a NP-AK flight I don't know. All I know is that I had to jump on a bus that eventually got me to Auckland after midnight.

A second incident came when I told the "flight crew" that it was a real inconvenience for my sister to pick me up after midnight & asked whether the airline would pay for a taxi. I'm glad they gave me a taxi chit for what proved to be a $63 Taxi fare from Auckland airport to West Auckland where my Mum lives.

Two things I learnt from these experiences:
- there's more than one way to get to where you want to go.
- you don't receive if you don't ask.

Sometimes in churches we can get so caught in the way things "ought" to be done, or the way things have always been done that we miss the fact that our plane is grounded & we need to take an alternative way. At the same time we can forget to let others know when we need some help & so we miss out on a free taxi ride.

If we live out our lives in Christ to the full, then we find that we can see God in every circumstance. That's an important lesson for us all to learn.

God Bless,
Pastor David Auty

Do you remember the question of our Church meeting in March?
What would it take for HBC to see 5% Kingdom impact in Hawera by 2020? At that meeting we brainstormed & came up with a bunch of ideas, but what we also did was hone in on some sharp areas of focus for a Kingdom vision here at HBC.

These areas can be summarized in the phrase "inside out" - a community of people who are spiritually healthy on the inside purposefully having our faith bubble out of us and into every facet of our own lives, and our life as a community. That's what we heard from God back in March and it should really be no surprise to us.

So what do we do about this? Firstly, we need to take it seriously because it's Kingdom work we're talking about - be prayerful!  Secondly, we need to examine our own lives and work on areas that might get in the way of God's vision for us.  Thirdly, we need to be prepared to make consistent and purposeful change in our life as a community.

Exciting challenges...but perhaps uncomfortable at times. Are we prepared to be uncomfortable for the sake of significant Kingdom impact in our town? My hope and prayer is that we are!

Blessings,
Pastor David Auty

The weather has really turned over the past week or so hasn't it? If you didn't know it was winter before you certainly do now! When my family and I first moved to Hawera we found it really cold down here...come to think of it I remember sitting in my first office in Rotorua after moving from Auckland and thinking that Rotorua was the coldest place in the world too - maybe it's got something to do with moving?

With the cold weather here and the sniffles and coughs that so often accompany it, often we can find ourselves getting a little down about life and faith. For many people it can be a tough time, and for some a time of depression. How do we handle that as a community of faith?  How do we come alongside and support people in tough times? How do we get through them ourselves? What does it mean for our church involvement and attendance at Church events and services?

None of these questions are particularly easy to answer, but what I do know is that God is happy for us to ask them.  Through the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and the "hands and feet" of his people, God is reaching out to you no matter how you feel at this time. In the arms of God is the safest and best possible place that you can be!

We can be a community where it's OK to be struggling, a people who are willing to come alongside and support one another through tough times. We need to be because that's what Jesus would do. Have a blessed week!

Arohanui,
Pastor David Auty

Having been a bit "fragile" over the past week or so I have been reflecting a lot on gratitude. It was interesting to me that Rocco spoke on that topic in his "rescue sermon" for me on Sunday. It can be so easy for us to be consumed by expectations and desire, and to forget that we are truly blessed people.

Here are some of the things that I'm grateful for:
- a loving wife and wonderful children
- a Church family that care about me and my family
- the ability to be able to work (even with "interruptions").
- the privilege of being involved in people's lives in meaningfulways.
- the invigoration of having people involved in my life in meaningful ways.
- a God who cares about me and my circumstances
- the local churches in Hawera with the desire to partner together
- food, shelter, clothing...
...and the list could go on for a long time.

We need to practice being grateful. As God's people, gratitude ought to be a constant in our lives. So what are you grateful for? Spend a few minutes right now and reflect on that question...it will do you the world of good.

Blessings,
Pastor David Auty

Living a Christian life is like caring for your teeth! 

I often think of it like that. Morning and evening it’s always a good idea to brush your teeth—it’s not that something tragic will happen if you miss once or twice, but it’s so important long-term that you make the effort, right? It’s the same with our devotional life. To give time to nurture our relationship with God is not a rule, but ra-ther an intentional daily act that helps strengthen our faith. 

But there’s more to tooth care than brushing your teeth. When you eat a big juicy steak you might get some stuck in your teeth requiring some “incidental attention” - we we find that this happens frequent-ly throughout the day. In the same way we need to be continually in dialogue with God throughout the day and nurture that moment-by-moment relationship with Him. 

Finally, you would be clever to get your teeth checked by a dentist a couple of times a year. In the Spiritual life I would equate this with going on a retreat, or spending time with a Spiritual Director. This kind of “spiritual check-up” allows us to more fully consider life and to seek God deeply. 

Three keys to the Spiritual care: 
1)  Intentional daily devotions 
2)  Moment-by-moment incidental attention 
3)  Spiritual checkups 

Blessings, 
Pastor David Auty 

What does it mean for us to “reach out” to others with the love of Jesus? There are so many ways that we can look at the Christian life to try and evaluate what it’s all about, but none more compelling to me than a simple question: “Am I sharing my faith?”

In many ways this simple question cuts through much of the politics and posturing that can happen in Christian community and gets to the heart of God’s mission in the world—transformation—a mission that he invites us to join him in, for ourselves and with others.

Yes, “sharing my faith” will look a little different from one situation to the next. It may be that in our workplace our honesty and integrity as a Christian will speak volumes, or that a warm response or friendly care might be essential in our relationship to friends. However I want to suggest today that all the good works and great intentions are not enough for us to say that we are fully sharing our faith.

Social action and care alongside “friendship evangelism” are great—and important, but not enough. Our actions need to be backed up with words. We need to share our faith by what we say as well as what we do—to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

This means that we need to have integrity enough to let our actions and our words speak together. It is said that “actions speak louder than words”, but words that back up and support good actions are essential to truly sharing our faith—let’s not throw out the baby with the bath water.

So how do we do this? Work on your communication skills; work on your evangelism skills; remember to tell people why you do what you do; and live a consistent life of actions and words.

Blessings,
Pastor David Auty

I don’t know about you, but I have found this week hard going! I’m not 100% sure why, but I have my suspicions. Sure it could be the changing weather, or the fact that sore throats and infected ears have visited the Auty household. It could be related to the burden I feel for those, like Sharon, who are going through tough times. Or maybe even simply a lack of effective sleep. But somehow, although I’m sure they all contribute, I
think it’s something else...

And that excites me! What? Excited about having a challenging week?
Well, yes, I am, and I’ll tell you why.

Here at HBC we have just done something significant! Last weekend we undertook 24 hours of continuous prayer seeking to hear from God about the “Next steps” for us as a Church….and God has spoken to us—we have
heard. Now that’s exciting in itself, but wait there’s more… you see, hearing from God is one thing, but getting on with what God is saying to us is another thing all together. The momentum needed can be hard work as we consider how tough it is to action what God wants. “Maybe we’ll get around to it one day?” we say to ourselves— or maybe not!

I don’t think that satan (the prince of darkness) minds that God speaks to us, or even that we hear God. The evil one is more concerned that we DON'T ACTION what God is saying. He’d love to keep us in a pseudospiritual cosy spot that “listens” to God but does nothing with it. If he can’t stop us spending time with God then he’s just as happy if we aren’t
changed at all...if we do nothing with what God has said to us.

All this “stuff” reminds us of the truth! We CAN choose to do what God is asking. We can get active and have a greater determination in the things that God has spoken to us. We can share the Good News of Jesus Christ  more and more in our lives—excited by the fact that God’s plans must be
significant if the evil one wants so desperately to distract us from God’s path.  

So what about you? Are you going to be satisfied with the experience or are you going to allow God to change you? It’s our call—let’s make the right one!!

Blessings,
Pastor David Auty