Anyone who missed Aaron's message last Sunday... gosh! you must listen to this. I believe, this is an awesome example of new wine. http://www.thevine.org.hk/grapevine/pages/audio.html. For those not familiar with how this works, scroll down the page and choose the 6.00 PM message on Sunday the 26th. And even if you're not a memeber of the Vine, you are most welcome to hear it. We all know that when God speaks, so many times, He's addressing all of us and not just those inside the room at the time, which is why I so love pod casts and the whole media thing.

Pastor Tony's message was really good too and I haven't listened to Maggie's yet and am looking forward to that : )

Anyway, Aaron's message comes at such a great time for me.

Excerpt for Cheryl's journal 27 Nov. 2006...

This last month or so I'm in a very special place in my relationship with God. It's more personal and intimate than it has ever been and I am loving my Bible... and Aaron's message gave me that same excited feeling I get when I ... watch a movie say, and it's an amazing movie, and then I meet someone who has seen it too and is just as taken with the movie as I am. That's like so awesome ... and together we get all hyped and excited talking about it. It was like that.

You know, there was a time in my life when I never knew that the Bible would get me so excited. I almost wince as I say this right now, because today I know that nothing else in my life, comes anywhere close to the valuable treasure that my Bible is to me, but when you don't know... you just don't know. It freaks me out a bit that when the blinders are on, it's like you can't see what's right in front of you, ... but anyway... Praise God, the blinders are off and I LOVE MY BIBLE!!! and everyday, may I learn to use this precious word of God, the way He wants me to.

Gosh! I remember as a kid how often my dad would try and get me to read our Bible. He never ever made me, but he would ask me to, every now and then. I did not listen to him, and of course now I'm like, ' Cheryl you knuckle head!!!' but I so love my dad for planting those seeds in me.

Our God is precious and falling in love with Him and doing the whole 'for better or for worse' thing with Jesus is the best decision I have ever made. It's so amazing to be crazy about God? it's like... intoxicating. I can't get over Him. I just can't. Right now, I'm in a 'crazy fan' sort of place about Jesus... I'm in a 'Jesus you're my Super Hero' place and I love it and I never want to lose it and so I'm writing it down here to read anytime down the line.
I never want to find myself straying from this place of awe and wonder and fascination for my God, my hero, my knight in shining armour, my friend, Our Awesome God.

Gosh! I feel like a giddy headed teenager right now, hehe! and I like it.




I love the many levels on which I can connect with God.
When I'm in deep pain or anguish, I can turn to Him,
when I have a huge crisis on my hands, I can turn to Him,
when I need sound advice and wisdom, I can turn to Him,
I can be disciplined by Him when I am being stubborn,
I can sit on His lap and delight in my daddy like a 3 year old would,
when I need a buddy I can turn to Him,
and, I can experience the intoxicating feelings of first love with Him too.
He satisfies my every need.

Lord may I always turn to you, in everything, for everything. Jesus, come alive in me and show me how to commune with my Father the way you did.

Nov 15 2006 - Hillsong United were in Hong Kong...

What a lovely evening… I had such a blast, and I realized a few things...

1) I realized, that worshipping God with a famous band like Hillsong, is wayyyyyy better than just watching a good band perform.

2) I realized, that the audience honour a worship band so much more, when they allow the band to lead them in worship (let it be about God), rather than when they let the event be all about the band… and that choice is in the audience hands.

3) Thinking about that a bit more, I realized that when we idolize people, we really are letting them down. No matter how much the band may want it to be about God, I don't believe He will make His presence felt in such an awesome way, if the audience is all about the band.

4) Thinking even more about this, I realized that worldly fame is actually quite an awful thing. I mean… it’s one thing to experience what it’s like to become an idol for some starry eyed person, to feel like a god/goddess and constantly realize that you aren’t, and it’s a totally different thing to let the honour go where it is due, and receive instead an honest sense of achievement and satisfaction in your talent that God gives through His spirit, which can manifest through people's appreciation, but it's healthy and good honour... that is real, and one you can keep with no burden of pretense behind it.

5) So, I realized that in this world we really settle for a lot less when we keep God out of our lives and our experiences…

6) Finally, I realized, that while I really love Hillsong and think they are a superb band... there is this unique spot in my heart for the Vine band and I don't think anyone can take that place : ) and this is lovely to know. It feels right and it makes me happy.

An excerpt from Cheryl's journal Nov 11 2006...

I've been watching the Lord of the Rings again this last week and it's a great movie to watch with Jesus : ). It's funny how I'm still in awe of these experiences with God, and how even though I've known the verse, 'He never leaves me' for the longest time... watching a movie with God is still a relatively new experience for me.

I mean, it was a funny thing, the day I realized that God is with me (all the time) whether I acknowledge His presence or not, and all I do now is ask a question like, "what do you think of this Father?" and He just answers...

Who would've thought He'd have an opinion on a movie? and yet on the other hand, it's like... of course He would... He knows how many hairs I have on my head!!... He is the living God who cares about everything that I'm about. It's awesome to wake up to the truth of this reality.

Growing up I just had no idea I could connect with God like this, but as I've hungered for more of Him, to see His face, to know His character, His person. As I've read His word with a desire to know what He is actually saying, which He reveals through His Spirit for the simple reason that I ask Him to, and believe He will, I am getting more and more familiar with who He is, just like I would get to know anyone I choose to spend time with and I find that hearing God's voice comment on so many aspects of my life, a thing that is happening more and more and it's an incredible experience and I am so in awe of it. His love is so real, He is so real and it's ...like...it's LIFE like I've never lived it before.

So anyway, this morning, after two weeks of 'The Lord of the Rings', God keeps reminding me of this one line...

"Aslan is on the move..."

Hehe! I guess He's been watching 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" with someone else. : )

And I say, "Yes Lord : ), You are on the move".

What an exciting time to be alive! : )

Hello this is Tiara.

This is my mummy's blog site , but she said I could use it if I wanted to.

I just want to share a cool song with you. I found it this Halloween and it's called 'Do the Growl'.

I like it because I think it's cool and it's a good way to stop yourself from getting angry at someone and even though I don't like Halloween at all, this song is great. You can listen to it at this link.

http://www.ilovewavs.com/Holidays/Halloween/Music/Do%20The%20Growl.wav


I hope you enjoy.

love,
Tiara

yesterday's DB service...

was so special and I want to record this because God does these incredible things at times and when I don't write it down I forget, and that's a terrible thing.

It was a small prayer meeting. We did not have the great set up that we usually do, and in the end, we did not even have the venue, and so we were out in the open, and while at the start this was something we noticed with some sadness, I think we all knew that God would turn it around like only He can and He did. : )

You know, at our regular Vine services, as I'm sure it is in all of God's churches the world over, we do realize that it's not about all the hi-tech stuff and all our talent, we do realize that we have an awesome experience only because God is in the building, but then...maybe there is room for that doubt to creep in...'hmmm! what if we did not have all the 'flash'?

Well last night was absolute proof that when it's Jesus you're with, He'll make any gathering awesome and somehow stripping away all the 'flash' was like the best thing that could've happened. You know how like in worship at the Vine sometimes, in the middle of the song, the band just stops playing and all we hear are the hearts of the people as they sing in unison praising God, how that is somehow entirely different and special... last night was like that.

We were out in the open, with one guitar, one drum and a few people who were there to love God and seek His face and He showed up in a way that did something different to all of us there. I cannot really put into words what happened, but I'll try... : )

There was a spirit of brotherhood, an appreciation for one another, a corporate strengthening of faith, an openness, a deep longing for more, an anointing for healing and a desire for signs and wonders and to be used by God in any way He would choose, even if it took us out of our comfort zones, there was prophesy and some incredible sharing and there was one distinct moment for me when I KNEW I was in the midst of God's people. I sensed Jesus in them. It was such a lovely, peaceful moment and this is a valuable treasure. Because I know we're all just people, we're all works in progress and we're going to have those times when we'll see each other failing, making mistakes, falling off the path, walking in the flesh ... but to get a God given glimpse like that into their hearts, to see them as He created them, the unblemished version ... I know with this knowledge, it's going to be so much easier to love unconditionally, to understand people when things go wrong, to be there when someone falls, because I feel I've seen what's deep inside and it's beautiful, and that's what God gave me yesterday and I believe it's the kind of special thing He does when He shows up in these 'all is stripped away' moments. Something entirely mind blowing like that.

A new boldness seemed to touch us. Aaron did such an awesome job being sensitive to God's lead and leading the rest of us accordingly and everyone shared some incredible stuff. It's like God spoke through each and everyone there and we left knowing that God was leading us, and we were following and it was awesome. You know that is such an attractive thing. I feel so strongly, that this is what God wants, this is how He works and if we walk like this, the lost WILL come to Jesus. Church like this, which flows out of the hearts of the people, is attractive like nothing else. It really is all about relationships, being open, genuine, trusting and free. It is entirely what the Spirit of the Lord does and being out in the open made us realize something else too. This spirit is really not meant to stay inside the four walls of a church building, it's meant to be out there.

Lord I say this often, but then until you give me some new vocabulary, you just must hear it again... You Are AWESOME!!!