Southward Bound

To kick start the day, we took a 20 minute drive to Deer Park Heights, where they have a fantastic 'open range' animal reserve (the property in which they filmed several parts of the Lord Of The Rings movie). his morning we left scenic Queenstown and headed south to Te Anau (2.5hrs drive). There were many deer, goats, sheep, bison and llamas wandering around just waiting for Dabak to hand feed them. The scenic backdrop complemented this amazing experience well.

From there we headed south for Te Anau, where we stay tonight and hope to make to our way to Milford Sound ~ providing that is, the road is open following the avalanche warning. Well, it's been great so far, not much can dampen our spirits!

"This is my Father's world,

And to my listening ears,

All nature sings and round me rings

The music of the spheres.

This is my Father's world,

I rest me in the thought

Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;

His hand the wonders wrought."

Maltbie Davenport Babock

Earthquakes And Queenstown...

NEWSFLASH...At 1.30am this morning (during our first nights sleep in Queenstown) we were woken by huge tremors in our 2nd floor bedroom that shook the whole area. Though we suspected as much, we didn't find out until the morning that it was the result of an earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale that hit off shore NZs west coast near Milford Sound. If that wasn't scary enough, again at 10.30am today, while travelling to do our "Bungy Experience", another tremor from an earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale occurred. Fortunately, this time we didn't feel it as we were out driving at the time. Praise God for travelling mercies!

As the above pics taken from outside our hotel room show, Queenstown is a stunningly gorgeous place and wherever you look it is as though the scenic backdrops have been especially painted for a movie set. The hotel overlooks Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown's inland lake, bordered by alpine mountains.

Today's activities included: Bungy Experience Tour (pic below shows it delighted some and terrified others!), drive around Deer Park feeding the animals, Sky Gondola ride (pic below too!) and relaxing spa/sauna.

God is good all the time ~ All the time, God is good!

Genesis 1:9-10 (MSG) ~ "And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good."

Grandiose Glaciers

'Awesome' and 'amazing' are words that we used frequently today to describe the majestic mountains with their imposing ice glaciers. Here's a couple of pictures to support this.

Yes, Carl Boberg was right when he penned these familiar words of praise!

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!

South Island Spectacular

Since arriving in Christchurch at 3.30pm on Friday afternoon, we've enjoyed a series of warm welcomes and kind hospitality. The weather, on the other hand, hasn't been so friendly ~ with strong winds, constant rain and chilly breezes. But we can't fault the scenery here, it's spectacular! Lush green grass, stunning sunsets and majestic mountains make it all worthwhile.

Having spent a nice night in Christchurch, we boarded the TranzAlpine on Saturday morning for our 4-hour train journey across alpine country to Greymouth, on the 'wetter' west coast. Picking up our hire care gave us all an increased sense of independence and personal comfort, preparing us for a delightful drive ahead. While shopping, we met the Salvo veterans band from Christchurch and met a few 'old' friends.

This morning (following home church worship and a hire car hiccup!) we headed off for Franz Josef Glacier, stopping on the way at a Jade Factory in Hokatiki and for lunch at a nice roadside cafe. Nothing prepared us though for the amazing sights awaiting us at Franz! It was truly a God-connection moment ~ one that is beyond words...so you'll have to wait for the pictures!

Deuteronomy 7:21(MSG) ~ "God, your God, is among you—God majestic, God awesome."

7th Day Fortnight

Dabak and I are heading off on a "7th day fortnight" ~ furlough! It's a great time to relax, recharge the physical and spiritual batteries and enjoy the many opportunities of personal downtime. With this in mind, we're heading off to scenic New Zealand tomorrow with good friends for a great time.

Now that all my work and ministry responsibilities have been finalized, I'm really looking forward to flying across the sea to Christchurch for our tour of NZ's South Island. I'm exchanging the last minute stress baggage with the luggage of future joy and delight.

Not sure when I'll be able to "get connected" next, but stay tuned for when I do!

Genesis 2:2 (MSG) ~ "On the seventh day he rested from all his work. God blessed the seventh day."

General Change Prayer

When you've got a moment today, pause and pray for all Army officers within our territory who each receive personal letters indicating whether they will remain in their current ministry roles or need to prepare to relocate to new appointments with the 2008 General Change next January.

Commissioner Stanley Ditmer's words, too, are a well suited prayer for this occasion.

O take my life today, tomorrow;

Take Thou my will, in joy or sorrow;

If I must go or stay, O teach my heart to say,

'Without complaint, I'll follow Thee!'

(Musical Salvationist, 1976)

The Dream

During the recent Aggressive Christianity Conference hosted by Box Hill Corps, the territorial commander, Commissioner James Knaggs, shared personally the following dream he has for our territory.

I Have a Dream…
That one day The Salvation Army will, in its entirety, be what God wants it to be…
…that every soldier, young and old would be sanctified through and through, and out of the passion of their love in Christ, would be an undeniable force for God's love in the world.
…that this love would be seen between each soldier to demonstrate that God has sent His Son into the world not to condemn it, but that the world through Him might be saved, and by this would all people know that we are His followers and represent Him.
…that our love would be seen through intentional and overt acts of mercy and justice, all the while in humility before God, not needing to publish our works, only doing them to glorify God.
…that our mission would have such integrity that every expression of our ministry would be marked not so much by a red shield or even a crest, but by the love of God for people.
…that every corps would embrace the gospel for everyone in their community, not discriminating by culture, language, social status, or age, and that the helping ministries would be woven into the fabric so that even under a nuclear microscope we could not distinguish between spiritual and social.
…that every social programme would be inviting to any one in need to be helped towards eternal affect, still maintaining our resolve to dispense such love indiscriminately and unconditionally, and that their connections with the corps ministries become seamless to the point that they would become a type of corps in their own right.
…that we would have effective ministries to eradicate homelessness, human trafficking, prostitution and other indecencies currently common in our society.
…that our social programme strategy will be based upon the needs of people in the context of Biblical mandate, not necessarily the offerings of government contracts.
…that headquarters support units would be understood as such, not diminishing their purposes for accountability, but wholly in the context of authentic support and encouragement.
…that programmes such as Salvo Stores and Employment plus would also become saving stations for the lost and fully integrated into the mission of the territory.
...that Salvo Stores and the Trade become responsible outlets for Fair Trade goods.
…that our commercial department at THQ become a resource and focal point for facilitating our increasing efforts in Fair Trade.
…that the Family Tracing Service be expanded to find those souls who have been lost to the Army, assisting in bringing them home, where they belong.
…that we would never have another day in our existence where someone was not brought to Christ.
…that our soldiers roll would only be an increasing reality as would our worship and discipleship meetings.
…that the proliferation of new ministry openings would be so common and normal that we would have to appoint personnel just to keep track of it, most often after the fact.
…that those gifted with creative ministry gifts would have every opportunity to employ these very skills in the work of the Army.
…that our worship would be filled with creative means to celebrate God's provisions and presence among us.
…that our 24/7 Prayer Initiatives will be adopted by individual corps throughout the territory all the time.
…that we would establish Lighthouses of Prayer to cover our neighbourhoods with grace.
…that we would have numerous prayer destinations where people could go for prayer retreats, learning opportunities and resources.
...that we would have effective ministries to eradicate homelessness, human trafficking, prostitution and other indecencies currently common in our society.
…that our social programme strategy will be based upon the needs of people in the context of Biblical mandate, not necessarily the offerings of government contracts.
…that headquarters support units would be understood as such, not diminishing their purposes for accountability, but wholly in the context of authentic support and encouragement.
…that programmes such as Salvo Stores and Employment plus would also become saving stations for the lost and fully integrated into the mission of the territory.
…that Salvo Stores and the Trade become responsible outlets for Fair Trade goods.
…that our commercial department at THQ become a resource and focal point for facilitating our increasing efforts in Fair Trade.
…that the Family Tracing Service be expanded to find those souls who have been lost to the Army, assisting in bringing them home, where they belong.
…that we would never have another day in our existence where someone was not brought to Christ.
…that our soldiers roll would only be an increasing reality as would our worship and discipleship meetings.
…that the proliferation of new ministry openings would be so common and normal that we would have to appoint personnel just to keep track of it, most often after the fact.
…that those gifted with creative ministry gifts would have every opportunity to employ these very skills in the work of the Army.
…that our worship would be filled with creative means to celebrate God's provisions and presence among us.
…that our 24/7 Prayer Initiatives will be adopted by individual corps throughout the territory all the time.
…that we would establish Lighthouses of Prayer to cover our neighbourhoods with grace.
...that we would have numerous prayer destinations where people could go for prayer retreats, learning opportunities and resources.
…that our systems would be less restrictive and more imaginative to accommodate the new things God wants to do among us.
...that as a movement, we would be marked by holiness in corporate and individual praxis.
…that there would be such an out pouring of the Spirit upon us that we would be courageous and effective witnesses in our families, communities, cities, Australia and the world.
…that our compassion would be large enough to be understood as authentically global throughout what we do at home and abroad.
...that our people would be quick to response to the voice of God for whatever He calls them to.
…that our officer training programmes would be taxed by the unusual response of the called to serve as officers in TSA.
…that our local officers would be so empowered to understand their foundational role in the corps ministries and fully embrace the priesthood of all believers.
…that our women would have appointments and responsibilities commensurate with their gifts, abilities and experience.
…that our young people would be filled with the Spirit and recognised as contributors in the fight.
…that our children would be welcomed as authentic soldiers with proper opportunities to celebrate the presence of Christ in their lives and in their environments.
...that an extraordinary forgiveness and healing of past sins and hurts would prevail upon all people victimised by our practises or inattention.
…that God would see that we love Him supremely through Christ and that our reliance on the Holy Spirit completes His hope in us.
…that God would see that we love Him absolutely and are expressing our love for Him by our active love for others.

Acts 2:17 (NIV) ~ "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams."