2 entries in 3 days. something must be happening!
Thursday 25th.
Super shacked day - even though i didn't manage to wake up for my 0800 class. Got up at 0745 and drove into uni for the first time - my dad's got us a 2nd car to use. Not rich, lah - just essential in a place like Auckland where public transport is far from efficient. Couldn't find a parking space to save my life... til about 5mins to 10, which was when my lesson was gonna start. Shoulda just taken a bus!
Met up with Mark (my buddy from Wales) at BK where we had a good chat, and afterwards with Andy Shudall where we chatted more and planned to start our long awaited 1-2-1 sessions on Exodus next week. Jasmine Lim knows Andy - she did Relay in the UK for a year under him - how crazy's that! I'm surprised he knew her, cos he didn't mention her when i met him... but the world is so small, and when we realise how big God is, that kinda puts it all into perspective, with a little flick of his big hand, we end up going places and meeting people from all over. Pretty cool.
Here's the best part of my week so far - an organised meeting with Andy, and my mates Julian, Justin and a special guest, this lass from Sweden, Johanna. The 3J squad! The background to this meeting was - last week, we had a lecture on Islam and Ethics - to provide us potential journalists with a background on Islam and how it's badly and unfairly portrayed in the media. After the lecture, my mate Justin Wannenburg(who looks like a rock star with long, blonde hair and aviator shades. he plays drums for a band) made a beeline for me and asked me what i thought about it. I gave him my 2c worth and we had a little discussion about it. He was brought up a catholic, but has a very post-modernistic, politically correct view on religion (ie. all routes lead to God etc). My other really good friend, Julian, who is a Christian, joined in the conversation, and i found out that he, too had a pretty post-modernistic view on the various faiths and struggled to understand why some would go to heaven and others wouldn't. "How can a loving God create a people, only for Him to destroy them? How can a loving God create a tribe, far out in the Amazon, where they will hear zilch about the Gospel and hence be condemned to hell?", were some of the questions that were spat out. That conversation was pretty good, albeit excitedly tense, but after 45 mins we weren't getting anywhere. The cool bit was, that upon realising that it was nearly time to head off for our next lesson, we slumped back into our chairs and morphed back into our old selves again, uni lads without a care in the world (yeah, righttt!!)
So, back to our meeting on Thurs. After having that debate with J & J, i rang Andy and asked if he'd like to come down and help to clarify some doubts. I checked with the boys, and they were both more than willing(much to my surprise). We debated for an hour and a half. I kept my distance but left my antennae on high reception and let Andy handle the questions that were hurled in his direction. Man, was he good. Time went on, Julian got redder, Justin seemed to agree and disagree in regular cycles.. and Johanna(who'd coincidentally saw us, sat down, and knew nothing of what she was getting herself into) revealed a lot about herself and her religious background, and added flavour to what was, in short, an intense, in-depth discussion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a Uni cafe! Amayyyyyyyyyzing. It was quite the international meeting as well! Justin and Julian are from South Africa, Andy's from England, Johanna is from Sweden, and I'm from... ? haha! Well, the conversation ended like this. Both Justin and Johanna both clung on to their personal views, but were well educated about the Gospel, and confronted, point blank by it, and by Andy's piercing stare. Julian, however, was growing redder exponentially, redder than i'd ever seen him grow red - in fact, he was quite crimson at one point, until........ something Clicked for him. I'd like to call it the Click of the Spirit. Andy presented him with a ton of logical, reasonable Biblical argument - and there was so many things for him that he could have accepted and believed. But Andy said one thing which immediately Clicked inside him, and he understood, slumped back into his chair, humbled by the truth of the Gospel, and blessed with understanding, understanding beyond human conviction and comprehension. In a nutshell, to answer his questions on predestination, was Romans 9 talking about the Line of Promise that led to Christ, and later how God chose Jacob over Esau, and chooses whom He has mercy and compassion over. "What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! ...It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy... One of you will say to me: then why does God still blame us? ... But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, why did you make me like this?... (and finally, concerning Jesus the 'stumbling stone') See, i lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in Him shall never be put to shame." Cool or wot?! It was pretty amazing watching Jules, transformed by the Word of God. After he heard that bit from Romans 9, he was like a whole different person. It was a massive reminder that it's not by the eloquence of our tongue, or the flower in our Engrrrish that brings people to Christ, but the perfect, sovereign work of the Holy Spirit. I truly thank God for Andy and his faithfulness to the Bible and his willingness to speak the truth into peoples' lives. I only pray that i can have the same fervour and boldness to say 'hell' when God means 'hell', and 'you're going to hell', when that warning needs to be given. You're an inspiration, mate!
Finally, to cap off an eventful day, i pulled the same hamstring again at training which really sucked. I was absolutely sick to my stomach being injured again, meaning i will be out for another week or so at least. Nuff said ay - let us rejoice of the things that ring eternal, and not brood over a silly game which is meant for our fleeting enjoyment.
Signing off, (i'm getting the hang of this blogging again)
Elliot (sitting on an ice pack)
Super shacked day - even though i didn't manage to wake up for my 0800 class. Got up at 0745 and drove into uni for the first time - my dad's got us a 2nd car to use. Not rich, lah - just essential in a place like Auckland where public transport is far from efficient. Couldn't find a parking space to save my life... til about 5mins to 10, which was when my lesson was gonna start. Shoulda just taken a bus!
Met up with Mark (my buddy from Wales) at BK where we had a good chat, and afterwards with Andy Shudall where we chatted more and planned to start our long awaited 1-2-1 sessions on Exodus next week. Jasmine Lim knows Andy - she did Relay in the UK for a year under him - how crazy's that! I'm surprised he knew her, cos he didn't mention her when i met him... but the world is so small, and when we realise how big God is, that kinda puts it all into perspective, with a little flick of his big hand, we end up going places and meeting people from all over. Pretty cool.
Here's the best part of my week so far - an organised meeting with Andy, and my mates Julian, Justin and a special guest, this lass from Sweden, Johanna. The 3J squad! The background to this meeting was - last week, we had a lecture on Islam and Ethics - to provide us potential journalists with a background on Islam and how it's badly and unfairly portrayed in the media. After the lecture, my mate Justin Wannenburg(who looks like a rock star with long, blonde hair and aviator shades. he plays drums for a band) made a beeline for me and asked me what i thought about it. I gave him my 2c worth and we had a little discussion about it. He was brought up a catholic, but has a very post-modernistic, politically correct view on religion (ie. all routes lead to God etc). My other really good friend, Julian, who is a Christian, joined in the conversation, and i found out that he, too had a pretty post-modernistic view on the various faiths and struggled to understand why some would go to heaven and others wouldn't. "How can a loving God create a people, only for Him to destroy them? How can a loving God create a tribe, far out in the Amazon, where they will hear zilch about the Gospel and hence be condemned to hell?", were some of the questions that were spat out. That conversation was pretty good, albeit excitedly tense, but after 45 mins we weren't getting anywhere. The cool bit was, that upon realising that it was nearly time to head off for our next lesson, we slumped back into our chairs and morphed back into our old selves again, uni lads without a care in the world (yeah, righttt!!)
So, back to our meeting on Thurs. After having that debate with J & J, i rang Andy and asked if he'd like to come down and help to clarify some doubts. I checked with the boys, and they were both more than willing(much to my surprise). We debated for an hour and a half. I kept my distance but left my antennae on high reception and let Andy handle the questions that were hurled in his direction. Man, was he good. Time went on, Julian got redder, Justin seemed to agree and disagree in regular cycles.. and Johanna(who'd coincidentally saw us, sat down, and knew nothing of what she was getting herself into) revealed a lot about herself and her religious background, and added flavour to what was, in short, an intense, in-depth discussion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a Uni cafe! Amayyyyyyyyyzing. It was quite the international meeting as well! Justin and Julian are from South Africa, Andy's from England, Johanna is from Sweden, and I'm from... ? haha! Well, the conversation ended like this. Both Justin and Johanna both clung on to their personal views, but were well educated about the Gospel, and confronted, point blank by it, and by Andy's piercing stare. Julian, however, was growing redder exponentially, redder than i'd ever seen him grow red - in fact, he was quite crimson at one point, until........ something Clicked for him. I'd like to call it the Click of the Spirit. Andy presented him with a ton of logical, reasonable Biblical argument - and there was so many things for him that he could have accepted and believed. But Andy said one thing which immediately Clicked inside him, and he understood, slumped back into his chair, humbled by the truth of the Gospel, and blessed with understanding, understanding beyond human conviction and comprehension. In a nutshell, to answer his questions on predestination, was Romans 9 talking about the Line of Promise that led to Christ, and later how God chose Jacob over Esau, and chooses whom He has mercy and compassion over. "What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! ...It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy... One of you will say to me: then why does God still blame us? ... But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, why did you make me like this?... (and finally, concerning Jesus the 'stumbling stone') See, i lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in Him shall never be put to shame." Cool or wot?! It was pretty amazing watching Jules, transformed by the Word of God. After he heard that bit from Romans 9, he was like a whole different person. It was a massive reminder that it's not by the eloquence of our tongue, or the flower in our Engrrrish that brings people to Christ, but the perfect, sovereign work of the Holy Spirit. I truly thank God for Andy and his faithfulness to the Bible and his willingness to speak the truth into peoples' lives. I only pray that i can have the same fervour and boldness to say 'hell' when God means 'hell', and 'you're going to hell', when that warning needs to be given. You're an inspiration, mate!
Finally, to cap off an eventful day, i pulled the same hamstring again at training which really sucked. I was absolutely sick to my stomach being injured again, meaning i will be out for another week or so at least. Nuff said ay - let us rejoice of the things that ring eternal, and not brood over a silly game which is meant for our fleeting enjoyment.
Signing off, (i'm getting the hang of this blogging again)
Elliot (sitting on an ice pack)
posted by elliot at 11:18 PM
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