http://shirelive.manoto.com.au/index.php/site/index/ en valery.murphy@shirelive.com Copyright 2010 2010-09-01T03:04:15+00:00 http://www.shirelive.com/site/calling/ http://www.shirelive.com/site/calling/#When:03:04:15Z {summary}As a nation, Australia awaits the calling of a new government into power, due to an inconclusive national election held weeks ago, and still unresolved.  This can bring a certain feeling of instability to the citizens of our country, as they are unsure of the direction and vision that is ahead, and often people can feel insecure about vision and direction for their own personal future, because they have no clear way forward. Our government forms the ‘building blocks’ that we as a society live out, in both peace and hopefully positive vision for our national future. In our spiritual lives as Christians, we are quite often reminded that we are “just passing through” this world.  With no effective ‘government’ in our hearts, we can feel vulnerable and unstable in our future plans, due to a lack of vision and direction.  We understand that Jesus died for our sin condition, and belief in His name is the way in to relationship and to a life of faith that brings blessing and a great future here on Earth, but we can lack the motivation and conviction to go out and make a difference in our world. Our hearts’ ‘government’ could be regarded as our ‘calling’... it’s what we are motivated and encouraged by. We are ‘called’ but often don’t realise it!  Romans 12:2 tells us that we should differ from the world we live in, or at least from its ‘system’ and be transformed into the likeness of Jesus as we follow Him. Proverbs 28:18 says: “Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint;     but blessed are those who heed wisdom’s instruction.” When we get a ‘revelation’ that we are not only in relationship with God and headed for Heaven in Eternity, but we are called to make a difference here on the Earth, we can live with both expectancy and faith in even an environment of uncertainty and lack of direction.  Jesus ‘calls’ us to social justice, to love the unlovable, and to assist those in poverty, among other things.  But unless we realise that we are ‘called’...we will perhaps leave it to someone else to do. Taking responsibility as a Christian, means that we realise that we are called, and we actually do something about it! We are going to be starting a new series of messages in church very soon….Pastor Michael has named it “CALLED!” God bless you. 2010-09-01T03:04:15+00:00 http://www.shirelive.com/site/a-daunting-next-decade/ http://www.shirelive.com/site/a-daunting-next-decade/#When:04:32:00Z {summary}Deciding how this new and exciting decade from 2010 onwards will look for you? Often we can look back on the years and wonder how they could have flown so fast. But we look up at the looming decade ahead as though it were a 60 storey building that we’ ve been asked to climb…it’s daunting! Deciding what the next decade will hold for us is not only an exciting prospect, but one which God and we can handle together, depending on our orientation. What does that mean? Well, our orientation is often the difference between how we will approach, travel and land in the next handful of coming years. Will we partner with our Creator in dreaming and desiring for the future?  How will we include Him in our everyday? How will we land when we are in the same position…looking down the barrel of another fresh decade, wondering what it will hold…just what will be our position? First of all, our thoughts must be aligned with His: That’s a good position to have! “Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established” (Proverbs 16:3) Yes, even though we have “works” already in place, the Bible urges us to commit them all to Him, and our “thought” will be established! What does this mean… to “commit”?  This Bible word actually means ” to roll, roll down , roll away, remove” Picture a camel with a heavy load…it bends gently down to the ground, and rolls its burden off to the side. How does that sound?  Yes! to “commit” in this case means to roll off our cares about the future…onto God Himself… Why would that be?  Because they are just too heavy for you, and God wants to help you, in fact to handle it, for you. I Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you”. Now it doesnt seems so much like looking up at a big tall building you could never hope to climb, right? Have a wonderful decade, church! 2010-03-03T04:32:00+00:00 http://www.shirelive.com/site/happy-new-year/ http://www.shirelive.com/site/happy-new-year/#When:10:37:01Z {summary}wow!  2010 is here! Happy New Year….in fact, Happy New Decade! It’s easy to get carried away with all the well wishing and party going to celebrate the new year of 2010!  But amidst it all we may often anticipate what’s up ahead as a “question mark”.... We can get so concerned in a negative way with what may be about to occur, both personally and globally, that we start to allow fear to creep into our lives, and, before we know it, we’re overcome with a fear and trepidation about our future that we were never designed to carry!  I’ve felt it, you’ve felt it…this appears to be the human condition! An ancient prophet in the land of Israel once wrote down the words of God Himself that should fill us with both confidence and joy as we read them, particularly as we begin not just a new year, but an entire new decade….they are found in the book of Jeremiah: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. “ What more do we need?  Our Creator and the author of the Universe, not just our planet, says that He has everything under control, including the plans for our own personal future….we don’t have to know them, just trust in Him that He does!  Remember, pray, and He will be listening! God bless you, and oh yes!  Have a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Love Valery and Michael 2009-12-31T10:37:01+00:00 http://www.shirelive.com/site/its-christmas/ http://www.shirelive.com/site/its-christmas/#When:23:53:00Z {summary}Hi Church! This week has begun with a hope in my heart and a faith that that endures! I’m excited about 2010 and all that it holds for us,the vision waits for us to “run” with it!  And now, we have begun an exciting run to the greatest of all celebrations…that of the birth-day of Jesus Christ!  Yes, Christmas is approaching VERY fast. As we think about shopping for Christmas gifts and fare, arranging parties and celebrations, co-ordinating our calendars to include everything that this time of year presents…can I perhaps gently remind you of the REASON for this most wonderful of seasons? We can get so very busy running from here to there and being so concerned about the “stuff” that surrounds Christmas, that it’s a danger that we may forget about the very reason that we celebrate, in the midst of this activity and excitement!  Remember, Jesus was the original Christmas gift from The Father in Heaven…to you and me!  But of course, we can leave that “gift” that is Jesus… totally “unwrapped” and untouched under the “Christmas Tree” of our lives…and that will mean that we never actually RECEIVE Heaven’s gift to every human being on the Earth….because it is a choice to actually do that! Yes, it is up to each and every person to consider that gift, to approach and “unwrap” it, and to receive the greatest gift that has ever, and will ever, been offered to us.. Jesus is the Reason for the Season, as they say…so why don’t you take a break from the busy-ness, sit quietly for a few moments, and determine to consider Him, receive Him and continue to walk everyday knowing that He is with you and for you… And as you do, join the millions and millions of people all over our great world who believe the same….yes, Christmas is indeed the most wonderful of celebrations, let its Spirit touch YOU today! Romans 6:23 - “...the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. Isaiah 9:6 - “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” And the great thing is, this gift costs us nothing, and is offered to all of us! Wow!  To open it, we only need to believe in the claims of Jesus, and to tell Him so. As we receive that gift, God gives us the Eternity with Him that brings peace and blessing into our lives…..in one package!  Have a wonderful Christmas… Valery and Michael 2009-11-30T23:53:00+00:00 http://www.shirelive.com/site/towards-the-perfect-ten/ http://www.shirelive.com/site/towards-the-perfect-ten/#When:03:12:00Z {summary}Don’t miss this coming Sunday, November 29th when we gather as a united body together (including our Bayside and Cityside congregations!) at 9.30am to hear from Pastor Michael and the vision for Shirelive into our next exciting DECADE! Habakkuk 2 tells us this: “Write what you see Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming.” TOWARDS THE PERFECT TEN ...have you thought about what YOUR next DECADE holds? Come this Sunday morning and join us as we celebrate the exciting, energising vision that God has us writing down and running with! We look forward to seeing you there… Love Valery and Michael 2009-11-25T03:12:00+00:00 http://www.shirelive.com/site/desperate-households/ http://www.shirelive.com/site/desperate-households/#When:07:07:00Z {summary}DESPERATE HOUSEHOLDS!  We begin our new series this week regarding the health and happiness of our families and households…wow! what a topic! Joshua 24: 15: “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” Famous words and such a bold statement, from one of the most famous of our Godly forebears, a father of the generations. And worth listening to! In this day and age we certainly need words of wisdom from those who have led successful lives and families…and this Joshua seems to have known what he was talking about! As we continue to be bombarded by the current statistics in our nation that highlight the escalating divorce rate and we experience the fallout from these facts as they affect families and their relationships, let’s remember that the advice held by this ancient wise man can be followed even today: - plan to succeed in your family by being intentional about good choices . - look to the future with a positive reliance on God’s promises and His protection. - Understand that relationships and families are organic, never perfect! Strong families take the following words, and carve them into their future:  “I am committed to you, no matter what”.... And when things go wrong, all is not perfect in the home, we can remember that God is always there for us, helping us to pick up seemingly shattered lives and know that we have a future and a hope, someone who loves us and is committed to us. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. God bless your home today. Michael and Valery 2009-10-31T07:07:00+00:00 http://www.shirelive.com/site/what-is-the-jesus-difference/ http://www.shirelive.com/site/what-is-the-jesus-difference/#When:22:21:00Z {summary}Just what is this “difference” that knowing Jesus Christ as the Lord and Saviour of your life, actually makes? If you live in Sydney, no doubt many of us shared the amazement of waking up just a few days ago to a bright orange glow and an eerie atmosphere that in some peoples’ minds was possibly the herald of an apocalyptic change on the Earth!  No…it wasn’t the beginning of the “end” or indeed anything like it.  But it was unusual, and so we Sydneysiders can perhaps be forgiven for thinking that our world had changed in some way, or turned upside down… As I opened the blinds in my room around 6am, I was shocked to see that visibility was around 50 - 100 metres in our valley. I could almost feel that creepy “un-sound” of silence, where none of the usual kookaburras sat on their local tree branch laughing at the morning, and even the sulphur crested cockatoos that usually swarm in our area at dawn were uncomfortably quiet, adding to the atmosphere that told you something had changed! A red dust swirled in the air, changing everything, even your ability to breathe.  The dust permeated even that early morning cuppa…taste that “grit”...yuk! As it turned out, this was a massive dust storm which, accompanied by the winds that so often whip up these things in the Australian outback, was responsible for dumping tonnes and tonnes of red, iron ore laden dust onto our entire city.. No wonder we awoke surprised by this natural but rare phenomenon (well, in the city, that is!) and we are still talking about it!  Children were kept home from school, people took a day off work, the economy slowed as over 27,000 people in our city changed their plans for the day from their normal routine. The topic of conversation at the office water cooler for the last few days involves, no doubt, how to remove the thin red coat of dust from your car without hurting the duco. Neighbours are still discussing the length of time it took them to get homes back to normal, from brushing off the verandah furniture to digging out the red deposits from the back of the kids’ wardrobes…it’s a massive job requiring our attention and “elbow grease” like none other! What a conversation starter… As we begin our new message series at our services this coming Sunday on “The Jesus Difference”, let’s ponder on just what is required to make us think through CHANGE in our lives.  Let’s start to talk about the change that relationship with Jesus Christ can bring.  And let’s begin to talk about the change and transformation to a life that IS relationship with Jesus…that’s the “difference” that a relationship with Him can make. And if we dont understand that change, that relationship or indeed have never experienced a spiritual transformation, such as our city natually experienced this last week to everyone’s shock, then feel free to come, to experience, to chat and to find out about this DIFFERENCE that knowing Jesus Christ fully and in your everyday can make to you. God bless you, have the best day ever! Valery and Michael 2009-09-24T22:21:00+00:00 http://www.shirelive.com/site/let-heaven-fill-your-thoughts/ http://www.shirelive.com/site/let-heaven-fill-your-thoughts/#When:06:46:00Z {summary}Colossians, one of the New Testament books written by the apostle Paul in the First Century, is a real inspiration! If ever we get a bit “down” or the reality of life seems to be nothing but “grey”...here’s some excellent advice:  “Let Heaven fill your thoughts”! It’s a challenge, isn’t it?  To consciously think of things that will lift us up, rather than keep us down.  To discipline our thought life to majoring on those areas that promote happiness, peace and well being… Perhaps this is the answer, though, to many of us getting through the days that we would rather forget.  Paul says it like this: “So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it.  Pursue the things over which Christ presides.  Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you.  Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ - that’s where the action is.  See things from his perpective.” (Colossians 1:3) Recently I had the privilege of sharing this type of thing with a dear lady who was feeling that life was a bit “blah”!  You know that feeling?  By the time we had finished chatting, she was looking “up” and feeling so much better.  Why was that?  Because we filled our conversation with “Heavenly” things…stuff that we forget in the normal, everyday conversations and thoughts that we indulge in.  Often it can bring us so low…but we don’t have to stay there! We talked about one of my favourite Psalms - 91.  “Those who live in the shelter of the Most high, will find REST in the shadow of the Almighty.” Today - think on good things, those things that lift you up and give you energy and strength.  The things of Heaven.  Yes, they’re the things that revolutionise our lives because they are a promise of better things to come, granted, but also because they are available here on Earth right now! “He alone is my place of refuge, my place of safety” (Ps 91) Love you church!   2009-08-19T06:46:00+00:00 http://www.shirelive.com/site/watoto-comes-to-shirelive/ http://www.shirelive.com/site/watoto-comes-to-shirelive/#When:08:47:00Z {summary}Dear Church We are excited beyond measure to be able to host again this year the beautiful WATOTO CHOIR from Uganda, at Shirelive. Do you remember last year that we packed out the auditorium at the Sutherland Entertainment Centre? (Yes, one year ago!) You don’t want to miss the 2009 performance of this magnificent group of children from Africa!  Theyare amazingly talented but also dedicated, and they are coming Shirelive to bring their own particular brand of joy and song to us…what a great night it promises to be! Invite your friends and family this week….you and they are SO welcome! 6pm THIS SUNDAY EVENING AT SHIRELIVE…BE EARLY! Valery and Michael 2009-08-12T08:47:00+00:00 http://www.shirelive.com/site/synergy/ http://www.shirelive.com/site/synergy/#When:06:22:01Z {summary}Hi church! It’s with great anticipation and excitement that we are all looking forward to the end of this week and the start of our very first youth and young adults conference. We’ve called it SYNERGY….The dictionary describes this word as meaning: “the cooperative action of two or more muscles, nerves, or the like”...and as the church is often described in the Bible as being a “Body”...I can understand better the meaning of this word through its definition.  It’s as though we are working together towards a common goal.  As though we were rowing a longboat together…bound for new shores and horizons! Our conference is for all who will come - it has a Generational appeal because we are a “generational” church! We are inviting youth groups from within and around the Shire, and we hope that you who read this will think about joining us for this amazing event over a couple of days. Just check out the ad. on this website for any further information required. It’s been an amazing week!  Michael and I have travelled over to the other side of the country to pray for a dear friend in hospital.  We have celebrated church together with our dear friends here in Sydney.  And now he is attending the summit being held in Thailand for those churches involved in working with Asian Missions and the Australian Christian Churches.  It’s true, no matter how we look at it….WE DO THINGS BETTER AND MORE EFFECTIVELY WHEN WE DO THEM TOGETHER! So as you negotiate and enjoy your week, remember…SYNERGY is about working together.  thinking of others and praying for them and working with them…TOGETHER! It may make all the difference to you this week to remember that word… We love you church Michael and Valery 2009-08-03T06:22:01+00:00