Feedback from the August 2010 Leadership Intensive

It has been good to be able to re-evaluate vision & mandate & how to communicate that in this age of technology & change.  It has highlighted that we haven’t been relevant to today’s society & the world’s social needs.  New vision in loving community & meeting the challenges of being relevant.  Good information on working as team & what that means.  Identifying weakness & the reality of the way things are.  I feel empowered to go on with some clear direction.  Thanks heaps for the invite.

CHALLENGING – very, INFORMATIVE – good, UPLIFTING – certainly, REVEALING – absolutely, WISDOM – Godly & loving – great.  Definitely worth it.  Raised some questions about me & my place in God’s story – will work on answers.

Impact?  The “realness” & the “relevance” of the content.  Energizing – want to go further now!!

Wisdom!  Wisdom!  Wisdom!  To learn from Tim and Sharon’s years of experience, I find quite valuable.  They share their highs and lows, what they found worked and didn’t work.  What valuable insight!  Plus to get together with other leaders who struggle with similar issues and hear their approaches to these issues is quite helpful.

The effort that has been so obviously put in to make this program an amazing time at equipping is phenomenal.  I have learnt so much that will help me in my leadership role and that will help others as I raise them also for leadership.  The prophecies spoken over me were affirming, true, and have already greatly affected me in a positive way.  I thank you all for the effort put in.

Having attended previously, the ministry has been developing these foundations over the past few years.  This intensive has been encouraging and refreshing, it will strengthen the future as we are led by the Lord.  Prophecy here is always awesome.  The food is great too.  Really good.  You are certainly always a blessing.  Thank you!

Tim & Sharon have been used by God to speak into the life of our church since it began.  Heartland is continually being shaped by leadership teaching from New Directions and this intensive reaffirmed, realigned & refocussed us.  Our team was able to soak up some great teaching, insights & stories of experience, & it has helped us to move forward on the same page & to continue the work God is doing in our church with a new resolve.  The New Directions/Seals team once again blessed our socks off.

I found it informative and thought provoking.   I realise I have a lot to learn and I’m going home with a lot to process.  It has definitely been worth the time & money and what I’ll take from here will have lasting impact.  Thanks for all your efforts and energies.  Greatly appreciated.  PS Very pertinent topics for where our leadership is at.  Really good.

Great chance to see Tasmania!  Woo!  Food was fantastic!  Woo!  Everyone is (and was) so nice!  Woo!  The electives were great, well put and communicated.  Very thought provoking, lots of info to chew on!  I found certain topics inspirational and encouraging.

The intensive focussed on God’s people “the church” needing to stay anchored to the Gospel and all Scriptures moving with the times through our “methods” and ways of doing things – very important!!!  Thanks guys.

Thanks for the opportunity to be here these last 2 days.  I really believe it’s worth the time and effort to be here.  What I’ve learnt is just a wealth of knowledge and not only that, but it’s so practical and achievable, but it’s how to apply it that’s really impacted me.  Overall it’s been a great intensive.  I would recommend it to any leader or upcoming future leaders.  I would certainly send my wife and a few of my leaders to the next one.

Thank you Tim & Sharon.  It’s great to see and encouraging to see such a dynamic couple as yourselves working together.  PS Thanks to your staff for being excellent hosts & good food.  God bless.

I love the atmosphere of this place.  I found the intensive really relevant to where our church currently is.  I love hearing of real life experiences and was really challenged by Sharon’s session on “Loving our Community”, with the reminder that if we are faithful in serving, God will open doors.  As a leader, Tim’s elective on “Dysfunctional Leadership Teams” provided a real “light bulb” moment regarding our own situation.

Thanks Tim, Sharon & team.  God is really active here and I long to see our leadership and in fact other Tassie churches availing themselves of the opportunity to sit under your teaching and encouragement.

A positive experience.  Content was good, environment great for this type of thing, and it was a good mix of people from different areas of ministry and age groups.  I personally enjoyed the sessions where the participants were more vocal and enjoyed hearing and was challenged by their process of trying to grasp the learnings for their own experiences.  I also enjoyed the one on one contacts and sharing in the personal learnings and life challenges that others have.  This always keeps me grounded.  Good job.

Michael has always raved about your programs.  I came over to get on the same page as him as he derives a lot of his thinking from this place.  I found the weekend reinforcing concepts which I already knew & also challenging some viewpoints to which I hold.  As I am not a pioneer leader but a support person, I found the information helpful in seeing how the pioneer leader works.  I tend not to be a team player, but this intensive has encouraged me to try harder to assist Michael and the team.  I think what you’re teaching is good for the next generation of leaders embarking on a life of ministry.

A fantastic environment to grow, receive direction, rebuild your personal vision, gain wisdom, be inspired and encouraged.  And oh the food!  So good.  Definitely worth the trip from Brisbane.   

To be in an inspiring & spectacular environment of the Tailrace Centre in beautiful Launceston, and to receive wisdom & insight into successful Biblical leadership has been a great experience.  This experience will inspire me holistically to take what I can & apply this in context to our community & the vision that God has given to us.  Thank you for treating us like kings.

On a scale from 1 to 10, 1 being poor and 10 being excellent.  Tim as a presenter? 9  Sharon as a presenter? 9  Holy Spirit presence? 8 Relevance of material? 10  God’s direction in your life? 8  Food? 10  Break time quantity? 10  Accommodation? 10  Cataract Gorge?  7

Had a great time.  The content was relevant & I feel equipped.  This course felt right when compared to the Spirit promptings back home & the hospitality was amazing.  Thank you for your time.  Inspirational people.

Impacted the most by

- worship & prayer

- Tim, Sharon & team

- Team leading.  Tony the bus driver is a real asset.

- Importance of culture

- Julz is a welcoming smiling presence

- Loving your community

- cafe quality food, wine service.  Would recommend – many thanks.

Church in the market place.  What an inspiration!

Many thanks for all things but especially

1.The teaching was very engaging learning the when, where, what, how and who.

2.The food and the service was very good comparing to a 4+star hotel or resort.

3.The accommodation is the motel is easy simple, possibly not 3 star but 2 star.  It was clean, simple & easy to get into the Centre.

Overall many thanks.  I enjoyed it greatly, going home enriched.

Feedback from the Women’s Leadership Intensive (May 2009).

I highly recommend the women’s ignite intensive. When you are a leader or you have a desire to lead it is so important to have good teaching in your life. I believe the teaching through the intensive is of a high standard. It is not just theory, it is good practical input also. You have an opportunity to grow lasting friendships with like minded people. You certainly spend time laughing and moments where you may cry. It is a well worth investment. 

Ruth Swift, Highway Christian Church

The Ignite Intensive is made up of a group of vibrant, God loving women who have a hunger to increase their abilities, spiritual development, and personal lives. The Intensive is different in that there is opportunity given for dynamic interaction, team and personal assessment, and spiritual insights that encourage growth both spiritually and practically. For me, both as a teacher and a participant the experience was overwhelmingly positive. I have come away equipped for another year of ministry, with a fresh understanding of the relationships of team, and fired anew for God.

Mandy Mutzelburg, Heritage City Community Church

I wanted to let you know how much I thoroughly enjoyed the Ignite intensive… it was one of those things where you feel like it was planned with yourself in mind, when everything that was said was so relevant to what is going on in your own life at the time. Sometimes I struggle to get the right words out to express how I feel but I’ll do my best!!

The very first session impacted me a lot.. the whole Ruth/Naomi – mother/daughter – relationship, made me realize that I have been really missing the relationship of a spiritual mother. It’s something very special that I have never had. In any of the churches we’ve gone to I have never been so inspired by the pastor’s wife! That may come across sounding strange or disrespectful to some people but I have always felt that the pastors wife was always in the shadow of her husband, having a very behind-the-scenes role and it always made me think that that must be just ‘the way it is’ for women in the church, if you have an influential husband then you’d best be prepared to settle in to the supporting role and deal with it. You have shown me that a woman can have just as influential a role as her husband while working in harmony with him and still supporting his work. I admire and respect you for that! I really look up to you Sharon and I feel that there is a great deal I could learn from you as a woman, a wife and a mother.

 

The rest of the Intensive blended in perfectly with the theme and I got so much out of Mandy’s session as well, and last night when Ruth spoke just blew me away. I loved the whole thing, Sharon! You did an amazing job putting it all together! I appreciate all the hard work and effort you put into it.

Hey ") just wanted to give some feed back/ what I gained from that amazing experience

For me it was an amazing 3 days to end off a more Than amazing month in my life..... From the intensive I gained more knowledge of the mother/daughter relationship stuff Which god has been showing me this month. The importance of good teams and everything just amazed me and I really want to see my friends and I grow as an amazing team which I no we have been called to be for the kingdom of god ")

I have much more of an awareness of what god is doing in my life and I no more about what I need to improve/work on within myself and I no more about my friends ")

I loved the stuff about the mentor,bridesmaid, stretching our thinking and especially the clinging to people/person ") I now understand more about the scriptures from the amazing teaching which took place ")

Hmmmmmmm...........

There's so much stuff but not enough words to explain the feelings..... But I know that with everything I have moved forward and not going back....") ")

Thanks for putting on an amazing 3 days.....

Feedback from Church Planting Intensive (March 2009)

My wife and I attended an Ignite Intensive Course on Church Planting hosted by Ps Tim O’Neill, at the New Directions Church in Launceston in March 2009.

The course was extremely valuable, as apart from providing some excellent resource material, Tim was able to help us consolidate our vision, and move from a position of uncertainty to one of some clarity. He helped us develop an action plan and timeline that we are able to “own” and believe we can work to.

Tim also helped us understand some of the potential pitfalls and roadblocks that we might encounter, and how to start building an effective team to support us.

An excellent workshop, and one that has helped move us along the path from concept to reality.

"The Ignite Intensive in March 2009, helped me to understand more about myself - my gifts and where I can work best in the Church. It helped to re-confirm our vision and why the Lord has called us to be church planting. To have an opportunity to think about and try to explain our vision to someone outside of our immediate situation helped us to be able to see things from a wider perspective. The questions and discussion points really challenged and helped us to clarify many things about the work. The questions and comments Tim made helped us to think in more concrete, practical terms. This time really refreshed and energized us. Thank you so much for this awesome opportunity Tim, Sharon and the New Directions Community!!!"

"We had only a week of time that we could be back in Tassie this year and to get to spend two days of that time with Tim, Sharon and the New Directions team at an Ignite Intensive was such a blessing to us!! We're now leading a team to plant a new youth church in Tokyo, Japan. This is the first time for us to be leading a church plant and so there is so much we have to learn. So the Ignite Intensive, March 2009, being focused on starting out in a new church plant was exactly what we needed!!

We gleaned so many useful insights about ourselves and our giftings - strengths and weaknesses. We were able to clarify so much more our vision, calling and strategy. We've looked back over our notes and shared insights we learned with several others already and will use the ignite resources with our team here.

It was a privilege to be doing this with others who were preparing to church plant in other contexts also. Whilst our situations were so different, we found that we also had so much in common.

Thanks again for this time, can't wait to go to the next one!!"

Feedback from Previous Intensives (Prior to 2009)

Thanks Tim and Sharon and New Directions Family

As always it’s so good to be ‘home’.  Our hearts are full to go and share with our family in Penguin.  As we said to you Tim, it would be wonderful if you could come and do some of this teaching over a Friday night / Saturday.

Thanks for releasing us, encouraging us, inspiring us.  The teaching was great, from the heart and God’s heart.  It works well using the facility and the accommodation road.  Good variety of teaching / hang / Worship / DVD’s / team time.

Great to have some digestion time with team.

So what else can we say but thanks.

The Leadership and Growing Strong Disciples sessions were a confirmation of what I had been used to.  It helped me process some of the journey that I have been on in the last year.  Thanks.

I really enjoyed the ‘Strength Finder’ sessions.  I completed the online test this morning and looking forward to digesting the results.

The main thing I came away with this weekend was that it was important to keep going back to the Scriptures.  What does the Scripture say?  How do I apply it to my life?  God has all the answers and the understanding, so why should I try to figure it all out – stand on God’s word, let it work in my life!

Thanks for being a willing vessel of God

Over the last few days I have been greatly encouraged by the input I have.  I do of the believe that New Directions is lead closely by the heart of God and the health of the Church is evidence of that.  The ministry Holy Spirit I have received through your faithfulness to Christ has been life – changing!  Thank you so much for your leadership and love you have lavished on us.

God bless you and your Church.

I really loved all the teaching, some of it was challenging but all of it was relevant and I can see that it will be taken back into our Church.  We are going to become a stronger team and a stronger Church because of this weekend and God will use this to advance His Kingdom.

I also really appreciated Friday night, it was so great to have time out to worship and come into God’s presence and also to be prayed for.

This weekend, God has helped me to make sense of some things that I’ve been struggling with and has shown me that path he wants me to take in these situations.

Thanks, you guys are awesome.

The sessions that I experienced throughout the forum were incredibly relevant and captivating.  I enjoyed them because they were not just words shared, there was conviction, encouragement and challenges.  Having the Holy Spirit lead and teach us this week has re-vamped my passion and courage. I feel better equipped and confident to be led by the Spirit into new and exciting places that I have held back on before.  My is that the forum doesn’t stop here.  That the Spirit guides me and others further and that we can reflect on this time as a significant time of revelation by the Spirit.

The past few days have been amazing.  The teaching applied to me, I could pull out a lot of teaching that I felt God was trying to show me.  The worship time and prayer was awesome.  I have felt the Spirit before but this was a different sensation and one I won’t forget.  I really felt the Spirit come into my life.  I am encouraged to allow the Spirit to do more within me, I always felt held back from that side of it.

You have an amazing Church and great leaders and I’m glad I’ve had the opportunity to share this experience.  The whole conference was amazing and completely worthwhile. 

I loved it.

I have found this experience with Ignite and the N. D. team incredible.  The teaching has been so relevant and applicable to our Church and its at the moment.  I really believe our Church will be healthier because of this experience.

The convenience of having accommodation, meals and the forum all so close is great.  The Tailrace Centre is amazing and vision inspiring.  The ministry time was great, as well as the relationships with others over meals etc, were another great way to learn. 

Thanks so, so, so much.

God Bless

1Great teaching

2Great wisdom

3Great facility

4Looking forward to seeing you all – 2 years

5Great commitment, you are living out -  the teaching

6You are producing great fruit

7Your body of Christ is inspiring

8Tim, you are a great visionary, just a gentle reminder to keep an open channel of accountability with your senior leaders and your elders because they will help keep you humble.

Fantastic work Tim, Sharon and team..

The teaching has been amazing.  Now I have to put some of it into practice.  I feel God is saying to me I need to take the next step.

Thank you so much.

My heart resonates so strongly with your vision for NDs, to see strong disciples become world changers – I want to see His Church impact the world and play my part in that.  So I’m very encouraged to keep focused and dependant on God and to keep seeking the Spirit’s inspiration as a result of the time here and the blessing of your teaching and example.

I thank God for your passion, commitment and hospitality.  I would like to stay connected in the future. 

Great to see the N.D. vision being realized.  Thanks for sharing and teaching from your own heart and journey and struggles and revelation.

Amazing teaching on the Church – especially to protect its leadership and life and unity.  So strategic and significant for our team at this time and season of our journey.

Appreciated the impartation and prayer and ministry.

Whole experience was awesome – spot on and relevant and so empowering.

One suggestion – a little more team time.

Planting and leading a Church is a tough game.  The topics we have covered in the last two days, dealing with division, Biblical Church governance, the characteristics of break out Churches and so on has given me some valuable insights and challenges on how I might become the person (leader) God has created me to be.  All glory to Christ, the lover of my soul.

I just would like to say that the last few days have been very helpful for me with my walk with God, it has confirmed a lot of things for me and I know I am going to home with a different attitude towards a lot of things.

So thank you so much.

I really appreciate the leadership and vision that God has put on both of your hearts – Sharon and Tim.  The intense passion and desire you have for Him and His Word is such a challenge for me to step up.

Thank you

The personal challenges that have been placed on me are great.

Less theory, more practical may be more useful / powerful.

Had a really great time, learned a lot especially that I definitely need to know the Bible a whole lot better!  Thank you for praying for me and giving me encouragement and comfort from a Word.  Really appreciate you running the conference and putting so much effort and energy into it.

Thanks again.

Awesome Church, great building, awesome hospitality.  Thanks so much for your insight and teachings straight from God.  You are truly blessed.  Your knowledge of the Word has sparked a hunger in me to get into it more.  I hope and pray we can take your teachings back to our Church and change lives in our Church, our community, our country and the world.

•New and challenging

•Strong vision

•A different Church structure than what I am familiar with – eye-opening and thought provoking.

•Great food, accommodation and hospitality

•Thank You, God bless

Hey Tim and Sharon

Thank you for the past couple of days, it’s a real encouragement to us and as you said we have heard you share on some of the things before but every time with a new flavour and for me with a new level of understanding, it’s been great.

I really appreciate your support, encouragement and relationship.

Tim and Sharon

Awesome, practical

Best teaching on proactive and Scriptural on conflict resolution.

Challenging

Empowering

Encouraging

Freeing

Thank you, thank you, thank you so much.

Thank you for this weekend of teaching.  I have learnt a lot about leadership in a church.  I have also been inspired to see what can be done for the future of the Church.  I have been encouraged by finding my strengths and being able to focus on them.  I have had breakthrough within myself of negativity and also a judgment I had realized upon others and now I feel completely free.

This conference is a waste of time to anyone whose heart is not open to hear something new, fresh, challenging and deposited straight from God.  I believe Tim and Sharon have opened themselves to hear from God on important matters that deeply reflect His heart.  I have received plenty of meaningful teaching that will challenge the way I do ministry for the rest of my life.

Thank you Tim, Sharon and team.

Your passion, absolute commitment, your unfailing love and faith in Him, your God inspired truths and teaching, your care for ALL Christians, your desire and yearning to learn more, to be absorbed in the Word and truth have made this experience so surreal and exciting for me.

Your ability to connect to Him has made me to treally yearn for that same love and connection too!  Thank you MATE.

Also the Christian love of your team and the love of the other members have made this such a spiritual time.

I really appreciate that every time someone asks a question your first response is to refer to the Word.

Is’nt it great and humbling that we as sinners, God has called us to do this work – ex rebel army men, ex gamblers, ex businessmen, simple laymen who God wants to use to further the Kingdom.

Good bless

Thankyou for the way you have blessed us again.  For your generosity for making yourself available to input into my (our) lives and our ministry.  I love the way you present in such a relaxed, simple and down to earth way.  You have shared some of this material with us before but is great.  Each time it builds on anew level of understanding I did not have before.  Last night was great and God spoke to me about some stuff.

I think the biggest thing out of this is you continue to give me courage to do what God is calling me to do. 

The hospitality we have received over the course of the last few days has been so fantastic and a real testament to what you guys are doing in this place.  The sincerity of Tim and his team has been very refreshing. Tim’s teaching has been exceptional and a testament to his heart for Jesus Christ and the working of the Holy Spirit through church ministries.  The meals were so, so, so good.  Thanks so much Kitchen Staff!

My first impression of the large church building and facilities here was a feeling of extravagance but I was very quickly hit by the humility of the ministry here and the sincerity in which it is carried out in a God honouring way.

Thanks so much for this fantastic experience and the growth, teaching and spiritual renewing and fellowship it provided.

God bless you all here!

 

I t was really hard to come away (logistically) but I knew, .....I knew I had to come.  I was tired...exhausted from life...I even began to see this as just another ‘job’ to try and fit in.....and yet I knew I had to come – God was saying ‘come’ even when I just didn’t have the energy.

Now I know why....God is so good and knows me so intimately and knows exactly what I need – He knew I needed confirmation of His will for my life – He knew how much I have been wanting clarification of the haze and often confusion of these past few years – and to hear clearly from Him “where to from here?”  He knew I needed time to soak Him in, to rest in Him, to move more deeply into Him, to let go of past pain and be released into a new ‘season’ of my life for Him.  To hear afresh from Him,  ...through the voice of His Holy Spirit...in a new way.  To make a fresh commitment to Him and let go of all that I’ve been holding onto.  To choose to go on in a new season, without fear, to be equipped and prepared to serve Him in a deeper and more committed way.

Thank you Tim, for your obedience to the call of God on your life – to gently get my attention and speak God’s affirmation and clarity into my life anew,  to  assure me without a doubt that God has been noticing and leading in spite of my confusion for a time.

I desire to go deeper into God and I feel this time, this intentional time with God, and with our team, has been part of releasing me into that deeper walk.

To experience this with brothers and sisters in Christ – to get to know them more so that we can continue to enjoy the journey, support each other in the journey together.

Thank you “Ignite” Team for this safe and secure place to enable this to happen, both physically and spiritually.

 

This time spent at New Directions has been completely different from what I was expecting.

I was in a way expecting a bit of a spiritual journey, but the focus of this conference was on leadership techniques.

How wrong I was, I should not put God in a box.  This has been so inspirational.

I can see the Lord  speaking through you and your team Tim, you should be proud.

The teaching has been so what we needed and so spiritually based.

You have shown us leadership techniques in a strong biblical fashion and encouragement and love as a leader and brother with such a spiritual authority.

So thank you Tim

Bless you and your team

Thank you for your welcome, at every point of contact our team of 6 were apprehended by a sense of anticipation of a time that ministered to us spiritually, intellectually, strategically and physically – all in an atmosphere of rigorous reality.

Thank you Sharon for your love of Jesus that cannot be constrained.

Thank you  Scottie & Margie – you are an inspiration!

Thank you Mary for your smile at the beginning of our experience at New Directions and your spirit led worship on Thursday night.

Thank you David & James for your words, wisdom and prophecies so appreciated, encouraging, inspiring over our lives Thursday and the prayer meeting which we wouldn’t have missed on Friday worship.

May froth, excitement and expansion always be your experience. 

Wow!  It’s been great.  I guess I have given my verbal praise, to add to that it was particularly great to have Mark & Julia along as part of our team, and I am sure it will help bring us together more in one heart and mind.

I always love the element of lots of scripture and enlightenment from the heart (Eph 1:18). It wouldn’t be complete without allowing time for the Holy Spirit to have a session (in ministry time) so thanks for scheduling that in too.  I feel blessed, encouraged, strengthened and more focussed for the tasks ahead.

Thank you

We have benefited greatly from your teamwork and modelling of church leadership.  This time has charged our team with new passion and excitement for our vision.

The love and hospitality has been a standout.  We really have felt like VIPs over these last days.  The Cafeteria struck a cord with me and the giftedness of the staff in an area of my passion was encouraging to see.

Sharon echoed this when she said “Christians don’t have to always do things poorly with little resources”.

The building is wonderful.  Thanks to Mary for being a smiling servant.  Thanks to David for the quick tour of Launnie. 

Thanks to Tim for the cake!  (spiritual and cheese)

Thanks for bring me a point of decision.  It’s easy to love in the shadows, to live in the safety of excuses, all of which are “good” in their own right.

Fear has held me back in so many ways, but I’m on a journey forward of which you’ve played a pivotal part, you and the team have raised. Praise God

This time has been healing of past hurt, acknowledging where I am standing and where I need to go.  A big bold step up in my calling of God.  And the God who pushes forward is the same God who is right behind me each step.

Don’t have full clarity of what this all will look like but that’s OK.

Staff in “Seals” are a real blessing. Always ready to bless and smile and serve. Happy to be there, doing big hours!! Thank you

To face the cost is scary and in all honesty I haven’t been OK about counting the cost. So much more in my deepest heart I need to lay aside. So much more.

Last night was a safe place to receive and I had full confidence to bring my team to such a place, no matter how new it was for them.

God has moved in a huge way in our guys.

I know my No 1 goal is to draw nearer to God.  Intimacy.

Thanks so much for being a man with a Kingdom vision to reach/stretch out to church plants like ours.

Your life models a tremendous amount to me and for that I say thank you.

Again to have part of my team here to hear a Kingdom heart, that has been plenty for another 10 years. 10 years of experience, pain, suffering, joy etc has been awesome.

Somehow my team, core members missed out on the prophetic ministry last night and yet it was great to see the power of God at work in our midst and for that we praise God.

Thank you Tim and look forward to next time.

The workshop has been an incredible experience of learning and refreshment for me.

It has’nt just touched me personally, but will also facilitate great biblical  leadership in my ministry on the African Continent.

Tim’s simple approach of teaching has been a great highlight.  He has not imposed himself on us.  He simply said what he said and gave scriptural backing for every major statement.

In every affirmation Tim received, he passed on the credit to his team members who have worked behind the scenes to make our stay memorable.

He bought us to a place of decision and left it to us to choose.

The emerging Church movement leaders need this training, every experienced leader needs it to check himself to make sure they are not trapped in religion and traditional rituals.

I am grateful for this workshop, I feel indebt and it was worth cancelling my flight to Africa and buying a ticket to Tasmania.

God bless Tim and the Ignite team.

Thank God for those who do the hard yards.  Who pay a high price to build the kingdom, the Church of Jesus Christ.  Those who would share their discoveries, which were birthed in pain, so that others would be birthed in this same work of making disciples.  This is the heart of the Apostle, the heart of a father.

Thank you Tim.  Thank you Ignite

Firstly, a most sincere thank you for the blessing that has been your generosity.  Generosity of spirit, hospitality, shared learning and guidance.  All these have created a space that has allowed for reflection, prayer and meditating on God’s word in a way that’s focused on some pretty simple yet challenging/motivating messages/questions.

Do I love Jesus above all else?

Am I willing to use my love for Jesus to reach those whose hearts are void of Christ ? (through Church…)

Although there were many other messages, questions, approaches I’ve taken on, it may be this time next week before I can make sense of these – in fact they will be ongoing, life long points of consideration and challenge.

One of the early learnings – I have permission to “act” and “do” for God, within a church, without having to seek permission or “jump through hoops” – indeed “church” should encourage and foster this.

Your facility and model has provided as many questions as it has answers and ideas.  Importantly though, it has given me permission to get to a point of prayerfully considering community relevance of Mt Clear.  Much has come into my heart about supporting Ross and believing his vision – love in this.

What a blessing these 3 days have been!  Your inspired teaching has challenged and stretched me way beyond what sometimes I could hardly bear.  However, the intense study of the word and wonderful times of prayer have given me new directions, new strength and new assurance to keep moving forward.

I experienced the heart of my spiritual Father this week and found new peace, healing and compassion.

Thank you Tim for your constancy in my life – for believing in me and encouraging me to be faithful to God’s calling on my life.

We have been truly cared for in all ways this week at your beautiful new centre.  The wonderful food, the caring staff, the acts of service – we truly were welcomed home.

We pray for you Tim and your ministry team – bless you as you continue to live out to the community what God has placed on your heart.

Also, I really want to thank you for ministering to my young team.  You have opened their minds and their hearts to the love of God and the precious truths in the Word of God and have challenged them to be obedient to God’s call and will for their lives.

Thank you Lord for Tim & Sharon – their selfless lives, their love and acceptance of everyone.  I feel truly blessed to be their friend.

The last couple of days have been a whole bunch of thoughts.  I have been challenged with some of the teachings, stretched with my biblical knowledge and at the same time had my eyes opened to scripture!

It has been exhausting at times because of the mental gymnastics that’s been going on.

It has been rewarding and hopefully a new focus will birth from this.

Wow! I have been extremely encouraged by the time I have spent with you here.  To think that I originally thought that this was something that is not for me – I was totally wrong and I thank God for stirring in my heart and allowing me to come away for a time of refreshment, refocus, encouragement, amazing teaching and vision casting.

Tim, thank you for your God-inspired teaching.  I have been encouraged by your honesty, your heart for God and your desire to see people become all God has planned for them.  You have taught us to take on our own church’s DNA and not take back to our church a carbon copy of yours.

Your team has been sooo welcoming.  It has felt like I am at home!  You do everything well here and you are not ashamed of being successful.  I pray that as a team you can really sit back and celebrate the blessings God has poured out upon your team and community.

Mary, thank you for your ministry to us – from welcoming us at the airport to ministering to us through song.  We would love to see you at Northgate in time to inspire our worship team.

I believe that God has given me a vision – I came to Tassy believing that God would show me the specifics of this ministry.  He showed and taught me that this cannot come until I am fully devoted to Him:  I am inspired to go back home with an intensity to follow Him – to seek Him first and then follow His desires for my life.  Thank you.

 

I first came to a church plant workshop with Steve Addison and Tim facilitating in December 2000.  This was the start of a journey outside the box, opening the lid on my review of the church, and opening my eyes to the Gospel of Jesus in a new way, a relevant way.  There we sat in a small shop in Riverside, working with post-it notes and butchers paper.

Today, I stand amazed, at the Tailrace Centre, as a church planter, having been so blessed by the teaching, coaching, worship and experience of the Holy Spirit that has just been so powerful, an experience of hospitality from the New Directions team and the Seals Restaurant staff that has blessed my socks off! and a clarity of thought and vision from God that I cherish and want forever.  I saw my team members encounter God in an amazing display of God’s love, grace and power.

Since you brought me over here early in 2004 I have come to see you as God’s gift to me as afriend, mentor and now I realize, spiritual father.  Both you and Sharon have been such a blessing and encouragement to our family and our ministry with your generosity with possessions, money and self.  You have poured yourselves out – I want you to know that for me I have savoured every drop.  

I found that this week has impacted my walk with the Lord, my ability to be a leader and my ability to be lead.

From this I intend to be more open to the Holy Spirit dwelling within me and allow His presence to be seen by those who surround me.

I want to be an effective leader and have learnt some new skills to do so, I also have been encouraged to be brave in doing so.

I would like to thank you for all the great teaching, wonderful food, kindest hospitality, powerful prayers and for your obedience.

In the Lord,

Thank you so much for the time and the teaching you have so lovingly given to us over the past few days.  I have been greatly encouraged and convicted to get more deeply into the awesome Word of God.  As a relatively new Christian I was truly blessed at your worship service to see and experience the almighty power of God in a truly touching and emotional way.  Your team were amazingly helpful and loving, never missing a chance to encourage, pray and bless us all.  I have found the past few days the most spiritually encouraging days of my Christian walk so far and you have given me the foundations I needed to take your example of love and submission back with me to help grow God’s Kingdom in an exciting and fresh new way.  I believe I am now better equipped to submit and serve to my leader and spiritual father.

Great time of challenge and growth.  We came not really knowing what to expect.  I was probably expecting more strategical plans in regard to the building plan, the way it was achieved and set up.  Instead we were blessed by seeing the biblical foundation which must be in place before anything else. 

God has really spoken to me these 3 days and challenged the core of how I do ministry.

He has rightfully restored in my heart and ministry the need for His power, the power of His Spirit and the power of His Word.

A big thank you to all the team that put this on.  From Tim and Sharon through to Scotty and the Café staff.  We’ve been blessed spiritually through the teaching, but also through the service and time of fellowship/relationship and refreshing that we experienced as guests of New Directions.