Booth Broadcast March 2019

The new year is well and truly underway and I hope it has been a good start for you. As the year stretches out infront of us, there are many challenges to overcome and sometimes just thinking about it makes me tired. However, Isaiah reminds us that the Lord sees it all and knows what to give us to get us through. Isaiah 40:30-31; “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” And so let me encourage each one of us that we can take strength from Isaiah’s words and receive from the Lord renewed energy in our spiritual and physical journey through the year.

The year started busily with me preaching each weekend through January. I actually enjoyed the discipline of writing a sermon each week. Each church was different and the Lord gave me the words needed for each. In one, I received a fairly specific word of knowledge for healing and after the service seven people came forward. After I’d prayed for them all an older woman came up and said; “I suppose I’m to late to be the one to be prayed for?” When I asked her what her need was, she gave the specific healing need I’d been given. We rejoiced that she didn’t shy away when she saw so many come and we were able to pray for her and see a major shift in her condition. Praise the Lord.

Yvonne’s BnB has been very busy during the summer months so that adds extra load for us. We are grateful that the Lord supplies our need through this and that He has brought a mission field into our home. We regularly have conversations on spiritual matters with some of the guests. One young Kiwi guy drops his son off at a Catholic Church. He goes rarely. So we talked about why he only goes occasionally which led to talking about who Jesus is and what He has done through the cross.

I continue to work to get pastors to sign up for the Caleb Leadership course. It is proving to be very tough this year. There are many reasons for it but one that stands out is the shrinking sizes of churches and the reduction of the number of full time pastors. I definitely need prayer in this area of getting pastors to see the absolute worth of the course and coming to it.

I spent a couple of days in Nelson meeting pastors and hopefully a couple will sign up.

Coming up

I will be heading to Christchurch on Monday to meet with pastors and to meet with the new Bishop of Christchurch. He and I have known each other for a few years now so I’m hoping he will consider sending a couple of his ministers to the course. One of the non Pastors I supervise has been asked to speak at a conference on education in Australia. He has asked me to coach him through the presentation he and a colleague have to give. I think this will be an interesting challenge.

In my capacity as Vice Chairman of the International Training Alliance, I head off to England on the 24th of March for bi annual face to face meetings. We will be discussing some significant shifts in structure of the council and senior management.

You can help me get there: I am still $900 short of the cost of going. If you are able to contribute toward this mission trip, please send a donation to Caleb Ministries NZ Trust’ 06 0222 0104470 00.’ It will be tax deductible. Thank you for your support.

I return on 7 April and the next weekend Yvonne Hannah and I will be taking a Relationship Matters short course for Whangarei Baptist. It is part of their outreach into the community. I am very excited about this. I will preach on the Sunday (Yvonne’s birthday – hey at least I’m in the country this time!) and then do a session on building relationships with non- Christians for church folk in the afternoon.

I am about to send out personalized invitations to about 20 Caleb graduates inviting them to an initial two day graduate course. I want them to be guinea pigs and give good feedback as to its value and or how to make it more valuable.
We also have two churches and a combined churches group looking at holding a Bridge Builders course. Please pray that all three go ahead.

Booth Thanksgiving Evening

With all that was going on in January, we were unable to hold the Thanksgiving evening. And so we we’ve grabbed the space to do it on Friday 15th of March. It’s a bit late for a barbi so it will be a supper. It will begin at 7.30 at Connect Baptist Church, 75 Everglade Drive Manukau. We would love the opportunity to catch up with you and thank you for your support. Please let us know if you can come.

On the home front

The family are all doing well and our grandson is growing quickly. He’s now walking and making lots of talking noises. In fact he talks a lot. I wonder where he gets that from? Ashburton’s theatre group are doing the musical Sister Act and Rachel is singing in the chorus. I’m biased but I think nun will be as good as her.

My Mum turns 92 on the 14 March and she is doing amazingly.

Yvonne has been working hard with Hannah to get her weight down. So far Hannah’s lost 6kg’s and is looking good for it. She and her support worker are getting on well. We still have to sort the family funded care stuff out. There has been no contact since the last case worker left.

Every blessing

Rex, Yvonne, Rachel, Jonny and Caleb, Jeremy & Sakura, Tim & Aimee & Hannah.