Elisabeth Elliot pass away a few weeks back (June 15th, 2015). She was one of the most influential Christian women of our time. For a half century, her best selling books, timeless teachings and courageous faith have influenced believers and seekers of Jesus Christ throughout the world. She used her experiences as a daughter, wife, mother, widow, and missionary to bring the message of Christ to countless women and men around the world. Her first husband, Jim Elliot, was killed in 1956 while attempting to make missionary contact with the Auca of eastern Ecuador. Elisabeth famously went back to live... Read more →

Here are my own favourite confidence builders, gleaned from years of life and ministry experience: Confidence Builders 1. SEE yourself as God sees you. Your words and actions are a reflection of how you see yourself. Therefore, you cannot constantly live and/or minister in a manner that is inconsistent with the way you see yourself. If you think you are a "grasshopper" you will act like one (Numbers 13:33). If you think you are more than able, you will act with that confidence. Gideon had to change the way he saw himself in order to conquer fear and become the... Read more →

Confidence Builders Your confidence can grow. What from? Here's a list that I collected from our recent staff meeting: Faith in God. Encouragement and affirmation from other people. Success. Good preparation. Self-belief. Someone believing in you. Forgiveness. The company we keep. Experience. Being empowered by others. Training. God's Word. An encounter with God. Using your spiritual gifts. Practice. What builds your confidence? Take some time to think about it. It's important to know how to build yourself up or encourage yourself in God. Tomorrow I'll share what I've learned about developing confidence. [Part 5] Read more →

Confidence Knockers Your confidence will come under attack. What from? Here's a list that I collected from a recent staff meeting as we all brain-stormed around our life and leadership experiences: Doubt. Mistakes or failure. Fear. Criticism or negative words from other people. Disappointment. Intimidation. Negative 'self-talk'. Unmet expectations. Lack of knowledge. Poor physical health. Tiredness. Limitations. Opposition. Lack of opportunity. Comparison with others Bullying or abuse fron other people. Unresolved conflict. Discouragement. Frustration. Lack of encouragement. What destroys your confidence? Take some time to think about it. What's holding you back or holding you down at the moment? We... Read more →

The quality of confidence can be defined as: faith, belief, trust, assurance, certitude, being sure, undisturbed calm. It is a spirit of faith that is certain of success, yet not afraid of failure. Every person used by God reaches their potential through confidence in God - despite difficulties, challenges and obstacles. Encounters with God Think of what happened to these people after an encounter with God: Abraham left home to become a great nation. Esther conquered fear realising she had come to the kingdom for ‘such as time as this’ - to rescue her people. Moses led Israel out of... Read more →

This week, we want to reflect on the area of confidence. Let's start by reading and meditating on these statements from the pages of Scripture. Ephesians 1:18. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called — his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. NLT Ephesians 3:12. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. NIV Philippians 1:6. Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it... Read more →

Ten tips for supporting someone who is grieving: • Offer practical support such as meals, shopping, gardening, errands, lifts, etc. especially in the early days. • Accept that everyone grieves differently. Grief is a normal and natural response to loss but everyone grieves differently. • Don't judge. There is no right or wrong way to grieve. Especially don't say "you should..." or "you shouldn't..." • Accept a wide variety of emotions such as sadness, anger, confusion, fear, guilt, relief, etc. Such varied emotions are a natural response to the death of a loved one. • Listen well. Bereaved people often... Read more →

Right now, our vision as a church is to see over 10,000 stories of transformation. Recently, we have had a number of moving stories about individuals coming out of domesitc violence situations. These are people who once felt isolated, hopeless, and helpless. Now they feel cared for and looked after. These stories provide hope for anyone affected by domestic violence. Domestic violence (sometimes referred to as ‘family violence’ or ‘interpersonal violence’) is defined as “a pattern of coercive or controlling behaviour used by one individual to gain or maintain power and control over another individual in the context of an... Read more →

Life left to itself tends to become more and more complex and cluttered. It takes a concerted effort to reverse the trend - to simplify, to become a minimalist. Some thoughts worth reflecting on: Could the best way to organise your stuff be to get rid of the heap of it? How might your life be better if you had less? What would it look like to get rid of your excess and enjoy the remainder more? Our physical world represents our internal state. Dealing with the external can affects the internal. Do you suffer from mental clutter? Is it... Read more →

Paint the Town is the brand new album from CityLife's EPIC Youth. Encounter 7 songs of joy, life and power. These songs have all been written, recorded and performed by our Epic Youth team. You're here to be light, bringing out the God colours in the world. Get your copy today on iTunes. Read more →

I love these thoughts penned by the apostle Paul over 2,000 years ago: Ephesians 2:8-10. God saved you by his a grace when you b believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. NLT God's love is so amazing. He saves us by his grace, not because of... Read more →