Easter Greetings

Easter Greetings.

Hi there friends.

We thought we were over due to share a bit of news from us and to thankyou all for your prayers over the last few months. We have been a bit incommunicado but for good reasons, one of which is that we have had the opportunity to be a bit domestic and buy a house. Something we did NOT expect, so Praise the Lord (or ptl. as we have been informed is 'text speak'). In Australia's property market at the moment is really seemed impossible- But with God (and very generous family members) All Things Are Possible!!

So we have been somewhat sidetracked- Although still very productive. We have been writing up a storm- One song of Daniel's, 'Tree', we debuted at our Good Friday Service just this weekend and many were deeply moved so that is really encouraging. Hopefully we will be able to get a new album out later in the year - one way or another. We are really excited about these new songs and feel God is breathing afresh over us with new life. Our prayer is that all who hear them will encounter that also.

A bit of back tracking-

'The Story Tour' went really well last year. With trips to Adelaide, Canberra and Hobart. We were really pleased with the weekends and were so glad to have some of our close friends and family come along. We had a ball anyways!! It was beautiful to catch up with some old friends at each different place also. See pics below:

We look forward to creating a new 'multimedia/worship event' concept this year and to be able to start touring that aswell….. Anyways….watch this space!

MICAH CALL-

Another very encouraging outcome of the tour was to see many names signed to the 'Micah Call' petition to see our government hold to the Millennium Development Goal's to see world poverty halved by 2015- for more info or to sign the petition- www.micahchallenge.org.au/micah-call

So just a little Easter Reflection from Jess to Finish.

The saddest of days…The sweetest of days.

I love Easter! It is one of the most significant times for me. Especially Good Friday. Every year it comes around, I feel like I should have a 'Dark Day' (aka Luke Danes: Gilmore Girls - I have a slight obsession with the show for those who don't know me well). I need space and time to centre and really feel the depth of all that this day means. It doesn't always happen, especially like this year as Daniel and I were both quite involved in the service and ended up being a little bit removed from the emotion of it. We got home and I was so disappointed to see that there was nothing on TV to even suggest that this day was different to any other. I needed to withdraw in prayer for a bit.

Daniel, on the other hand was happy to just to hang out and have a nice, relaxed day off together and was a bit perplexed as to why I had to withdraw. As we chatted, he said 'But I try to remember the Cross everyday' which challenged me even further.

My conclusions formed as we journeyed through the day (and I still had my prayer time; ), and was re-enforced by a conversation with our neighbours-

It is so important for us as people of 'The Story', to really treat this holiday as significant. It is a Holy time, and it is good and right for us to feel we need a 'dark day' in the midst of it - to feel the weight and the true joy of it..It is the cornerstone of our faith.

It is also so important that we let this day inform the rest of our lives. To be rooted in the message of restoration of the cross, and to be able to live our lives out of that place, and as Daniel said to 'remember the cross everyday'. Let this be our prayer over the Easter Season.

To feel the depth of it's pain and sadness, To be released into the joy of hope and new life, and let it propel us into a life of being 'poured out' (Phil 2:17)before our God and others.

Blessings.

Daniel and Jess