Category Archives: Family
Pastors Prayer Request
I must say that I was very impressed with yesterday’s attendance at the 5:00am prayer meeting. Over half of those that came were young people. Fantastic! We prayed for the ‘potential of our church’ according to our 21 days of prayer and fasting calendar.
As your pastor I really do appreciate your prayers for me and my family. It is very important that you uphold us in your prayers. Not for any selfish reasons on our part, but its biblical. Paul asked for prayers all the time from his congregations. Here are some of my prayer requests using Paul’s words. (underlined)
Colossians 4:2-6
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.
Ephesians 6:19-20
Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
2 Thessalonians 3:1-2
Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith.
Am I faking it?
Hearing about Michael Guglielmucci’s admission to faking his cancer illness made me stop and think. I thought about what is going on in his mind right now, his wife and family, and his church. The embarrassment is beyond words and the hurt is indescribable. He has hurt a lot of people especially those closest to him. Michael has been living a life of fraud, betrayal, lies, pretense, dishonesty…. for the last two years. All because he faked being sick. (in the last 2 years).
Since then I have been searching my own soul as a pastor, a leader, a husband, father and a Christian. Someone who claims to be in a relationship with Jesus for over 22 years. I have been asking myself lots of questions to check where I am in my relationship with God. May be I will post some of those questions later but here’s the BIG Question. Am I faking it?
1. Am I faking the whole Christian thing or am I in a growing, intimate, passionate relationship with Jesus. Am I faking loving God.
1. Am I faking loving people. Do I genuinely love the people I do life with, my family, my leaders, my church, etc…. Do I really love them or is it all fake?
2. Am I faking my relationship with my wife! Is she still the number one woman in my life (like what I said on our wedding day) or have I been faking the whole marriage thing for the last several years.
I heard Casey Treat said the other day that ‘the reason why so many Christian leaders fail is because leaders fail to do the basic Christian stuff’. That basic Christian stuff is praying, bible reading, soul searching, repenting, etc….
When our character is not in an authentic position in God, our ministry is a fake.
Sermon Reflections
By Salome Mitchell
If the message yesterday – ‘Positioning yourself to receive a miracle’ – did something for you, I encourage you to text Lui or email him so that he can be encouraged with what God is imparting to him to preach to his flock. I don’t think we can get it any clearer than that! Alignment will put us in a position to receive the blessings of the miracles we are waiting for. When we are not in position we are in ’opposition’. That is scary.
Thank you Lui, I am one happy sheep who needed to hear the message. I am working on aligning the areas of my life that God needs to reign over. Each time I remind my two sons about returning to the Lord, I get the response : “…don’t want to be a hypocrite…when I do return to the Lord I want it for real…”
How do I re-align my prayers for them? Thank God he’s answered some of the prayers and they are always open to hear the Word of the Lord from their grieving mother.
Thank you Lui and Ane for your prayers and the Sunday messages. Yesterday’s message got to my heart, and I plan never to miss a day – without thanking God for you and for your prayers for my family and I.
For the rest of us, let’s be challenged and uplift one another in prayer – that whenever we hear God’s voice, we will OBEY Him.
Lifechurch, whenever God speaks and bring conviction to our hearts, please remember the following steps:
CONVICTION + REPENTACE = REVIVAL! It’s going to rain, and we need to be aligned to God’s purposes and Will for our lives.
Bless you Lui and Ane and the children, it’s so good to see you and the children happy, healthy and passionate about God and the vision He has put in your hearts.
Salome
I’m Grateful to God Pt 1
Today in my quiet time I was reminded of how God puts people in our lives for a purpose. I am grateful to God for allowing these people to influence my life.
First anf foremost I am grateful to God: From the beginging of time, He knew me before I was even thought of.
I am grateful to God that he chose me, prepared me, called me and ordained me to be a servant of the Most High God.
I am grateful to God for my parents who brought me up in the knowledge of God and for instilling in me a passion to serve as a pastor.
I am grateful to God for my dad who prayed desperately out loud under the mango tree outside the hospital when he found out that I was about to die from cerebral palsy. (Dad you taught me how to pray desperately in desperate times).
I am grateful for the religious discipline I went through as a young boy. It taught me how to revere God and what it means to serve in his house.
I am grateful to the Carmelite Nuns who taught me the value of serving God with excellence and how to clean a church.
I am grateful for my aunty Kilisi who taught me entrepreneur skills at the age of 7. I was known at school at the ‘Pea boy’ because after school I walk the streets selling peas to pay for my school fees and lunch money.
I am grateful to God that I attended Marist Brothers School where Religious Education was taught from Primarily to 6th Form. Brother David Lavin you taught me to ‘Be a responsible Christian man’
I am grateful to the Missionary who witnessed to me and shared with me the Plan of Salvation on the 5th of June 1986 8pm. My Born Again birthday!! Thanks Chris for the making the gospel so plain.
I am grateful for the time I served as a Red Cross Volunteer for 6 years. It taught me humanitarian values and leadership skills.
I am grateful to God for the Ministry of Youth For Christ, where I was nurtured spiritually, taught how to think creatively and how to fall in love with Jesus.
I am grateful to God for Jean ( The old lady with the swimming pool – I don’t know her last name) who gave me my first study Bible – King James, and told me that if I want to preach I better get my nose in the Word’
I am grateful for the ministry of Open Air Campaigners who taught me how to preach fearlessly.
I am grateful to Alo Aloalii who invited me to preach on his radio show in 1990. My first introduction to the world of radio broadcasting.
I am grateful to God for Gillian Wood, who heard what I said on the radio that day and told me to consider a career in radio. She gave me a part time job and helped me put together a radio show. Last month we celebrated our 9th year as a radio station, now employing over 30 staff. Thank You Gillian you saw potential in me and gave me a good start.
Youth of Manurewa
Tonight, we were at Manurewa town centre praying, witnessing and dropping off flyers for our New Series “No Perfect People Allowed” this weekend. I spoke to several people mainly young people age between 15 and 22 hanging out at the mall doing nothing just looking for something to do. They were drinking and doing dope without any fear whatsoever of the cops patrolling the streets. Two young girls age 16-17 waiting for clients. These kids are so used to the street life-style. I asked ‘Fab’ what he was doing at the Mall, he told me that he was waiting for a fight. Apparently there’s been a pre-arranged gang fight tonight and they were waiting for the other gang to arrive. I tried talking them out of it but they told me they were bored and looking for something interesting to do.
These kids need the Lord. I want all of them to come to LifeSwitch on Friday Nights and to LifeChurch on Sundays. They need Jesus.
Most of them said they will come to church. Lord help them keep their word. Bring them to church this Sunday and let them encounter you in a special way.
Grateful Heart
My wife asked me on my birthday “So how do you feel?”. I said to her, “I am very grateful”.
I am grateful to God for my life. He has given me 39 years so far. At the age of 3 I was struck with an illness that almost took my life. A form of Cerebral Palsy according to my medical records. But God spared my life. I also remember another incident, when I was about 14, where I touched a live wire and was fried in the hands. My poor sister didn’t know what to do so she screamed for help and the whole neighborhood came. I woke up minutes later. Again God spared my life.
I am grateful to God for his unconditional love, for his faithfulness, his provision. I am grateful for saving my soul. I am grateful for the Cross. I am grateful for the power of His blood that washes my sins away.
I am grateful for my parents and the Godly upbringing. I am grateful to God for giving me a beautiful wife, a woman of God who keeps me straight and focused. I am grateful for my children, my pride and joy. I am grateful for the wilderness seasons of my life. I am grateful to God for allowing me to go through difficult times so that I can learn to trust and rely totally on him and not on my strength. I am grateful to God for allowing me to serve as a pastor at LifeChurch. I am humbled with what God is doing there. I am grateful to be surrounded with great people who are passionate about God. I am grateful to God. I am truly grateful. Thank You Lord!
Got the Message
Last Sunday was Fathers Day in New Zealand. Dads usually get the usual stuff every year, pair of undies, a tie or a shirt. This year to my surprise I received something completely different and totally unexpected. I got a Personal Maintenance Kit of Loreal Products. An anti wrinkles lotion, anti eye bags cream, a hair restoration kit, feet care products. On top of that an appointment with the hair clinic specialists. Ok got the message. They say that life starts at 40. I will be 39 next week. But it seems like your body starts to fall apart before you reach 40. I need to use these products for the next 2 months. Help me Lord, I hate creams and all the girly stuff on my face.
