CHURCH

LOVE LOVE
jun jul aug sep 2013

CONTENTS

10 24 32 40
DAUGHTERS
Sophia Barrett Gary & Hermione Oakley Stuart & Julie Keir

ON THAT DAY

MARRIAGE

Sarah Sharpe

TEAM TIME

e h l l o.
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ummer is always an exciting time as we start to gear up for !Audacious Conference. This year is certainly no exception with our ten-year celebrations nearly upon us. The !Audacious band have been in the studio for the last few weeks writing and recording ten songs available for you to download and learn. Each week the team have been filming the recording process and we have had some special extended family, including Martin Smith (formerly of Delirious?) and Andy Waddams (pre-show king) sharing their conference memories with us. We hope you enjoy all of the online content and that it gets you excited and expectant for all that God is going to do in our tenth year! Pastors Russell Evans and Ben Prescott will be with us from Planetshakers, Australia. If you were here during Russells rain message last year, youll know you cant afford NOT to be there! The last few months have seen an incredible shift in our praise as a Church. We are so blessed by your stories of personal, provisional and spiritual breakthrough as you have taken hold of the fact

that there is real power in enthusiastic praise. Please keep filling in your praise report cards on a Sunday so that we can celebrate with you, and you in turn can encourage others on their journey. We constantly see the knock-on impact that one persons testimony can have on the faith of a neighbour. As a Church we also celebrate our sixth birthday at the end of the summer. Can you believe how much we have done in that short time? As our building work continues we thank you for your giving, and for sharing the dream with us. We will keep you updated with news of our Heart for the House offering, and you will see a few more changes over the coming months - each to better equip us to do church excellently, to serve our community better and ultimately create the space to accomodate a traffic-stopping church! Thanks for each and every one of you who carries this vision with us. Heres to a great summer! All our love

Glyn & Sophia

Beautiful women, what is Bling Conference Run all about? As Gods daughters we were designed in the heart of our heavenly Father to run a race that he has marked out for each of us. This is what we are called for, what we are anointed for, what we were destined for. We dont run from anything as much as we run in his unfailing love and his divine purpose. Our arena is positioned under an open heaven. The stands are full of those who have run before us and who now urge us on to make our mark in history. We run with passion, power and perseverance. We run having already won the victory in Christ.
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What is our race? The task weve been called to is simple: to make our Lord Jesus known and to establish his Kingdom on earth. How that is expressed is as varied and unique as threads in a tapestry but the effect of us all running our races is breath-taking, and it glorifies our God in Heaven. Bling conference 2013 is an opportunity to call out the God greatness that He has put inside you. For some who are already running their race it will be a time to rest, replenish and refire for the next leg. For others it will be a time to connect with their God given destiny for the first time and start to run. No matter where we are on our race, there is always more in us to be drawn out than we could ever imagine. To all who are coming for the first time and dont know what to expect. Its just for us girls of all ages, backgrounds and walks of life. So if youre

BLING BOUTIQUE WOMENS CONFERENCE

27/28 SEPT 2013

wondering if its your thing it definitely is. Well have times of worship and being impacted by some powerful preaching. Sam Evans is coming to be with us again and we couldnt be more excited. She is the senior pastor with her husband, Russell of Planetshakers City Church, in Melbourne, Australia. Sam is great woman of God who is running her race with uncompromising focus and zeal. She understands the challenges we all face on our journey and shell come with a word from Gods heart for us. As well as all of this you will meet new friends to run with and be well served by some of the amazing men of !Audacious Church. There will be child-care available too! Above all expect God to come and meet with you. Expect new levels of freedom and faith. And always expect what God can do beyond your expectation. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ... (Hebrews 12:1) Cant wait to see you there! With much love,

Sophia x

DONT FORGET THESE KEY DATES IN THE BLING CALENDAR

14th June 7:30pm 12th July 7:30pm 27/28 Sept Last in the Push series Tea Party Bling Conference

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BUILDING
Since the last Heart for the House offering (May 2012) we have spent an incredible 226,000 on improving the building and the facilities of !Audacious Church The highlights of this are: Soundproofing to the main hall roof New Foyer design giving more seating areas Installed new heaters in the Main auditorium and Foyer Improved screen, staging, cameras and lighting in the main auditorium Built music studio, green room and media room back stage. Thanks so much for all you have given, both time and money, to make this happen. Over the next few months you will see other exciting projects get underway: Increased creche facility to allow for the increase in number of parents and young children who attend on a Sunday. Improved connections area to ensure any guests you bring to church can relax in style. The longer-term plans for this year are to install a soundproof wall to the rear of the stage to allow office accommodation to be built and also larger kids facilities and break out spaces for midweek church. Look out for tiered seating to the rear of the auditorium too, along with improved external frontage and accessibility for pedestrians! These are exciting times and we love that youre on board and with us for the ride! Huge thanks to Lakewood Guild for all the work on the building.

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BROTHERHOOD PROJECTS
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MEN: Join us on a Tuesday evening, once a month, to get stuff done! Sign up at audaciouschurch.com/brotherhood

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!AUDACIOUS CONFERENCE IS TEN

Over the last ten years, thousands of lives have been impacted through our conferences, leadership academy, band tours and radio shows, as well as through our partnerships with God TV and Compassion. To celebrate ten years of !Audacious Conference, the band are spending ten weeks in the studio recording ten tracks. Come along for the ride; at the end of each week, for ten weeks, you will be able to grab a FREE download. Follow the bands progress as they write and share !Audacious memories and get heaps of FREE content including videos, articles, songs and chord charts. To get connected, grab all the free content and download free tracks stay plugged in to audaciouschurch.com/extraordinary Follow the band on Twitter and stay tuned to our Facebook page.

audaciouschurch.com/extraordinary audaciousrevolution audaciousband / live audacious

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LOVE, AMAZING LOVE

justice? We cant - but the power of worship is that even our feeblest attempt to lift up the name of Jesus can be pleasing to Him! (Psalm 19:14). My initial idea was a play on words; the line Amazing Love runs in Your blood. I was trying to use one line to say many things - that Love is in Gods nature, and at the same time to evoke the picture of love flowing to Earth as Jesus shed His blood on the cross for us. When we receive this incredible love I believe that we are compelled to pour it out into our world; to carry the fire of love to a lost and broken world (hence the bridge fire burns, fire burns within us, our hope, our hope is Jesus). I am reminded of Jeremiah who said like a fire shut up in my bones (Jeremiah 20:9). Just imagine the church in this nation rising up with that fire of hope, of love and passion for the lost. Imagine the light of the world really shining as God intended, shouting a battle cry of praise that Jesus is not a bolt-on accessory to 21st century life. Hes not a small insignificant myth for people who get a kick out of religious ceremony. No, He is the beginning and the end, the designer and the perfector, He is bigger than sin and death, bigger than our past and our future, bigger even than our imagination. 1 Corinthians 1:25 says that even the foolishness of God is greater than human wisdom. When we see God as He truly is, His holiness and perfection certainly brings us down to size, but as one of His beloved children it fills me with great confidence to look every obstacle in the eye and say I am just a man, but My Dad is Bigger Than YOU!

BY MATT HILL

Im turning 30 tomorrow, and that is a big thing in my head! All of a sudden I am hit by the realisation that I am a fully grown adult. I have a young, growing family, I have a house, a mortgage, a car (that requires tax and a service!), bills to pay, an amazing church that is growing and expanding, the list goes on. How easy it is, as we fill our world with the stuff of life, that God is soon reduced to an hour on Sunday morning and the odd prayer in times of crisis. The song Love, Amazing Love was birthed from a series called Bigger Than. The amazing truth that no matter how great our problem, our need or even our success, God is still bigger. The Bible says He is able to do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). I love this thought not only that He is bigger than the Universe, but that He is also bigger than our wildest dreams. This got me thinking; how can we possibly put into words the wonder, the character and nature of a God who doesnt just express love, but IS love? How can we start to describe a God when our limited English vocabulary will never do Him

THIS GOT ME THINKING; HOW CAN WE POSSIBLY PUT INTO WORDS THE WONDER, THE CHARACTER AND NATURE OF A GOD WHO DOESNT JUST EXPRESS LOVE, BUT IS LOVE?

TEN YEARS OF !AUDACIOUS CONFERENCE

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BREAKTHROUGH PRAISE
2013 has so far been a year of next-level praise, as we revistied some of the hallmark teaching of !Audacious Church in our Signature Series. We asked what breakthrough praise looks like to you.

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JONNY CUMMINGS I love the story in the bible when the religious people of the day told Jesus to keep his disciples quiet - He simply turned to them and said if they keep quiet then the stones will cry out When I look back and think of who I was before Jesus found me I simply cant contain my praise; when I think of how he picked me up and turned my life around - I know I wont be outdone by a stone! Whatever my circumstance and whatever my season, whether Im on the mountaintop or down in the valleys my God will be praised.

MEAGAN WILLIAMS I love that David makes the life statement I will praise the Lord! 54 times! Praise is a choice, not a feeling. Like David, there are times my heart leaps with praise and there are times I must make myself sing and dance. No matter what the circumstance, one thing is true - just one minute praising God sets my mind on things above (Colossians 3:2). Praise takes my focus from this earth to a realm beyond my own where anything is possible. Its the moment my DNA connects with its Creator and, praise the Lord, I can take as many moments as I like!

HAZEL JONES When my darling husband Philip died it was midnight on a Saturday. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that the only place I could be on the Sunday morning was with my spiritual family in the house of God, praising and worshipping my loving Father. From that moment on, thanksgiving and worship have continued to be all consuming, ongoing in my life. My focus is on my God and not on me and my own circumstances,

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CAMILIO OCHOA When we understand that we must praise Him despite our situation we become doers of the Word. For me its just a matter of thinking about His greatness and His awesomeness.Since we have been talking about praise at Church my breakthrough has been just that, learning how to praise him at all times, in all circumstances, fighting my flesh, craving His presence so I can hunger more for Him. Every time we read in the bible about Praise its a command, not a suggestion. We can train our souls to praise God for who He is and base our praise on our thanksgiving for what Hes done for us.
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HANNAH RAESIDE God really spoke to me when Pastor Glyn was talking about the theology of jumpology; He was talking about the Greek word that our English word enthusiasm comes from, En Theos which means in God. WOW! When we are IN God our praise can move mountains because we learn who we are IN GOD. That is what I try to share every time I worship Him. Whether with my voice, through my trumpet or any instrument or action that I do, I do it because I know who I am in Him and I know who He is in me! May His powerful name be glorified forever. In Psalm 16:11 David declares You will fill me with joy in Your presence. Pastor Glyn uses the illustration of an unhappy bride. Its an impossible image, it just kind of jars with you. It reminds me to choose to be enthusiastic in my praise; to choose Gods presence as a place where there is a promise of joy. When I choose enthusiastic praise, rather than enthusiastically moping (!), just like that bride I CANNOT be depressed because God comes to make His home with me. God has wired us to find real, deep joy when we tell Him how much we love Him! Its genius when you think about it!

RHONA CLEGG Just now Im going through a bit of a hard time doing a job I have really struggled with for years; as I drive to work I really dont want to get there! Whenever depression tries to settle on me I remember Pastor Glyns message about the power of praise. I put on my !Audacious worship CDs in the car and really focus my mind on praising Jesus and what He has done for me. By the time I reach my clients my mind is always renewed and I even look forward to my day! There really is power in praising God!

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THAT
When Gary and Hermione Oakley heard that their baby daughter Luella was in hospital in a coma, they were over two hours away in Cheltenham. But on that day, they learned what it really means to trust in God.
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The Oakleys are an amazing family in !Audacious Church. Recently they received a phone call with some news that no parent wishes to hear. We asked mother and father of two, Gary and Hermione, to share their incredible story of faith and prayer with us. Hermione: We are both photographers, and were shooting at a wedding in Cheltenham. We went to check in to our hotel at five oclock and pay up front at the desk, but the night shift staff werent available until the early morning. We called round all the taxi companies in Cheltenham and they were all saying it would be at least an hour, maybe two, until one was available. So we just thought, lets drive to the venue, leave our car there and get a taxi back. As soon as we got back we got a phone call saying our baby daughter Luella had been fitting, wouldnt stop and had been rushed to hospital in Bolton. We just had to get up and leave. Luckily there was a second photographer who could carry on for us. Looking back now, all those things that happened [with the taxi and hotel] just showed that God knew this was going to happen; He totally knew. We now had our car there with us ready to go; we hadnt even paid for the hotel. The drive back to Manchester was two and a half hours. Ive never experienced that feeling before. Ive never had that real worry with my children. I was in a panic. I was ringing everyone I knew who was a Christian. I phoned Dawn and Bill Moffatt who are our great friends and lead our Life Group. Dawn was constantly praying on the phone the whole way with us. I was ringing Steph and Gavin Adlam, Daryl and Mags Cross (more friends from our Life Group); they were all together so they were all ready, two minutes from the hospital.

They went straight there. I was ringing everyone, trying to understand what to do! We were just in complete panic really. It was a really bad night; the weather was terrible, the rain was torrential. We were trying to drive as fast as we could up the motorway but we couldnt even really see! It was awful. We cried out to God to whole way. Screaming, shouting and praying. Its difficult for someone to understand the situation. I was getting phone calls every five minutes saying Are you closer? How many miles left now? You need to get here! but the only people who really could really understand the severity of the whole situation were those people who had gone straight to the hospital and were there. It was hard even for us to understand what was really happening. Dawn and Bill asked if we wanted them to go to the hospital. I said Yes, well see you in about two hours. Dawn messaged me back saying shed see us soon. I said Didnt you get my message? We are two hours away! She just said Yes, dont worry, were all already here. Well see you when you get here. I was blown away. They didnt even wait for us, they just went. When we got there Bill met us at the roundabout outside so we didnt even have to park our car. We ran in. There were these six amazing people from Church just there already praying for our daughter. It was amazing. My sister said the relief she felt when people arrived was massive. To have people there praying, to surround her; it was huge. Luella was never on her own while we werent there. When we arrived inside the hospital she had been induced into a coma so that she would stop fitting. At the time they dont tell you in those words. She was on a
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life-support machine by the time we got there so she was peaceful. They didnt tell us too much. They said maybe meningitis, though there were a number of possible other viral things that it could have been at this point. They were speaking things over her as they were doing tests, that she could be brain damaged because she had been fitting for two hours. They couldnt get her to stop which is why they induced her into the coma. She was responding poorly to these tests they were carrying out, which was apparently a sign of brain damage. Whatever they were trying to get her body to do, it was doing the opposite movements; in the opposite direction. They said thats a bad sign, a sign of brain damage. Mags, a nurse, could understand the medical terms they were using so every time they said something like that she would send a text to Steph who was in the parents room, marching around praying in there. She was praying against anything negative they were saying over Luella. Gary: Because Luella had been dedicated at !Audacious Church a couple of weeks before, there was something that we could really take hold of, that we could stand on during that drive home and during the wait in hospital. Those same friends that were there that day declaring the promises that God had spoken over her life, were present just two weeks before at the dedication. We had so much to hold on to. It was so reassuring for us because we were getting so many texts from people at Church saying they were praying. We knew that people knew who she was too because of her dedication. H: Luella was in hospital for a week in total. We went to Alderhey Hospital in Liverpool that night and she was on life-support there for two days.

THERE WERE THESE SIX AMAZING PEOPLE FROM CHURCH JUST THERE ALREADY PRAYING FOR OUR DAUGHTER. IT WAS AMAZING
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Mags and Daryl didnt leave us. They stayed up all night with us in Liverpool. I got really sick but they were there to make sure that nobody left our daughters side. I couldnt be in the room. I really wanted to be near her but if I even walked into the room she was in I got the shakes and anxiety, I got hot, I felt sick. I couldnt cope with it. I desparately wanted to be in there, praying. I was angry. I told Mags and she said Right, lets pray! So we prayed in the corridor in Alderhey that I would be physically able to go in there and see Luella. Up until that point I couldnt even look at pictures of her that people were bringing me. After we prayed I said Im going in! I went through the door - and those feelings were just gone! I sat by her side. That really was a miracle in itself. Gary and I were both exhausted. Those guys did shifts so that we could rest and that Luella was never left on her own, and was constantly being prayed for. It was weird; nobody really gave us an all clear. They took Luella off life-support just to check if she had stopped fitting. They would slowly bring her sedation up and see if she had stopped. The first time they did this was amazing. We could see her coming round a bit. We went home from Liverpool but the test results werent coming back clear - she was just getting better! Nothing clear was showing up. No-one could understand it. The only thing the doctors could say was that it could have been a urine infection, but no-one ever really diagnosed anything. She was just considered well enough to go home. No ill effects. No lasting damage. Shes exactly the same girl. Its brilliant! Its the first time weve really had to pray in desperation. It was the first time I think we really believed that God would come through; not just

IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I THINK WE REALLY BELIEVED THAT GOD WOULD COME THROUGH; NOT JUST PRAYING IN THE HOPE THAT HE WOULD, BUT ABSOLUTELY CLAIMING THAT HE WOULD HEAL HER

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that whole time, even when it was hard. It sounds clich somehow, He never leaves you, but you know, even though it looked awful it never stopped looking bright at the same time! G: We were saying If we didnt have God to pray to, what would we do? During that two-and-ahalf-hour journey in the car, if we didnt have God to cry out to, what would we have done? We know He heard our prayers and that He was listening to us. He was for us, on our side. It was just an amazing feeling to have! I had this overwhelming sense in the car, I said to Hermione, We just need to praise Him. I think its something that we really learned at !Audacious Church. I dont think I would have ever gone to that place. I think I would have always just said God, You need to hear me. You need to sort this out! but I had a sense that actually, even in this time of desperation, we just needed to praise Him. For ten minutes straight we just thanked Him for how awesome He is, praising His name. It felt so weird because we were both crying our eyes out, but we were still thanking him in such a dark time. It was a really good moment. We were amazed at how the Church reacted to our situation. People didnt even ask us if we needed help, everyone just got straight onto it. They went to the hospital, they were praying; we didnt even need to ask. I was absolutely amazed and God was so faithful. Even at the time, even in the valley of the shadow of death, He was there guiding us through. It was so close. It could have ended so differently. But God is there, in all circumstances. Please share your Praise Report with us on Sundays by filling in a form as you arrive at reception. We want to celebrate with you!

IF WE DIDNT HAVE GOD TO CRY OUT TO, WHAT WOULD WE HAVE DONE?
praying in the hope that He would, but absolutely claiming that He would heal her. As soon as there was a little bit of doubt I would have someone in my ear saying two weeks ago she had a destiny written for her, this is not what its about I just knew she would be fine, as awful as it was at the same time. I just had a sense she really would be OK. I believed in the promises God had previously spoken over her life. He didnt leave us through

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iBelieve is a rolling three week course, designed to inspire and encourage you on your journey with God.
If your foundation is a bit on the wonky side then everything you build could suddenly come crumbling down around you! Maybe youre new to church, recently made a decision to become a Christian, or maybe youve even been around church your whole life but have some questions around the fundamentals of your faith... iBelieve is the perfect way for you to establish a strong base on which to build your life in God. Each informal, discussion-based session lasts about 40 minutes. WEEK ONE: What does it mean to be a Christian and how can you be in a real, vibrant, relationship with the God of universe? WEEK TWO: How do you grow strong and healthy in your faith? Well give you practical tips on prayer and reading the Bible and explain the importance of the local church. WEEK THREE: The final week is all about receiving the power you need to live the life of purpose and destiny that God has planned for you.

i believe

RE:VIEW
In light of the new Pre-Marriage and Marriage courses running fortnightly on Wednsedays, our !Audacious Resources team wanted to throw the spotlight on a few books that might prove helpful when it comes to love, life and relationships.
REAL MARRIAGE 9.99 Reviewed by Iain and Megan Wraight This book really helped our marriage; one chapter is called New Marriage, Same Spouse and thats exactly where we are now! It was great for our journey to healing as we were coming through a difficult time and it got us talking and working through things that we hadnt previously thought about - which lead to good changes. We loved how the Driscolls talked about friendship in a God-focused marriage, and got us to think about how the most important day in our marriage is our last day. This book is so honest. Its a great tool for all areas in your marriage; we really recommend it to all married couples! From the author... This is not your average sermon series on marriage. We wont give you five steps to happiness. We wont talk about sex in code. We wont talk about how you can fix your marriage. No, this is a sermon series about Jesusand what he has to say about marriage through the Bible. Mark Driscoll

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THE MEANING OF MARRIAGE - 12.99 Respected Pastor and World Renowned Theologian Timothy Keller shares an extraordinarily insightful look at the keys to happiness in marriage that will inspire Christians, skeptics, singles, long-time married couples, and those about to be engaged.

THE 5 LOVE LANGUAGES - 9.99 What is your Love Language? What if you could say or do just the right thing guaranteed to make that special someone feel loved? The secret is learning the right love language! Millions of couples have learned the simple way to express their feelings as singletons or for couples to bring joy back into marriage through this New York Times Best Seller.

LOVING OUR KIDS ON PURPOSE - 11.99 Loving Our Kids on Purpose combines the principles of the Kingdom of God and revival to form a powerful strategy for parents. Introducing paradigms, perceptions, skills, and ideas that will help parents reduce fear by eliminating the tool of punishment and strengthening the core character of their children by empowering their self-control and value for their relationship with their parents.

!AUDACIOUS RESOURCES WEBSITE All of !Audacious own stock is now available via the Resources website. We also now deliver worldwide so if you have friends or relatives overseas that you want to bless you can send directly from us. If youve seen something that we dont have in stock but youd like to buy, then let one of the Resources team know on a Sunday Have a look around at audaciousresources.com

If you enjoy a message and want to listen again you can order it the same day and have it in your hands that same week! Fill out an order form at !Audacious Resources.
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SECONDS OUT
Married for almost twenty years, Pastors Stuart and Julie Keir have had their own fair share of ups and downs. But what happens when they find themselves in conflict? Here are their ten rules for a clean fight.
Marriage; says Peter Cook in The Princess Bride, That dream within a dream. Twenty years ago my princess walked down the aisle and became my bride and it has been a fairy tale ever since. We have skipped from joyous moment to joyous moment with never a cross thought let alone word between us... OK, maybe not quite like that! The challenge of marriage is always the same; there are two people involved who each have an opinion. Depending on the strength of that opinion, the investment you have made in one another and the way the wind is blowing at that specific moment, an opinion has the potential to become a decision. A decision could easily become an entrenched fortification and so a badly worded sentence can easily become the cause of conflict.In every relationship you will reach crossroads where conflict is possible; marriage is no exception. Here are our ten rules for a clean fight
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1. DONT BRING UP THE PAST Make sure you are not throwing in every single thing you have ever disagreed about before this breeds resentment. The word resentment expresses what happens if the cycle of blame goes uninterrupted. It means literally, to feel again: Resentment clings to the past, relives it over and over, picks each fresh scab so that the wound never heals. Philip Yancey, Whats So Amazing About Grace. This is not the Biblical way of dealing with past disagreement. Psalm 103 says as far as the east is from the west; this is how God deals with our failures and Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:5 love keeps no record of wrongs. 2. NEVER SAY YOU ALWAYS, YOU NEVER If you are choosing to disagree then know exactly what it is you are disagreeing about! Generalisations are not helpful in knowing whether

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the problem has been addressed and whether we are able to move forward. Generalisations also mask the true statement and in disagreement we must be clear: You never lift a finger to help. = Im shattered and would really appreciate your help. You always come home late. = I struggle to put the kids to bed and do the housework alone. You never think of anyone except yourself. = I am upset as you dont seem to be interested in me when we are together. Youre always talking on your phone. = I feel hurt when you spend so much of the evening on the phone rather than talking to me. 3. CHOOSE YOUR OWN WORDS A marriage is not lived out in isolation to the outside world; our friends, family and aquaintances often have opinions that they are really happy to dump... sorry, share, with you. If you are fighting over something, make sure what you say is what you think and not someone elses opinion lumped in to add weight to your argument! 4. CHOOSE THE RIGHT TIME A survey by Relate revealed that half of all arguments between couples take place in the evenings and a quarter of those surveyed admitted to arguing in the stressful moments leading up to a special occasion. Three keys to choosing the right time are: i. Develop self control: Just because something is at the forefront of your mind now, doesnt mean that now is the best time to bring it up. ii. Early in our marriage most arguments happened before bed, before leaving the house on the way somewhere or before a holiday (basically when we were tired and our defenses were down). When
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you are feeling like this, everything seems worse anyway. Your perspective is dulled and distorted. iii. Identify when your good and bad times are; we never hold a major conversation after 10 oclock at night as were both just too tired. 5. IDENTIFY THE REAL OPPONENT Make sure you are personally at peace with God. Our ability to connect with others flows out of our relationship with Him. Conflict in relationship often occurs because we are expecting people to meet needs in us that only God can meet. When Ive not been spending time with God, or I am frustrated with God then it can be seen in my relationships. Discontentment with own life and my walk with

SACRIFICE IS MUCH MORE HEALTHY THAN WINNING AND WOUNDING

God can somehow become my spouses fault. The person you are married to is not your saviour only God can meet your deepest needs. Ask yourself this key question; Am I expecting my partner to meet needs that only God can meet? 6. ONE ARGUMENT AT A TIME Remember, you are not supposed to be attacking a person. When you destroy your spouse with words or by ignoring them you are actually destroying yourself because you are one. In Colossians 4:6 it says, Be gracious with your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out. Be clear what this argument is about and dont add in extra things to strengthen your side of the argument.

7. CALL A TIME OUT If you find yourself regularly in heated arguments you need to decide some rules of engagement when you are in a time of peace. A key word of phrase could be agreed between you that initiates a ten minute break in hostilities so that when things are coming to the boil you have the space to cool down. A man has joy in speaking an apt answer, and a word spoken at the right moment how good it is! Prov 15:23 AMP 8. BE HONEST ABOUT UNSPOKEN, INTERNAL CONFLICT Some conflict plays out in our thoughts that we rarely, if ever, speak to our partner about. It comes out in our body language or in passive aggressive behaviour. John Bevere speaks about the movies we allow to play on the screen of our hearts. We can choose movies of hope, faith and possibility or we can choose to play old movies of hurt, disappointment, a perceived failure of our partner, resentment and hopelessness. If we continue to allow that movie to play, our internal conflict will build up. The more we dwell on it, the more it will build. Id say youll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable,, authentic, compelling, gracious - the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Phillippians 4:8 9. REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE FIGHTING; REMIND THEM WHO THEY ARE Conflict in marriage is different than conflict on the battlefield your partner is not your enemy! Philippians 4:5 says, Make it as clear as you can that youre on their side, working with them and not against them. Take the time to call one another up and say you are better than that.

10. THERE IS NO WINNER In marriage, if one of you wins an argument then the other one loses. The moment you have a loser, the reality is that you both lost. Arguments, conflict and disagreement in a marriage are not to be used to score points but instead are to be resolved for the sake of the marriage. Resolution may well take sacrifice, but sacrifice is much more healthy than winning and wounding.

SEE PAGE 38 FOR DETAILS OF OUR MARRIAGE AND PRE-MARRIAGE COURSES IN JUNE & JULY

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THIS SUMMER IN

Theres so much
happening for young adults over the next few months. Check out our page on the website for weekly thoughts and also Convoy, our new calendar of road trips and outings (highlighted right). Make sure you book your tickets for our Summer Soiree, a get-your-glad-ragson event for all young adults to celebrate summer in style, meet new people and have a grown-up good time! To get involved or join the team give us a shout.

Paul & Eira Garner

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SAVE THE DATE:

1830s SUMMER SOIRE 17 August | 7-11 PM | Great John St. Hotel

Glad Rags, Gramophones & Good Times

convoy
making the most of summer
9th June 29th June 6th July 26th July 27th July 24th August 31th August 7th September Stockport Vintage Fair Bikeride round Ullswater & pub lunch Outdoor film at Screenfields Manchester Jazz Festival RHS Tatton Flower Show Didsbury picnic Kendal Mintfest Brimham Rocks / High tea in Pateley Bridge

AUDACIOUSCHURCH.COM/YOUNG-ADULTS
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WEDNESDAY CHURCH
JUN JUL
5TH & 19TH Life Groups 12TH & 26TH Marriage Course Pre-Marriage Course Teaching series: Walking With the Holy Spirit 3RD Nights of Fire with Ps Glyn Barrett 10TH & 24TH Life Groups 17TH !Audacious 2013 volunteer night

AUG SEP
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17TH TBC

!Audacious Conference 2013 Life Groups BBQs (ask your leader for details)

11TH & 25TH Life Groups 18TH

Champions Night for all Sunday teams

SUNDAY SPEAKERS

3o 4
gumbel
Holy Trinity Brompton / Alpha, LONDON, UK

rev

NICKY

ps

BEN

prescott

Planetshakers AUS

ps RUSSELL evans
Planetshakers AUS

AUG

JUN

We are honoured to have Nicky Gumbel with us for a full Sunday of inspirational teaching. Founder of alpha and Reverend of Holy Trinity Brompton, we know Nickys insight and wisdom will change the way we see things!

Ben Prescott heads up PlanetBoom youth ministry at Planetshakers in Melbourne. Weve never had the privilege of hearing Ben speak here yet but know were in for a treat!

Russ is Senior Pastor at Planetshakers, Australia. He is a fullyfledged member of the !Audacious family. If you were at conference last year you will know that He always brings a timely word to take us to the next level!

11

SEP

29
ps evans
Planetshakers AUS
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SAM

AUG

We love Sam! Married to Russell, Sam is another extendedfamily member. Speaking truth to our ladies at Bling 2013, she is staying on to celebrate our 3rd Birthday with us this September.

L
#CHAMPION

TIME
How many Champions do you think it takes to run an incredible full day of Sunday services? A) 20 B) 75 C) 200 The answer is actually C - a whopping 200 people! Sarah Sharpe is just one of these amazing champions who make things happen in the life of !Audacious Church. She is an incredible mum to three fun kids, a brilliant wife to Dave our genius financial manager and she used to live in Wales! She uses her powerful brain, beautiful personality and top-drawer people skills to run !Audacious Church operations. Sarah is often one of the first in and last out on a Sunday and is an inspiration to many. We love her for the fact that she always makes it happen in both her personal life, and when she is being an !Audacious Champion. There are very few things that have stopped her from living out her full purpose. We asked her to tell us what she loves about serving in Church.
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What three words would you use to describe how you feel after a great sunday? Excited, enthused, ready-for-bed!! When you were 18, how did you think you would outwork your purpose? I wasnt sure what I wanted to do at 18 but Ive always had a heart for people and been passionate about serving in Church. Ive never actually had a specific role in mind but have always been excited about seeing the local Church advance! Whats the most rewarding thing about your role? I love working with all the teams across the life of !Audacious, and seeing the effect that each team has on the bigger picture of church as peoples lives are impacted by God. If you had 500 to spend in one day how would you spend the money? (You cant keep it!) I would pay for six children to go to !Audacious Kids camp! What three qualities do you think a great !Audacious Champion needs? A good attitude; a heart to learn and grow; a love for people. Who inspires you? Pastor Sophia, my kids and hubby, Christine Caine, Jack Bauer and Michael Jackson! Build a Church with us that stops the traffic! Sign up to be a Champion; just stop anyone on team on a Sunday and ask How can i get involved?
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Life Groups are small groups meeting in homes all around Manchester for coffee, a DVD, discussion and cake - the best way to connect and make friends. Alternate Wednesdays at 7:30pm
Check out the map overleaf for your nearest Life Group. For more info, speak to New Peoples pastors, Matt & Lyndsey Deaville or email: lyndseydeaville@audaciouschurch.com

BOLTON NORTH BL Dave & Lesley Hardma BOLTON NORTH B Dave & Lesley Hardm

REGIONAL PASTORS:

NORTH

Julian & Kathryn Wolstencroft

EAST
Joel & Becky Weaver

SOUTH
Matt & Lyndsey Deaville
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WEST
Bill & Dawn Moffat

CENTRAL
Ed Baptist & Miriam Pye

SWINTON M27 Dave & Sarah Sharpe SWINTON M27 Dave & Sarah Sharpe SWINTON M27 Dean & Hannah Needle SWINTON M27 Dean & Hannah Needle WORSLEY M28 Bill & Dawn Mo at WORSLEY M28 Bill & Dawn Mo at BROUGHTON GREEN M7 Adam & Rachel Atkins BROUGHTON GREEN M7 Adam & Rachel Atkins HIGHER BROUGHTON M7 Dan & Anna Owen HIGHER BROUGHTON M7 Dan & Anna Owen SALFORD M7 Matt & Elena Hill SALFORD M7 Matt & Elena Hill ECCLES M6 Miriam Pye & Rhys Badkin ECCLES M6 Miriam Pye & Rhys Badkin NEW BROUGHTON M7 Frankie Ball, NEW Hayley BROUGHTON M7 Charlton Frankie Ball, & Adam Shadlow Hayley Charlton & Adam Shadlow IRLAM M44 Dave & Michelle Ralph IRLAM M44 Dave & Michelle Ralph WARRINGTON WA3 Catherine Whelan WARRINGTON WA3 & Angela Smith Catherine Whelan & Angela Smith STRETFORD M Paul & Sarah Chapm STRETFORD Paul & Sarah Chap STRETFORD M Elaine Sharp & Jen Wh STRETFORD Elaine Sharp & Jen W SALE M Mike & Rosie Br SALE Mike & Rosie B OVER 50s STUDENTS STUDENTS OVER 50s

LANCASH LANCASH

W W

WARRING WARRIN

BLACKBURN BB5 Mick & Wendy Whittaker

BOLTON EAST BL2 Paul & Zoe Reid

BURY BL9 Julian & Kathryn Wolstencroft WHITEFIELD M45 Mark & Michelle Steele HIGHER BLACKLEY M9 Andy & Helen Gerling

L2 an

BLACKBURN
with Darwen

HIRE

CALDERDALE BOLTON ROCHDALE BURY OLDHAM SALFORD MANCHESTER TAMESIDE

PRESTWICH M25 Ian & Catherine Rowbottom BRAMALL COURT M3 Morgan Lewis ADELPHI CAMPUS M3 Jess Wilson & Lachie Scallion CASTLE IRWELL M6 Chloe Houston & Ed Price NEWTON HEATH M40 Andy & Jane Belton NEWTON HEATH M40 Steve & Jen Webster FAILSWORTH M35 Andy & Tracey Black FAILSWORTH M35 Nina & Jason Corke !AUDACIOUS GOLD Over 50s Alternate Wednesdays 11am - Failsworth M35 Dave & Anne Adams

WIGAN

GTON

TRAFFORD STOCKPORT CHESHIRE

SALE M33 Tony & Wendy Taylor NEW BROUGHTON M7 Ed Baptist & Caroline Woods
GOLD

M32 man

M32 hite

CENTRAL M4 Caz Hickley & Sherozina Sharma STOCKPORT SK3 Hannah & Lucas Lukianow OXFORD ROAD M1 Mike & Jen Tash

M33 raye

HEATON MERSEY SK4 Jo & Dave Fidler DIDSBURY M20 Matt & Lyndsey Deaville

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JUNE 01 07 - 09 07 - 09 17 18 - 24 20 - 23 JULY 07 14 17 - 19 19 - 21 24 - 26 28 Glyn at Hillsong London, UK !Audacious Band in The Wirral, UK Glyn in Denmark Glyn at Newcastle Christian Life Centre, UK Glyn & Sophia at Hillsong Conference Europe, London, UK !Audacious Academy Graduation Glyn in Glasgow, UK Glyn at Krakow City Church, Poland !Audacious Band in Slovakia !Audacious Band in Hartlepool, UK Glyn in Germany !Audacious Band in Portugal

SEPTEMBER 18 - 23 Glyn in Singapore 21 Sophia in Nottingham, UK 23 - 25 Glyn in Germany

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