Dear Friends,

Today, Sunday 24th October 2010, it is being announced at Church Unlimited on the NSW Central Coast and simultaneously at Hillsong Church, that Mark and Darlene Zschech were invited and have accepted the role as Senior Pastors of Church Unlimited, commencing 23rd January, 2011.

So who might Sheryl be? Sheryl is the sweet voice I heard down the hallway as I darted back to my hotel room here in NYC for something I'd forgotten. As I opened my door, I heard a melody of words float down the hallway ... "mercy and grace, a ha, mercy and grace"

I stopped with key in door and said "is that mercy and grace you are singing". "Yes ma’am" she said. Sheryl is the lovely soul watching over our floor in the hotel. I said, "oh I love mercy and grace", to which she said, "I love mercy and grace too", to which I said, "I love Jesus", to which she said, "I love Jesus too", to which I said, "I REALLY love Jesus", to which she said, "I REALLY love Jesus too" ...

To read part one of this blog 'The Pink Challenge #1' click here.

Holly's Checklist

A couple of years ago, I asked my friend Holly if she would do a little piece to camera about her journey with regards to breast cancer, which we then showed at our Breast Cancer Awareness Week gathering. So amid pink balloons, pink cupcakes, pink lemonade, we had our bubbly friend from Hollywood share a couple of things that she felt were important in her recovery and handling of the challenge.

To read part one 'The Mentality of THE CROWD vs The Spirit of THE CHURCH' click here.

Moving forward from my last post, many of you know that on top of being a church leader, I am also a sports lover. What I’ve learned in my years of watching and attending countless sporting events is that the mentality of a crowd can be fickle - but the ‘crowd’ that gathers on a Sunday in church, or at a week-long conference, or in a crowded city connect group with the ‘Spirit of the Church’ has great purpose!

THE PINK CHALLENGE #1
(The Breast Cancer Challenge)

It's never a good day when you take a phone call from a beloved friend, to hear her normally chirpy voice say, "I've been diagnosed with breast cancer". I will never forget that moment as I retreated into the hotel bathroom (away from the happy chatter of those I was with) to help my friend navigate those first heart-wrenching moments of a diagnosis none of us ever want to hear.

"Waiting Waiting"

So finally FOUR folders of photos arrived on my desk today!! Four folders with what seems like FIVE MILLION images to now peruse through and decide upon.

Seems like a lot has happened since two Mondays ago when a handful of us verged at 7am in an inner city cafe for the first of our Colour photo shoots that day. I've been waiting patiently and excitedly (and maybe even a tiny bit anxiously) for these photos to arrive, because they play a critical role in the Colour journey. They become what we call "the creative pallet" of "the visual experience", that in turn helps us "paint a picture" and "tell the story of everyday women, doing everyday life but with a cause in their heart and hand". 

The nudge from above.
What is that!!! Dictionary says that to nudge is "to gently prod someone with the elbow in order to get their attention".

I wonder how many times the invisible, yet very real and very tangible Holy Spirit comes "alongside" each of us and nudges us to pay attention to something ... or more importantly someone.

Personally I love that the Spirit nudged my friend Lily (in a Friday afternoon biology class many years ago) to invite me to her church that weekend. I love that He kept nudging her (maybe a double nudge) to not draw back when I said "oh, I believe in God, but I don't think ya need to go to church". I love that He nudged her and possibly whispered, "yeah, yeah, but ask her if she wants to come anyway".

"Tea & Toast"

So Adam the Brave (aka one of our lovely COLLECTED editors) said that some people might be interested in a little insight into "the making of Colour". So if you are up for it, I'm prepared to give it a bash. I know that sometimes I look at events and creative moments and think, "whoa, how on earth did they do that?".

So we've been doing Colour for around 14 years! Like many things it began as a seed (won't tell the whole story here, because I'm currently writing the Sisterhood book and some of that big picture journey will be found there) ... but the JOURNEY BEGAN with an unmistakably "clear directive" - a clear directive that I believe we haven't diverted from, nor added to. The directive/mandate has grown, refined, matured and shaped itself into a stunning Movement of women across the earth over the last 14 years... but the bottom line of WHY we do it, is as clear in my thinking today as when I felt the Holy Spirit seed it.

Hillsong Conference 2010 was just over one month ago, we have moved well into the second half of this year and I am filled with anticipation, expectation and belief that God is going to do something fresh and new in all of our lives.

Each year, our guests travel from all over the world and our selfless armies of volunteers welcome and serve thousands of people, as we once again gather to be equipped and refreshed together and move into this new decade worshipping our worthy King.

I grew up in New Zealand. I say fish and chips with a funny accent. When I ask for a pin to clip something together, I get given a pen to write with. Growing up in that beautiful land where the ocean waters have this beautiful emerald tinge, we were always told that the land had 3 million people and SIXTY MILLION SHEEP!

Those stats have probably changed by now... but sixty million sheep is a lot of sheep. I still get excited when I drive in the countryside and see sheep or lambs. I remember once my dad (who was a brickie... bricklayer) did a job for a couple of weeks on a farm. I was a little girl and he took me with him and that year, every ewe on that farm had twins. It was completely surreal. Actually, I'm just having this memory now, but when we pioneered our church, I helped organize the kids department and we called it "little lambs" for a while. Maybe that was a hangover from my kiwi background.