Gap Year Globe Trotters: In New Zealand

As Tolkien's 'Two Towers' blazed a trail at the Awards ceremonies this year, Matt and I blazed our own trail around the filming location of Middle Earth.

We took on the vastness of New Zealand, driving, eating and sleeping in a beat-up 1985 Toyata van - complete with blue go faster stripe, nice! The landscape, as I'm sure most of you can appreciate, was spectacular.

When you stand on a barren empty surf beach watching porpoises play, or look in the blue ice crevices of a glacier, or look down from mountain grandeur you can't help but stand in wonder at God's handiwork.

And it's been wonder that really has been re-awoken in Matt and I. We've realised how quickly incredible richness becomes absorbed as part of the background wallpaper of life. How quickly familiarity breeds contempt. It struck me when we stood in brilliant sunshine in a vineyard next to a crystal blue lake surrounded by rugged hills and snow- capped peaks - I'm sure you're dribbling just imagining the prospect! I stood, hands on hips, gazing around murmuring noises of appreciation, whistling and muttering things quietly, like 'amazing' (you know, proper tourist stuff!), while the local guy next to me who works at the vineyard every day, scratched his head and said: 'S'pose it's alright, don't pay any attention to it really. I've lived here all my life, to me it's just part of the background.'

What we get used to

It started a train of thought - I realised that's just like us. We get so used to riches, great families, free health, running water, beautiful scenery, a standard of living, modern entertainment, etc., the list could just go on and on. Yet we seldom stand and wonder. In fact, I have an ability to ignore much of what is right and see much of what is wrong, while ignoring much of what is amazing - I'm a strange kettle of fish really! But I'm not alone, nor am I the worst at doing it. What's more I know that it spills over into our perception of Christianity and the church as well. We see what is wrong, forget what is right and ignore much of that which is amazing - which all in all is pretty dumb. When we think about it, 'the church is the only hope for the nations' -(I pinched that line from Bill Hybels's sermon in Auckland - awesome communicator). It is the vehicle that God chooses to use, it changes lives for eternity, it unites, inspires and will eventually conquer - it is amazing when you think about it. All it has achieved over the two millennia and all it is continuing to achieve on a worldwide scale - it is incredible. The latest global statistics I heard were that while 57,000 people give up going to church weekly, 180,000 people are coming to know Christ daily. It should really make us stand back with our hands on our hips, gaze around us and purse our lips whistle and mutter things like 'amazing' as we stand in wonder of all that God is planning, purposing and working out, through us, his church. What a treat!

I'm just reminded of 1 Thessalonians 5.17-18: 'Be thankful in all circumstances and pray continually lest you put out the Spirit's fire'. You totally get to choose how you respond to every circumstance and event in your life. You get to choose how you view the wallpaper of life whether you choose to see the mundane or the miraculous. Perhaps now would be a good time to step back in appreciation and wonder?

Hope that's an encouragment . . . until next time.

Gap Year Globe Trotters: In New Zealand

What we get used to

Jeff and Matt

Jeff Wannell

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