04
Sep
2006

Coming Home!

Posted by Gary on August 11, 2004

I still can’t believe it.

We have really made this our home over the last almost 2 years, and leaving is much more painful than I expected it to be.

We know beyond any doubt that we are meant to be in the good ole USA. Believe me this was not a decision made lightly.

We love America but we also love Australia. Australia will always be our second home and Hillsong Church will always have a very special place in our hearts. This move is not about whether we like one or the other better. It’s about what God has called us to.

Our world has become much smaller since coming here and we have realised that People are people no matter where they were born or have grown up. Coming to Australia has shown us that you can do anything if you just make a decision and then go for it.

Thanks Australia for all youve given us. Get ready America. Here we come!!!!!

See you all soon
Gary

Posted by Gary in Personal
04
Sep
2006

Learning to Die

Posted by Gary on May 31, 2004

Things are back on track, for the most part, and life is hectic again. We are now 6 months away from finishing our time here unless God calls us to do a third year. Which at this point is not likely at all.

We are very excited about what the future holds for us and we are earnestly seeking what God has next for us. My approach at this point in college is much different than I expected it to be. I thought I would be putting together my very impressive resume’ and looking for a “job”. Having been immersed in the Hillsong culture for a year and a half I have learned that staff jobs and ministry is birthed out of serving. So we are in search of the church that we want to serve and submit to. Dave Koenigsberg told me once a long time ago that people should first choose the church they want to serve and then move to that place and look for a job in that area. That advice is lived out here on a daily basis. Staff Jobs and ministry is birthed through people giving thier lives for the cause of christ in a local church. Soon those people are asked to join the team on a fulltime basis because they have proven themselves faithful and there motives have been tested through serving.

Before we decided to come here I missed a year of what God had for us because when I felt that it was time to pursue the call on my life I went looking for a job instead of asking “what does God have for us?”. So this time we are asking that question.

Last weekend we went to the genolan caves and deep inside the cave they turned off all the lights. What we experienced was pure darkness. Later Kim said “the only thing I knew to do was stand still” That’s how we feel. Until God luminates our next step we are not moving. Don’t panic. That doesn’t mean we are staying in Australia. It just means we are not going to plant until God illuminates our next step.

That’s where learning to die comes in. Gal 2:20 says that It is no longer I that live but Christ who lives in me. We are not giving up the dreams that we believe God has placed in our hearts but we are laying them down knowing that God gave them to us and wants them to be fulfilled more than we do. So we have chosen to pursue God and let Him work out the details of our future, our calling, and our hopes and dreams. Isaiah 49:1-4 My reward is surely with my God.

Gotta go to work
I’ll add more later
Gary

Posted by Gary in Practical
04
Sep
2006

Back to School

Posted by Gary on April 26, 2004

It’s 11:00 PM and tomorrow I have a 6:30 am call time to sing backing vocals in chapel. It has been a very interesting three weeks. In the next newsletter I’ll give you more details. I can tell you that God has been so faithful and he always restores us to a place better than we were before if we fully trust him.

It will be good to be back in school and finishing up the first term. Just 7 quick months until I graduate. We have no idea what is in store for us after that. One thing I am sure of is that God has something incredible in store for us when we leave here, if we leave here, oops did I say that :-)?

Well I’m off to bed The website update is coming soon.

We love you all. Goodnight
Gary

Posted by Gary in Personal
04
Sep
2006

Like Abe

Posted by Gary on April 15, 2004

With everything that has been going on in our life I have been looking at the life of Abraham.

God told him to leave his family, his home, and his inheritance. Our situation looks a lot like that. We have left our family, our home (and our stuff), and we have spent our inheritence. Abraham almost fully obeyed and if your a parent you know that partial obedience is disobedience. The things that got Abraham into trouble were the things that he brought with him that God told him to leave behind. In Abrahams case it was his father and nephew.

As this has been unfolding we have been considering what things we have brought with us that we should leave behind, not physical things, all I brought was a bicycle and a guitar. I’m talking more about; ways of thinking, responses to circumstance, belief systems, as well as other things.

Abraham was promised much for obedience. All laid out in Genesis 12, and Duet 28. he was also promised something for disobedience later in Deut 28.

Fortunately we live under grace so we get a second chance. Abraham got multiple chances as well. Thankfully we serve a God of second chances. Our fist response was “well maybe God changed His mind” or “maybe we didn’t hear correctly in the first place”.

God doesn’t change His mind. We see a lot in the Old Testament what happens when the Isrealites committed the sin of not trusting God. We don’t want to be written about as an example of not trusting God so we have chosen to stand Eph 6:13-14. Leave behind those things we need to leave behind and choose to stand on the promises of Gods word. All Abraham did was trust and obey. That is what God credited to him as righteousness. Look at the promises of Genesis 12 and Deut 28. Faith isn’t faith until you put it to work. Stand firm!

Thanks again for indulging my thought process. I’d love to hear what you think regarding faith and standing on Gods word.

See you soon!
Gary

Posted by Gary in Faith, Practical
04
Sep
2006

Random Thoughts

Posted by Gary on April 6, 2004

Have you ever been on a collision course that you knew you couldn’t avoid? How did you react? Did you worry? did you strive with every bone in your body to work out a way to avoid it? Or did you simply do the things that were in your control and trust God to make up the difference.

Since about October of last year we have been on a collision course, (that I may tell you all about someday), and the collision finally occured a couple of weeks ago. That thing that I feared most finally happened. I dont think we made it occur, i.e spoke it into existence. We were praying, and seeking, and trusting God at least at a level that we we were able. But know after the fact I am confident that we were not really trusting Him fully.

We now sit in a place that only God can deliver us from, their is nothing we can do that will be enough. No way we can work this one out on our own. In the natural it is an impossible place. But God.

I believe this is what James is talking about when he says that faith without works is dead. I don’t think he meant good works. I think he meant putting your faith to work. It’s easy to say you live by faith when you don’t really have to. When the circumstance says something to you do you believe the circumstance or do you believe the promises of Gods word. The first two chapters of James have taken on totally new meaning to me in the last few weeks.

I love being in this place. Now I’m not just blindly sitting in the corner of my room waiting on the voice of God. We are being faithful with what God has put in our hand doing the best we can and trusting God to make up the difference.

We have been so blessed for making this trip and have learned much more than I ever expected to learn. I am beginning to feel more and more ready to go passionatley after the dreams that God has placed in my heart. Thank you for taking this journey with us. I look forward to the day I can sit down over a cup of Good American Coffee and tell you all the details.

See you all soon
Gary

Posted by Gary in Personal
04
Sep
2006

Welcome

Posted by Gary on April 6, 2004

Welcome to the Trobee family web log!

I have been thinking of doing something like this for a long time. Then the other day I ran across this idea on someone elses web site and it looked very easy. (Which is exactly what I need).

So I e-mailed my favorite web host. sonservers and he set me up. He is the one who made it look the way it does. Thanks sonservers! 🙂

These are not deep theological essays. Just random thoughts about what is happening with us and what God is teaching us.

Thanks for indulging me I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes
Gary

Posted by Gary in Personal

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