Spiritual Formation School Update
On April 24th, 2023 Our Spiritual Formation School kicked off with Jacinda Lilly from Coast Vineyard, looking at 'Devotional life'.
Right from the get-go, we dived into the week, open, and ready, expecting to hear from the Lord and to grow and form a deeper relationship through the input of the school, and our expectations were blown out of the water. God's Presence was very evident amongst us in the classroom, and a closeness and bond amongst the student group developed very quickly in terms of sharing and vulnerability, and we knew from the first week that we had the beginning of a very special journey or pilgrimage that we would be walking together over the next 3 months. We have a real mix in the student group, from brand-new believers to ones that had walked with the Lord for over 40 years or more, and we all felt like we were sitting down to a feast.
Each week the Teachers have been outstanding and are adding to this rich tapestry of teaching and practical application that has begun. Our classroom began to grow with more students both in the Orama Classroom and online on Zoom. We have just completed Module 6 The Prophetic, and it’s hard to believe that we are already halfway through the school.
People can still sign up for a Module. (if you are interested, you need to be able to commit for the full 5 day Module week, a total of 4 hours per day, 8:30 am -10:30 am / 11:00 am - 1:00 pm)
The remaining Modules are:
Module 7 Apologetics - Dr. Steve Kumar
Module 8 Miracles and Healing - Chris Gore
Module 9 Israel today -Graeme Carle
Module 10 Character of God - Dean McQuoid
Module 11 Spiritual Gifts - Nina and David James
Module 12 Church and Worship - Matt Lilly
Full details here: Spiritual Formation School
Job Vacancies
We have two part-time positions come available… Do you feel like a change? be in positions that help change people’s lives…
You will be joining a small team living onsite at Great Barrier Island in a stunningly beautiful bay, with a vibrant history of restoring and equipping people for life’s journey. Every year more than 2500 visitors come to Orama to enjoy a holiday adventure, a spiritual retreat, or a training school at Orama. This is a great opportunity for a couple to job share.
Position 1: Pastoral Care/Ministry Coordination/Operations support 20 hours (flexible)
This is a varied position, with a balance between hands-on practical work and providing pastoral care to staff, volunteers, and guests. Helping develop ministry opportunities, and foster/create partnerships with external ministries.
Position 2: Guest Services Manager 30 hours (flexible)
This role is a critical and rewarding role. You will be responsible for managing the operations around guest/client services for Orama. This would suit a friendly, welcoming person, who loves providing great first impressions for customers, with the ability to manage systems with accuracy & efficiency.
If you feel a calling to express an authentic Christianity through community and have a love for people, and a passion to show the love of God through hospitality, and can imagine living onsite in a stunning bay, we would love to discuss this amazing opportunity with you.
Please complete this employment application
Applications close 30th June 2023.
Be Brave - step out - follow Gods path
Trust - Seek - Lean on God in all areas of your life ....it maybe very hard at times and sometimes we need to be reminded God knows what is best for us even if we don't understand or see it. I know at times I have found this hard.
There are times when I feel I am are in a tug of war, my will, and understanding at one end and God’s plan, which doesn't make sense in the natural at the other end. I can feel the pull, the pain and the stretching as this battle goes on. It's not easy but I know deep down God knows best and has the full blueprint of my life when I only have snippets. So as I get stretched and shaped, I focus on God’s word, take every thought captive, and know I am becoming stronger.....
By letting God guide and shape me...
and by...
Being Brave - stepping out - following God’s path
Seek GOD and HIS guidance for all things, including the plans He has for your life, Trust Him and His timing with all areas of your life, for He knows what's BEST for YOU! Don't lean onto your own understanding, because it will only lead you astray, but TRUST, SEEK and LEAN on God's guidance and understanding and He will make your ways straight!
Treena Salthouse ❤️
Let God Transform You
As I sit here spending time with God..........
I see a flower bud, tightly bounded together and think how we start out as a bud, bound by our past, bounded by how we see ourselves, like shackles around our ankles. But as we let God transform us, bit by bit we emerge out, transformed, as God created us to be, bright, bold, and beautiful.
Like a flower bud, there is so much to offer inside. And yet we can become impatient and tell ourselves that we should be able to produce something extraordinary instantly. But that’s not how it works. Instead, we have to see the potential, go through the process, be patient and understand God’s timing is always perfect. Just as God created a flower to go through transformation from bud to flower, we also go through transformation.
As I continue to gaze at the flower bud I see small imperfections and think how perfectionism is about outward appearances and how perfectionism and being afraid to fail can stunt our growth.
And I think how.....
Growth is about what happens on the inside
Growth is about who we are becoming
And how when we try to be perfect it can hinder our growth
Failures are a part of life.
If you don't fail you don't learn
If you don't learn,
you will never grow
Let God transform you - press in - grow - thrive - flourish
But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NIV
Treena Salthouse ❤️