Life Down Under

Unrelenting

Next month, THOP will be hosting our first national conference, called Unrelenting. To give a bit of background on the conference, I'll quote one of the emails we've sent out:

"...We are coming into a very significant year and season, both in our nation and also in the nations of the earth. As many of you are aware, we in the Tauranga House of Prayer community have been laboring on a daily basis for the last three years in the place of prayer for a move of God to grip our nation....We felt that at the three year mark that the Lord was asking us to be more deliberate in calling young "Kiwis" to the place of prayer. We understood that this would only be possible if the generation that had gone before them would actively stand together with them as they take their place and destiny in the story of God concerning New Zealand. In light of this, we have decided to host a gathering March 26th-28th 2009 here in Tauranga. We are calling the event "Unrelenting", and in doing so we wanted to communicate to a generation of Kiwis and to the God of heaven and earth that nothing short of deliberate perpetual crying out will see our nation return. I am burdened by this; I awoke early on New Year's day and went out to the Mount to observe the "carnage" that a generation of our kids had left behind. I was devastated and grieved by what I saw. Littered on the streets and in cars were young people who had drunken fully and unapologetically, and to do so was normal and expected. This can no longer be the story of young Kiwis; something has to change. We don't propose to have all the answers, but we know God does; and the genesis for change has always begun in the place of prayer.

We have invited Bob Sorge to come and help us in this call. Bob is one of the clearest voices alive today on the earth. That voice has emerged from the place of deep wrestling with God. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Bob's story, he had his vocal chords severely damaged in a medical procedure 15 years ago that left him only to be able to speak for a hour or so a day in a faint whisper. During these last 15 years, a clear message has emerged from the crucible of wrestling. He has authored 13 books and is sought after internationally. Some of you would have read these writings and have been impacted by them. I had the privilege of traveling with Bob and we are so fortunate to have him come. He has impacted my life personally in a very deep way and I believe what he brings to our nation at this time will carry tremendous weight and prophetic relevance. To find out more about Bob you can visit his website at www.oasishouse.net."

John Dawson, the President of YWAM, will also be there and contributing in some capacity. It promises to be a significant weekend, and we're anticipating what God is going to do.

Registrations have been rolling in the last few days, so if you're interested in coming, log onto www.thop.co.nz and register soon; space is limited.