There are now 10 mp3 messages available for download at artieshepherd.com, plus two free mp3’s.
Messages include:
Convictions of Steel – what are the basic building blocks of your life? Do you need to change them?
Power of Forgiveness – “eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth” ends up with no-one being able to see or smile anymore! Forgiveness will set you free to live the life you were created for.
Woe. Lo. Go. – three encounters you need to have for a significant life.
He Wants/She Wants – the always popular series by Artie & Alana on what men and women want in a relationship. Perfect for anyone who is married, dating or would one day like to be!
The i61 Revolution sample – Because. Anointed. To. Three simple words which will catapault you into your destiny.
Posted 6 months, 2 weeks ago at 1:36 pm. Add a comment
This weekend I’m off again to preach for the weekend at Boyne Tannum Christian Church. Howard James is building a community-influencing church in this beautiful part of Queensland. I’m looking forward to speaking at their Fruitful Vine conference, as well as Sunday AM church and Sunday PM youth.
The youth ministry is led by Anthony & Jess Corbett – a great young couple full of passion and belief that they can make a difference in their region. Their young people are awesome – we met some of them at i61 Conference this year. Whole families have been changed since their encounter with God that week, so I’m really looking forward to seeing what has been happening!
On the home front, James Macpherson from Calvary Christian Church in Townsville will be preaching at Kings One on Friday night, concluding the Reasons For God series. James is one of the best preachers you will ever hear! And Steve Penny will be back from LA for the Sunday 9AM service at Kings Buderim, continuing his BU (Be You) Series which everyone has been raving about in the offices this week.
Feels like another great weekend on the way!
Posted 6 months, 3 weeks ago at 11:48 pm. 2 comments
Because. Anointed. To. That’s the i61 Revolution.
Three powerful words from Isaiah 61:1.
Still wondering what your life purpose is? This message could set your life on a collision course with destiny!
Already living your life purpose? This message will stir you to take it to a new level!
Here’s a 12 minute sampler of one of my signature messages. I’d love to hear what you think of it!
You can download it at http://artieshepherd.com/free-stuff
Enjoy!
Posted 6 months, 3 weeks ago at 11:15 pm. Add a comment
I just received this email from Claire Ashton, youth leader at Vine Christian Centre in South Wales, UK. It’s always nice to hear good reports after ministering somewhere, and it’s especially encouraging that God was at work!
“Hi Artie,
I was really impressed with your teaching and your words have made such an impact on me. I know this is true of many of our young people so I asked them to write a few words down to express how God had touched them during your meetings.
- I made quite a few notes when listening to you and these are the things that particularly struck me: When you talk to people speak in a language they understand and relate to. It will make a difference…I need to use the gifts God has given me more and not hide them. I don’t want to be easily shaken and hide my Christianity. The choices I make will make a big difference in my life. ATTITUDE MEANS EVERYTHING. I don’t’ want to take shortcuts any longer. Ashleigh 16
- …God instilled in me such a relentless spirit this week. One that will never back down, never give up and never turn my back on Jesus. Thank you for explaining these things in such an easy way to listen and to understand. You have really encouraged our youth group. Chloe 16
- This week I feel God’s been challenging me as a worship leader and on the choices I make in my life. The sessions you did in Xstream were refreshing, interesting and funny and the filtering process you spoke about is being used already and is helping a lot. I really enjoyed your teaching and really hope to hear you speak again soon. Tim 21
- This week I feel like God is confirming a few things in my life and that he is going to build me up and use me. Through Artie I felt a bigger passion for God and to be relentless in my journey with God and that my life is his. Hannah 17
- This week I felt doubtful and indecisive of where I am going and what I should do in my life, which direction to take. I found that Artie’s 8 W’s (“How to Make Right Decisions”) really helped me to make a choice and find which direction to take. Kirsty 19
- Every year at camp there are a few speakers that stand out to you. You were one for me this year. Thank you for being so encouraging, funny and challenging. You’ve stirred up one relentless spirit in me. Lydia 15
- This year was my first faith camp and I have thoroughly enjoyed the week. One of my most enjoyable experiences was when you spoke to us. I felt that through your sermon God really spoke to me about being more bold and confident in my attitude towards being a Christian and becoming relentless. Forence 15
- This was only my second faith camp so the whole experience is still new to me. Through your sermon I felt as though I could truly be resolute for God. You made the sermon fun, lively and exciting for every person present in the Move tent. I would love to hear you speak again next faith camp. Thank you for your truly awesome sermon. Kim 16″
I am constantly in awe that God would see fit to use me to help make a difference in the lives of people even on the other side of the world!
Posted 6 months, 3 weeks ago at 1:52 pm. Add a comment
In our staff meeting yesterday Ps Steve Penny shared some great principles on the Five Commitments for Lasting Fruit from John 15:1-8.
I’ve taken the liberty of modifying this slightly in a way that my simple mind can handle!
Every team member must make personal decisions that will enable them to be a fruitful member of the team – and not just fruitful, but fruitfully producing lasting fruit which in turn produces more fruit!
There are 5 Qualities and 5 Decisions which will help to produce this result:
Quality #1 FUNCTION. Decision #1 CONTRIBUTING
The first step is to identify your gifts and start contributing to the team and vision by functioning in them.
Quality #2 FAITHFUL. Decision #2 COMMITTED
You must faithfully serve in whatever opportunity is presented, with a commitment to commitment.
Quality #3 FRIENDLY. Decision #3 CONNECTED
Now you need to work hard at being a valued part of the team beyond your area of service. Everything works best through relationship. This is about developing your Social IQ.
Quality #4 FIT. Decision #4 CONTENT
Now you’ve passed from being a servant to a steward and you get to find where you really fit best. What gives you the most joy? For the sake of the bigger picture you may still need to work in an area which is not your dream, but the joy of the Lord should be your strength.
Quality #5 FRUITFUL. Decision #5 CHARACTER
Now you decide to continue serving with the right spirit through the continual shaping of your character so that you can produce fruit which remains. A wrong spirit will produce fruit as well – but it will have the wrong taste. You can tell when a department is led by the wrong spirit – it just doesn’t taste right.
Posted 7 months ago at 11:54 am. Add a comment
Craig Groeschel and his team at LifeChurch.tv are some of the most innovative and creative guys around! They are paving a new path for the church especially in the effective use of technology for influencing as many people in as many places as possible.
They have just created a new web-based Google application called BabelWith.me which translates instant messaging conversations in real-time in 45 different languages. So…you could invite a group of people you’re trying to reach out to in another nation or cultural group to join in a conversation with no language barrier.
Quoted in the Leadership Network Advance e-news, LifeChurch.tv innovation leader and pastor Bobby Gruenwald said, “In our increasingly global society, language barriers have remained major hurdles to bringing people together. Our hope is that BabelWith.me will set conversation free by empowering communication between different cultures and creating new opportunities for important discussions.”
Check out www.babelwith.me – Pretty cool!
Posted 7 months ago at 10:59 am. Add a comment
Love these thoughts adapted from JD Greear on the Mystery of the Gospel:
- The First Mystery of the Gospel (what angels are “amazed” by) is not why some aren’t saved, but why any are saved! The cross is foolishness…
- The Second Mystery of the Gospel is not why some aren’t saved, but how those who are saved fail to give their lives for those who aren’t.
Ouch.
Posted 7 months ago at 1:02 am. 1 comment
I love living life fast and full! We have just crammed well over 40,000kms of travel into the last 17 days. That’s a lot of time sitting in planes, trains, cars…and the London tube for one short, scary trip! But, thank you Jesus for a fruitful, effective and safe trip! Let’s hope this jet-lag fades fast!
There is a stirring across Europe of visionary leaders with a spirit of advancement, and churches which are seeing new levels of influence and favour and soul winning in their cities. We were so impressed by the people we met and engaged with!
I preached 12 times in 5 cities and saw over 150 people say Yes to Jesus – many for the very first time ever!
We were so blessed to be able to connect with old friends and forge new friendships for the future. In fact, these connection moments were some of the greatest highlights of the trip for us – and God really spoke to us out of them.
Thanks to:
Steve & Charlotte Gambill,
Kris & Kalleigh Mikkelson,
Rich & Jules Martin,
Matt & Amanda Stephens,
Steve & Nicky Sutherland,
Brendan White,
Clive & Jane Urquhart,
Colin & Caroline Urquhart,
Paul & Liz Gutteridge,
Glyn & Sophie Barrett,
Phil Dooley,
Zibi & Magda Marzek,
Jason & Kim Gowland,
Stuart Keir,
Dave & Helen Belfield,
Dave & Bek Cadman,
and so many more!
After all the frenetic pace of the past few weeks it is so good to be home! There’s not much that compares to the buzz of being reunited with your children after such a long time away! The hugs, squeezes, kisses, excitement, laughter, sharing of presents and catching up on the wonder of our kids lives is just amazing! We are truly blessed people!
Posted 7 months ago at 5:35 am. 1 comment
This is an often quoted piece, originally penned by an American pastor. According to legend it was found crumpled in the hand of a young African pastor who was martyred for his unswerving commitment to faith in Christ. I like to call it The Relentless Creed…
“I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I’m a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.
My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, position, promotion, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.
My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won’t give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me.
And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me, for my colours will be clear!”
That is the Relentless spirit!
Posted 7 months, 1 week ago at 9:34 am. 2 comments
Wow so much has been happening since we left Australia 10 days ago. We have been scampering from city to city with brief chances to connect to wifi – primarily to video skype our kids at home. There hasn’t been much opportunity to blog unfortunately, but here’s a quick catch-up for anyone who may be remotely interested!
Day 1: DUBAI. What an incredible city! Sooo hot, and full of intriguing people. We stopped over for one afternoon and night to have a rapid tour of Dubai’s endless supply of massive shopping malls and opulent hotels. Also helped to re-set our body clocks before landing in UK. Alana’s first time outside Australia.
Day 2: MANCHESTER. Caught up with Glyn & Sophie Barrett, Matt Deaville and the team at !Audacious City Church. They are building an influential church in one of the UK’s most significant cities. Until now no church in Manchester was larger than 400 people (this in a city of 2 million+ people!). The Audacious guys are living up to their name, and are about to start their 4th Sunday service to be able to fit everyone in. Last weekend they had 390 people in the Sunday night service – only problem is they only have 280 chairs! They are believing for a breakthrough with a new building to be able to keep building a great church.
Day 3: BRADFORD. I stood in the pulpit in the cathedral where one of my ancestors was the Vicar in the 1800’s – he built schools, helped the poor and tried to bring change to a city which really wasn’t interested. Had the honour of preaching at Rocknations, the youth ministry of Abundant Life Church, Bradford. Amazing night, with many first time decisions and inspiring stories of radical lives changed. Got to hang out with Steve Gambill, and Dave & Abs Niblock. These guys are changing the city with the life of Jesus! Alana nearly got caught in the middle of a mini-riot in a shopping mall – police, security, gangs, screaming girls, and Alana hiding behind the jewellery display!
Day 4: CROYDON. Caught up with my sister, brother-in-law, 2 nieces, brother & sister-in-law who all live here. Roast dinner and Yorkshire pudding!
Day 5: KINGDOM LIFE CHURCH. Steve & Nicky Sutherland have planted a growing, energetic COC church in Croydon. We were so impressed by the quality of the people and the service. Planted 8 years ago from scratch, these guys are building a great multi-racial church. 4 people made decisions, and all of my resource got bought out! Now I’ve got nothing left for the rest of the trip! Just as well I built this site.
At night we visited Hillsong London. My goodness, that is church!! Not only is it full of life, packed with thousands of people (who have to queue to get in) and has the wow factor, the team are working so hard on connecting people and creating community. We were so privileged to be looked after by the team and get to hang out with them.
Day 6: LONDON. Shopping, Buckingham Palace, shopping, Thames, shopping, Hyde Park, shopping, MI5, Harrods. I love London!
Day 7: HILLSONG LONDON STAFF MEETING. Again we were honoured to see a bit of the inside workings of this great church. Really loved connecting with them, especially Kris & Kalleigh Mikkelson (Executive Pastors). They are two wonderful people who we just clicked with. Getting to know them was actually the highlight of our time in London.
Day 8: PARIS. Oui Oui Paris! Brendan White (Hillsong Paris pastor) gave us the lightning tour and caught up for lunch overlooking the Eiffel Tower. To his great delight I indulged in a Parisian delicacy of Steak Tartar – it’s a raw meat patty. Brendan & Camille are also building a great church in one of the world’s most secular, humanistic cities. So inspiring to hear what they are doing. At night we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower – this is one monument which actually lives up to the hype!
Day 9: PARIS ON FOOT. We spent the day taking in as much of Parisian life as possible, before sprawling on the lawn in front of the Eiffel with French wine and cheese, and watching the sun set slowly (at 10pm!) with hundreds of young French all around us. They all smoke so much, I’m sure I’m going to start craving nicotine – urgh!
Day 10: YORK. According to Rich Martin from Global York, this is simply THE GREATEST CITY IN THE WORLD EVER! I have never met someone more passionate about the city they are called to! York is truly a cool place and we had so much fun with Rich & Jules, who are executive pastors for Dave & Shelley Shore. Global Youth went off at night with around 20 young people saying Yes to Jesus – many for the first time. Then we did a Q&A with their youth leaders, who had some very intelligent questions!!
We talked long into the night with our hosts Matt & Amanda Stephens, who are also key leaders in the church. Two years ago Matt brought a cheque as a gift to Kings to sow into our building fund, as Global are also believing for a building breakthrough. We were able to literally walk through the reaping of their sowing – they have been given the rent-free occupancy of a whole school complete with dance studio, computer labs, sports hall, cafe and more rooms than they know what to do with! This is an amazing miracle of blessing and provision!
Day 11: WIGAN. Leadership morning with Today’s Community Church, led by Dave & Helen Belfield. Another good church with an excellent building and a young, passionate team. Had a great time with Dave & Bek Cadman, two of the key pastors with a powerful story of God’s goodness, and looking forward to preaching in church tomorrow.
Now it’s off to dinner with Dave & Helen. Au revoir!
PS You can check out some photos at facebook.com/artieshepherd
Posted 7 months, 1 week ago at 3:35 am. 1 comment