In the swirl of scandal, uncertainty, and whispered rumours, Mary's quiet yes became the hinge point of history. All she had was a word from God and a choice to trust. Through her obedience came the light of the world. What might still be unfolding through your own yes? Because sometimes, God's greatest plans begin in the most unexpected places.
In Matthew’s gospel, every moment of chaos is followed by a powerful reminder: “This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken.” Nothing was random. Nothing caught God off guard. Every step had already been spoken about by the prophets, centuries before it happened.
God had a plan from the very beginning. The child would be called out of Egypt. The mothers of Bethlehem would grieve, just as Rachel once did. A boy would grow up in a place no one respected, and that very place would carry the meaning of hope. Even Nazareth pointed to God’s promise of a branch that would bring life again.
Jesus’ life was deeply connected to God’s story. And so is yours.
As we walk into our vision of moving with God at the forefront of revival, we sense a fresh invitation to step into the Promised Land.
But being at the forefront doesn’t always feel bold or glamorous. It often feels like being the first person on the ice, testing its strength, while everyone else watches from the safety of the shore. It’s risky. It’s uncertain. And it’s exactly where God is calling us.
He is calling people to move with Him, to step into territory that has already been prepared. If you’ve felt stretched or uncomfortable lately, maybe that’s not something to resist. Maybe it’s your moment to stop thinking small, stop seeing small, and walk forward with courage.
As we move toward the end of 2025 and into the new year, there are a few key things that are absolutely essential. Not just good ideas, but things we need if we want to stay aligned with what God is doing and not get sidetracked or slowed down.
1. Eyes fixed on God
2. Hearts that are honest about disappointment
3. Lives deeply connected to one another.
In this message, Shannon explores how God didn’t design the financial systems of the world, but He did step in to teach us how to live generously within them. This is a grounded, deeply biblical look at tithing. Not as a transaction or out of religious obligation, but as an act of worship, flowing from relationship, trust, and joy. Jesus is inviting you into the adventure of living open-handed in God’s economy.
Of all the things Jesus could have declared about His purpose, He began with this: “I have come to heal the brokenhearted.”
The ‘heart’ in Scripture speaks of the inner person. The heart means the very core of who we are; the mind, the will, the emotions, the memory, and the desires. Healing the heart means healing every part of who we are at a deep level. Jesus made it clear that this was His purpose.
The brokenness He described carries a profound meaning. The word used means shattered, fractured beyond repair. It describes something in pieces, not just damaged, but seemingly ruined. Jesus said He came to heal that kind of brokenness.
This is very good news. Jesus heals. He delivers. He restores. He calls. He finishes what He starts. For every broken place, He brings wholeness. For every hidden wound, He brings comfort. For every weary heart, He brings strength to run again.
In this message, Stuart shares revelation about what God is really doing in seasons of testing.
It is not about becoming a more polished version of yourself. It is about being shaped into the image of Christ.
Jesus said, “If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father.” When our lives reflect Christ, others begin to see the Father in us and that is our highest calling.
What you believe is more important than what you know. And belief is forged in the in-between. The middle seasons of life, the waiting, the unknowns, the mysteries, are spaces where faith is forged, where heaven breaks in. Healing, joy, direction, purpose all flow from staying rooted in God’s presence, even when we don’t fully understand what He’s doing.
Before the Life Beyond Trauma Conference, Andrea sat down with Sandra Sellmer-Kersten to talk about healing, transformation, and what it means to invite Jesus into the places of deep pain.
In their conversation, Sandra shared her excitement for what God will do through the conference, “It’s amazing to see the light bulbs go on in people’s hearts. You watch the hope come in, and you know there’s an answer for them.”
She spoke about how Jesus meets us in our stories with both tenderness and transformation. “The comfort and compassion of Jesus always comes with His invitation to lasting change.” She explained that God “doesn’t take the memories away, but when that memory is processed, it becomes part of our testimony... part of our overcoming.”
Sandra reminded us that Jesus’ heart is to restore what has been lost. “He doesn’t just heal; He restores identity, value, purpose, and destiny.”
There is life after trauma. Life to the full.
Life Beyond Trauma with Sandra Sellmer-Kersten
14–15 November 2025
Fairway Event Centre, Argus Place, Auckland
9:30 am – 5:00 pm each day
The conference offers a safe, faith-filled space to explore how healing and transformation restore identity, value, purpose, and destiny. You’ll experience teaching, worship, prayer, and ministry in an atmosphere shaped for encounter with God.
Registration closes Tuesday, 12 November at 5 pm.
This week, Shannon and Andrea shared the vision for Catch the Fire Auckland. It’s a clear picture of who we are, what we’re becoming, and how we walk it out together. They spoke about what it means to belong to a spiritual family, to encounter God and be transformed by his presence to overflow into the neighbours and the nations.
This is the Catch The Fire Church Auckland Vision.
Everyone has a part to play and this is your invitation to build with us. To commit, to grow, and to move with God at the forefront of revival.
Shannon and Andrea invite you, as family, into the adventure of the next season. The vision for Catch The Fire Auckland is to move with God at the forefront of revival! This vision is rooted in the joy of the Father’s love, where our identity gives us access, and responsibility flows from belonging. We are called to be a dwelling place of His presence, where sons and daughters grow, give, and go!
Before we come to God, we’re like upside-down cups – unable to receive a drop. But the moment we say yes to Him, we’re flipped upright, and He starts pouring. More than we could ever hold.So why don’t we overflow?In this episode, Shannon explores the powerful truth that while God pours without limit, many of us are leaking. Wounded by life, drained by striving, and unsure how to live fully. You’ll discover how God heals the holes in our hearts, restores what’s been broken, and invites us to live from the overflow of His love.Receive His overflow. Not just for you, but for everyone around you.
There’s a version of you that God already sees and He’s drawing it out. Through truth, pressure, and the quiet work of renewing your mind, transformation begins to take shape. Kath weaves together the stories of Saul, a butterfly, and the grooves in our thinking to show how lasting change doesn’t start with striving, but with surrender. Be encouraged to renew your mind, let go of old patterns, and step boldly into the next level God has for you.
God longs to meet you – as a loving Father, a present Saviour, and a living Spirit who delights in being with you. His presence isn’t something we have to earn. And encounters with Him aren’t spiritual trophies or rewards for getting it right.
We don’t earn them. We are created for them.
At Catch The Fire, the presence of God is not a moment or a side note; God’s Presence is the main thing. The presence of God is one of the core values of Catch The Fire globally and right at the heart of who we are at Catch The Fire Auckland. We value Him. His nearness, His voice, His presence that heals, transforms, and awakens hearts.
This is why the Presence of God is everything.
Let’s be honest—“deny yourself” isn’t exactly a slogan you’ll see on a billboard anytime soon. It’s certainly not the hook of your average self-help book. And yet, these are the exact words Jesus used when inviting people to follow Him. Jesus never sugar-coated the cost. He told us up front: to follow Him means denying ourselves—not just once, but daily. That’s a hard sell in a world obsessed with self-fulfilment, self-help, and self-promotion. This isn’t the comfortable version of discipleship. It’s the kind that costs something. Maybe even everything.
This message invites us to rethink worry–to see it as a nudge from God—a spiritual dashboard light signalling that something deeper is stirring in our hearts. Instead of spiralling in fear or numbing out with distraction, we’re invited into an honest, healing conversation with the One who already knows! From wandering minds to 2am ‘what ifs’, we’ll explore how Jesus’ words in Matthew 6 offer more than comfort—they offer transformation. Let’s get real, get raw, and let God’s love meet us right where we are.
Jesus commands us to love our enemies. Not to avoid having them—but to love them. To see them as image-bearers, held in the same divine love that holds us. This kind of love—agape love—is not passive or soft. It resists contempt. It disrupts cycles. It demands courage, humility, and boldness. And it creates the kind of space where God can move, and transformation can take root. Somehow, in that space, we become more like our Father.
What if your suffering had no clear explanation? Just silence, pain, and a question mark hanging in the air. Shannon walks us through the raw, unfiltered story of Job: a man who lost everything yet refused to walk away from the God he loved. No answers, no guarantees, no rewards dangled in front of him—just trust. Not every trial is a test of strength. Sometimes, it's a revelation of love.