Seven weeks of Touring around the world has been absolutely phenomenal!! As a band, we've all gotten on so well and its been great to stand and minister on the platforms of all these Churches as a team that really love God, love and respect each other and love the people that we're ministering to.

Each of the Churches and people that we meet on this tour have been ever so different and unique and each region has its own very individual characteristics... Come back and check 'Andrew's Blog' in a few days; we're putting together a list of our favourite qualities and characteristics for each Church that we've visited on this world tour.

We are all missing our families and home Churches... Seven weeks on tour is a little too long... I'm so looking forward to seeing Desma and each of my children; Melody, Dave, Bree, Ashleigh, Jordan, Steven, and grandson Tim and back to our wonderful home Church - Hillsong...

I'd like to let everyone know that the only reason that the band call me 'comando' is because I get the band out of bed early every morning for a 6 mile jog, pushups and situps... We've been jogging in every country and state that we visit, now the boys are up to 100 pushups within 5 minutes, and go on to do 200; I'm hoping they'll all get up to 300 pushups with me by the end of the tour!

We've had some absolutely amazing meetings, the presence of God has been so rich, and many are responding to the drawing of God...

If you live in Denver, Seattle, or San Fransisco please make sure you endeavour to come to the 'Worship Encounter' nights... check the tour dates...
Andrew.

Cleveland Rocks!
Its been so awesome to be a part of Andrew's "String Band"!! (If that is what we have decided to call ourselves????)
We had the absolute best services in Cleveland Ohio. We were with Pastor Louis and Tina at Church on the North Coast. That place is so cool! We had such an incredible morning where lives got touched and people responded so well to drawing closer to the Father! At night we went to their satelite church at Beachwood for yet another amazing time! It is so wonderful to see a growing healthy church on fire!
America so far has been heaps of fun with the band! Between Amen, amen, amening and our "spiritual scissors" the tour has been a bundle of laughs! Luke the Duke keeps us all entertained for hours, Ainsleigh makes us laugh with his "finers", Cameron is just "hot", Commando Andrew Ironside keeps us fit and watch out for your "fedubadors", Ric lippy Lippmann - well what can you say - is the hottest things on this planet, and me - I just keep on having my "romantic" moments thank you very much! (will keep on playing the "Notebook" theme track on my Ipod Ainsleigh - you need culture man!)

News from the '07 world tour...

Ric & Jilly took the band to their favourite German resteraunt downtown Munich called Huxenbaur. We ate one of these 'Pork Knuckles' which has been slow spit roasted for 3 hours... honestly enough for one's yearly share of pork and crackle... Check the amount left over on Cam's plate...

Wow! Aberdeen COC Rocks! We had an amazing time of worship in Aberdeen! Everyone was so responsive to the call of God to draw near... Pastor Kevin and Cheryl are doing such a tremendous job with the Church way up north with God's frozen chosen!

Dave & Abby are such a fun couple and standing strong in Dundee; we had the joy of doing Worship encounter 1 with their church on the Wednesday night; it was loads of fun and great to see others come from Edinburgh as well!

I'm sitting here in Paul and Kathie Price's lounge following an awesome night at City Coast Church - Brighton. Wow! What a great Church! The band and I decided to bring our bodies into subjection for the entire day and go without food until after the evening service; Paul and Kathie blew us away with the biggest feed of Indian Curries that we've ever seen in our lives...

Tomorrow we drive the full length of the country in our tour bus from Brighton to Dundee, Scotland for a couple evening worship services, then drive back to Heathrow and fly from London to New York this coming Wednesday night...

We're not sure what to call the band... We're thinking maybe; 'Andrew Ironside and the String Band', or 'Lipstick Rockers'. If you have any suggestions, drop us a line...

Regards,
Andrew

Saving Grace

---

If You find it in Your heart, can I be forgiven?
Guess I owe You some kind of apology.
I've escaped death so many times, I know I'm only living
By the saving grace that's over me.

By this time I'd-a thought I would be sleeping
In a pine box for all eternity.
My faith keeps me alive, but I still be weeping
For the saving grace that's over me.

Well, the death of life, then come the resurrection,
Wherever I am welcome is where I'll be.
I put all my confidence in Him, my sole protection
Is the saving grace that's over me.

Well, the devil's shining light, it can be most blinding,
But to search for love, that ain't no more than vanity.
As I look around this world all that I'm finding
Is the saving grace that's over me.

The wicked know no peace and you just can't fake it,
There's only one road and it leads to Calvary.
It gets discouraging at times, but I know I'll make it
By the saving grace that's over me.

Words and Music by Bob Dylan
(c) 1980 Special Rider Music