Encouragement

The Easter Story through the eyes of Peter If this story was a Hollywood movie, it would be listed under the category: Fantasy. After all, bringing the dead back to life, walking on water and turning water into wine, just doesn’t really happen, or does it? Jesus picked Peter out of obscurity and raised him […]

‘The Nativity’  This painting by Gari Melchers captures the moment after the birth of Jesus. Note the absence of shepherds, angels, wise men and presents. At first glance we see exhaustion, loneliness and rejection. But if you look carefully, in the dark and dreary hole, is hope.  Hope is little, fragile and vulnerable. It’s a beacon […]

The Rescuer’s Heart Hearing of the Thailand soccer team being found alive in a cave brought us to tears. The thought of 13 kids, 1km deep underground and 4km from the entrance, all alone in the darkness for 10 days; goodness, we can only imagine their despair and desperation. What were they thinking? After the ninth day, […]

Charles Spurgeon’s bodacious words about work Charles Spurgeon, the famous preacher from yesteryear, had some great wisdom to say about our vocations: “Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them”. 1 Corinthians 7:20 Charles’ words are in black, mine are in blue. Some persons have the foolish notion –Nah, tell […]

Finding hope in Dark Times When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on his donkey, the crowd roared with praise and excitement! They had pinned their hopes on Jesus to free them from the oppressive Roman Rulers, and by the looks of it, Jesus certainly had the power to do so. If calming storms, healing diseases and […]

An Encouragement to Scripture Teachers I rocked up to a new church last week and recognised a face from 15 years ago. She was a child when I saw her last, but now a gorgeous young lady. She was in a group with her friends when I broke in, somewhat awkwardly- think first time roller skater […]

Sin, it's a nasty business! The tongue is like a fire. It is like a whole world of trouble. It is a part of our body. And it makes our whole body bad. It burns up our whole life. And the fire that makes the tongue burn comes from hell. People have been able to [...]

Starting a Spiritual Conversation Naturally If you’ve ever left a conversation feeling flat, you’re not alone. But why is that? Why are some conversations filled with laughter, banter, hope and connection-whilst others are dry, boring, superficial and stale? Never been short on an opinion, I’ve got a few theories why. But first, let me entice […]

There’s a really cute advertisement for Mitre 10, it has 2 little Kiwi kids playing in the sandpit discussing what they’re going to do on the weekend. One of the Kiwi’s says he’s going to get someone to build a retaining wall, the other New Zealander challenges him, “Do it yourself, get a couple of […]

I’m getting better at riding my motorbike, leaning into the corners while ripping around sweeping bends reminds me of a dog hanging out the car window. It’s taken much practise to feel comfortable at this speed, and while that can be a good thing, this time it wasn’t. Normally I’m concentrating on the road, the […]

There’s a massive thrill involved in jumping on a trampoline, especially a springy one. I could do the same jump on grassy ground, and the emotional impact doesn’t measure on my Joy Meter, not even a flutter on that slick little dial. But one hefty jump on a trampoline and I’m flying through the air, […]

If you want to make a wave, you’ll need to rock the boat. Change Agents “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.” Albert Einstein. Most people are happy for change to take place: But they aren’t that happy to change themselves: One of the precursors to […]

Spur of the moment, I walked the coastal trek from Otford to Bundeena; with rainforest, grasslands, scrub and beach, there was more change than the Royal Australian Mint. Oozing positivity, I figured the 31 km trek could be done in 1 day, besides I had my camel pack, 4 muesli bars and sunscreen. Burke and […]

If you’re stuck, help’s on the way! A few years ago I entered a Tough Mudder race. In the lead up, our kids were annoyed at my constant gee-up, self-talk, “Tough muddddderrrr”, made with a harsh guttural sound, like I was saying, tough mother!” After raising 4 children, with a 6 year age range, it’s one […]

Helping Broken People Chatting to our neighbours and the topic of conversation focussed on the rough element in our local Main Street. They were relating the story of a man who had exposed himself while urinating in front of their children, whilst another man was shooting up drugs. This reminded me of a woman I […]

Making a Murderer Episode 1 Review More addictive than nicotine, more twists than a 60’s dance-off, this Netflix documentary will have you immersed in the heart breaking, unfortunate life of Stephen Avery. It starts with a background assessment by lawyers on the Avery family’s standing in the local community of Manitowoc, a region in Wisconsin, […]

Motorcycles & the Messiah, Crossing Boundaries Starting to ride a motorbike on the road was hectic scary for me. Sure as a kid I’d some experience riding on the farm with my brother, going up and down creek gully’s and racing through mobs of sheep. But I was younger then, and ignorant of the pain […]

Avoiding Gossip Termites (also called white ants) are horrid little critters. They burrow in the dark, eating your home’s foundations until there is nothing left but a thin veneer which crumbles to touch. Generally by the time you’ve worked this out, it’s too late, the damage has been done.             […]

DARKNESS FALLS CHAPTER 1 No matter how many good decisions we make, when life throws unexpected challenges, we can find ourselves at a loss. It’s at those times that we question our purpose in life and reason for being, which is what happened when life overwhelmed me. We lived in a nice house in leafy […]

How to overcome evil in your world When Jimmy Bakker, the television evangelist, found himself in prison, he may have felt the heat of spiritual warfare, but truth be told, he was already in it and being used by the enemy long before. From his book, “I was Wrong”, he recounts his error, I began […]

Don’t tell, Show When an elderly asian woman asked me for directions in Miranda Fair to the train station, it took me by surprise. She was loaded with parcels, a heavy accent, and confusion, and I had no confidence in my ability at giving her instructions. We were deep in the shopping jungle and there […]

Sharing more than a table After finishing my morning at Playgroup, I headed off to the shops, marking time until my 2.30 appointment. I decided to have lunch there, and shared a table with someone else. I really wanted to ignore the little old woman, ‘tick the box’ on my list of things to do, […]

Lord, have mercy on me One of my favourite books, (and movie) is the classic, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Jean Valjean is the hero who has spent 19 years in prison. His crime? Stealing bread for his starving niece. He is finally released, but hates society for making him a hard and bitter man, […]

What’s Fueling you? Heading to work last week, the low fuel alarm sounds on the car, “time to fill up with fuel Vetti”, I muse to myself, “Nick will be stoked with the car full of fuel”. Acquiring me some ‘good wifey’ brownie points, I rock up to the garage, and reach for the fuel […]

Would you like discipline with that? Entering a 50 km mountain bike race seemed like a good idea at the time. It’s kind of like being strapped into a high thrill adventure ride, waiting to take off. Sitting in that carriage with an iron bar for a seat belt kinda makes you regret your sudden […]

Overcoming Obstacles The ‘giants’ can be obstacles in our life that hinder or block us from our goals, here are some tops tips that will help you overcome obstacles in your life. It’s funny that as we overcome these ‘giants’, this helps to grow our capacity; it’s the struggle that makes us stronger. Let’s look […]

Minimising Confrontation There’s lessons to be learned in movies. Well, that’s my excuse for watching the chick flick, North and South, with my daughter in the holidays. The opening scene has the hero, Mr Thornton as the boss, beating a worker in his cotton mill. The heroine, Margaret Hale, stumbles across this scene and is […]

Last year I went to the doctors for a routine women’s check up. Like a lamb to the slaughter I dutifully complied to the tests. Well, it was more like a protesting dog going for his daily dogwash. Every emotion screamed Noooooo I didn’t want to. Then, as the doctor examined me she could feel […]