Spiritual Parents I recently left the church I grew up in. My reasons are numerous, personal, not at all spiteful and something I will gladly share with anyone in the flesh. For those who might be concerned, I’m slowly making a church home elsewhere. But for the sake of the story, it’s important you know leaving was difficult for me to do. I also admit that while I speak about the Church* with great affection, …
Giver God I love singing to my friend, Jesus. I’m convinced music is one of the sweetest gifts God has given us. And not just to the “musically-inclined”! In my humble opinion a “pitchy” voice is akin to a funny laugh – an unofficial gift of the Holy Spirit, a contagious joy. My time in Indonesia, in a nutshell, was a pleasant surprise. The group of strangers I travelled with were far kinder than I …
When God “Breaks” Your Heart Earlier this year, before international travel became the stuff of daydreams, I made it to East Indonesia to visit Compassion Australia projects and my tiny but sunshiny sponsor child. Compassion Australia is an International Christian charity and child development organisation. Before leaving, I asked God to butterfly-cut my heart. As may have come across in the last few devotions, this year has been tiring on my spirit. Caring had become …
Read Psalm 139:6–12 Journal Entry 12 November 2019 Jesus, how much longer am I going to feel tepid and unmoved? It makes me shameful when I can’t muster the motivation to wriggle close to you, to lay my head in your lap and sob to You. I’m fearful of the hard heart-work of pruning and probing and growth that will no doubt take place when I finally crawl begrudgingly toward You. I just need a …
Patient Papa God. I’m going to call it: 2020 is the Year of Growth. At least, in my world anyway. And not the fruitful, picture-perfect, hustle-and-slay, wholesome-family-viewing kind of growth. So far, 2020 is proving herself full of the painful, earthy and hungry kind of growth that leaves me tearfully stumbling around for pen and paper to keep track of the deep work God is doing within me. A few years ago, in an old …
“What was the last thing you heard God ask you to do … and did you do it?” I felt the Father press this question into my spirit a few weeks ago – I’d been praying for the courage to have bolder conversations. The answer to my prayer was this awkward “ice-breaker”. No witty segue or magically electrified conversation but a call to step up and risk discomfort. I’ve learned over the years that God’s …
“Longer the dry spell, bigger the rain” My salt-of-the-earth “Poppa” made this comment as we chatted about the barren brown land that is becoming the Darling Downs, Queensland. My grandfather is an umpteenth generation farmer with hands as rough as his heart is tender and God-fearing. Living on the land, he’s learned its rhythms. I can remember being hushed fiercely at the dinner table as a child when the weather segment appeared on an otherwise …
It’s a New Year. Did you make any New Year’s resolution/s? I gave up making resolutions many years ago, as I know that they are almost impossible to keep, even for a week or two. Then one feels guilty and wonders why. Even wanting to be more like Christ is impossible. However, we have a loving Saviour, Jesus, and an “empowerer”, the Holy Spirit, who can come to us every moment in our day. A …
“Prepare ye the way of the Lord”, as sung in Godspell, still sends shivers through my body and, for those old enough, you may remember this song and movie. The season of Advent is now with us and we wait with anticipation for the coming of our Lord. It is a time to clear out our hearts and minds, so we will have room for the baby Jesus. Joy to the world! the Lord is …
This refrain has been with me all morning, “God is so good, Alleluia! God is so good, Alleluia! God is so good, He’s so good to me.” ATN 54 and so I know I am on the mend, but slowly. And I can continue to heal, gain strength and enjoy the warmer weather after our refreshing winter rains have washed the dry earth and given an abundance of spring growth (especially the weeds). So, as …