This category can only be viewed by members. To view this category, sign up by purchasing Digital Subscription or 1 year Print Subscription.
President's Reflections

Vice President’s Reflection – June/July 2021

One of my favourite ‘go to’ books for prayer and meditation is entitled, High Mountains Deep Valleys edited by Rowland Croucher and Grace Tomlinson. I initially was attracted, no doubt by the title, having grown up in North East Victoria in sight of the majestic mountains and deep valleys of the High Country. The author encourages the reader to ‘linger with the Lord in serious reflection … be still … prepared to listen and receive’.
Such words of comfort, solitude and silence from the precious Word of God and other sources such as this book, bring wisdom and comfort to our fears. The fear of change, of isolation, the inability to physically hug and embrace our loved ones, and the sense of a loss of identity to name just a few but experienced living with COVID in our lives.

Want to read the whole story? To access this content, you need a Digital Subscription or 1 year Print Subscription. If you already subscribe, please log in here.

President's Reflections

President’s Reflections – April/May 2021

This is the day that the Lord has made … we shall rejoice and be glad in it … Wasn’t yesterday also the day that the Lord had made? And right back to the beginning of time, THIS IS the day that the Lord had made. Each day is a new day in Christ; as we walk the road to the cross, this Easter and all those Easters gone before and those still to come, we rejoice in the assured promise of the resurrection. HE HAS RISEN. Each day is …

Want to read the whole story? To access this content, you need a Digital Subscription or 1 year Print Subscription. If you already subscribe, please log in here.

President's Reflections

President’s Reflections – February 2021

All things being New … Your guild or fellowship … OR YOU! New Year, new beginnings! Did you wait till now for your thoughts to process what this year, for you or your group, might bring! While processing my thoughts before putting pen to paper, or I should say fingers to the keyboard, I am very aware of the many things I do not know. What will this year bring, with COVID-19 still in the pandemic state around the world? I am visualising being with my family waiting to celebrate …

Want to read the whole story? To access this content, you need a Digital Subscription or 1 year Print Subscription. If you already subscribe, please log in here.

President's Reflections

President’s Reflections – December 2020

Trust, Love, Listen … Wisdom This year has certainly been a long journey for many! We have experienced in our different States, degrees of enforced isolation. Through this time many have been challenged in our trust of governments, sometimes we have failed to listen to the right messages! We have certainly had time to reflect, rest in the quiet ‘forced’ periods of 2020. I have ‘over done’ – glued to different forms of digital media – Pinterest (quilting/patchwork), being swept away, wasting time, when I could have been doing housework! …

Want to read the whole story? To access this content, you need a Digital Subscription or 1 year Print Subscription. If you already subscribe, please log in here.

President's Reflections

President’s Reflections – October/November 2020

Did I speak to soon? If you live in Victoria that certainly was the case! I’m speaking about COVID-19. We are not out of the woods yet, in these uncertain times. Yet I am reassured every day in my devotions and through online Morning Prayer on YouTube. Yet through all of this, certain daily routines are still happening, these are reminders of what we should do – IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS.  Filling in my time, I have rediscovered a collection of small books my husband, Geoff, gave me after our …

Want to read the whole story? To access this content, you need a Digital Subscription or 1 year Print Subscription. If you already subscribe, please log in here.

President's Reflections

President’s Reflection – August/September 2020

Are you ready to serve …? These last couple of months have put challenges before us. Have you been connecting with your friends by phone, text messaging or by online devises – emails. Have you been able to “head to church” in your pyjamas and been spoilt by church “hopping” to several congregations throughout Australia? I have been blessed to have the technology to be able to worship, at sometimes up to four different church services on a Sunday, and during the Easter period I had been watching on YouTube …

Want to read the whole story? To access this content, you need a Digital Subscription or 1 year Print Subscription. If you already subscribe, please log in here.

President's Reflections

President’s Reflections – June 2020

‘Oh, what a beautiful morning, oh, what a beautiful day …’ for those of you that know the words to the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic, there is one word I would change in the chorus: ‘Everything’s goin’ my God’s way’ (of course I would make the words a little more Aussie). Do you get the picture? We are going through some challenging times, and yet let us not lose sight of the magnificent gift from heaven above, a precious Son, made human to walk amongst us, and then the most …

Want to read the whole story? To access this content, you need a Digital Subscription or 1 year Print Subscription. If you already subscribe, please log in here.

President's Reflections

President’s Reflections – April, 2020

‘The Lord is my Shepherd’. Without this I am nothing … We hear these words numerous times in our worship, in either songs of praise or in our liturgy. I was asked to choose the Bible readings for my older brother’s funeral just before Christmas. I was having difficulty, so I texted my Pastor Mat for suggestions. I knew that a lot of seasonal Christians would be attending, and I wanted the service to reflect on the Christian faith, reflect on the truth of our dear Saviour, to be a …

Want to read the whole story? To access this content, you need a Digital Subscription or 1 year Print Subscription. If you already subscribe, please log in here.

President's Reflections

President’s Reflections – February 2020

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is the will of the God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 With the words “in everything give thanks”, I had to stop and reflect, do I enact this every day? Sometimes each day just rolls over; we have our routines. As I have mentioned in previous editions, reading my daily devotions is a jump start to the day. I reflect on the Bible passage, and then I am encouraged by the devotion writers on how I …

Want to read the whole story? To access this content, you need a Digital Subscription or 1 year Print Subscription. If you already subscribe, please log in here.

President's Reflections

President’s Reflections – December 2019

How good is it to buy new sheets! I visited a new outlet in town only to be told that they had been there for over one year. Town to me usually means groceries and paying accounts, window shopping comes down the list. This outlet also shares the same name of an AFL iconic football brand! That was the first surprise; the second was the price of the sheets! My original set was in need of replacement after continual use over 25 years plus, and my one thought was “will …

Want to read the whole story? To access this content, you need a Digital Subscription or 1 year Print Subscription. If you already subscribe, please log in here.

President's Reflections

President’s Reflection – October 2019

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour, For most of us, we have gone through the period of hibernating, trying to keep warm. The winter months allow us time to do those inside jobs, catch up on mending, rearranging cupboards, even throwing out those clothes from last winter that you thought could go one more season! Now we look forward to the spring, to new life sprouting around us, trees and shrubs showing new growth. Do you have habits and routines that are so familiar that you do …

Want to read the whole story? To access this content, you need a Digital Subscription or 1 year Print Subscription. If you already subscribe, please log in here.

President's Reflections

President’s Reflection – August 2019

I asked Jesus, “How much do you love me?” “This much,” he answered. Then he stretched out his arms and died. – Unknown In this short and simple quote, we see the beauty of Jesus’ love captured in amazing imagery of the cross. This is God’s love in full and, if I was the only person in existence, Jesus still would have done all that, just for me. Through his grace and mercy, he did it for ALL of US. In the last two months I have been blessed through …

Want to read the whole story? To access this content, you need a Digital Subscription or 1 year Print Subscription. If you already subscribe, please log in here.