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President’s Reflections – August/September 2022

Debts, trespasses, sins … many of us have, over quite a time, possibly prayed these words in a version of The Lord’s Prayer. You can probably think of many other words which have “changed” to suit the times. So … debts come to mind, as something we might owe … trespasses, we’ve gone somewhere the sign told us not to go … sins, we’ve done something wrong and hurt someone or something. Transgressions is another word in this context. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against …

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President’s Reflections – June/July 2022

“Give us this day (today) our daily bread” is the fourth of the seven petitions in the Lord’s Prayer. You may recall being taught in Sunday school or confirmation lessons that the first three address God, the second four are prayers related to our needs and concerns. We need God in all areas of our life (physical, spiritual, and mental), daily. We need to come back to God regularly, indeed each day – for we can quickly become independent and self-seeking. Jesus reiterates this daily dependency when he exhorts us …

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President's Reflections

President’s Reflections – April/May 2022

What does it mean to pray “Your Kingdom come”?

We all know that there is a heavenly kingdom where we long to go when our time on earth is ended. So, what about now?

Our earth is many thousands of years old. History has been recorded and we can read of many rulers, many kings, who have reigned over kingdoms in various parts of the world. Some have ruled to their “ideals”. Many people have suffered at the mercy of these so-called kings. How we long for a time with no such suffering. As Christians, we know that there is a king, a ruler, more powerful than any of the worldly kings.

Read Grace’s full reflections …

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President’s Reflection – February/March 2022

Praying through the year Welcome to a new year. What will it hold for us? We’ve certainly been reminded in these last two years that life really is one day at a time. For us as Christians, prayer is a part of daily life, be it out loud in family devotion time or in solitude. Maybe for some, as we live with this pandemic, we’ve prayed more, and not just for family and ourselves, but for those who care generally for the welfare of all – the doctors, medical researchers, …

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President's Reflections

President’s reflection – December 2021

Trust, Love, Listen … Wisdom This was the theme of our recently retired President, Wendy Habel’s President’s Reflection twelve months ago. Throughout this past year, we’ve all needed to draw on the strength we gain by the trust we have in a loving Lord and Saviour who listens to our prayers in these times of concern, for the health and safety of our country. So, have we become wiser? We’ve heard from government and health officials almost daily. I pray we’ve all learnt from each other, to show care and …

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President's Reflections

Outgoing President’s Reflection

ALL PRAISE TO OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR “Who’d have thought it …” Do we say this in a surprised or stunned voice? Is it said out loud or in the recesses of one’s mind? I would have to say that has been in my thoughts in the last 20 months. We are living in uncertain times; will this virus disappear? Or will it keep mutating? I don’t have the answer, but I know that our Father in heaven has everything else in hand, he has all the answers. That is …

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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.

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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 …

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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 …

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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! …

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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 …

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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 …

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