Podcast 013 - Beyond the storm - Part 2

Beyond the storm - Part 2

In the seasons of smoother sailing, as well as keeping that hunger for intimacy with God growing, it is important that we take time to understand what God has taught us during the storms, and ask Him how He wants to use us as His vessel to minister to others. 

As the season for our family is changing from survival mode to more normal living, I am getting greater revelation of this truth. Here are a couple of scriptures God has recently highlighted to me,

But you are God's chosen treasure - priests who are kings, a spiritual "nation" set apart as God's devoted ones. He called you out of darkness to experience his marvellous light, and now he claims you as his very own. He did this so that you would broadcast his glorious wonders throughout the world. 1 Peter 2:9 TPT 

Every believer has received grace gifts, so use them to serve one another as faithful stewards of the many-coloured tapestry of God's grace. 1 Peter 4:10 NKJV

So why not ask God who He wants you to help, and if they aren't in your life already, ask Him to bring them to you. 

I love the movie WarRoom. Yes, it is fiction, however I wonder how many true stories it reflects. For those who haven't seen the movie, it is a beautiful story of an elderly widow who has learned so much from a living in a less than perfect marriage (normal!!!). She asks God to bring a younger wife into her life so she can come alongside her and impart wisdom. In Paul's letter to Titus we find him talking about this type of helping.

Likewise with the female elders, lead them into lives free from gossip and drunkenness and to be teachers of beautiful things. This will enable them to teach the  younger women to love their husbands, to love their children, and to be self-controlled and pure, taking care of their household and being devoted to their husbands. By doing these things the word of God will not be discredited. Titus 2:3-5 TPT

Imagine what would happen if we all prayed that prayer, 'Lord, bring me someone I can help.'

Perhaps you might be thinking, 'I am not equipped to help anyone. I don't have the time and ability.' Be encouraged, you have all that you need to start now. 

Years ago I remember hearing someone say, 'just use what is in your hand'. In the early years of Victoria's illness I had a desire to do something more for God, but I was quite limited in time, resources, and location, as most of my time was spent either at the hospital or caring for Victoria at home. 

But God reminded me that I had a computer, an internet connection, the ability to write, and that He was doing plenty of things that I could write about. 

Throughout that period when I started blogging, and with other projects I have started since, He always reminds me of Zechariah 4:10,

Does anyone dare despise this day of small beginnings? They'll change their tune when they see Zerubbabel setting the last stone in place! Zechariah 4:10 The Message

Another way that God might be wanting to use you and the the wisdom gained from the storms could  be by serving in a new or different way at church or elsewhere. This might become evident by a prompting of the Holy Spirit, or an invitation.

Last year I received an invitation to do something new, being a reader/writer for the HSC exams. When the invitation came, despite a busy work and family schedule, I felt the Holy Spirit say, 'say yes'. So I said yes.  

Press pause - as you may have gathered, during the past seven years my prayer life has changed dramatically, my hunger to spend time with God, and hear his voice is continually growing and impacting on every area of my life, and hopefully by the grace of God, the lives of others around me.

Back to the story, during one of the exams, while I was in the room, I was not actually required to any reading or writing. So I started praying in my head for the student, perhaps 15 minutes or so, and then I started to pray for our family. But I felt the Holy Spirit say, 'No, I want you to pray for the student', so I prayed again for the student. Then after a little while I start to pray for our business, but again the Holy Spirit said, 'No, I want you to pray for the student'. So I prayed again for the student. Then I thought about praying for the children's creative ministry at church, but then I finally realised that my job today was not to read and write for the HSC student, it was to pray for them - 2.5hrs of dedicated prayer. 

I learned a couple things from that experience,

1. When an invitation comes, we need to ask the Holy Spirit what our answer is to be, as God has probably got far greater plans for that invitation, than just what we can immediately see. 

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways", says the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways. And My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9 NKJV

2. God really loves us and will go to great lengths to help us in all situations. It amazed me that He loved this student so much, that He would arrange for someone to come and physically sit alongside them and pray for that length of time. I guess it shouldn't have amazed me so much, especially when we remember that God gave up his only Son, Jesus, so we could have eternal life, but I am human and it did.

But that thought does bring us back to Jesus, the anchor, where this little series on the analogy of the sailing voyage and the storms of life began. Jesus, our hope in all things.

And now we have run into his heart to hide ourselves in his faithfulness. This is where we find his strength and comfort, for he empowers us to seize what has already been established ahead of time - an unshakeable hope! We have this certain hope like a strong, unbreakable anchor holding our souls to God himself. Our anchor of hope is fastened to the mercy seat which sits in the heavenly realm beyond the sacred threshold, and where Jesus, our forerunner, has gone in before us. He is now and forever our royal Priest like Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:18-20 TPT

I pray that this series has been a blessing to you and regardless of whatever season you find yourself in now, Jesus will be your hope. And that in all seasons your desire to draw closer to Him will grow, and that the outworking of that desire will be a blessing to many.

Podcast 12 - Beyond the storm - Part 1

Beyond the storm - Part 1

So what happens when you make it through the storm and you are at anchor in a safe and peaceful location? A few things. 

Firstly there is likely to be a feeling of relief, we made it! Thank you Jesus. 

Then if you are process-minded like me you may start to do a mental review of how you could have been better prepared for the storm, or consider what could you have done differently in the storm

Finally you may ask that important question, what did I learn from the storm and how can I use that knowledge in preparing for the future?

And so it is with the storms of life, how do we take what we've learned about ourselves, God and our relationship with Him, and move forward? How do we at the very least maintain and hopefully build on the new level of intimacy with our heavenly father, that has developed through the storm?

It is easy when we have a deep personal need to cry out to God, petitioning Him to move in the circumstance, to heal, to provide, to help us through that minute of the day. The Psalms express these cries so well.

Oh, Lord God, answer my prayers!
I need to see your tender kindness, your grace,
your compassion, and your constant love.
Just let me see your face, and turn your heart toward me.
Come running quickly to your servant.
In this deep distress, come and answer my prayer.
Psalm 69:16-17 TPT


But what happens when by His grace and mercy that desperate need is gone and life moves to a new normal? How to you make sure that you don't revert back to that self-sufficient independent life, forgetting to do your day with Jesus because there appears to be no immediate need for Him? 


Over the past couple of years as our family has transitioned from survival mode to a more normal life, here are some of the practical things that I've done to keep growing the hunger for a deeper relationship with God.


1. Read a different translation/version of the Bible
For me this has included reading different translations of the Bible. I am currently loving reading The Passion Translation.  I have also been reading a NKJV Bible with that includees leadership commentary from John Maxwell, The Maxwell Leadership Bible - Lessons in leadership from the Word of God, by John Maxwell. His commentary includes thoughts ont how God used the trials people faced to build character to enable them to do what He had planned for them.
I believe reading different Bible translations/versions helps to keep God's word fresh, and can help us to get greater revelation of His truth to help us move along the maturity path.

For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energising, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of the joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 AMP

2. Get a new devotional book, start listening to a new podcast 
God speaks through so many different people, in different ways for different purposes. I sometimes go to Koorong, knowing that I want to listen to someone I haven't listened to before, and I stand in front of the audio book section and say, "Holy Spirit, please show me who you want me to learn from," and he always directs me to exactly what I need to hear.

3. Reading about or listening to other Christians who have done similar journeys
As Victoria has grown older and started to process her journey in new ways, we have sought out the stories of other Christians who have faced challenges, particularly physical challenges. We are currently reading, Joni, by Joni Eareckson Tada. As we read how she coped, what God taught her, it has prompted discussion about what we have learned. It has also given us another example of how God has used what happened to her for good, just as He promises in Romans 8:28.

So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together to fit into God's perfect plan of bringing good into our lives, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose. Romans 8:28 TPT

4. Sing a new song
How blessed are we today to have access to a multitude of  scripture based, Jesus inspired music. Again, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to something new. So many times, in my private worship time, I have heard a song for the first time and it has been like God has unlocked a little more of my heart with the lyrics and music. Or perhaps it is time for you to write your own song .... just a thought.

Go-ahead - sing your new song to the Lord!
Let everyone in every language sing him a new song.
Don't stop! Keep on singing! Make his name famous!
Tell everyone every day how wonderful he is.
Give them the good news of our great Saviour.
Take the message of his glory and miracles into every nation.
Tell them about all the amazing things that he has done.
Psalm 96:1-3 TPT

5. Experiment with the times and places you talk to God

I love routine. But I know that routine can stifle what  God wants to do, because the truth is I can sometimes loves my routine (code word for control) more than God! So it is good to sometimes change it up, to have your quiet time in a new place, perhaps out in the garden or on a balcony. Look for a different time in the day to do a devotion, maybe while you are waiting in the car to pick up children. Give God space to talk to you in new ways.


I am passionately in love with God because he listens to me. He hears my prayers and answers them. As long as I live I'll keep praying to him, for he stoops down to listen to my heart's cry. Psalm 116:1-2 TPT

So in your life, if the storm is finished, and you are entering a new season, and you want to continue to grow your relationship with Christ, I pray that these practical ideas I have shared today will be a starting point. Even if they are just a prompt for you to say, "God, I want a greater intimacy with you, please show me how."

He will answer you, because he wants that closer relationship with you. Be expectant and have courage to do what he shows you. He loves you.

Look with wonder at the depth of the Father's marvelous love that he has lavished on us! He has called us and made us his very own beloved children. 1 John 3:1 TPT 

Podcast 011 - Preparing for the storm - Part 3

Preparing for the storm - Part 3

When preparing for a voyage one of the crucial factors is having the right crew. My dad was so blessed to have myself, my sister and my mum as his crew. During our sailing days when the storm hit, we were right there - down in the cabin keeping warm and dry, while he was out in the cockpit getting covered in salt spray and buffeted by the wind, doing his best to sail the boat through the storm. Yes, we were a very committed and supportive crew. Not! Ideally at least one of us should have been in the cockpit with dad helping him sail the boat in the 40 knot winds.

In life too, we were not designed to ride out the storms by ourselves. For me when the storms come, I have a tendency to want to hide from people, just wanting to get on with my life with minimal interaction, hoping everything will go away. The effort to connect with others drains my emotional energy. However I know that for other people, like my husband, in the storm, they need to connect with people. It's probably the internal vs external processor way of coping. 

In our journey with Victoria, these differences in coping became very evident within hours of her diagnosis. Thankfully a social worker explained this to us and emphasised the importance of respecting the way each other will process through this storm.

That's a bit of a long introduction, but the key learning for me about this has been, that regardless of the sort of processor we are, in the storm, we all need other people. People who will love us, despite the out-workings of our stress. People who will pray for us. People who will fill the gaps emotionally and practically when we are unable to.

So we have choice number four in preparing for the storms -  will I connect with another human being today?


To position us well for both the storms of life we will encounter, and to support others as they go through their storms, we need to connect with other people. We were made to be with others. And not just be with them, but actually connect in a meaningful way, giving them your time and attention.

Jesus simply says,

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. John 13:34 NKJV

At the weekend we were at the sporting ground and I had moved to the other end of the field to take some photos. This was the area in which the opposing team's supporters were sitting. I was intent on watching the game and getting some good shots. Ken came down to join me and he struck up a conversation with a parent from the opposing team, as Ken does!

It soon became evident that they were in a storm with some similarities to our journey with Victoria. Ken was fully engaged. I was only half listening in, still trying to get those photos! The more sort-of listened, the more I felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit saying, pray for the child, now. So with God's courage I asked if it would be okay if I prayed for the child right there on the sidelines of the field. The response was yes. It was a precious moment.

There is much to be learned from this experience ...

1. Everyone has a story, a need.

2.Be Brave and connect - this parent could have stayed at home with her unwell child, but she didn't. Ken didn't have to strike up a conversation, but he did. She didn't have to tell us her story, but she did.

3. Obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit - believe in faith that He has a plan and is working in the unseen.

We need each other. Sometimes we are the ones that need support. Sometimes we are the ones to do the supporting. So many times I have had the image in my mind of Moses having his arms held up by Aaron and Hur.

And Moses said to Joshua, Choose us out men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand. 

So Joshua did as Moses said and fought with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the hilltop. When Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; and when he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.

But Moses' hands were heavy and grew weary. So [the other men] took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side and one on the other side; so his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

And Joshua mowed down and disabled Amalek and his people with the sword. Exodus 17:9-13 AMP

In my life, sometimes I have needed my arms held up, and I give thanks to God for bringing the people to do exactly that, in prayer but also in many other ways. Sometimes it has been me holding up the arms of others, what a privilege and blessing to do so.

Praise God for His wisdom of creating a concept called relationship - connecting with love, grace and forgiveness. He knows we cannot do this life alone, and we certainly can't make it through the storms and emerge stronger without God and other people. We need to connect with Him and others. 

We need people, and people need us. Every day is preparation for the future, so lets not prepare alone. Today, let's choose to connect in some way with someone and learn more about loving one another well, just as Jesus loves us.

"Let me give you a new command. Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognise that you are my disciples - when they see the love you have for each other." John 13:34-35 The Message

My last three posts have looked at some ways we can prepare for the storms that will come our way, by considering the choices that we make today:
1. How am I walking with Jesus today?
2. Did I read my Bible today?
3. Will I choose to sing God's praises today, regardless of what is happening?
4. Will I connect with another human being today on a deeper level?

As I said in Preparing for the storm part 1, making good choices in these areas enables us to:
1. More quickly recognise the oncoming storms in our life
2. Understand that we are not alone
3. Have the courage to make a good choice
4. Hang in there until the circumstance has passed.

So lets ask God to help us make good choices today.

Jesus, please help us today with the choices that we make. Help us to make the choice to include you in every aspect of this day, talking and listening to you. Put a greater desire in our hearts to be with you and read your word and meditate on your truth. Please help us to come to the place where we can honestly sing your praises, regardless of what is happening around us, knowing that you are faithful and trustworthy, always. Thank you for the people that you bring into our lives, help us to connect at a deeper level with them, and both giving and receiving love. Thank you Jesus for your unfailing love for us and your grace and mercy that enables us to get through each day. In your name we pray, Amen.

Podcast 010 - Preparing for the storm - Part 2

Preparing for the storm - Part 2

I wonder what has happened in your last seven days. Has a storm hit or are you in a time of smooth sailing? Is there a storm brewing on the horizon? 

Here is another every-day choice we need to think about, choices that are a key part of preparing when that big storm hits...

Choice Three: Will I choose to sing God's praises today, regardless of what is happening?

There are different places in which we have the opportunity to sing praises to God. The most obvious one is church. The church that we are blessed to belong to always has a beautiful vibrant time of praise and worship. An atmosphere where God's tangible presence can be felt. 

However for me over the years there have been days when I have been in church and have had to consciously choose to open my mouth and sing those words of praise. On those days my heart has been full of pain, fear and disappointment. 

My head knew all the words to the songs, but did I believe them? As I stood to sing, sometimes for the first couple of songs I just couldn't say the words. I had to let the words wash over me and literally soften my heart to allow God's love into the pain, fear and disappointment. 

In those moments of worship it was God's presence, His love, that enabled me to surrender, become more vulnerable, open my mouth to speak those words of praise and worship and trust that they were true.

Although looking back I can see that it was in my private worship times that I first experienced this true surrender. Often this was during time spent singing God's praises in my car. Times when it was literally just me and God, and through music and lyrics God spoke to me and restored my hope. Times when He revealed more of His father heart and love for me.

So in terms of preparation for the big storms, we can practice with the small disappointments, choosing to praise God in those moments. The more we choose to do this, the more we will experience what God can do in us at those times.

Then when the big storms come, we will more quickly make that choice to genuinely sing His praises, because we know that He will bring us through. It almost becomes a default reaction to choose to sing His praises regardless, opening a way for peace and love to flow into our hearts.

Here is some of Psalm 34, for The Passion Translation. I pray that as you read this greater revelation of God's love and faithfulness will wash over you.

Psalm 34:1-10
Lord! I'm bursting with joy over what you've done for me!
My lips are full of perpetual praise.
I'm boasting of you and all your works,
so let all who are discouraged take heart.
Join me, everyone! Let's praise the Lord together.
Let's make him famous!
Let's make his name glorious to all.
Listen to my testimony: I cried to God in my distress
and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears!
Gaze upon him, join your life with his, and joy will come.
You'll never wear that shame-face again.
When I had nothing, desperate and defeated,
I cried out to the Lord and he heard me,
bringing his miracle-deliverance when I needed it most.
The angel of the Lord stooped down down to listen as I prayed, encircling me, empowering me, and showing me how to escape.
He will do this for everyone who fears God.
Drink deeply of the pleasures of this God.
Experience for yourself the joyous mercies he gives
to all who turn to hid themselves in him.
Worship in awe and wonder, all you who've been made holy!
For all who fear him will feast with plenty.

Dear Jesus, please help us today to choose to sing praises to You, regardless of what is going on in our lives. Thank you that you hear our cries when we are in distress and that you answer us with your love and mercy. Thank you that you free us from our fears. Please help us to be vulnerable and to know that you are a safe place, always faithful. Thank you for giving us the freedom to choose to draw closer to you. Amen.

Podcast 009 - Preparing for the storm - Part 1

Preparing for the storm - Part 1

Continuing on with the sailing analogy, sometimes we  receive a warning that a storm is approaching. In my early sailing days that warning normally came via VHF radio. Now weather forecasts can be easily checked via a mobile phone, or a satellite phone.

But just knowing there is a storm coming is not enough to avoid it. Sometimes there are actions that we can take to avoid the storm. And sometimes we can't avoid them, as per my post last week - Storms and faith. 

But in both these situations, either in an unavoidable storm, or when we are alerted about a possible storm, we have choices to make - do something or do nothing. If we decide to do something, the next choice we need to make is - what do we do?

So what helps us to make a good decision regarding what we choose to do? I believe the answer lies in good preparation.

Good preparation enables us to:

1. More quickly recognise the oncoming storms of life

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 peter 5:8 NIV

2. Understand that we are not alone

So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you. Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT
 

 3. Have the courage to make a good choice

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 NKJV

4.   Hang in there until the circumstance has passed

But the Lord Yahweh is always faithful to place you on a firm foundation and guard you from the Evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 The Passion Translation

They sound like fantastic things to be able to do:
1. More quickly recognise the oncoming storms of life
2. Understand that we are not alone
3. Have courage to make a good choice
4. Hang in there until the circumstance has passed

But how do we get there? What is good preparation? 

I believe good preparation starts today, with the choices we make in each moment. Here are some choices to consider.

Choice One: How am I walking with Jesus through this day? 

Did I wake up with a 'good morning Jesus' and then continue on my day without Him?  

Did I have a bit of a chat with Jesus this morning, and then call out to Him again in the afternoon when the children came home and things got a little crazy?

Did I go through my day and then as I crashed into bed, say Hi Jesus, start a conversation and then fall asleep in the middle of it?

Some food for thought. We are all in the process of drawing nearer to Christ, and it is good to sometimes stop and ask, where am I in this process? We don't need to feel guilty about where we are at, because God loves us regardless of how much time we spend with Him. And because He loves us, He just desires to have the closest relationship possible with us. 

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8 NKJV

And relationship means time and communication - both talking and listening. 

Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:12-13 NKJV

Choice Two: Did I read my Bible today? I am not sure where you are at with reading your daily Bible reading. I know I was very 'hit and miss' before our journey with Victoria. 

There was always a desire in my heart to read the Bible, but I seemed to get distracted so easily and some days it just didn't happen. Again God's grace is sufficient for each of us, wherever we are at. 

However now, after learning how essential it is to daily feed myself with God's truth, I definitely notice that I cope less well with the day's adventures if I have not spent some time reading His truth in the morning, virtually arming myself with His truth, ready to declare it forth when the sticky situations come - big or small. 

For example, in our family setting, one of my favourite truths is Ephesians 6:12

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 NKJV

(An aside, as I paused in writing this post to attend to getting my children breakfast and off to school, this very truth was tested! Not surprising given the nature of this post - but I will not be distracted from proclaiming God's word.) 

Reading God's word helps us to understand what is going on, and He also tells us what to do about it ...

Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Ephesians 6:13 NKJV

Reading God's word always helps me move from my little perspective to God's sovereign perspective (well the little that I can comprehend it). It reminds me that He has a plan, and He always has the victory.

Yet even in the midst of all these things, we triumph over them all, for God has made us to be more than conquerors, and his demonstrated love is our glorious victory over everything. Romans 8:37 The Passion Translation

In my next post we will look at some more choices we can make in our preparation for the storms of life.