What if?What if? This question can cripple us and send us spiralling into anxious thoughts. What if I lose my job? What if Australia gets pulled into a global war? What if? When we’re worried or suffering it can encourage us to hear how other saints have travelled through suffering with Jesus. One such saint is our sister Hannelè, the wife of Dirk Kotze. Dirk was serving as a deacon at Oasis when he was struck by lightning and passed on to be with the Lord in 2023. Below, Hannelè shares how she found strength in Christ and his people during this time. I trust it will encourage your faith.“During the most difficult time in my life with Dirk’s accident, and after he went to be with God, I found

Church is Never Boring   The ‘b’ word is banned in our household. I’m talking about the word ‘boring’. Our saying at home is that ‘boring people get bored’. If there are toys or games available to you, if the weather is fine outside; then one should not be bored (cue eye roll from my kids). I also believe that Church is never boring! Now my active, wiggly twelve-year-old might find this truth hard to believe… but it’s true! At the moment I’m reading ‘What Happens When We Worship’ by J L Cruse, and this truth was echoed in the opening chapter. I love what Cruse says: “Worship is never dull, but we are sometimes”.   The book unpacks the wonder of ‘worship’ in the context of Sunday worship services.

Lessons from a Lost Bird  While staying at the coast earlier this month we got quite the surprise one morning when we opened our door. We were on the top floor, and as it was an older building without a lift, there were a number of flights of stairs up to our apartment. So, imagine our surprise (and some might say terror) to find a bird flying around in the stairwell. It was lost trying desperately to get out. It kept flying at the window, but of course, being so high up it was bolted shut. We tried to coax it down the stairwell with no success.  That bird was lost. And thinking that the window was the way out, it flew at it, over and over and over.

Working all things together for good  A little while ago my brother-in-law, Trevor, loved his job as a truck driver. But out of the blue, he got seizures and stroke-like symptoms. It took a long time before doctors could diagnose his condition as functional neurological disorder. As a result of this condition, he’s lost his job and will most likely be unable to work a normal job again. He can do some work, but it is very limited in nature. Some days he feels good, while others he doesn’t. This is your classic ‘life’s turned upside down’ story. For those of you who don’t know Trevor, you may remember reading about it in the prayer news.   What has transpired from that moment until now is an incredible act of

What You and I Need this New Year    “Did you make a resolution for this new year?”. I was asked this question by a family member recently. Maybe you’ve been asked too? A quick online search told me that the most common resolutions people make are health-related. I’m a big fan of healthy habits, spiritual disciplines and rhythms of grace. For example, the wise person habitually meditates on God’s Law (Psalm 1:1-3). But, the subtle danger of the New Year resolution buzz is that we can begin the new year under the world’s yoke of performance rather than Jesus’ yoke of grace. Jesus talks about His ‘yoke’ in Matthew 11.    29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,

My Year in Books Desiderius Erasmus, the Dutch priest and theologian from the 1400 and 1500s, famously said, “When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.” I’m sure he was exaggerating (I hope), but I agree with his sentiment. Good books are a valuable investment. They stimulate our thinking, deepen our understanding, broaden our perspective and strengthen our discernment. Christians especially should be people who are devoted to the life of the mind. After all, Jesus commanded us to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37). Below you will find a list of books I read this year which I found stimulating, enjoyable, and