Even in Darkness We are Not Forsaken Are you waiting for a prayer to be answered? Are you wondering how long you’ll experience the difficult season you’re in? I wonder if you remember a few weeks ago when Adam reminded us how long the Israelites waited for their prayers to be answered? Specifically, how long Israel waited between their rescue from Egypt and their rest in the Promised Land. It was a whopping four hundred and eighty years! Over that time God’s faithfulness was evident again and again. His faithfulness remains the same towards us; praise God! Christmas is just around the corner. I know many are excited for this special time of the year. For some though, this can be a particularly difficult season. I hope this line

“I Felt Like God Was with Me” I walked into our front room with a deep hunger for connection with God. As I drew up the curtain, light began to enter the room… golden light, it felt… heavenly. I sensed this was exactly what He wanted me doing. I sat down on the armchair and didn’t leave that place for the next 25 minutes. I brought my hunger to God, told Him how I longed to be there with Him, and asked Him to speak to me as I opened up John’s Gospel. I felt like God was with me, that I was connected, and I carried those 25 minutes with me throughout the rest of the day. Why was this moment so rich for me? Well, it was

Thank You for Your Feedback We recently conducted our annual church-wide survey. The goal of this survey is to provide an opportunity for you to share your feedback; to identify where we are going well and where we could grow. While the survey is not the only factor we consider when determining priorities and goals for the upcoming year, it does influence and guide our decision making. We greatly appreciate all those who took the time to complete the survey and to share their feedback. I’m thankful to report that we had over 150 people complete the survey, across all age groups and all levels of experience with our church. The results of the survey were encouraging and the insights were helpful, with positive feedback given in many areas

In Exile If you know my husband, you’ll know he loves music. In fact, a number of years back now, he and some mates formed a band. I went to a gig last weekend and as always, I really enjoyed listening to them play and seeing the fun they have performing together. They call themselves ‘In Exile’. A few days after the gig, as I made a start on some exam preparation, I just happened to find myself in the book of 1 Peter. And in the opening verse, Peter addresses his letter ‘…to those who are elect exiles…’. Coincidence? Or a teaching moment from God? I believe God wanted to encourage me. And in turn, I hope to encourage you. So, what does it mean to be living

Where to Turn When Times Get Hard The other day I was listening to the news and it was all about the doom and gloom of the housing crisis and property prices. Australia has an awful lot of land per capita, so it made me wonder why it is so expensive to buy some? I then remembered my dad telling me a long time ago that God set up the laws in the Old Testament to teach the Israelites that they didn’t really own the land, but were rather stewards of it. They were meant to cultivate it, work it, and do something productive with it. During the year of the Jubilee (every 50 years), all debts were forgiven, and the land was given back to the original owners.

When Football, Faith, and Politics Collide Unless you’ve been intentionally avoiding the news or you’ve been living in a remote cabin in the wilderness without electricity or access to a smart phone (which sounds pretty good!), I’m sure you’ve seen the unfortunate saga playing out south of our border. On Monday 3rd of October, Andrew Thorburn was appointed CEO of the Essendon Football Club. Fairly unremarkable news, really. Until the very next day, Tuesday 4th of October, when news broke that Andrew had resigned. The reason for his sudden departure? Andrew is Chairman of the Movement Board at City on a Hill, an Anglican church in Melbourne with a number of other locations around the country. It was this association, and particularly City on a Hill’s orthodox views on

Why Believe the Bible? “2 timothy 3:16-17 “all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness…...” It was at St Lucia in 2012 at the University of Queensland where I first ventured into campus evangelism. Youthful and energised with the urge to share the saving message of Christ that I myself had only received that year. I remember enjoying the discussions around the evidence for God, the basis for morality, the unpacking of secular worldviews with non-believers, but to much of my amazement, I spent most of my time making the case that the Bible is the inerrant word of God among non-believers and believers alike. Proverbs 30:5 states “every word of God is flawless…...” in other words,