The Difficult One Recently, someone left the gate open on our farm (I won’t name names!). Within a very short amount of time, our sheep and cow went bolting down the road, out the front gate, and almost onto Dayboro Road! Luckily, we have great neighbours who alerted us, and I was able to lead them back to our paddock. My neighbour couldn’t lead them back, only me – their shepherd. It reminded me of Jesus’ words in John 10:27, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” I love how God works in our lives and teaches us through everyday incidents like this. Historically, I’ve had one sheep in my flock that has always been a bit of a problem, a bit different

"It’s the Hope That Kills You”  While no one is quite sure who came up with this line, it has, in recent years, been brought back into the spotlight through the hit show Ted Lasso. It’s the title and theme of Episode 10, Season 1, the season finale. I just happened to binge the whole of Season 1 while en route to Singapore in late December 2025, and, suffice it to say, this phrase has since stuck with me.  I brought it up a few weeks ago on the first Saturday of our final two-day cricket game, which was also the end of the season for us. I had come in to bat at number 5 late in the day, having spent most of the day fielding. We had bowled out the opposition earlier for 163, and then we’d lost 3 wickets for 49 runs. There were 5.1 overs left

The Words of God – Psalm 119  It’s the longest psalm in the Bible, and its length and repetition are sometimes off-putting, but Psalm 119 is like a box full of treasures deep underground, one we have to dig down to before we can find them.  It’s both the longest psalm, and in some ways, it’s the most confusing, but Romans 15:4 tells us that we have the writings of the Old Testament to instruct us, teach us to endure, encourage us and give us hope, and this includes Psalm 119.  So how can we dig deeper to find the treasure and to understand what it teaches us about God and living for him?  For me, it was in a lecture at The Bible College of Queensland1, (now Brisbane School of Theology), that I started to understand and appreciate this psalm.   Psalm 119 (NIV)  א Aleph  1 Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,     who walk according to the law of the Lord. 2 Blessed are those

The Lord Holds Your Hand If you have a number of young children, you will know that going anywhere is no small feat. The things you need to take with you, apart from the small humans, are almost endless. A picnic in the park will see you needing food, chairs, hats, water bottles, scooters, sporting equipment, spare clothing/nappies….and possibly more. And as the adult, you will probably become the ‘pack horse’. You know, the one who has to carry all the stuff. I remember many a Saturday morning heading off to watch our eldest play cricket (he was maybe 9 at the time). Often my husband (the coach) and son would go to the game early which left me with 2 small children and a toddler to bring to

What about rewards? “What about rewards?” I was immediately asked this question following the sermon in almost all three services last Sunday. For good reason. The sermon, which explored The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard in Matthew 20:1-16, focused on the scandalous nature of God’s grace. The shockingly good news that we all come to God in the same way and we all receive the same grace, whether we have “borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day” or “worked only one hour” (Matthew 20:12). In other words, whether we have served Jesus faithfully and sacrificially our entire lives or whether we have come in with only minutes to spare, like the thief on the cross (Luke 22:42-43). A few, and many others

The Adequacy of God Have you ever tried to make something, or fix something, only to realise that what you’re working with doesn’t quite do the job? Maybe you don’t have enough of something, or maybe you’re just using the wrong tool, full stop. And it’s not just practical projects where this can be frustrating. There is something in each of our lives that drives us to seek meaning and purpose. As a result, we throw ourselves into studies, careers, family, travel, hobbies…so many different things. And yet, it just doesn’t quite seem to fit. Despite our best attempts, things just don’t seem to be working out. Recently, I finished a book that I’ve been reading for the past 3-4 years. It’s really not that long, but the reality

What is Your Calling? Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24) What is your calling? Are you living it right now? Are you sure? If you’ve been a Christian for any amount of time, these questions have probably crossed your mind. I know they certainly have for me, and from some of the conversations that I’ve had over the past few months, I can imagine some of you are probably spending quite a bit of time thinking about this too. So, can you know what God has called you to? Recently, I