I took our dog Bailey to the beach today. We are fortunate to have a number of ‘off leash’ beaches only minutes from where we live and they provide a great space for our very active pup, to burn off some energy. We visit the beach most weeks and every time we go Bailey’s reaction is exactly the same – pure, unadulterated joy. It doesn’t matter whether it is sunny and still, windy and grey …
I was 13 years old when my friend, younger sister and I experienced something that forever changed the course of my life. It was a hot day and so the three of us popped on our swimmers and went down to the local creek to go fishing. One minute we were innocently playing, the next, we were being confronted by a stranger who wanted to ‘help us fish’. What this actually meant was him holding …
In 2004 I was 22 years old. A fresh college graduate I spent my days working as a waitress in a diner and my nights as a cook in a tiny Italian restaurant. I needed these months desperately; to discover the sacredness of food and service, to work hard alongside people so different than myself, to exhale from four years of study, and hopefully let a bit of what I’d read and learned make some …
My story is one of redemption, bravery and the relentless love of Jesus. I grew up in a loving Christian home, the youngest of six children in a blended family. I made the decision to become a Christian when I was in my early teens and, as a home-schooled teenager, most of my social life revolved around my family and church community. Shortly after graduating from high school, I enrolled in the California Nannie College, …
From an early age, my dreams for the future involved two things; marriage and motherhood. As the third eldest child of ten, I grew up with strong maternal instincts and plenty of opportunity to practice my parenting skills. At five years of age, I made the decision to follow Jesus, after responding to an altar call given by my father, at the church he pastored in Launceston, Tasmania. As the daughter of church planting pastors, …
