Working from home was never on the agenda, I had never thought over a year on, that this would be the new normal. Over my long working life, I have always swung between working in administration or teacher support, but this job is a mixture of both. My responsibility in shaping young minds who struggle in a sea of classmates, by teaching them one-on-one, has led to many reflections, laughs, and challenges. After a phone call with my immediate boss yesterday, I recalled she a

In a world of changing events, and less stability it is easy to wonder what is going on, and where is God in all this? You would not be alone in thinking it, as one who is a chronic planner (tables, lists, costings, you name it!), to have things go askew, it is hard to navigate and keep your mind in a positive frame. In short, I let it all go, and for one who likes things to be just the right order (ex Army), to get to this point and fully trust God in absolutely everything,

I was reading from Psalm 141 this morning, and one such passage in verse 3 "Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips". It is easier said than done! Take the 3 wise monkeys, hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. Of the three, speaking is the toughest for everyone, how much more so, for us as Christians! James Chapter 3 gives us explicit instructions on how tame the tongue, so we may be salt and Light to the world. When correction comes, how do w

I get asked what makes Thailand such a special place for us. Apart from attending the ACCi Mission Conference, we have friends that are locals that live and work in Phuket itself. Not only that, our friends tell us about local businesses that are safe for foreigners like us. It is clear that Thailand has a heart for the people, not just locals but for us too. After 10 years of knowing them, our friend tells us more about the culture of Thailand, especially the Father's Day, h

When we have something unexpected happen, it is often considered a surprise moment. While sometimes we may have not expected it, the bigger question is should we expect good things? The Japanese word for as expected is yappari, or it is often expressed as expected. God wants us to have that kind of attitute. Not out of entitlement, as if we demand our own way, but that God desires for His people to trust Him in all ways. Jesus declares it this way but telling us "Do not worr

My family is friendly, generous and practice hospitality, I am very proud of my children, and I am kind of jealous because my upbringing was different. Growing up was practical, realistic, and we were taught not to question. But, when I heard about Jesus, my mindset changed. I became a dreamer, a visionary, and learnt that anything is possible with God. After doing a bit of calculating, in this month, I have been walking with God for 40 years! In reflection, I have seen God's

I have often pondered many of the scriptures I have read. One of the more intriguing stories occurs in Acts chapter 11. It is here that God challenged Peter over his worldview. As a committed follower of Jesus, Peter still adhered to some of the important laws in his culture, such as avoidance of prohibited meat from wild animals. Shockingly, Peter's vision from God, was a sheet with animals that Jews were banned from eating, and His command was to "Kill and eat". The discipl

After a busy week, it is nice to sit and enjoy church. Even better when it is a Japanese Church. The message was a continuation of Luke 15:7 to the end of the chapter about the Lost Son, except it is from the older son's perspective. It is quite an interesting point of view, but regardless which character it is about, the lesson is learning to be humble. The contrast between both sons is quite telling. While the younger son disobeys and returns to the father in a humble sta

The two books of Chronicles are often seen as factual accounts, a snapshot of the rulers of Israel and Judah. It may seem rather dry after reading the books of Samuel and Kings, but a few small details show how things once thought of as a disappointment, can turn into something beautiful. This part of the story deals with details of Samuel's family. If we read in 1 Samuel 15, the people of Israel reject God as king, part of the reason being they wanted to be "Like all the na

Although the regional season is over, and life seems to be back to normal, there are always something that crops up, and we can call that life. However, how we perceive the times we have to set things aside, or the outcomes, it how we view them that shows God our heart. As young a Christian as my mum is, has learnt this lesson! Today, as I read my bible in the morning, I reflected on this thought. The scripture on the surface speaks on a war, but one very striking feature lea

Sometimes I get to have interesting conversations with my tutoring students. It gives me an insight into how they think, feel, and observe the world around them. With school returning, they were full of tales about their time away, but also questions about why things and creatures behave as they do. After the student left, I pondered on why things happen. We can come to a few conclusions, both scientific and guesses, but few get close to the truth. The bible talks about certa

"People take care, never go anywhere', is a saying that I have as one of my message minders. Lisa McInnes-Smith is an inspirational speaker that has helped me many times, especially when I feel doubt creep in, or second-guess myself. Taking a leap of faith means taking a risk, even when it feels scary or unsure, our hope is in God. I have been reading a lot about David's life. From a humble start as a shepherd, he was selected to be the next king of Israel. It would take a f

Although it is Autumn here in Melbourne, it never fails to make me sad that some of the plants are already losing their leaves. Most Australian plants are always green, but there are some that shed, mostly ones that are decorative. I am glad it is Autumn, because it has been a hard summer on our garden. Keeping some of them alive has been a battle. I thought about the plants' struggle and it reminds me, that we are a lot like nature. The long, never-ending dry feels like an

We have had some humid days over what seems like an endless summer. But, the rain over the weekend was welcome. The refreshing, cool air gave me a great sense of peace. I can only imagine how it affects plants and animals. It never fails to remind me of the renewing power of the rain, and the wonderful creation God provides. Rain is not the only thing that gives us that sense of hope and life. Jesus, referred to Himself as "the spring of living water" (John 4:10-14). Most peo

Trying to find the work/life balance can be a challenge, especially in what feels like a very hot Summer. We often look at getting rest from a physical exercise, point of view, so our body can recouperate and be rejeuvenated. But there are other parts of us that need our rest too, like our minds and importantly for our spirit. Scripture talks about rest in a variety of ways, both from God's point of view and for humanity. Genesis talks about God resting from building creatio

As I am writing this blog, my thoughts pondered about what love truly means. The dictionary has about 14 different meanings, but how do we see it really? Yes, I love my family, and they love me. I love my dog and she, in her own doggy way loves me. I also love following Carlton Football Club and Melbourne Storm, but when you look at all of these, they are the kind of loves, that have a connection,that has a limit. But God's love is on a level we cannot fathom, anymore than we

I don't know about everyone else, but wandering through the bible always gives me insight. Names are very important to all of us. They give insight into a person. Some are named from an event, a person or even a catchphrase. Exploring through forests of Brazil, scientists thought they were looking for an endangered Orchid Bee (Euglossa Ignita), what they found was a new species of bee altogether. It was a surprise! So the name of the bee became Euglossa Bazinga from the Big B

Recently, I had to help someone with a big task, and it meant a lot of waiting around. I had not been to this shopping centre since my teen years and I did not mark where the car was. You could say I had a "Sanguine moment" (a personality that does not like detail), and got lost. I had the presence of mind to ask a security guard and eventually found it. But, I tried to take a short cut to where I thought the car was, and it failed! Reading today's bible story reminded me of

I enjoy reading lots of books, but my favourite is ultimately the Bible. Why? There are always things we can learn about it. Small details, mostly glossed over as being of no consequence set the scene for the future. As I have been reading Genesis, especially the narratives of Abraham and Lot, we find a lot of their character, but a few small facts surrounding their choice to separate, become clearer much later in Abraham's descenda nts, the people of Israel. When Lot and Abr

In our neighbourhood, there are quite a few houses that have put up their lights and decorations in, on, and around their house! They vary from traditional to some very Australian styles. I do enjoy a twilight walk to stop and wonder at the effort each house has gone to celebrate the season. But, naturally by early January, all of the lights and decorations will be gone. For a short time, it is a lot of work. Over 2000 years ago, another light came into the world, that will n