God is in Control!

New Beginnings....... This last weekend I went to Ballarat. We had friends Krystal and Charlotte visiting and we took a trip to show them a bit more of Victoria. You can't go to Ballarat without going to Lake Wendouree! It's that time of the year, where you see lots of swans with their babies ❤️  Before we got there, we had a guess to see how many babies we would see, the highest being my guess of 8. We were pleasantly surprised by how many little cygnets we actually saw.... 26! Some were big, some were very tiny and some in between, but it was a blessing to see so many.  Isn't God so good? He constantly brings blessings, and often when we don't expect it.  Thank you God,  Blessings in the journey,  Kylie

                                           I forgot how much I actually like to blog  ❤ So, tonight I thought, I'll just get back to it and looked for a site where I could write some thoughts. I actually came across this blog from way back in 2011.... well that's the last time I wrote in there any way. I was looking at the Bible tonight.... this is the verse; "The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases God." Proverbs 15:8 I think this verse is talking to us about the fact that God hates (strong word... but that's how much He doesn't like it) the rituals of people who have the wrong motive. They are not seeking holiness, rather they are seeking to look good, to be seen to be doing the right thing. Today in our Bible study group we were talking about holiness... what stops us from being holy? For some of us it is anger, perhaps lazines...

You could be wondering what Wicked has to do with anything........ especially anything in my spiritual journey. This week Colin and I went to go and see Wicked at the theatre. I love musicals and sometimes get very passionate about them! My favourite movies are "Mamma Mia", "Phantom of the Opera", and of course "The Wizard of Oz"...... among many, many more of course!!! (It's hard to choose just a few!) I have known for a lot of months that Wicked was coming to Adelaide and just so that I didn't miss out I had signed up to get an email advising when pre-season tickets were on sale. I got that email about the middle of October last year and once the tickets were on sale guess who was on the internet trying to find the best seats etc??? That's right....... yours truly! So, we had booked our tickets and then there was the waiting to finally go. I thought, "I should probably know a bit of the music before going", so Colin ordered the...

Sometimes I find that when you are a minister and you are leading people in worship on days like Good Friday and Easter Sunday there is a tendancy to miss the importance or solemnity of the day and the reason that we celebrate Easter. This year I have not found that to be true. Our Good Friday service was wonderful and very thought-provoking and it was the way that it affected other people that made the biggest impression on me this Easter. I am thankful for the way that God is working in and through His people in our church. That is a huge blessing!!!! Also this morning (Easter Sunay) I was blessed to see God's people respond in many different ways and the Risen Saviour glorified! Thank you Jesus my Saviour who gave His life for me! This song has been one this Easter that has really helped me to reflect on what Easter means to me and also my response to it. At the Cross Verse 1 Oh Lord You've searched me You know my ways Even when I fail You I know You love me Your holy ...

It is wonderful to recognise God's promises in the Bible and even more wonderful to be able to say that they are true for you. God's wonderful promise to us throughout the Scripture is that He will be with us always. It makes a huge difference to me to know that through the good times and the bad times God will be with me. This week we read through many stories in the Bible where God said "I will be with you". My favourite one though is this one............. Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." To know that God is with me always is a great comfort. I may not always understand why things happen or don't happen, but I am thankful that God is with me all the way. I pray that I can continue to know the closeness of His presence and that I won't lose sight of the promise that God is always with me. Blessings on the journey................ Love Kylie xxx

The next question in the study talks about how God can sometimes seem elusive..... hard to comprehend. I cannot really think of any times in my life where I thought that God was hard to comprehend, or even distant for that matter. I think I have known that when things weren't great between me and God, it was more about me and my effort towards that that was the problem. I am the worst procrastinator and find it hard to be disciplined in working on my relationship with God. I do know that God is working in me in really great ways, sometimes despite me. I don't know if I'm making sense or if this is just all babble, but one of the revelations that I had.... at some time in my journey, I just can't remember, but I know it wasn't recently.... is that God has a desire to know me... to reach out to me, to have a relationship with me. He not only loves me, but He likes me.......... and that is awesome to realise and know in my heart. Oh well, enough rambling for now.....

In our small group over the last two weeks and heading into the next at least 5 weeks (depending on how long it takes to do each study..... this first session has taken us two weeks) we have been looking at the study "God is Closer Than You Think" by John Ortberg.... he also has a book of the same name. It has been encouraging to see the many ways through the Bible where God has been with His people, especially when they weren't expecting it. So, for the next few days I am going to do my homework on here as a blog each day. Hope that it works like that! The story of the Bible is the story of God's desire to be with people. He is determined that each of uys be His friend, His companion, and His dwelling place. He is stretching out to reach us and fill our lives with His presence. All it takes is the barest effort - the lifting of a finger, the whisper of a prayer - for all of us to reach Him. (God is Closer Than You Think Small Group Guide p.17) Ortberg talks abou...

I was just doing some preparation for the meeting tomorrow and focusing on the song "Blessed be Your name" by Matt Redman. Making a choice to worship God in hard times is not so easy for us to do. I think part of our human nature is to immediately look at the hard/tough things and be discouraged by them. In the Bible we find the book of Job.......... The Book of Job tells the story of a man called Job. Job was a good man. Job trusted God. But Job had terrible troubles. He lost all of his livestock, his whole family........ 7 sons and 3 daughters were killed....... and that is only in the first chapter of the book. But in the first chapter we find that right at the beginning of this devastating season in his life, Job says; "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.... yet I will still praise Him." We've all been through hard things.....big, hard life events, or seasons to endure, but the wonderful thing comes when through those hard times you can still stan...

I've just been thinking about the fact that we hardly ever talk about our true feelings. People ask us how we are and we say "good" or "good thanks" when sometimes we are feeling crap. For me I think it is part of making sure that everyone knows, or perhaps thinks, that I'm fine and I have everything under control, that somehow I am super woman or something! I think part of the way God can use us is by us being real. Letting people know that we are not ok all the time is ok and quite often more than not it gives a real insight to who we really are. Of course as a minister there are times when it is not appropriate to do that and you have to show a bit of professionalism, but who wants to see false people?? Right?? I want to be a true reflection of Jesus in all that I do. That doesn't mean that I won't have bad days.......... we all do that, but it means that I can get through by the grace of God and with His help. I can do ALL THINGS through ...

I love being able to blog, there's just something about it that I enjoy. So, if I get slack, get on my case!!! I like the idea of being able to get my thoughts out there and also the creativity of it all. We are enjoying our new appointment at Parafield Gardens. A lovely bunch of people who love God and are passionate about what we can do in our area for Him. I've come to the conclusion, and I know that it is more than the first time that I have thought about this, but think of what we could do with more working hours in the day! What would we accomplish?? Would I spend it wisely, or would I waste more opportunities?? Hmmmmmmm............ a pity that we need sleep! Now I'm just babbling!!! So, enough about that............ here's some things to be thankful for 1. a wonderful husband............ love you xx 2. Rain....... nice to hear it outside and it's good for helping my lawn and trees to grow (cause I'm too lazy to water myself!) 3. New friends who are...

A long time ago I first heard a song by Amy Grant called "Lay Down the Burdens of Your Heart" and it was one of my favourite songs of hers. She is one of my all time favourite singers and I love listening to her music and have been especially blessed by her early music. One Sunday, it would have to be a few months ago by now, I had to go home to get something on a Sunday morning. Can't remember what it was and it is somewhat insignificant really to the story......... but I was listening to the radio.........Life FM and as I drove in the driveway at church this song started to come on....... It was a song by Amy Grant called "Lay Down Your Burdens" not the same one as I had come to love years before but one that definitely spoke to my heart that day. These are the words............ CHORUS Lay down your burden I will carry you I will carry you my child, my child Lay down your burden I will carry you I will carry you my child, my child Cause I can walk on...

Well, I really have the urge to continue on this blog.... I think that it is one of the places that I connect with God well in my own personal journey, so I really need to keep doing this. I love this life journey with God and I long to continue to get closer to Him.... so over the last few weeks I have been challenged to look at the ways that I connect with God and how I connect with God in the best ways for me. So, this is one of the ways............ and one of the other ones is playing my violin, but I'll have to get back to you on that one!! SOON! Stay tuned for more!! Blessings on the journey............... Love Kylie xx

God put His love on the line for us by offering His Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to Him. Rom ans 5:8 (The Message) I love fairy tales and particularly I guess I have a fairly good collection of Disney stories........... you know the ones.......... and there is always the happy ending! Got to love the movie Enchanted.......... it must be time for another watching of it really (after a year ago watching it several hundred.... or at least that's what it felt like....... times....) I think I am ready to see it again. Giselle lives in the world of Andalasia, where animals are talkative companions and musical interludes punctuate nearly every interaction. She dreams of her true love and as she sings about true love's kiss to her chipmunk friend Pip and other forest animals, the Prince hears her voice in the forest. After he rescues her from a troll, they decide to marry the next day. Edward's step-mother, Queen Narissa, disguises herself as an old h...

Funny thing............ today as I was helping Colin access his blog and remember his password, I actually locked myself out of my own account. Do you think that I could remember the email that I used to create the account, or the correct password to go with it?????? Nope! Well, after some help was returned I am now back online.....even though I wasn't really that long that I was off...... and no one probably would have even known! Now on the same subject of prayer.......... I am sooooo glad that I have instant access and communication with God..... my best friend. Although I guess sometimes if I am honest, I do forget the password, so to speak, and forget to seek Him, but I am continually learning day by day what a joy it is to be in communion with God and know Him as my Saviour. Blessings on the journey.................. Love Kylie xxx

A few weeks ago Colin and I had the privilege of conducting a funeral. A POW who had received help from the Army in the war and wanted the Army to do his funeral. As normally happens we met with the family.... this family actually had a bit of an idea of what they wanted, what Bob would like at his funeral, and thankfully that makes the whole process a bit easier. What really caused me to think about this encounter was this......... when I mentioned to the family that we would like to have a prayer and we would usually do this at the start of the service, I was asked......... "well, what prayer would you do?"...... as I paused for a second, a little startled, I explained the kind of prayer that we would pray.... when she asked me if I had one written down so she could see it. Actually I did...... from a funeral that we had done before, so I was able to give her a read through the kind of prayer that we would pray at her father's funeral. It kind of struck me later on...

Wow! What a wonderful work God has been doing my life especially over this last week. I shouldn't be amazed at the way God works, but He has helped me to be victorious in more than one area of my life recently and I thank Him immeasureably for that. This part of a song comes to mind....... All of my life In every season You are still God I have a reason to sing I have a reason to worship (Brooke Fraser...... Desert Song) It reminds me that whatever I have gone through..... whether things are good or bad, God is still my God and I have a reason to worship Him because He died for me. So, short and sweet, but God's messages are like that sometimes.......... Blessings on the journey............................ Love Kylie XXX

Long time...... no blog. But I thought that this is something that I really need to get back to. As I sat and spent time with God tonight, I was reminded of these beautiful words. I have learnt it from a tune that is more recent, but the words were penned a long time ago and really touched my heart as I remembered that God is what it is all about. Here is Love Here is love - vast as the ocean Loving kindness as a flood When the Prince of Life, Our ransom, shed for us His precious blood Who is love - will not remember Who can cease to sing His praise? He can never be forgotten Throughout heaven's eternal days On the mount of crucifixion Fountains opened deep and wide Through the floodgates Of God's mercy flowed a vast And gracious tide. Grace and love like mighty rivers Poured incessant from above And heaven's peace And perfect justice Kissed a guilty world in love Oh how marvellous, Oh how glorious, Is my Saviour's love for me!!! Of Your fullness you are pouring Your...

I have had a song playing over in my head over the last few days and it is a reassurance of the presence of God in my life. It is based on the words from the Scripture in Psalm 139:7-8 and in The Message it says this; "Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight? If I climb to the sky, you're there! If I go underground, you're there! If I flew on morning's wings to the far western horizon, You'd find me in a minute—you're already there waiting!" (Psalm 139:7-8 Msg) Sometimes I guess it can be overwhelming to think that we can never get away from God, but my thoughts this week have been rather that it is very reassuring to know that I have a God that loves me and knows all about me........when I sit, when I rise and that there is no place here on earth that I can hide from the everlasting love that God has for me. Things to be thankful for; 1. The everlasting love of God 2. A chat with a friend on the phone..........good stu...

Isn't it amazing how God speaks to us! I have been missing in action from blog world for a little while, but thought it was a good opportunity to get back to it. It has been a hard few weeks with a lot of things happening both personally and at church and basically settling into new surroundings, new church and people, but I am blessed to be reminded again and again how God loves me. This week I was wandering through Koorong and a plaque jumped out at me.................my new fave verse and I really believe that God was speaking to me through it. "I have loved you with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself." Jeremiah 31:3 Awesome! That through everything that I go through God loves me with a love that is everlasting ! Never ends, never fails, never gives up on me, never lets me down, is always there, dependable, and absolutely everything that I ever need. What an awesome reminder of a God..........my God........my Creator.........who lov...