Saying good-bye to 2012

Another year has gone and we are almost at the silly season when everyone tries to take some kind of a break and have some fun. The years really march away from us as we grow older and I often look back to being a child again. I remember how my imagination would run wild about what Santa might bring this year or how we would go on holiday. It took forever for Christmas to come! My mother always made sure that we remembered why we celebrated this special time of the year and that the memories of that special night in Bethlehem were brought to the front of our minds.

I still love Christmas and to me it is even more important than birthdays. I know it isn’t really the time Christ was born and I know that Santa isn’t even a religious figure but rather a marketing tool developed by Coca Cola, but they all make this time so magical and I truly believe that even as we can celebrate the Queen’s birthday on different days, so Jesus would understand that we celebrate his life with us at this time. A time of a magical man who walked among us and showed us what true love was all about. Not the feeling of love but rather the acts of love for all humanity. He gave us the most precious gift of all time, everlasting life through him. The evergreen Christmas tree always reminds me of that.

I think of those families at this time that celebrate Christmas without remembering what it is all about and I pray that somehow the magic of this season will open their eyes and hearts to the love of our Lord Jesus.

SHED 19 AND HOPELINK

A MINISTRY OF GLADSTONE CHURCH OF CHRIST

HELPING A COMMUNITY HEAL – GROW – SUCCEED, ONE LIFE AT A TIME.

November 2012

From the Editor's desk

Greetings and welcome to November’s conXion.

Each month I wonder what will land on my desk for conXion and I am never disappointed. November’s conXion is full again with stories from women who love to share from their heart, so enjoy dear readers.

Last weekend was our Girls’ Getaway Camp held at Coolum. What a weekend! It was full on, Carol Smith our guest speaker shared  “If I’m not reading the Bible, why not?” Carol reminded us that it is the best gift given to us. Through God’s Word we connect with Jesus, how good is that.

There were 86 ladies present throughout Saturday, we had Destiny Rescue come and share their work, saving young girls (children) from prostitution.

 

Bel Thomson, our guest artist was a delight, she bravely brought her husband of only a few weeks to meet us, though I think really it was Phil who was the brave one. They shared their story of how they met. How they held onto God’s promise for their lives, what joy it was to hear and dear readers you will have to wait till next year to hear their story. 

Check out the group photo with everyone dressed up in their Country & Western outfits for Saturday nights concert below.

 Last weekend proved to the Committee that Camps are not something of the past. Camps offer to those, especially from our smaller churches an opportunity to gather with like minded women. We arrive on Friday evening and leave on the Sunday catching up with old friends and making new ones.

We held our de-brief on Friday and have some great plans for next year already. The Theme is ‘All You Need is Love’ and our guest speaker will be Katie Lush from Highfields Church of Christ.

The ladies Retreat at Camp Koojarewon, Highfields will be held on the weekend 16— 18 March. Don’t miss out this will also be an awesome weekend. This is our tree-scape, Koojarewon is set among the gum trees a stunning setting check the ad below.  

I also encourage you all to consider being part of Celebrate 2012 it is time for us to gather and celebrate what God has done and is doing within our movement. Come and hear Rich Robinson at Centrifuge on the Friday, hear what is happening in Conference at our AGM and finally share with others at the CEO Award Dinner.

It will be a great time of encouragement for us all, so please consider.

In His love

Andi

God Moments ...

The Miry Clay

It’s amazing how, sometimes, a moment from childhood rises so clear in your mind; and how relevant it still is.

That happened to me recently…and it packed the same punch it did so many years ago.

To help you understand what I’m talking about, I will try to describe the memory.

When I was younger I was a member of the Anglican Church. At the time (late 80’s-early 90’s) there was a ministry called GFS or Girls Friendly Society. I have no idea if it still exists today. It was a girl’s only youth group, and living in the outback there was always plenty to do. One of the more common activities was camping. There were places to camp in the bush and on people’s properties. In this instance we were camping at a property which had cows, pigs and a rather large dam.

I can’t remember the season but it was hot enough to go swimming. The owner of the property said it was permissible to do, but to take care because the cows had been down earlier and had trampled the water line.

The GFS leader (my mother) and several parents who were with us; drove us all down and my mother circled the dam to determine the safest place.

In quite, firm tones she told us we could only enter and exit the water between two points which she had marked with the cars.

For a few hours all the girls swam and mucked around in the water until my mother called a halt and said it was time to go.

My sister, further away from the group, decided it would be quicker to get out at the point closest to her and walk around, than to swim back to the point between the cars. None of us realised it until we heard her screaming for help.

She was up to her knees in grey glupy clay.

The more she struggled, the lower into the clay she sunk. She was screaming and crying for help, clawing at the mud…and sinking.

My mother had reacted faster than I thought possible. There were some rocks just above where my sister was struggling and she anchored herself against them and held out her hand.

My sister never looked up. She clawed and struggled, screamed and cried until she was up to her hips.

It was horrifyingly frightening. The other parents wouldn’t let anyone near and I could only watch.

From across the water I could hear Mum just saying my sisters’ name. Calm, low pitched, and over and over again.

Finally my sister must have heard and looked up. Stopped struggling. Reach up…and with one pull my mother had her free.

When Mum lead a service that night she made a comment about what happened that day.

Sometimes, we can be in an awful point in life. No matter what we do, we just keep struggling and sinking, screaming and crying for God to help. We use our own strength to gain freedom and things just get worse and worse.

God will never force us. He will simply be there, with his hand held towards us, waiting to help. All we have to do is stop struggling long enough to look up…and reach out.

He’ll do the rest…and we will be free.

TP Hogan