Where is the peace on earth?

I think if we're being honest, many of us may have asked ourselves this question last year as we watched our country ravaged by floodwaters just after a season that proclaimed 'The Prince of Peace has come!'

The unforeseen events of last Christmas left so many Australians with little to celebrate as they began a year filled with loss and the prospect of little hope. Such tragedies are often a potent reminder of the reality of God in our lives...our need for a Saviour, for hope and for peace here on earth.

But it is my experience (and in fact recorded in history over and over again) that it is for those very times; times when chaos reigns and fear is prevalent, that God himself shows up.

Hey friends,

I'm sitting at breakfast reading my bible and the pure simplicity of truth in these passages is breathtaking. There is no condemnation, only truth and rescue. Jesus came solely to show us the way home. I read a book recently about a little boy who had a visitation to heaven. He recounted that when it came to Jesus' death on the Cross, this is what Jesus told him ... "I died so people could see my Father".

It is what it is friends, and my prayer is that those "yet" to discover this, will simply open their heart and let truth redeem. Brian has named this November in our church "SOULvember". Our prayer is that many will find salvation because of heightened prayer and focus. These verses make sharing the truth "beautifully simple".

Walked past this building recently. It's the Auckland Town Hall and it's where I got SAVED almost forty years ago!!

I still remember walking in and sensing an "atmosphere" I had never experienced before. I still remember feeling amazed by the people around me, the songs, and the singing. I still remember the message spoken, and that although I didn't really understand all that was being said, it still resonated within ... and I still remember a simple "appeal" being made towards the end ... An appeal to know God!

"HOW DO YOU STAY SANE ON THE JOURNEY?"

Ha! This is a great question, cos some might seriously argue that we aren't sane! In fact, I have been heard to say (on occasion) to either myself or anyone within hearing distance - "we must be INSANE” in trying to pull off what we sometimes pull off. 

I realized a long time ago that "my life, the man I married, our church and ministry, the pace of life we live at, and the responsibility we carry" is not normal ... and that it is going to require A DIFFERENT KIND OF SANITY to fulfill what we need to fulfill.

This is possibly the third and last blog (for now) on the question of "balance". I asked a bunch of girls in our Hillsong world for ONE TIP. These women are all in ministry and as you can see are responding from a broad spectrum of life, journey and experience. I asked them to share their age, age of their children and their "current" role in ministry. They didn't have space for too much detail, but most of these girls juggle many roles and some have faced enormous challenges with grace and wisdom. I stand in awe of them all. I listed them in order of how I received them ... and there's still a handful that we can save for another day. Love always, Bobbie

It's the little things in life that say a lot ... like when you are in a hotel setting and jet-lag gets the better of you ...so you sneak down to breakfast real early ...and then bring back a cappuccino for your slumbering wife, especially when you are NOT the kind of person to be voted "least clumsy" in a cup & saucer carrying competition.

I love my husband for a lot of reasons. He stole my heart more than 37 years ago on a sand dune back in Kiwi-land-NZ. He has an inquisitive side that makes him "have" to follow a siren or crane to see what a commotion is about. It also makes him a profound leader who observes life and people like no one I know.

Hey again,

Well the response to the Q&A on "balancing family and ministry life" was quite overwhelming. It just shows how important the balance is. So, here is Part Two ... a list of more "practical" tips. Again, they are in no particular order ... Plus, I've asked some of the great girls in my world for ONE TIP also. These women are all involved in ministry and range in age from youngish to more maturish! Might post them in Part Three…
 

So we all know there is nothing funny about being in gaol ('jail' for all my North American friends), or the crimes that people commit to land themselves
there. But the following story is pretty funny...

Each week, I receive hundreds of letters from people all over the world.  My team and I are diligent in ensuring we respond to every 'reasonable' request.  As a response to a letter I had recently received, our team was preparing a list of song and chord charts to send to a young man who was IN GAOL, but had made a decision for Christ and was preparing to direct a choir...making the most out of his current situation.

"How do you balance family life and ministry life?"

This has to be possibly THE most frequently asked question in forums like this, and especially by young women in that fabulous season of early motherhood. However having said that, the question applies to pretty much every season of life, because there isn't a season in any of our lives, where we don't (or shouldn't) feel something of the stretch and pressure of that new season.

Have you noticed that one word dominated this first paragraph ... Seasons!!

FAMILY LIFE is full of seasons and MINISTRY LIFE is full of seasons ... and the "art of balance" is to recognize, discern, adapt, navigate, appreciate, be thankful and of course, apply WISDOM to whatever season or "collision of seasons" you are experiencing.

America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
- AMERICA, THE BEAUTIFUL. 1910.

America is a great country. Not a perfect country, but a GREAT country. On this day 10 years ago, I was in New York City with my oldest son. We had just completed a marvellous night of worship in a New Jersey church; where the auditorium, the overflows and even the outdoor spaces on campus were teeming with people and cars.

Our Hillsong team then had a few days off, so my son and I were off to spend some good father/son time in New York City celebrating his 21st birthday and taking in a day or two's play at the US Tennis Open. We sat so high in the stands for a semi-final that we could see the world’s most impressive city skyline from the back of the stands. On that day, we chatted specifically about the World Trade Towers.