Car crash ahead! Look out!

Picture this: you're standing in the middle of the road, minding your own buisiness. Sure, standing in the middle of the road is probably not the best thing you could be doing, but there's no one around, so you don't really see the problem. I am standing on the side of the road, where it is safe and sensible. All of a sudden, out of no where, a car starts to come down the road really fast. You don't notice and keep on having a good time in the middle of the road. Faster, faster, faster, faster. The car isn't slowing down, and it is clear to see that it is not going to stop just because you are still in the middle of the road. 
The question is this: would you want me to just let it hit you and watch you die? Or would you want me to tell you that the car was coming so that you could decide whether to get out of the way or not?

The truth is friends, I can see that car coming down the road towards you. I know that the end of the world is near, and I don't want to just sit around and watch you die.

A friend of mine posted a Facebook status the other day that really got me thinking. Here was the status;


THE END IS SOON TO COME
Matthew 24:6 - And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Matthew 24:7 - For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

It may not seem like anything eye-opening, but it really got me thinking about the fact that I do know the end of the world is coming. The Bible says that Jesus is coming back. I've known this for ages but what do I actually do about it? Nothing! And I know that writing a blog about it is not making much of a change, but it's a start! The truth is, I just love everyone. God has instructed me to love everyone, and so it wouldn't be very loving of me to watch everyone die when I know that there is a way for everyone to have eternal life. So although I don't really say stuff like this very often, I know that I should. So, friends, please hear me when I tell you that you can't afford to just be idle anymore. God loves you, and He wants to spend eternity with you. Just give Him your heart. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, and it doesn't have to be anywhere special, but just dedicate your life to God, and stop trying to make it on your own.

The Bible says is Acts 2:38 "Then Peter said unto them, repent every one of you and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." and before you try to say well church just isn't for me, why don't you hear the next verse, 39: For this promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." In order for you to be safe from that oncoming car, you need to repent (that's just saying that you are sorry for sinning, truly meaning it, and turning away from that lifestyle), be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ not any other name, and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost - that is the best part! Having God's own Spirit living inside you! It's the best thing that has ever happened to me! Don't think about the things that you have to stop doing, or the things that you have to start doing. Just think about the fact that God loves you. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you! Just put God first!!!
 I encourage you all to just give it a try. After all, what have you got to lose?

Thanks for reading.

Stay Blessed!
-Brooke ox

A Dream For My Girls.....

We all know the famous speech of Martin Luther King, Jnr on August 28^th, 1963. It was on this day that one man took a stand for something that he believed in. He believed that although he was just one man, he could make a change in the world. To quote this famous speech, “I say to you today, my friends, though, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.”

As I write today, I too have a dream. Although I may be the only one with this dream, I know that this desire in my heart has been given to me by God and God alone. Although some people may laugh at me for having what they refer to as such a ridiculous, far-fetched, pointless, stupid dream, I believe that it is possible. I believe, that although I am just one imperfect person, that if I put my heart into it, that my dream can become a reality. I am not going to keep this dream as just that, a dream, any longer. I am going to start working on making it happen. It is going to take a lot of time, money, effort and support, but I know that God has given me this vision, and I will not take it lightly.

Anyone who has spent time with me will know that I have a passion for children’s ministry. On Sunday you can find me in the classroom teaching salvation to God’s children. On weekdays you can find at university learning about how to become the best possible teacher that I can be, and in the little free time that I have, you can find me with my four younger sisters, aged 2, 5, 8 and 10. These four girls are my pride and joy! Every single time that I am with them, my heart just grows that little bit bigger. I love the way that when I walk inside I am greeted by girls running with open arms. I love the way they shriek my name when they see me “Broooooooke!” and I love what always follows my hug; “Brooke’s here! Brooke’s here!” These four girls are my absolute world and I don’t think I could live a single day without thinking about them!

Although these girls are all sisters, they are all so uniquely different, and I love that there is always something new to show me. At the door there is always a story for me to read about dogs, a movie for me to watch about horses, or an encyclopaedia for me to discover new facts about dolphins. A few steps into the family room and there are new shoes for me to see, a new bag to show me, a race that has been won and new party invitations for me to pick the colours for. At the bench in the kitchen there are new songs for me to listen to, new stories from what happened in kindergarten, and new drawings for me to see. On the other side of the room, as sure as day, there is always a “Hi Gook!” with a precious little wave. I wish, more than anything in this world, that I could protect these girls every minute of the day for the rest of their lives, but unfortunately, I know that is impossible. I know that there are going to be times when I won’t be able to help them, and there are going to be times when I won’t be there to give them hugs, to say a prayer, or to tell them that it will all work out. I know that, as much as it breaks my heart to think about, there will be a day when I won’t be their Sunday School teacher anymore, and I won’t get to babysit them on the weekend. There will be a day when God calls me somewhere else, and I have to leave my home town, say goodbye to my church family, and leave my four precious girls in order to serve my King. But when that day comes, I want to know that I have left something behind that will keep them safe. A place where they will go every day, where they can be protected from evil, where they can be around like minded people, and where they can be blessed by God, and that place, is a school. It is my dream for our church to have its own school where our children can study without being bullied, a place where they can be educated in a safe environment and not have to compromise their beliefs for fear of rejection. It is my dream for my church to have its own school so that our precious children and my four little girls can grow up and have Jesus as not only the centre of their homes and church, but the centre of their education as well. A lot of people have laughed at me for this, and told me that it is unrealistic and impossible, but if there is one thing in this world that I am one hundred percent sure of, it is the fact that nothing is impossible for the Lord. Through Him, I can do anything! God has given me this dream, and I know that He will also give me the opportunity to turn this burden into a reality, for the glory of His name. So that is what I am setting my heart on from now on, for my God, and for my girls!

I'm in Rebellion!

I’m in rebellion.

You’re just a conformist if you’re drunken, naked, driving around on a loud motorcycle, smoking cigarettes, breaking commandments, getting pregnant out of wedlock. Everyone’s doing that, it’s so tiring! If you really want to be a rebel, read your Bible because no one’s doing that. That’s the only rebellion left!

I think Lecrae hit the nail on the head with his song Rebel. The dictionary defines rebellion as one who refuses allegiance to, resits, or rises against control or tradition. or, one who participates in organised resistance. Reading the definition it is clear to see that society is teeming with rebellion. Turn on the news and what do you see; convicted murderer arrested, drunken teenager crashes and kills passengers, wild teen crime includes stabbing charge, police pursues teenage highway chase. Our televisions, newspapers and social media are constantly flooded with news stories of rebellious teenage angst causing crime all over the world. Statistics show that over the past few years, the juvenile offender rates have been twice as high as adult offender rates. It is clear to see that our youth are in need of a little criminal detox.

When statistics show that 86% of all 14 year olds in Australia have tried alcohol and 40.7% of 12-17 year old's saying that they have had a full serve of alcohol then the high intoxication rate of our teens should not come as a shock to us anymore, and yet, it does. News reporters speak up and say that the next generation have fallen before they have been given the chance to rise, and that they have nearly lost all hope for the future world leaders. They complain that the youth of today have no direction in life, and yet who do they have to blame? If there is one thing that can be said about the New Generation, it's that they are constantly learning. If so, then who have they been learning from? With all the images of sex, drugs and alcohol present in movies, books, magazines and billboards, is it really a surprise that New-Gen have taken a turn for the worst? They didn't just wake up one day and say "I think I'll throw my life away today." No! They learnt it! Society has taught them that it is okay to stray from the norm, and to take risks and be dangerous. The safe, secure shelter of childhood was removed when they gained access to the internet and parents say that it is okay for them to have their own computers and smart phones. Society is slowly accepting the lifestyle of the modern teenager as normal, and classing their actions as okay, stating that "they're just a teenager", or, "it all comes with the age". If it is socially acceptable to pop pills, twist caps, sleep around, party hard, study less, curse your mouth off, hitch your skirt up and rage at your parents, then are teenagers really rebelling? If society has truly accepted their behaviour, which it is clear that they have, then should we really label them as "rebellious"? If rebellion consists of straying from social norms and yet you're not normal if you don't conform, then how are you a rebel at all?

True rebellion involves taking a stand against society and saying no! Look at Spartacus - this fearsome leader arose against the Roman Republic and lead the greatest slave uprising that this world has ever seen. Or what about Ghandi who lead India to independence and inspired civil rights and freedom across the world? Or who could forget Rosa Parks, whom was named “the first lady of civil rights” because she refused to move from the ‘white section’ of the bus to sit at the back. All of these leaders have demonstrated rebellious actions that have led to great success. They stood up against the laws of their society and decided that they could make a difference. That is true rebellion! Not this young, wild and free rubbish that teenagers are being fed from all directions.

What this world really needs is a group of young people who have enough courage and boldness to stand up for what they believe in. Jesus stood up for us on the cross, so what is stopping us from standing up for Him? We need to take that perfect and beautiful Gospel home with us from church on Sunday. We need to take it into our homes – to our families; into our work places – to our colleagues; into our schools – to our friends, and onto the streets – to everyone else! This world can keep their drugs, their parties and their miscreant behaviour. Take all of that, and just give me Jesus!

If you really want to rebel against society, and then do what Spartacus, Ghandi and Rosa Parks all did – say no! Make a stand! Say no to going to parties. Say no to doing drugs. Say no to clubbing all night, sleeping all day and getting so high that your grades fall so low. Say no to society – and say yes to praying. Say yes to reading your Bible. Say yes to going to church. Raise your standards, lower your pride, cover your bodies and open your hearts to the One who gave His everything for you! Say no to society, and say yes to life! That is the only rebellion left.

Stay Blessed!

-Brooke ox

2013 - A Fresh Start, A Clean Heart

I just realized that this post never posted back in January. It was written 22 Jan 2013. Enjoy!



Well! 2012 is finally over! I literally want to just jump for joy! I know that I am a little bit late with this post, seeing as it's the 22nd already, but the excitement still continues! 2012 had it's ups and downs (mostly downs) but thankfully my God is a God of the mountain top, but He is also the God of he valley! And as a good friend said to me just today, it is in the valleys when you truly draw closer to God. In the deepest, darkest hours of the night is where God's light shines brightest! I am just so thankful for that!

Well 2013 has already begun, and what an excellent start it has been so far! I kicked off the year with some good friends out in the good old Australian sun by the river. It was a great day! Which was followed soon after by a great week at our annual General Conference. I can easily tell you now, that when God wants to move, He is going to move no matter what you do to avoid it! I honestly don't have the space or the time to give every detail about how great it was, but in a small summary, it was a week full of anointed ministry, crazy fellowship, good food, high temperatures, long nights, prayer meetings, flash mobs, stacks on, sore feet, tired eyes and water fountains. Believe me, it was just as crazy as it sounded! My heart was overflowing with love, and it still is now! I wouldn't have traded the experience for anything in the world! But sadly, like all good things, conference came to an end, people went home, and life restarted. Luckily for me though, I had a renewed spirit and a clean heart to keep me going. Even though life may get you down and you feel like no one is around to listen to your heart, God is always there. He will never leave us nor forsake us. I am so thankful for that! In fact, I am just thankful for everything! I really am so blessed! I have a beautiful family, an awesome job, an inspirational church and an anointed ministry! And even though I may only have a very limited number of friends these days, I have my Jesus! And the people who do stick by me love me just as I am! So what more do I need?

Stay Blessed!
-Brooke ox

Finding Open Arms

The words of Kari Jobe hit me today like a train-wreck. I was listening to her song What Love is This when it came to the second verse where it says

I look to You

I see the scars upon Your hands

and hold the truth

that when I can't, You always can

I'm standing here

beneath the shadow of the cross

I'm overwhelmed 

that I keep finding open arms

When we can't get through our problems... When we are weak and suffering... When we feel like we can't take one more day, one more step, or even one more breath... When we can't do anything God always pulls through for us. God does not expect us to do anything on our own. In fact, He doesn't even want us to do it on our own. He wants us to come to Him, to talk to Him, and to lean on Him, so that He can carry us through. Of course we always have different plans for our lives than what God wants to do, and so we ignore His calling and try to tell ourselves that we can do it all on our own. But, as always, when we are on our own we fail, and so we come back to Him and pray that He will take us in once again. Do we deserve to be loved so dearly after all that we do to Him? Do we deserve to be taken back in again and to have another chance? No. We do not. But I am so thankful that I serve a God of second chances, and of third chances, and of fourth chances, and of five hundred and sixty seventh chances. No matter how far I may run in the opposite direction, no matter how many times I fail God and I disappoint Him, and no matter how many times I try to get by on my own, He always welcomes me back with open arms. Is anyone else overwhelmed by that truth? That in spite of everything that we do, every mistake and failure, that God will always be waiting right where we left Him, arms stretched wide, waiting to wrap us up in His love and clothe us in His righteousness once more. 

Is anyone else moved by that? Does that not overwhelm any one else? Or am I the only one who feels so loved by that?

I guess it might be because of all of the crazy stuff that has been happening in my life lately. Without going too much into anything, let me just say that even in our hardest, darkest hours, we should always glorify God. Even when the doctor's say that they don't know what is wrong, or when you are diagnosed with depression, or when a loved one dies, or when you are buried so deep in anxiety that you just can't cope with what is going on anymore, still glorify the Lord. Trials aren't supposed to be easy, but they also aren't supposed to destroy us. God is on our side, and everything that happens in our life, good and bad is for a purpose. Joseph did not achieve his dream right away, he was faced with many hard trials and situations that tested his faith. But through all of that, he still held fast to his purpose. Don't let go of your purpose just because something is rocking your boat at the moment! Because the storm will always clear and the bright sun is still shining behind the clouds. Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean that it isn't there. Just because you can't feel, see or hear God, doesn't mean He has left us. His Word says that He will never leave us nor forsake us! He is for us!!! 

No matter how many times we turn away from God, or we mess up, or we fail, if we turn back around we will see that He is still right back where we left Him. Standing with love and open arms.

Thanks for reading!

Stay Blessed!

-Brooke ox

Speak!

Well... I just have so much to say that I don't really even know where too start!

I spoke in one of my previous posts about how I wanted to do more for God and that as soon as I committed that to Him, He opened a door for me to preach at our youth-lead service. Well the service went really well. We had a youth choir and some special items and they all went so well. I am so proud of our youth for stepping out of their comfort zones and allowing themselves to be used. I can really tell that something big is going to happen soon in our youth. We are so close to a revival, I can feel it. It's like when you are down the coast and you're not at the beach but you're nearby and even though you can't see it, you know that the ocean is there because the air feels different to the city and you can smell the salt water and hear the crashing waves. That is how I am feeling about our youth right now. Something big is very close by!

So preaching... Well! What can I say? I have never really done it before except a few months ago on my AYM, but after Sunday I just feel like I belong in the pulpit! But I know that for now, I just have to put my absolute all into Sunday School, because that is where I am needed most. I love Sunday School with all my heart. It is so great, so I am more than happy to give it my everything.

Well, meetings are being held a lot more frequently because now it is only 4 weeks and 5 days until our second anual youth concert! I was so priviliedged to be elected concert coordinator this year and boy am I busy! There is so much organising to do, but luckily I have the most wonderfully dedicated committee to keep me going. I am so blessed by them because they are all so hard working.

My week this week is looking so busy, because not only do I have a lot of youth concert things and uni work to do, but I also got a new job! Praise the Lord!! I am so completely happy! It's at a little French-inspired boutique frock shop! It is so cute, and so very, very me! I know that I am very blessed to have this job because I know a lot of other people were hoping for it. I just went in to hand in a resume because I saw a little sign in the window, and I walked out with a job interview. So after my interview I felt like I had done really well and she said she would call me, and sure enough she called me in the afternoon and not only offerred me the job, but she asked if I could start the very next day! So now, Monday morning, I am all ready for me second shift later today. Praise God!

Okay, well I think I have spoken enough about me, and now it's time to talk about God. Well I just cannot believe the thing that He does for me and reveals to me. Every time I study the Word I get something new. Lately I have been studying Jeremiah and I have gotten so much out of it already. At the beginning of Jeremiah, in the very first chapter it says "the words of Jeremiah". It doesn't say anything about his actions, or his ministry, but the thing that is remembered first and foremost are his words. Words have so much power! The Lord touched Jeremiah's mouth, not his hands or his feet. He touched his mouth because he was ordained to SPEAK. God put His own words in Jeremiah's mouth because His words would not tear down, destroy or kill. God wants us to speak words of life into our lives and into the lives of other people. The wise words of Jimmy Needham in his song Speak states;

We mostly keep to ourselves 'round here
No sense rockin' the boat 'round here
We watch you dance into hell 'round here
It's time we speak His mind 'round here

Oh, so open your mouth, open it wide
Quit singing songs for a minute tonight
You can love with your hands, you can love with your deeds
How will they know if they know if we don't even speak?

How are people going to know Jesus if we don't tell them? God has not only called us, but He has commanded us to speak! We can love people with our hands and out deeds, but they are never going to know the truth unless we open our mouths and speak to them! We need to let go of the fear that is holding us back and just start speaking words of life! When God calls us to speak to people about Him, He does not want us to preach at them and to judge them or to look down on them. He wants us to take ourselves off our pedestals and to get down to their level and to just love them. He wants us to love them for who they are right here and right now. It's all about love!

I just want to encourage you all to start speaking life into every situation that comes against you. Rather than thinking about how big your problem may be, start thinking about how big our God is, and all of your problems will just start to wither away. Put God first in your day, and everything will fall into place! Don't look down on people, but get down to their level, look into their eyes, and rather than profiling them, pray for them, speak to them, and most importantly, love them.

Thanks for reading everyone!

Stay Blessed!

-Brooke ox

A weasel know as "the heart"

The heart - a complex and unique organ. It ensures that blood is distributed to our body in order to keep us alive. In one heartbeat, oxygen deficient blood is brought into one side of the heart where it is restored into oxygen rich blood which is then transferred to the rest of the body. And as humans, we have approximately 100,000 heartbeats per day. What a tough job for one little organ that is roughly the size of your fist. But for something that is so vitally important to our lives, it sure does seem to cause us a lot of problems. And no, I am not talking about coronary heart disease, heart failure, myocarditis or cardiomyopathy. I'm talking about the good old broken heart!

I'm not sure about you, but I know for sure that I have found myself stuck in the sticky situation of "love" before. Love! Ha! What a word. Young children crinkle their noses and say that we're gross, and older people tell us that we don't know what love is. And as much as I tried to deny it at the time, they were right. I didn't know what love was.

So what exactly is love? In the dictionary it is defined as a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. Although I can't help but tell myself that there may be a little more than that. Of course the word love gets thrown around a little too light heartedly (excuse the pun!) these days. We often find ourselves using expressions such as "I simply love that outfit" or "love, are you sure you want to see this movie?" or "we are completely and totally in love". Well I personally don't think that any of these expressions are using the word love in the right context. Love isn't a feeling or an emotion, it's a verb! You don't fall in love and you don't have a love of your life, because love is not something you feel, but it is something you do.

I know a lot of people are probably reading this and thinking, well what does she know about love anyway? And I guess you would be right. I may have convinced myself once that I was in love, but just like many other times, it did not last. But something I do know a little bit about it that true love comes from three things:

1. A pure heart
2. A good conscience
3. A sincere faith

1 Timothy 1:5 teaches us that true love incorporates all of those three things, and that it is not a feeling, but an action, and not an emotion, but a commandment. Love isn't an option where we can just tick yes or no. We are required, but more than that, we are commanded to love one another. And I'm not talking about the sickly sweet, roses are red, lets hold hands kind of love that you see in movies. I'm talking about that everlasting, unfailing, blood is red, raise your hands in complete surrender type of love.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is that love is more than the stuff that you share between another person. So if you're lonely, don't go looking for love in the arms of any other except our Savior. Because if you are not with someone right now, then it is that way for a reason. The minute that you start trying to pursue love and follow you heart, the minute you will get caught up in a big spiral of emotional damage. It never ends well, trust me. Cast your cares upon the Lord and let Him be your comfort. Start working for His glory, and get your hands dirty, keeping busy for good of the kingdom, and love will find you. Love is patient. Love is kind, it does not envy, it does not parade itself, it is not puffed up, it does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 4-8.

Thanks for reading!
Stay Blessed,
-Brooke ox