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