Where do you live and go to church?

I live near and walk to my local church in Redfern, a suburb on the edge of Sydney’s CBD.

What was the first book of the Bible you ever read?

I can’t remember! The first book that I remember hearing preached on was Amos – the whole book covered in 4 talks over a weekend. That was 20+ years ago and I still remember what I learned about our good, great and gracious God as if it were yesterday.

Name a Bible character you resonate with and why.

Esther … she’s a woman who shows me how to keep trusting in God’s perfect timing in her life of change and uncertainty.

Where do you read the Bible?
At home in my favourite comfy chair, tucked away in a quiet corner.

What’s one thing from the Bible that’s stuck in your brain at the moment?

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through Him.” It’s the background to the song that’s been stuck in my brain since we sang it with the kids at church a few weeks ago. The song that starts with, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so…”

Describe one of your Bible reading failures and what you learnt.

Reading my Bible before bedtime. I’m a morning person plus reading it before bedtime meant being interrupted and distracted by others at home. With such a winning trifecta it was a spectacular failure!
I learned that I need to read the Bible in the quietness of the morning when my brain is working and without interruption … 5am is a good all round fit for me!

What advice would you give someone struggling to read the Bible each day?

Something that helped me was understanding that the God of the universe – who only had to speak and the stars formed and moved to their places – has spoken to us through His word captured in the Bible where He’s told us all we need to know to navigate life in our broken world.

Just for fun: If you were a monster what would be your defining feature?

My friends tell me that if I were a monster then I’d be easily found because I’d leave behind me a footprint trail of brightly coloured sparkles!

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