Experiences

DARK DAYS DIRECTIONS

(March 08, 2023) Norman and Margaret Moss reflect…

We were sitting in our car stuck in the middle of the road at the T junction a few hundred yards from our home in England. The engine had suddenly cut out and I, Norman, have seldom felt more helpless!

Cars passed by in all directions all intent on avoiding collision with ours, but failing to realise our predicament. However, soon people arrived, including two bright eyed youngsters eager to push and a strong man leaning through the window to help turn the steering wheel, since with the power steering gone I was not strong enough to turn it on my own.

Wrong directions
Together the group managed to park the car on a double yellow line at the side of the road. We decided to phone the AA. As we waited the night darkened and the cold increased. Then, suddenly very quickly it got pitch dark and I confess that I was afraid the AA vehicle would drive right past us.

At last we saw two blazing headlights coming towards us, shining brightly in the dark. Telling Margaret to sit tight, I eagerly stepped into the road and waved the van down, directing to a point close to us.

Obediently the driver started to turn the van round to head back towards us. Only then did I see the large letters on its side… AMBULANCE! Oh no, I thought, this isn’t an AA van! I’ve misdirected this vehicle which is no doubt rushing to aid someone in trouble!

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HEEEEELP, HOLY SPIRIT!

(December 07, 2022) Robert McQuillan shares…

I was warned decades ago when I first attended Friday night church prayer meetings about a ‘longwinded “Mrs XYZ”’ – that ‘She’ll go on and on, praying all around the world about everything and forget to stop and let others pray!’

Spiritual prayer
When we encourage people to pray, Maureen and I point out that we don’t have to pray long prayers. God will hear us, even if it’s only the shortest prayer! He sees our circumstances, knows our concerns. We simply be sincere, ask in Jesus’ name and trust God. Trusting means leaving it with Him, never trying ‘to take it back.’

The Holy Spirit, third person of the Godhead, is our helper, and will bring God’s answer. We tell folk our own prayers are sometimes brief… with our thoughts and spiritual eyes on Him! Merely ‘Help, Holy Spirit’, even ‘Heeeeelp, Holy Spirit.’ Sometimes just a desperate ‘Heeeeelp!’ Now that really rocks their boat!

No, we’re not being irreverent, dishonouring God, misusing Jesus’ name, and belittling the Spirit! Our hope is in our heavenly Father whom we know deeply in our hearts, and that He loves, His spiritual children.

Spiritual S.O.S.
Such a plea is a spiritual S.O.S call! When there isn’t time for a long prayer, that unless God moves quickly, immediately, all will be lost. It’s a little child’s cry from the heart, a ‘Daddy’ wail as it were.

Paul wrote, ‘Because you are His children, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts. He is the Holy Spirit. By His power we call God “Abba.” Abba means Father’ (Romans 8:4NIRV). Complete Jewish Bible reads… ‘Abba that is “Dear Father.”’

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KINDNESS MATTERS

(November 27, 2022) America’s Mercy Health releases good info monthly as part of their concern for everyone in showing the compassion of Jesus, such as these (excerpted) thankful stories featuring team members, patients and the wonderful communities they feel blessed to serve…

1). Teamwork saves mushroom poisoning patient’s life
A family group came to Mercy Health – West Hospital, sick from eating wild mushrooms foraged in nearby woods. While most were able to recover with minimal treatment and return home, one remained extremely ill.

‘The patient was admitted and liver tests kept getting worse,’ shares Dr Kevin Cronley, one of our gastroenterologists, and director of endoscopy.

There were no other health issues that could explain the worsening numbers. The relatively young patient’s health got so bad that Dr Cronley was exploring placement on the liver transplant list.

Dangerous mushrooms
From what the patient said, Dr Cronley knew what the family had foraged was the likely cause of the illness. About the same time the family came to the hospital, local media started reporting cases of people sick from eating highly toxic wild mushrooms.

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T’WAS A COLD WINTRY NIGHT, NERE A SOUND WAS HEARD…

(October 15, 2022) Maureen McQuillan recalls a childhood experience of the goodness of our miracle-working God…

Now that title may sound like the beginning of a ghost story, but it’s not. Although I could say the beginning of a Holy Ghost tale.

Background
My husband, Robert, had seen sharing my childhood miraculous healing experience with some friends recently, and felt I should write about it as an encouragement to others. Especially as over the past couple of years we’ve been hearing of several committed Christians, particularly ministries, becoming seriously unwell.

As regular readers know, we strongly believe that our loving heavenly Father is the healing and miracle-working God; that in times of illness we pray to Him, asking with confidence for His help; reflect on scriptures such as 1 Peter 2:24 – ‘By His stripes you were healed’; leave it with Him, trusting Him; and then do the sensible thing – see a medical professional.

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FROM FAMILY MIRACLE TO FAITHFUL MINISTRY

(September 23, 2022) K.C. Dipak from Nepal shares about his journey in Christ.

Although I was born into a Hindu family in Nepal, my mother used to go to church every Sunday. But my sister Shanti and I never accompanied her. There came a time when my father left us alone and went to India without telling his whereabouts. Sadly, he has never returned to us.

Mother had to work so hard as a domestic to fed us all… they were difficult times. One day, during my early teens, Shanti got very sick, and although Mother took her to many doctors and government hospitals, she did not respond to treatments.

Miracle
Extremely concerned, Mother decided to invite her pastor to pray for Shanti. Instead of just praying in the church, he came to our home and prayed over my sister and within two weeks, she fully recovered, praise God! This was a great miracle for my family and in May 2013 my sister and I started going to church regularly. 

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‘LOST AT SEA’

(August 27, 2022) Andrew Kennedy shares a harrowing tale and testimony of God’s caring…

A few months ago Maree and I set out from Victoria for our first big holiday, on what we called ‘Half a Mega Trip.’ Half a mega trip! What’s a half mega? I thought at the time.

Well, mega means huge and colossal so half a huge and colossal must just big, I reasoned. Well it certainly was big! For quite a few weeks we were to travel thousands of kilometres across Western Australia and back, visiting well-known towns as well many off-the-beaten-track picturesque places.

We really enjoyed ourselves and saw lots of beautiful scenic spots. Maree took lots of photos, regularly posting quite a few to friends on FaceBook.

Gregory disaster
We were at Gregory, a small town and fishing port located 7 km northwest of the mouth of the Hutt River, in WA’s Mid-West region when it happened. Quite a small port, Gregory only has a population of around 65 people and some 80 dwellings, most of which are holiday houses.

We had decided Maree should fly back for a much-looked-forward-to couple of weeks with family back home and meantime I was to hold the fort as it were.

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A MYSTERIOUS DAY I’LL ALWAYS REMEMBER

(July 13, 2022) Kenneth Drinkald shares an amazing testimony of God’s caring…

I opened my eyes, not sure where I was. I was hot, sweaty; feeling nauseous, as though I wanted to be sick… and there was pressure in my chest and left arm.

Gently putting a hand to my hurting head, I felt blood dripping down the side of my face. I was laying on cold kitchen tiles, trying to make sense of what had happened.

Day began as normal 
I had promised to paint a lounge room for a friend. Arriving at Judy’s home I had begun by painting the ceiling, but after a while was feeling hot and clammy. Believing exertion from painting and the warm day to be the cause, I opened the windows and went outside to the porch.

After sitting out there for a while and giving the house time to cool down, I went back inside to continue painting. For some reason I left the front door open.

However, as I painted I found myself continually distracted by some pieces of paper in the lounge room. Strange… but I just couldn’t stop looking at them, wondering what they were – and at the same time scolding myself for being so inquisitive!

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