The Real Nicole.

I have this friend. She is great. One of my best friends I'd say. Probably my closest friend. Why? Well I meet her at the start of this year when she started attending at my church. Funny story actually when we first met we joked around quite a bit, I thought she was great. I was talking the the youth pastor about how awesome she was - he knew her from a previous church - he was like she's great, be her friend and get her to youth lead with you. Now my youth pastor was only joking when he told me to befriend her so she will be a youth leader. But that's exactly what happened not like that though. The first night we lead a small group together was awesome, I loved having someone who just seemed to so naturally bounce off what I had to say and finish my questions. We were Bert and Ernie the youth ministry world. We road tripped to Sydney for hillsong together and it was some of the best fun I've had. She encouraged me, laughed at and with me, danced with me, support

A while ago at church the sermon was about moving in the Spirit and listening to God's leading in our everyday lives.  The preacher went on to talk about speaking out at times when the Spirit calls us to speak out and about needing courage to do it. It got me thinking about how I respond to situations of conflict, to situations where I disagree with what is going on and in situations where there is a lot of questions but very few answers. Often in these situations I remain silence to avoid the conflict or I will walk away from the situation so I am not involved. On reflection I was left thinking; What is my silence in these situations saying? Is it speaking of acceptance?  That I don't care? That it isn't a big deal? I want to use my life, and my voice to speak joy, truth and freedom into peoples lives. I don't have all the answers but when i do know i don't want to miss my opportunity. I've been thinking about what this looks like practically.  I t

As a youth leader, slum city was something I wanted my young people to get involved it, I thought it would be a great experience and something they could share with their non-Christian mates. I didn't expect to be so challenged for me personally and to come away with an experience that has profoundly changed and shaped my thinking. Slum City is a 24 hour simulation that occurred in Civic Park over the 40 Hour Famine weekend (17-18 th August). Participants gathered from local churches and the age range varied from year 9's to the Mayor of Tea Tree Gully Miriam Smith.  About 30 people were a part of the slum and Ross, Dan, Bradley, Josiah, Georgia and myself represented Hope Valley.  During the 24 hour period our phones were taken away from us, we were fed a basis meal of rice for dinner and a piece of bread at breakfast, and there was nothing like sports equipment, access to the playground or playing cards to keep ourselves occupied and we had to participate in a range of

Early last year i wrote a blog about a passage that spoke about family and being a leader in the church.  I seriously questioned if i was good enough to lead or if i was disqualified from leading in the church because of the broken relationships in my life.  You can read about it here....     http://nicole7992.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/am-i-qualified.html When i wrote that blog i didn't really think i could do much with these relationships and it felt like a weight on me, i was reminded however by friends that I could used my story to help young people going through the same to find a way out. Even though i knew this i didn't feel that freedom as a leader with it all. This term i have been on Uni placement and i have been looking at the role of a school chaplain.  This placed me in a school context.  i was at Kings Baptist Grammar School which is a private school in the northern suburbs, it is such a beautiful school with such a lovely community.  The students are respectful,

In the April holidays i travelled by bus to the country, to visit some friends but also to explore what ministry looked like in the country particularly for young people.  As i sat on the bus for 5 hours i was getting really nervous, i knew God had called me to explore this but i didn't know how to explain this feeling and i didn't know what others would say about it.   I listened to a few podcasts as i sat alone on the bus and this podcasts were all about following God's plan for our life and stepping out in faith.  I didnt't know thats what it was about when i chose them so that was really reassuring.   I also had a bible verse that i had written on a piece of paper that i happened to find as i was packing, it said,  " You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance." It's the NKJV of Psalm 65:11 This verse helps me now as i look back on the trip i made, how scared i was and how i was following God's call to ex

In the last 6 months 3 people i knew well for a period of my life have passed away.  Each and everyone of these lives were precious and its such a tragedy. On reflection of these lives which were lost so young i think about what our culture is saying and why this is happening. People being told who they are isn't good enough, people investing so much into individuals/success and losing it all when something falls apart and not knowing how to cope or people living life with the idea of #yolo (you only live once) .  Of course this is just a generalisation but i dont know what to do about this.  Its bothering me that people are losing their lives, and their loved ones for things that shouldnt happen. How can we change culture so that we don't lose our young people?  how can we raise a generation of young people to learn to value the realities of life and help them better face the challenges that come?  I dont think culture is just killing our young people physically, i thin

About a month ago we took our youth kids on a night hike.  I am so fortunate to live in such a beautiful place that within 30mins we had walked from our church in the suburbs into the foot hills and were beginning to climb the hills.  As i had thought about the evening earlier in the day and as we gathered as leaders to pray before the youth arrived, i felt a real sense that we needed to take up the idea that "noone walks alone". What did that look like though? Did that just mean physically that everyone had a walking buddy or was there more to that phrase.  As i prayed and reflected i thought about many different things, firstly the physical aspect of the fact that many youth would be coming and not actually have anyone to walk with and the importance of them not walking alone.  But i felt like it was more than that, i felt like this "noone walks alone" was meaning more than just physically walking. I felt like it was calling us to think about the conversati

The world is so over sexualised i would say its pretty much impossible for a young person to go through day without seeing an image of someone suggestively selling a product on billboards, in magazines or for people to be involved in or over heard a conversation on the bus, in the school/uni yard, on tv, on the radio etc which exposes them to ideas which they shouldnt be involved in.  It makes me sad that so many young people are settling for the first person they meet and think that its a normal and expected thing for them to sleep with their partner. I've had many conversations with young girls since ive started youth ministry about what they feel like they have to look like and do in relationships etc.  It breaks my heart so much to hear girls say that sex is something that they feel like they need to engage in and be open to if they ever want to be liked by guys and friends.  It makes me sad that people aren't being told why they shouldnt engage in many of these activit

I had everything sorted for 2013.  It was going to be great, a new job, awesome study opportunities, the list goes on. And March hit, and i didnt have any of it.  didnt get the job, my uni sbjects didnt quite work out the way i wanted them too and i was left feeling heaps alone.  What did i have? i felt like i had a whole lot of closed doors and i was begining to wonder if i was even walking down the right passageway.  As i reflected and talked with some wish people i began to realise that make my closed doors were much more than broken promised and crushed dreams,  maybe they were something i could learn from and something which would guide me.  I now see these closed doors as sign posts because at each opportunity that got closed, who i am and what im passionate about got refined became foundational in my life.  these sign posts are sending me on a new and exciting adventure and right now i dont completely know what it looks like or will mean for my future but i cant wait t

When i decided to write this i had no idea what i should title this post, I wanted to talk about taking control of my life, but ultimately i wanted God to be incontrol so it felt wrong to say that, i was going to write about 2013 being my year, but i already declared 2012 my year and having more than one year dedicated to yourself seems a bit vain.  I was going to talk about being the change in your own life, but I probably wouldnt have willingly made the changes in my life.  Things happen in life and sometimes there are awesome and other times they totally suck.  I've had a pretty amazing yet rough start to 2013. It started amazing with leading an awesome bunch of 16y/o's at CE Camp over new years - to talk faith, life and have so much fun was a great start to the year. Its such a privellage to be able to bring in the New Year worshipping God and leading youth, which im so passionate about doing.  Then from camp a had a few days at home before heading off to beach mission at