The Real Nicole.

God is so good!!! New years eve on CE camp we have this service called a watchnight. We sing worship to God and there is an opportunity for open mic to shareabout what God has done in your life over the past year. just before midnight there is an opportunity for those who want to give their lives to God. I want to share two stories from that night. Firstly there wasa young girl about 15 there who had fallen over during our camp softball match the night before cut her leg quite bad and twisted and bruised her ankle. She was unable to walk around camp and had been carried by some of the guys for over a day. She got up and shared her story and the guy hosting asked to pray for her leg. She was carried back up to her seat after that. just after midnight we were all dancing and worshipping and during a song she gets carried down and placed in the middle of the stage. she stands up and jumps. her ankle supports her weight. the camp nurse came running and unstrapped it. no brusing or swellin...

I went on CE camp over New Years like i have done for the last few years. This year we were privilleged to have Tim Hawkins speaking to us for Romans 8. I had read Romans 8 this year through ES and really liked Romans 8 because it taught me that we were free of condemnation Vs 1 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" On camp however i was challenged and provoked by different verses vs14-16 "14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[f] And by him we cry, “Abba,[g] Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. the idea of being a child of God made s...

Recently i went on a roadtrip with mates from uni to Canberra for a national conference (NTE) with the christian uni groups of Australia(AFES). It was just over 15 hours to drive there so we had plenty of time to talk and hang out. This was an interesting trip for me as the group of people i went with were all different people and a few had very different personalities to me. After a few hours you realise the people that kind of irritate you a little are going to be with you the whole way. So very quickly i had to learn patience or i swear i wouldn't have survived. One thing i found beautiful during the trip was the hay plains and just the beautiful outback and hills that God had created. When we were travelling was a quite hot day. It was about 30degrees celsius but felt much hotter in the non air conditioned car. But I loved seeing the beams of sunlight beam through the clouds and onto the plains. It was beautiful to drive along and just sing songs of worship to God and rea...

You make beautiful things You make beautiful things out of the dust You make beautiful things You make beautiful things out of us I was reminded of this song when i was struggling, struggling to see good out of my situation, struggling to see myself in the same way God sees me and struggling to see how God could use me and my situation for good. these lines just went through my head on repeat and i began to again see the beauty in things all around me. Beauty in others, in the environment, in Art, in music, Even beauty in the hard times. I was reminded of Gods great love and how indeed the things in life, in our world which we take for granted are beautiful things which God created. This song played on repeat in my head as i road tripped to Canberra with friends. As we drove through the plains and the hills and through the country i was blessed with such beauty. Even the dust storm had a certain beauty to it :) God makes Beautiful things!!!

In the bible it talks about Honouring your parents, I desire for a life which honours my parents but also a life which follows the calling God has on my life.. The problem comes when the calling on my life from God is something which my parents don't like. Something which won't please my parents because it's not something they class as a legitimate life decision. I have recently made a few changes in my life (Which i can't reveal just yet as you will understand the reasons why soon) and need to tell my Parents these new plans. I have struggled to see the positive result of letting them know where i was going and what i was doing. I was chatting to my mentor about it and how i wanted to make my parents proud and was worried what i was doing was dishonouring them. I didnt know how to approach the situation. She asked me what i thought it meant to honour my parents. I thought about it and what i thought was not honouring them as such but more doing what they wanted. Ni...

As you probably have been able to work out and read, recently ive felt a real sense of unease toward where my life was going. I felt that God had put a real passion on my heart for Youth and Youth ministry within my church but i was uncertain for what that meant for my current study and was unsure what it meant if i was to change. What would i do? Was where i thought i was going the right direction for me? Is it something God wants me to do? What would I do if it didn't work out? I found myslef tossing and turning at night struggling over my doubt. I picked up a book i was given at my baptism by a lovely friend called His Princess - Love letters from your King By Sherri Rose Shepherd. this is what i read... "wait on me, my Princess. My timing is always perfect. I know you're anxious about many things, and i see your passion for all the plans i have put in your heart. I know that you long to fly, and i see your enthusiasm. However, just as a vinedresser nutures the vine a...

So some of my friends have previously come to me wanting support because they have depression and cant seem to shake their mood. I've always tried to be there for them but ive always struggled to understand depression and other such mental health issues even though ive always wanted to understand so i could support. I couldnt see why people didnt stop reflecting on the negative and started looking to the stuff that was going right in thier life. i just didnt get it no matter how hard i tried. Luckly my friends have mostly gone through that stage of their life now and are recovering and moving on from the things which were holding them down. right now i have that feeling i cant throw. its an awful place to be in. I see the wider picture and have responsibility and feel the need to have what i do sorted out to be able to effectivelt lead and be a role model. but to be honest im hurting. i feel empty, cloudy and alone. i want to cry but i want to look tough. it sucks. i dont know ...