The Real Nicole.

At church on Sunday night the sermon was titled Beyond Doubt, it was looking at John 20:24-29. It was such a powerful message and something i was challenged with enough to bring me to tears. This passage talks about one of the disciples, Thomas who wasnt with the others when they saw the risen Lord. He struggled to believe that it was true because he hadnt seen it. For more then a week he told his friends the disciples of his struggles and wrestled with his doubt. But He never gave up on Jesus even through his doubt. i think my head went on a little side track, but when thinking about the doubt Thomas had and the fact that he still tried to find out more about Jesus and kinda continue his faith through it. It challenged me as i thought of the doubt i had, not in God necessarily but in myself and that i often give up on it and that Thomas didnt let his doubt rule him so why do i. Also because Thomas was honest about where he was his heart was open to accept later. Ive been struggl...

Over easter every year our church runs a youth camp at one of the most beautiful places in Australia, Ankara Campsite in Walker Flat on the River Murray. This year i lead and did a bunch of organising for the camp. I really enjoy organising camps and big events, i feel like its something im good at, thinking of a whole lot of things which people often think of, this might be because i love camps, ive been on so many like seriously, in 2011 i went on over 15 camps. One feeling that is always thought during camp is that at teh end of camp people dont want to go home, they like the sense of community and the way in which they can get into habit of worship, prayerand be with an awesome group of people. Last night the Easter Camp gathered for dinner as a thanks and reflection of what happened on camp, again i was reminded about this sense that people wished they were back at camp. I too reflected on how great camp was and how much i loved being there but i also reflected on the fa...

At life group we got talking about if we hear a whisper from God that we should follow but get scared and does that happen often and what would happen if we followed those sometimes strange whispers what would our world look like. it got me thinking about what the world would look like if we as christians made more of an intentional act to declare our faith. if we as we greeted each other asked how God was present in our lives since we last saw each other. if we as christians talked more about what we had read in the bible, rather then the reality tv shows we enjoy, the boybands we hate and how expensive petrol is. ive been challenged to ask those harder questions about faith rather than just sit with surface level chatter. I want to make God more present in our world through the talk of what is is doing which we over look or dont mention. i want to make God famous! My prayer is that this will become more of a culture in my community and around the world. please join with me in thi...

1 Timothy 3:1-12 talks about the qualifications for overseers and Deacons - i hadnt read this passage until this year when it was a passage that our youth pastor gave to our youth leadership team as a reminder of how to live our life and as leaders what we should do. 1 Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full[a] respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into ...

I just love passion that draws emotion, things that make people cry because they wont stand of injustice or because their love for something is so great. A few youth nights ago i was both a victim and witness to this beauty. I got passionate while band rehearsal and set up was happening, some of the older people in the band stated that my brother who was on drums wasnt a good enough drummer to drive the music and they asked him not to play. i was mad, i was defensive and i was passionate about the band being a youth focus and about giving the youth a shot. i got upset and i got passionate about making it a good experience for all. THe situation worked out in the end my brother played and did amazing and i think the idea of a youth focussed band was given through my passion. The passion i witnessed was from our new youth pastor, i think that night he definately proved his heart for youth ministry. He got up to talk and it was after we had sung "your love never fails, it never ...

At the start of every year my church has whats called a vision sunday. Its where the pastors and directors of different ministries get the opportunity to share what the vision for their ministry is and how God has worked in the last year. I find it to be a really encouraging and motivating time as we are a whole church get to celebrate in the work of the Lord and as a community see the struggles that ministries often face in amongst the Joy. Being youth intern at my church for this year i got the privellege to speak at our evening service about my vision for the youth girls i lead. I love to talk, i love to dream but i find public speaking really difficult and i find sharing my deepest desires and passion is difficult. On sunday had to get up and talk infront of roughly 150 people on what my heart was saying. it was tough getting up and speaking, my heart comes out more pasionately through writing then it does through speaking. Currently at my church i have a group of junior high g...

My church has a bible reading and journelling plan call the HOPE journal. Ive been trying to get into it this year and although many days i have forgotten, the days i have done it, i have been rewarded in the message i recieved from reading Gods word. Today i was struck but a message in Acts 14 8 In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10 and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. Often i think we are hesitant in taking steps of faith. We heard God tell us to do something but stop and think about the concequences around it. we weigh up the past and start slow before we take the steps of faith. Verse 10 - “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. spoke into my life about just doing it against all odds. This man had never walked before and yet when he wa...