Sparking Hope
Message Moments & Highlights
True influence isn’t about position or power — it’s about carrying hope. In tragedy and crisis, the most influential person is the one who holds on to hope and lets it overflow.
We can all attend church as visitors, but God calls us to something greater — to belong, participate, and build His family together. Who will you invite for coffee, for ice cream, or to simply share life with this week?
God calls us to intentional connection — to see every moment, every relationship, every small interaction as an opportunity. From walking the dog to talking at the checkout, each encounter matters when we live with purpose.
When scripture lives within us, it becomes our secret weapon. God’s Word can be spoken anytime, anywhere — reminding us daily to trust Him with all our hearts
Sparking Hope
In our rapidly changing world, connection stands as one of the most transformative forces available to us. While we often mistake superficial interactions for true connection, authentic relationships require intentional engagement that builds lasting bonds and shares genuine hope. True connection happens in everyday moments—walking the dog, chatting with checkout staff, or brief encounters we might otherwise overlook. Hope isn't merely a feeling but something we actively carry and share with others. The most influential people are those who bring the most hope into any situation. This hope manifests through small yet powerful actions: a genuine smile, timely encouragement, sharing scripture, or simply listening. When we internalize God's Word, it becomes part of who we are and naturally flows into our interactions with others. Romans 15:13 reminds us that God is our source of hope, filling us with joy and peace so we can overflow with confident hope through the Holy Spirit's power. Meaningful connections often happen in small moments rather than grand events. Simple actions like smiling at others, offering brief prayers, engaging in one-on-one conversations, and sharing meals create powerful bonds. There's a profound difference between merely visiting a church and actively participating in community. By challenging ourselves to invite someone for coffee, learn new scripture, practice brief but genuine interactions, and pray with openness, we become carriers of hope in a world that desperately needs it. Even the smallest intentional interaction has the potential to transform someone's life.
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The Power of Connection: Carrying Hope in a Changing World
Connection is one of the most powerful forces in our lives. In a world that's constantly changing, our ability to connect with others and carry hope can transform not just our own lives, but the lives of those around us.
What Does True Connection Look Like?
We often think we're connected when we're not. Take sports fans, for example. When you go to a football game and everyone around you supports the same team, you feel an instant connection. You cheer together and talk like you're best friends, even though you've never met before. But is that real connection?
True connection goes deeper. It's about intentional interactions that build relationships and share hope. God is calling us to be intentional about every interaction we have:
When walking the dog and meeting other dog owners
During brief exchanges with checkout staff
In everyday moments that we might otherwise overlook
How Do We Carry Hope to Others?
"The most influential people in the room are the people that carry the most hope."
Hope isn't just a feeling—it's something we carry and share with others. But what does it look like to "wear" hope? How do we embody it in a way that influences others?
It starts with small actions:
A genuine smile
A word of encouragement
A scripture shared at the right moment
A listening ear
These seemingly small gestures can change the atmosphere around us. Just like putting on a hat can change how we feel and how others perceive us, putting on Christ's love and hope changes how we interact with the world.
Why Are God's Words So Important for Connection?
Scripture plays a vital role in how we connect with God and others. When we internalize God's Word, it becomes part of who we are and flows naturally into our interactions.
Romans 15:13 says: "I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."
This verse reminds us that God is the source of our hope. When we're filled with His joy and peace, we naturally overflow with hope that touches others.
How Can I Make Scripture Part of My Daily Life?
Learning scripture isn't just about memorization—it's about making God's Word a "high value habit" in our lives:
Start with just one verse that speaks to you
Repeat it daily until it becomes part of you
Share it with others when opportunities arise
Add more verses over time
Some powerful scriptures shared by the congregation included:
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13)
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6-7)
"The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my strength" (Psalm 18:2)
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5)
How Can Small Actions Create Meaningful Connections?
Connection happens in small moments, not just big events. Simple actions can create powerful connections:
Smile at others - Even a "fake" smile can trigger real positive feelings
Pray quick prayers with people - It doesn't have to be long to be meaningful
Have one-on-one conversations - Group conversations don't build relationships the same way
Share a meal or coffee - Breaking bread together creates space for real connection
Are You a Visitor or a Participant?
There's a profound difference between visiting a church and participating in a community. When we only come in and go out without connecting, we miss the richness of true community.
Ask yourself: How many people from church have you had coffee with? How many have you invited to your home? Who could you take for ice cream this week?
Life Application
This week, challenge yourself to be intentional about connection:
Invite someone for coffee or a meal - Especially someone you don't know well or who might be lonely
Learn one new scripture - Choose a verse that speaks hope and memorize it
Practice "20-second connections" - Small moments of genuine interaction can change someone's day
Pray with open hands - Try praying with hands lifted up as a sign of surrender and openness to God
Questions to Consider:
Am I a carrier of hope in my everyday interactions?
What scripture do I know by heart that I can share with others?
Who in my community might need connection this week?
Am I a visitor to the family of God or a participant in building community?
Remember, we don't connect just for our own benefit. We connect to carry hope to a world that desperately needs it. As you go through your week, look for opportunities to be intentional about connection, knowing that even the smallest interaction can change someone's life.
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A discussion guide for the sermon can be found here.
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There's nothing like belonging to a football club, is it? You celebrate as if you kicked the goal. I've never been to a training session. I've never practiced my kicking with them, nor my handballing. And yet I feel like I belong.
How many of you feel like you belong to your football team and you've done nothing for them? Come on. Come on. Who's all in with their football? All right.
And who's sort of like, you're on the fringe, you watch the score, and who just couldn't care less about the football?
Yeah. So football is just one place of belonging. Just one. And really, it's not really belonging. And yet when you go to the footy and the people all around you are supporting the same club as you are, you look at each other like your best friends, you talk at the football, you cheer together.
But if there's somebody wearing different colours, you give them a look. It's almost like you and I have nothing in common and we make all this decision by the colours of their scarves and hats. And I want to talk to you today about connection. It's interesting that that's my topic when your name's called connection. But I thought about this because at the moment, God's really got me on a pathway of intentional connection.
He's saying, don't waste the moments, don't waste the relationships, don't waste the little interactions. Like when I walk the dog and I'm meeting people that also have dogs on the beach, when I'm in the supermarket and I'm just talking to the person on the checkout, everything is an interaction action. And I can be really intentional about it or I can just be very blase. And I want to talk to you today about the power of connection. And when you make choices to connect, what it does for everybody else and how it's contagious.
I mean, you know, there's a lot of things you can catch these days, and I think connecting is really important. And I was listening to a message by Chris Valatin, and he said that the most influential people in the room are the people that carry the most hope. I stopped and I thought about it, but you carry the most hope. Like, sort of hope sort of oozes out of you, because we know there is hope, but how do we actually carry it? How do you wear hope?
What does it look like? It's an interesting question, isn't it? And when I wear Hawthorne Gear, it doesn't necessarily make you all love me. Some of you have already decided, well, we don't have that much in common with her. Do you know, like we make a judgment really fast and yet when we stop and talk to people one on one and just hear a little bit of their story.
Story, it's amazing how easy it is. You just lean in, just all feel like oh I know them a little better. I know a little bit more about their journey and it just feels good. So actually I want to start but you can see I've got a few props today. I want to start with a story that the lady at my church.
Oh, just so you who doesn't know me, where have I been?
Give me a big hand up right up. Who doesn't know me. You've never seen me speak. Colin. Look, look, look.
Oh, and I was just thinking that you knew me. I've been here a couple of times before so isn't it funny how the assumptions you make. So let me just go back a little bit. So I'm trained to be a sports psychologist and I come from a family of professional tennis players. Players.
And my expertise is in building high performing people and high performing teams. And most of my life I speak. We go from conference to conference around the country and around the world to speak about how do you get the best out of yourself. So anyone interested in the topic who wants to get the best out of themselves? Yeah, I mean does God want us to get the best out of ourselves?
Yes, he does. So the very first step to get the best out of our of yourself and I often can't do this at any conference is to ask the Holy Spirit to come. So let's just do that. Father God, we just thank you this morning that we're all together, that we want to get the best out of ourselves, that you've given us education and gifts and talents. But more than anything else, your spirit coming into our lives changes everything.
And I just thank you Father. We just say welcome Holy Father, spirit, welcome into each and every individual life this morning to help us to be the best version of ourselves. Thank you for a great time together in Jesus name, amen. All right, so if we're going to get the best out of ourselves, first thing, have a God moment. Did anyone have a God moment in the worship today?
I had a God moment. Give me a wave of your little God moment. Oh lots of us, they obviously did a really good job because they just ushered in the presence of God and there was. Who was the young guy bouncing? Who was the bouncing guy?
Yeah. What's your name? Harry. Will you come here for a second please? How old are you Harry?
I loved you as soon as you started bouncing, I immediately just warmed up. Harry, yesterday I'm with my 2 year old grandson at my 8 year old grandson's soccer tournament and the 2 year old does this and we all can tell he's happy because when he's happy he jumps. And so we all, when we're around him go. So I got that. And then there you were this morning.
I went, oh, Harry is good value. So Harry, I just want you to wear a hat for me for a moment.
Now I've got a few choices. Harry, come on over, come on over. I've got a bag of hats. I'm big on hats, but I sort of feel like you're a really fun person.
Would you like to wear that hat? I'd love to. Now this is a hat that I wore at Christmas time because we have a Christmas concert and we do a little item that. A little item. And so my little 8 year old and I, we did a chicken dance together and we both wore a hat.
And the hat was fun. And you can't help but want to squeeze it, can you? It's like, yeah, it's contagious. And so you're contagious. You bring fun with you.
And I was wondering, when you have a moment, what does God do in the moment? Moment? Like part of my moment this morning is I just went, lord, would you just heal my shoulder blade, please? Just something hurting in me and just the fact that I had the faith to ask him to heal me right there on the spot. How many of you besides me have been supernaturally healed of something?
Just big hands up so we can see the number in the room. So it looks like it's more than half the room. So this is really important for people to see that we've got a God that heals. And mine was chronic pain that doctors were doing a lot of tests on. And then one day, the church service gone and everyone was like, well, you got to keep going back to the specialists.
I said, why? To go and show them that you're healed. Oh, good point. Just to recognize was something amazing is has happened and it's something to jump about. You can do a little jump of that.
Come on. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Oh yeah. Now your ears jump with you.
Excellent. Would you mind just staying there for me for a moment? Because I'm thinking that it would be really fun to have a few people to come up and just choose a hat and we're just going to get in the mood of fun. All right. The joy of the Lord is our strength.
And so it's really important that there be love and laughter and faith and it lifts other up. So anyone willing to come and volunteer? Yeah, just. Come on, just jump up. I'll give you a hat.
Come on, I've got some fun hats here. Look, you can pick a hat, Pick a hat, pick a hat, pick a hat, pick a hat. Come on, come on, pick a hat. Oh, this. Does this qualify as a hat?
Oh, yeah, you could try that.
Hey, what's. What's your name? Steve. I'm Harry Stead. Oh, yeah.
Well, I like you, Steve. You know why? This hair belongs to my mother.
So my mum was a Tupperware demonstrator and when the hair would be all done on a stitch stand back in the 70s, and she would just. The hair would be done, she'd just put it on her head and go out and do a Tupperware party. And her hair looked perfect. It's been hanging around in my bag for a while. But isn't that a great idea that there was just instant hair done, ready to go?
I mean, it went out of fashion, but I look back and as a little girl, I just thought that was normal. Mum had a couple of hairdos that you could just put on.
And I love the fact that you were willing to put it on, you know? Now this one, this one comes from Thailand. So, you know, when you go to Thailand, they just make these really colorful hats and. I mean, how could you? I always.
Anywhere I go, I'll have to buy something from the locals. So it's not that I need it, I just buy it because I want to support whatever is going on there. And this one, I love this because you could grow your own garden, you know, it's cute. It's cute. And.
Oh, yeah. And isn't that cute? That is a great little hat. What's he called? Goofy.
That's right, yeah. Now, this is. Are you a joker? Absolutely.
I just love the fact that hats put on you in a certain atmosphere. Like, you know, we could say that when we put this on, you become a little angel. Now, this could be a big stretch.
All right, what's your name? Lisa. I love Lisa because Lisa met me at the front door last night and this morning. And, you know, we both had pink on, so we knew we were in the spirit. And Katrina had pink on, so we knew we were in the spirit.
We went, we've got this together. We're all going for it. Now I need someone to be the king. Who gonna be the king?
Oh, come on bra. You can be the king right there. Yeah. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
And this was the hat I used to wear. Our ladies. This is my school hat. This is my summer hat. This was my winter hat.
I'm forever grateful for my Catholic upbringing. My dad had no faith whatsoever and he paid and supported my schooling and my, my brothers and I would have got nothing if he had not backed that. And, oh, you don't realize until you get older just how important it is for people to sow faith in and out of your life as a child and to teach you the Bible stories and to. And to share that Jesus loves you. I used to have to write JMG on the top of every page of everything.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph. That was the top of every page. It was just a little habit with a little reminder. And now that I'm a sports psychologist, I totally understand the power of a high value habit. A habit that triggers a thought, A habit that brings you back to the things of God.
A habit that reminds you that you're loved. A habit that reminds you that there's a God. There's a much bigger picture out there than your problems right now. So, you know, I wasn't a big hat girl when I married my husband because he didn't like hats. But everywhere I went, I would find cool hats.
I mean, that is a cool hat, isn't it? I could have made a lot of money selling this. Everyone said I would love an ET hat like that. And you just put it on and it just makes you smile because how many of you remember ET Go home? Yes, because it was a movie and movies stick.
And just while we're talking about movies, the Chosen. The Chosen is the most remarkable phenomena of our era, that they have made a movie series that they've funded not by Hollywood, not by people that don't care less about the content, but funded by us. The Chosen has been funded by people all over the world to just enough to make the next series. And the guy said, he said, you'd think after a successful first series there'd be enough money for the second, but no. He said, God always made me feel like I was completely reliant on who would contribute, who would bring forth.
He said, I've made series after series never knowing whether we would have enough, but employed the best actors, the best people he could find. They didn't have to be Christian, they had to be the best. Best at what they did, whether they were, you know, doing scenery or doing backgrounds or film. And if you have not seen the Chosen and sat with your friends and watched the Chosen, then you are missing out on a tool of connection. Why?
How many of you like going to the movies? How many of you like seeing something that's funny? How many of you like seeing something that's character development, something that's poignant, something that makes you crazy, something that makes you laugh? Like, you know, we love it all because it's a medium that we spend so much time in the visual. And you know what the Chosen does for us?
It makes us think about when we read our Bible. Oh, is that how I imagine that? Oh, that's not how I imagine that. Oh, I imagine it like this. And that's great because it makes us stop and think about every character in the Bible, what they thought and why they had the reaction they did.
And how does that apply to me? So how many of you have seen the Chosen so far in the room? Oh, yeah, maybe a third. So we've got some work to do. Do you know it's super easy to access.
You can even watch it on your phone. Not that I recommend that because it's too good for hat. No. Oh, that's what the reason we're up here. Now this is an awesome hat.
Anyone in to bit of regular? Yeah, come on, you can throw that one on for me. Come on. Now this one, this is like a bird brain. Try that one.
Anyone having a birthday today? I've got a birthday hat. Anyone having a birthday?
There is a hand. Is there a hand back there? Oh, no, she just wants chocolate. Hold on. Do I have chocolate card?
Thanks. Excuse me. Just hold there a minute. You look like you were young. I was right.
You wanted chocolate. You don't want the hat. Chocolate. Oh, come on. I guess everybody gets it.
There's four of you and you're still in the room. So I guess you're dad probably needs some. Mum needs some. Anyone else in that row needs some? Yes.
Oh yeah, baby. Baby will need some. Yes. Mother needs it. Anyone up here that?
Oh, yeah, he says. Oh, he says, just one. Aw, aren't you lovely. You need chocolate. Anyone else in need?
Oh, yeah.
And hey, how funny is that? It's so funny when you ask people, do you need chocolate? Need is a strong word, isn't it? Need is a strong word. Yeah.
I see you. I see. Oh, there's two kids there. There's two children There we go. Yeah, that's for you too.
There you go. Oh, in case you don't like that one. Take that one. Just in case. Yeah, one for you.
Yes. Oh, there's another one. There's kids everywhere. I thought all the kids would be in kids church. Oh, hello.
You two, up there. Quick, give it to them. Yeah, there's another one. I see another. There's another one in here somewhere.
Oh, yeah, yeah, you qualify.
Are the kids usually in kids church? Church.
Did you just know I was giving away chocolate today?
I love that. So what we're doing, why are they standing here? Because while we do this. Just join us for one second. Lisa, while we do this, we actually change the atmosphere.
This is what we do. Like it or not, we change. And as we change the atmosphere, what we do is we give you a chance to stop and feel like, oh, how do I feel this morning? Am I responsive? Am I not responsive?
So this might change your atmosphere. Come on, just for being fun. Now, if you wouldn't mind just going back to your seats and just keeping your hat on for as long as it's not too sweaty. Can I get it out when it gets too sweetie? Yeah, you can share chocolate, but don't throw them because.
Oh, just one. Yeah, you're welcome. And it's a. Don't throw them because I'm insured for chocolate throwing, but you're probably not. You're welcome.
Thanks for participating. Thank you. Thank you. Oh, I've nearly run out. Colin, have we got any more?
Yeah, I just think that Harry deserves more than just a couple. Come on, Harry. There we go. I'm keeping the lint ball now. I had a little.
Had a little occasion. Is there anybody here today that you were here last night? Oh, thanks for coming back because I was sharing just last night that I needed to explain that. There's a lady in the kitchen at my church, beautiful businesswoman, but she volunteers with her husband to do the food every once a month. And so in our church, we have a small church, just background.
We've been planning a church in the Brighton town Hall with four other business couples. And so it's now seven years old, so there's 120 to 150 of us somewhere around that, depending on the day. And so we're a growing church, but we're still at the pack up, pack down stage. Everything has to be transported in, out. It's a lot of labor.
And the kitchen, you have to bring everything in. There's nothing there. So this beautiful couple, they're in the kitchen. And I always go into the kitchen to say hello to the kitchen because often you can just be left in the kitchen. You know that feeling, how many women Know that feeling.
You can just be left in the. The kitchen. Yeah. We have seasons where you feel like you're stuck in the kitchen and there could be guys like that. Any guys feel like they're stuck in the kitchen.
Or my husband.
And you know why we changed roles in Covid? We just changed roles. We just said, all right, we're going to do life differently. I've had enough of the kitchen. And he's really good at the kitchen.
If I'd known that earlier.
Anyway, the lady in the kitchen said, I've got some clothes and some hats, I'd like to give them to you. And what do you say when a woman wants to give you clothes? Thank you. And I went, oh, I wonder what she's got. And look, hats are really not my thing to wear, but oh yeah.
Oh, she gave me the jacket that I'm wearing. You like it? Yeah, I know, but just the generosity. She's cleaning out her wardrobe, she's passing it on to me and I'm passing on lots of things to others. So it's like just a river of, you know, sharing and it's just part of the fun of just trying to create a different atmosphere.
What does God say about hope? Hope is faith is the substance of things hoped for. How important is hope? Really important. What we hope for really matters and it's what we dwell upon, what we think about, it's what we aspire to.
All right, so she gave me some hats. So I just need to want to share this one. Look at this, look at these, look at these hats. Come on. But I love the pink one.
Do you like it, hun? No, he doesn't. Look, little racing hats. Look at that. Isn't that cute?
Anyone going to the races? Yeah, it's not my thing either. Anyway, so I turned up, I turned up, she gave me the hat and I turned up to visit my mum. My mum's in aged care, she's 92, she's pretty fragile, she lives with chronic pain, got 24 hour care and she needs it. And I picked her up on a walker.
I said, we're going, we're hitting the town, Mum. She said, where are we going? I said, the local coffee shop. That's where we always go. Just that we know all of them, we just do different rounds.
Anyway, I said, I've got a hat for you to wear. I said, which one would you like? She said, a hat. She said, will we be overdressed? I said, we're hitting the town, I think we should wear a hat.
And my adorable mother just puts the hat, hat on. And just suddenly she goes from being the little old lady like this on the walker to.
And we walked in like that. She walked in, I walked in with our hats on. And I said to the guys at the desk, we're going out in the town. And they just immediately joined in and created the atmosphere and made us feel special and made a fuss and told us our hats. We great.
And literally we changed the atmosphere in the cafe by wearing a hat because everyone was looking and laughing and we were smiling and just a bit of connection, all knowing that really it wasn't a place for hats. But we were having a great time. And I wonder sometimes whether you wear face and whether you wear hose, whether you clothe yourself with Christ. Do you put on his love? Do you put on who he is like he's already in you?
But do you dress with your attitude, with your atmosphere, as if you're the carriers of Christ? And you know, I thought a lot lately. My son is 33, same age that Jesus was crucified. And he's in his prime. He's strong, tenacious, he's in a career that's of service to the community.
And I can't imagine, I can't imagine giving up my son.
And then when I saw Charlie Kirk assassinated, a 31 year old man who was married with two little children, children and who goes into the universities to debate important conversations, doesn't matter what we think, doesn't matter which side of politics you're on. He was so brave to go to universities and just debate, just words, talk ideas. He obviously is a Christian, so he's talking about faith and faith position and how it affects your life and then gone. And then I thought to myself, the most influential person in the room is the person that carries the most hope.
So how his family responds is going to be significant. How his followers respond is going to be significant. How you and I respond to tragedy and crisis is really, really important.
It's not positive thinking. I am a positive thinking purveyor, but it's not positive thinking. It's the positive thinking is always better than negative thinking. But it's not the answer in a crisis. It's hope and it's how does hope come out of you?
What do you do with your hope? So everyone please, I just want you to roll your shoulders back, just pretend you put on a really cool hat and just roll one shoulder after the other. I know some of you don't know how to roll one shoulder after you the other. Come on. And now speed it up.
Do you know that some tiny little movement movements can just trigger us into a better atmosphere? Just a tiny little thing, just movement. It might be like, you know, if people are at the office and you're, you know, your feet are under a deck, you can do it softly or loudly. Depends if you want to irritate people. Just gently, just gently next to gently and then just nod.
So this is to take the tension out of the neck. How many of you need to do this? Yeah, because necks get tense and we need to just stretch and it's a tiny little activity. It's called a high value behavior. Just a high value behavior.
Now could I get one of my scriptures up, please?
What do I need to tell them? Which one? No, that's right. I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you. It's harder to read at that distance.
Completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the joy of the Holy Spirit. What a beautiful prayer. I pray that the God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace. Joy and peace.
So everyone just scrunch your shoulders up and now just release. So up and release and up and release. Do you realize some of the studies done by Dr. Michael Mosley said that you can make yourself healthier 20 seconds at a time? Literally what you do in 20 seconds can change the atmosphere, can change the way you feel. It's just 20 seconds.
How many of you got a spare 20 seconds? Correct. And sometimes we think, forget that when it comes to our spiritual walk, it's just saying out loud a scripture, just declaring it. If you can read it, say it with me. I pray that God will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him.
Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Spirit. How many of you actually have learned the words of God? Just learnt some. Now obviously we recommend that you read your Bible every day, don't we?
Do you know, when I very first got saved, I was given a Bible. And then I thought, I'll get a highlighter pen because I didn't come to Christ until I was 26. I'd been a promotions manager of a nightmare club. I was not your sweetest girl on the block, but God. But God sent a tennis player from the other side of the world to partner my brother in a tennis tournament, live in our family home.
And I just said to him, what have you got that I haven't got because I knew he had something. He had a peace, he had a calm about him, he had a quiet confidence. He was the most highly ranked player that had ever stayed in our home. He was a really good tennis player. I said, what have you got?
He said, I've got a relationship with Jesus now being Catholic, I thought, I do too, I'm a Catholic.
Have you ever done that? Oh, I have that. I'm a Christian but we've got to stop and go, do I really? If I've got a relationship, am I talking to him every single day? Like it's not a concept, it's not a philosophy, it's a high value behavior, high performance.
In fact, if you've got a relationship, you talk to each other. Now my husband and I. Would you just stand up for a second? Come please.
This is my husband now we worked together. I don't know how many of you could work with your spouse. But we got married and then after one year he sold his engineering practice and came into my business and took over from my mother and my sister in law. They weren't that impressive but he was capable of taking over all the other staff and he ran the business and has been running the business ever since. And so we had babies together.
We've got two babies we've had together and we added an extra child when she was 16, that's another story. And then we've worked together, travelled together. Like he knows everything I spend.
Don't always agree with it. Yeah, but so because we're so different, we put boundaries around what each other can do. Like we both said, you know, let's have a boundary. How much money can we spend on our own without being in agreement? That was a really good thing.
And we got all these tips from other Christians that were older than us because we weren't a natural fit together. Do you know when opposites attract and then you have to figure out how to learn to listen together. Did anyone else marry an opposite? Who else married an opposite? Yeah, you understand like we're real, we're different.
And we used to be known as Mr. And Mrs. Right because we always thought we were right and we never agreed.
But this, this book has changed both of our lives. The practice of putting in God's thinking into our lives. And I just, I'm a brand new Christian before I picked Colin and I started to highlight the Bible with every positive thing that God said about people. And I did the whole Bible from book to book, start to finish and it taken me months to highlight the Bible and get it just the way that would remind me of all the key things. Then I lost the Bible.
I reckon someone took it and I was really upset, like God, I've just got it all ready for me. And I was sitting quietly with him with another Bible. And he spoke to my heart and said, somebody else needs your Bible more than you. He said, start again.
And I thought, wow, I'm trying to put the really good words into my life. Life. I'm trying to put them in. And why am I putting them in? Because they're meant to be shared.
I'm meant to be putting them in for other people, not just for me. It's not just about me. The Word's going in, so it's in me. And I've got plenty to share. Could I have another scripture, please?
Is that when I learn a scripture, then they're the ones I talk to myself about. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he will make your path straight. Now, that's not the one on the board, because I don't know that one.
But I was preparing the speech and looking for all the things that were talking about being hope. But it made me think about what scriptures do I know? Like, no, no, no. And they're in me. And I can say them to myself anytime, anywhere, because they're my secret weapon.
I've got to tell you, I tell God every day, I trust you. I trust you.
I'm afraid today, something's happening. I'm afraid. But I trust you. Every time before I get on to speak, I tell you I'm coming here to church. It's easier to speak at a seminar for the secular because I've got the fear of God.
When I'm speaking at church, it's like, I trust you. I'm not a prayer preacher. Do you know my job is speaking. But I'm not a preacher. And the preachers know how to preach the word of God.
And all I know is to share what God has done in me. And so could I have that scripture back again? Would you mind? You are the light of the world. Like a city on a hill that cannot be hidden.
No one lights a lamp then puts it under a basket instead. A lamp is placed on Stanford. It gives light to every. Everyone. You're a light on a hill.
Are you and I a light on a hill? Who wants to be hidden under a basket? What's that expression? What did we say under a bushel? We used to sing, didn't we?
This little light of mine. I didn't know what a bushel was, so I'm glad that someone's just clarified. What's a bushel? Yeah. No idea.
Good. Can I give this guy chocolate? Because he doesn't know either. I know. So there's the other thing.
There's lots of language in the Bible that if you don't know, go read another version. Go and ask somebody else. I have been walking with the Lord for 40 years, and I am just on. I feel like I've just done my apprenticeship. Like, Lord, am I finished the apprenticeship yet?
No, you're a learner, Lisa, a lifetime learner. And we're going to learn together. Anyway, someone gave me a new Bible. They heard all about my highlighter challenges. And this whole Bible is color coded.
Every single page has color. Oh, hold on. I should get back up there.
Every single page. Look this.
Oh, isn't that pretty? How many of you want a Bible like mine? Yeah, I know. And it's all categorized, you know, so that if it's about God, it's in mauve, and if it's about. If it's about history, it's in orange.
And if it's about your family, it's in pink. And if it's about salvation, it's in purple. I love it. It's like, oh, what color am I going to read today? Today?
Whatever it is that will get you into your Bible and to get the wisdom of God into you so it can pour out to others. So let's just see what pours out. All right, so I'm going to ask you, what scriptures have you got firmly fixed inside of you that you could just share it quickly with the group? Who's got a scripture? You say it to yourself all the time.
Like, put your hand up if you got somebody. Who is it? Did I hear someone call it out? Oh, hold on, hold on. You haven't got a mic yet.
See if this one's working. Oh, I didn't turn it on.
Hello.
You have such a quiet voice. She's saying, I can do all things. Things. Through Christ who strengthens me, through God who strengthens me, I can do all things. How many of you know that scripture?
You just couldn't remember it on the spot. Hey, do you know one? Yeah, you remember that one? Do you know one? Do you know one?
Do you know one? So you can see what happens under pressure. Like, I'm asking. I'm putting under pressure. When I ask you on the spot, do you Know one?
Do you know one? Of course I know you know one. The point is, it's under pressure. It's so much. Oh, which one?
Which one? What one do you know? Do not be anxious for anything. But by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your minds and hearts in Christ Jesus.
Oh, you deserve a lot of chocolate. Yeah. Yay.
Yeah. Be anxious about nothing. Be anxious about nothing. How many of you need that today? So everyone just say, be anxious about nothing.
Submit all your requests to God, and let God's peace calm your heart. That's the Lisa version. Because sometimes I just do that. I'll just say that's the gist of it. Because we're trying to.
Aren't we doing. Do you have one? The Lord is my rock, my strength, and my fortress. The Lord is your rock, your strength, and your fortress. That's pretty cool.
Yeah. Are you standing on the rock? Yes. Are you living in the fortress? Trying to.
Very honest here. Oh, it only took one. Have a few. Share them with your friends. Now, talking about this, notice that scripture is for all of us.
You've probably got a scripture. Yeah. Come on, what have you got? John 1:5. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.
Yeah. Beautiful. Have chocolate. Yeah. You're welcome.
The light shines in the darkness and the darkness doesn't overcome it. And how old are you? 17. See, I love the fact that every single one of us should have a scripture. Can I challenge you?
Can I challenge you to go home and learn a scripture? What is a 23rd Psalm? How does it start? Yeah, you know a scripture. But sometimes we forget what we know because we're not saying it over and over.
We're not repeating it. The high value behavior becomes a high value habit when you do it repeatedly. And the words of God need to dwell or live in us. They come alive through us. When we use them and we don't use them, they don't come alive.
We've just got to figure out, how do we make it just joyous. And I was sharing last night that, you know, I skip because who skips? Usually not ladies my age. Who usually skips? What age?
Brack it. Kids. Kids skip. And do they think, oh, I must have a skip? No, they just suddenly burst into skipping.
They just start skipping. Hi. Hi. How many of you think that I'm a bit of a crazy woman? The look on your face or mighty fine skipping.
Thanks. I need to be A bit lighter on my feet, but every time I skip it makes me feel childlike. Yeah, very good for my health. I mean, one of the fastest ways to get fit is skipping. If you didn't know that if you had a skipping rope and you skipped for two minutes, you'd be like a boxer, you'd get fit fast.
How many of you could do with a bit of getting fit fast, quickly? Just stand up. I'll show you something quick, everyone stand up.
So the type of skipping that would get you really fit, it's a type with the skipping right this. So everybody just, we're just going to do a skip for 20 seconds. Here we go.
Oh, Colin, you should have a look at this.
Now, come on, peppers and cross over.
The best thing about not having a rope so you don't get tangled up. Great, good. Have a seat.
Because even fitness is something that you share because fitness gives you energy and energy is usually for others. Energy is for what you do.
I watch my little 8 year old play soccer. He's on the defence line and as soon as he sees that ball's coming, he sprints. He's got energy, he's just ripping it up. And then on today, the last Sunday afternoon, we watch my 11 year old playing her first AFL footy. Final.
Grand final. Yeah, grand final.
And she only played half a season and they won. She kicked a goal, but they gave her a little presentation and said, we just wanted to say thank you to you because we know you came late in the season but when you came to training and we saw you kick, we had one of those moments where we just looked at each other, the coaches and went, she can kick straight because she'd been kicking the footy with her dad for years, never dreaming she'd play football. She was a basketballer, but someone at school asked her to play and so she played and she only knew one way to kick and that was straight to her father. And you just think she kicked four goals in the semi final which got them to the final. And she went, wow, all because I just practice in the park.
She's done thousands and thousands of kicks. What have you done thousands and thousands of. What are the little tiny things that you're putting in that gives you thousands? Here are the things that I'm going to recommend.
We're going to do this, we're going to make sure that we have thousands of thousands of little prayers. Help me God. I trust you, Lord. They're just moments, they're just moments, but our life is made of moments. And what we do in the moment, what matter?
And if we're going to connect, what do we do in the moment to connect? Smile at one another. Now everybody, I know some of you are struggling with this. Everyone try smile. If you don't feel like smiling, just show your teeth.
The funny thing is the brain doesn't know the difference. And the minute you do a fake smile, you laugh at yourself and it becomes a smile. So it's a gift you give other people. It's a momentary thing. Just like if you give people a script, scripture, just a word of encouragement.
Just come on, trust God together. Let's trust God together for that. That's all that it takes. We need to pray together, do we not? We need to be quick prayers.
We need to learn to pray quick prayers with one another. We need to make sure that we have many, many interactions with one another. Like, you know, I look at the size of this church and the thing that I ask in my head is how many people have you had coffee with? How many people have you taken out for an ice cream? How many people have you actually invited over to your house for a meal?
Because this is what we're finding in our small church. Like we become visitors into the community if we don't invite anybody to participate with us. Like we just visit. We come in and we go out. Are you a visitor to the family of God or are you a participant in the family of God?
So my challenge, who are you going to take for ice cream this week? Who are you going to take for coffee? It doesn't have to be someone your age bracket. Young ones would love for you to pay the bill. True.
What would you prefer? A hamburger milkshake? Coffee? Yeah, eight and singles. I highly recommend coffee and cake.
Do you know you need to make sure that everyone that's single should have at least have one on one interactions in the church. You know why? Because we don't have proper conversations unless we're one on one. We don't actually get to know anybody. Group conversations are not team building.
Team building comes from one on one conversations. So a, if we're going to build an awesome team community, we need to have lots of one on one conversations with individuals and we need to stop interrupting other people's one on one conversations, which is a bad habit in church where we just let people have a one on one. So how many of you prepared to buy someone coffee this week? Ice cream, milkshake? Yeah, someone's getting excited about this idea, but you can see the point, can't you that we got to stop visiting and start communing.
And it's often over. Food doesn't have to be because you can go for a walk together, then have a coffee. It's one of the things we do. So I would like to finish today with just teaching us to just have a prayer. And because I'm raised Catholic, I learned to pray like this.
But when I started teaching religious education in my local primary school, a little boy showed me another way to pray. I was getting all the kids to pray, come on, we'll have a little pray. And I did this. And one little boy went like that. And I thought he was being naughty.
So I had a little tone in my voice and went, joshua, what are you doing? He said, Mrs. Mac, I've got a lot of problems.
And hence he was praying like this. And I thought that is such a beautiful sign of surrender. And I said, if anyone else feels like you have a lot of problems, we can all pray like this. If you like, put up your hands, you pray any way you want. And nearly all the class went.
And from that point on, that's how we prayed in class. And I learned something. So I'd love you all just to stand up and try this with me, please. Now, I call it your giant funnel. Put your giant funnel up now.
Just notice what it does to your physiology. Firstly, it makes you open your chest up, open your heart to God. If you lift your head, lift your chin and smile, it's really hard to be unhappy. And you open your arms wide because he's a big God that has all the solutions that we need. So I'm really going to encourage you, even though this might not be the way you're raised, this is a great way to pray.
And while I'm praying, you pray your own private prayers as well. Father God, I just pray for every one of my brothers and sisters in the room. I just pray for, Father that you would fill them with a fresh measure of your wisdom today. That you would give them creative ideas on how to remember your words and share them. That you would give them promptings on how to ask people, invite people for dinner, for coffee, for a walk, for ice cream.
That they would be generous by nature. I pray, Father, for more connections than they've ever, ever had. Coming into this Christmas season, I pray that Father the community would start to feel like a high performing team and that you would do great and mighty things. Not by might or power, but by your holy spirit at work in us, in Jesus mighty name we pray and the people said amen. Thank you very much.
Oh. Oh, yeah. I need a. I need all my hats back. I need all my hats back. And if you've never seen any of my books, I've got a little book table out the front if you'd love to have a look.
Every time that we are, that we're selling books, we're really just trying to raise for a cause and we're just trying to help at the moment, a lot of young people. So we'd love you to have a look at what I do. Thanks very much. Want to give Pastor Lisa a hand?
How many of you are going to go skipping in the shopping centre today, this week? How many of you are going to smile and make somebody else's day and interact and connect? We have received such a blessing this morning, haven't we? And we just want to be able to bless Lisa and Colin as well as they continue to share this ministry and spread the love of God and hope to this world. So we're going to take a love offering up tonight today.
And if you need an envelope, just pop your hand up. You can also give at the Get Connected desk after the service. And we just really want to bless you. I've been able to sit under Lisa's teaching a few times now and every time I walk away with just a little bit more to take out and be able to love other people in this world. And like she said, we're part of Connect Christian Church.
We're part of being community. We're part of reaching out to this world and being authentic and being real in this world, showing who Jesus really is. So as we pass the buckets this morning, if you want to give into that, you can, but again, you can give out the back as well. Don't rush off this morning. We've got fantastic morning tea.
If you're new, we'd love to meet you at the new person's desk out there. We've got bookshops full of books, we've got free Bibles. If you just getting to know who Jesus is. And again, if we just pop up that slide for the women's high tea, if you want to see Pastor Lisa again, sign up to that. Women come and join us on that day.
And don't forget to bring a friend as well.
Related Bible Verses
Romans 15:13 (NLT)
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
👉 Romans 15:13 NLT on Bible.com
Philippians 4:6–7 (NIV)
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
👉 Philippians 4:6–7 NIV on Bible.com
Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
👉 Philippians 4:13 NKJV on Bible.com
Psalm 18:2 (NKJV)
“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
👉 Psalm 18:2 NKJV on Bible.com
John 1:5 (NIV)
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
👉 John 1:5 NIV on Bible.com
Matthew 5:14–15 (ESV)
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”
👉 Matthew 5:14–15 ESV on Bible.com
Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
👉 Proverbs 3:5–6 NIV on Bible.com
Zechariah 4:6 (NKJV)
“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”
👉 Zechariah 4:6 NKJV on Bible.com
Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
👉 Hebrews 11:1 KJV on Bible.com