Show me.. how big your brave is! aka. Be yourself!

Hey everyone,

Hope you're having an awesome week and really enjoying life :)

Firstly, the title of this post is inspired by the amazing Sara Bareilles, whose song has been stuck in my head for the last few days- oh and the incredible events of this past week, so for those who wanted a music review, sorry to disappoint you on that one ;).

Ok so onto this post. And I guess the big message I want to say to each one of you is that you are amazing, incredible people who are loved, appreciated and who are called to make a difference.

Yes, this is no joke- my entire reason for writing this post is to tell you this message above. If you don't get anything else out of what is being written, then take that last paragraph with you till you enter eternal life and beyond.

The last few months since I've been off NET, I've been constantly surrounded by the real world and working to readjust to it. One that shows us up for who we are, one that makes us believe we are lesser than the people we are called to be. Whether it be the disappointments of life, the continually reading of stuff in the media saying we got to be this or that or just our own lack of belief- there is so much out there which stops us from being who we are.

The thing is though, we have a choice. We can choose to accept this lie, yes lie, as a truth, or we can choose to see the real deal, the one that God told us from the early days. The one spoken about in Psalm 139, where it says: I praise God for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Now let's look at this for a second. You are fearfully and wonderfully made.

In saying that you are fearfully made- that means that you are powerful, incredible, greater than you could ever imagine. It means that you don't have to be anyone but yourself because nothing can bring you down, you are made as an epic structure of God's image- one that he believes in so much, that he made you to be a sight that if you are your true self, others cannot help to be amazed by.

Then there's being wonderful. You are not wonderful first and foremost because you have done amazing things, sculpted an incredible body, been a hero. You are wonderful because you are a child of God. Every single person in the world is wonderful in their own right and we need to realise that and cherish it. When we do, it makes the world a better place and allows us to be great at the talents we are given by God.

Over the last few days, I've seen how amazing this message, when truly understood and believed can be. I've seen young men and women whose lives have been changed for the better and who are showing their full potential just by being acknowledged, loved and accepted. It was an honour to be chosen by God to help them to see this and in a lot of ways, it reminded me of the message too of believing in yourself, which I know I desperately needed.

I also want to mention that I've been loving the last few days seeing the success of sport stars who aren't afraid to be themselves off the field/court. I watched Genie Bouchard on Tuesday and saw incredible talent on a court, but then I laughed at her doing Gangnam Style with one of my other tennis favs Laura Robson on Youtube. I got to see James Faulkner win the game for Australia then was amused by his interview on TV at an awards ceremony a few days later. People like this remind us all that it's not the superstars who try to be something they're not that will be the victors in the end, but the ones who capture the hearts and minds of the masses will be the real and honest people, the ones who are proud of who they are in every moment.

So I encourage you, go out there and be the best person you can be.. the world will really appreciate you a whole lot more for who you are and when people knock you down, get back up, knowing that firstly God appreciates you always for what you do and secondly, that there are people who appreciate you for who you are, you just haven't found them yet!

Peace out all :)

Untangling the cords of life...

Hi Everyone :)

I was looking the other day for the power cord to charge my camera battery and as I searched, I discovered something like this- a whole heap of cords tangled together under my bed.

I couldn't even tell you what half of these cords belonged to- they just were there. They didn't have a purpose, well not until I started going through them all. It was as I went through each one of them, that I remembered what they were all for. The cord to my old phone I'd recycled, the spare cord to my mobile, the cord for the laptop (no idea how it was there, I used that the day before!)

It's funny how when we just bundle things together and leave them lying around, they can just become a big ball of twisted wire- they lose their shape and their individual uniqueness, until we pull them apart and categorise them into the device from which they came from. It is then that we realise their value and are reminded about how important they really are (well because frankly, without them, you wouldn't be able to use half the stuff in your house!)

When it comes to our lives, I think that the same sort of scenario can sometimes happen. We are full of gifts and talents and abilities, but the moment we are rejected, not used in the way we think we should be by others, we start to feel a bit outdated compared to our compatriots, then we start to see ourselves as a bunch of useless cords- with no purpose what so ever.

I remember about two and a half years ago, I was sitting here at this very computer after writing yet another version of a presentation for the place I was working for. I was tired, it was late and I remember asking myself.. what exactly is my worth in this world? I could write, I could promote, but hey, so can everyone else, especially the external company I was working with, who seems to do it a lot better than I could- just what was the reason for doing what I did. It's funny, because it was that conversation that led to me where I am now- although I'd never have guessed it at the time!

In my mind, I'd used up my talents- I'd gotten to a point where I wasn't able to go past the point of where I was- l was ready to be unplugged and thrown with the rest of the old stuff in a bundle to float, to keep doing what I was doing- even though those around me kept telling me I was able to do so much more.

The great thing is though, while we see our lives as full of bundled up messes of cords, God sees them more like this...

He has amazingly ensured that every single one of our gifts and talents are categorised and that when he needs us to use them, he can pull them out so that we can shine out for others.

In the last two years, I can't tell you the number of times I have had my gifts and talents used by God. I remember one time where I was talking to a teenager at a school and he was telling me about how he questioned God and whether he was real or not. I had no idea what to say to this guy, I could have told him everything I knew and there was a good chance it wouldn't change his mind one bit.

Luckily, while I had no idea what cord of my life to plug in to help this guy out, God did. I talked to this guy about his interests, of which one was photographing nature and then told him about something I'd been reading a few days earlier which talked about how the most beautiful things we create as humans are skyscrapers, monuments and technological advances, yet the most beautiful things of the world are trees, flowers and animals. I explained to him that for me, if there was no God, then this wouldn't be the case. He got it and while he didn't change his mind at that time, he was appreciative of my response and said that he did agree with it, but there was more to think about before deciding one way or another.

It's amazing how God uses our talents and gifts in ways we could never imagine possible and how he's been doing it since the beginning of time, for as it says:

"'For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness" - (Romans 12:4-8 NRSV)

The key for each one of us is to keep believing in the power of God to untangle the cords of life. Never stop seeing the amazing possibility that God has for you and never stop trying to make the lives of another better. No matter what you are feeling at this very moment, know this- you may feel as if your worth is a lot less than it really is, but God always sees your true worth and He will ensure that it is valued, in his time and place.

Until next time...

Tips to help make this the best year of your life!

Hi Everyone,

Happy New Year! Can you believe we are going into another year, the last one didn't seem nearly long enough! May I start off by wishing you all a very happy 2014 and may it be filled with lots of happiness and joy for you all in all you do.

Ok, so a new year, normally brings about new resolutions. Things that are designed to help us be better, get fitter, feel happier. A lot of the time though, these resolutions are quite extravagant and to be honest, don't last that long.

The key to any resolution is that it must be simple enough and worthwhile to do it for more than 30 days. Why 30 days you ask? Well because after 30 days, anything you do normally becomes a habit and once you sow the seed to a habit (good or bad) and it grows, it is a lot harder to stop doing. For me for example, I spent the last two years spending one hour in prayer a day and now even if it's only 20 mins, I can't not start my day off without some form of time spent with God.

So with that all in mind, here's some resolutions/tips that I think will not only be easy enough to hopefully do, but also will help you to be happier in life and enjoy 2014 a whole lot more.

1. Make a schedule of things to do- It may seem crazy to plan every minute of your life and frankly, it is! But this isn't about planning every minute of your life. It's about setting time aside to do things so that they get done. Scheduling doesn't need to be concrete. You need to be able to be flexible in making changes where needed especially when it comes to friends and family- but having a schedule (even in your head) of what you need to during a day and when to do it means it will get done sooner and you will realise that you actually do have time to do a lot more than you thought in a day.


2. Stop feeling sorry for yourself- Yeah this one may sound harsh, but it's true. The more time we spend wallowing in our mistakes or the 'what could have been' scenarios, the more time we live in the past and fail to see the opportunities and joys in the present. As I said yesterday, we all make mistakes, but we are fortunate enough that God's grace and the resurrection of his son, Jesus Christ has ensured all our sins are forgiven. Own up to your mistakes and be willing to be humble enough to accept you aren't perfect, because no one is- but don't dwell on them. Once you've made a mistake, move on and learn from it. Now from personal experience I know this is hard, so start with small errors first, then once you've gotten use to doing this, move on towards the bigger areas of your life. You will feel a lot more free and happy if you can get this one to stick!


3. Give of yourself to others- A quote once said that if you want to start feeling good, then start doing good. The old adage that is better to give than to receive is so true. The moment you start helping out others, whether it's singing at mass, spending time talking to that person at the shops you see every week, feeding the homeless, contacting long lost friends... that is the moment you will realise not only just how good it is to do something good, but more importantly, the amazing gifts God gives you to help others. We weren't placed in this world to help ourselves, which is why it's no surprise that when we try to achieve self-happiness, it's normally short lived and pretty shallow. True happiness comes in doing what God calls us to do- to be a light to others of his in the world, and we can do that simply by being there for them.


4. Exercise- Yeah I know this is so cliche given it's on the top of every New Years resolution list but I'm not talking about doing a marathon or lifting 50kg. Even the simplest thing like going for a walk is beneficial to helping to improve your mindset as it gets you away from the busyness of life and lets you focus on something else for a while. Take some time to exercise and let your body's natural systems work to make you happier and healthier at the same time (I'm not going in-depth into this as I'm not a body scientist or exercise physiologist, but read the studies, they all vouch for what I'm saying!)


5. Have an attitude to gratitude- Now this one is the simplest but also the most challenging ones to achieve. As I said yesterday, it is important to be looking for things that are good in your life, mainly because when you do, the bad ones never seem as bad. Last year as a team, we implemented this idea into our daily lives and in a lot of cases, it ensured we were happy even on our less than happy days. When things aren't going right, think of all the great things in your life. From funny videos, to great friends to food to coffee- I don't know what your particular gratitude spot is, but I know you have one, so find it and use it to keep you seeing the lighter and brighter side of life.

With all this said and done though, the most important thing about any New Year resolution is the word 'Year'! It's not a January resolution or a 1st of January resolution! 

Any form of change is going to take time, so be patient and keep working to achieve your goals. Also if you don't achieve them, don't feel hard on yourself. Go back and see if they are really what you wanted to do this year and if they still are, then get back on the horse and try again. Edison didn't invent the light-bulb on the first attempt, nor on the 1000th, and the same goes for you. Keep trying and in trying, you will succeed if it's really what you want.

I wish you all the best with your goals/resolutions and as for me.. well I have one very simple goal this year, and that's to see the good in all no matter what. Yeah I know it's going to be hard, but I'm going to try so please keep praying for me and know I'm praying for you all too in your goals for the year ahead.

Peace out all :)

P.S. The amazing image that is shown with this post is from ACBC Youth Ministry Facebook Page