Lest we forget

Today marks the 100th anniversary of ANZAC Day - a time where we in Australia and New Zealand not only remember the battle of Gallipoli which began on this day back in 1915, but also the many men and women who have fought for our freedom over the many years as part of our defense forces.

It was great to see so many people this morning lining the streets of the local area I live in as those who have fought in combat for us or if they had passed on, their children and grandchildren walked down as part of the commemorative parade.

While this day is all about remembering the battles we've fought in and the efforts of our defense forces - it's not the dates that are the reason we remember. If it was only about remembering the day a battle had happen, the flame would have died out long ago.

ANZAC day is about remembering the values that make us who we are, that have been the building blocks of the two countries the name stands for and which even today we need a reminder about every once in a while.

For starters, there's the idea of sacrifice. Too often in our lives today, we see sacrifice as something horrible that we run away from because it's easier to live in comfort than to help out another or fight for something we believe in. In the lives of our defence men and women however, we see people who see sacrifice as something different.

To them, sacrifice is a beautiful gift of giving of ones self to help a greater cause, to truly show what they believe in and it is something that if required, they will do without question. These men and women and the lives they lead are a great example to us all of why sacrifice isn't such a bad thing and why we should all be more willing to do it.

Then there's the idea of service. We live in a world where everyone, including myself at times is just interested in themselves. We spend our days worrying about money, about how we are going to get what we need to get done and how much others are hindering that progress. In the stories from the war fields however, we see a different perspective on life.

As the Director of the Australian War Memorial, Dr Brendan Nelson said this morning - these men and women are never thinking of themselves first, even in their last moments as they lay wounded on the battlefield, it's always about what they can do for others that's in the forefront of their minds. Imagine if we were all like this, gave to others first no matter the cost, I am sure the world would be a better and happier place. As it says in the bible: "There is no greater love, than for a man to lay down his life for another."

Next, there's the idea of what being a hero is really about. We all have idealistic dreams of being heroes are and there's nothing wrong with that, even the boys who signed to WWI had those - it's probably why many took up the challenge. To us and to them, being a hero means doing a great thing and everyone loving you for it. The truth is though, that's not always the case and in particular was not the case with our ANZACs.

For all the sacrifice they made for their country, when many got home, they weren't treated like they are today with parades and celebration. If you were Indigenous after WWI you were an outcast, if you got ill, you were isolated and if you came back after Vietnam, the country wasn't particular fond of you. While a lot of this was injustice and is wrong, I view it as a great example for all of us in life. That no matter what you do, sometimes the accolades won't come, but that doesn't mean you don't do it anyway. We need to spend more time in life doing things without reward- something I know I struggle with but which in doing so, will lead to greater riches in Heaven,

Finally, the biggest thing I think we remember on ANZAC day is the power of mates. No matter whether what is written in war history is fact or exaggerated fable from fact, there's one thing that does remain true, and that is with all the battles, it has been our mateship that has seen us through. Aussies and Kiwis sticking together to get a job done and supporting each other no matter what has seen us win many more battles than we have lost over the years.

It's the same in life. We will win more battles than we will lose if we do things as a team, work to a common cause and support each other through all obstacles. It's a lot harder to do something by yourself but it's a lot easier and more likely to succeed when others are helping out. This applies to whether you are putting together a bed or fighting in the trenches. Whenever I see our defence personnel out in the field, I am reminded by this and days like today hopefully will instill this message into the generations to come as they read and learn about how these men through mateship overcame all.

May you be inspired by the ANZACs today to keep striving to live life to it's fullest and with an importance on what really matters - helping out others, giving of self no matter the accolades and always knowing that if you believe in what you are going for, it is always worth fighting for.

Lest we forget and till next time..

Time to move on...

Hi everyone!

Apologies once again for the gap in posts (seems like I should make this a monthly post LOL!)

Seriously though, I do apologise for the delay in writing and for not getting any more Lent posts up. I have recently moved and we didn't have internet for a whole month (another story for another day) but yes, now we have it, I'll be back online and hope to have a post for you every 2 weeks.

But yes, back to that news in the last paragraph- I've moved. It's not a spur of the moment thing, I've been planning to move for a few months now, but it's finally happened.

I haven't just moved down the road though, I've moved to the other side of the city and with that has brought many interesting experiences and adjustments to get use to being in a different location and in a different environment to the one I've become very use to.

Like any move, there's been the setting up of rooms, the travelling of stuff and the joy of having boxes around the place and never having any time to do anything with them. Along with this though, there's been the differences that take a bit of getting use to - like being at the Easter Triduum (for those who don't know what that is- it's the time between Holy Thursday and Easter Sunday) and not being in my home parish- having different ways of doing things and being in a different place in general when you are so use to being at the same place for so long can be a bit of a shock.

As the weeks go on however, I am getting more and more use to being in a new place and I feel as if it is now more home than my old place is. I am enjoying the new journeys and I am fortunate to have some great housemates which has made the whole thing even smoother than usual.

I write all this above as I think it relates very well to where I reckon a lot of you are as we head out of Lent and into this Easter season.

For many people, there were things that you did over Lent that were different to what you had done before (sacrifices made, attitudes changed) and you are not where you were when we started those 40 something days ago.

The problem with this is that now that Lent is over and you are once again able to do the things you could do before, there's a temptation to go back to what is comfortable and you know the outcome of - to slip back into bad habits or lose the progress made during this time in the desert.

This is not however what God has called us to. We are always called to something greater and to grow in ourselves and our ever deepening relationship with Christ.

Just like how for me, getting use to moving has taken time - so it is with you and your changes. For everyone of us, change is a difficult and at times scary thing - but it is so necessary if we want to keep growing and it is vital that we stick to the path, no matter how challenging it might become.

I've written before about how you need to keep going at something for it to become a habit and the same relates for the changes we have made over the Lenten period.

It is great to have given up chocolate, being angry, being more compassionate to others or to have begun to read more scripture or go to mass more often over these last few days, but if we don't keep on with this after Lent then we will miss out on our chance to grow as people of God.

To really see how God will work in your life, you need to take your Lenten promise and keep running with it for all of your life. It should become part of your psyche and another building block to your development as a Child of Christ.

Now I don't mean that if you've given up something, you must keep giving it up, but I do mean that you shouldn't go back to old ways.

For example, one of the things I did this Lent was I had a few weeks where I took a complete break from social media. Now while it is tempting to go back to spending every spare moment looking at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, the truth is, I know how much of a waste of time that was and so I am now going to limit my time on these, knowing I'll be better off because of it.

If we are to be the Easter people God wants us to be, then we need to make sure that we keep alive the light that God calls us to carry- and that includes working to become the people we started to grow into over Lent.

Now that doesn't mean we aren't going to stumble every now and then - that's human nature but we know from Christ rising for us that he won't ever not be there for us and in these times, we need to turn to him and then keep powering on.

So don't let the work you've done over Lent go by and in the process lose the real value of Easter and Resurrection Day. Make this be your move to a greater and better life- as God intended it to be.

Praying for you all and till next time...

The real value of Lent - Part 1

Hi everyone,

Firstly, apologies for the delay in this post and I hope that you are all having an inspired Lenten season so far.

Yes, for those who didn't realise yet - we are now in the season of Lent. It's a time where generally
people give up a lot of stuff, then go into a period of mourning over the loss of what they had like they've lost a loved one!

Now before anyone gets offended by that last sentence, I wasn't being serious and it's certainly not the truth. Sometimes however, the way people act during Lent can make it seem like this and to be honest, while it's ok to have some self pity, too much of it, especially during Lent, can take away from the real value of the season.

But wait you might be asking, isn't the value of Lent to give up something so that we can feel pain in our hearts due to the sacrifice we make?

The answer is well, no, it's not. The problem is that this is what we think Lent is all about - however it's about something so much more.

The scriptures say in Matthew 6:16-18

"And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

In this passage, Jesus shows us two things:

1. We need to be humble when fasting and giving in sacrifice
2. There is more to fasting than just the act of giving up something, otherwise Jesus would be telling us to look sad so that everyone could see us.

So if we are meant to act normally when we sacrifice something, then why are we sacrificing at all? Isn't the aim of sacrifice to show how we're giving up something for a greater good?

Well the answer to that is yes, sacrifice is meant to show how we're giving up something for the greater good - but not to others, rather to our own hearts and souls.

I remember growing up at Lent, I use to give up all sorts of things. Gave up chocolate, pizza, ice cream and so much more. I even remember one year giving up being mean to people.

The problem was though, that come Easter Sunday, I'd either gorge on food, or get back into bad habits pretty quickly and to me, it seemed like Lent then became a pointless exercise, much in the same way a person feels after having done six weight loss diets and seeing no result.

The thing that was missing though, was that every time I sacrificed something, I didn't do it with any purpose in mind. I just decided I'd sacrifice something because it's what you do at Lent.

The real value of Lent is that our sacrifice is meant to draw us closer to God, not just through being able to experience the sacrifice Jesus felt on the cross, but through making us focus on areas of our lives that we wouldn't normally take time to focus on when there's other distractions in our lives.

Now that's a big thought there, so let me simplify it a little. Say for example you are fasting from food during days of Lent -whenever you feel hungry, instead of focusing on how hungry you are, you can think about how people around the world have to live like this everyday, or how you value food over things that perhaps have more importance like family or God's will in your life.

The aim of sacrifice for God is not to experience pain, it's to discover that what we have that's earthly is meaningless compared to what God call us to and what he wants us to be. Growing in compassion, increasing in mercy or gaining value in the God given gifts of life are all part of the real value of giving more of the self to God during Lent.

The thing is though, we can't give more of ourselves if we are cluttering our minds with all sorts of stuff from the world. It's why we need times like Lent, to be able to have the idea of giving to God at the forefront of our minds and to take time away to really focus on God and his amazing work in our lives. Even though we might be giving up something small or taking up something more on top of what we have (more on that in weeks to come), what he has in store for us from doing that in a faithful way is so much more rewarding than what we gave up could ever be.

I wish you all the very best for whatever decisions you make during this Lenten season and may God continue to bless you always.

Till next time...

Don't take things to heart and don't let them get the better of you

Hi all,

Today, I want to focus on a topic of conflict because if you look in the media or even around you in your own lives at this very moment - you'd have to agree it's something we don't handle all that well.

In the past, if I got into a conflict with someone, I would have gotten annoyed at the person for making me feel unhappy and I'd have held it against them for months if not years. Now I know it sounds stupid and to be honest, it was but I know I'm not the only one who deals with issues like this. It's the reason why we have revenge and wars, it's the reason why relationships fail and it's the reason why so many of us don't get to where we want to in life.

So, what exactly do we do when we either are hurt by others or others go off at us for the mistakes we make. Well here's a few tips I have learnt over the last few years that I hope will help you with this and more importantly, help you to keep living the life you deserve to live, one filled with happiness and joy.

• Be willing to be humble - First and foremost, we must be willing to realise that we will make mistakes and we need to learn from them. Those who struggle the most in life are the ones who try to blame everything on everyone else. This isn't because they lose friends, but because they never get to see the value in owning up to your mistakes. While it may hurt at the time to be yelled or spoken poorly to for something you've done wrong, if you know you've made a mistake, it's better to apologise for a mistake and move on then try to take the high ground. While the other person may still be angry with you even after you apologise, if you can show in your actions that you are working to fix the mistakes you've made, they will see that and be more likely to give you the benefit of another chance.



• Realise it's not always about you - The other day I had someone blow up at me for something
  
  that I'd done which I thought was rather small. Now while I did get annoyed at first, I quickly calmed down when I started to think about how busy this person was doing lots of really important tasks and how much stress they probably where under at that time. It's important that before we go into automatic defense of ourselves mode, that we take a step back and see the real reason why a person is angry at us. Is it because of a mistake that we made which was an error in our judgement or maybe it's because we just added to their bad day. If it's the latter, then there's a good chance you didn't cause the them to get that angry, you're just in the line of fire for an issue that is unresolved in the other persons life. We need to not feel as if every attack on us is solely because we are being targeted, but see that there are other influences that can cause people to get upset.



• Remember that everyone makes mistakes - If you read any information about how to overcome
  
  conflict, one of the first things it will say to you is that forgiveness is the key to moving forward from tough situations. Sometimes however, it can be really hard to forgive others when they've hurt you and in those moments, this third point can be a lifesaver. It's all about realising that while the person around you may have hurt you, there's a good chance that if you look back at your day, you've probably been just as frustrated or annoyed at someone or something. We are all human, we all get annoyed sometimes - whether that's in front of people's faces or like me, in my mind while getting stuck in peak hour traffic. It's the flaw that's been around since the fall of man and the sooner we realise that we are all like this, and that no one is perfect, the sooner we will be able to give leeway to each other and realise that people don't make mistakes because they want to, they do it because they are flawed, just like we are and we need to be able to love them through that.



• Take time out - If you're busy with a million things and you don't do this, I can guarantee you
  
  from personal experience that the little things in life that would normally just annoy you, will cause you to seethe and probably get you into a confrontation with someone or something that you will regret. Instead of just allowing this to happen, make sure that if you're having a busy week, you make time to take time out to go for a walk (even for five minutes). Walking clears the mind and allows you to focus your energies on something other than the tasks at hand. I know this is hard, as I struggle to do it all the time, but we need to take breaks to cut through the issues of the world and go back to seeing the beauty in it, for once we see the beauty in the world, its issues don't ever seem nearly as bad.



• Be willing to change - We all get hurt sometimes and that's a part of human life, but no one deserves to be hurt physically or emotionally by the same person over a duration of time. After
  
  all I've said above, I'm going to say this- if you are in a continually toxic relationship with someone (whether romantic, work related or otherwise) you do not have to accept it. While we have to accept people for who they are, they also have a responsibility to change and if they don't, well, then we have every right to move on somewhere else. Do not ever feel that you need to stay in an abusive or detrimental situation for any reason. This also goes for if you have done the first four points and things still stay the same. Firstly speak to the person about how you're feeling and then if you get no change after that, then look elsewhere. You deserve to be able to be free, proud and happy to be yourself always. There are always going to be dark and tough days, but if those become months and years, then get out and do something that brings the sun to your life, because you were made for that and deserve nothing less.

Know I'm praying for you all in this and keep striving to resolve the conflicts in your life- it will be so much better for you doing so.

Until next time...

5 ways to kick start 2015

Hey all,

Ok so it's week three of 2015- which means by now there's going to be quite a few people who are sitting online thinking about how they have once again broken their resolutions for the year and about what to do now?  Might not be you, but statistical information says that if it's not you, then it's someone nearby.

Well let me start off by saying the answer is NOT to go and decide you are a hopeless case and spend the rest of the year sitting here reading articles about great things people do online and wishing you'd achieved goals. There's still another 300 plus days in which you can make something happen and I don't want to see anyone missing out on that.

It's why this post is going to give you five ways to kick start 2015. These might not be your new years resolutions, but I can assure you that if attempt to do them, your life will be better and who knows, you may even get to those other resolutions you set for yourself as well.

Number 1: See the positive in all situations

Ok so you may not have lost that weight yet, or stopped that habit but chances are you've done something else pretty cool over the last few weeks (even if it was just getting some much needed
rest).

Something I'm learning in life as I get older is that a large amount of everyday situations that happen in life have a positive behind them, you just have to look for it.

Take for example my current struggle of not getting annoyed in traffic. Now I'm impatient at the best of times, but recently, I've started to get really frustrated when stuck in traffic- even for two minutes! It's one of those things that I first thought was a major flaw, but then I saw the positive in this - not that I missed being in an accident or that it was good to be stuck in traffic, but rather that this was God's way of testing my patience, something I'd prayed about before. While I'm still struggling with this big time, everytime I get stuck now, I get annoyed, then I remember that this is about testing and I stop getting so annoyed and I instead focus on learning to be more patient.

The same principles can apply to the tough times in your life. If you look for the lessons to be found instead of just rueing the situation, you could gain so much more out of it all.

Number 2: Get the most out of what you've got

Did you ever hear of the story of the person who wanted a pizza but who didn't have the money to get one. They complained about how much they wanted pizza for dinner, but how they needed pay day to come around so they could have spare cash to go to the pizza store to get one. This same person however was sitting in a house where they had yeast, water, tomatoes, tomato sauce, vegetables and meat aka. the ingredients for a pizza.

If you didn't get the message from that little tale, it's this- instead of complaining about not having a pizza, if the person had realised they had all the ingredients for a pizza, they could have made one themselves and solved their problem.

The same goes for us with our gifts and talents. We might think someone is better than us at something or we haven't been as blessed as they have. The thing is though, there's probably tens of other traits that we excel at that they don't. We are all unique and of value - it's just up to us to see what it is that makes us this and then use it to our advantage.

Next time you feel you aren't strong enough, capable enough or smart enough to get to a goal, instead of complaining about it, see if you can use your gifts and talents to reach that goal another way. You may just get there, or if you don't, you'll find what you should be aiming for instead, because God never wastes a valid effort.

Number 3: Give love

This third one sounds so simple but it's one of the hardest things we can do in life.

Giving love doesn't just mean looking for a girlfriend or boyfriend, pining for marriage or if in a marriage showering gifts on your spouse. It means so much more than this and can be as simple as choosing to see the good in another person, sharing what you have with those who don't have
anything or just making someones day by being kind to them when the rest of the world isn't.

The act of giving love is also hard because if it is done genuinely and is aiming to make a difference, it should be done with a full heart and expecting nothing in return. We don't love because we know we'll get something back for it, nor should we love with the dregs from the bottom of the tank of life. We need to love with all we've got- no matter how much it may hurt us to do so and expect nothing in return, except the satisfaction that we've helped make the world a better place.

While it may be hard, giving love, as any couple who sacrifices in their relationship will know, leads to so many great rewards and will truly make you happier in your life. God blesses those who give love abundantly. I could share so many stories of people in my own life who I know this is true about but I'll leave it to say that this is something you should just try, because it will truly change you.

Number 4: Walk

This one is for all those whose new years resolution was to either be happier or lose weight.

Did you know that a recent study of over 200,000 people found that the best way to increase your lifespan and improve your health was to walk?

Yep you heard correctly- while cardio, gym and other fitness might help you get trim, gain muscle and look fab, if you are trying to stay healthy, then a simple walk of 30 mins a day will do the job just fine.

Walking also has the added bonus of enabling more oxygen to get into your system which helps clear your mind and this leads to less panic, great for those who are stressed out or who want to be happier.

So, it's time to get those walking shoes on and go for a walk around the block (after reading this post of course!)

Number 5 : Smile

Yep, the last one if my favourite one, because it's so simple but it's so effective, when it comes to getting you motivated and making your year great.

Smiling has so many benefits. We know from emojis that a smile can brighten a persons day but there's so much more it can do when you DIY (do it yourself)!

When you smile, it relaxes facial muscles and removes tension, It also makes you more appealing to others, releases endorphins which make you happier and can reduce stress and can increase white blood cells which fight off disease. Then of course there's my favourite thing about smiling, and that's it's contagious, so if you're having a bad day, smiling at someone can turn it all around because suddenly, everyone around you will be smiling and the world will seem a more cheerful place to be in.

There are so many more ideas that I could write about to help you kick start 2015 but I hope that these five will give you the boost you need to make the rest of the year as amazing as God would want it to be.

And one final note: just remember that you're not alone in this boat. We are all working to make ourselves better everyday - whether we setting new years resolutions or not, so make sure to share your stories of success and hardship with your friends and family and seek support where needed. We can't do this alone, but together, we can kick some amazing goals this year- I believe in you all with this one!

Till next time...

Love has the power to overcome all

Hi everyone,

The last few months have been one of worldwide tragedy. We've had the Charlie Hebdo shootings, the continual death of civilians and children at the hands of the Boko Haram and the death a few months ago of hundreds of young ones in a brutal set of circumstances in Pakistan. Even when it wasn't terrorism related, there were communities hurting with the death of eight children in Cairns. It's truly been heartbreaking to read a newspaper or turn on a TV, computer, tablet or phone.

And all of this before we talk about the Martin Place or Sydney siege.

That chilling 18 hours that sent a shudder down the spine of every Sydneysider and Australian, including myself. The actions of a truly mad man which have changed the way we view our freedom with the sudden realisation that we are not immune to the terror that has split blood all over the world.

One would be excused if they were to run away from the world right now and becomes a recluse in a cave or to think that the good in this world has disappeared.

In the midst of all the pain, suffering, heartache and sadness though, there has been a silver lining. It is something that has renewed my hope on the good in life and brought a smile to my face.

It is clear to see in the way that thousands of people got onto social media to support those of the Islamic/Muslim faith, in the thousands of flowers of condolence that are now streaming through Martin Place. It is clear, whether you agree with the work of Charlie Hedbo, in the support that was given across France to the fight against radicalism and the promotion of freedom. It is clear in the increased value we are placing on those around us in the world today...

What I'm talking about, is of course, the gift of love.

Like a sprout peering through the ground in the first rains after a drought, the love and care shown by Australians towards each other and in particular those of middle eastern faith has been so pleasing to see and a sign of the growth of our nation.

In the face of severe adversity and hatrid in so many ways, we as a community have risen up to show those who want to cause such hurt and angst that they will never win this battle, not while we have love on our side.

Sometimes we think of love as this emotion that comes with flowers, chocolates, happy moments and smiles in abundance. We think of it as the Valentines Day Hollywood romance of a couple who are so into each other that they can't think of spending a day without each other.

While this is a form of love, eros- there's another form of love that exists, and that's Agape.

Agape is that love that we build our charitable spirit through. It comes out in the darkest of times and is the building block of our lives. It is the gift God gives us to help one another and to create a better world even when it seems like there's no hope to do so.

Right now in this world, we need to make 2015 the year of Agape. In the midst of all the craziness, fear and destruction, we need to stand strong for our fellow man or woman and love them for the people God made them to be.

There will always be moments of hurt in our lives, it's a part of the broken world we live in. But if we choose to love one another with charity, respect and care, then we can overcome the hurt and find ways to live lives of joy and virtue in all that we do.

To live with an Agape love though isn't just a one off thing, It's a daily choice we need to make no matter how much we don't want to love on that particular day. I will in future blogs go into how we can do this but needless to say that if we want to have love in our lives, we must make that choice.

Sometimes the world might not seem like it deserves to be loved, but it always does. Not because there is something great happening in it (although there always is) but because we remember that love has the power to overcome all, as St Paul said... there are three things, faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is love.

Tragedy and love are a part of life, it's up to us as to which one we allow to rule.

Till next time...

Resolution 2015: Expect the unexpected

Hi everyone!

HAPPY NEW YEAR and hope that you had a wonderful end to 2014 and are enjoying a well earned rest today.

It's that time of the year again - the start of another year and that means of course, time for a lot of people to write up their resolutions. Regardless of whether we say we have them or not, everyone has something they want to achieve over 2015 - whether it's to be healthier, love themselves, love others, do something or make something happen.


The thing that the last year has taught me however is that resolutions have one slight flaw to them - they are what we want to achieve!

Now I'm not saying there's anything wrong with having goals, but it's important to note that what we want to achieve, and God's plans for us, don't always follow the same path. Just because we want to do something, doesn't mean that it'll work into God's great plan for our life and a lot of the time, we'll end up somewhere very different to where we wanted to be at the start of the journey.

If you want an example of this, here's what I thought was going to happen in 2014 and what actually happened...

• I would be working to make a difference to the lives of young people - OK so this did sort of happen, but not in the way I was expecting. I was thinking I was going to be a youth worker and spend day after day with young people, but in actual fact, I instead now work for the administration team at an organisation that has young people at it's heart - which while it isn't dealing with young people day in day out, is still very important as if we didn't do what we do, then the programs that help young people wouldn't be able to be as effective as they are.
  
  
• I would be doing my communications and writing as a hobby, rather than a profession and due to lack of interest I would leave the communications industry - Big NOPE. Not only do I work in a Marketing and Communications team in employee communications, I'm actually happy to be doing it and I get a lot out of the challenges of the business and the fun dynamics in the team I work with.
  
  
• I would be growing the efforts of my local diocese and using my skills from my time in youth ministry to grow local initiatives- Big NOPE. God had something much bigger planned and now I write this knowing that in three days I am headed to a leadership camp for a movement that is not only going to hopefully bring many back to the Church, but that has inspired me to use my gifts and talents for a much bigger cause. I've stepped down from doing projects locally but I do so knowing God has called me to something that is so necessary and that I'm so blessed to be a part of.

These three are just some of the many cases of how in 2014, what I thought would happened was skewed or completely changed when it went through the dealings of life and when I trusted the will of God instead of my own.

Now there are no complaints from me about the plans changing. Sure there were challenges in 2014, but I wouldn't have that year any other way. God showed me a plan greater than I could have ever imagined and it's made me realise the need to trust him so much more with life and not want to take so much control over things.

And that's the thing we must remember. No matter how many resolutions we make, we will never know the amazing plan God has for us that could trump all of these and make our lives greater than we could ever dream.

So in 2015, I invite you to make resolutions, to strive to be the best you can be. I also however suggest that you be willing to change these resolutions along the way or even be open to new ideas - because in the end, there could be a result at the end of the year that will make you wonder why you even made those resolutions at all.

Wishing you all a wonderful year ahead!

P.S. New blog posts will happen fortnightly from this post onwards. This is due to more time being spent on external projects and also so that I can achieve my 2015 resolution - to catch up with those family and friends I haven't seen in a long time.