A Different Perspective Official Podcast

One day – your time on this earth will be over. Then what? If God is God – how are you going to fare when you stand before Him? I mean how can you be certain that He will forgive you? For such a long time you know, I poo hooed any notion that I needed God's forgiveness. I mean, give me a break! If you'd asked me, back in those days, about what I thought on that whole subject, I would have given yo...

There are times in our lives when we need protection – from other people or from ourselves or from circumstances we can't control. But where do you get that sort of protection? Now there are times in our lives when we need protection. Sometimes its from our enemies, sometimes its from situations we find ourselves that we can't control and sometimes it's from ourselves, our own short sightedness or...

There are times in life when we go through pain. When we mourn a loss. When we're lonely and afraid. What we need is someone to comfort us – but it seems that nothing anybody does or says can make it better. I want to spend some time talking about comfort today. Not about the sort of comfort you get from sitting in a comfortable armchair but comfort in times of distress. It's an interesting concep...

Sometimes – money can be a real problem in our lives. So many people spend so much time worrying about their financial future. We need to know that it's going to be okay. Have you ever been in a place where you don't know where the next dollar is coming from? I certainly have and so many people in this world are in that place right now. I mean, where I live, mortgage foreclosures by banks are at r...

When things aren't going particularly well in our lives – the things that happens, is that we lose sight of our hopes and dreams for the future. And that's devastating. We need to know that there's a plan. These days' people are saying that one of the biggest issues in their lives is stress. We stress about this, we stress about that and you know, sometimes the things we are stressing about they'r...

What you and I want, is life on our terms. We do…and yet, we can't for the most part have that. And it's the same with God.  Before we can take a hold of all His blessings, we have to let go of a whole bunch of other stuff … Over these last two weeks we've spent some time, each day, exploring different aspects of a story that kind of talks about having solid ground under our feet; the story of a s...

If only we could have God on our terms.  You know, He blesses you when you need blessing and the rest of the time, He's just kind of there when you need Him.  Wouldn't that be nice?  But – well, it's not like that. Have you ever wanted something in life, I mean really, really, really wanted it and then, you finally get it and you just want to give it back. I think we've all experienced that at som...

I've done some dumb things in my life. Really, and I'm pretty sure that you have too – and later, we wear the consequences of those mistakes.  The question is, though – how can you avoid making those same mistakes again? I've said a few times over the last week and a half that I am a confirmed land lover. You give me solid ground beneath my feet any day over a luxury cruise. I love good old terra...

Sometimes we're so busy looking after good old number one, that we forget something. We forget that in fact, God is number one and one day, sooner or later, that reality will be the only reality. I guess intuitively we understand that the things we say and do, the way we think and behave, well they have consequences. There's a link between cause and affect, we know that but oh how easy it is to de...

It never ceases to amaze me at how good we are at deluding ourselves into thinking that our actions don't have consequences.  We're really quite good at this you know.  Truly. Last week on the program we spent some time talking about the fact that when the storms of life hit, as they inevitably do, what we need is some solid ground beneath our feet. It's a scary place to be at, on a stormy ocean,...

Storms are going to hit our lives from time to time. They just are. And when they do, so often we're afraid. And that fear, it turns out, can completely immobilise us. So then what? When we look at what it means to travel with a quiet confidence through the storms of life, as we have been doing this week on the program, well I think we need to stop and take a look at this thing that we call "fear"...

You know, when the storms of life are raging around us, humility is the last thing that comes to mind. But humility, it turns out, is the key to dealing with the storm, in a most unexpected way. The things that go on deep in our hearts, well sometimes we think, only we know. "No-one really knows what I'm thinking, no-one knows that I hate this person or I envy that person or I lied about this or h...

Different people handle the rough times differently. Some seem to find peace in the middle of it all. For others, it's a complete disaster.  Let's meet some people at different ends of that spectrum. Over the last couple of days on the program we've been taking a look at how different people weather the storms of life. And in particular yesterday, we met Hannah, a woman who had been childless for...

Okay – so the going gets tough. The storm hits. Now What.  Let's meet a woman who's been there, done that – and see what we can learn from her.  This woman's name? Hannah. We're going to meet someone today who was dealt a cruel blow in her life. She was a beautiful young woman called Hannah who, to the taunts of those around her, remained childless for many years. And yet in the midst of this most...

When you're caught in a small boat on a stormy ocean – what you discover is how much you love good old terra firma. The more firma , the les terra , right? So how do you get some solid ground beneath your feet? I am really excited to be starting a new series this week on the program that I've called, "On Solid Ground" . Now I have to tell you I am definitely a land lover, I like to have terra firm...

Each of us has a destiny out there somewhere. But some people are too afraid to follow it because they compare themselves with other beautiful, talented people and come to the conclusion that they could never be as successful as them. Those people have, what I call, Ugly Duckling Syndrome. Well here we are at the end of the week again and in fact at the end of a series of twenty programs over the...

Becoming the "me" we were meant to be is – well – a life long journey. And sometimes, it's not until we stop to look back, that we can really see God's hand in all of that. If I want to ask you, what's your destiny, what were you put on this earth to achieve to do, what impact are you meant to make on this planet of over seven billion people, what's the point of your life and is it heading in the...

It turns out that our priorities have an enormous impact on how we feel about our lives.  So if we want to live an abundant, satisfying life we need to get our priorities sorted out; we need to put first things first. So – what should come first? Most people these days live hectic lives, just making it through. I mean, for some people listening to this program it's a touch and go thing everyday ju...

Winning is everything.  At least that's what everyone seems to think.  But sometimes, the more we win, the emptier it all feels.  Somehow, winning isn't all it's cracked up to be.   One of the things we're all pretty much conditioned to do in life is to come first. Now we all can't come first at everything right but it's pretty natural to want to be first, to be the best looking, to be the brighte...

It turns out that the more we try to fill ourselves up with all the fun stuff this world has to offer, the emptier we feel.  When are we finally going to wake up to the fact that life's not just about "me"? Life is full of paradoxes and contradictions and complexities. It's funny how we can see something one way, believe with all our heart that that's how it is and then in an instant you discover...

Some people look at themselves in the mirror and think – Ahhh, what a wreck!  What could God ever do with me?  But what if He doesn't see you the way you do?  What if, actually, He has this amazing plan? Yesterday on the program we were talking about the fact that it can be a lot easier to believe in something like the resurrection of Jesus or eternal life than to believe that God could or would s...

Believing in Jesus is a step of faith.  Plain and simple.  Believing that He can and will make a difference to our lives – well that's a step of faith too.  And sometimes – it can be a huge step. Over these last few weeks we've been talking about being the "me" we were each meant to be, and do you know, we all want that. We all want to somehow grow into who we are meant to be and to realise our de...

When we make a change – a real change for the better in our lives, it involves in effect dying to the old things and living in the new things.  But try as we will, sometimes we can still be wrapped up in the old. I don't know if you've ever watched one of those old black and white westerns on TV, I grew up with them. There were the baddies and the goodies and then there was that ubiquitous wanted...

It's one thing to believe in Jesus and to believe in eternal life – but there are people walking around who believe that stuff, yet somehow they're not quite living the life that He promised us for here and now. You know, I reckon if there is a God, I mean if God is God then he is going to want us to live life to the full. I mean outrageously, abundantly to the full. Not a two out of ten, not a se...

You know, it can sometimes be easier to believe in eternal life, than the fact that God wants to give us a rich, abundant life here and now.  What do you think? It's great to be with you again this week and we continue on with a series that I've called, "Discover Your Destiny" . Can I ask you something? Are you really living life to the full? I mean really. So many people are struggling to discove...