Messages of hope

Have you ever felt unloved and not worth fighting for? Listen as Sophie shares how she moved from feeling unworthy and unloveable to feeling connected and loved. The post Worth Fighting For appeared first on Messages of hope .

‘New beginnings for me mean you’re leaving something and moving to something in the future you’re not quite sure about. So that can be a whole mixture of emotions.’ New beginnings can be stressful. Unknown experiences of changing jobs, a medical diagnosis, moving to a new country, or a life-changing experience of another kind can impact family life and our expectations. Listen as Richard, Clare an...

‘I take on more things, I'm so overwhelmed, I will end up sick or have some leave or take some time off. And then I have a little bit of respite and then I do the same thing again.’ Choosing to spend time resting is often the last of our priorities in what, for many of us, is a dizzying, fast paced and busy life. But have you ever considered that maybe the solution to all our stress and constantly...

‘Ah, Christmas! Peace on earth and goodwill to all! They’re not very high expectations, are they? But we try so hard to get it right, to meet our expectations of what Christmas is about. We try to create the perfect Christmas.’ Listen as John shares a message that maybe Christmas doesn’t need to be perfect. The post Not so perfect Christmas appeared first on Messages of hope .

Do you look forward to Christmas with anticipation? Or do you wonder if you’ll experience the peace and joy that Christmas promises? Listen as James Winderlich tells the story of one troubled family, and a stranger in the rain. In a surprising way they all experienced the true meaning of Christmas. You can experience God’s Christmas too. The post How God sees Christmas appeared first on Messages o...

The build up to Christmas can be really stressful and tiring. Buying gifts, planning holidays and family get togethers. Trying to get everything done before Christmas can be a nightmare. Listen as Richard shares how he struggles with trying to find the perfect gift for the special people in his life. The post What to Buy appeared first on Messages of hope .

Beyond the Stress What would a stress-free life look like to you? Everyone wants to have less stress – so why do we seem to fall into the same cycles of over-commitment and feeling overwhelmed? Listen as Celia, Anna and Janine chat about why it's so hard to get beyond the stress. Listen to the […] The post Beyond the Stress appeared first on Messages of hope .

Professor Sarah Wendt has dedicated her life to understanding the impacts of domestic violence, and hearing the stories of victims and survivors in Australia. Listen to Sarah share her insights from personal stories about the causes and effects and where we may find hope in such a painful topic. The post Domestic Violence: Getting the Facts appeared first on Messages of hope .

“I thought the anger in me would blow up a building. After I realized that what was done to me was so wrong. This anger just woaah! I used to break things, like get a whole lot of plates and smash them. It was eating me alive.” Listen to the story of one woman’s journey of healing from childhood trauma. The post Smashing Plates – part 1 appeared first on Messages of hope .

Nothing Normal: 12 Years of Foster Caring Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a foster carer? ‘They say it takes a village to raise a child and it's the same in foster care. Every child that's come into our care, I know we've had a positive impact on, they've had good memories […] The post Nothing Normal: 12 Years of Foster Caring appeared first on Messages of hope .

Call Me Dad: Long Term Foster Parenting ‘It's important that it's not about you. You're doing this for the sake of someone else.’ There are around 46,000 children currently in foster care around Australia. Ben and his wife Kelly became foster carers to Madi when she was seven years old. Listen as Ben shares the […] The post Call Me Dad: Long Term Foster Parenting appeared first on Messages of hope...

With 40,000 children in desperate need of care around Australia, foster care organisations around the country seek to provide hope for young and vulnerable children. Listen to Ann, a foster parent, and Margaret, a foster care placement worker with Lutheran Care in South Australia, as they share the unique struggles and joys that come with foster parenting. The post Foster Parenting appeared first...

‘It's amazing how often we just feel afraid, and we let it just sit there and we don't challenge it. And I think that's a real waste because you actually have to confront something and face it in order to deal with it.’ Sarah McCutcheon, National Relationship Manager for Global Leadership Network Australia, has extensive experience helping people to face their fears and embrace courage. Listen to...

I think COVID kind of exposed a few things that identified what we did hope in and what we thought our well-being was in, even something as simple as going to the football or whatever it might be, was just taken away. So where do we then centre that? Where do we place our hope? Well-being can be physical, emotional and spiritual. But what does it actually mean and how do you find it? Listen to Ric...

How do you respond when doctors tell you your unborn child has complex heart issues? And when you discover your child will have ongoing special needs, what do you need to know about giving them the best chance at life? Listen as Jo and Luke share their story of caring for a child with a disability. Hear how they found hope when faced with challenges. The post Bethany’s Story appeared first on Mess...

‘I didn't know anyone who had been in that same situation of being a single mum while pregnant.’ ‘I was still overjoyed to be expecting but then also very nervous, and then also devastated at the loss of my marriage.’ Raising kids is NOT an easy job, let alone raising a child as a single parent. But what about becoming a single parent before your child is even born?  Click here to listen to listen...

Parenting a teenager isn’t easy and we often get it wrong. Listen as we talk with Matthew about father daughter relationships, and how dads try to find the balance between wanting to protect their daughters and empowering them towards independence. What happens when we, inevitably, mess up? The post Fathers and Daughters appeared first on Messages of hope .

There are times when the pieces of our life don't seem to be fitting together as they should. Listen to Nancy - a wife, mother, and police officer. The stress of juggling everything had her feeling disconnected and becoming a person she just didn't recognize. Hear how a change of perspective brought the sense of overwhelm back into balance. The post Finding Connection appeared first on Messages of...

Finding our way in life, can be a long journey. And our sense of self worth can take a battering. This week I'm talking with Peta, a Christian life coach and speaker who is passionate about helping women build self-esteem and purpose. The post Living with Confidence appeared first on Messages of hope .

“When we talk about the ’not enoughs’ - I'm not pretty enough, not rich enough, not, present enough with my kids, the root cause of the ‘not enoughs’ says shame. I'm afraid to go there. I don't want to be known that I'm not enough. So, I just, kind of block it and try and bury it as much as you can.” No-one is immune from shame. Listen as Anna, a counsellor, talks about what shame really is and wh...

What do teenagers really think about their place in a world of confusion and challenges? Listen as Emma chats with some teenagers about identity, and how faith shapes who they are. The post Who Am I? appeared first on Messages of hope .

Out of the Cyclone “I like to describe depression as a vortex, like a cyclone or a tornado or something like that. You've sort of got control while you're at the end of it. But as you start cycling into that tornado, you start losing control.  Sometimes you just felt like, is this going to […] The post Out of the Cyclone appeared first on Messages of hope .

It would be great if managing depression was purely logical, but depression can be really difficult to manage. For the person struggling with it, and the loved ones who care for them, depression can challenge and test us. But there is hope. Listen to Jane’s story of depression and how she finds hope to live through it. The post Send Me An Angel appeared first on Messages of hope .

What can you do when it seems your relationship is over? Is there any hope of reconciliation? Listen as Paul Kerber, who has worked in reconciliation, shares his experience with reconciling relationships and finding hope in seemingly hopeless situations. The post Reconciling Relationship Conflict appeared first on Messages of hope .

Connecting our cultures “We do things when we're in communities… because we do them to remind ourselves of our own culture and where we come from. We’ve all got different backgrounds and we've got to respect that and appreciate that. But at the same time, we've got to get on and we've got to work […] The post Connecting our cultures appeared first on Messages of hope .