Stories of Hope

Allegra is 8 years old, but is turning 9 soon so is quite close to 10 years old. She lives in Brisbane and loves AFL. She barracks for the Calamvale Leopards and if she had lots of money she would give most of it to charity and get another puppy with whatever is left over. She is delightful!

There is plenty in life to shut us down and plummet us into despair. Politics, climate change and health challenges to name a few. To stay positive and optimistic in the face of trouble is an act of faith and the Lovely Sue does this beautifully. This photo of her swimming is not her most glamourous, but it captures her joy and enthusiasm for life.

When we love like Jesus did, people will feel free to leave or stay. They will never feel trapped or obligated to repay us or align to our agendas.

In this episode recorded before a live audience at Carindale Salvos, we chat to Matt Boulton about his life and how his personal life journey shaped his calling to help men with anger issues. Matt runs a program called Circuit Breaker which is a ten week course to provide tools, strategies and support for men and women who feel like their temper may be effecting their relationships. He has been ru...

Jesus was intentional about loving people with troubled minds. His compassion for the anguish of traumatized people was consistent. The heartwarming Academy award winning movie "A Beautiful Mind" tells a similar story.

Louanne and the Lovely Sue have known each other since they were children. Louanne has endured a lot in her life, including relationship breakdowns, and serious health challenges, but her resilience and faith is remarkable and her work with the Salvos in Sydney's Northern Beaches for the last 14 years has been a Godsend for people doing it tough in that area.

There will always be difficult times in life, as we are all subject to sickness, conflict and ultimately death. But to be filled with fear is just going to make things worse. So we do have an option to remain calm, even if we forget to put the bins out.

Karl and his family immigrated from the UK in 2016 and were living their dream of a whole new life in Australia. But Karl's 7 year old son Richie was diagnosed with cancer and that set the family into an 18 month long whirlwind of hospitals and grueling treatment regimes. Tragically, Richie passed away in September 2021 and his family established Richie's Rainbow: A foundation to support cancer re...

When we live wholeheartedly and shine brightly, we need not be afraid of what others might think. Our lives are often wonderful and inspiring and it's a very loving thing to share this with the people we care about. It's good for them.

Ryan's mum worked with me a few years ago and he now lives with his parents and his little brother in Tasmania. He is nearly 8 years old and wants to buy a house with a very unique added extra. He is also a dinosaur expert!

When we love people we are foolish to expect predictable outcomes as a result. The journey to wholeness and growth is a mystery, much like how a seed germinates in the darkness of the soil to become a beautiful flower.

Lauren is a beautiful person and despite a cancer journey during the pandemic has maintained a positivity and hope that warms your heart and helps you really appreciate the simple stuff in life.

Families are a mixed bag. Sometimes we are close and feel very safe and at other times there may be distance and even animosity. If we are to love like Jesus, we need to let some people get close. Really close. Close like family. Sometimes people need us to be loyal, reliable and accepting and sometimes we need them.

Jason is a wonderful thoughtful man who has been a wise voice for the poor within the Salvos for many years and who now works in the court system in Victoria specializing in family violence. I knew him when he was a cool teenager who had long hair on the top of his head. Back then he was in a rock band called State of Mind and was an exceptional lead guitar player.

Jesus was often misunderstood as he gave preference to loving people who were unable or unwilling to benefit the powerful institutions of his day. Selfless love is illogical, costly and infuriating to uninvolved onlookers.

Eddie Miekus has been volunteering for the Salvos off and on for over 20 years. He has an interesting life story and a big heart to serve others.

Jesus chose unlikely and ordinary people to be his co workers in sharing the message of God's love to the world. My daughter Georgia helped me wash the car when she was little and although it was not particularly efficient, it was completely adorable and I can't remember enjoying washing the car more, than on that occasion!

Charity Barnam “You don’t need everyone to love you, just a few good people" Unfortunately some of us ignore this wise advice and get carried away with being noticed and popular, while the people closest to us feel invisible.

Shirli works for the Salvos in Wulgurukaba country near Townsville and is responsible for a national team of workers who educate and connect Salvos with Indigenous people and their customs. She has her own story to tell and comprehends from lived experience what most of us can only see as statistics. She is a beautiful human and a complete delight to chat with.

If we are to love like Jesus did, we will stand up for people who are treated unfairly. Even if it costs us our security and comfort.

Rosy grew up in a loving family and in the folds of a loving church, but needed to spread her wings and push the boundaries. She lived a quite risky life for a while before settling into Salvo ministry. It turns out though, that the most risky and difficult journey for Rosy was the one into silence and emptiness that forged her current sense of depth and confidence.

Life and the world we live in has certainly changed a lot since I was a kid snuggling up to my Grandma Davies and we need to be wise and flexible to stay relevant. But despite decades of cooking shows and culinary development, she is still the best cook I've ever met.

For many years Kristy struggled to believe she was of great worth. Even with a loving family and a forgiving church, she struggled. But one day it landed for her and since then, she has had the strength to overcome obstacles and live her best life.

Linda had quite a challenging childhood and found family and hope in the Salvos at an Early age. She and her husband Steve have been Salvo officers for many years and they now run an organic Faith Expression on the East Coast of Tasmania. Bryce and Linda have a chat about the challenges and joys of ministry in the new world of o.f.e.

I was at a Salvo community meal last week and loved chatting with the people at my table. They were a bit rough and ready, but they were sincere and seemed to really care about each other. Jesus often shared meals with notorious sinners, He seemed to really enjoy this. One bad egg he befriended even became one of the 12 disciples.