The Spacious Room

Alright, let's get down to brass tacks, shall we? We've missed something in the parable of the prodigal. Although this story is about the son who was lost and then found again, I think Jesus revealed something more in this parable. Something that has been hidden in plain sight. Something about cat's and their pyjamas... 

Whenever I read about the woman who had suffered 12 years from a condition that left her unclean and an outcast in Mark chapter 5, I become emotional. I identify with how she's feeling.  But one touch of the hem of Jesus' robe can heal and make you whole again. If you've been searching for a redemption's kiss, then look no further... 

What if I told you it started long before you got there? What if I told you that Satan schemed and plotted and hatched a plan to take you out long before you got there?  If you find yourself hiding "there" behind your past mistakes then today's episode is for you. 

Did you know that you are far less dangerous to Satan when you have no strength left to fight him? Mark 12:30 reminds us to 'love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' Sure, we love God with our heart, soul and mind but what about our strength so we can endure the unendurable?     

In my fourth conversation in this series, I'm excited to introduce you to my friend, writer, blogger and speaker, Tamika Spaulding. Tamika shares that even in the chaos of life we can learn to hold our peace.

It's no good pretending. I see you hiding in that winepress, too afraid to step out into your dream. Perhaps you feel like a failure because you've screwed up way too many times for God to ever use you.  In today's Spacious Room episode, I'll share: How Gideon went from winepress to warrior Why doubt - stepping out in faith- doubt - stepping out in faith is the path of a dreamer Why your narrative...

Do you find supermarket flowers either look like they've been ran over by the delivery truck, or they've just crawled three days through the Australian outback looking for water? No one wants to buy into half-dead, depleted flower displays that have no longevity, right? So, why do we think people will buy into church if we look the same? In todays episode of The Spacious Room podcast, I'll share h...

As this pandemic continues across the world, we find we are living in a less desirable alternative to what life looked like a year and a half ago. However, it's in times like this I find the book of Revelation becomes a fresh commission to ingest into my Spiritual life by reminding me that no matter what circumstances surround me and no matter what happens, Satan's time is limited.   In today's Sp...

Today I'm joined by author and blogger, Steph Penny, as I continue my 'Wounded And On The Run Conversations'. Steph is convinced in the power of story and unpacks the deep issues that surround childlessness. Sharing insights from her new book, Surviving Childlessness: Faith and Furbabies with honesty and vulnerability, Steph shares in this encouraging and uplifting episode, Why childless couples f...

Have you found when you've needed healing from wounding, especially church wounding, religion chooses to pass you by? Today, I am unpacking on The Spacious Room podcast, how the Good Samaritan put his differences aside and chose to help heal an undeserving man by pouring wine into his wounds.   In this episode, I'll share: The plot twist Jesus creates in the parable Why helping to heal wounds cost...

Disappointments can blind you from pursuing your calling and if we choose to stay on the boat of our setbacks, stubbornly casting our nets out into our old ways of living, hoping to catch something, anything to fill the holes of loss and regret, then we will miss Jesus when He's wanting us to get out of the boat and start living in the calling He has for us. 

Failure and quitting are two different things, but the trouble is we merge these two concepts into one. If you've stopped shooting arrows to see a victory in your life, then it means you've stopped trusting God. In today's episode learn how not to be like King Jehoash, who gave up too soon and didn't see a full victory in 2 Kings chapter 13 because he stopped shooting his arrows into the void. 

We are called to serve Jesus with our whole lives, however, our commitment and passion to serve can lead us down the rocky and perilous path of comparison and resentment. There is no doubt that Martha loved Jesus, but her undoing came when she focused on the ' doing for' Jesus rather than ' being with' Jesus.  In today's episode, you'll discover the cure for a try-hard life that stops you being ru...

Your body needs fuel to stay warm in the cooler months, but what about your faith? If you have found the temperature has dropped in your faith, this week's episode teaches you how to ask for the two things you'll need to keep the fire of the Holy Spirit burning within you before the winter blows in.  

Elks like to wallow in mud to cool off and keep away pesky flies. However, this is the first place a hunter looks for an elk to blood trail. In the same way, to be free from anymore wounding, we need to stop wallowing in our past hurts and let god heal our wounds.

Did you know that an elk's anklebones make a distinct sound when they walk? This fancy footwork is the primary means of their communication. Jesus made communication a priority with His disciples during His three-year ministry because He wanted them to understand the 'sound' of the kingdom of God and the 'sound' of the hunter, Satan. Like the disciples, we too need to listen out for unfamiliar sou...

Why are we so afraid to show people our wounds? Keeping our brokenness under wraps makes sure our pots are perfect. However this isn't what God wants. God loves cracked pots and He wants to place His transcendent character in us so that His love shines through. If we, as believers, carry around the death and suffering of Jesus, why do we try so desperately to fill up the cracks in our pots?

"Who told you you were naked?" Clothes not only hide our nakedness, they also reveal our identity. When the soldiers cast lots in the Easter story for the seamless tunic Jesus had worn, it represented His holiness and righteousness. Jesus' death on the cross took back everything the serpent stole from us in the Garden of Eden and covered us once and for all.

Mistakes...we've all made them and we find ourselves going into damage control just to minimise the effects they've had on us. However, what if you turned damage control on its head and saw it as controlled damage by the hunter, and he's using it just so you will keep on running... In this week's episode discover how to stop the controlled damage on your faith and see that God is bigger than your...

An elk's wheat-coloured coat camouflages them from hunters. Like the elk, we too like to blend into this world so we don't get hunted by Satan. But blending in is no longer an option. The plain brown wrapper that once covered you can no longer hide you in the shadows, not now you've come into the light of God's kingdom. Since saying "yes" to Jesus, your surroundings have changed and now the hunter...

Being brave and stepping into your calling isn't always easy, it's a hustle, and there will be uncomfortable moments and times of uncertainty as you press into what God has placed in the core of your soul. Like the woman who poured out her expensive oil over Jesus as a lavish gesture of devotion, I too have given up a year's wages to show my devotion to a king. 

Did you know that Northern American bull elk's have an amazing ability to run for many miles when wounded? Known as blood trailing, a hunter will track down the elk, kill it, and mount its head on his trophy wall. Through studying the elk, I've come to realise that Christians can run for many miles when wounded by a hunter. I know because I ran for almost thirty years. The hunter's name is, Satan,...