When I joined YWAM 20 years ago, I really didn’t have a career in missions in mind. I was just taking a leave of absence from teaching to pursue my own adventure with God.

20 years on, I look back over my time and realise my 6 month adventure has turned into the journey of a lifetime.

I guess I have always been a journey-er…I LOVE the process, the destination is just a very small part of the overall journey. Its not so much just making it to the end, it’s all about the random and unexpected along the way. That’s the adventure for me.

Don’t get me wrong, I love those adventure moments where you push yourself beyond the limits of your known capability and take the leaps of faith that always take you into the great unknown! But, truth be told, the idea of exploring out of the way places and meeting new people different to myself have always held far more appeal than the idea of taking a dive out of a perfectly good aircraft!!

However, I do know this life in missions takes all types…I have met adventurers who want nothing more than to be go where no-one else has gone before – the more difficult and remote the better!! And I have met amazing journeymen who have found themselves in the midst of a community…living and giving of themselves each day sharing their life and faith with others who may otherwise never know.

The other thing I have learned this past 20 years…its never too late to start!! So if you are looking for an adventure or wanting to chart a new course for your journey – it all starts with saying yes to God….and you just never where it will lead! Hopefully we might catch up along the way!

Join us for a journey of a lifetime

I know that sensationalism sell, but if I were to determine my worth by the state of the world and what the media says, I think I just wouldn’t bother getting out of bed in the morning.

My post here may just be more noise in the daily clutter of opinion, but, just in case you find this, let me tell you something that you may not read or hear anywhere else today….

YOU ARE IMPORTANT

YOU HAVE INCREDIBLE VALUE

and who you are IS ENOUGH.

The value of 1 can sometimes get lost in the translation in market research, but you are the only ‘YOU’ there is!

You are the only one who can allow others to dictate or determine your worth. So why let what you have faced in the past or the hurdles you are yet to encounter in the future decide your value?

While clichés abound and self-help books become best sellers, remember the irrefutable fact at the heart of it. You count.

People may not tell you and advertisers may disagree, but why bother trying to be a second rate version of yourself. Go ahead, take a chance, prove them all wrong, and be the very best ‘YOU’ you can be!

Discover how to be you

I had a really life changing time when I realised that not only was it possible to hear God’s voice, but I really believe I had been hearing it all along!

The reality is, God is a communicator. He SPOKE the world into being, He inspired the Scriptures, He sent Jesus, who transformed people’s lives through his words all the time. There are stories throughout the Bible and throughout history of His constant communication. God is speaking all the time. The question is, do we believe He wants to speak to us? And are we willing to tune in to listen?

Maybe you do and you are… but you’re not sure how, so here are Five Ways to Learn to Recognise God’s Voice –

Read the Bible.

I know its the obvious one, but its so true! If you want to know what God has to say or what He sounds like, read Scriptures. The Proverbs are a great one to start with. Simple and practical for every day living. Or Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John – where the life and communication of Jesus’ time on earth is documented. The more you get to know someone, the better you understand them, and often times God will use the Scriptures to answer your questions or give you input. He has already used that way to communicate and it would be a little bit presumptuous of us to overlook the obvious, wouldn’t it?

Ask Him to speak.

And I’m not just talking about “Who will I marry?” or “Will You give me a million dollars?” When we talk to the people we care about, its with a genuine heart to build relationship, to share how we’re feeling, and to ask for input – to do life together. Start with asking God to speak to you. Let Him decide what to speak about. After all, He created you, the people around you, the world you’re in. My guess is He has a LOT He wants to share with you and a good place to start is just asking him – Will you speak to me and will you help me to know its You?

Listen.

Have you ever been to a big, loud party and tried to speak to a friend? It can be a super fun environment, but not great for conversation when you have to yell in their ear just to help them hear. Sometimes you just want to go find a quiet couch or a beautiful patio to have a heart to heart. I think God gets a bit like that with us. We have so much noise in our lives through our schedules, media, activities and even other relationships. Don’t get me wrong – all really good and important things. But while God is fully able to yell over the volume, its not always the best environment for the heart to hearts He wants to have with us. Take time to get away from the noise, practice the art of being quiet and just listen.

Read “Is That Really You God?”

There is tremendous power in stories, right? I know I get seriously motivated when I see someone else do something successfully. “Is That Really You God” is an inspiring story of a young man’s journey to learn to recognise God’s voice. What I love about it is that its not 10 Guaranteed Steps to Make God Speak, as though we could place God into a formula, but through stories, and learning to have a dynamic relationship with God where we hear from Him. Like with any relationship, being human, we are going to make mistakes in our communication with God, and this book is honest about some really challenging mistakes, while also sharing the amazing results of living a life that is dependent on leaning into God’s wisdom. Plus its short, punchy, lots of good stories and a fairly simple read.

Do a YWAM DTS

For me, a YWAM DTS was an amazing time of learning to discern God’s voice. Having a place to get quality input, practice my faith, put it into action, take some bold steps, and have leaders mentoring me along the way was a catalyst to solidify some of the things I’d grown up knowing in faith, but hadn’t quite matured in yet. Plus, I made amazing friendships and got to help care for people in the community, travel and make a real difference.

So there are a few tips for hearing God’s voice in your life. Have a go and let me know how it went, or if you have any more tips you’d add to the list!

Learn how to hear God’ voice on our Discipleship Training School

Seriously terrible.

I played a season of soccer when I was 13. We were called the Tigers, an aggressive name which only added to the irony of our shameful season and fuelled the teasing of our opponents.

I was a defender, standing at the end of the field in my bright orange knee high socks every Saturday morning, squinting my eyes closed in some sort of strange self defense mechanism every time a star player came running at me with the ball, hoping I’d somehow defend the goal and escape injury.

I didn’t succeed at either (presuming you agree that having the wind knocked out of you constitutes an injury).

We ended the season with seven losses and a tie.

So how was it then that 10 years later I found myself in a giant grass field, clutching a ball covered in black and white pentagons, staring at a group of teenagers who wanted to play soccer… With me?

Granted, they were clueless about my orange socks.

But still. Why were they here? Really?

I learned very quickly that young people – amidst their awkwardness and insecurities – have a deep desire for relationship. And for many, a game of sport is a safe outlet to find that.

I remember hearing growing up – “It’s not about whether you win or lose. It’s how you play the game.”

For a competitive person like me, that sounds like a bit of a cop-out. (And before you question how such a poor athlete could possibly be competitive now let me just say I will OWN you in Dutch Blitz. Truly. I’ve never lost…)

Seriously though – it is about whether you win or lose. We have multi billion dollar sports industries reminding us of that constantly.

But it also is about how you play the game. And not just because how you play the game determines whether you win – but because how you play a game matters to people.

Those teenagers played soccer with a girl who couldn’t kick straight if her life depended on it… Because they knew I thought they were champions… Because they could tell me what was happening at home… Because they walked away knowing a little bit more of Gods heart for them.

We are starting our Sports Discipleship Training School in April. You’ll be relieved to know I won’t be leading it. But you’d better believe I’ll be there sharing stories like this one. There are too many teenagers out there craving mentorship and friendship and input and value to let this
opportunity pass me by.

If you want to come join us use Sport to make a serious impact in the lives of teenagers, or hear more embarrassing stories from me, get in touch with my friend Matt. He’s one of
those Sports geniuses. He even played football in Texas. Doesn’t get more genuine than that. They’ll get you into the team so you can play your game well.

There’s about 13,000 teenagers here in North Queensland waiting for you.

Play your game well do our Discipleship Training School

I spent the last two weeks camping on a mountain in the Australian bush. After a two-hour drive, life suddenly changed. I was sleeping in a tent under Australian stars at a place called Hidden Valley; the opportunity of a lifetime. With no outside contact, no electronics, no watch, no mirrors…

Okay, not having a mirror was my own choice. I knew two weeks of camping would be an adventure, but I wanted to capture all I could from every last moment up in Hidden Valley. I didn’t just want an adventure; I wanted something I could take home with me: a change of perspective.

Then God challenged me to not look in a mirror for my entire time there.

I realized all of the distractions I faced in the western world centered selfishly around me. Who is texting me? How many likes did my photo get? What do I look like? It is amazing how clearly we can hear God when our focus changes from me to HIM. It sounds obvious; I think we all know this. But how well do we actually live it out?

Each day, my mind was slowly detoxed. The more I took my eyes off myself, the more they could be fixated on my Maker.

We can have an infinite desire to see life through God’s eyes, but unless we give Him our eyes to work with, we will keep seeing life through the filter of ‘me’ ‘myself’ and ‘I’.

The thing is, I always wanted to see myself through God’s eyes… but I never did anything about it. I had to give God something to work with. I had to get out of my comfort zone and do something about my desire.

The lessons that stick with you for life are the ones you go out of your comfort zone to learn.

So, I jumped out of that comfortable box. When I jumped, God also jumped out of the box I put Him in. He partnered with me in my desire to see life through His eyes. I just needed to get out of my habits, my routine, my eyesight.

However I looked when I rolled out of my tent in the morning was how I was going to confidently present myself. I had to be okay with abandoning the security and comfort that comes with putting on makeup and fixing my hair. When I stepped out of finding my security in those artificial places, the places that change all through the day, every day, I was able to step into Security that was unchanging and eternal.

All my safety nets were gone, but somehow I felt more secure these past two weeks than I have for a vast majority of my life.

God helped me look away from the outer mask I was living inside and He gently turned my eyes upon Him. When I saw Him, I saw myself.

2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, seeing the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, as in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord.”

God is the mirror we need to see ourselves in. True identity is found only by first looking at the One who gives it. If we go to mirrors first, they lie.

So I challenge you to do the same. What are you finding your security in first before you find it in God? Try going without that thing for a day, a week, a month. Just watch and see how God builds up an everlasting confidence in who you are and who you were created to be. He will move when you ask and give Him something to work with!

Ready to get your eyes off yourself and on to God? Find out about our Discipleship Training School

Prison– I have always had this idea of it being brutal, dark, and dangerous. A place filled with lost men and women who had a lot of hatred towards the world. 

Aaron was an alumni of YWAM Townsville’s 2012 October Discipleship Training School, and went on to live his passion serving the people of Micronesia with medical and training services onboard the Hawaii Aloha. He was set to go on his second deployment for the Christmas Islands this week. Two days before his scheduled voyage a severe storm grounded the Hawaii Aloha, along with several other boats in the area. The boat’s captain and three of the crew escaped with treatable injuries; Aaron was lost at sea.

Although YWAM Ships Kona is a totally separate entity to YWAM Ships Australia, our shared vision to reach isolated island communities has created strong relational ties and this incident brings tremendous sadness for all of our staff.

Ken Mulligan, Managing Director for YWAM Ships Australia extended his condolences, “This is a very sad and tragic situation. Our hearts go out to Aaron’s family, our friends serving with YWAM Ships Kona, and our many staff and alumni who knew and loved Aaron deeply.”

“We were privileged to be a part of Aaron’s life and early training in YWAM,” said Mr Mulligan. “He is an inspirational young man and he gave his life serving others. Even as we mourn, we honour and celebrate his incredible dedication to the people of Micronesia and beyond.”

President of the Republic of Marshall Islands, Christopher J. Loeak, where the Ship was soon scheduled to visit, expressed his great sorrow regarding the accident and said, “May the Lord give strength and comfort to the families and friends of Aaron and the YWAM Community.”

President Loeak also acknowledged YWAM for their ongoing work in the Islands which brought more than 3,500 health and training outcomes to Micronesia during 2014. “I would like to thank and commend YWAM for its tireless efforts in bringing much needed assistance to our islands and other parts of the world,” he said.

In the wake of tragedy, Aaron’s mother Charlene Calish shares on behalf of her son. “YWAM Ships Kona was the way Aaron chose to live out his passion and life’s mission of loving God’s people all around the world,” she said in a letter to the organization today.

Today, Hawaii Aloha should’ve been on its way to Micronesia with Aaron onboard; in the midst of loss, his family is hoping to ensure that help gets to the people Aaron cared so much about.

“We would be honored to see [Aaron’s] passion continue through the program he believed in by requesting an Aaron Bremner Memorial Fund be set up for the purpose of replacing the Hawaii Aloha ship,” Ms Calish said. “This would help bring healing to the family and cause our hearts to humbly soar.”

Those who wish to give to the Aaron Bremner Memorial Fund can do so at www.ywamships.net.

This is the first accident of its kind for any YWAM vessel around the world. An earlier release from YWAM Ships Kona said that the recovery process has been handed over to local authorities in Hawaii.

Naturform, which has specialised in landscape construction for the past ten years, led a team of over twelve people to complete a major landscaping reconstruction on the former technical college grounds. The whole project, which took two weeks to complete, involved a “backyard blitz” of everything from dirt levelling, paving & laying turf to the implementation of irrigation and electrical cabling.

Prior to leasing the Walker Street property, YWAM Townsville were operating out of a warehouse in Townsville’s West End, and while the new property will allow YWAM Townsville to majorly increase their community output, the site still requires significant work.

After attending a breakfast onboard YWAM’s medical ship, the MV Ammari, when the vessel was wharfed in Townsville earlier this year for YWAM’s Overcoming the Impossible tour, Barry Heffer, CEO of Naturform, was eager to help out.

“It was a real-eye-opener in regards to what YWAM are achieving in PNG and in Townsville. I think it’s a worthwhile endeavour to get involved in, and we’re very pleased to be a part of it,” Mr Heffer said.

“It’s a great move for the city that YWAM are taking over the technical college, especially for the young people in the city and the youth programs that are available to them through YWAM.”

YWAM Townsville’s property manager, Jared Hoover, who oversaw the construction, expressed his gratitude to Naturform for their support across the project.

“It’s been great to get the expertise and goodwill of Naturform to help deliver a good quality outcome as we transition from our former campus in the West End to the CBD. Being in the new facility will help us to expand our youth and training services quite significantly,” Mr Hoover said.

Once the renovations have been completed, YWAM Townsville are hoping to accommodate hundreds of volunteers on site, and provide a growing youth and training space right in the heart of the city.

YWAM Townsville’s medical ship work is also based out of Townsville, and the renovated site in Townsville will contribute to a greater community outreach in Papua New Guinea.

Known affectionately by the locals as “The Old Man”, Nimo has limited experience in the medical field. Nimo was born in a nearby village, and while he decided to pursue a career in forestry, he found himself back in his hometown, Topura, some thirty years later.

Nimo’s father had formerly worked at the aid post in Topura, and it was through two health workers at this post that Nimo first heard about the ambulance. Volunteers would come and drive it for two years at a time,then they would switch out. At that time, no one was driving the ambulance.

Since Nimo had learned to drive during his forestry career — and he had done quite a lot of driving — he said he would fill that position until they could find a long-term volunteer. After four years, no volunteer had been found, and Nimo was still driving.

In 2012, Nimo decided to go back to forestry. Another driver took over

the ambulance, and Nimo and his wife packed moved away. Then one day, the ambulance crashed. It was only a minor accident, but it was enough to scare the health workers. They found Nimo and begged him to return.

Being a religious man, Nimo took that as a sign from God telling him to go back, and he and his wife packed up everything again and moved back into the village. He’ll stay there until the health centre can find “another driver who’s as good as me.”

The road between Garuahi and Topura is long and rough. Oftentimes, patients have taken a long ride on a dinghy just to get from their village to the road so that the ambulance can pick them up. It’s not an easy trip, getting to a health centre. Countless mothers have delivered in the ambulance with only Nimo thereto assist. Once, he drove a man who cut his abdomen so deep that his intestines were spilling out. That same man walked himself out of the hospital a few days later. In his six years of driving the ambulance,Nimo has not once crashed and only one repair has been made on the vehicle.

Nimo has given so much back to the community. He’ll drive twenty hours straight one day and be up early the next day with a smile on his face. He’s made quite a difference in this community. I think I speak for all of the people who have had the opportunity to meet him when I say thank you, Mr. Nimo. Thank you.