We live in a time of information explosion. There is so much to learn and so little time to read and digest everything we'd like to know. There is no best way to read but there are a great many strategies you can use. Think of them more as options rather than rules. Try them out and then decide which ones work best for you. Faster reading skills will enable you to read more in less time, have better concentration, understand material with greater depth and accuracy, retain information better and enjoy reading more. My Top Tips for Reading Non-Fiction:... Read more →

The story of what God did through a small girl who gave 57 cents to a church building fund many years ago in the city of Philadelphia is one of the most inspiring I have ever heard. It shows the power of a DREAM. If you are going to experience the power of a dream you must … Develop a vision for your life. Form a mental a picture of what the future could be. See what “could be”. See potential. It may come out of your personal experience, which may include pain. This little girl saw a church building... Read more →

A few thousand years ago, Moses said in Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom (NIV).” “Teach us to make the most of our time that we may grow in wisdom (NLT).” Moses is basically saying, “Hey, make sure you think about your life and your time, so that you live wisely and fulfil your God-given purpose. Don’t just cost along aimlessly and without sense of perspective.” One way of numbering our days is to know what time it is on the time clock of our life. Let’s think about... Read more →

Sometimes we face "Heartbreak Hill." In the Boston Marathon, there is a legendary obstacle called Heartbreak Hill. Starting at mile thirteen of the Boston race course, there are a number of hills, climaxing at mile nineteen with Heartbreak Hill. It's the longest, steepest hill in the race. What makes this hill even worse is that world-class runners "hit the wall" around mile eighteen or nineteen. That is, their bodies have depleted the glycogen stored in the muscles. That glycogen has been replaced with lactic acid. The muscles are screaming for oxygen. And when you hit the wall, you just feel... Read more →

By 7 p.m. on October 20, 1968, at the Mexico City Olympics Stadium, it was beginning to darken. It had cooled down as well. The last of the Olympic marathon runners were being assisted away to first-aid stations. Over an hour earlier, Mamo Waldi of Ethiopia had charged across the finish line, winning the 26-mile, 385-yard race looking as strong and as vigorous as when he'd started. As the last few thousand spectators began preparing to leave, they heard police sirens and whistles through the gate entering the stadium. The attention turned to that gate. A sole figure, wearing the... Read more →

One day, when Jesus and his disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking over the boat. Jesus was asleep. Matthew tells the rest of the story this way, in his Gospel (Matthew 8:25-26): The disciples went and woke him (Jesus), shouting, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. There are many 'storms' in our world today - political storms, racial... Read more →

I’m sure like me you’ve been deeply moved by the heart-breaking image of Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi washed ashore on a Turkish beach. This precious little boy is only one of thousands of children and adults who’ve perished trying to reach the safety of Europe this year alone. This tragedy represents just a tiny fraction of over 16 million Syrians in need in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Syria itself. That’s equivalent to almost three-quarters of Australia’s population. World Vision staff are on the ground providing life-saving aid to Syrian families fleeing conflict, including food, clean... Read more →

“We need to regularly stop and take stock; to sit down and determine within ourselves which things are worth valuing and which things are not; which risks are worth the cost and which are not. Even the most confusing or hurtful aspects of life can be made more tolerable by clear seeing and by choice.” ~ Epictetus (AD 55-135) "I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guard post. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint. Then the Lord said to me, 'Write my answer (the vision... Read more →