I don’t want it to become that way this year! I want it to be different. This year I want to remain caught up in the wonder of my God, ever conscious of His love and grace, peace and joy. More than ever, I want to be caught up in being the person He wants me to be, and doing what He wants me to do. Not only that, I want to clarify what His vision is for me, and work towards accomplishing that.

I believe that 2012 will be a great year, a year when hopes and dreams will be fulfilled – particularly as we yield ourselves more fully to our God, and allow Him to be our Guide. With so much uncertainty all around us, of this we can sure – God is with us; He remains with us every step of life’s journey. Knowing that means that 2012 will be all that we would like it to be.

Life for me is one big adventure – as we step into this New Year, let us live it to the full in such a way that when we look back on it we will know that God is well pleased with us, and we feel satisfied with all we have accomplished.

Happy New Year! May 2012 be all you could hope for, and may the deep desires of your heart be met through our Lord and Saviour who loves us with an everlasting, amazing love!

Peace and Freedom are My Names is an inspiring account of my journey into and out of madness, a journey that was all-consuming for more than a decade.  It was an incredibly lonely, frightening experience, one that I longed to escape from, but from which there was no escape.

After having ongoing bouts of depression over the years, I was eventually diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder – also known as complex post traumatic stress disorder.  Along the way, I experienced significant anguish from family difficulties and from within the mental health sphere, as well as from churches.

However, had it not been for my strong faith in God, I would never have come through that lonely journey.

As those who’ve met would know, I did eventually emerge from that harrowing ordeal, coming to a place of peace and freedom, joy and contentment that I never thought possible.  Peace and Freedom are My Names is the story of that journey.

All it needs now is for it to be marketed appropriately …. that is one of my projects for 2012.

This year I had the privilege of going to Israel.  During that time, I experienced in a profound way more of the richness of God’s love and the gifts He has for each one of us.  I share some of those gifts with you tonight.

Visiting Bethlehem, the town where Jesus was born, and standing in the Shepherds’ Field where angels proclaimed the arrival of the Christ-child, brought a fresh awareness of the Christmas story.  I understood anew the wonder of my Lord and my God – Immanuel, God with us.

As I sat in the magnificent church on the Mount of Beatitudes, overlooking the Sea of Galilee, the words of one of the Beatitudes captured my heart:

        ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.’

This Christmas, there are those who are mourning – those who are bereaved, those with broken relationships, the loss of hopes and dreams.  To each one of you, Jesus brings His gift of comfort.  To you He gently says:

         ‘Blessed are you who mourn, for you shall be comforted.’ 

As I walked the streets of Jerusalem, where Jesus once walked, I was reminded of how He reached out to the poor and needy, those who lived on the edge of their communities.  Jesus reached out to all in need – and He does that for all of us today.  This Christmas, there are those who feel alone and lonely.  To you, Jesus brings His gifts of love and acceptance.

As I talked with Jesus in the serenity of the Garden of Gethsemane, the words of two songs came to mind:

I come to the Garden alone,

          While the dew is still on the roses

          And He walks with me,

          And He talks with me

          And He tells me I am His own

And from the touching Servant King:

          There in the garden of tears,

         My heavy load He chose to bear;

         His heart with sorrow was torn,

         ‘Yet not my will but Yours,’ He said.

There are those this Christmas who are carrying heavy loads.  To you, Jesus offers His gifts of empathy, kindness, care and compassion.  He invites you to give Him that heavy load, and receive from Him His love, joy and peace.

Christmas is a time to reflect upon the love of God, demonstrated to us through the birth of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ – our Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace  – the One who knows us intimately, loves us deeply, and who offers us Life with a capital ‘L’.

The love of God – a wonderful gift that He has given for all of us to know and experience.

In Israel I spent the first two weeks at a two-week training course to become a representative for the Christian organisation Bridges for Peace.  I learnt much about Jewish history, culture, religion, conflicts and the complexities of life in Israel.  It was informative and quite disconcerting to begin to comprehend something of the many challenges the people of Israel – Jews and Arabs – experience.

Apart from the normal life issues such as the high cost of living, high level of poverty and housing shortage, there is the persistent threat of terrorism and attack from angry Arab nations intent on annihilating this tiny nation.  Despite all that, Israelis go about their daily business, making the most of their lives.

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of life in Israel is living under the constant media attacks that bombard Israel, demonising, delegitimising, denigrating the people and those who support her.  What is reported in the media is often so far from the reality of what is happening in Israel, and is usually biassed against the Israelis.

Israel is God’s Chosen Land, and the Jews His Chosen People.  Nothing has changed that, and according to God’s Word – nothing will.

God told Abraham: ‘I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.  The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God’ (Genesis 17:7, 8).

(God) remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.  He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant: “To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit” (Psalm 105:8-11).

I received the itinerary for the two weeks training, and what an adventure and interesting time that will be.  Training covers a range of topics including cultural, religious, historical and political issues.  I have much to learn, and I know I will grow through this experience.

I have enjoyed catching up with family and friends over the past few weeks – many are sharing in the excitement of this venture and I am looking forward to keeping you all up to date with what this experience.  For the first two weeks I do not expect to have email contact, so it will be a while before I can begin contact.  I know I’ll appreciate hearing from you, too.

As I head off, I thank you for your love and encouragement, and – in advance – for your prayers.

Love and blessings, Irene.

I am preparing for my Israel venture in several ways, including getting physically fit with frequent trips to the gym.  Jerusalem is quite hilly and most people walk everywhere up hill  and down dale.  Before my trip to Egypt, Israel and Oberammergau last year I was intent on being as fit as I could be, particularly for my climb up Mt Sinai.  That drive to be fit was well worth it, given that I achieved my goal to experience the sun rise from the top of Mt Sinai – a memory that will always stay with me.   Now Jerusalem is my focus and that keeps me on track.

An important way for me to prepare for my time in Israel is to read as much as I can about the place, its people, politics and religion.  Over the past months I have read so many books – Christian, Jewish and secular – and have gained an awareness of the complexity of God’s chosen land and His chosen people.  Some of what I have read has angered me, particularly when the Church has at times been most ungodly towards God’s special people.  Some of what I have also read has challenged me to rethink my understanding of Israel, particularly as I have read passages from the Hebrew Bible – passages that I had previously set aside because of the wrong teaching I’ve had over the decades that the Old Testament is not as important as the New.  The Bible Jesus read was what we term the Old Testament.  It is rich with teachings that are so relevant for us today, teachings that Jesus expounded when He talked with His disciples.

Of the many books I’ve been reading, the one that touched me most was Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus can Transform Your Faith, by Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg.  Reading this book took me back to my time in Israel, to those places where I sensed a special touch from my Lord – on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, on the Mount of the Beatitudes, in the Garden of Gethsemane, and at the place of the Garden Tomb.  Reflecting on the teachings of Jesus has placed in me a fresh desire to live for Him and learn of Him.

At the QE2 evacuation centre, I spoke with a Red Cross worker from northern New South Wales who told me how they are developing a program to educate the community to put together a plan for future crises so they, as individuals, will be more prepared for what may happen. 

Taking this further, because of my experiences with victims of these disasters, I wonder if churches could begin to develop a plan to respond to emergencies.  The need is great, but because we have not talked about what to do in an emergency, how the church can respond, many feel helpless - particularly when they know they could do something.  If churches had a plan of action in which their people had identified any resources they could utilise to respond to a crisis, that response would have been very much appreciated.  It is something worth not just thinking about, but acting on.  No doubt there will be other disasters; we the Church – by that I mean all Christians regardless of church affiliation - need to be ready to respond so that in the midst of the heartache and helplessness, we can be a genuine expression of the love of Christ, offering much-needed practical assistance to those in such urgent need.

Over the next few days I will again be on ‘outreach’ – going out with Department of Communities’ personnel to visit people in the devastated areas to identify and respond to the issues they now face.  This is tough work – it is also something I value doing, knowing that in the midst of such heartache I can sit with these people, be with them and listen to their heart beat.  I can’t do much – but there is something quite powerful about ‘being’ with a person and somehow instilling a measure of hope, of comfort in the chaos that has descended upon them.  I go in the name of Jesus my Lord; I trust that something of His love, peace and comfort will touch these people.  I am reminded of one of my favourite passages in Scripture – 2 Corinthians 1:3-7.  In my own suffering, God gave much comfort.  I know He can comfort others in their suffering.

Our God is here, with us. He understands what is happening, and why.  He knows all about the agony of our souls, the incomprehensible heartache of those who lost loved ones, whose lives were snatched from them in the blink of an eye – and His heart breaks for everyone of them.

It is in times like this that we must turn back to Him.  He alone is our refuge and strength.  Without Him we will flounder in the sticky mud that has been left as the waters subside.

God is with us.  He says:

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. (Isaiah 43:2)

The Brisbane flood of 2011 has changed lives forever.  Regardless of how difficult these days are, how tough the future will be, God is still with us.  He will never, ever leave us or forsake us.  In times like this, it is time to turn to God – to find our hope and sustenance in Him, to know that there is Someone far greater than ourselves, our community, our government, who will be with us in the reconstruction of our lives.

With much of Queensland deluged and flooded, I went out to Emerald in Central Queensland with a Lifeline Community Recovery team.  My role was to provide psychological support to about 100 people who had been evacuated from their homes, or who could not gain access to their homes in the town centre. 

I was based at an evacuation centre set up in Emerald’s Agriculture College some distance from the flooded area.  Our accommodation was comfortable and we shared our quarters with Salvation Army and Red Cross personnel.  Despite the distressing circumstances, I found it very fulfilling knowing I could make a difference in the lives of these people, many of whom had lost so much.  I learnt, once again, the importance of simply being with a person, rather than trying to do things for them or make things better.  Just to be with a person in such a devastating time can help bring a little normality and instil a little hope in the midst of such heartache. 

More than anything else, I experienced the richness of God’s loving presence as He guided me throughout those tough days.