Stopping For The One

Experiencing how God's love transforms us to love others

Author: Steve Dixon (page 5 of 6)

Colin — a story of hope

I met Colin a few years ago when I was working in the Sydney CBD. He was one of the local homeless guys that would set up at lunchtime in their favourite spot near work.

Every homeless person has a story to tell, and Colin was no different. Life had been going along fairly normally, when he injured his back and spent months in hospital with surgeries and recuperation. By the time he left hospital, his employer had fired him and withheld all his back pay and entitlements. This left Colin without job or money or the ability to pay rent, and the promise of a difficult legal battle to claim his wages. Without any significant people around him to help out, he ended up on the streets until he could find a way to get back to work.

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Breathe
Breathe on us now
Open your mouth
And speak the word that heals this broken ground

Say
Say what you will
As we are still
And we breathe in the very breath of God.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsqq5vJ1LU4

Listening for the whisper

When I changed workplace at the end of 2014, my commute changed from sitting in seemingly-endless Sydney traffic (or standing on a train) to a pleasant drive through mostly rural areas. I was initially struck with how my daily travel changed from looking at cars and breathing in fumes to fresh air and enjoying views over green hills, cows, sheep, goats and horses (and the odd alpaca). As I drove this new route, I noticed a stretch of bush where many bellbirds were calling.

I love bellbirds. While being a little unremarkable to look at, they have a beautiful, crystalline bell-like call that carries clearly over the air. The sound of many bellbirds in the bush calling out on a clear day is something that resonates within me and reminds me of home.

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“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

— Psalm 51:10-12

You delight in showing mercy
And mercy triumphs over judgement

Stopping for the one?

Last year, our Senior Pastor had been to one of our sister churches and had heard one of their visiting speakers use the phrase “stopping for the one”. This was the first time I’d consciously heard that term, and it stood out to me. Sometimes a phrase just leaps out at you, and this one has definitely embedded itself in my mind.

For the last year I’ve been turning this over in my mind, examining it for the gold held within. I started noticing it come into use by a few speakers, but it stuck in the back of my mind and wouldn’t be silenced. I’ve been wrestling with the text — the Biblical meaning of meditation.

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A transformed heart

This afternoon, I had a tangible reminder of how much God has changed my heart.

I was heading home after a quick trip to the local stationery warehouse when I saw a woman walk up to the traffic lights to cross the street. She was thin and gaunt, with telltale marks of a long history of addiction. Her gait was awkward and unsteady, her eyes sunken, her skin and hair dried up from what looked like years of substance abuse. She was actually the spitting image of one of the meth addicts on Breaking Bad. A mere skeleton of who she was created to be.

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