'I call it the society blueprint. You finish school, you get a job, you get a partner, you buy a house, children, retire. So, if you don't fit the blueprint, where do you fit in society?'

Emma is constantly faced with questions around her single life. She's also been given plenty of unwanted advice! Listen as Emma shares how she navigates society's expectations as a single person, and the hope she discovered in embracing being single.

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'I got introduced to alcohol at 16 and I found this wonderful feeling of release. I could be somebody that I always wanted to be. It became my friend.'

There are many tragic stories about the abuse of alcohol, but how does it start, and how can it change? Listen to Darryl’s story of long-term alcohol addiction and how he found transformation and hope in a higher power.

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‘Us Australians are a generous bunch, often willing to support an important cause that might bring hope in a time of need. But when it comes to financial giving, we don't always get to hear the impact that our donations really have.’

Ever wondered what really happens with humanitarian aid overseas? Listen as Sophie Gebreyes, from Lutheran World Federation, shares about Ethiopia’s country program and how generous Australians are making a world of difference in the lives of people in struggling communities.

The post Carrying Hope appeared first on Messages of hope.

Life seems to be going 100 miles an hour. People all around us seem to be suffering from burnout and stress. This isn’t something new. But what is it that causes us to feel like it’s all just getting too much? Listen to Ali and Celia chat about what gets us stressed, how we react to it, what helps us when the crisis hits and managing in the longer term.

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When love is supposed to be forever, how does it survive through illness and death?

‘There'll be swings and roundabouts. You'll be, oh, you're going fine, you know, and then suddenly you won't.’

Listen to the enduring love story of Cheryl and Trevor. Hear Cheryl share the challenge of working through Trevor’s illness and how she found hope through the loss of a life-time love.

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“It was kind of fun in the early years when he'd be gone for eight weeks at a time and he'd come back and it'd be like a new boyfriend every eight weeks. But it became tiring after a while and we realized that, if you actually expect the fresh and new each time that you're going to get disappointed.” Listen as Luke and Jo share their story of separation and what they’ve learned about their relationship and keeping the family together.

The post Life Together When Apart appeared first on Messages of hope.

What do you do when you’re away from home and you receive a phone call that there is a bushfire in your area? Listen to Richard share how bushfires affected his family and the community he grew up in. How do you pick up the pieces after the devastation of a raging bushfire? Or any devastating tragedy?

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Many farmers around Australia are experiencing a tough time because of drought. Even with all the best risk management and forward planning, we still can’t control the weather. You may not be a farmer but we all have things we can’t control. Losing a job, poor health, a death in the family. Listen as Richard chats with Tim, a farmer from the Mallee of South Australia. In times of drought where does he find hope?

The post A Farmers Life appeared first on Messages of hope.

Have you ever felt unloved and not worth fighting for? Listen as Sophie shares how she moved from feeling unworthy and unloveable to feeling connected and loved.

The post Worth Fighting For appeared first on Messages of hope.

‘New beginnings for me mean you’re leaving something and moving to something in the future you’re not quite sure about. So that can be a whole mixture of emotions.’

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