How big an issue is abortion in our society?  Who does it affect and how do they deal with it?  Liz Preston has devoted her life’s work to thinking about this topic and helping women facing unplanned and crisis pregnancies.  In this episode, she talks with Tori Walker about how she and her husband got involved in this work, the type of counselling and support that Priceless House is involved in, and shares some of the stories of the men and women she has helped.

EPISODE NOTES:

Liz Preston and her husband Graham were planning to head overseas to be involved in mission work, but when that door closed, they became involved in supporting women facing unplanned pregnancies – a work that Liz has been doing since 1966.  Liz has contributed an enormous amount to this work through the Priceless Life Centre in Brisbane. 

How big an issue is abortion in our society?  Who does it affect and how do they deal with it?  Liz Preston has devoted her life’s work to thinking about this topic and helping women facing unplanned and crisis pregnancies.  In this episode, she talks with Tori Walker about how she and her husband got involved in this work, the type of counselling and support that Priceless House is involved in, and shares some of the stories of the men and women she has helped.

A note from Tori:

This episode is a bit of a difficult one because it covers a really tricky topic, and that’s the topic of abortion. We chatted to Robyn Bain about the issue in Episode 26, and we were really chatting a lot about the theology of abortion as well as her work in thinking through a practical response – really from a big picture perspective. In today’s episode, we talk with Liz Preston, who has been on the ground working for an organisation called Priceless Life, which is in Southeast Queensland. Liz has so much experience and so much warmth and I know that the people who are counselled by her or who are trained as counsellors with the organisation really benefit from her experience and her humility. It just comes out so much in how she talks about this issue and the kind of people that she loves as she shares the hope that they can have and the options that they have in the future with their unwanted pregnancy. I say that it’s a difficult topic because I know that some people may have been really closely affected by this issue. But there are words for you in this episode, so if you think you can handle it, I think it’s a good one to listen to. Liz talks about how she and her husband got involved in this work and how God was at work in closing a door to open up what has really becomes such an important work for them. She also talks about some of the barriers that people face when they do have an unexpected or unplanned pregnancy. And also the hope that she has both for people that she counsels but also for our society and for the work that she does.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Priceless House – www.pricelesshouse.org.au

How big an issue is abortion in our society?  Who does it affect and how do they deal with it?  Liz Preston has devoted her life’s work to thinking about this topic and helping women facing unplanned and crisis pregnancies.  In this episode, she talks with Tori Walker about how she and her husband got involved in this work, the type of counselling and support that Priceless House is involved in, and shares some of the stories of the men and women she has helped.

SHOW SNIPPETS:

"(re: the issue of abortion) In a way, we’ve all become complicit and now we just don’t know what to do with it."

"We all have a sense deep down that there’s something rather unpleasant about abortion."

"We do know that people have been significantly helped by a phone conversation."

"They are not going to be willing to sort things through with someone they don’t think gets it."

"I don’t know anywhere else or anyone else where we can find such truth and love than in Jesus."

"We didn’t do a lot in some ways, but obviously our support at that time had meant a lot to her."

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Karen is the co-founder and CEO of the ISeeU Trust. Listen as she shares how growing up in Apartheid South Africa led her to long to help marginalised young women succeed in a world that is hostile to their circumstances. Karen's gratitude to the saving grace of God leads her to share her joy in caring for others, whether her own family, the many couples that she and her husband, Hugo, have taken through premarital counselling, or the young women she and her Trust partner, Haley, have mentored over the past few years. 

EPISODE NOTES:

Karen Nelson is married to Hugo and together they have four children. Karen began her working life as a lawyer and lobbyist. Growing up in a marginalised community within the context of an Apartheid South Africa, Karen was determined to be self-sufficient and she was eager to contribute towards a changing nation. While her work challenged her, it also took her away from home enough to cause her to take pause and ask the tough questions that many mums find themselves facing. With much prayer, wise counsel and evaluation of her family’s own needs, Karen made the difficult choice to set her career aside for the sake of the health of her family. She says that God has used her children to empty, humble, shape and refine her.

Through them, I have seen the hidden places in my heart where I most need God to shine His light.

In time, Karen started to feel more and more burdened for the many young women living in marginalised communities around Cape Town. Her concerns actioned her and fellow founder of the ISeeU Trust, Haley, to begin their non-profit organisation. ISeeU works to up-skill teenage girls and provide them with opportunities to see themselves through the eyes of God: deeply loved by Him, with God-given potential and great value.

Karen finds Genesis 16:13 particularly comforting, especially in the light of the work she does with young women through the ISeeU Trust: “She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.”

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• The ISeeU Trust: www.iseeu.org.za

SHOW SNIPPETS

"I tend to be a control freak. I want to organise my life to the nth degree. And in that process, I often leave no space for God. It’s become very clear to me over the years that actually the best place for me to be, even in the midst of a storm, is his will for me at that point."

"By God’s grace, these girls will become role models in their families, in their communities. And my dream was actually that you’re starting a little revolution in that street, in that little block, in that rundown flat or apartment block with these girls becoming role models."

"One of the ways we can support them is just to say that you don’t have to make the perfect decision. You just have to keep moving. And the road is littered with detours. But those detours often are where you learn."

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Recorded at a live event, Hannah Begg shares with women in North Brisbane, Queensland about her genuine struggles with God over the deep darkness in this world. Interviewed by Nicky Wilton, Hannah explains how she grappled with heavy questions around the brokenness of our world and how she came to the conclusion that the gospel profoundly answered her deepest questions and struggles, allowing her to find comfort in God's anger.

EPISODE NOTES:

Hannah Begg is a young woman in her 20s. Until recently she worked as an occupational therapist in Brisbane. She now works and lives in the UK. While she grew up in a loving Christian home, she found herself grappling with the brokenness of the world. Her journey to having a real, honest relationship with God included many deep and confronting questions and struggles with what she believed to be true.

In her quest to reconcile the God she worshipped with the darkness of this world, Hannah found uni to be a healthy part of the journey, by mixing with people who challenged her thinking. It was during this time that the gospel ultimately profoundly answered her deepest questions and struggles with trusting God. 

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

This is Amazing Grace by Phil Whickham

SHOW SNIPPETS:

“I think I felt quite terrified that there was this darkness was in the world. I knew the world was broken, but I felt like I was saying to God, “Is it really this broken? Like, this is really bad?”

“I wasn’t sure if God could understand how I was feeling.”

“I was trying to reconcile the God that I knew with the darkness that I was confronted with. I needed to know if He was there as well.”

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Sue Duke counts herself blessed that her youth was saturated in Jesus through the faithful teaching and relationships of others, allowing her to grow in her understanding and love of Christ year on year. In this episode, Sue shares honestly about the fears she has as she faces a year of challenges that includes caring for an elderly mum and her family who have all experienced great trauma in the past 18 months. She also shares stories of trusting God even in the midst of personal weakness.   

EPISODE NOTES:

While Sue counts raising her children in Christ as her biggest ministry, she also serves her home church family, Tokai Community Church, in Cape Town, South Africa in various ways, including serving on the women’s ministry team, opening her home to bible study ministry, and closely loving and supporting a missionary family.  Sue is married to Kevin and they have three children, 17, 15 and 11 years old.

Education has been a big part of her working and home life, starting out with over a decade as a maths and English teacher and switching over to the role of a home-educating mum for the past 17 years. Books also form an integral part of her Christian walk and she takes courage from the stories of others who have faced trials of many kinds. Ultimately, however, Sue is grateful that it is the Word of God that forges her path and thinking.

After a year of great sadness, it is no surprise that one of her favourite verses is Philippians 4: 6 – 7:  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

In this episode, Sue mentions two books that have encouraged her in this year. Both detail the lives of extraordinary women serving Christ in extraordinary circumstances. Sue speaks of being encouraged by the work of God’s grace in their lives and their commitment to continue to serve Christ through great tragedy and heartache.

Daring to Hope, by Katie Davis Major

Joni and Ken, by Joni Erickson

At the end of this episode, there is mention that you can win a beautiful devotional book this Christmas called A Jesus Christmas, by Barbara Reaoch. You can read a review here on The Gospel Coalition, Australia.  Head to The Lydia Project’s Facebook page to find out how you can win. CONTEST CLOSED.

SHOW SNIPPETS:

"God has carried us through hard times … We still have a road to travel … I have moments of fear… But then you look back and you see where God has taken you and how he has helped with seemingly insurmountable problems all those years ago and you have to just trust that he has been faithful in the past and he will be faithful in the future – whether or not our prayers are answered the way we want them to be."

"We had a very tough year, and walking an elderly parent through death and bereavement has been a challenge. Just all the decisions and complexities and heartaches of that stage of life … no one really has any answers … that is a new phase of life for us."

"The best part has been working on a committee with other women who are passionate about where God has placed them, being involved in the lives of the women at our church."

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Amanda Stoker entered Federal politics in 2018 and works hard to give voice to her convictions. In this episode, she talks with host Tori Walker about her faith in Christ, freedom of speech, the role of families and the democratic process in Australia.

EPISODE NOTES:

Amanda Stoker didn’t start out her career as a lawyer with the view to become a Member of the Australian Parliament. Yet, it was with a growing concern for her country that brought Amanda to make the decision that sees her representing Queensland in the Australian Senate today.

Prior to her role in the Senate, Amanda spent many years serving as a lawyer in varying capacities, including serving as a Commonwealth prosecutor and as a judge’s associate in the Supreme Court of Queensland.

Amanda is married to Adam and together they have three daughters.

SHOW SNIPPETS:

"Freedom of speech matters because if we restrict the things we can speak about we are only a generation away from restricting our ability to think."

"Freedom of speech is absolutely core to future-proofing our country."

"Of course there are limits [to free speech]. The question for our time is where we draw that line."

 "Universities are supposed to be places where all ideas are in bounds and we can be the most creative with our thinking, and yet these are now places where some speakers are no longer welcome because their views challenge the post-modernist identity politics orthodoxy.  They are supposed to be the protectors of intellectual freedom and freedom of speech and [yet] they are abandoning the cause of standing up for people whose ideas may be a little different. This process takes away the resilience of current students … they become [our future leaders]."

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From miscarriage to mentorship: Kristie shares how losing her first child in miscarriage led her and her husband to the foot of the cross. Kristie's work in church ministry, alongside her husband, Thabiti, has equipped her with life experience and biblical knowledge that has her passionate about the Bible and passionate about mentoring. She is particularly encouraged when women mentor other women in a way that leads them to a deeper relationship with God and a better understanding of His word. This passion has also led her to publish a devotional on Psalm 119 written solely by women of colour. Listen here as Kristie shares her journey.

EPISODE NOTES:

Kristie Anyabwile remembers saying evening prayers every night by her bedside with her grandma. Her grandma was her first Christian influence, but it was only years later, as a newly-married woman suffering the trauma of a recent miscarriage, that Kristie came to truly understand who Jesus was. From the time she and her husband were first rocked by the gospel message they heard on television until this day, Kristie continues to live in the light of that same gospel. Three kids and a few moves later, Kristie’s ministry in the Lord revolves around her family; Anacostia River Church in southeast Washington where she disciples and teaches women in her church, and joyfully supports her husband of 28 years, Thabiti, as he pastors the church; and the work of the Charles Simeon Trust – an organisation that seeks to equip lay folk with Bible reading and teaching skills.  Close to her heart is the practice of women mentoring other women. In this interview, Kristie speaks about what that can look like.

Kristie also shares about the recently released devotional she was privileged to see through from conception to reality.  “His Testimonies, My Heritage: Women of Color on the Word of God is a collection of devotions by a diverse group of women of colour—African-Americans, Hispanic, Caribbean, and Asian women. Contributors include Kristie Anyabwile, Jackie Hill-Perry, Trillia Newbell, Elicia Horton, Christina Edmondson, Blair Linne, and more. It is a faithful exposition of Psalm 119 and incorporates each contributor’s cultural expression both within the teaching and as they bring the word of God to bear on their lives. Readers will be thrilled and encouraged by hearing God speak through his word as it is expounded by these faithful women teachers, and they will long for more.”*

ENDORSEMENTS:

His Testimonies, My Heritage: Women of Color on the Word of God

“A rich collection of wise, talented voices. My soul has been refreshed by this timely reminder of God’s kind and gracious provision for his people through his word. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that so emphasized the sufficiency and relevancy of Scripture for today’s problems. – KATE MOTAUNG, Author, A Place to Land: A Story of Longing and Belonging; Co-Author, Influence

“His Testimonies My Heritage is an edifying book. What the essayists in this collection have in common are two things: they are all women of color, and they all write out of deep and moving experience of joyfully coming under the authority of holy Scripture.” – D.A. CARSON, President, The Gospel Coalition

“This book is like entering a type of class reunion, where the various shades of skin are beautifully enveloped in the exact same grace blanket. I feel comfortable and in very good company. Our Father doesn’t ignore our context or race-linked struggles when speaking to us about his testimonies, and he soothes us through each other. I invite you to join my sisters and be encouraged and uplifted by looking at his eternal truth through these eyes.” – AIXA DE LOPEZ, Author; Speaker; Board Member, Christian Alliance for Orphans

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• The Revenge of Conscience, by J. Budziszewski

SHOW SNIPPETS:

"I guess part of it is just hoping that we would open our eyes a little bit more in our local context and see who God has placed right in front of us, and that we would take the steps and the initiative to learn from one another."

"I didn’t notice that there is so much that I learn from older women in my life by them just talking to me and telling me about their life."

"She was the kind of person who, just in normal conversation, was pouring out wisdom that she did not even recognise."

"All of us, in the body of Christ, can only (but) benefit when we learn from someone outside of our own culture."

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Why should Christians care about art? Does God care about art? How can art be used to express Christian truth to today's post-Christian Western society? Join Tori Walker in conversation with Jen Logan to hear her fascinating answers to these questions.

EPISODE NOTES:

Jen Logan came to Christ in her early 20s. She trained and worked in the area of social work in Australia before moving to England. There she studied at the London School of Theology and King’s College London. One of Jen’s main focuses this year is as director and conceptual and visual lead for Fer, an initiative that produces creative, theologically inspired projects that communicate explicitly or implicitly the Christian narrative and worldview through art and apply it deeply to the whole of life today. Jen lives in a hyper-local Christian community in the heart of London with her husband, David, and their two children: daughter, Aoife, and son, Tate.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Fer – “a collaborative project following the tradition of art used as a theological medium; as an instinctive mode for communicating the faith.”

SHOW SNIPPETS:

(Regarding the problem of evil) "… everything else did not feel like the solution was as weighty as the problem. Whatever the solution was, it seemed to me that it did need to come from outside of ourselves. I could not be the source of my own enlightenment."

"The beauty and wonder of the person of Christ is pretty hard to go past for anyone who has given him serious attention."

"If you go through the deep history of Christianity, art has always been such a key player in the communication and expression of the Christian Faith and theology."

"Even beyond the text of the Bible we see so much art involved. Beginning with creation … even in the description of the way God created is art in itself. It’s a poem of the act of creation."

"Ritual is an art form … the routine, the daily obedience of breaking bread … sometimes feels boring … but I find those things are more transformational for me than the big wow inspirational moment."

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Trauma, Counselling and Youth Ministry - Kerry explores how all three of these topics, centred around God's Word, have shaped her understanding of God and how we live our lives in response to Him. In this way, Kerry has found herself better equipped to teach the Bible, to counsel others and to serve in a youth ministry that builds deep relationships and teaches teens exegetic skills in reading and understanding the Bible.

EPISODE NOTES:

Kerry was born in Cape Town, South Africa to her parents, Rog and Les Palmer. They served in uni ministry at the University of Cape Town during her formative years. Kerry studied at George Whitefield Theological College in Cape Town during her first few years of marriage. After completing her studies, she worked in uni ministry while also serving alongside her husband, Craig, in his role as a pastor at St James, Kenilworth. Their focus was on youth and young adult ministry, with a particular emphasis on training others in Bible reading and teaching skills. Today, Kerry, Craig and their three children find themselves celebrating their 10th year at Westminster Presbyterian Church Bull Creek, in Perth, where Craig serves as lead pastor.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• No Guts, No Glory, by Ken Moser, Ed Vaughan and Al Stewart

SHOW SNIPPETS:

"Terrorists came to our church that night with their AK47s and their bombs … By the time they left, there were 11 people dead and 50 people injured. That was a point where I thought I really needed to make sure that Christianity is true.  I didn’t understand. If God loves me and my church family, why he would let this happen? I started questioning if there even was a God."

"He asked us, “If you believe that God’s word is truly powerful, why are you entertaining teenagers? Why don’t you just let the lion out of its cage? Let the Bible do its work!”"

"Our youth ministry started to turn around when we started teaching teenagers the Bible – it was a remarkable thing to have Bible teaching front and centre."

"I’ve spoken to people over the years about the very real and awful things that have happened to them. But when I talk to them about their stories and I hit something particularly traumatic, I end up seeing something that happens over and over again. Their response to this deeply traumatic event is to minimise it in some way. “Yeah well, you know, other people have had worse things happen.” It is something quite jarring given what they’ve just told me."

"Human beings do not want to feel helpless in the face of radical evil. They want to be able to save themselves. If evil truly is as terrifying as what they’ve just experienced, they will feel helpless and vulnerable. They don’t want to feel like that because if they’re helpless and vulnerable they won’t be able to save themselves. I think our default setting is that we don’t want a Saviour. We want to save ourselves. So we tell ourselves a lie; a parallel story. We tell ourselves a different version of the events that took place so that we don’t have to be afraid or we don’t have to face how radically evil our experience is."

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Immigration guilt, homeschooling, a difficult diagnosis, writing a novel - these are some of the things that Taryn Hayes shares with Tori Walker, host of The Lydia Project: Conversations with Christian Women. Join Tori as she welcomes Taryn to her dining room table to chat about living in the light of the gospel. Keep listening to hear the easter egg at the end!

EPISODE NOTES:

Taryn and her family moved to Brisbane, Australia from Cape Town, South Africa in 2017, due to her husband's job transfer. Taryn's day job consists of homeschooling their four kids and ferrying them to sports and activities, however she also makes time for small group church ministry, writing, reading, and connecting with people in various ways.

In 2019, Tori asked Taryn to join the The Lydia Project: Conversations with Christian Women podcast team. Eager to exercise her creative muscles, Taryn agreed to be involved in the background, but was soon roped into doing some interview work too. Reluctant at first, given her lack of interviewing experience or confidence, Taryn has come to love this part of the job for how it allows her to connect with others and hear, first hand, their stories of how they came to trust Jesus and how He is working in their lives. 

In her spare time, Taryn enjoys creating memorable moments for her family, writing for various online platforms including The Gospel Coalition, Australia and spending time with friends and family. She hopes to get to bigger writing projects in the future and continues to pray for opportunities to grow in her love and understanding of God's Word. 

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Home Church in Cape Town: St James Church, Kenilworth (Reformed Evangelical Anglican Church in South Africa)

SHOW SNIPPETS:

"From that point onwards, I understood assurance in a growing sense."

"Here I am at 42, still so often on my knees saying,  “Oh,Lord, I am so glad that I don’t have to work out my salvation, and that you have saved me because I’m really bad at this obedience thing!”"

"We fell head over heels in love with each other, and everything that comes with, just you know, teenage romance: not thinking carefully about physical boundaries and getting embedded in that very deep, very intense relationship to the exclusion of many other relationships. So, a lot of lack of wisdom. But, God, in His incredible grace kept us, and six years after we met, we got married and we’ve been married for 20 years."

"Initially I thought homeschoolers were nuts! I thought they were crazy and felt so sorry for poor children who are homeschooled because I imagined that they would be stuck inside all day; they wouldn’t get to socialise; they would be socially awkward; they would grow up to be people who would have a very limited understanding of the world. Basically every stereotype many think people think about homeschoolers, I thought, with enormous amounts of judgement."

"My advice to new homeschoolers always is answer (critical questions) with oodles amounts of grace and admit that before we started homeschooling that these were my concerns too, but this is how we’ve solved it."

"It (homeschooling) does mean putting a lot of my passions on hold. I love to write. I have discovered, through having written my own book, that to do that requires enormous amounts of time because once I'm in the zone, that's all I want to do. I want to live, breathe, eat, sleep the book. I don't want to be a mum. I don't want to be a wife. I want to just write. And I know I can't repeat that until my kids are grown."

"The marketing is soul-sapping … you as an author have to self-promote. It’s putting yourself in a space that is not comfortable at all. I’m fearful, if I’m honest, to wade back into that world."

"I will never forget the look on Murray, my brother-in-law’s face when he came out to tell me… he looked ashen. I just knew that something was wrong."

"For a whole week we didn’t know and there was a possibility that it was cancer. Everyone was skirting around that without saying the C word. There was a lot of uncertainty and concern."

"It was a very very traumatic time. But it was a time where we sensed enormous amounts of peace as well. That sense of people’s prayers carrying us was felt, very supernaturally … although we did have fear and we did cry, sob, worry, undergirding that was a sense of the most enormous amounts of peace."

"ldquo;She on her own, as an 11-year-old, came to the conclusion, “why not me?"

"It’s one thing entertaining an idea, it’s another thing when it becomes something you have to make a decision about."

"Along with our move (to Australia) has been a lot of immigration guilt."

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Kylie talks with Tori about ministry in the form of pastoring and coaching. She explains the difference between coaching and counselling. Her passion is to help Christian leaders take the next step.

EPISODE NOTES:

Kylie has served as pastor, leader and coach with many organisations. Kylie’s passion is to help Christian leaders take the next step.  She is a Professional Certified Coach and has a Cert IV in Business Coaching, a Diploma in Christian Leadership Coaching and she has studied Business at Monash University, Theology at ACOM and her Masters (in Church Practice) through Eastern College Australia. Kylie is married to Adam and has 2 children (Toby and Lily). They live in Melbourne, Australia.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Christian Coaching Institute: www.christiancoachinginstitute.com.au

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