These stories are used with permission from Signs Publishing Company. More of these stories can be found in these collections: Ordinary People—Extraordinary God, Ordinary People—Faithful God, and Ordinary People—Generous God

Time for mission

Married to a church worker in Papua New Guinea, I regularly ask the Lord to "take my life and lead me to someone in need, and give me the right words and actions to make a difference in lives." What a warm welcome awaited me earlier this year from the 27 women inside Buimo Kalabus (jail). Peggy was quick to show me our year-end holiday dates in Australia had been crossed off the calendar--they had been waiting for me.

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The God of comfort

We call it the "bat phone." However, its piercing ring doesn't bring a superhero. Instead, the bat phone's siren means somebody is critically ill, and will be arriving via helicopter in less than five minutes.

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To God, I love You

"Olivia doesn't want to do Bible at school this year," said Olivia's mother. "It was boring last year." "Rick isn't fussed either," said Rick's mother.

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Remembering how good it is

I remember it as a very cold and windy winter's afternoon in Melbourne. The phone rings and it's Bill on the line from Torquay.

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Needing a pastoral dispensation!

"We should be fine"--how completely wrong, yet so prophetically correct. Denis Mee Lee and I were young, second-year medical students.

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A timely conviction

"Lord, why can't I feel your presence in my life?" I cried out. It wasn't the first time I had felt like this.

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My Sabbath was a delight

Sometimes for me, Sabbath seems more work than a working day. Today, however, is different.

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Time!

This coincided with having to complete a re-accreditation process for our business, along with negotiating a new wage package with our staff. We were uncertain if the latter should be drawn up under the provisions of the then new and unpopular Australian industrial relations laws and were unsure how this would be received by the staff.

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Time for others

One resource I have had--or at least made use of--is time for others. There has been time for prayer, time for patients in my nursing days, time for my children and time for colleagues in other areas of work.

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