Next Wednesday, Pastor Syd and I will be heading to Darwin with a group of our senior students for this year’s mission trip. While we are there students will have opportunities to share God’s love in the local community as they both teach and serve. Each year we tailor our program around a theme, story, …
Delivering a Message of Hope – This Year’s Mission Trip Read More »
This week, I’m on year five camp. One of our main teaching points for the students centres around developing leadership skills. The focus of my graduate studies has been on spiritual leadership, so I’ve spent considerable time thinking about what makes a great leader. One of the lesser-mentioned leadership skills in my experience is adaptability. …
Being a College Pastor means that I am often required to stand in front of people and speak, sing, dance, act…, you get the idea. And whilst I’ve done this more times than I can count, without fail, every single time, a flood of irrational worries and nerves come upon my body. All of a …
“Embracing Authenticity: Overcoming Fear of Others’ Opinions and Embracing God’s Truth” Read More »
Who’s excited about the FIFA Women’s World Cup? If you’re any bit like me you are watching every bit of footage that you can. It is just permanently on in my house. I’m a dual citizen of Australia and the United States so I have two squads to cheer for. However, with Australia and New …
Last week I was sick. I’m still battling a killer cough and a bit of a stuffy nose which is annoying more than anything. Being sick is a universal human experience. How we react to it is very different depending on what kind of person you are. I found a funny video this week that …
Four things God wants to teach us when we’re sick Read More »
Recently as I was doing some research for a chapel message on hope when I came across a story that was so powerful I just had to share it. It is the story of how God transformed Ashley Smith’s life from one of hopelessness into one of hope through the most unlikely of circumstances. Growing …
From Hopelessness to Hope: The Transformative Story of Ashley Smith Read More »
Once upon a time in the Glassy-Valleys lived Lucinda, an imaginative schoolgirl with a passion for painting. As she approached the end of her primary school years, Lucinda’s parents were delighted by her enthusiasm for art. One day, on her way home from school, Lucinda stumbled upon a small creature nestled in the bushes near …
Over the past few weeks, I have been flooded with memories of my time spent at Glasshouse Christian College as a child. It’s hard to believe that it has been ten years since I walked these grounds as a student, and now I have the privilege of returning to a place I love as one …
Trusting God’s Plans: Journey from Childhood Memories to Ministry Read More »
I’ve got two children. A daughter in year four at GCC and a son that is three years old that has pre-enrolled. Our children are approximately six years apart. As you can imagine they do not always see eye to eye, especially about what goes on the television. However, they both agree on one show: …
It’s terrible to assume something is impossible because it’s extraordinary. The first heart transplant is a milestone in the history of medicine that took place on December 3, 1967. The groundbreaking surgery was performed by Dr Christiaan Barnard at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. The recipient was a 55-year-old grocer, Louis Washkansky, …
At lunchtime, on Wednesdays, a group of Middle School students gather in the pastor’s Lifehouse to learn more about God and his love for them. This term we’ve been looking at a series called Reckless Love by Next Step Ministries. Throughout this study, we have heard the testimonies of people who have had their …
Setting out on a journey is not always what you expect it to be. The first school week of 2023, I spent with lovely Year 11 students at Mount Tamborine’s Thunderbird Park on the Gold Coast. This will be one of the final camps of their school career. This is the year where the results …
When I look back on my time as the College Pastor in the Primary school, I am reminded of a few key things: Firstly, how fast time flies! I am constantly reminded of this when I bump into Secondary students and see how much they have grown since I knew them in Primary, and I …
I have two kids. JJ is six months old and puts everything in his mouth. Sienna is two and let’s just say she can be a picky eater. If we try to feed her something that she hasn’t tried before it is an absolute mission to get her to try it. We’re talking tears and …
No, it’s not a joke. These are three characters or rather three aspects of one character from our Christmas play that was performed this week in our Middle and Primary Chapels. The dramatisation was a reinterpretation of events that took place 2,000 years ago and still gives us reason to look forward to the end …
A Wolf, an Innkeeper and a Christian walk into GPAC Read More »
A Year five student drew me a portrait of what she thought Jesus might look like. Perhaps it was her way of starting a conversation about Jesus. Maybe she needed to gauge my reaction to see if I recognised Jesus in her drawing. Would I scrunch up my nose and say, ‘That’s not Jesus’? Or, …
You know the scenario: You made it through the end-of-school line of cars to pick up your darling child, they toss their backpack in the boot and collapse in the car in a heap. You turn to them expectantly and ask them, “how was your day?” to which you get the response, “fine”. Maybe you …
10 questions that are better than, “How was your day?” Read More »
Go into all the world and preach the Gospel (Mk 16:15) In the first week of this term, the College Pastors took a team of 8 students ranging from years 10,11 &12 to Agnes Water on a Mission Trip. We did not choose Agnes because we think we are any better than the people who …
Is this the real life?Is this just fantasy?Caught in a landslide,No escape from realityOpen your eyes,Look up to the skies and see… Once your brain is finished singing, let’s discuss something important, it’s ok I’ll wait…. These lyrics hit home hard for many of us. Maybe it’s because it’s a really catchy tune. Maybe it’s …
I laughed out loud reading my Bible recently. Matthew 7:3-5 is Jesus’s best joke. Jesus is something of a comedian at this moment. Every comedian has a manifesto for the type of comedy they perform. The likes of Stephen Colbert often have something to say about politics through comedy. Jerry Seinfeld makes a big deal …
One of my roles as a College Pastor is to support students when they’re struggling in life. There are many reasons why students struggle and it’s not always the result of something big happening. Sometimes it can be the combination of a lot of little things causing them to feel overwhelmed. A change in your …
Have you ever wondered if you control your phone or if your phone controls you? …some researchers have estimated that an average person will have scrolled the equivalent height of the Burj Khalifa (i.e., the tallest building in the world) in a week, and Mount Everest in a year. …an average person will likely perform …
The thing that does everything History won’t forget the Apple Keynote event of 2007 when the first iPhone was unveiled. Steve Jobs teases the world with promises of, ‘Three revolutionary products.’ The first is a widescreen iPod with touch controls. The second is a revolutionary mobile phone. The third is a breakthrough internet communications device. …
On Tuesday, 16 August all of the Senior and Middle School took a stand against human trafficking. In both Chapel services, students stood rather sitting to recognise those around the world that face this horrible situation every day. Students and staff also purchased t-shirts and gave monetary donations in order to rescue one girl. The …
Every year, we have the privilege of being a part of an interdenominational church service where we gather with other Christian faith-based schools on the Sunshine Coast, with a different school hosting the service each year. This year it was GCC’s turn to host, and on Wednesday 17 August we had the opportunity to welcome …
GCC hosts Sunshine Coast Interschool Ecumenical service Read More »
Following a recent visit from Destiny Rescue, our faith and community leaders decided they wanted to help. Established in 2001, Destiny Rescue is a not-for-profit charity that is dedicated to rescuing children from sexual exploitation and trafficking. Children from poor families are being taken from their parents with the promise of a better life …
The first time anyone asked me to catch up for a coffee was when I was fourteen. At that age, my drink of choice usually consisted of a milkshake or can of soft drink. But catching up with an adult from church over a coffee at a cafe felt like a rite of passage into …
I want to tell you a short story about a man who I’ve actually been thinking about a lot these last few weeks. Peter Van Beek was born on 10 March 1934 in the Netherlands. In 1970 Peter and his wife Margarethe settled in Australia with their three sons. Peter and Margerethe spent most of …
This headline recently appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald after a Blue Mountains Grammar school student collapsed and had a seizure in the school toilets while vaping. The occurrence happened as a result of inhaling a massive dose of nicotine. What is Vaping? For those who don’t know, Vaping is the term used when aerosol …
Student collapses while VAPING in school toilets due to massive nicotine dose Read More »
What’s the meaning of life? Why do I exist? Why does anyone exist? What difference can I really make? If you’ve heard questions like these from your teenager, it would be understandable to think that they are slipping into a state of depression. But there’s no need to stress. This is a normal process that …
Parents often approach me with the problem, “My child is addicted to gaming, how do I make it stop?” First off, what is gaming addiction? Is it a real thing? In 2018, Gaming disorder whether online or offline was included in the latest edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as a clinically significant …
Will they pick on me for my shoes? Why do I never get chosen for the “good” team? What do I have to do to get them to like me? Have you ever heard questions like these from a teenager you know? If you answered yes, then it’s likely that your teenager is struggling with …
Who am I if I don’t qualify for the basketball team? What will my friends say if I admit I’m struggling with my mental health? Climate change is such a huge issue, how can what I do make a difference? If you’ve ever had anything to do with teenagers or want to be equipped for …
I wonder how many of you have considered questions like: why am I here, is there more to life than this, who is Jesus and what evidence is there that he really existed? These are just a few of the questions that are explored throughout the Youth Alpha series. Over the past few weeks, the …
At the end of Term 1, many of the Senior students went on their camps some to Burleigh, some to Noosa and others to Moreton Island. I was fortunate enough to be included with the Year 10s to Moreton. I quickly saw why most of the kids that graduate GCC see it as their favourite …
It seems like we have had quite the year so far, haven’t we? It seems like just as we have been slowly emerging from ongoing COVID restrictions, there were the impacts of the floods on communities in Queensland and NSW, which led to more school closures. On top of all of this, we see the …
There was much excitement in Chapel this week as we celebrated both having the ability to meet together for the first time this year and Harmony week. Every student was given a glow stick before entering a darkened auditorium as the Chapel band played the song Let the light in. Some of the elements incorporated …
After a couple of tours of isolation, once for flying overseas and once for contracting the virus that I tried my best to avoid for the last two years, it is easy to see why we’re designed to do life in community. I dislike shopping for food online, everything is delivered in unfamiliar brands, sizes …
With every new year, the College chooses a different verse of scripture to focus on. The verse for 2022 comes from the Gospel of John. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. This verse is spoken while …
As a Pastor, I am always grateful for opportunities to see growth in our students. Unlimited is one of the programs the College pastors have run for the past two years with the whole of Year 8. During the course of the Unlimited program, we get the chance to see incredible growth. In fact, that’s …
In Book Week, the College Pastors wanted to raise the profile of the most important book of all in our College community. Partnering with our Student Voice body and the Bible Society, we raised money to fund Bibles going overseas. We were inspired by the story of Brother Andrew, a Polish Christian who smuggled Bibles …
Your child has an amazing opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children they have never met. Our Primary School students this year have been learning about “Love in Action” in Chapels. We have learned about different ways that they can practically show love in action to others. In order to enhance their …
Primary School shows love in action through child sponsorship Read More »
How do bush dancing, magic tricks, snorkelling and God bringing down city walls by trumpet blasts and people’s shouts go together? These are just a few of the things this year’s team got to do on our recent ministry trip to 1770. Last week, 11 of our Senior students Pastor Syd, his wife Terry, Pastor …
Isaiah Chapter 43 has been a bible passage I have been reading for some time. Sometimes you find a gem in God’s word that really seems to nail what you are thinking or experiencing, and this has been the case for me. In it God reminds us that no matter what we face in life …
Are you fed up with the amount of screen time your child engages with? Are they constantly on Netflix? Have you ever stopped to think about the power in some of this screen time as a powerful teaching tool? Children rarely appreciate being lectured in life lessons. But they are far more likely to absorb …
Life seems to be full of transitions. We change careers, houses, fitness regimes and vehicles. Some changes are easy and seamless, but others are quite challenging or difficult. At GCC it is no different, there are transitions that happen from Primary to Middle School and again to Senior School and then after school. One of …
Apart from being a whole lot of fun, ministry trips help students step out in faith as they minister to others and grow in character through serving others. Thanks to Covid our ministry trips to Fiji seem to be a thing of the past at least for now. However, this year we are really excited …
Kay-od mee-leh foyle-cha! [céad míle fáilte] Mine Croyceo y bawb! [Mae ‘na groeso i bawb] Welcome to Harmony Day! I just welcomed you here in three different languages [the first version is a phonetic version to help you pronounce it] because they all represent cultures that are part of my identity. I have an English …
Have you heard the grumbling about Christmas yet? How much it costs! Whether to invite Auntie so and so to Christmas lunch or not, because last year she upset so many people! How on earth you can fit in all the extra Christmas events into your already busy schedule! I want to revisit the first Christmas …
This past week at GCC we had a very special Chapel centering on Jesus’ birth found in the Gospel of Matthew 1:18-2:12. The Chapel will probably be forever remembered as the ‘Camel Chapel’. You see three real-live camels and their handlers (wise men) led all Middle and Senior School students into a very special outdoor …
