Gary Grant

We are all going through some pretty tough stuff right now, this pandemic is messing with all of our heads at some point or the other, there is no denying it. Most of us have never seen anything like this ever before. A few years back I was at the ICO in London  for a 6 week stint of blessing. It was one of the amazing experiences in my life so far.  In that time I was like a duty officer and as a result of that, I  tried to care for those around me. On one occasion one of our group from Africa became very ill..... I wont go into all the detail but we found ourselves at hospital with him and trying to work out what was wrong for him. That night at the hospital a nurse was on duty helping...she shouldn’t have been there, it was a double shift or something, but she was there and it just so happened she came from the same African country that our ICO officer did. Was able to communicate easily with him in his native tongue. They sorted it.... but she told us later, that if h...

In my quiet time today, I was drawn back to a very significant time in my life. I was reading Mark 12.. around people jockeying for position in the crowd. Looking to be honoured and rise above others.   It took me back to when a group of us visited India for a mission trip a number of years ago, and how we were treated when we were in the presence of the local Salvos.  In some ways it was very honoring...but in other ways it made me feel uncomfortable, being placed up front and “on show”.   Anyway... our team had just arrived, and trying to catch up on jet lag and rest before we started our month long mission immersion experience where I was team leader. 2 weeks before this trip my dear dad had died and we had had his funeral in Perth and I had returned home to Melbourne, leaving my Mum alone. I was heart broken but felt like I should go to India nevertheless. Thought I was going ok. However that first night, after the smells and tastes of Indian food(I am not good o...

Another new week begins, 2020 what an absolutely crazy year. This morning in my quiet time, I have started reading the book of Mark again in the Bible, and today in chapter 5... The words of Jesus came to a man facing the death of his daughter... “don't be afraid, just believe...” We all face trying times, things that upset and hurt us, things that confuse and bewilder us, and things that just simply make us angry. Well I have watched it around me, the world is in a state of disarray... we have conflicts between countries, we have faced the craziest of bushfires, in Australia, and now this world wide pandemic. It has led me to think through various times in history when the world has faced trauma, and yet seems to regroup and survive. As a Christian, I can’t help but ask myself the question where is God in this situation ? Did He create it ? Was He is so angry at this world that this needed to happen ? Does He care ? Does He know ? What will happen next ? Does God exist ? If He doe...