5 minutes with Jill ...

Favourite Bible verse

There are lots, but one that I love is the verse in (of all places!) Zephaniah 3:17 which was shown to me by a beautiful godly woman in the last days of her life. It says “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” She said just imagine, Jill! God singing! And that verse always makes me smile.

How do I keep my eyes fixed on Jesus? Well I fail just as often as anyone, but I do love to read the ways that Jesus spoke to people and listened to them. I trust him and love him, and I see his love in his people. I long to be more like him.

What would I like the next generation of Christian women to know?

I would love them to know that they don’t have to do every thing every day. I would love to give them perspective and the ability to forgive themselves if they are not meeting their own ridiculously high standards of perfection as a wife / mother / daughter / career woman / friend / pastoral carer / homemaker / student or whatever else. It’s not possible. I would also love them to know that their voice needs to be heard in the church.

What do I love about our local church?

So much! I love that it is a place of welcome, a place where all sorts of people are comfortable. I love that the Bible is taught with grace and wisdom and creativity and that the whole sweep of Scripture is never neglected. I love that the application of the Bible is never a thought tacked on the end, but that we wrestle with what it really means for our church and ourselves now, in the reality of the day to day.

What did I learn about God in a tough time?

I learnt that in the toughest of times, which for me was a time of deep grief, that God is there when you call out to him. I found that his comfort is real. As a much wiser friend than I am always reminds me, you don’t know that God is there with you in the pit until you are in the pit, and then you learn!

What am I passionate about?

I’m a passionate supporter of people who use their gifts of creativity. I’m passionate about the importance of hospitality. I read recently that Corrie ten Boom once said that it is a sacred thing to prepare the sleeping place of another person and that made a lot of sense to me. So now I never complain about washing sheets and making beds for the people who come to stay with us. I’m passionate about finding ways to be salt and light in our community.

I love to spend time with my artist husband in our home in the Blue Mountains and with our two daughters and son in law, my sister and friends old and new. I love to have our home full of people and laughter and music and food and children. I love to sing, especially in the two local choirs I belong to.

I also love the quiet times, digging in the garden freeing the soil of weeds, or sewing something. I love to quilt, and to knit and embroider and to cook. I really love to read, including poetry. Quite girly things, really!