In 1992 400m Sprinter Derek Redmond from Great Britain was in Barcelona ready to make his Olympic dream come true. Unable to compete four years earlier due to injury, he was determined to capitalise on a run of good health and good form. He ran a personal best time in the quarter-final to easily win his heat, and if he could produce a similar run in the semis, he would be on his way to an Olympic final.

However, about 250m into the semi-final, tragedy struck, as a tear in his right hamstring stopped him in his tracks and he fell to the ground in pain. His chances of winning an Olympic final and maybe even an Olympic medal were now over, but Derek was determined that what would turn out to be his last Olympic campaign would not end with the dreaded DNF next to his name (which stands for did not finish).

He forced himself to his feet, and began hobbling towards the finish line, with about 150m still left to go. As he made his way slowly towards the finish line, there came a figure bursting out from the crowd, brushing away officials and security guards alike, as he sprinted towards the track. Derek’s father, Jim, was determined that nothing would stop him from reaching his son. Together, they limped towards the finish line, Jim faithfully supporting his son Derek as Derek cried out from pain and grief, leaning on his father for support. As they crossed the finish line, the crowd of 65,000 people erupted with a standing ovation to show their support at the incredible display of strength, perseverance and love that they had just witnessed.

Unfortunately, Derek was officially disqualified for finishing with the assistance of another, but it was a mere technicality. Nobody could take that moment away from Derek and his father, and a legend was born there and then from an Olympic athlete who never won an Olympic medal but captured the hearts of millions of sports fans around the world. In the words of Derek himself, “I Finished Last, but I Finished.”

Today we will be exploring what it means to finish well, in a time where perseverance is often compromised by increasingly short attention spans and busier day-to-day lives.

A Message by David Bone

We understand that as people and as followers of Jesus, our decisions matter – they are important and we want to live life well and part of that means we need to learn to choose well. We make decisions and then, as we choose - our decisions make us. The challenge is many of us, we're not great decision-makers. Pre-deciding is focussing on intentionally selecting our values and attitudes and growing them so that they influence all our decisions. Instead of waiting until we are faced with those big crossroads choices, where we know there will be heightened emotion and stress, we decide now. That’s the concept of pre-deciding. And in this series, we are focussing on six statements, six choices that will help us become the kind of people who live life well.

A Message by Samantha Barlow

God is generous, and the Bible is full of examples of people, motivated by goodness, to emulate this - King David poured out gifts from the national
treasury and then from his personal reserves. A poor widow gave everything she had. A woman prepared a room for a traveling prophet. A group of impoverished Macedonians gave more than they dreamed they could.

This morning, we will examine Ruth’s loyalty and her own generosity
before she experienced God’s extravagant generosity through a close family relative of her mother-in-law Naomi. It is a beautiful story with God’s fingerprints all over it.

A message by Janet Dougherty

To say Australia is a land of extremes sometimes seems like an understatement. With extreme heat in the Southeast and Eastern Australia, on Tuesday, Mildura is predicted to nudge up to 50 degrees and Melbourne in the low 40s. Up north WA, they are wrestling with a cyclone.

It is part of the reason why Government and emergency response agencies encourage people in areas prone to natural disasters to be prepared. To have a bag ready to go at a moment's notice.

Even iconic landmarks are getting ready for catastrophic events.
But when it comes to the decisions we make, can being ready make a difference in helping us to live life well?

A message by David Toscano

"I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway."
These are the words the apostle Paul writes to the church in Rome. He is describing what management theorists and life coaches call the Knowing-Doing gap.

The Knowing-Doing gap can apply to individuals, to organisations or systems and it refers to the disconnection we can experience between understanding what you should do and actually doing it. I know for my health I should eat less chocolate and run more often. Actually, doing that though is difficult. That’s the gap.

And we can experience that Knowing-Doing gap as we live out our faith – that’s what Paul’s words speak about. If we want to live life well – we know that we need to spend time with God, we know we need to cultivate the fruits of the spirit, that living life well means living as people who are loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful and have self-control. And yet – actually doing it? We know we are called to be compassionate and generous, especially to those in our society who are experiencing disadvantage – but are we DOING it?
How can we start to bridge the knowing-doing gap.

A message by Samantha B

Devotion sets direction. What we are devoted to quietly shapes the path we take—not usually in one dramatic moment, but little by little over time. The things we give our attention to, the things we return to, and the things that fill our thoughts and our time shape our priorities, our values, and the way we live. That’s why devotion matters so much to God.
Today, I will talk about how devotion guides our decisions and directs our days.
A message by Jacqueline N

In the words of the philosopher, Dr Seuss, " Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away!"
"You have brains in your head, You have feet in your shoes, You can steer yourself in any direction you choose."
"You won't lag behind because you'll have the speed. You'll pass the whole gang, and you'll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest."
"Except when you don't. Because, sometimes, you won't. I'm sorry to say so but sadly, it's true, that Bang-up and Hang-ups can happen to you."

For the average person the Western World, we are faced with, on an average 35,000 decisions per day. All of those decisions, in small ways and big ways, are crafting us into the person we are becoming. So, if your life is moving in the direction of your decisions, do you like the direction your decisions are taking you?

A message by David T

Love is a many splendored thing.
Love lifts us up where we belong.
All you need is love. Or in the words of Anna from Frozen – "Love is an open door."
There are countless songs that centre on Love – love for children or siblings, love for friends, romantic love. And probably just as many that speak about heartbreak.
But what is Love, really? And how do we receive it and pass it on as a Gift of this season?

A message by Samantha B