

FHE Editor
5 minutes with Sally ...
Tell us a little about yourself
My name is Sally Abboud and I live in Sydney, Australia. My husband Rob is currently studying at bible college and we are interested in full time ministry in a multicultural setting. I am a trained Drama & English teacher and love working with kids of all ages and sharing what Jesus has done for them. I am also a photographer, mainly specialising in weddings and families but I generally love taking photos of people enjoying life. What's your f


Elise Heerde
A New Way
Who likes predictability? You just like to know what’s happening, where and how? When you find a way that something works do you stick to it? Have you ever heard the saying “IF IT AINT BROKE, DON’T FIX IT”? The only problem is that we can become so set in our own ways or in the way it’s always been done that we can struggle to see when something is broken! But what if there is A NEW WAY? A different way? Would we be open to hearing and learning a new way? I love routine and I


Fiona Isaacs
Why I am going to get out of bed this morning
As autumn slides unrelentingly into winter, getting up in the morning gets harder and harder. The air outside is cold and under my blankets it is both warm and uncomplicated by the demands of the day. As the comfort of my sleep is interrupted by the sound of my alarm, I ponder ignoring it and instead remaining in bed all day. I need a reminder of why I get up in the morning. I get up in the morning because I can. Not everyone gets to and it is a blessing. I get up in the morn


Louisa Macourt
Dear Church
Dear Church, we are letting down the body of Christ when we suppress, silence and minimise the women in our church. Dear Church, this should not be, we should do better, we can do better, we must do better. When we don’t amplify the voices and stories of women in our churches, in our bible studies, in our conferences and in our Christian groups then we all miss out. Our women, especially our young women, all of our women need to hear these voices and stories and our men, es


Megan Powell Du Toit
From a mother of boys, to the parents of girls
I have two sons. One is 13, the other 11. We wanted to have at least one boy and one girl. But difficult births led to a decision to stop at two. And so, no girl. This has been a grief, though one tempered by delightful relationships with nieces and friends’ daughters. However, as I have been thinking through the revelations of #metoo, and talked to friends considering the implications of it for their teen girls, I have found myself relieved I’m not parenting teen girls. Beca


Erin Martine Sessions
It’s time. Axe the Tax. Period.
The 2018-2019 Australian federal budget is being released as I type. And, if you’re a budget geek like me, you’ll know there’s a dedicated budget website with its very own countdown to b-day. Each year, for the last few years, I’ve eagerly awaited the budget announcement and kept an eye out for any commentary from my favourite financial journalist, Alan Kohler. (Yes, I have a favourite financial journalist. Did I mention I’m a huge budget geek?). Usually, my rationale for the


Megan Powell du Toit
In praise of women of grace, humour and courage
Some of you might have wondered what the FHE contributor team are like as people. Though some of you got to meet them up close and personal at the inaugural FHE conference (and yes, that is a thinly disguised plug for the next one!). Let me let you in on a secret: they are all amazing. Some of us even think Jen Barker, the founder, has a special gift for finding amazing women. How do I know this? Well, some of them I knew before they became FHE contributors. But others I have


Erin Martine Sessions
After a Fashion – Stains on the Garment Industry
After an almost 20-year hiatus, I’ve returned to dance. My jazz and tap shoes, much like my muscles and my moves, aren’t quite what they used to be. I tried my favourite Op Shops to see if I could pick up some second hand shoes but, alas, no luck. I had a quick look on eBay (the second stop for my style-revivalist needs) but no love there either. There’s a Bloch store at my local shopping centre but, before I bit the buying-bullet, I checked their rating on the Baptist World