5 minutes with Marley
Tell us about yourself ....
I grew up as a pastors' daughter with a great desire to know my Creator through his word and to love people. I'm wife to my creative, inspiring man, Bradley, and mama to two little superheroes, Ryder(5) and Franklin(18months). I mostly stay at home being mama and homemaker, but am also privileged to teach Primary students in a local school Part Time, where I am free to share Jesus with the children in my care.
Fave Bible passage??
I love Eugene H. Peterson's paraphrase in The Message of 1 Peter 4 that says, 'Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it.' I believe we are to bring hope to the world by loving our God and each other, just as Jesus himself commanded us. It's all about Jesus.
How do you 'fix your eyes on Jesus'?
In order to know my Creator, I need to walk closely with him, talking with him, listening for His voice and reading His word. In this time-poor season, that consists mostly of me recalling and meditating on the word of God that is written on my heart from my previous seasons of studying The Bible in depth and then grabbing large chunks of time when I can, to really read and continue to study it. I try and have a posture of joy and gratitude, no matter what I face and let me tell you, that takes some serious 'fixing my eyes upon Jesus'. He not only authored our faith but he perfected it. He took time out to be with His Father. What better example than He?
What women need to know...
In this day, women spend their lives comparing themselves to others. There is a struggle to know what makes us who we are. Unfortunately, Social Media has only made this more of an issue. I believe if I know WHOSE I am, I know WHO I am. I believe if women encounter and truly accept the love of God, we learn how valuable we are to our Father and his church. From this we can make a difference in this world.
Where do we church?
Our family calls Hillsong Church home. At our church, we love God. We love people. We love life. All people are welcome and frequently encounter Jesus through our leadership and pastoral teams, but also in the beauty that is the church - bringing life and hope to whosoever comes.
What are you passionate about? /At a hard time, what have you learned?
Bradley and I are passionate about relationships - whether it's marriage, parenting or simply doing life alongside others - we are INTENTIONAL. We seek God's heart and his wisdom in all we do. We are trying to raise boys who know they are LOVED and place value upon kindness and grace for all. We want to love our boys completely unconditionally, but we also want to set them up for success and teach them how to live in this broken world. This a a challenge we embrace with enthusiasm.
In the light of one of God's greatest ideas, marriage, we organise weekend retreats for married couples who are seeking to connect more deeply and enrich their relationship by spending uninterrupted, intentional time loving each other as if their life depended on it. We are encouraged by the flourishing relationships we see and feel privileged to play a part in that, alongside the gifted facilitators who frequent our weekends. Sometimes, this gives us the opportunity share our story with others. Early in our relationship, we experienced the painful journey of Depression and all that entails for both the patient and their partner, and then when we'd [mostly] worked through all of that, we started a new heartbreaking journey with infertility. And that was all in the first 10 years of our marriage. But we give all glory to God, and in his grace we boldly approach his throne to serve Him despite our circumstances. Through all this, God is consistent. He does not change.
What do you do in your downtime?
Most of my down time is spent with family and friends. Our home is always open to those who need a meal. We lead a Connect group of Young Adults who meet around the Word in our home once a fortnight. I love experimenting with food and cooking for whoever, whilst I enjoy a good glass of wine. Our home is often full of frivolity and laughter which brings me great joy.
