5 minutes with Holly

Tell us a little about you.

My name is Holly, and I am the Assistant Youth Pastor at St Paul’s Anglican Church in Castle Hill. I am 24 and currently live with some of my best friends, Tam (an English and Drama teacher), Jade (a graphic designer) and Maurice (our groodle puppy) in the Sydney Hills District. We love to laugh together, love Jesus together and love to be loud together. I also am a daughter and a sister in a family who continually challenge me, support me, have fun with me, model Jesus to me and love me in their own unique ways. I love the beach, hosting, good conversation, good coffee and chick flicks from the 90s - 2000s era (Legally Blonde is my personal favourite). 

Do you have a favourite Bible passage? If so, what is it and why?

My all-time favourite Bible passage is Psalm 46:10 “be still and know that I am God”. In some other translations, “be still” is more like “stop” or “cease your striving.” I love this verse because as a chronic over-functioner and someone prone to stressing out a lot, these words remind me I need to let go, relax my grip, and remember that God is God. Meaning that He is good, He is sovereign, He is in control, and He does all things for His glory and my good, even when life feels chaotic or loud. 

So when I’m worried about the future, or stressed by the things I can’t control, or spiralling about who knows what, this verse calls me back to the truth. It almost feels like God gently saying to stop, slow down, take a breath, let go. It reminds me to let the one actually in control to have the control. Remembering this verse doesn’t make a situation magically easy, but it recentres my heart and restores the right order of things. God is steady even when I am not. I actually got “be still and know” tattooed on my arm when I was 18, and although the meaning of the passage has stayed the same, the way it has impacted me has shifted with each season since then (and I assume it always will). 

How do you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus?

I keep my eyes fixed on Jesus by coming back to His word. Reading the Bible and really digging into the context for the time, and the meaning for us now, constantly reminds me of who God is, what is true, and that He wants my heart, not perfection. Seeing how God meets countless people in Scripture, in so many different ways, reminds me that He still meets me, too, often in the most ordinary and unexpected places. 

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

I would like the next generation of Christian women to know how much God values them and includes women in His gospel mission. I feel like sometimes the cultural setting of the Bible can make it seem like it’s only men that God uses, but if you read closely, women are integral parts of God’s mission everywhere throughout Scripture. And when we look at the life of Jesus and how he interacted with women, I think it paints such a beautiful picture of God’s heart. Jesus was never dismissive or patronising of women, but rather did things like positively include them in his parables and teaching (Luke 15:8-10), spoke to them publicly and directly (Mark 7:24-29), taught and discussed theological truths with them (John 4:4-26, Luke 10:38-42), and chose women to be the first to testify the truth of His resurrection (Matthew 28:5-8, John 20:11-18). These were all things that were wildly counter-cultural for the time. I would like the next generation of Christian women to know that their voice is not an afterthought in the kingdom of God, it is valued by Jesus and has a real place in His mission.

What’s one thing that you love about your local church?

In my local church, we have lots of people from many different walks of life and denominational or faith backgrounds. I love that it feels like a genuine picture of the body of Christ, different people, one family.

What did you learn about God during a time in your life that you found hard?

When I was a teenager, I experienced a sudden loss that was deeply confronting and shaped a lot of my faith. As I walked through grief and trauma, I really wrestled with how a good God could allow these things to happen. In that season, an older Christian sister who I didn’t know very well, said to me something along the lines of, “In this world where nothing is guaranteed, and things can slip away without even so much as a warning, God is the only immovable thing, and so the only thing we can put our trust in.” That sentence really has stayed with me. I was angry at God. I was upset and filled with so much grief and confusion, yet I was also reminded that God was still the same, even when I was devastated by what was happening. This season taught me that trusting God doesn’t mean pretending things don’t hurt. It means bringing the hurt to Him and choosing to cling to the only one who does not move when everything else does. 

What are you passionate about?

I am passionate about:

• The fact that Diet Coke is better than Coke Zero

• Youth ministry that meets young people where they are at, and takes them seriously

• Aesthetically pleasing cafes 

• Seeing people meet Jesus in unexpected places  

• Making a playlist for every mood, event, or moment 
  

What do you enjoy doing when you rest?

I am still working out how I personally rest well, but I’ve realised I feel the most refreshed when I don’t feel like I have to be “on”. As an extrovert, a lot of my rest is actually relational with people who fill my cup. Fun times with my friends or my family, easy conversation, lots of laughs, doing something random and low-stakes, and being with people in a way that is present rather than productive is refreshing for me. It’s in those moments I’m reminded that life is a gift and God shows his kindness to me through the village of people around me.