It is very special that after 4 years of podcasting, the lovely Sue has finally agreed to be my guest. Her story is wonderful and will inspire and encourage you. She has a life filled with love, adventure and courage and is indeed genuinely lovely! This is the last episode of Stories Of Hope Podcast and having her as my guest is a fitting end to what has been a terrific season in my life. Keep an eye out for the book that has emerged from this podcast "Doing life with Bryce"...
Jul 31, 2025•34 min•Season 5Ep. 61
So the winds of change are blowing and this is the final Monday episode of the Stories of Hope podcast. The lovely Sue will be my guest on the last episode which will be on Friday the 1st of August. I'm thankful for all the support over the years and am looking forward to the next chapter of my ministry within the Salvos at Goodna in Queensland.
Jul 27, 2025•3 min•Season 5Ep. 60
Ameet is the Salvo leader in Goodna in Queensland which is a challenging socio economic area with many multicultural communities nearby. Ameet originates from Mumbai in India and came to Australia via New Zealand. He has over 20 years experience in Christian leadership and faces the challenges of this current season with wisdom and grace.
Jul 24, 2025•40 min•Season 5Ep. 59
After over a year of unpacking the book of Acts in these Monday podcasts I have come to the end. There are 2 huge themes flowing through about Church life from these pages. 1 We need to be led by the Spirit and 2 the Love of God and the fellowship of the church is for everyone. Sounds simple, but the way of genuine Spirit Led loving acceptance of everyone has it's challenges.
Jul 20, 2025•5 min
Brad is the Salvo leader in Carindale and shares about his life in this episode. Brad has not had it easy, with challenging family of origin dynamics, a serious health episode in his 20s and struggles to have children with his lovely wife Helen. Brad now adores his little "miracle daughter" 7 year old Hedy. But through it all, he remains one of the most encouraging and positive people you could ever meet.
Jul 17, 2025•42 min
Paul spent 6 years in various prisons and not because he put dodgy mushrooms in someones stew, he just had a point of view that upset the religious leaders of his time. But he never seemed to let it get him down. He wrote letters and found ways to be useful. Hope in times like this is rare and worth exploring. Somehow a combination of purpose, secure identity and faith created the sort of hope he was able to draw upon. As Chuck Nolan played by Tom Hanks in the movie Castaway says, you never know...
Jul 13, 2025•3 min
Robert Donaldson's father was a garbage collector and for a time so was Robert. He then went on to study micro biology and fell in love with Janine. He is a Kiwi and has served in the Salvos all over the world. Its an interesting story!
Jul 10, 2025•25 min
If it were not for an unnamed nephew of St Paul we would not have half the New Testament, as Paul would certainly have been killed by a murderous mob out to lynch him. Family can be such a mixed bag, but the potential for loyalty and support often goes deep as the connections are significant. Often since birth. It's sometimes challenging to stay close to extended family, but is also often worth the effort.
Jul 06, 2025•4 min
There are not too many people I know who are as passionate about faith in Jesus and who back it up with decades of effective frontline, earthy Salvation Army ministry like Craig Stephens. Buckle up for a life story that is full throttle from start to finish.
Jul 03, 2025•40 min
I have been in cahoots with the Pharisees recently and have allowed aggression and arrogance to shape my behaviour. I wish I had been like Ghandi and taken a more gentle approach. It would have saved me a lot of embarrassment and reduced the Lovely Sue's frustrations with me significantly. Luckily, I didn't go as far as forming a vigilante group and arranging an assassination like the religious leaders did in Acts 22, but I was on the same path. It's definitely something we need to keep an eye o...
Jun 29, 2025•4 min
Nuria came to Australia 19 years ago and managed to find ways to settle into the new culture and lifestyle. She now works for the Salvos assisting us to work with CaLD communities effectively. She is married and has two children. Interestingly her husband Rodney, is named after the famous Australian wicketkeeper Rod Marsh. #Salvos, #SalvationArmy, #StoriesOfHope, #Faith, #Testimonies, #LifeStories, #LivedExperiences,#Biography, #Interview, #Conversation
Jun 26, 2025•34 min
Peter Garret was a zealot for environmentalism, especially his stance against uranium mining. However as he got older and more involved in politics he came understand some more of the complexity involved and changed his views. Many of us start out passionate and sure of ourselves but we do need to eat humble pie sometimes and sit with paradox, complexity and nuance. Building this chicken in my workshop is a good example, looks simple, but its actually a very sophisticated work of art!
Jun 22, 2025•4 min
Rich Tapestries is a new series within Stories Of Hope Podcast, celebrating the lives and contributions of Culturally and Linguisticly Diverse (CaLD) folks within the Salvos in Australia. My co host in this series is Nuria Gonsalves who is the Cald Community Engagement National Lead and our first guest is Frank Wang who heads up the Salvos work in Bankstown in Sydney. Frank originates from China and his journey to Australia exudes courage and strength of character. The way he and his wife Belind...
Jun 19, 2025•52 min
Despite hundreds of years of democracy and education, people are still suffering discrimination and injustice depending on what colour their skin is or where they are from. Riots and wars abound and even in the suburbs where I live there are sometimes cruel and unfair judgments made on people based on very superficial data. Lets open our eyes and notice what biases we have in our own heart and what we see around us and lets be brave enough to make a stand sooner rather than later.
Jun 15, 2025•4 min
Rod is the Salvo leader in a Town in New South Wales called Young and he also looks after the surrounding area as a rural Chaplian visiting farms and remote communities. He loves his big 1100CC Yamaha motorcycle, his cut throat Razors and is an earthy bloke who loves a chat and cares deeply about people and what the Salvos stand for. I know Rod well, because we have worked shoulder to shoulder together providing financial aid to folks affected by floodwaters in Kempsey. Rod is married to Deb and...
Jun 12, 2025•32 min
It is an absolute delight and honour to share on this podcast about how people have navigated thier lives. The stories are very often rich and full of courage meaning and inspiration. The lovely Sue has a great story too and finding love is a powerful part of this. I am in the mix a little, but Maggie the Toy Cavoodle has also won her heart!
Jun 08, 2025•4 min
Bindy had a really tough childhood but has found a way to be mindful of the ways this impacts her life today. She works for the salvos in our emergency services department and helps people who have been devastated by things like floods and fires. She is married to Marco and has three children. She is a proud Novacastrian and her story will inspire and delight you.
Jun 05, 2025•39 min
Some Christians feel guilty because they do not measure up to what they believe the church is wanting from them. Making new converts, deep commitment to spiritual practices like prayer and scripture and consistent service to the poor seem to be the goal posts. However doing what God has placed in our path does not always align with church agendas, so we need to measure by that, more than things like bums on seats on a Sunday morning.
Jun 01, 2025•4 min
Amanda has a rich heritage within the Salvos and yet it took time for her to find her true self, both within the organisation and personally. I met her on deployment in Townsville and Ingham delivering flood relief - and we got on like a house on fire. She is great fun and a powerhouse of genuine honesty and warmth. Her story resonates with me and I'm sure many listeners will relate and learn from her story.
May 29, 2025•35 min
The lovely Sue works out at a gym and has a program that measures how much weight she lifts in animals. Sometimes she lifts elephants. Doing hard things is not always to be avoided. We sometimes need to ditch our fears and head directly into the suffering if we are to live life to the full.
May 25, 2025•4 min
Brad trained with me and the lovely Sue at the Salvos college for officers in Melbourne 30 odd years ago and he and his wife Katrina have always been the sort of friends we don't see much of but are close to when we do catch up. Brad is now based in Perth and has two adult children. He is a keen cyclist and we have an authentic sort of chat about life, faith and leadership.
May 22, 2025•33 min
The role of women in society has been a controversial subject since ancient times. But it is undeniable that women have been vital leaders and even prophets - warning people and analysing strategically throughout history in significant ways. General Eva Burrows was an Aussie girl who became the international leader of the Salvos. She was awesome!
May 18, 2025•4 min
For the last 15 years or so Greg has been a vital cog in the leadership wheel to an innovative Salvo church expression in Brisbane called Gods Sport Arena. Greg's family originates from India and from an early age Greg developed a strong work ethic. He did not speak English when he arrived in Australia and his success story is inspiring and insightful. He has worked for many years in management roles and in retirement still loves to be alongside people in helpful and encouraging ways....
May 15, 2025•39 min
When we join organisations we often find support and encouragement emerging in surprising ways. I was in Norway recently and saw a Salvo shield on a building and went in to say g'day. The lady who worked there was very friendly and made a really nice connection. Community life can be challenging, but the strength of a team cannot be underestimated.
May 11, 2025•4 min
Narelle is a third generation Salvo and grew up in PNG with her Missionary parents. Her life story is a consistent development of what it means to serve, to be real and to be authentically engaged in community. Narelle loves adventure and doing new things and I suspect she always will.
May 08, 2025•37 min
Leadership is a mixed bag. Often rewarding, like the time I got this great poster at my farewell from Villawood Salvos in Sydney, but also devastating like the time a rehab I was running in Adelaide got closed unexpectedly. It's important to count the cost and to get the support you need to compensate for your weaknesses, but not much happens if people are too scared to lead.
May 04, 2025•4 min
Carmen is one of the nicest people you could meet and the lovely Sue and I have valued her friendship for many years. But being nice comes at a cost and the journey to a more authentic place for Carmen involves having a baby and becoming a Jazzercise instructor. We have an honest and important chat in this episode and it will do you good to tune in and have a listen.
May 01, 2025•44 min
Its a fine line sometimes between being selfless and sacrificial to demonstrate our love or our commitment to a cause and being sensible stewards of our body, mind and spirit. Rory McIlroys parents Gerry and Rosie saw Rorys potential as a golfer and took on extra jobs to support his career as they were not wealthy. Their sacrifices have paid off big time, but for most of us selflessness does not result in lifelong riches or amazing achievements. It's often the little things like getting a cup of...
Apr 27, 2025•5 min
Dominique Rizzo is one of Queenslands most successful female chefs. She is dynamic and soulful and has featured on ready steady cook and runs cooking tours throughout Europe. She helped the Salvos cater for a massive Christmas lunch a few years ago and won our hearts with her generosity and kindness. Her motto is "Through the sharing of food we share life and one is never lonely or hungry" Her story is beautiful.
Apr 25, 2025•28 min
I once fell asleep at the Salvos in a church service and dreamed I was dodging a football - everyone noticed. In todays reading in Acts Ch 20 another young guy dozed off during a boring sermon, fell out of a window and died. His name was Eutychus which in Greek means lucky! The lovely Sue and I watched Adolescence recently. It was very confronting. Engaging effectively with young boys is really important and we do well to find ways to be with them without harsh judgement and simplistic solutions...
Apr 20, 2025•4 min
