Salt – Conversations

Graham Cole, together with his wife Jules, has been involved in Christian ministry for more than 40 years.  Jenny Salt hears how it has taken them to many places around the world, and for 20 of those years, to the Midwest of the United States. There, they discovered a perspective on life and the love of God that reveals the future for both America and Australia.They’re back at home now, but still feel very connected to the country, the culture, and the Christians they left behind. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Like most of us, Scott Lavender and his family will have reflections on 2020 and 2021 – some good, some hard. Covid has changed so much in our world.But for Scott, the last two years have contained the most excruciating pain he could imagine, alongside a host of other struggles. But as doctors struggled to understand what was happening to him, Scott discovered that God was carrying out his own surgery.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jenny Salt's guest today is David Luxford.To meet David is to meet a man who in many ways just quietly gets on with things.  No fanfare. No profile, megachurch, or fame.  But to know David is to know someone who has faithfully got on with serving the Lord for more than 50 years - through long, difficult tasks and the tragedy of death in the family - because he was challenged as a young Christian to be an ambassador for Christ.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode Jenny Salt speaks to Kay Yasugi, a talented performer letting her light shine in the international world of puppetry. Kay was born in Japan to a Japanese dad and a Korean mum. Along with her older brother they came and settled in Sydney when Kay was little. Kay was brought up in a very multicultural home – girl’s school during the week, Japanese school on Saturdays, and a home life filled with fusion food - but becoming a Christian and doing summer missions in Bathurst changed the direction of Kay’s life.It all started with a mascot for the mission week – a monkey called “Chee Chee”. This unassuming creature was the beginning of Kay’s life-long love of puppetry, and the development of a talent that's taken her all over the world.SPECIAL LINKSHere are some links for you to check Kay and all her characters at work:Pupperoos: This is Kay's main business, focusing on puppetry for children and education. You can see a photo of Chee Chee the Monkey on the ‘About Us’ page. Otherwise here is a video of Chee Chee in action - Kay made this last Christmas for her church’s online Gingerbread house event (St Barnabas East Roseville) - it’s the nativity told with gingerbread and puppets. Christmas Nativity Song 2020 Style (Colin Buchanan video): Here is a 2020-inspired stop motion puppet video of the Nativity that Kay created for her church’s online Christmas service last year (complete with toilet rolls, hand sanitizer, cleaning products and pasta!). With Colin Buchanan’s permission, Kay made this video using his song “On That Very First Christmas".Digital Seagull: This link has info about the ABC iView campaign and other projects Kay has done for adults and corporate clients. Wiggles video: To celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations between Australia and Korea, the Korean Cultural Centre collaborated with The Wiggles to create 3 fun videos for young children. They asked Kay to adapt some Korean Folktales which were turned into gorgeous picture books. Check out their Youtube channel to see Emma Watkins and Simon Pryce read ‘The Tiger and the Toad’ and ’The Honest Woodcutter’.Kay's Instagram page  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Hunter tells Jenny Salt he didn't set out to be a plumber - that was God's plan. Because of difficulties on the home front and at school, straight out of High School he decided to take up the offer of an apprenticeship.Consequently, he worked as a plumber for many years - a blue-collar industry in which he laboured to show friends another way of life.  But for Ben, it wasn’t really what made his heart sing. Rather, it’s always been wanting to tell young people about Jesus – something he had to wait many years to do. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jenny Salt speaks to Tamara Flinders, a minister’s wife, a mum to 3 daughters, and an Emergency Physician – working on the frontline of Covid in a busy Sydney hospital emergency department. Every shift brings very sick patients into her orbit – many with Covid. But through it all, what keeps her grounded is her relationship with God, her daily walk with the Lord, and the desire to be an ambassador for Christ whatever the context. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Roy grew up in a poor town in a Southeast Asian country. On one level, his family identified as Christians. But Jenny Salt discovers his childhood was far more impacted by a father with a criminal history and an addiction to gambling. And it wasn’t until Roy left to live and study in another part of the country, that he came to really understand what it meant to follow Jesus.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Jenny Salt as she interviews Pete Stacey, a Christian since a young boy, who has known the joy of telling others about Jesus for most of his life.  Pete has done that through music, and through teaching and preaching in the local church.  He has also known the sorrow of losing his beloved wife to cancer and preaching Jesus through his grief and loss.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Jenny Salt as she speaks with Kathy Rossiter, a medical professional and a member of the Mercy Ships ministry.Kathy tested blood samples for a living, but rather than retire she and her husband decided to put their years of leisure to a Kingdom use.Instead of heading for some sunny island, she took up a position in the labs onboard a floating hospital, showing Gospel love in action to some of the neediest people in Africa.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Baird is one of those high-profile Christians, having been a politician for some years. His relationship with power culminated in him taking on the top job as premier in New South Wales from 2014 to 2017. Jenny Salt asks Mike what it means to be a public Christian. How do you live out your life as a follower of Christ in front of a watching, often critical, world? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.