God Conversations With Tania Harris

Voices in the Muck: When the Spirit Won’t Stay Silent When Don arrived to take up a leadership position at his new church, the Holy Spirit gave him a dream. He saw a group of men dressed in white hazmat suits. They were cleaning out piles of horrible muck from a culvert and moving it to the roadside nearby. Don woke up thinking how horrid it was that the muck was being exposed to all those driving by. Two days later, the nature and depth of the "muck" became clear as one by one, six different women came to Don to confess an affair with the former senior pastor. This episode of the God Conversations podcast is a heavy but important one. Our guest is a pastor from New Zealand who has decades of experience in ministry but has also been privy to some God conversations he’d rather not have. Along with his wife Karen, he led Gateway Church in Hamilton, New Zealand for 20 years. During this season, they watched God restore a church that had been torn apart by the sexual failure of its senior leadership to become a

How Does God’s Audible Voice Really Sound? Insights from a Modern-Day Encounter Some people talk about hearing the audible voice of God. What does that sound like? And should we expect to hear it?  On this episode of the God Conversations podcast, we’re talking about the "audible" voice of God, why God rarely speaks this way and what our expectations should be for how the Spirit speaks. Our guest has heard the audible voice of God five times and has plenty of insights from his story. Patrick Hegarty is a pastor of a church in Brisbane, Australia but also heads up a a national church planting organisation. He’s also authored several books on spiritual formation and renewal.  In this episode, you’ll hear about: Patrick’s back story, raised in an atheist environment and becoming a Christian at age 19. After 20 years of working in business and “avoiding God’s call,” Patrick changed careers and became a full time minister. Patrick’s experiences of God’s audible voice. Patrick describes it as feeling “alm

God spoke to Craig about healing for a lame Sikh priest. Then the police came... Jesus said it was for our good that he left the earth (John 16:7). That seems hard to believe. What could be better than sitting down and having a coffee with Jesus?  Jesus is described as the living "word of God" (John 1:14) - that meant everything he said was God’s voice as well as everything he did. The early disciples could hear God’s voice as they were walking down the streets of Jerusalem, as they were sharing a meal with Jesus over bread and olives, as they were listening to Jesus preach on the temple steps. How could anything be better than that? The answer of course is that Jesus’ departure signalled the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It was better not only because the Holy Spirit would remind us of everything Jesus said and did, he would also speak about things to come - that is, the issues that Jesus didn’t cover while he was on earth! It’s better because unlike Jesus who was limited to a physical body and the langua

Brian committed himself to practising contemplative spiritual disciplines every day for a month. Here's what happened... Psychological studies suggest that certain personalities are better suited to hearing God’s voice than others. Those who are “feelers” rather than thinkers seem to be pre-disposed to experiencing the Spirit in sensory ways. So what does that mean for the thinkers and the intellectuals among us? On this episode of the show, we’re talking Spirit experiences and analytical thinkers with someone who appreciates both. Dr Brian Ross is an associate professor at Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary in California who hails from the Anabaptist tradition but regularly ministers at a wide range of churches. In Brian's words, he's always "lived in his head," but things changed when he began practising some of the contemplative spiritual disciplines. You’ll love this conversation, particularly if you’re a “thinker” rather than a "feeler”! Brian brings some wonderful wisdom and insight to the topic.  In t

Terry Prayed for God to Heal his Church. God Answered with an Invitation to Heal his Heart. Have you ever prayed for something in your life and God answers in a completely different way? Pastor Terry Bone was praying for all the problems of the church when God answered with a vision that pointed to all the problems in his heart! Our show today is about the unexpected journey God takes us on when we begin listening for the Spirit’s voice. This was the experience of our guest, Terry Bone. His God-conversations led to him to receive healing for some of the painful experiences from his childhood to a place of freedom. This has to be one of my favourite God conversations on our show - partly because Terry shares so honestly and openly from his own experience! Terry is from Ontario, Canada and after 20 years pastoring, now has a ministry as a “transition pastor” and consultant for churches across the country. He has authored two books and is involved in overseas missions. He has a passion for the Holy Spirit and

God’s most common way of speaking in biblical history is through dreams and visions. But today many of us are more likely to dismiss our visionary experiences as the product of a spicy meal rather than a potential message from God. But could we be missing out on the voice we so long to hear? Today’s show is a different one where we flip the roles around on the show! Hosted by one of our volunteer God Conversations team members, Ali Kennedy, we hear from Tania Harris, Director of God Conversations and the author of the brand new book, God Dreams: How to Hear God’s Voice in Dreams and Visions. You’ll get a taster of what the new book is all about, plus a peak behind the scenes of the writing process. You’ll hear about: Tania’s motivation for writing the book… 25 years in the making, the book began with a personal journey when Tania first heard God speak in a dream. The problem was she had never heard teaching on the topic and when she sought to seek understanding from others, she encountered skepti

It's Not our Job to Convert Anyone! Jesus’ last words on earth was to go into all the world and share the good news (Matt. 28:18-20). But at the same time, we know that it’s not our job to convict, convert or save anyone! The Holy Spirit alone works in people’s hearts and we should never try to control or coerce another person’s choices. So how does this work in practise? What role does the Holy Spirit play in evangelism? These days, evangelism doesn’t have such a great name. Whether it’s the image of the Bible-thumping, money-seeking TV evangelist or the fire-breathing angry preacher on the street corner, no-one seems to be listening. Perhaps we’ve forgotten what our job is? What should evangelism look like when the Holy Spirit is working with us?  Our guest Dave Shepherd is here to offer some insights. Dave is a Baptist preacher from Adelaide who had a spectacular God conversation in his teens that changed his life. His insights point us to a way of working with the Holy Spirit that is powerful and beauti

The Salvation Army is an incredible movement that works in 136 countries around the world and began in the streets of nineteenth century London by William and Catherine Booth. It is both a church and charity, known for its focus on justice, compassion, and supporting the welfare of others. But did you know that the Salvos began in the power and revelation of the Holy Spirit? On this episode of God Conversations, we talk to Major Kim Haworth about the God conversations that shaped the Salvation Army - affectionately known (in Australia!) as the Salvos. Kim is a major in the Salvos and leads the state of NSW/ACT as Divisional commander. She explains that the Holy Spirit was at the centre of the Salvation Army work from the very beginning. You'll hear about: Kim’s story - how she made a decision to follow Jesus at age 31. Kim tells of her belief in God in her earlier years, but how a life-changing encounter in church introduced her to relationship with God at a personal level. Kim’s unexpected God convers

A School without Rules? How Holy Spirit can Change How we Learn When we think of the Holy Spirit, we think about the God who saves us spiritually, but did you know that an encounter with the Spirit also helps us to learn? Experiencing the Holy Spirit could even improve your grades at school! In this fascinating interview, I talk with Jeff Davis, Principal of Hillcrest Christian College on the Gold Coast, Australia. In the past year, they’ve experienced incredible revival among their students, with over a hundred baptisms, the commencement of over 20 new bible study groups and enthusiastic mosh pit worship sessions. Jeff talks about how the faith of the students has become real; how they’ve seen healing and transformation of behaviour and how they students have even been leading the adults! More so, Jeff reflects on how understanding Jesus and encountering the Spirit changes the way we do education.   You’ll hear about: Jeff’s back story and his own God conversation story that led to the miraculous concep

Hearing God in a dream can be a life-changing experience, but it can also be a confusing one! Dreams speak a symbolic and sometimes confusing language and the process of interpretation is not well understood, making it subject to mistakes and abuse. It’s no wonder the claim to hearing God in a dream is often met with skepticism, disinterest and even mockery. Dream interpretation is more art than science, so it isn’t always straightforward or formulaic, but there are some principles we can learn that will help us hear God more clearly in this creative and powerful way. In this episode of the show, I talk with British dreams expert Tony Cooke about the common mistakes people make when learning to hear God in dreams. We unpack the dynamics of the God-dream experience so that you can confidently discern God’s voice as we sleep. You’ll discover: A little of Tony’s back story and how he became interested in dream interpretation when prophetic experiences broke out in his church. Mistake 1: misunderstanding t

Bob heard God speak at a Bible Study with Prisoners. Then this happened... Jesus was known for the way he interacted with those on the margins of society - the tax collectors everyone despised, the lepers no-one would touch, the cripples and the prostitutes society rejected. Jesus' teaching and interactions constantly reflected God’s heart for those who had been forgotten and left behind. So today, when we hear the Spirit as Jesus’ continuing voice, we shouldn’t be surprised that we find themselves in similar places! That is, we will be led to love the poor as Jesus did. In this episode, we talk about the revelatory work of Holy Spirit among the poor with someone who is doing just that. With his wife Gracie, Bob Ekblad lives out the heart of Jesus through the power and revelation of the Spirit. After living several years working in sustainable farming in Honduras and then studying theology in France, Bob and Gracie lead a church community known as Tierra Nueva (New Earth) in Washington state USA. Here, they

If you had to sum up the ministry of Jesus, it would include three features: teaching, exorcising demons and healing! As followers of Jesus and recipients of his Spirit, the church should also be known for healing. But how does it work, and what role does the Spirit’s voice have to play? In this episode of the God Conversations podcast, we talk with Kirk Delaney, Pastor of Pine Rivers Vineyard Church in Brisbane Queensland, Director of the Australian Vineyard Churches and a follower of Jesus who is experienced in hearing God's voice for healing. You’ll hear about: Kirk’s initial attraction to the Vineyard movement that came about because they were not just concerned with moral and spiritual transformation, but in partnering with the Holy Spirit to do the empowering works of Jesus, including healing the sick and casting out demons. "My question was, why are signs and wonders happening in the Majority world but not in the West?" The first major healing Kirk witnessed when the Holy Spirit fell on a woma

All over the Western world, people are revisiting their history and in particular, their participation in colonialism. Many nations in the West were established in lands that were long inhabited by indigenous or First Nations peoples, with European settlement coming at a deadly and devastating cost. Debates rage as to how we should respond to a history that is often brutal and violent. For the Christian church, this means asking what the Spirit is saying about the topic. How do we respond to the cries of the native Indians of North America, the Inuit of Canada, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples of Australia, the Maori of New Zealand and so many others who still suffer from the effects of colonial domination? What does the Gospel of Jesus look like when it comes to reconciling our past with our future? On this episode of the podcast, we explore the question of what the Spirit is saying about First Nations people with Ps Lydia Read, leader of the New Wine Movement in New Zealand. Lydia is well-positione

How do we hear God’s voice? Perhaps the best way to describe the forms of Holy Spirit communication is by starting with the human forms we're familiar with. This includes all of our senses! So we can hear God’s voice, but we can also see it, taste it, smell it and feel it! On this episode of the show, we focus on hearing God through our “spiritual senses” with prophet and pastor Maria Mason. You’ll learn about: Maria’s back story, from being raised in a Catholic family to walking away from God and later, coming to terms with her experiences of seeing in the Spirit realm from the age of five. The variety of sensory ways we can hear from God. Just as we have sight, hearing, touch, taste and feeling as our five natural senses, we have five senses in the spiritual ream - spiritual eyes, spiritual ears, spiritual taste, spiritual smell and spiritual touch. “God is a god of variety. It is the Father’s intention that each person has their sensory realm opened up.” How God uses “Spirit feelings” to commu

One of the most challenging times to hear God’s voice is in seasons of suffering and ill-health. Clarity is difficult to find in the midst of pain, fear and doubt. On this episode, we talk to someone who understands this more than most. British author, communicator and friend, Kate Nicholas joins us on the GC podcast to talk about her rollercoaster ride of cancer diagnoses and how she heard God speak in the midst of them. This episode will encourage anyone who is seeking to hear God’s voice in the midst of suffering. On the show, we talk about: Kate’s fascinating faith journey, beginning with her bohemian upbringing and faithful attendance at a Baptist church in childhood. This was followed by a season of rejecting her faith when she was unable to reconcile God's goodness with her father’s mental illness. Finally, a time of spiritual exploration led her to travel, studying Buddhism in India and experiencing God’s presence in the Australian outback. Kate's first diagnosis with advanced breast cancer in

Lyn Packer thought that one day she’d end up in a mental institution. As a young prophet, she experienced revelatory encounters on a regular basis, but didn’t understand the nature of her gifting. Her church wasn’t much help either since they didn’t believe in modern-day prophecy. So Lyn just thought she was weird. Mixed in with the confusion, Lyn was suffering the effects of sexual abuse from the hands of both her father and grandfather up until the age of 16. Again her church wasn’t much help - they frowned on both medication and professional counselling. That left Lyn to work out much of the healing journey on her own.  Thankfully the Holy Spirit stepped in, leading her step by step into a place of healing and wholeness. Today, Lyn draws on the wisdom of her experience to talk about an area that is often fraught with unhelpful and misguided ideas. You’ll love hearing her story and the insights that she brings. In the episode, you’ll hear about: Lyn’s back story - how she became a Christian at 16 in a

Does our personality have anything to do with hearing God’s voice? How does our human imagination, thinking and intuition interact with the Spirit? Our guest on this show Mark Chironna, calls our human interaction with God a “dance,” where God never violates our humanness and the journey to wholeness is the place where theology and psychology meet. Mark calls himself a dysfunctional Italian from New York City. He grew up in a Presbyterian church, but was disillusioned by the lack of evidence of the power of God. So he dabbled in metaphysics, esoteric Christianity and even the occult before finding himself radically converted to Jesus at 19 years of age at the height of the Jesus people movement (Think the movie, Jesus Revolution). Mark says he knew the devil and that scared him enough to realise Jesus must be real! Today Mark is a theo-semiotician, prophetic minister and media personality who holds a Doctorate of Ministry in Future Studies and a Master of Arts in Psychology. While at times in the church, ps

Have you ever heard God speak in a riddle or a pun? God is a masterful communicator with a great sense of wit and humour! We see God's communicative ability from the beauty of creation. The same God who breathed diversity and creativity into the natural world continues to speak with the same qualities by his Spirit. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.” (Psalm 19:1-2) On this podcast episode, Tania talks to pastor and prophet, David Shadbolt, a minister from the UK who is passionate about communication with both God and people. In this episode, David shares his experience of Holy Spirit's creativity, including: His first experience of hearing God’s voice and the simple advice of his mentor, “read the Bible, listen to God and ask what you should do.” His insights about the importance of having the freedom to step out and explore what Holy Spirit is saying. The importance of hea

Ps. Adam Dyer grew up with the "Titanic Gospel.” Here, the only thing that mattered was people’s “souls.” The "ship was going down" so, you had to get as many people to heaven as possible before they died. This perspective failed him as a child and, along with the moral failure of his pastor (his father!), led him through a process of deconstruction as a young adult. Later, God called him into pastoral ministry and he reluctantly obeyed. His question at the time was, "where did the church go wrong and how can we do it differently?" On this episode of the God Conversations podcast, Tania and Adam discuss a much bigger gospel than the "Titanic Gospel" and show how the Spirit works both inside and outside the church to bring about the reconciliation of all things. The Gospel.. “should be good news for everybody, not just good news for a few and terrible news for everybody else.” In the podcast, Adam: Tells his personal story of deconstruction as he struggled with the person of Jesus and the church who had

  God Told Arthur Guinness to Make a Better Drink and other Famous God-conversations in History God is and always has been a talking God. The Hebrew Scriptures alone record over 3500 different God-conversations. Then in the New Testament, we read of at least another 30 more. But God continues to speak beyond the stories of ancient Israel and the early church. God has spoken throughout history and the stories continue to be thrilling. On this episode, I join North American evangelist and filmmaker Reverend Carl Wesley Anderson, to talk about God conversations in history. You’ll hear about Carl’s own life-changing God-conversation in his journey through cancer as well as three others that changed the course of history. 1. Carl Anderson (21st C): “Choose this cancer treatment” God spoke to Carl throughout his recovery from Stage 3b skin cancer, including a dream of his oncologist revealing which cancer treatment he should opt for. 2. Evan Roberts (20th C): “Preach this sermon” God told Evan Roberts to preach to