Discovering A BETTER LIFE!
Updated: Jan 28
Friends, the mission of Discovering A BETTER LIFE MINISTRIES is to provide men and women with words of Encouragement and Hope, as well as empower believers in Jesus Christ around the world, to recognize, experience, and celebrate their oneness with all others who know Jesus as Saviour and Lord, regardless of denomination, church fellowship, or historic tradition.
Discovering A BETTER LIFE is an Evangelical Outreach of a Pre-Denominational Assembly of Christians, officially launched in Albany, Western Australia in 1992.
Perhaps, you may be asking, what is Pre-denominational Christianity?
Well, in the first century, there was only one church. Christians in different locations were united by a common faith, belief, and form of worship. There were churches in Jerusalem, Corinth, Rome, Ephesus, Antioch, and several other places. What separated them was geography — not different teachings. But that was then!
Things are very different in the religious world in the 21st century.
We have a variety of churches, teachings, practices, and forms of worship. Did you know that the majority of today's denominations are less than 600 years old?
The Bible teaches that Jesus was only ever going to build (establish) one church: “. . . I will build My church. . .” Matthew 16:18; and that He died to save only one church: “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her” Ephesians 5:25. Quite clearly, not all the churches of today can be the one Jesus built. The implications of this are worthy of our deepest consideration.
The concept of pre-denominational or non-denominational Christianity is to abolish all the man-made teachings, creeds, and traditions that have developed over the years.
In other words, unless teaching or practice can be found in the Bible, don’t hold to it or teach it! By following this simple aim, we can be the same as the followers of Jesus Christ, like those we read about in the pages of the New Testament, simply Christians!
Our original site has grown into a network of sites covering several different topics and focusing on positive messages that will help people live, (with the help of Jesus), hope-filled and courageous lives today, wherever they are.
Discovering A BETTER LIFE MINISTRIES is maintained by a small, committed team, and many content contributors:
The Discovering A BETTER LIFE Team includes:
Ron Bainbridge — Coordinator & General Editor
Tom Reed — Chief Audio and sound technician
Moya Bainbridge — Secretary
Pat & Virginia Smith, and Don Melville --- Computer equipment
Daryl Edwards and Daniel Bainbridge --- Webmasters
Hazel & Newt Morton, Muriel Patterson, Philipp & Gaye Bailey --- Highly Valued Supporters
South Coast Albany Church of Christ -- 34 years of Financial & Prayerful Support
Southwest Amarillo Church of Christ --- 30 years " " " "
Bethany Funeral Home, Albany, --- Inaugural Sponsor of our Discovering A BETTER LIFE messages, broadcast every Sunday, since 1996, on 100.9 FM Albany Great Southern Radio
Early in 1996, the Discovering A BETTER LIFE MINISTRIES team was invited by the local Albany Community Radio Station 100.9 FM, to present a weekly Bible message. With the assistance and generosity of our Program Manager and audio technician, Tom Reed, we established a recording studio at his home. We pre-recorded our first radio message on July 29th, 1996. This message went to air on Sunday morning, August 18th, 1996. These 15-minute weekly messages were presented as Discovering A BETTER LIFE and will continue to be broadcast in 2025.
Contributing Authors
Discovering A BETTER LIFE MINISTRIES would not function without the tremendous efforts of many individuals. Many generous contributors have been, singers, musicians, media and sound technicians, hosts, prayer warriors, teachers, and artists. There are too many to try and name them all. Perhaps most notable among these are the talented authors who have contributed their writings, gospel music, and devotional readings to our publications.
Friends, we are extremely indebted to all the artists and designers who have provided Discovering A BETTER LIFE MINISTRIES with inspirational images and gospel music. Each author's contact information is at the end of their respective articles, and if an article is meaningful to you, please take a moment to let them know.
Among those referred to above, along with numerous others, not mentioned, have been:
Marvin Phillips, Ron Durham, Dan Talbot, Landon Saunders, Randy Becton, Dr Larry Crabb, Mack Lyon, each of these men, has since gone on to be with our Lord.
Continuing to work alongside us today, are these mentioned below:
Herald of Truth Ministries - https://www.facebook.com/heraldoftruthministries/
World Video Bible School - world video bible school videos
Roger E. Dickson - https://www.librarything.com/author/dicksonrogere
Joe Barnett - https://www.pathwayco.com/
Max Lucado - https://maxlucado.com/
James Dobson - https://www.drjamesdobson.org/blogs
Del Tackett - https://www.deltackett.com/?referrer=self
Rubel Shelley - https://www.heartlight.org/contributors/rubelshelly.html
HALLAL MUSIC - www.HallalMusic.com
Jeff Nelson & Covenant - https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=jeff%20nelson%20%26%20covenant
Dallas Christian Adult Concert Choir - https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=dallas%20christian%20adult%20concert%20choir
His Image Singers - https://www.reverbnation.com/hisimagesingers
Keith Lancaster - http://www.keithlancaster.com/keiths-bio.html
Sherry Anne - https://www.facebook.com/SherryAnneMinistries/
Andies Isle - https://andiesisle.com/
During the past 36 years, Discovering A BETTER LIFE MINISTRIES has produced and published a regular weekly column, providing encouragement and hope, that has been published in up to 25 different secular newspapers throughout Australia.
Many responses have been received from these articles, and each year hundreds of pieces of gospel literature and Bible Correspondence Courses, have been mailed throughout Australia, and numerous other countries. Hundreds of men and women have also enrolled in our Bible Correspondence Courses, which has resulted in many people being taught about the transforming power of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and being baptized into Christ.
Discovering A BETTER LIFE is an electronic publication for Christians that has encouraged hundreds of people every day since it launched in April 1992.
Our resources include regular articles, devotionals, inspirational images, Bible Studies and more. Many of Discovering A BETTER LIFE MINISTRIES resources are available online at:
Below, we have included a sample of the type of messages we have been privileged to share in the newspapers and online we have mentioned above.
Editor
(Stories of (Real People, Real Events, Real Places)
We invite you to visit our Website Blogs:
Rebirth of the Human Heart!
Friends, some years ago, Philip Yancey told the story of a friend who went swimming in a large lake at dusk.
A thick fog unexpectedly rolled in across the waters and suddenly the swimmer could not see the horizon or landmarks. There were no objects or lights to be seen from the shore. For 30 minutes he splashed around in panic. First of all, he would start in one direction, then lose confidence and turn 90 degrees to the right, or left. It made no difference which way he turned! At times he could feel his heart beating uncontrollably. Then, he would stop and float, trying to conserve energy and force himself to breathe slower. Then he would blindly strike out again.
At last, he heard a faint voice calling from the shore. It was then, that he pointed his body toward the sounds and followed them to safety. Friend, this swimmer’s terrible predicament has all the marks of a personal parable, the story of being lost and our need to find God on some presently invisible shore. What is it that will assure us of rescue?
First, we must recognize our need for rescue! However, too many of us are like the swimmer I have mentioned, lost in the fog, trying desperately to sustain ourselves with our energies and confused about where to turn.
Philip Yancey’s friend was ripe for rescue because he understood his need with absolute clarity. Interestingly, when you study the lives of the greatest converts to Christianity, you see a common trait among them. They all felt an intense longing for something more in their lives.
C.S. Lewis called it a memory of a memory, the longing for belonging: “The hunger that is better than fullness; this poverty that is better than any other wealth.”\In many senses, it was relentless homesickness in the soul coupled with an awareness that there is something out there to satisfy this deep longing within us, an echo, a whisper of something just beyond our reach. C.S. Lewis and others like him were swimmers in the fog, listening for the call, longing for the shore.
Friend, spiritual transformation is the greatest wonder of the human soul. During my lifetime, which has spanned 87 years, I have seen the lifeless chrysalis yield a beautiful butterfly. I have seen the dull brown soil spring forth with radiant irises and tulips. But the greatest transformation I have ever witnessed is the rebirth of the human heart. Such a metamorphosis comes only to those who long for the shore, to those with listening hearts. As Earl Stanley Jones said, “It is the act of a moment and the work of a lifetime.”
Many of my neighbours seem to be saying, “This fog is all there is! We don’t see a shore! We hear nothing at all!” Sadly, these friends suffer the peculiar blindness of those who see only the visible.
However, when we take the time to stop and listen, we discover that our loving God is relentlessly calling to each of us. He is reaching out to us in many ways. Therefore, if we want to be rescued from a burdened, stress-filled life that seems to have no purpose or inner peace, I encourage you to listen with your heart to the voice of God and follow the light that He has provided to lead each of us to safety.
The God I am inviting your heart to listen to is a Holy and Righteous, infinite Heavenly Father who has poured His grace on all of mankind. He has demonstrated His grace through His Son, Jesus Christ, who is the “Light of the world!”
Friend, if you would like help in obtaining a fresh look at God’s grace and authentic Christianity, we invite you to write to Discovering A BETTER LIFE and ask for our FREE booklets titled “The Relentless Love of God!” and “How to find God.” Our address is: BETHANIE ON THE PARK, Apt# 49/2 Plantation Street, Menora Western Australia 6050
E-mail us at: abl-alb@omninet.net.au
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
To Hear and View this Video,
Please click on the link below:
Friend, if you would like to be added to our weekly, group mailing address, of those who receive our Discovering A BETTER LIFE articles, (Such as Above), we would be happy to include you on that list. All you need do, is send your request to our email address:
Commentaires