Talk for 12

Amy grew up learning about Jesus, but it wasn’t until she met Jesus with her need for forgiveness that she fully understood what a relationship with him meant.

Monique met Jesus in her 20s, through a series of events and interactions that clearly show God's hand at work in calling her to himself, as well as other members of her family. Now a Christian, Monique reflects on God's work in her life so far, and how meeting Jesus has changed everything.

In Luke 8, we meet a woman who has been bleeding for 12 years, who reaches out to Jesus in faith that he will heal her. Join Phoebe as she unpacks this passage with us, reminding us of how Jesus' death and resurrection changes everything (including periods!) and restores our relationship with God.

Social media constantly tells us we’re missing out - or that the solution is to opt out entirely. What does a Christ-centred life actually look like when it comes to rest, ambition, and comparison?

#youdoyou sounds like an easy way to agree to disagree without giving offense - you live out your authentic self and I'll do me. Join Lily and Lauren to consider whether Jesus calls us to 'be ourselves', or something else.

Join Kristy and Sandy for lessons we've learnt praying for and with our kids.

Sometimes we feel less than confident in prayer. Judy and Shirley share how God has grown them to rejoice always, pray continually and build one another up through prayer.

Let's kickstart a year of prayerfulness! Jane and Rhianna help us remember the privilege of prayer as God's children and the using the words God gives to shape our prayers.

It's the end of Talk for 12 for 2025 but not the end of reading and growing. Get some of our top recommendations for books for the holiday break or under the Christmas tree.

You know it's Christmas time when the carols hit the airwaves in the shops and advertisements. Get ready to enjoy the season's carols even more deeply as Naomi and Veronica consider the origins and meaning of some of our favourite Christmas carols.

Celebrate with us! Talk for 12 has championed the stories, widsom, teaching and encouragement of OEC women (and some excellent others) for 100 fabulous episodes. Remember and be inspired from our beginnings, now and next steps.

Retirement is a cherished dream for many women but it's not always an easy transition. Rochelle speaks with Robyn about making the most of the most of the post-work years for the glory of God.

The Higher School Certificate is well underway all around in Australia and for many it can feel like these exams determine one's whole future. Join Rochelle as she speaks to Bec and Josie about the plans they have beyond their final exams and the security they have in knowing that their identity is secure in Christ and not in their marks or university offers.

Transforming friendships are those we have with non-believers whom we are sharing the hope of the gospel with. Navigating these friendships requires wisdom as we seek to love those who do not know Jesus in a way that is genuine, sharing the gospel with them, but not being transformed in a worldly direction ourselves. Wrapping up our series on cross-shaped friendships, join Mel, Tash & Lara as they discuss how they have navigated these friendships.

Navigating Changing friendships through different seasons of life brings both grief and joy. Most of us will have experienced the grief of losing friends or seeing friendships change, as well as the joy that is found in making new friends. Join Alice, George and Mel as they discuss what the Bible has to say about changing friendships and how to navigate them with wisdom and love for each other.

Friendship can take many forms and is a gift from God that is vital to our flourishing. Beginning a new series on cross-shaped friendships, Mel, Madi and Lorraine share from the Bible and their own lives how God uses Christian friendships to help grow us in godliness and service of him.

Patience is part of God's character and is part of the fruit of the Spirit that many of us struggle with. Patience is the ability to trust and to rest in God and who He is, to let go of the striving and the need to know all the answers. Join Heather and Kirrily as they share how God has been developing patience in their lives and how you can do the same.

Growing the fruit of the Spirit is the work of God in us as we seek to live a Christ-focused life. This week, Sarah & Bec share with Heather what God has been teaching them about the fruit of the Spirit, and particularly goodness, as they seek to love and serve others, and show God’s goodness to them.

The Christian life is not about striving and relying on our own power, but rather about letting Jesus change us over time, as we live connected to him. Join Heather and Kirrily as they kick off our new series looking at the fruit of the Spirit by reminding us that it is God's power and Spirit that produces His fruit in our life.

The bible tells us God created the earth in 6 days. Science says the universe is billions of years old. In part 2 of this series Sarah shares with Faith how she see's God in her work as an Astrophysicist.

Christianity and science are often thought of as being at odds with each other. In part 1 of this series Faith talks to Sarah, who is both a Christian and a scientist, about how she balances these 2 view points.

How can we as the church "weep with those who weep" when some suffering can often be experienced silently? In the second episode of our series on "an empty womb", Meg and Rochelle discuss the experience of miscarriage and how we as the church body can better care for couples going through one.

The experience of an empty womb can leave us feeling empty, alone and disappointed. In the first episode of this two-part series, Meg and Rochelle, two women who have both personally experienced and cared for others going through infertility, discuss what the bible says on the topic and where we can find comfort and hope.

We all have limitations. These often shape how we serve Jesus and his people. Listen in as Suellen and Caz talk about how MS has impacted Caz's daily life and her interactions with Jesus.

Moving to another country and being immersed in a language that is different to your native tongue has blessings and challenges. Suellen chats with Deb about her transition from Indonesia to living in Australia as a woman who loves Jesus.

Two women: one physically present at Jesus feet with a need for forgiveness, one at Jesus feet in our lifetime with a need for reassurance and comfort. Suellen speaks with Ali, a visiting SMBC student about what we read in Luke 7 and the journey Ali is on. 

We all serve God in the place he has put us. Sometimes that is close to home and sometimes that is in a country on the other side of the world. In this episode, Stef shares about her life as a missionary in Chile, what God has been teaching her during her time there, and what she is looking forward to when she goes back.

Using 4 simple questions to help guide their time in the Bible together, Grace and Natasha model 1 to 1 Bible reading for us by dipping into Psalm 32. They discuss they joy that is found when we confess our sins to God and live in relationship with him.

Listen in as Melody and Abbey read Psalm 23 together. They discuss what is means and how it has been an encouragement to them when they have faced hard times, using 4 simple questions to help guide their time in the Bible together.

Have you ever been nervous to strike up a conversation with another parent at the school gate or the back of assembly? Gill asks Heather what she's learned from intentional interaction with a diverse range of school mums and dads.

Join Gill and Tash to consider how the season of life caring for small children at home can bring opportunities for connection and deep conversation and how Bible stories might play a part.

How good it is to start a new year secure in the knowledge of salvation in Jesus, our living hope, an inheritance 'unfading, kept in heaven for you' (1 Peter 1:3). So many people we live and work with do not know this hope. Be encouraged and inspired by God's story and Lauren's story of seeking opportunities at work to live a gospel-shaped life and speak gospel truths in whatever context God has placed you.

Matthew tells us how the birth of Jesus took place. Christine invites us to consider Mary and Joseph and who the central character, Jesus, is and what he came to do. Have a listen and keep in mind who you might share this with this Christmas. Talk for 12 will be taking a break until after the summer holidays. Please join us again in 2025!

The house is a mess, there's nothing in the cupboard and we are running between work and social activities. God can't expect me to invite people over to my house can he? Meg speaks with Krista about why hospitality is still important and possible in the messiness of life.

It often seems that 'anything goes' in the online world - you can say anything, be anyone. Or can you? Meg asks Caity what she's learned interacting online and asking whether there is a place for visible, kind Christianity online.

Have you ever wondered, 'how does she do that?' Meg kicks off a 3 part series with Jodi, exploring some of the teaching, people, decisions and joys that keep her coming back to church every week!

It's always exciting to celebrate a birthday, even of a podcast! In this episode, the Talk for 12 team reflect on the past year of podcasts, share how different series came about as well as some moments of joy and encouragement. Happy 3rd Birthday, Talk for 12!

New to Orange and OEC, Katelyn shares her experience of being a new person at a new church. Listen in to her conversation with Suellen and be encouraged.

Using our words to build up our brothers and sisters in Christ, is a huge privilege and is a foundational aspect of Christ-centred fellowship. In this second episode of our 2 part series on common phrases in Christian community, Lily and Nicki talk through the phrase "Praise God", when we say it, and what it tells us about our own hearts

How often do you reflect on the meaning of what you say? In this first episode of a 2 part series on common Christian phrases, Lily and Amanda talk through the phrase 'thoughts and prayers', and how the Bible teaches us to care for one another through grief.

Christian community is a place of comfort for the anxious and downhearted. But it doesn't always live up to expectation. In the second episode of this series Belinda shares with Gill helpful and practical ways to respond to anxious thoughts and feelings in ourselves and in others.

Is anxiety bad? Should Christians not have Anxiety? Clinical Psychologist, Belinda, helps us bust some 'myths' about what anxiety is, where anxiety belongs in the Christian life and the place of prayer and professional help.

Anna and Beth both work in situations that isolate them from a lot of adult contact beyond their own families. In this episode Mel invites them to share how God is challenging and teaching them as they serve him in their different contexts. Anna is a farmer, working alongside her husband, and Beth is a stay at home mum, home-schooling her five children.

Mel chats with Pauline and Lauren about owning a business, about tattoos and about core identity and how that plays out in what you do. Listen in to this third episode in our series on work as these women consider their identity as loved and esteemed children of God in very different work circumstances.

In this episode Katherine and Lis speak with Mel about what work and family have looked like at various stages of their lives. They reflect on how they have sought to be godly in the midst of the challenges of the workplace and in their desire to honour God as they have cared for their children. Mel asks them how they have been intentional in the decisions they have made and the priorities they have set.

Mel introduces us to Katherine to begin our four part series on ‘Work’. Katherine is considering what God’s word has to say about work. Listen in as she reminds us that we have been created for work and as she unfolds three themes that shape our priorities in this area of life.

Kelly, Marion and Mel discuss what they love about studying theology, why they think it's a good thing for every Christian woman to do, and how we can grow in our study of our good God and His word.

Kathy has been serving as a Bible Translator overseas for 20 years. How did she start this journey and why would she continue when there are lots of hard and uncomfortable aspects to her life? Listen into this episode as Monica has an open conversation with one of our long serving mission partners.

Life in a busy household is anything but boring! This week, Dani shares with us what God has taught her through the joys and struggles of living in a household of many.

Living in a household of one has many joys but also some struggles. Join Phoebe as she shares with Mel how God has grown her through her time as a single woman, as well as gives some advice on how we can love other sisters in Christ who are living in a household of one.