I am so sorry that you are struggling, particularly today Abi. Great words of wisdom from your darling Terry. In addition, the world is such a fuck up right now. There is so much for us to process and deal with on many different levels.
Jonny Woodrow is wonderful to listen to on your TNT show.
A very touching email from the lady in Queensland about her brother in the Police. Thank God for the verdict in their favour at long last but what a terrible toll it has taken along the way.
Abs I get it about Terry .. it’s this all consuming feeling that just comes over you. Crying with you here when you sobbed. I’ll never ever understand why Nick had to leave me .. he literally carried me for 42 years, that’s a lot of water under the bridge. Sending you my love and completely understand your feelings today. God love you Abs, you really are such a lovely lady xx ❤️
Abi 👋 we all have days like this and support and love you through them, and always do just as you do us. You are real and relatable and bang on about the things that matter for people just trying to get by in the everyday.
They say it's good to talk and this pod may be your therapy. So sorry to hear you feel so low. Grief is a funny old thing, sometimes it creeps up on us like a black cloud on a sunny day. It always catches me out when I haven't got an umbrella!
I have always admired the way you hold it together whilst paying tribute to your darling Terry. I am sure in the spirit world he is immensely proud of you and is guiding you on.
Hope you feel in better spirits soon. Sending you a big virtual hug 🤗 x
Sorry to hear of your shit day/week/month. We now live in the information age, unlike anything known throughout all of human history. People years ago had their share of trauma but day to day life was for most peaceful, if not hard work. Now we live with endless negative info, its too much!!! And on top of that, we have to deal with our personnel lives, with the highs and low's including even grieving for loved ones. No surprise it all gets too much at times!!! I know i'm stating the obvious above, but this is what I thought of after your pod. Look after yourself Abi, and thank you for all you do here and TNT.
So sorry, Abi. ❤️ There is so much that I want to say but I am struggling for the right words. I understand what you are saying and I send love and support.
Abi darling my heart hurts for you, hearing your grief for Terry and the sob in your voice. Thank you for being so open with us here. I hope it helps to vocalize it. I really believe we could be real-life friends if not for the distance. One day I hope to meet to in person and give you a massive hug. Keep your head above water. You feel Terry with you every day, I know you do. One day at a time. ❤️ x
Thank you for your open heart and honesty . I lost my husband in July after having to deal with the nhs and their eagerness to put him on end of life for 2 years . I really think you would love qi gong if you try it . Good for calm , stability ,movement and of course chi ! You can do it anywhere . No equipment needed .I love it !
Sorry to hear that you're feeling low Abi.It is terrible losing a loved one, and especially a lover best friend like Terry sounded.I don't believe in therapists either.They keep the angst going in order to keep the appointments/ money rolling in.You just have to remember that Terry is with you and is giving you advice through your dreams and in your gut instincts
Sorry you are having a bad day Abi. Everybody feels like this sometimes. I worry what's going to happen to the grandkids in the future. Just have to take one day at a time xx
Abi you are inspirational , even when you say you can’t cope somehow you still put yourself out there, soldiering on as an exemplar to us all of the value in just keep ing going.
You are connecting the good that’s out there buttressing against the evil so it’s no wonder at times it gets to you as being a light to so many is hard work. Please know how loved and sincerely appreciated you are from another Aussie admirer! X
Wow, what a podcast! Absolutely astonishing. You touched me so deeply by voicing your difficult emotions and being so vulnerable and real with your Substack family. Abi, I love your authenticity and passion. You are a true inspiration to us freedom fighters. Thank you for everything you do.
Dear Abi, I’ve just started listening to this pod and because you are sad, felt the need to comment and say how much you have helped me get through these past years, and my heart hurt when you spoke about Terry, how much you must miss your soul mate. 💕
Hi Abi. Here are some short notes on 1 John 3:18 as requested. This is far too much to read out on comments Friday! Also, for all those who aren’t Christian, I hope these brief notes at least give you a flavour of what’s in the bible. Even if you don’t believe it, it’s worth knowing what Christianity is and what you don’t agree with.
The short summary of the notes is this: little children, if you really have trusted Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, don’t be hypocrites!
Notes begin:
The verse we talked about briefly:
18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
John’s letter cycles around the themes of salvation and a changed life. These two themes spiral around each other. He calls Christians to ground themselves in the light and then walk in the light. The key thing to note is John does not say “if you live a good life you are saved” instead he says, “if you are saved, good deeds flow from having your sins forgiven and knowing God in Jesus”.
Vs 18 is all about walking the walk not just talking the talk. Vs 17 gives us an immediate example;
"17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?"
Vs 18 is a general summary of the principle underpinning vs 17. Now, "avoid hypocrisy" is a principle everyone in their right mind would agree with, but we need to read it in context. It is addressed to “my little children”.
Who are the little children? The beginning of chapter 3 tells us,
"See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure."
The children are children of God. we find out three things about them. First, they are people who have been made children of God, not by anything they’ve done but by God’s love. Second, one day they will be transformed fully into the image of the risen and reigning, death proof Jesus (vs 2). That transformation will occur when we see him as he is - that is, in his glory. There is a principle in the bible that we start to mirror or image what we worship or rest our lives on. If we worship money, our lives begin to display that money is our god. In the background to John’s comments here is Jesus’ prayer in John 17 where Jesus says he looks forward to the day when his people will gaze upon his glory. When we see Jesus as he is, all those who trust him and love him will be transformed to physically and spiritually reflect his glory. In this life, you can already see it in the face of those who have followed him for decades. Old Christians have a twinkle in their eye: spiritual life pumps through their body frail bodies now, but one day they will be physically transformed into the likeness of the risen and glorified Christ. The third thing John says is the children of God have purified themselves by hoping in Jesus:
"And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure."
What has purified them? Chapter 1 tells us they are purified because they came to the light. This means they have heard the message about Jesus who is the word of life, the one from before the beginning, who came to tell us that God is light (which means moral purity and truth) and call us to come to the light. how do we come to the light?
"1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete."
John saw, heard and touched Jesus, and passed on what he heard and saw. And by accepting his message we are brought into fellowship with God and his people. We come to the light by confessing our sin and accepting the death of Jesus for us. Chapter 1 goes on,
"5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
Those who come to the light are honest about their sin. The bible uses three words for sin: transgression, sin and iniquity. Sin means missing the mark. It’s a term from archery. Transgression means breaking a law. Iniquity means twisting something good into something evil. The person who comes to God who is light, comes to Jesus and says, “I have broken your moral law, twisted it and fallen short of your moral perfection.” Just go read the ten commandments and ask how have I done?
We can come to God because of the blood of Jesus which cleanses from all sin. This tells us something vital about the death of Jesus on the cross by which his blood was shed. Jesus did not die as a martyr or as a protest. He gave up his life as a sacrifice for sin. The terms, blood, cleansing and sin transport us to the Old Testament Sacrificial system where the blood of goats and bulls was shed to make the people ritually clean of their sin to be able to approach God in worship. Clean is the opposite to unholy. Clean means morally acceptable to the holy God and fit for his presence. The holy God requires sin be punished. Blood shows a death has happened for sin. God always promised that he would make a way for sinful people to be cleansed by a death in their place for their sin. Jesus is the eternal son of God - the one from the beginning - who takes on human nature, lives a perfect life and then sheds his blood, to go through the punishment for the sins of his people. He stands in our place and goes through judgment for us. So, for all those who confess their sins, and trust in the blood of Jesus to cleanse them from sin, God is faithful and just to forgive our sin. There is no condemnation for us.
Now, this forgiveness doesn’t mean we now can do what we like. John says those who have come to the light now walk in the light. His letter is all about encouraging the children of God to avoid sin. In chapter 2 he says,
"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."
We have an advocate with the Father, so when we sin (as Christians do!) we can trust that Jesus is the one in the presence of God the Father as our propitiation for our sins- he has already covered us from the righteous wrath of the triune God. Notice, however, what John uses to push them to fight sin, it’s not “do better”! He doesn’t say, “unless you do good you won’t be saved”. Good deeds, acceptable to God, flow from already having been saved, already knowing God, already having come to the light and so he says, if you know God then keep his commands. He states this in the negative in vs 4, if you don’t keep his commands, and have no interest in doing so, then don’t claim you have come to know God or that you’ve come to the light.
The key thing is this: come to the light for forgiveness of sins and by God’s Spirit you will begin to fight sin, trusting in the advocate who is with the Father, and seeking to walk according to God’s word. The bible does not teach that good deeds save us. It teaches it’s too late for that. We need cleansing from sin. So, obedience to God, in the bible, is the result of salvation not the cause of salvation.
In short, little children, if you really have trusted Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, don’t be hypocrites!
I am so sorry that you are struggling, particularly today Abi. Great words of wisdom from your darling Terry. In addition, the world is such a fuck up right now. There is so much for us to process and deal with on many different levels.
Jonny Woodrow is wonderful to listen to on your TNT show.
A very touching email from the lady in Queensland about her brother in the Police. Thank God for the verdict in their favour at long last but what a terrible toll it has taken along the way.
Abs I get it about Terry .. it’s this all consuming feeling that just comes over you. Crying with you here when you sobbed. I’ll never ever understand why Nick had to leave me .. he literally carried me for 42 years, that’s a lot of water under the bridge. Sending you my love and completely understand your feelings today. God love you Abs, you really are such a lovely lady xx ❤️
Abi 👋 we all have days like this and support and love you through them, and always do just as you do us. You are real and relatable and bang on about the things that matter for people just trying to get by in the everyday.
So sorry for grief for your beloved Terry
♥️ He must be so very proud of you.
Thank you Abi and I hope you can just
switch off this evening 🥰💖🥰
They say it's good to talk and this pod may be your therapy. So sorry to hear you feel so low. Grief is a funny old thing, sometimes it creeps up on us like a black cloud on a sunny day. It always catches me out when I haven't got an umbrella!
I have always admired the way you hold it together whilst paying tribute to your darling Terry. I am sure in the spirit world he is immensely proud of you and is guiding you on.
Hope you feel in better spirits soon. Sending you a big virtual hug 🤗 x
Sorry to hear of your shit day/week/month. We now live in the information age, unlike anything known throughout all of human history. People years ago had their share of trauma but day to day life was for most peaceful, if not hard work. Now we live with endless negative info, its too much!!! And on top of that, we have to deal with our personnel lives, with the highs and low's including even grieving for loved ones. No surprise it all gets too much at times!!! I know i'm stating the obvious above, but this is what I thought of after your pod. Look after yourself Abi, and thank you for all you do here and TNT.
So sorry, Abi. ❤️ There is so much that I want to say but I am struggling for the right words. I understand what you are saying and I send love and support.
Thank you Abs 🙏
My heart breaks for you. I can’t bear the thought of you missing Terry so much and knowing there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it 💔😔
When everything feels so overwhelming I just have to go back to baby steps. Get through this day and then the next.
Know that we all think the world of you xxx
💯
I hope you are getting more sleep now after your daughter concerns, Shouty xx
Abi darling my heart hurts for you, hearing your grief for Terry and the sob in your voice. Thank you for being so open with us here. I hope it helps to vocalize it. I really believe we could be real-life friends if not for the distance. One day I hope to meet to in person and give you a massive hug. Keep your head above water. You feel Terry with you every day, I know you do. One day at a time. ❤️ x
Thank you for your open heart and honesty . I lost my husband in July after having to deal with the nhs and their eagerness to put him on end of life for 2 years . I really think you would love qi gong if you try it . Good for calm , stability ,movement and of course chi ! You can do it anywhere . No equipment needed .I love it !
Sorry to hear that you're feeling low Abi.It is terrible losing a loved one, and especially a lover best friend like Terry sounded.I don't believe in therapists either.They keep the angst going in order to keep the appointments/ money rolling in.You just have to remember that Terry is with you and is giving you advice through your dreams and in your gut instincts
Sorry you are having a bad day Abi. Everybody feels like this sometimes. I worry what's going to happen to the grandkids in the future. Just have to take one day at a time xx
Abi you are inspirational , even when you say you can’t cope somehow you still put yourself out there, soldiering on as an exemplar to us all of the value in just keep ing going.
You are connecting the good that’s out there buttressing against the evil so it’s no wonder at times it gets to you as being a light to so many is hard work. Please know how loved and sincerely appreciated you are from another Aussie admirer! X
Part 2 .. oops forgot to say yes Jonny Woodrow I could listen to him for hours he’s up there with Bob Moran 👏 x
Wow, what a podcast! Absolutely astonishing. You touched me so deeply by voicing your difficult emotions and being so vulnerable and real with your Substack family. Abi, I love your authenticity and passion. You are a true inspiration to us freedom fighters. Thank you for everything you do.
Forgot to say: that email about the Aussie policeman shows that we do have real unsung heroes amongst us. What a great man
Dear Abi, I’ve just started listening to this pod and because you are sad, felt the need to comment and say how much you have helped me get through these past years, and my heart hurt when you spoke about Terry, how much you must miss your soul mate. 💕
Hi Abi. Here are some short notes on 1 John 3:18 as requested. This is far too much to read out on comments Friday! Also, for all those who aren’t Christian, I hope these brief notes at least give you a flavour of what’s in the bible. Even if you don’t believe it, it’s worth knowing what Christianity is and what you don’t agree with.
The short summary of the notes is this: little children, if you really have trusted Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, don’t be hypocrites!
Notes begin:
The verse we talked about briefly:
18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
John’s letter cycles around the themes of salvation and a changed life. These two themes spiral around each other. He calls Christians to ground themselves in the light and then walk in the light. The key thing to note is John does not say “if you live a good life you are saved” instead he says, “if you are saved, good deeds flow from having your sins forgiven and knowing God in Jesus”.
Vs 18 is all about walking the walk not just talking the talk. Vs 17 gives us an immediate example;
"17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?"
Vs 18 is a general summary of the principle underpinning vs 17. Now, "avoid hypocrisy" is a principle everyone in their right mind would agree with, but we need to read it in context. It is addressed to “my little children”.
Who are the little children? The beginning of chapter 3 tells us,
"See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure."
The children are children of God. we find out three things about them. First, they are people who have been made children of God, not by anything they’ve done but by God’s love. Second, one day they will be transformed fully into the image of the risen and reigning, death proof Jesus (vs 2). That transformation will occur when we see him as he is - that is, in his glory. There is a principle in the bible that we start to mirror or image what we worship or rest our lives on. If we worship money, our lives begin to display that money is our god. In the background to John’s comments here is Jesus’ prayer in John 17 where Jesus says he looks forward to the day when his people will gaze upon his glory. When we see Jesus as he is, all those who trust him and love him will be transformed to physically and spiritually reflect his glory. In this life, you can already see it in the face of those who have followed him for decades. Old Christians have a twinkle in their eye: spiritual life pumps through their body frail bodies now, but one day they will be physically transformed into the likeness of the risen and glorified Christ. The third thing John says is the children of God have purified themselves by hoping in Jesus:
"And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure."
What has purified them? Chapter 1 tells us they are purified because they came to the light. This means they have heard the message about Jesus who is the word of life, the one from before the beginning, who came to tell us that God is light (which means moral purity and truth) and call us to come to the light. how do we come to the light?
"1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete."
John saw, heard and touched Jesus, and passed on what he heard and saw. And by accepting his message we are brought into fellowship with God and his people. We come to the light by confessing our sin and accepting the death of Jesus for us. Chapter 1 goes on,
"5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
Those who come to the light are honest about their sin. The bible uses three words for sin: transgression, sin and iniquity. Sin means missing the mark. It’s a term from archery. Transgression means breaking a law. Iniquity means twisting something good into something evil. The person who comes to God who is light, comes to Jesus and says, “I have broken your moral law, twisted it and fallen short of your moral perfection.” Just go read the ten commandments and ask how have I done?
We can come to God because of the blood of Jesus which cleanses from all sin. This tells us something vital about the death of Jesus on the cross by which his blood was shed. Jesus did not die as a martyr or as a protest. He gave up his life as a sacrifice for sin. The terms, blood, cleansing and sin transport us to the Old Testament Sacrificial system where the blood of goats and bulls was shed to make the people ritually clean of their sin to be able to approach God in worship. Clean is the opposite to unholy. Clean means morally acceptable to the holy God and fit for his presence. The holy God requires sin be punished. Blood shows a death has happened for sin. God always promised that he would make a way for sinful people to be cleansed by a death in their place for their sin. Jesus is the eternal son of God - the one from the beginning - who takes on human nature, lives a perfect life and then sheds his blood, to go through the punishment for the sins of his people. He stands in our place and goes through judgment for us. So, for all those who confess their sins, and trust in the blood of Jesus to cleanse them from sin, God is faithful and just to forgive our sin. There is no condemnation for us.
Now, this forgiveness doesn’t mean we now can do what we like. John says those who have come to the light now walk in the light. His letter is all about encouraging the children of God to avoid sin. In chapter 2 he says,
"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."
We have an advocate with the Father, so when we sin (as Christians do!) we can trust that Jesus is the one in the presence of God the Father as our propitiation for our sins- he has already covered us from the righteous wrath of the triune God. Notice, however, what John uses to push them to fight sin, it’s not “do better”! He doesn’t say, “unless you do good you won’t be saved”. Good deeds, acceptable to God, flow from already having been saved, already knowing God, already having come to the light and so he says, if you know God then keep his commands. He states this in the negative in vs 4, if you don’t keep his commands, and have no interest in doing so, then don’t claim you have come to know God or that you’ve come to the light.
The key thing is this: come to the light for forgiveness of sins and by God’s Spirit you will begin to fight sin, trusting in the advocate who is with the Father, and seeking to walk according to God’s word. The bible does not teach that good deeds save us. It teaches it’s too late for that. We need cleansing from sin. So, obedience to God, in the bible, is the result of salvation not the cause of salvation.
In short, little children, if you really have trusted Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, don’t be hypocrites!