Ben McEachen
April 28th, 2017 03:59 PM
Broken dreams have become a way of life for popular broadcaster, author and speaker Sheridan Voysey. The founder of national current affairs radio programme Open House, Voysey publicly quit his on-air role six years ago due to long-standing infertility issues in his marriage. After living in England, Voysey returns to Australia this month to present several one-day conferences about what God can do with us when we don’t get what we want.
“I think we’re often discipled by Disney more than we are discipled by the Scriptures,” says Voysey, who has become a travelling communicator on the topic of broken dreams. “We are so used to the happy ending: yes, we know there’s going to be a battle but we will get there in the end.”
Speaking at several churches across Australia this month, supported by Our Daily Bread ministries, Voysey knows first-hand there is not always a “happy ending”. He and his wife Merryn tried for years to have children but they could not conceive. Their move to England was to help Merryn start over after her dream of having a family ended, with Voysey making the difficult choice of quitting his dream job to make that happen.
“The worst experience that comes to us can, in the hands of God, be turned into something very surprising for the benefit of not just ourselves, but primarily for others.” – Sheridan Voysey
Author of Resurrection Year (2013), an intimate account of the aftermath of their childless journey, Voysey believes God can mine good from any broken dream. “But I’m reluctant to get too ‘rah-rah’ about this because anyone who has been through a broken dream has already read ‘The Seven Steps to a Better Life’-type book – and found that they are lacking. It’s too easy to just come in and say, ‘Just pray and your broken dream will become a new beginning.’”
“I want to be really sensitive about how the cross shows that the worst event can be redeemed into the greatest event in history. The worst experience that comes to us can, in the hands of God, be turned into something very surprising for the benefit of not just ourselves, but primarily for others.”
Voysey is aware of how unexpected are the ways God has used his and Merryn’s painful experiences to help others. He spent years on radio being a “Christian apologist.” Since leaving Open House, he’s been helping people understand where God is amid pain, frustration and “unanswered prayers.”
“From Broken Dreams to New Beginnings” will be held in Melbourne on May 6, Sydney on May 13, and the Sunshine Coast on May 20. Free admission but bookings required: www.ourdailybread.org/newbeginnings or call (03) 9761 7086. More on Sheridan Voysey at www.sheridanvoysey.com
