About Jeff Stacey and this website

I now live near Sydney, Australia, and have lived always in the State of NSW.

As a child and teenager I attended church activities weekly with my family. Yet Christian concerns were only a “compartment” of my life. Other things like sports and friends were my main interests.

But while studying civil engineering at Sydney University I had a personal crisis. I had failed my second year exams and had to repeat the year. If I failed again I would have to leave the university. My father would also have to pay back all my scholarship subsidies. But by mid year I was not doing well and was becoming desperate.

At the student hostel where I lived, some of my friends were committed Christians. These friendships as well as my very stressful circumstances, were making me try to turn to God for help. Then one evening my best friend, who had been coming with me to church, burst into my room to say he had just become a Christian. Straight away I knew he would soon realise I was not really a committed Christian. This disturbed me. But only a few nights later (23 September 1961) as I was settling down to study, I was surprised by a profound, totally unexpected “spiritual experience”. The result was that I knew I had become a committed, converted, “born again” Christian. My Christian friends also soon recognised this.

The Bible suddenly became enthralling reading, instead of being boring and obscure. I still vividly remember reading and underlining some words of Jesus Christ in my newly bought “New English Bible” translation of the New Testament [then just published, in 1961]: “Whoever has the will to do the will of God shall know whether my teaching comes from him or is merely my own.” John 7:17. This had become true for me.

At the end of the year I passed all subjects. This even included a “miracle” – I came top in one exam, a “high distinction” – due to correctly “tipping” and preparing for possible questions from past papers!

Yet for a while I struggled to live out my new commitment. After another crisis about three years later, I became deeply convinced that I must read a bit of the Bible and pray every morning. So I made myself get started. Because I still feel I really need it, I have kept this up ever since. My living as a committed Christian became more stable and positive. I was also more open about my faith. This has all proved to be life-changing, probably saving me from a deeply troubled and fruitless life.

After graduating (BE) from the University of Sydney, I worked as a highways engineer in Sydney and some regional centres in south eastern Australia. I married Mary and God blessed us with four wonderful children. During this time I also did part-time studies at the Baptist (Morling)Theological College in Sydney and gained a BD(hons) degree awarded by the Melbourne College of Divinity (MCD).

After 28 years I left engineering and began part-time teaching in a small theological college and several Bible schools for about 8 years. It was during this time that I first developed and used flow charts to explain the Bible. Later I gained an MTh degree awarded by the Australian College of Theology (ACT) and began developing this website (see “Building this website”).

Working on this website and its flow charts method is an inspiring and creatively satisfying project for me. It has reminded me of John Bunyan’s description of producing his 1678 classic, “The Pilgrim’s Progress”:

More than twenty things which I set down.

This done, I twenty more had in my crown;

And they again began to multiply…

… I only thought to make

I knew not what: nor did I undertake

Thereby to please my neighbour: no, not I;

I did it my own self to gratify …

… Thus I set pen to paper with delight,

And quickly had my thoughts in black and white.

For having now my method by the end,

Still as I pulled it came; and so I penned

It down, until at last it came to be,

For length and breadth, the bigness which you see.

[Quoted from The Complete Works of John Bunyan (Brantford, Ontario, 1877), page 85. Our old leather-bound copy of this volume is a treasured heirloom of my late wife’s family, who are direct descendants of Bunyan.]

So I too have “set my pen to paper with delight”. But totally unlike Bunyan’s masterpiece, my efforts will always be just “a work in progress”.

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In my life there have been some tough situations and also many wonderful outcomes. But my learning to live as a committed Christian has always been “a work in progress” too. Many are better at it than me. Yet really the only comparison I can make is with myself. God is real to me and I am a changed, better person than I was. I am not an ordained minister, but I do have responsibilities in my church and other Christian activities, as well as for my family.

Although I am now past 80, I thank God that my health is still fairly good. Yet some major things are shifting. My energy levels are declining, many of my life-long friends are in poor health and a few have died (including my wonderful wife in February 2024, as well as her dearly loved sister in May 2023 and one of my daughters-in-law in 2020). So I think about death and beyond a lot more than I used to. What’s up ahead? Can I know? What should I do?

At least, based on the Bible, I KNOW that when I die I will go to live with God forever! I have had this God-given inner assurance all my adult life. It’s because I have definitely accepted God’s free offer that has made me acceptable to Him!

Obviously this offer is “too good to be true” – but it IS true! What is it exactly?

It’s the amazing gift of God’s total forgiveness for all aspects of my whole life that have been offensive to Him! This forgiveness was made possible by the death of Jesus Christ, God’s Son. How so?

In a section of the Bible written about 700 years (!) earlier, it predicted that Jesus’ death would be the substitute for the death penalty ultimately due to all people for failing to honour God in their lives Isaiah 53:4,5,6,11. It just depended on IF a person believed that it was really true, and turned to God from their ways of living that the Bible identified as “sinful” (not obeying God’s requirements) John 3:16-17,18,19.

I do believe all this. It means that when I die I will live, with Jesus Christ, with God, in Heaven, forever!! Jesus Christ Himself confirmed this John 11:25-26 and the Apostle Paul looked forward to it Philippians 1:21,23. So I also trust that Jesus Christ’s death will be my absolutely crucial substitute! Totally forgiven. My dear wife believed it all too, so she is already there along with her sister and my daughter-in-law. As the famous song says, “amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me”!

This offer is available to anyone, IF they want and seek it. Yes, it’s an offer too good to be true . . . yet it is true.

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BUT, since I believe and know all this is true, what kind of a person am I if I don’t try to let others know? Actually, communicating all this is every Christian’s responsibility, as commanded by Jesus Christ Himself [Matthew 28:18-19,20]. Yet often it’s not easy to do. I just try, praying and depending on God, and always aiming to be respectful to others. This is actually why I’ve told my story here and am building this website.

In our free and prosperous country it’s all too easy to feel no need of God or give Him any serious thought. This is really sad for my fellow Australians, because God loves all people and wants His best for each of us. But that happens ONLY IF we want Him and His ways, more than “just doing our own thing”. He respects our freedom to choose and won’t force us to submit to Him. Yet, He “owns the game”. So ultimately, He will hold each of us responsible and accountable for how we have responded to Him.

Obviously, this is very serious and urgent. After all, it’s about GOD, life, death and eternity – and you, and me . . .

I just keep praying that you, along with all others who look at this website,

will get to really wanting God,

discovering what the Bible says,

acting on it

and finding Him!

Sincerely,

Jeff Stacey