Where Do You Find God?

Where Do You Find God?

Hi, I’m Lizzie Oakes, and in 'Where Do You Find God' I talk with my guests about the ways they encounter God in their everyday lives. Acts C 17 v 27 says “God intended that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us”. God is close to all of us, what is often missing is our awareness of his presence. One of the joys of making this podcast is that as I ask my guests about the ways they encounter God, often right in front of me, they start to encounter him. Suddenly, their tone of voice changes, their speech slows right down, and a look of understanding comes across their face. As the scripture promises, if we reach out for him, we will find him. Tune in each Wednesday at 4.30pm and listen live to Where Do You Find God on yoursanctuary.nz Hosted & Produced by Lizzie Oakes Audio Engineer Scott Gillen Where Do You Find God Theme Song written and performed by Chris Dawson

Episodes

December 16, 2025 12 mins

We're taking a look back across 2025, revisiting our episode with Sam Garaway. 

'I grew up watching my parents, from a financial sense, lose it all. Living in a one-bedroom flat, my bedroom was in a garden shed.'

Sam Garaway, CEO of  Christians Against Poverty NZ has a big heart for adventure, living in spaces both personally and professionally which push him out of his comfort zone.

Sam shares of going through one of the...

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We're taking a look back across 2025, revisiting our episode with Dr Christa McKirland. 

"How can we be people of abundance and generosity, people who live out of joy".

Dr Christa McKirland, is the Dean of Faculty & Lecturer of Systematic Theology at Carey Baptist College.

Christa shares of finding God in community and the places we live.

 

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We're taking a look back across 2025, revisiting our episode with Tianna Williams, Sacred Artist. 

‘I experience God like the ground we stand on. It’s always there, it’s always supporting us. If you tune in you realise it’s been there the whole time’.

Tianna Williams is a Sacred Artist from Saskatoon, Canada who paints the saints.

She shares of her intimate relationship with Jesus and of how the p...

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'I sing in a choir, a lot of choir music is sacred music.'

Catherine Perich is Lead Pastor and Elder at Lincoln Road Bible Chapel, Auckland New Zealand.  She is also a Chaplain to the staff at Rhema Media and a classical music buff.  Having sung in choirs for many years Catherine talks of spine tingling experiences of understanding that classical music has been written to reflect theological truths including the well know...

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"I'm very aware of who I am and who made me'.  Katie Rickson is the Author of 30 Things I'd Like You To Know About Bipolar and works as an advocate for folk with bipolar brains in business & faith-based settings.

She talks with Lizzie Oakes of Finding God through her journey with bipolar and encourages us to look at the life of Job and all that he suffered, and how important it is for good friends to hold space for each ot...

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"I'm guided through the air by God, I'm guided by his presence in those milliseconds.'

Flynn Chisholm is an extreme sport junkie & a committed Christian.  Flynn is a Death Diver, as well as a world class speed climber.  Flynn recently broke the NZ & Oceania Death Dive record when in August 2025 he jumped 40 meters off a cliff in Spain.  Flynn takes her sport seriously always following safety precautions and l...

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'God has opened up so many pathways for me through learning Te Reo Maori.'

Amiria Reid, leads communications and student recruitment at Te Wananga Ihorangi, a faith based Maori language school dedicated to the reclamation & revitalization of Te Reo Maori, offering immersive language programs and diplomas.

Amiria shares some of her own Whanau's story of reclaiming the language, something that was taken from her Nan and how for A...

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'We are a Sanctuary of the Holy Spirit.'

Bethany Edmonds is a Worship Leader, Nurse & Recording Artist who alongside Madison Hornblow released an EP in 2023 called The Steady Heart.  Bethany is also part of the line up for Festival One 2026.

Deeply reflective, down to earth, creative and practical as both a musician and a nurse Bethany talks about connecting with God in the multifaceted spaces of her life.  

Beth...

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'It's in the creativity I feel connected to him'. 

Victoria Hanna is an Event Manager with Tearfund NZ and is a creative.  She finds God in her creativity where she makes models, her current project miniature golf courses called "play it where it lays".  Victoria is very much a believer that anyone and everyone can be creative, & that there's no rules around creativity - just have fun.  

Support San...

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'Forcing a hole in the wall of our lives is never a bad thing. I've never waisted time pursuing God'.

Dwayne Jeffries General Manager of Hope Radio, Sydney, Australia has worked in radio since 1986.  Openly and honestly Dwayne shares of his first marriage ending, & of running away & being challenged by a priest in Ireland to go back and face the things he was running from.  He also talks of the tension of doing th...

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‘Even as adults we really struggle in giving and receiving compliments. in New Zealand.’

Nicky Geldard along with her Husband Jay are the Co-Founders of E Tu Tangata whose focus is to tackle Tall Poppy Syndrome in NZ.

Nicky shares of her personal faith and how she finds the bible to be a treasure box.  She also talks of challenging kiwis' beliefs about themselves and teaching people to recognize their own intrinsic...

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September 30, 2025 14 mins

'Through this suffering I've drawn a lot closer to God'. 

Nick Holder is an Editor/Director and has been part of the Rhema Media for 14 years.  Just last year he was admitted to hospital with a life-threatening condition and almost died - 3 times.

With honesty, humility and an accepting nature of his ongoing suffering he talks with Lizzie Oakes of how he has felt seen and comforted by God and the reality that all of us fa...

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September 23, 2025 11 mins

'I find God in my frustration with other people.  I think God speaks to me a lot in my daydreaming I do on my walks.

Tabi Huxford is the Morning Wakeup Producer on Life FM. Deeply reflective and self-aware Tabi shares of finding God in difficult spaces of her life and having the maturity to work through those frustrations in real and honest ways that includes walking, journaling and lying on the grass and looking at the sky.&n...

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'He is peaceful, he is loving, he is kind, he is generous, and he is good'.

Maria Boddington CEO of Focus on the Family New Zealand shares her intentional ways of connecting with God's presence on the daily and how it's the fuel for all that she does.

 

 

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'Leaning into the melody I hear in my head, all of a sudden the ideas flow and I see what I need to do'.

Miriam Clancy is a Kiwi Musician (singer/songwriter - session musician) living and working in New York alongside her husband JP and their 4 kids. Miriam talks of living a hectic life with not a lot of time for herself but often through her music she finds God, just on the other side of her tears.   

Miriam Clancy - Bla...

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‘I think he would want me to surrender to him a bit more and stop striving, which is a constant battle for me’.

Susan Maiava is the Co-Founder of Fair & Good an online ethical directory with a focus on social justice.  Susan has been a Christian for 40 years and with a big heart for social justice talks about the very real struggle of wanting to save the world while recognizing that God wants her to let go and ...

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'I heard men's stories, ordinary people and it wasn't hard for me to put myself in their shoes'. 

When Graham Lapslie first started working as a Prison Chaplain, he thought he'd made the biggest mistake of his life.  Within a couple of months, he discovered that hearing men's stories and coming alongside them as a neutral party was an honor and a privilege.   Graham talks of finding God in the prison and shares ...

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'When you're in the ocean or in the forest, even people of no faith will tell me there's something there'.

Kristel van Houte, a marine & freshwater ecologist is the National Director of A Rocha Aotearoa NZ a charitable trust focused on community-based conservation and education.  She is also involved in the Karioi Project a Raglan based biodiversity restoration initiative.

Kristel talks of how she developed her love of cre...

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'I grew up watching my parents, from a financial sense, lose it all. Living in a one-bedroom flat, my bedroom was in a garden shed.'

Sam Garaway, CEO of  Christians Against Poverty NZ has a big heart for adventure, living in spaces both personally and professionally which push him out of his comfort zone.

Sam shares of a pivotal moment in his childhood where although his family were living in money chaos, Sam experienced somet...

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August 5, 2025 15 mins

Trigger Warning:

This episode touches on sensitive topics that may impact some listeners.  If you need to talk with someone, call 0800 lifeline or if you need prayer call NZ Christian prayer line on 0800 50 80 80.

"And all the hard stuff, you've just got to sit it out and stay there and stick with God because he will deliver, every single time without fail".

Lee Baker is one of the cohosts on the Sanctuary Breakfast show. ...

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