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is the season to be jolly, (with your giving) Fa la la la la la la la la!
Far be it from us to label only this period with giving and sharing, as it should be a continuous part of us, but we do tend to do it more during this time. And we hope that there will be room to give, even during this economic shift. We are told in the Bible that it is in giving we receive, so what better time than when we don’t have as much, to share with those who do not have anything at all. It is during tough times we should give, and give even more. Take a ‘leap of faith.’ May we adopt the words of Kahlil Gibran that says, “You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” Friends and family, we want to implore you to give to each other not only finances or gifts, but the love and respect we all crave and deserve. Sometimes, we can get so busy and focused on giving presents at this time that often our patience runs out with our loved ones, or even strangers on the street, and we forget that “the love of Christ constraineth us”. As Christmas draws nearer and nearer, remember the ‘gift of forgiveness.’ As one writer said, let us remind ourselves that great gifts are like the one Gift – the Gift that started it all in Bethlehem of Judea. You can’t buy these gifts, and they’re not on anybody’s shopping list. They come as He came – quietly, freely and unexpectedly – and if you’re not careful, you’ll miss them entirely. When we think of the “Gift” from God, we are reminded that the Savior, the Giver of good gifts, knows what we need and when we need it. He has not given us anything that is not useful. We hope we have done a great job keeping you and ourselves encouraged throughout 2017. We look forward to your prayers and contribution going into 2018 and our milestone of 10 years of publication. God has not given us a spirit of fear; the spirit of hope is alive within us. May we leave you with this thought from pastor and author, Naeem Callaway, “Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life.” May we encourage you to take the small step in Christ. Have a blessed Christmas, everyone. Karen E. Chin
MANAGING EDITOR Karen E. Chin CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Ravella Melville CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ewart (Junior) Forde Glaister Bell (Dr.) Hyacinth Rose (Pastor) Krystyna Chin Ralph F. Wilson (Dr.) Teneisha Johnson SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION Alex McFarland C. D. Christian-Smith EK Jasmine FOCUS ON THE FAMILY GIS Kelly Carlson Lizzy Milani Lynn Hurtado LIFEWAY Mark Dance Rachel Tsiang Ron Deal Shaunti Feldhahn Sean McDowell Todd Cartmell GRAPHIC PRODUCTION IDEAS SALES DEPARTMENT Andrel Cooper Email: clmsales7@gmail.com CHRISTIAN LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE Building D4, Suite 5, Countryside Shopping Village Savannah, Grand Cayman CAYMAN ISLANDS +(345) 926 2507 or +(345) 946 1737 E: karen.chin@cstylemagazine.com www.cstylemagazine.com TO CONTACT THE EDITOR If you have questions, wish to comment, or participate, or be a contributor; please contact The Editor, c/o Christian Lifestyle Magazine, Box 1217 KY1-1108 Grand Cayman, CAYMAN ISLANDS BWI. Send email to editor@cstylemagazine.com. WEBSITE www.cstylemagazine.com
C O N T E N T S THE PURPOSE OF CHRISTMAS
FEAR NOT! A SAVIOR IS BORN
LEGACY: DEVELOPING IN YOUR TRUE INHERITANCE
COVER STORY
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An Ark for the Future of Family Life 6 Blended Family Holidays 8 The Purpose of Christmas 10 Living in Giving Give Close 12 Four Expectation-Filled Days
14-17 Teen Vibez
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• Your Kids Can Avoid Negative Thinking Traps • Is It Okay to Date...
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How can we Spread Joy in a World Filled with Disasters and Heartache? Cayman Islands Public Holidays in 2018
20 Cover Story Fear Not! A Savior is Born
30 O The Wonder of (It All) Christ’s Birth When You Question Your Beliefs-You Question Your Limitations Legacy: Developing in Your True Inheritance Making Something of Your Life (pt. 2) PUZZLE Kids Korner Wordsearch
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Grow Great by Dreams
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Puzzles Answers
AN ARK FOR THE FUTURE OF FAMILY LIFE BY PASTOR HYACINTH ROSE
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ne day, we are all going to be accountable for the kind of ark we have built as a family! Are we going to be found wanting? Is our ark going to stand the test? As we wind this important series down today, we need to reflect on the kinds of structures we are building and, indeed, whether our family is being helped by our efforts! Are we simply beating the air, full of activity and “business” but failing to produce the quality of family life that will produce the strong, healthy families for which we all long? Last week, we highlighted anti-drug activities in an attempt to get drugs out of your communities. And a noble effort it was, too! However, such efforts are seriously hampered if parents do not have time to be with their families on a regular basis, to sit and discuss life with them, preparing them for its pitfalls and 4
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dangers. Parents who cannot provide safe, interesting alternatives for their families are opening the doors to the very thing we are trying to avoid. Building an ark of safety from drugs goes a lot deeper than education and family commitment, however. It involves having a solid spiritual basis or foundation. It includes having personal faith and trust in God and dependence on Him as a friend and guide. Having a place for the spiritual development of family members is somehow not fashionable anymore! It is not “sophisticated” nor “up to date.” Yet when many of the families who reject God get a taste of trouble in their lives, they are ready to acknowledge that only God can help their situation! My argument is that as we build a safe and sturdy ark, we want not only to throw out the bad things, but to put in the
CHRISTIAN LIFESTYLE >> ISSUE NO. 6 - 2017
good and lasting things. The teaching of dependence on God through reading the Bible, going to Church, and participating in Church-related activities are, to my mind, some basic ingredients that are being left out of too many families’ lives. The sad fact is, moral decay, dishonesty, self-centeredness, lack of courtesies, and a stack of other ills that are besetting our communities stem from a lack of fear of God! Think about that! The kind of ark we build for our families depends on the kind of things on which we place importance. The kinds of families we protect within our ark emerge to stand or fall according to the kind of foundations that are provided for them. If we build into their lives higher ideals and standards for living, we have nothing to fear as our families face the future. So, with God’s help, Build An Ark!
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When Sheree became a stepmother, she discovered that the holiday season was now three times as hectic. “Try coordinating schedules, dinner plans, and Christmas gifts with the parents of three households — most of whom don’t care for each other very much,” Sheree says. “Everything is more complicated.” If you’re a stepparent, you probably are facing similar challenges. To minimize the stress, it’s important to proactively manage family dynamics throughout the holidays:
PLAN WELL
Because your celebrations will require coordinating with multiple households, get an early start on your holiday schedules. Advance planning eases stress later on.
MAINTAIN SIMPLE RITUALS OF CONNECTION
Amid your hectic schedule, don’t forget to nurture your family relationships. Give hugs before the kids leave for school; enjoy family dinners or Friday night movies with popcorn and cuddle time. Don’t neglect your date nights either — take much-needed time to reconnect with and enjoy your spouse.
PROMOTE POSITIVE COMMUNICATION
Work on your co-parent relationship throughout the year to improve holiday negotiations, but realize that ultimately, you cannot control the other household. When stuck in tough situations, appeal to difficult family members with “For your son’s sake, let’s put our differences aside and resolve this matter.” Hopefully, this will be motivation enough to make any necessary concessions.
BE FLEXIBLE
BLENDED FAMILY HOLIDAYS BY RON DEAL
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Modify old traditions to include stepfamily members. Be willing, for example, to open presents a day before or after Christmas to ease between-home transitions for children. One stepfather found himself disappointed year after year because his stepson had to rush off to his father’s house in the middle of Christmas Day. This dad was never able to fully enjoy the day with his wife and stepson because everyone was watching the clock. As it turned out, his stepson’s biological dad was also discouraged each Christmas and was open to changing the visitation agreement. They settled on an alternating arrangement that gave one home an undisturbed Christmas while the other home had an undisturbed Thanksgiving. Your situation will be unique, but do what you can to make the holidays a sweet time of connection for all families involved. And for those things that don’t come together, set what you cannot change at God’s feet. Ron L. Deal is the founder Smart Stepfamilies and director of FamilyLife Blended for Family Life. He is also a licensed marriage and family therapist, a popular conference speaker, and author.
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THE PURPOSE OF CHRISTMAS BY ALEX MCFARLAND
One of my family’s favorite Christmas traditions is setting up the manger scene, which has been in my family for generations. My niece Allie eagerly helps us arrange the different pieces. She studies the placement of every angel and shepherd. Allie loves to ask questions, and our manger scene usually prompts a few. “Did Jesus get cold?” she will ask. “Did Mary have a blanket to cover Him, or were the swaddling clothes warm enough?” One Christmas, my niece asked a more profound question: “Uncle Alex, why did baby Jesus come?” “That’s a great question, Allie,” I said. “A very important one.” My mind began cycling through the different possible responses. He came to fulfill prophecy. To display the power of God, yet identify with humanity. To conquer death, defeat Satan, and demonstrate that He loves us
all. But before I could answer, Allie asked another question, one that paved the way for the best answer to her first one: “Why did Jesus have to die on the Cross?” Why did Jesus come? Why did He die? I’ve always loved the inquisitive minds of children, but my niece asking these questions presented an interesting mix of innocence and insight. Those two questions really are inseparable. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to earth to die. And when we help our children understand the reasons behind this mission, Christmas becomes all the more meaningful.
THE BIGGER CHRISTMAS STORY
Every Christmas, families around the world read the story of Christ’s birth found in the Gospel of Luke. It’s a great tradition, but it’s important that we help our children understand the backstory to the events in Luke 2. The full Christmas story begins thousands of years earlier in the Garden of Eden, with the temptation and fall of the first two human beings. In Genesis 2:16–17, God gave Adam a single command: “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” We soon learn that Adam and Eve, deceived by the Serpent, did eat the forbidden fruit, and God evicted them from the garden. While Adam and Eve did not keel over dead that instant, God told them that physical degradation and death had now become part of the human experience. By disobeying God, Adam and Eve brought sin into our world. And as a result, a sin nature — or a bent toward evil — was passed on to the rest of humanity. Every human being — from Adam to all of us — is hardwired to follow his or her own will instead of God’s.
WE ARE ALL PART OF THE FALL
Do your children recognize that they share in this sin nature, that they have their own bent toward evil? I think many children (and probably many adults) think of sin and evil as terms that describe someone like Hitler, a drug dealer, or their Uncle Leroy who divorced six wives. Help your children recognize that their personal sin nature is not measured against the evils they see on television or in history books, but against the perfect goodness of the Creator. Not one of us matches His righteousness. God defines sin as selfishness, anger, untruthfulness, and so on. These “minor” sins are as incompatible with His glory and presence as the things that most of us would say are “major” sins, such as murder, robbery, and adultery. And when we choose to sin — when we choose our way instead of God’s way — we face the same consequences as Adam and Eve: physical and spiritual death and an eternal separation from God. Our job as parents is to help our kids recognize the simple truth of Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” When your children begin to recognize their own sin nature, that they themselves fall short of God’s
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glory when they disobey or speak with disrespect or don’t tell the truth, then the need for God’s grace through Jesus becomes more apparent. Younger children may need a concrete example of how much higher God’s standard for righteousness and purity is than ours. One way to illustrate this is with a cup of sugar. Show your children the sugar as you measure it out, and then pour it into a bowl. Let them dip their fingers in the sugar and taste it. Now add a tiny pinch of salt. Mix it in and let your children taste again. The amount of salt won’t affect what they taste, but they still know it’s not pure sugar anymore. Explain that, like the salt, our sins — even “tiny” ones that don’t seem to be that big a deal — may not be detectible to us, but they are still there, making us impure in God’s sight. Our sin nature is unacceptable to God. But He loves us so much that He wants to help us fix our problem. And that, ultimately, is why Jesus came. God sent
His Son as a gift to rescue humankind from sinfulness.
THE COST OF THE GIFT One question always seems to surface whenever young children or teenagers begin to grasp the reality of sin: If God really loves us and wants to fix our sin nature, why doesn’t He just forgive us? Why did Jesus have to die?
I always tell young people that God takes sin very seriously. As you read and discuss different Bible stories as a family, keep that point at the front of your discussions: God takes sin seriously. Sin is always a serious act against God that requires a consequence. Hebrews 9:22 puts this in stark terms: “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” Before Jesus came, God established a sacrificial system of animals so that people could offer payment for their sins. But these sacrifices were a temporary and incomplete payment.
While they symbolically pointed toward the need for Jesus, there could be no final, perfect sacrifice until One came who had no sin nature. When our kids ask why Jesus died, we can tell them that there was no better option available to God. It was either this or destroying every sinner. But because of His great love for us, God took all of our deserved punishment upon himself. All of this is probably a longer conversation than what you’ll have as your kids set up the manger scene or decorate the tree. But understanding why Jesus came and died is the cornerstone of our faith. It needs to continue to be the foundation of our faith conversations. Jesus Christ was born for a purpose. Alex McFarland is the director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University and the author of The 21 Toughest Questions Your Kids Will Ask About Christianity.
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Living Is Giving Give Close BY LYNN HURTADO
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he calendar turned another month, and entering September, our household prepared for the coming fall. Taking the festive decorations down from the attic, we had our sights on celebrating the coming seasons. Our favorite time of year was in sight, just around the corner. But there was another season brewing that we didn’t quite yet consider. It was hurricane season, and a storm named Irma made landfall in our beautiful state of Florida. When you hear or think of big storms, you often think that they happen far away, not close to home. So, when we learned that we were going to get a direct hit from this enormous storm, our priorities changed quickly. New and unexpected occasions for giving would be upon us this holiday season. After Irma hit, our attention was set on family, neighbors, and safety. The damage to our state was catastrophic, and the needs insurmountable. Only God knew how a storm such as this would change so many lives in so many ways. The terror of the storm has had long-lasting effects on most of the state. It was the largest hurricane in US history. The day after Irma hit, my son and I traveled the lower half of the state to check on loved ones and friends. We could have never been prepared for the devastation, lack of resources, and property damage we saw. It will take many years for us to totally recover from this storm. Families will need care and resources for a long, long time. How would this storm affect us, and would we be willing to allow God to use this for good? We would need to embrace this new season of giving so that others might live. We quickly realized that we didn’t have to go far to find an abundance of unfulfilled needs. These opportunities to give could not be outsourced. It would take each and every one of us to do a small part to help our fellow man. We would learn through this to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. When you give aid to your community, you realize that we are all neighbors. We don’t have to travel far-off distances to find someone who needs help, and this is true not just after a hurricane or during the holiday season, but all year long. One example: after the storm, my neighbor found a list of all the phone numbers in our neighborhood and called each household to see if they needed any assistance. Another neighbor got a group of people together and painted a widow’s home and cleaned up yard debris. You don’t have to have a lot money to help someone else. We all have something to give. Focusing on others’ needs motivates you to do more than you ever realized possible. You can help find solutions to other people’s problems, give them strength, and improve the quality of their lives. Make some small changes this holiday season. Find a family close to you who has needs that you can meet. It doesn’t have to be grand to be great! Perhaps you can join with your church or find an organization and adopt a family or a single person who is alone. Look in your neighborhoods and do something special close by you to help this Christmas. Live your life to the fullest by giving.
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FOUR EXPECTATION-FILLED DAYS especially someone like Jesus, who is known for miracles, Most of us can relate. There are four days in the year that we look forward to not wanting to come and look for you while you are sick. The story continues that Lazarus’s sickness got worse with high expectations and hopefulness. One: our birthday, where we get to celebrate another year of life extension and and then he died. After that, Jesus showed up, and He wept. He told the gifts. Two: Christmas day, because it is the day when we not people who were gathered only celebrate the birth of outside the tomb to “roll the our Savior, Jesus the Christ, stone away from the entrance but we also get to celebrate of the tomb,” and they said, with friends and family, and “No! as he [Lazarus] must oh yes, we get/give gifts. be stinking by now.” Earlier, Three: the last day of the before Jesus got to the tomb, year, because we get to close he had told His disciples another chapter of our lives, that “My friend Lazarus is the good and especially the sleeping. I’m going to wake bad days. And day number him up.” Unfortunately, four: we look forward to the Lazarus’s sisters and the first day of the year so we can people comforting them celebrate a new beginning, weren’t privy to that piece a day of renewed hope that of information. I think that things will get better. There vital information could’ve are other important days, like Almighty God, You are my Healer. You restore saved a lot of bawling. Mother’s and Father’s Day, Anyway, for four days, but the ones mentioned are my soul and bring me to a rich pasture. Thank You for bringing me to that “exceedingly abundantly these people cried and personal to an individual. Although the four days above all that I can hope or imagine” place. In grieved with the sisters, yet when the Miracle Worker mentioned are memorable, Jesus’s name. Amen came to give them the they may be incomparable to day’s benefit of Lazarus’s those surrounding the story Excerpt from Daily Benefits, 2018©. resurrection, they refused in the Bible of Lazarus and Him. Martha, one of the his sisters. You see, his life had four expectation-filled days, nearly hopeless days. The sisters, went as far as to say, “You are too late.” But wouldn’t you know it, Jesus is never late. You can story goes that when Lazarus was sick, his sisters were sent to call his best friend, Jesus, who was visiting in another depend on His timing. If your situation gets past day one, city. Though Lazarus was dear to Him, Jesus didn’t go two, or three, as problems sometimes do, don’t worry; day immediately. Wow! It’s difficult to imagine your best friend, four is coming. Expect Him to fulfill His promise any day.
ONE-MINUTE PRAYER:
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TEEN VIBEZ
YOUR KIDS CAN AVOID NEGATIVE THINKING TRAPS BY TODD CARTMELL
Everyone stays up later than me!” If I make a mistake, they won’t like me anymore.” I’ll never be good at _________.” If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard a statement like the ones above, I’d probably be writing this article from my own private island somewhere in the Caribbean. Chances are that you would be too, because you have also heard them from your kids. In fact, we haven’t just heard them before; we’ve thought them ourselves! These statements are negative thinking traps. I call them traps because just like a trap, you don’t usually see them coming. But once you are stuck in one, your progress is impeded, and it can take a bit of work to break free. No one likes being in a trap. Just ask a mouse. The problem with these negative thinking traps is twofold. First, the thoughts are negative. Second, they are
often untrue. Scripture places a big emphasis on the truth. In Romans 12:3, Paul tells us to think with sober judgment, and in Philippians 4:8, he writes, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever it just . . . think about these things [emphasis mine].” Why is it so important to think thoughts that are true? The answer is that knowing what is true will help us make wise choices. Think of it this way: If there is a treasure behind a brick wall, it is worth the effort to remove the bricks even though it may take a lot of work. If no treasure lies behind the wall, then our effort would be best spent on something else. Knowing the truth about what’s behind the wall makes a big difference. The child who is least likely to get stuck in a negative thinking trap is one who: knows what the traps look like knows how to get out of the trap if he or she accidentally steps into it
COMMON TRAPS
Let me introduce you to two of the most common negative thinking traps that can pull your kids off course.
EXAGGERATING THE NEGATIVE
This deceptive snare is the culprit behind many a tantrum and upset moment. When a small problem occurs, it is easy for a child to view the situation as bigger and worse than it really is.
In a young mind, one sports loss can mean that the team will lose all the games this season. One tough day at recess can mean she doesn’t have any friends.
USING FALSE LABELS
Extreme words take a difficult circumstance or unexpected challenge and twist it into something that it is not. Words such as always, never, everyone, and nobody can blow a situation out of proportion. Name-calling words such as stupid or jerk make a situation feel worse by using labels that are not true. I always drop the ball. I’m so stupid.” That person is a jerk.” I’m guessing that both of these traps sound familiar, as we have all fallen prey to them at times. The main problem with these traps is that they trick your kids into viewing a situation in a way that is skewed. And when your kids thinking goes off track, their feelings and responses go crashing off track as well, leaving you to pick up the pieces.
BREAKING FREE
When you think your kids might be caught in negative thinking traps, take the following steps to help them find their way out:
LISTEN
Everything starts here. You cannot get to the other steps without taking the time to really listen to your child’s feelings and perceptions. Don’t rush this step. Ask clarifying questions to better understand the details and keep listening until your child is confident she has fully communicated how she feels about the situation.
NAME FEELINGS
As your child talks, listen for the emotions he expresses and put names to those emotions. Your child may say he felt really bad, but perhaps he was really feeling frustrated, hurt, or disappointed. Take your best guess at your child’s feelings and check to see if you are on target. Use statements such as “It sounds like you were feeling hurt when your friend didn’t invite you to the party. Is that right?”
• What makes you think you didn’t play well today? • Do you think other kids sometimes have games where they didn’t play their best? • What do professional athletes do when they have a bad game (e.g., drop a pass, miss a shot, etc.)? • Can a person be good at one thing, just OK at another thing and maybe not so good at something else? • What would be a better way to look at this situation? Your child may need some help answering these questions, and you can remind him of evidence from his own past experiences, your own or those of others. Use logic and, when possible, point your child toward solutions found in Scripture. You can remind your child that no matter what the problem is, God has promised to be with us, help us to learn from our experiences, and help us to respond to difficulties in a healthy way. Resolve the issue by helping your child find a more accurate way to view the situation, such as “I didn’t play my best today, but everyone has a bad game sometimes” and “I know God is always with me, even when I have a bad day.” If possible, end your discussion with a short prayer, committing the situation to God. Your words don’t have to be perfect. The important thing is that you are connecting with your kids and helping them think accurately about difficult situations, which, in turn, will get them on the road to finding solutions based on truth. Just as important, you will be showing them that you care and demonstrating what it looks like to walk on God’s path, even on a cloudy day. Dr. Todd Cartmell is a child psychologist and the author of 8 Simple Tools for Raising Great Kids.
SUMMARIZE YOUR CHILD’S VIEW
When kids experience strong feelings about a situation, some may have a lot to say, while others may say very little. Either way, try to summarize the main points your child has communicated to create a statement that can be examined. For example, “So, Ben, you are saying that because you didn’t play well in your soccer game today, you are not good at any sports. Is that right?”
HELP YOUR CHILD FIND “TRUE THOUGHTS” ABOUT THE SITUATION
You might ask this question: “We want to think about things in a way that is true, right?” Kids will almost always answer yes. Then gently ask questions that will help your child examine his thoughts and assumptions and weigh the accuracy of these thoughts. This will help your child to slowly recognize the mistakes she may have made in her thinking. To continue with the example above, you might ask: CHRISTIAN LIFESTYLE >> ISSUE NO. 6 - 2017
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IS IT OKAY TO DATE...
THINK BEFORE YOU DATE: IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD YOUR FIRST PRIORITY?
TEEN VIBEZ
BY RACHEL TSIANG
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lthough you won’t find any specific verses about dating in the Bible, you will find guidelines for life and relationships. Here are some things to think about before jumping into a relationship...
THE PURPOSE OF DATING
For a lot of people these days, dating is just for fun. There isn’t necessarily an end goal. Marriage may or may not be in the picture. Dating is just whatever feels good in the moment, to fill in loneliness or status. Dating as a Christian, however, looks completely different. If you’re considering dating someone, it should be because you see yourself potentially marrying that person in the future. Marriage is the most intimate and sacred earthly relationship two people can have with each other (see Genesis 2:24–25). It’s a pretty big deal. If you don’t see a future with someone, don’t go spending your time and emotions on them. You’ll both end up hurt.
TEMPTATION
When you date someone, you’re unavoidably putting yourself in an emotionally intimate setting with that person. Sooner or later, you’ll face the temptation of physical intimacy. Paul tells Timothy… “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). He doesn’t say this in the context of a relationship, but it does apply to our everyday life. 16
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Paul also teaches us how to treat others… “Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity” (1 Timothy 5:1–2). Until marriage, this applies to you and your partner. Now, you’ll face temptation whether or not you’re dating a Christian, but a non-Christian isn’t likely to share your views on purity. Temptation is difficult to fight, especially if you’re the only one fighting it.
BEING ON THE SAME PAGE
As Christians, we find our identity in Christ. We strive to live the way Jesus did. Your partner won’t understand the most important part of your identity if he or she doesn’t love Jesus. From the things we do to the things we think and say, we need to acknowledge the Lord in everything (Proverbs 3:6). Being a Christian isn’t just a title or a belief; it’s a way of life. What we believe influences every aspect of our lives—our actions, reactions, worldviews, decisions, and our priorities. If you don’t share those core values with your partner, it’s going to be really difficult to understand each other. Let’s say your boyfriend isn’t a Christian and he can’t understand why you want to put God before him, or why you make your decisions based on putting God first. In this case, you’ll have to decide: do you put God or your boyfriend at the center of your life? It’s one or the other; either way, one of them will be pushed aside. Unless your partner decides to become a Christian (which is possible, but shouldn’t be expected), you’ll be forced to choose who is the number
one priority in your life. You should never compromise your core values to please someone else. However, if your boyfriend is truly a follower of Jesus, not only will he understand that your relationship with God should always come first (Matthew 22:37), but he should also encourage you to deepen your relationship with God. You’ll also share the same goal of working towards becoming more and more like Jesus, and you can take that journey together. You’ll be on the same wavelength because you have the same foundation in Christ.
YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IS MORE IMPORTANT
Dating isn’t a game. As your relationship progresses, your lives will become more intertwined, and you’ll become more emotionally attached. You’ll make more decisions together, and if you don’t share the same values, you’ll face more conflict. Both you and your partner should always encourage one another to live a Christ-centered life and to make God-honoring decisions. Don’t rush into anything, “but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).
Think before you date: Is your relationship with God your first priority? Although you won’t find any specific verses about dating in the Bible, you will find guidelines for life and relationships. Here are some things to think about before jumping into a relationship...
THE PURPOSE OF DATING
For a lot of people these days, dating is just for fun. There isn’t necessarily an end goal. Marriage may or may not be in the picture. Dating is just whatever feels good in the moment, to fill in loneliness or status. Dating as a Christian, however, looks completely different. If you’re considering dating someone it should be because you see yourself potentially marrying that person in the future. Marriage is the most intimate and sacred earthly relationship two people can have with each other (see Genesis 2:24-25). It’s a pretty big deal. If you don’t see a future with someone, don’t go spending your time and emotions on them. You’ll both end up hurt.
TEMPTATION
When you date someone, you’re unavoidably putting yourself in an emotionally intimate setting with the other person. Sooner or later, you’ll face the temptation of physical intimacy. Paul tells Timothy… “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:22) He doesn’t say this in the context of a relationship, but it
does apply to our everyday life. Paul also teaches us how to treat others… “Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.” (1 Timothy 5:1-2) Until marriage, this applies to you and your partner. Now, you’ll face temptation whether or not you’re dating a Christian, but a non-Christian isn’t likely to share your views on purity. Temptation is difficult to fight, especially if you’re the only one fighting it.
BEING ON THE SAME PAGE
As a Christian, we find our identity in Christ. We strive to live the way Jesus did. Your partner won’t understand the most important part of your identity if he or she doesn’t love Jesus. From the things we do, to the things we think and say, we need to acknowledge the Lord in everything (Proverbs 3:6). Being a Christian isn’t just a title or a belief; it’s a way of life. What we believe influences every aspect of our lives—our actions, reactions, worldviews, decisions, and our priorities. If you don’t share those core values with your partner, it’s going to be really difficult to understand each other. Let’s say your boyfriend isn’t a Christian and he can’t understand why you want to put God before him, or why you make your decisions based on putting God first. In this case, you’ll have to decide: Do you put God or your boyfriend at the centre of your life? It’s one or the other; either way, one of them will be pushed aside. Unless your partner decides to become a Christian (which is possible, but shouldn’t be expected), you’ll be forced to choose who is the number one priority in your life. You should never compromise your core values to please someone else. However, if your boyfriend is truly a follower of Jesus, not only will he understand that your relationship with God should always come first (Matthew 22:37), but he should also encourage you to deepen your relationship with God. You’ll also share the same goal of working towards becoming more and more like Jesus, and you can take that journey together. You’ll be on the same wavelength because you have the same foundation in Christ.
YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IS MORE IMPORTANT
Dating isn’t a game. As your relationship progresses, your lives will become more intertwined, and you’ll become more emotionally attached. You’ll make more decisions together and if you don’t share the same values, you’ll face more conflict. Both you and your partner should always encourage one another to live a Christ-centered life, and to make God-honouring decisions. Don’t rush into anything, “but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)
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How can we spread joy in a world filled with disasters and heartache? BY LIZZY MILANI Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men! (Luke 2:14)
A gift from God. It’s the fragrance of His presence, an awareness of His heart for humanity.
At the start of December, I was in my usual Christmas Bubble Cinnamon in the air, Carols up loud... wonder and whimsy all around...
In the midst of turmoil, bad economies, illness, tragedy, heartache, the uncomfortable, the unfair, the downright evil that happens all around me, Jesus brings peace to my heart. When I still my raging mind and close my eyes, not to become unaware of the world, but to focus on Christ, he settles the churning within. I can open my eyes again and gaze upon the same world facing the same struggles with new hope...
Then a few things happened in my own country of Australia and around the world that woke me up... shook me out of my bubble of niceness and made me aware of the state of our world... Peace? People are hurting each other everywhere I turn. Whether it’s a gunman in Sydney Australia holding 17 people hostage, or a school in Pakistan where innocent children are slaughtered, or the house down the street where a woman is beaten, or the silent crimes that we hear nothing about — people whose situations don’t make it to the news, they don’t get streamed on the internet, suffering alone and in silence. I think about the family that just lost a loved one, or the child whose parents are cruel, or those who are financially crushed at Christmas... I don’t want to write fluffy words about peace while many are experiencing the opposite. By the time Jesus was born, the Jewish people had been to hell and back several times over since the beginning. They knew what it was to be captive, oppressed... brutalized. They were waiting for a Savior who would bring peace... Isaiah prophesied “He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace...” Can we blame them for seeking circumstantial peace? We do it all the time... “If only my circumstances changed... if my bank account was full, if I got the right job... if I hadn’t suffered this or that, than I would have...” Peace? A good friend of mine, Katie Kobler says, “Peace is found in my soul, not by my eyes...” Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God...” Colossians 3:15 says, “And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts...” Phillipians 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus...” Peace doesn’t begin in the physical... it’s not based in the circumstantial. It’s transcendent... a stillness of heart, a knowing... 18
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CHRISTIAN LIFESTYLE >> ISSUE NO. 6 - 2017
So what do we do with this peace that we have within us? What good is it in the face of pain? Rather than working to a place of peace, we work from a place of peace, injecting it under the skin of humanity and watching its subversive effect on the lives around us from the inside out... Colossians 3:13-14 says “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you... clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” Peace allows us to live from a place of love... It strengthens us to be people who help. Not just consumers or observers, but people who get down amongst the muck of the world and help pick up the pieces, shoulder each other’s heartaches, bring wisdom and friendship, defy evilness and strengthen the vulnerable. Peace engages compassion and compassion calls for action. Frederick Buechner writes, “Compassion is the sometimes fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else’s skin. It’s the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too.” As we head into this season where the phrase “Peace on earth, goodwill towards men” gets passed around like Christmas candy, still yourself and allow Jesus to bring his transcendent peace to your life, permeating you with healing and wholeness... Look out into the world near and far, not with hopeless eyes or defeat, but with peace and compassion... and then get amongst it and spread that stuff around like snowflakes and confetti... Be the peace.
CAYMAN ISLANDS PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN 2018 THE LIST OF CAYMAN ISLANDS PUBLIC HOLIDAYS FOR 2018 IS NOW OFFICIALLY CONFIRMED AND RELEASED BY THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR’S OFFICE.
Monday, 1 January
New Year’s Day
Monday, 22 January
National Heroes Day
Wednesday, 14 February
Ash Wednesday
Friday, 30 March
Good Friday
Monday, 2 April
Easter Monday
Monday, 21 May
Discovery Day
Monday, 11 June
Queen’s Birthday
Monday, 2 July
Constitution Day
Monday, 12 November
Remembrance Day
Tuesday, 25 December
Christmas Day
Wednesday, 26 December
Boxing Day
SOURCE: GIS
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FEAR NOT! A SAVIOR IS BORN BY DR. RALPH F. WILSON
“Fear not! Do not be afraid!” The angel spoke these words to Zachariah, to Mary, to Joseph, and finally to a group of shepherds on a hillside near Bethlehem. “Do not be afraid; for behold I bring you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”1 COVER STORY
Do Not Be Afraid Fear has a way of tying our stomachs up in knots, paralyzing our thinking, inducing panic. Fear, and its cousin worry, can capture our hearts when we see ourselves caught in a vortex of disasters beyond our control. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about tiny, defenseless sparrows in the context of fear and worry: “Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink... Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”2 In another place, he reassures his followers: “Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”3
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Fear Drives a Downward Spiral During this Christmas 2008, the entire world is caught in the grip of an economic downward spiral. Houses are being foreclosed on. People are losing jobs. Factories are closing. Food costs in some countries have risen 25%. More and more, you glimpse a kind of bleak fear in people’s eyes. Will I lose my house? My job? What will become of us if this recession deepens into a depression? How will I feed my family? Though it’s been quoted so often that it’s become a cliché, Franklin Delano Roosevelt spoke these words to a nation in the depths of the Great Depression: “Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”4 Fear can grip us and choke all faith out of our hearts. Fear also drives economic depression. Fear causes companies to contract and people to stop buying. It causes runs on banks and panic on Wall Street. FDR reminded a nation that fear itself constitutes a large part of the problems we face. It was as true in 1933 as it was on the first Christmas.
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On the First Christmas For on that first Christmas, the world was in desperate times, too. A census is being conducted to raise already high taxes. Murderous, paranoid Herod the Great is king of the Jews. It is winter on Bethlehem’s hillsides — and cold. Inside a cave in the town sit a poverty-stricken carpenter and his young wife — far from home, chilled to the bone. She is in labor. Her child will be born in a stable, of all places. “Why is it like this?” she may have asked. And then she recalls an echo of the angel’s words to her: “Do not be afraid, Mary...”5 A Savior Is Born On the windswept hillsides outside of town, shepherds are huddling, too. All of a sudden, the sky lights up, and an angel proclaims: “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”6 Fear not. The shepherds’ fear is turned to joy as they hear news that a Savior is born. The Messiah! In Bethlehem, the city of David himself! And so, they run down the hillsides, into the town, and hurry from stable to stable until they find the Child in the manger, just as they have been told. Tucked in that manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes against the cold, is the Savior himself. The Savior Will Provide A Savior comes to rescue people in danger, preserve those who are threatened by harm, and protect his people from the troubles that surround them. That’s what
saviors do! That’s what Jesus came to do for us. Do not be afraid, because God has sent a Savior to us — Jesus Christ the Lord. He is the One who will: • Never leave us or forsake us.7 • Supply all our needs according to his riches in glory.8 • Add to us all the things we need as we seek him and his Kingdom.9
COVER STORY
Christmas Is About a Savior Our world doesn’t know. They think that Christmas is about gifts under a tree and a spirit of good cheer, with Christmas dinner and family around the table. But as good as all that may be, it isn’t nearly as good as the Real Christmas. The Real Christmas message is this: God has sent a Savior for you, to save you from your sins and to help you in this life — to lift your burden and ease your fears. That’s it! A Savior who is Christ the Lord — God himself! The world is gripped by fear. But fear’s hold has been broken in those of us who believe the angel’s words: “Fear not ... for a Savior is born to you — Christ the Lord!”’ ‘Glory On’ — an Angel’s Story Main Hall at Angel Academy was rustling with thousands of young wings as students waited for the guest speaker who would bring the Christmastide Lecture. It was always a well-known Academy alum. The headmaster delivered a flowery introduction, praising the speaker for his service at Bethlehem and standing guard 22
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at the Empty Tomb. On and on, he went. Finally, he motioned to the speaker. Nervously, the angel cleared his throat and then began.
been struck down. The official account read: “The glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.”
Thank you, Headmaster, for that gracious introduction. But really! All the glory should go to our God, not to his servants! Nevertheless, young angels, I have a great story to tell about His glory. I know you’ve all studied about it in your classes, but I want you to hear it from an eyewitness. I was there.
Young angels, that’s an understatement. Those shepherds thought the end of the world had come! It took Gabriel several minutes to calm them down. You know, humans have an iris in their eyes that gets large in the dark. But when a bright light suddenly comes on, it can actually cause them pain. I think that’s what happened.
It began when I was a junior, away from the academy on an internship with a Mentor Angel. Suddenly, my Mentor was summoned to travel by swift flight to a dark hillside just a mile south of Bethlehem, and I went along. The hillside was still except for a few sheep moving about on the ground below us. Some shepherds were talking quietly. But when we got there, we all waited in the darkness, “glory off.” Someone was giving instructions. “Arrange yourselves in ranks of hundreds, shortest in front, tallest in the rear. And quietly! You don’t want to mess up what God has planned for the occasion.” Actually, I was too young for such an important event, but my Mentor motioned me to take a place in the front row, and put his finger over his lips to remind me to maintain silence. Now Gabriel was brought out. Even in those days, he was famous because of his work with Daniel many centuries before. And then it began. Gabriel went from “glory off ” to “full glory” in a split second. The effect was stunning! He stood at full height, shining in all the Father’s glory — and the poor shepherds looked like they had
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We were all standing silently in the ranks, “glory off ” for the moment, when Gabriel began to speak: Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes,lying in a manger.
At first, I really didn’t know what was going on. But then I realized what all the hubbub in heaven the last few weeks had been about. God’s Son was coming to earth. And not in all His regal splendor, but as a tiny human Child. My dear angels, He went through all the compression and rigors and indignity of human birth. God’s Son, mind you! And the manger part ... you really need to understand! You’d expect God’s Son to come to the palace of a king. But no, in all the Father’s wisdom, His Son was born as the humblest of the humble, not even in a house, but in a stable.
You don’t find mangers in kings’ houses, only in barns. I could see that the shepherds were puzzled too. But now it was our time. The conductor tapped his baton on a rock to get our attention and lifted his arms, and at the downstroke, tens of thousands of us went “full glory” all at once. Instantly, the hillside was flooded with brilliance like thousands of arc lights. The hills rang as we sang at the top of our voices:
COVER STORY
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
The words were simple, but the song went on for several minutes, the lines repeating as the melody carried the wonderful words of praise. Like a waterfall, it began high up. The sopranos would trill their lines, and then the altos would join in. The tenors would pick it up, finally down to the great bass angel voices of heaven — all in glorious harmony. When it was finally over, the conductor motioned for “dim,” and gradually, we turned down “glory” until it went off completely. The shepherds seemed stunned, unable to speak. Finally, the boldest of them said, “I don’t know about you, but I’m going to find that manger, that Child.” He scrambled up and began to run pell-mell down the hillsides to the town below — followed by the rest of the ragtag band. In the meantime, the Mentor Angel motioned for me to come with him. He had been designated as the Witness Angel. We got there just before the first shepherd peered in the door. A low lamp burned. There was a 24
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manger, a cattle trough. And in it was the tiniest Child, all wrapped up snug. And his mother was there. You’ve seen Mary around heaven, of course. She was looking over the sleeping child, clearly exhausted by her ordeal, but the warmth of her smile was beaming. And behind her was her husband, Joseph, on his feet, staff in hand, as if standing guard over the Child. When the shepherds entered the stable, you could see him raise his staff, but as the shepherds explained what they had seen and began to kneel around the manger, he seemed to relax. Mary asked the shepherds to tell her again what they had seen. And as they recounted the glory on the hillside and Gabriel’s message, I could see her smile and her head nod. She said nothing, but I could see it all in her shining eyes. Yes, she was thinking that it was as Gabriel had told her when it had begun nine months before. Yes, it was true. Yes, it was worth all the struggle and shame and uncertainty and hardship — all that was past and all the agony that was yet to come — for she had brought God’s Child into His desperately needy world. Eventually, the shepherds bowed low and then, one by one, got up and left the barn after paying their respects to Mary and Joseph. The Christ Child slept through it all. Before I close, I need to set the record straight. You’ve doubtless seen reenactments with angels hovering near the ceiling of the stable. It wasn’t that way at all! Oh, we were there all right — as Witnesses. But we were invisible. Angels on the hillside were visible, but not in the stable! My Mentor and I were set for
CHRISTIAN LIFESTYLE >> ISSUE NO. 6 - 2017
“glory off.” For now, all the glory in that stable shone from the Child, who would someday save his people from their sins. And for Him, it was always “glory on.” As one of his followers wrote later, We have seen His glory, glory as of the Only Begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. This is a fictional account of Christ’s birth. Scripture passages quoted include Luke 2:914 and John 1:14. Copyright © 2015 by Ralph F. Wilson <pastor joyfulheart.com>. All rights reserved. Permission is granted for use in church service and reprinting in newsletters.
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O THE WONDER OF (IT ALL) CHRIST’S BIRTH BY GLAISTER BELL
“GEE WHIZ! IT’S CHRISTMAS!”
Do you know that the saying “gee whiz” is perhaps, according to the Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus, American Edition 1996, an abbreviation of Jesus? The saying then becomes “Jesus! It’s Christmas!” It is an element of surprise and discovery. Jesus – that’s the Christmas story! Embedded at the heart and front of the word Christmas is the subject of the season. His name is Christ. He is the Exalted One, the Messiah, the Lord, God of Heaven, but most importantly for the purpose of our human existence, He is the Son of Man. His mother called Him Jesus. The angel Gabriel called Him Jesus. The prophets called Him Emmanuel. In essence, He is God the Divine, taking residence with us (humanity). Hallelujah! Hallelujah! That’s the Christmas message: God, unwrapping, divesting Himself of glory, unclothing Himself of elements of His divinity, invading time and the earthly sphere and becoming human, born of a woman, born as a child! O, that’s the wonder of it all! “That God so loved the world [us human beings] that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). In the words of a song written and sung beautifully by the late George Beverly Shea: There is a wonder of spring time and harvest, the sky, stars, the sun But the wonder of wonders that grips my soul Is the wonder that God loves me! Let’s explore some of the wonders of the Christ Child’s birth as gleaned from Matthew 1:18 to 2:1–12. 26
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THE MOMENT OF HIS BIRTH
a) It was historical (1:18). “Now the birth of Jesus was as follows:” There was a time in history when Jesus’s birth actually took place. It is not a figment of one’s imagination. It is not shrouded in esotericism and mysticism, an out-of-this-world phenomenon but an intra-world incident. The historical Jesus of Nazareth lived on earth. He was not a space being, but His earthly origins are indisputable. The Bible is different from sacred books of other religions because it invites historical investigations. Jesus was “born in Bethlehem, in the days of Herod, the King of Galilee” (2:1). But the evidence that Jesus invaded history is not bound to the New Testament. The very enemies of Christ claimed that He lived and that he performed miracles. The Jewish documents called the Mishnah detail it; Josephus, the Jewish historian detailed it; Gentile historians of the first century such as Thallus, Serapion, and Tacitus all testified that Jesus lived in Palestine and died under Pontius Pilate. It follows, therefore, that if Jesus Christ lived on earth, He must have been born. The Gospels tell us that His birth was shortly before the death of the historical Herod the Great. It was also at an unusual time in the Roman Empire. Caesar Augustus, Emperor of Rome, made a decree that all citizens within his Roman Empire should be taxed and that every head of the family should return to his place of birth and pay his due. What’s the significance of this? It was the first and only time in Rome’s history that this was done, but it proved that God’s word, spoken by the prophet Micah (5:2) and repeated in Matthew 2:6, stands forever and is accurate. Who would have thought that this little, somewhat obscure village five to six miles just south of Jerusalem would be the birthplace of our Lord and
Savior? But God had said it would be 700 years earlier! “O the Wonder of It All!” b) It was a momentous time! Eternity and time kissed each other. Docetists and Gnostics said it was impossible for that which is divine to coalesce and mingle or cross paths. The Gospel according to John captures this greatest of earth’s days. “That which was with God in the beginning, the Word … became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory” (1:1–18). This is called the Prologue of the Gospel according to John. Perhaps lambasting these heretics of the first century, John the Apostle develops the same theme even further in the Epistles bearing his name (1:1–3). Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God, came to earth, born in a manger, to reveal the Father to us. “O the Wonder of it All!” (See also Galatians 4:4–5.)
THE MARVEL OF HIS BIRTH
Has there ever been another birth that has so overwhelmed the minds of mankind? Christians and non-Christians alike have been awed by it. Inks have flowed, scrolls depleted, and minds have been captivated for 21 centuries since His birth. Let’s examine the actors in this scene in the Gospel according to Matthew: a) Mary, His mother: an adolescent Jewish girl engaged to be married but a virgin, chaste, and highly favored by God (Luke 1:26–34). Mary is a chosen vessel with purity of heart and of humble disposition for the purposes of God. b) The man, Joseph: of no biological association with Jesus, but the Gospel narrative shows how righteous and non-scandalous he was. He was a man of respect and decency who would not allow the defamation of women (Matthew 1:19). He was a man of deep reflection and meditation (1:19–20) but most importantly, he was a devout man who listened not to the populace, who must have been saying prior to this incident, “Nuh marry no puss in a bag,” and certainly after his betrothed wife became pregnant (“A jacket yuh gonna wear”), but he listened keenly to the voice of God that came to him in a dream, saying, “Don’t be afraid, Joseph, my son. What Mary is carrying in her womb is not of human origin, it had no origin in copulation. It is of the Holy Spirit. He is to be the Savior of the world. Take now Mary as your wife” (paraphrased).
c) The Magi (wise men): these were religious and political advisors to Eastern kings maybe of Babylonian, Syrian, Turkish, or Yemenite descent. They arrived in Jerusalem shortly after His birth and inquired of King Herod where the real king of the Jews was to be born. Herod’s own wise men knew but did not bother to follow the star, for they failed to believe the Scriptures – so near yet so far from observing the Christ Child. The Magi believed the Scriptures and were thus guided by the supernatural celestial phenomenon. A star moved in the sky, guiding them to the place where he lay so that they could worship Him. So ecstatic was their worship of Him. Contrast this with the monarch King Herod, who should have known the Scriptures well but was so caught up with power: no benevolence to His birth, no offer of a gift to Him who is the Giver of all good and perfect gifts, but a dastardly act of infanticide (2:16–18). What a ghastly and gruesome scene. It shows how depraved mankind truly is. It shows how, when sin is etched and fossilized in the heart of humanity, it has dire consequences: unbridled, intemperate behaviors and atrocities.
THE MAGNIFICENCE OF HIS BIRTH
While shepherds watched and attended to their flock that night, the angels of the Lord brought great news to them and the world. The announcement was that a Savior, Israel’s long-awaited Messiah, was born. The hosts of Heaven clapped! The Judean hills shone with resplendent glory! The shepherds’ hearts were filled with joy, and with haste, they went in search of the Christ Child. Had Heaven ever been so moved before? Had earth ever received so great a news? No! Never had this song been sung: Sweetest note on seraph song Sweetest name on mortal tongue Sweetest carol ever sung Jesus, Blessed Jesus! Does your heart with glee respond to the name of Jesus? Or is it impervious, cold, and insensitive? The Magi offered their best. Their long journey? Magnificent! Their reverence and worship of the Christ Child? Magnificent! Their presentations of gifts, gold, myrrh, and frankincense? Magnificent! They recognized the magnificence of the moment, and they embraced is essence in the gifts they offered.
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Moved by the magnificence of His birth, around 1865, the Englishman William Chatterton Dix penned these beautiful words: What Child is this, who, laid to rest, On Mary’s lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet While shepherds watch are keeping? This, this is Christ the King Whom shepherds guard and angels sing. Haste, haste bring him laud, The babe, the son of Mary.
THE MEMORY OF HIS BIRTH
For the actors in the story, this must have been so indelibly etched in their minds. For Mary, she could not have gone through the rest of her life without recalling the angels’ salutation, her husband’s gentle response to her pregnancy, and the moment of Christ’s entry into the world. Joseph must have been even more devoted to his wife and more positively challenged to care and nurture this Christ Child. The shepherds in Luke’s account disseminated the news all over town. Simeon, a devout follower of God, and Anna, a prophetess, were filled with rapture at the presentation of the Christ Child in dedication, and they must have gone to their graves with the knowledge that He who had been foretold to bring deliverance to Israel and the Gentiles had now come to earth. I want us too to picture King Herod, stricken with hatred, his soul possessed with obsession for power, so dark and cold, with his own death a short time after, to see him possessed and overcome with bitterness and as the antichrist. Where do you fit among these actors? Listen to the sad narrative of John 1:11: “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” This is similar to the account narrated in in Matthew 2:3: “And when King Herod heard it … the news of his birth, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” Do you fit imperceptibly with this side of the equation? Or are you among those who “receive Him and believe on His name, given the right to be called sons and daughters of God” (John 1: 12). The response most appropriate should be the one penned in the chorus: O, how I love Him! How I adore Him! My breath, my sunshine, my all in all. The Great Creator became my Savior, And all God’s fullness dwelleth in Him! The memory of His birth beckons me to recognize the magnitude of God’s love for you and me. Such love is rich, full, and free, offered through Jesus, His Son. My friends, God initiated movement toward us (“God so loved the world that He gave His Son”), and in return, He expects us to love Him too. How do I love Him back? I’ll gladly accept His best gift, Jesus Christ, as my Savior and Lord. The angels said at His birth, “His name shall be called Jesus, for He shall save His people from 28
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their sin.” The mission of His birth, life, and death was to save us, lost humanity, from our sin. The memory of His birth begets in me, moment by moment, multiplied adoration to Almighty God all the days of my life. These lips do not have sufficient words or praise to exalt the One called Christ. I will thus try by my words, by my deeds, and through my thoughts to esteem Him and thank Him for coming 2000 plus years ago to pay my sin debt in full. Finally, his birth behooves me to look meaningfully to His second advent. Behold, our Lord cometh in glory with great power to take those who are His with Him! He will rapture His waiting bride away. For those who know Him not, who turn their backs on Him, who spurn the call to repentance and salvation, His birth behooves you to look menacingly toward His second coming. I implore you to turn with lowliness of heart, in contrition and repentance, and accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord. Commercialism now fills the air; the stores are abuzz with frenzied shoppers. Secularism, atheism, and humanism characterize the age. Jesus alone offers hope in this life and beyond. He alone saves. Kindly believe with confidence the historicity of the earthly Jesus (the moment of His birth). Be awestruck by the scope of the earthly and heavenly enactments of His birth (the marvel and magnificence of His birth). Turn your attention back and reflect on His birth whilst setting your gaze forward on His second coming (the memory of His birth).
WHEN YOU QUESTION YOUR BELIEFS – YOU QUESTION YOUR LIMITATIONS BY C. D. CHRISTIAN-SMITH
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oday, in 2017, in this century, Jesus’s teachings are still relevant to us. His teachings were based on truth and came directly through his heart because of his love for mankind, not just then but throughout the ages in between now and then, but I cannot help but wonder exactly how much more he might have wanted us to know. I found an email in my inbox this morning with this exact title, from a Dr. Robert Anthony support@thesecretofdeliberatecreation.com. I felt compelled to share his message further. Sometimes, you might find as a Christian that well-intending persons will tell you that it is “wrong” to even think that you are capable of finding help from within, and that you need God or Jesus to do this for you. Yet the same Bible that is used as reference tells us that “we are wonderfully made,” we are “the Light of the world,” and gives us stories like the fig tree that Jesus cursed and caused it to wither immediately, with the teaching being, in no hidden terms, that we can all do the same thing: just simply ask for it and believe it. Back to Dr. Anthony’s story, and I give it verbatim: Did you know that if you move a goldfish from a small fishbowl in your home and take it to a lake – he will continue to swim in the same small circle? Why? Because he has accepted the belief that if he swims farther, he’s going to bump his nose. He’s always done it this way. Any other way is “impossible.” Well, I didn’t know this. I have never owned a goldfish, much less owned one and put it back in a lake. I am not one to enjoy capturing/ buying animals to be caged for my pleasure. Personally, it is cruel and unkind, a habit I feel we must overcome as humans to free ourselves of our own captivity. How much like the goldfish are we? We have acquired many limiting beliefs that rule our lives subconsciously, like the glass bowl. It’s just like with the food we eat – although our health deteriorates daily, we fail to want to even question the cause of our lack and illnesses. We must question everything every day, especially when life seems full of things we do not want: Is the marriage unhappy? Is there constant bickering and strife between you and your spouse or family members? Do you think that there is never enough? Never enough money? Never enough time? This is where we must go within and introspect, reflect on exactly what it is that we
really believe. How do we affect our situations? After all, there’s more than us interacting in our lives! Or co-creating our lives, families, or any aspect of our environments. Unless we are comatose. Even though we are told that “He feeds the sparrows, so how much more does He care for us,” we repeat these things, but never really believe them! We say that we have faith, but we really don’t, because, to have faith, we must really and truly believe. How many of us want money, yet we carry the false beliefs: “A rich man cannot enter heaven,” “All rich people are thieves,” “It’s a sin to have too much money,” and on and on. These are the kind of negative things we justify and agree with daily, and they become what we really believe. Beliefs are always running in our minds and are our software that runs our programming. Since it’s a program, we can clean it up and run one that is more useful and serves us rather than limits us. Jesus told us that when we ask in prayer and believe, we will receive what we ask for. Let’s look at the word “prayer” and replace it with “think,” for in fact, prayers are thoughts, plain and simple. You pray all day when you have thoughts. Thoughts are things. Our thoughts go out into the Universe, no matter who we specifically pray to every morning. Whether we believe that there’s a G-o-d or not, it doesn’t matter to the Universe, Creator, or God. The same things happen for all of us according to our thoughts, which are answered back by the Laws of the Universe. It’s all about our energy. Let’s say that’s just how God/Creator is set up. It’s a consciousness that is Omniscient and Omnipresent. Jesus told us that in this particular miracle he performed. What you think is what you get. Ye, we create our own circumstances because of our thoughts, and we can dis-create or change them with our thoughts. That’s the power that we have as humans! Jesus let those people know way back when that he wouldn’t always be with them. He would send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, but how willing they, or we, are willing to accept that is dependent on them, and us, not Jesus. We lay a very large burden on Jesus when we only see him as the one to do things for us. It seems like a great idea, but even for a Master of this Earth, it was not his responsibility to take on our responsibilities. He came to show us
Matthew 21:21–22: What preceded these two verses is the story of a fig tree that bore no figs, only leaves. Then Jesus cursed the tree that it would bear no fruit, and in front of his followers, immediately, the tree withered, and they marveled that the fig tree withered so quickly. V. 21 – “Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, if ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this this done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, it shall be done.” V. 22 – “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (King James Version).
how to make our burdens lighter, or as we say, “how to destress.” So, how can we take back and own our responsibilities? Simply change how we believe. Our beliefs change our environment, and our environment changes our beliefs. We do it all the time. Most times, we have abusive beliefs, so what we see is what we get. If I believe “I am not worthy,” then I am not. If I believe “I am not worthy of having money,” then I will not have money. Money won’t stay in my hands. If I believe “I am too fat, or too skinny, or too ugly, etc.,” then I abuse myself. I am not accepting. If I believe “There is not enough food, not enough money, not enough jobs, etc., for everyone,” then scarcity is what I will experience. We need to examine what we really believe, change it to the opposite, be positive, and keep positive, always knowing that “God’s/Creator’s abundance is always available; I only need to be receptive of it,” and so it will be. We are limited by our beliefs. When we, like the goldfish, are offered freedom, we must recognize it and desire to live a life of freedom. Jesus didn’t ask us to wait for his return to reap benefits or blessings that the Universe already holds for us. Creation happens every second. Be a creator, as the Creator is in all of us. The wealthy are wealthy not because they could not be, but because they understand that the miracle is there, that they simply have to have the desire to tap into the abundance every day that is ours. Each morning you wake up, ask to see the miracle in that day. Sometimes, we don’t want to see the trials as miracles, but know that even the trials are there for us to measure up to see how well we are doing. If we feel that we could have done better, we should desire that. Trials are part of the blessings. Blessings aren’t always of a positive nature. It’s our perspective that matters. Each night before you go to sleep, look back on your day and its happenings. What was the miracle for that day? How could you have done more? Be more? I guarantee you that when you start actively asking for miracles, in no time, you will be shown them. Challenge yourself. Set yourself free, as Creator wants no less for us than we desire. Love is unconditional. Love does not judge. Be good to yourself today.
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Legacy: Developing in Your True Inheritance BY TENEISHA JOHNSON
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t is very easy to get caught up in the comparison game, partly because we learn by observing those around us. If I asked you to stop whatever you were doing right now and describe the impact you want to have on those around you and the world after you’re gone, it’s only normal and natural that you would think of women you want to emulate. Having successful women to model after is a true blessing. However, you need strong role models and healthy mentors who nurture and inspire your success like Olympic runners passing the baton in a relay of faith. So, maybe in thinking about what you want to leave behind, you focus on the compassion of Mother Teresa, the courage of Rosa Parks, the beauty and determination of Halle Berry, and so on. Seriously, think about it! That sounds like a great recipe for success, doesn’t it? It’s like wandering through an art gallery of great leading ladies and choosing colors and brushstrokes that you admire and want to incorporate onto your own 30
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canvas. The danger arises when you set yourself up to be measured on their scale without their life experiences and circumstances, talents, beauty, or even their personalities. There will never be another Mother Teresa, Rosa Parks, Oprah Winfrey, Halle Berry, or any of the twenty-four Caymanian women from George Town, Grand Cayman, who led the charge for equal rights for women by writing to Commissioner Ivor Otterbein Smith on Election Day 1948, declaring, “That it is our intention to exercise our constitutional right to vote today, August 19th, 1948, according to our conscience.” We had or still have those originals and don’t need more. Most important to note is that no one else can be you but you! Lol! You can observe and emulate without attempting to conform to someone else’s standards and achievements. You have your own race to run, and while you can learn about pacing and breathing by studying those who have run ahead of you, only you
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can finish your race and reach the finish line God has established for your unique course. Also, be careful who you let into your inner circle of friends. Believe it or not, who you are friends with says a lot about you. So, the question, therefore, is who exactly are you? The community to which we become tied will always give us direction and rules of conduct. The rituals we perform will always tie us to some communities. If we say a certain prayer in private, it will tie us to the group that uses and believes in that prayer. If we sing a certain song, like our National Anthem of this British Overseas Territory, “God save the Queen,” or the Cayman Islands National Song, “Beloved Isle Cayman,” which was written in 1930 by Mrs. Leila Ross-Shier, it will or should tie us to the group or country that also feels, responds, and believes in the words written. Unfortunately, there are some
addictive relationships, and with these relationships, it can be hard to see the dangers when you’re the person stuck in one. You should know me by know, I’m always studying something, and I’ve recently learned that addictive relationships are very superficial and, apparently, are very private. The Addict inside does not care to be with people, but prefers to be alone or with other addicts who know, accept, and are not scared by their rites of addiction. For example: • The alcoholic drinks alone or with “drinking buddies.” • The sex addict watches pornography or visits prostitutes, where they are alone in a private addictive world of their own. If there is acting out with someone, it often takes place without words, but with addictive looks to communicate who will do what in the addictive rite. • The bulimic’s or anorexic’s rite is a private act, but in another way, this ritual is still a tie to a community whose members are secret to each other. Perhaps they will only meet
when they band together in recovery to help each other fight their common enemy: food addiction. • The addictive gambler most often prefers to be alone, but can recognize other addicts by the way they act, the symbols they carry, and the places they meet. They often pass each other, recognizing each other’s presence in a silent way; if they talk, it is about their common interest in gambling. Addiction is a negative form of worship through connection with one’s negative side, the Addict, at the expense of the Self. The “Self,” or the person within, witnesses the addictive ritual and is often sickened by what he or she is forced to participate in, but is held captive by the power of the disease. I’ve also learned that it is very important for recovering people to understand their “Addict” has a preferred way of acting out and that there are dangerous areas, times, and behaviors they need to avoid that may trigger another episode. According to Abraham J. Twerski, M.D., and Craig Nakken, a recovering spending addict who has a ritual of
acting out on Friday evenings will need to make sure he or she is around safe friends doing safe activities on Friday nights. A sex addict who used to cruise a certain part of town as part of his or her addictive ritual needs to stay away from that part of town. Healthy rituals can also bind us to others, to family and to friends, such as attending church as you are able, volunteering your time or resources to one of the many great causes in your community, etc. If you think about it, healthy rituals bind us to people who care about us, whereas addictive rituals are reverse rituals, and their primary purpose is to isolate us from others. Healthy rituals help us to have better relationships. They help us to feel pride about ourselves and others; addictive rituals cause shame. Healthy rituals celebrate life; addictive rituals seek out death. As a woman of the twenty-first century, what type of legacy do you want to leave behind?
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In Honor of Dr. Torrance and Rev. Elsa Bobb
MAKING SOMETHING OF YOUR LIFE (PT.2)
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xcitement surged as we landed on Grand Cayman for the first time. It had taken me a long time to come see the new people whom God had chosen to honour with the gift of Dr. Torrance and Rev. Elsa Bobb. What we thought of in anticipation of the weekend paled in comparison to what was to unfold. Not only was it going to be a celebration of their marriage and ministry, but we were to find out later that they were releasing a book together.
On the Friday night of the weekend-long celebration, I got the opportunity to greet Sis Bobb (as she is fondly called) at a splendid garden reception held in their honour. With close to a hundred guests from abroad, one could hardly expect to get more than a passing hello from either of them, yet Sis Bobb took the time to greet me like the son I wish I was, and the spiritual son I know I am. There has been a running joke between us since I dedicated my first book to her as a surprise, with the words she had given me on leaving Trinidad for ministry abroad; the words which laid the foundation of my life outside of Trinidad and Tobago. Despite our humble beginnings and less than ideal family circumstances, my sister Denise and I have been blessed by God with great natural potential and talent. In the area of academics, we always managed to excel, and much of my inspiration in life comes from Denise. My gifts and sense of destiny was not lost on people, and over the years I have received encouragement from many people. One lady in particular I would never forget, would always tell me she wished she had the resources to get me the opportunities that would give me a chance to flourish. Others did more than that in the hope that one day I would overcome. One day for example, during the commencement exercises of the West Indies School of Theology extension, the person on my left whispered in my ear, “You belong up there Junior”. I could only smile, it was a secret in my heart, but there was no way I could afford it. Not five minutes later the person on my right who had not heard the person on my left, whispered in my ear, “Junior, if you enroll in the next class, I will pay all of your bills”. This person had no special resources as far as I could tell, but he kept his word. Not only did God speak His will; He made the provisions and set my direction using people. Even though I finished biblical scholarship in other places, I still list my attendance at W.I.S.T. extension as the place I received my training for ministry, as an encouragement to those of humble beginnings that need to be assured of their place in this world and the Kingdom. I can tell a thousand stories, but I am making a larger point; all these blessings came to me as a result of sitting under the ministry of these saintly people of God, Revs. Torrance and Elsa Bobb. The Bobbs provide those they shepherd with an environment of healing that allows them to grow in a healthy and balanced way. These days ministry is allegedly about flash, glitz, and the appearance of something going on all the time. Because we have lost our way in the modern Church, we are revisiting a lot of things once settled at the foundational stage. So, we find ourselves 32
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in a place where we know how to prosper but not how to live. The ministry of the Bobbs instilled the abundant life in us, not just full, but meaningful. For that I will always be grateful. Our weekend celebrating their 50th year was an eye opener with the testimonies of those who shared in the same experience of being planted and rooted under sound leadership. Not only are those nurtured by the Bobbs, happy people, but good people who have endured both the good times and the challenges of life. And now we confidently pass it on as a legacy to our children. They, like me, came to say thanks to the Bobbs, and like me were encouraged by the validation of our individual experiences. For me it was my first time seeing most of these people in years.
It’s Just a Thought
Many of my peers had close relationships with both the Bobbs. I was always a little afraid of Sister Bobb and her gifts. The Lord speaks to this lady in amazing ways and we all knew. Coming from a background of less than stellar station, I made sure I served and admired her from a distance. Whenever I went to the parsonage, I steered clear, not because of anything she had done, but because I learned to reverence her from the esteem which Rev. Bobb placed on her; from the smile that always invaded his face at any reference of her, or the tenderness with which he always spoke of his wife. Earlier in those years, as my time in Trinidad was drawing to a close, I had sought an audience with Rev. Bobb to discuss new ministry opportunities that were offered in the States. After a few unsuccessful trips to the Church and not meeting up with him, I decided that the upcoming deadline required me to chance a visit to their home. Sis Bobb would come out and to my chagrin ask me to come upstairs. She listened as I described the open doors and my concerns about leaving with great intensity. “Junior”, she said, when I was finished, “we are proud of you; boy, go and make something of yourself”. To this day that is one of the most powerful moments of my life.
Like the prophet of old, I have gone on the strength of that commission in times of great victories and great challenges. It would lead to me writing about the overall purposes of God in allowing what happened to the “African Diaspora”, and a huge part of my life’s work. About two weeks after publishing Our Place In This World which I dedicated to Reverend Elsa Bobb, I received a call from Washington D.C. It was Dr. Jack Gaines, who is an author, and who would become a friend and mentor. “Ewart”, he said, “I have just finished your book and passed a copy on to my contacts. The President of Benin wants to know if you can be in Benin for a meeting and news conference by Monday”. And just like that I was on my way to “making something of myself”. It’s just a Thought! Ewart (Junior) Forde
ACROSS 1 they shall come from the ____, and from the west (Luke 13:29) 5 she shall shave her head, and ___ her nails (Deut 21:12) (KJV) 9 I will make all your enemies turn their ___ and run (Ex 23:27) 14 they shall take gold, and ____, and purple (Exodus 28:5) 15 the LORD commanded the blessing, ____ life for evermore (Ps 133:3) 16 to Joppa, where he found ___ ___ bound for that port (1,4) (Jonah 1:3) 17 putting its doors and bolts and ___ in place (Neh 3:15) 18 do not let your ___ hand know what your right hand is doing (Matt 6:3) 19 Father, keep through ___ own name those whom thou hast (John 17:11) KJV 20 the LORD appointed a ___ time, saying, Tomorrow (Exodus 9:5) 21 and your toil ___ another man’s house (Prov 5:10) 23 Now there arose up a ___ king over Egypt (Exodus 1:8) 25 is there any taste in the white of an ___? (Job 6:6) 27 Surely I have acted like a fool and have ___ greatly (1 Sam 26:21) 29 Peter knocked and a servant girl named ___ came (Acts 12:13) 32 there was what looked like ___ ___ of glass (1,3) (Rev 4:6) 33 They ____ from the Book of the Law of God (Neh 8:8) 37 one beka ___ person, that is, half a shekel (Ex 38:26) 38 donkeys that work the soil will eat fodder and ___ (Isa 30:24) 40 Men, I can see that our ___ is going to be disastrous (Acts 27:10) 42 Joshua, who ____ seen all the great works of the LORD (Judg 2:7) 43 seventh letter of Greek alphabet 44 They are ____ with the showers of the mountains (Job 24:8) 45 the curtain of the temple was torn in two from ___ to bottom (Matt 27:51) 46 from them that pass by securely as men ___ from war (Mic 2:8) KJV 48 a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a ___ (Ex 28:4) 49 gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and ___; this is my body (Matt 26:26) 50 Roman emperor (54-68 A.D.) 51 fishermen’s equipment (Luke 5:4) 53 In the beginning God created the heaven and the ____ (Gen 1:1) 55 thou shalt make the ___ of fine linen (Exod 28:39) (KJV) 57 experienced in the ___ of engraving (2 Chron 2:7) 58 Can a man scoop fire into his ___ without his clothes being burned? (Prov 6:27) 61 Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of ___ (John 19:5) 63 Shechem set men on the hilltops to ambush and ___ everyone (Judg 9:25) 66 As an ___ pleasing to the LORD (Num 29:2) 68 But man ___ and is laid low; he breathes his last (Job 14:10) 69 to seek an ____: He will cast lots with arrows (Ezek 21:21) 71 For it is easier for a ____ to go through a needle’s eye (Luke 18:25) 72 Salvation is found in no one ___ , for there is no other name (Acts 4:12)
73 every man under his vine and under his fig ____ (1 King 4:25) 74 I looked at the earth, and it was formless and ___ (Jer 4:23) 75 silver in two bags, with two ___ of clothing (2 Kings 5:23) 76 there must not be even a ___ of sexual immorality (Eph 5:3) DOWN 1 as their lives ____ away in their mothers’ arms. (Lam 2:12) 2 ____ for that day is great (Jer 30:7) 3 the testimony of the LORD is ___, making wise the simple (Ps 19:7) 4 Some Pharisees came and ___ him by asking (Mark 10:2) 5 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named ___ (Gen 10:25) 6 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth ___ (Josh 7:2) 7 I will ___ the weary and satisfy the faint (Jer 31:25) 8 The ___ law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor (Gal 5:14) 9 Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to ___ (Ex 2:5) 10 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ___ heap (Ps 113:7) 11 lower part of the face (Lev 13:29) 12 the increase of thy ___, and the flocks of thy sheep (Deut 7:13) (KJV) 13 and make him ____ out what he has swallowed (Jer 51:44) 22 The sluggard ___ and gets nothing (Prov 13:4) 24 Do not take advantage of a widow or an ___ (Ex 22:22) 26 Everyone who competes in the ___ goes into strict training (1 Cor 9:25) 28 children of Israel went on ____ land in the midst of the sea. (Exod 15:19)
30 your tithes, and ____ offerings of your hand (Deut 12:6) 31 upon his kingdom, to ___ it, and to establish it (Isa 9:7) 32 gather your children together, ___ ___ hen gathers her chicks (2,1) (Luke 13:34) 34 He replied, “Out of the ___, something to eat; out of the strong (Judg 14:14) 35 Bring me a heifer, ___ ___ and a ram (1,4) (Gen 15:9) 36 out of the ___ I cry to you, O LORD (Ps 130:1) 39 present ___ ___ of that tithe as the LORD’s (1,5) (Num 18:26) 41 there is none ____ God but one (1 Cor 8:4) 44 it ____ needful for me to write unto you (Jude 1:3) 47 abbr. for the 6th book of the N.T. 48 had a wife who was ___ and remained childless. (Judg 13:2) 52 as a mountain ___ and crumbles (Job 14:18) 54 The Gadites built up Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, ___ Shophan (Num 32:34-35) 56 the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for ___ and put us on (Acts 27:6) 57 ten bulls, twenty she ___, and ten foals (Gen 32:15) (KJV) 58 they tied unto it a ___ of blue (Ex 39:31) KJV 59 Also a bullock and ___ ___ for peace offerings (1,3) (Lev 9:4) 60 All your ___ has been brought down to the grave (Isa 14:11) 62 There shall the great owl make her ____ (Isaiah 34:15) 64 Ahab son of ___ became king of Israel (1 Kings 16:29) 65 I have ____ a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb (Judges 16:17) 67 she heard that Jesus was coming, went and ____ him (John 11:20) 70 Andrew his brother casting a ___ into the sea (Mark 1:16)
Answers on Page 44
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Find the words below reading forward, backward, up, down, diagonally, always in a straight line. MATT 15: 1-20
Y E U G Y F I L L U N R E V N
S L N O I T I O A R T H S A W
E B C O P H E O O H A I A S I
L A L R A H C Y E F A T H E R
P R E D E S A A P L A N T E D
I A A W T T R R M E L D E R S
C P N O E T E E I O U U R A O
S W O R S H I P H S T R P F Y
I R E C T V C D U C E S F L T
D O M O I O E S T O A E N G N
O N M D M V E F N T N E S U E
U O Y M O J I A H D V S T I T
A H A T N G L E E A H A N D S
R N E S Y S F D E S L A F E I
D DEATH OF JOHN D THE BAPTIST M COMMAND OFFENDED PARABLE O CROWD PETER DEVOTED U DISCIPLES PHARISEES PLANTED T ELDERS PULLED FALSE H FATHER ROOTS RULES H GIFT SLANDER GUIDES S HANDS STOMACH TEACHERS E HEART TESTIMONY HEAVENLY L HONOR THEFT TRADITION U ISAIAH UNCLEAN JESUS R LISTEN WASH WORSHIP S MOTHER MOUTH L NULLIFY
After you ямБnd all the hidden words the left over letters spell out a Bible verse reading from the top left to th bottom right.
MORE PUZZLES AT: http://biblewordgames.com
COPYRIGHT 2017
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Answers on Page 44
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Grow Great By Dreams The question was once asked of a highly successful businessman, “How have you done so much in your lifetime?” He replied, “I grow great by dreams. I have turned my mind loose to imagine what I wanted to do. Then I have gone to bed and thought about my dreams. In the night I dream about my dreams. And when I awoke in the morning, I saw the way to make my dreams real. While other people were saying, ‘You can’t do that, it is impossible,’ I was well on my way to achieving what I wanted.”As Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the U.S., said: “We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers.” They see things in the soft haze of a spring day, or in the red fire on a long winter’s evening. Some of us let these dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nourish them through bad days until they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true. So please, don not let anyone steal your dreams, or try to tell you they are too impossible. “Sing your songs, and dream your dreams, hope your hope and pray your prayer.”
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CHRISTIAN LIFESTYLE >> ISSUE NO. 6 - 2017
PUZZLE AND WORDSEARCH ANSWERS
ABOUT THE BOOK While raising two “island babies,” whose first words were inspired by their tropical surroundings, the idea for Alphabet Island was born. While most children’s vocabulary books reflect objects seen in northern climates, Alphabet Island honors the learning experience of children living on an island or traveling to one of Earth’s treasured paradises. Then, in September 2017, Mother Nature gave this book a deeper purpose. As a fellow island resident, I saw the life-altering chaos happening to our island neighbors and knew how I could provide assistance. At the same time, through the images and words of this book, Deborah and I could remind the readers of the eclectic existence that makes island living so special. Whether you live on an island, are a former island dweller, dream of living on an island, know someone who calls an island home, or favors island vacations, these beautiful destinations and their communities need your help. 50% of all profits from your purchase of Alphabet Island will be donated to assisting with the efforts to rebuild the cultures and wellbeing of those islanders affected by these natural disasters, especially the children. Buy a book. Gift a book. Tell your friends and family about Alphabet Island. Email your colleagues. Share it on social media. Be a supportive part of the global village that helps restore paradise.
PRODUCT INFORMATION Hardback $16.95
Kindle or Mobi $8.99
ISBN: 978-1-948074-00-1
ePub: 978-1-948074-01-8
Author: Kate Ure Illustrator: Deborah Kern
CHRISTIAN LIFESTYLE >> ISSUE NO. 6 - 2017
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