Christian Woman Summer 2014

summer_december 2014_january 2015 volume sixty-one # four | free www.christianwomanmag.com

STEP AWAY FROM YOUR MOBILE ARE YOU AN ADDICT?

WHY YOU SHOULD STOP TRYING TO FIND ‘THE ONE’

HOLIDAY HASSLES? NO WAY! TRAVELLING TIPS FOR THE SINGLES

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CW contents: summer | 2014_15 05 Editor’s Letter 06 Are You a Mobile Addict?

If you are displaying any of these behaviours, you may just be addicted...

Berni Dymet 10 Why you should stop trying to find ‘the one’ Is there really only ‘one’ perfect person for everybody? Sabrina Peters offers some sage advice to those searching for their ‘other half’...

12 Go into all the world David Chalmers visits 12 countries to meet all of his sponsored children and their families...

16 How to understand the weirdest book in the Bible From winged creatures covered in eyeballs, to the sun turning black like goat hair and the prostitute drunken with blood... Tania Harris delves into the weird and wonderful book of Revelation...

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18 It’s not too late to have your time One decision changed the course of this life forever... Nicole Danswan 19 Find a Christian Mission Special We profile some of the incredible work of organisations reaching the ends of the earth with the gospel...

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30 Holiday hassles? No way!

‘Why not broaden your horizons?’ encourages Sandra Cavallo as she explores the challenges of being a single traveller...

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4 Christian Woman Summer 2014_15

Correspondence New Zealand PO Box 318 334, West Harbour, Auckland 0661 Unless otherwise specified, all Scripture quotations are from the New International Version, copyright-1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society.

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Girl talk.

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“Be still, and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10

T

here has been a common theme in the preaching at our church of late and I’m wondering whether you’re hearing it too? It’s to be still. To take that moment and just wait on God. I must admit for me personally it’s a been a big year and I feel as though God has moved me from a season of busy into a season of rest.

But what is a season of rest?

Ecclesiastes 3 says that there is a ‘time for everything’. For sowing and reaping.

For weeping and dancing. For speaking and being silent. When you know which

season you are in, life seems...easier.

So how does this relate to the Christmas holiday? I feel as though Jesus gets lost each year as the madness around presents, trees and decorations climbs to even greater heights! But I love it. The joy I see in my children’s faces on Christmas morning really do bring it back to the reason for the season.

The gift. The gift that was the birth of Jesus Christ so that I may know Him and enter heaven freely is precious.

So I declare (publically and in print - there’s no going back now) that I will

‘pull over’ and breathe. Enjoying this time with my family and friends and being refreshed for 2015. I don’t know what season is next but right now, I don’t need to know.

Now pass me my sunglasses please while I go and ‘be still’ by the pool! Ha! Have a safe and Merry Christmas from all the team at CW. Editor

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Are You a

BY BERNI DYMET

Mobile Addict?

6 Christian Woman Summer 2014_15

A Different Perspective.

Excuse me, but has the world gone stark, raving mad?

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, something comes along to tell you that you haven’t! Or in this case, not something, but someone!!

She was, I’m guessing in her late twenties, or perhaps her early thirties. She’s pushing a pram with an infant in it … but only one–handed. Because, yep, you’ve guessed it, the other hand contained a mobile phone on which she was, rather nimbly I must confess, texting her little heart out to someone, somewhere, out there.

She launches out into the traffic – pram first of course – without even glancing up, without any care it would seem, for the infant in her pram that she was thrusting feet first into the oncoming traffic.

Fortunately, the other woman, the one driving the car, had her wits about her and managed to avoid the pram. Only the loud sound of the car horn wakened this young mother from her mobile reverie to instinctively pull the pram back and then – can you believe this – shout abuse back at the driver.

What is it that drives this crazy kind of behaviour?!

I mean Blind Freddie can see that she was putting the life of her child in peril.

Speaking of driving, here is a direct quote from a Queensland Police flyer on distractions while driving: A 2011 government survey found that 93% of Australian drivers owned a mobile phone and, of these drivers, 59% reported using their mobile phone while driving, with 31% of drivers reading, and 14% sending, text messages while driving.

My hunch is that these days, four years on, those stats are way, way on the low side, judging by the number of people I see in other cars, with mobiles in hand.

Even hands–free is incredibly distracting. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve ended up in the wrong lane (and therefore the wrong place) crossing over the Sydney Harbour Bridge, because I was distracted on a hands–free call, I’d have quite a bit of cash.

So What’s My Point?

It’s a pretty well documented fact that mobile devices – smartphones and tablets – have fundamentally changed our behaviour, not all of it for the better.

Let me ask you, the last time you walked out the front door and realised that you’d left your mobile behind, do you remember that minor panic attack that swept throigh you? Of course you do!

Completely disconnected??!! What a horrible thought.

I’m old enough to remember when even having that one phone wired to the wall of the dining room in your house wash “sheer luxury” and, surprising as it may seem, we managed to get by.

But these days, we behave as though the stuff coming out of our mobile is more important than the stuff people are saying and the attention people are demanding around us, in the flesh.

I swear, if I go to another business meeting in a café and have to sit through the other party answering and then yabbering away on their mobile phone for more than 30 seconds, I’m just

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A Different Perspective.

In our family, mobile phones are strictly verboten at the dinner table! No exceptions. If the phone rings, or an SMS dings, we don’t get up to answer it. Whoever it is, can wait until the three of us have finished our meal together. going to get up and walk out!!

End of rant.

You get my point. Mobiles are ruining our relationships, not to mention endangering our lives. The incessant addiction of people to their mobiles is robbing marriages of intimacy and friendship, it’s robbing children of their parents’ undivided attention and it’s robbing friends of their friends.

It’s time, I’d have thought, for us to do something about this madness.

Four Relationship Building Rules of Mobile Usage So here it is, my list of four simple, relationship building rules of mobile usage. . Mobile Free Zone. When I’m having a meeting with someone, say at a coffee shop or over lunch, I consider that to be a mobile free zone.

Every now and then, I might be waiting on an urgent call (e.g. my website is down, and I am waiting for our developers to get it up again). If that’s the case, at the beginning of the meeting, I will signal the possibility of an urgent call and if it comes, I’ll apologise, keep it quick and get off the phone as soon as I can.

1 2

. No mobiles at the dinner table.

In our family, mobile phones are strictly verboten at the dinner table! No exceptions. If the phone rings, or an SMS dings, we don’t get up to answer it. Whoever it is, can wait until the three of us have finished our meal together. Goodness knows that with an adult daughter who works odd hours, sitting down for dinner with her is rare enough as it is.

3

. Put it down. When one of us is sitting on the lounge, pecking away at our smartphone or tablet (3 people in the household, six mobile devices!) there is an unwritten rule that if someone comes to join us, we put the stupid thing down. It may be that the other person wants to chat – often that’s the very reason they sat down on the lounge in the first place. If not, that’s fine. Once that’s been established, it’s okay to pick up your smartphone or tablet again.

8 Christian Woman Summer 2014_15

4

. Kill the Notifications. These days, every app on your phone wants to ding you or ping you or prod you to tell you that something really, really important has happened out there somewhere. As though 99.9% of the stuff your friends post on Facebook is somehow more important than the attention your children need from you.

So, being the tech support guy in our place, I’ve turned off almost all of the audible notifications on the mobile devices in our house. Yes, phones still ring and SMS’s still ding, but that’s it.

Oh, and by the way, after 7:00pm, unless you’re one of my ‘favourites’ your call will go straight through to voicemail.

Is any of that rocket science? No. Is any of that unduly draconian or punitive on a mobile–grafted generation?

No. Sure, there’s going to be some grumbling and protestation. But in my experience, the threat of 100% disconnect for 24 hours is generally more than enough to quell most of that nonsense.

Families with a Purpose Marriage and families, incidentally, were God’s idea. A pretty good idea too.

A place for a man and a woman to find life–long friendship, companionship and intimacy. A love that is, or at least can be, the most sublime of all human relationships.

Children – born into families, where they learn in their experience that they’re loved. Where the wisdom (and yes, even the discipline – shock, horror!) of parents guides them through the rocky waters of childhood and those teenage years, to becoming effective, well–balanced, godly and mature young adults.

And according to God, wives and mothers have a particularly important role to play in keeping their marriage strong and in nurturing of their children: She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her happy; her husband too, and he praises her… (Proverbs 31:26–28)

Were there mobile phones around back then? Where there tablets on which to endlessly trawl through online shopping malls back then?

Probably not. But it doesn’t take Einstein to figure out that a wife and a mother addicted to her mobile device is unlikely to be to be a sensational wife to her husband or mother to her children, or friend to her friends.

And just in case you think I’m picking on the women, remember please that this is the Christian Woman Magazine (I’d have a different passage and a different admonition if I were writing in the “Christian Man Magazine”!)

No, none of this is rocket science.

But it is hard.

This is where our faith hits the road.

You know that addictive feeling of holding that shiny new mobile device in your hand. Sometimes, you just reach out to touch it, to make sure it’s still there.

You just press the on button to see it light up, because it gives you that comforting assurance that you’re still connected.

You know what I’m talking about.

(Actually, when you think about it, it’s bizarrely addictive behaviour).

But listen up. Your kids need you.

Your husband needs you. Your friends need you.

Why is it that we unthinkingly trade diamonds for stones, in this mobile– addicted world of ours?

Why is that?! CW

Berni Dymet is the ceo and Bible teacher of the Australian–based, global media ministry, Christianityworks. Each week he shares the practical love of Jesus with millions of people around the world.

You can receive a free copy of his latest booklet with more practical teaching at christianityworks.com.

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Is there really only ‘one’ perfect person for everybody? SABRINA PETERS offers some sage advice to those searching for their ‘other half’...

10 Christian Woman Summer 2014_15

Relationships.

If I had a dollar for every time I heard a young girl say, “Oh, I think he’s the one”, I would be a millionaire (ok maybe not a millionaire but I’d have some extra cash for Krispy Kremes, if you know what I’m saying)!

What I tell these girls is this: Stop looking for ‘the one’ and start becoming who God wants YOU to be.

“Success in marriage does not come merely through finding the right mate, but through being the right mate.”

- Barnett R. Brickier No guy will ever complete you no matter how handsome, funny or charming he is.

No other person holds the key to your happiness except you. If you feel insecure and unloved as a single girl you will carry that into your relationship. No guy will ever ‘complete’ you and it’s actually not his job too.

There is not just one perfect person out there for you.

The idea of there only being ‘ONE’ Mr Right in the whole universe is kind of absurd! Can you imagine if somewhere along the way some poor girl accidentally married ‘Mr Wrong’ and in turn his ‘Mrs Right’ missed out on the actual ‘one’ so she settled for just someone and the whole thing is now completely out of whack (it sounds a bit silly when you say it like that)!

I believe God has a plan for our lives and He is all knowing and all powerful but I do not think he dictates our actions and forces things upon us. He is into divine connections and leads if we let him but the truth is I could have married a bunch of great guys and Ben (my handsome husband) could have found some absolutely wonderful girls. (Maybe not as cute - ha ha totally joking!) But we chose each other, we are committed to each other and we actually really like each other!

The whole concept of there only being one person in the world that is ‘right’ actually came from the greek mythology where a man and a woman only made half a person and were incomplete until they found their ‘soul mate’.

Check this out, it is straight from Wikipedia: Plato has Aristophanes present a story about soul mates. Aristophanes states that humans originally had four arms,

four legs, and a single head made of two faces, but Zeus feared their power and split them all in half, condemning them to spend their lives searching for the other half to complete them.

It is not a biblical concept. You know what is biblical.

• Wisdom – from His Word and those in authority over you.

• Commitment – when you pick you stick.

• Love – not just a feeling or an emotion but a wilful decision.

• The Holy-Spirit – He leads us in peace.

Only two places in the bible does God actually tell someone to marry someone else.

He speaks to Joseph whom he tells him to marry Mary (who was pregnant out of wedlock… she could have been stoned for that? And she was carrying JESUS!).

And he tells Hosea to marry a prostitute. Weird?

So instead of asking yourself if he is the one, ask yourself: • Does he have a genuine relationship with God? • Do we have hold the same values?

• Do we have fun together?

• Can I be myself around him?

• Do we bring out the best in each other?

• What do my parents think?

• Do my friends like him?

• What do my pastors or leaders have to say?

• Am I ready to get into a relationship (I suggest over 18)?

• Are our lives heading in the same direction?

• Am I willing to stick with him even when he’s not so charming?

“A perfect marriage is not between two perfect people, but between two imperfect people who learn when to overlook imperfection.” CW

Sabrina Peters is a busy mother of two, Youth Pastor and avid writer.

Visit her website for more pearls of wisdom. virgindiaries.com.au

12 Christian Woman Summer 2014_15

Mission.

Over the last seven years God has taken DAVID CHALMERS, an Australian Compassion sponsor, advocate and traveler on an incredible journey. The following excerpt was taken from his new book Go Into All the World.

How It Started for Me In October 2006 I attended the Willow Creek Leadership Summit at Kardinia Church in Geelong with a group of people from the church I was attending at the time. One of the presentations was an interview between Bill Hybels and Bono from the rock band U2. I am a huge U2 fan, so this was the part I was looking forward to. It was an enjoyable interview in which Bono took his usual swipes at the institution of the local church and encouraged us to do something to combat the evils of the world.

At the time, God had been convicting me in regards to the way I used what He had given me to help others, even though I was a university student living off government welfare money.

I don’t remember what it was about the Bono conversation that prompted me, but that day I decided to sponsor a child. I had sponsored with other organizations in the past but it had been a largely impersonal and unrewarding experience.

Compassion had a stand at the back of the venue and I approached them and started looking at the child packets, which contain each child’s photo and basic information. I chose 5-year-old Daila from Colombia, mainly because her birthday is close to mine. I actually thought I was sponsoring from Cambodia (I knew about the landmines) but when I realized my error it didn’t matter, since Colombia has some pretty serious problems of its own.

And that’s where the Compassion journey began.

Visiting Rosa in El Salvador Saturday 3 October 2009 Finally it was time to visit Rosa in El Salvador. On my flight to San Salvador I sat next to a Peruvian couple, Luis and Carmen. Carmen could speak acceptable English but Luis knew very little.

Carmen had lots of sheets with English-Spanish vocabulary and I ended up teaching her how to pronounce many English words. We ended up chatting and I found out they were headed to the US to visit some friends and maybe work. I told them about the sponsor child adventure I was on and they came to the conclusion that I must be either a priest or a missionary. That really meant a lot to me–these two people I’d only just met were so impacted by what I was doing, they immediately thought of the two big ‘Christian’ occupations.

This day started a bit later than the others, as I was picked up by Carlos my translator and John my driver at 7.30am on a warm and sticky day, to head to Chinameca which was about two and a half hours away. The drive was a lot different to Bolivia and Colombia. The roads were high quality and paved, and the drivers were a lot more civil. Chinameca is out toward the east of El Salvador where most people are farmers, therefore quite poor, and you could see it as we got further from the city.

An interesting fact about San Miguel: because it is close to the border with Honduras, it is the place of choice for ‘contraband.’ Now the most popular contraband is not what you would usually expect, but it is milk and cheese. Because El Salvadorians produce so little but consume so

Join the conversation online: www.christianwomanmag.com 13

Mission.

A real treat was being able to take the whole family to Pizza Hut in San Miguel. Normally sponsors only take the child and one parent, but paying $55 for 10 people to share this experience was really a small price to pay, so I was happy to do it. much, the people try and smuggle it in to avoid having to pay the high taxes on it.

We arrived at Project ES-718 at about 9.30am and I was amazed to see about 100 children lined up outside with Australian flags! Normally there are no Project activities on a Saturday but my visit had also coincided with their national Children’s Day, so the mood was very festive and excited.

We met altogether in the church. The kids sang some songs, I introduced myself and met Rosa and her family. Dad, Mum, older stepsister Vanesa, brother Josue and twin sister Ester. They gave me some gifts–a plaque with Psalm 91 in Spanish, a scarf that Rosa had knitted herself and an album with lots of photos of Rosa.

We took a tour of the Project, which is truly an oasis in a neighborhood that is not really child friendly–same old story but sad reality for these kids. Carlos told

14 Christian Woman Summer 2014_15

me that at that time El Salvador has 160 Projects with 35,000 sponsored kids.

I saw the classroom that Rosa learns about God in. We then watched the kids playing games, whacking piñatas, and I had an amusing English teaching session with some of the kids where I would point to a body part or object, get them to say it in ‘Espanol’ and I would teach them the English word. It was quite hilarious listening to them mimic my Australian accent.

A real treat was being able to take the whole family to Pizza Hut in San Miguel. Normally sponsors only take the child and one parent, but paying $55 for 10 people to share this experience was really a small price to pay, so I was happy to do it. A highlight was having the staff come and sing me their birthday song, as our crew had told them it was my birthday a couple of days ago.

After this we visited the Hernandez family house. It had belonged to Rosa’s grandfather and he passed it on to his son. Once again, it was basically one room with curtains used as dividers, for six people. This wasn’t necessarily surprising to me but was still confronting to see the conditions that a family of six was living in.

However, they seemed relatively content and thankful to God for their blessings.

When we got to the house it was like the family had known me my whole life, as they handed round nice cold cans of Coke!! We toured the house, saw their dog, cat, chickens and birds, including a green

Australian parakeet. Finally it came to say goodbye. For some reason I found parting harder on this occasion than the other two. I don’t know why, but the best I can come up with is there was just something about this family that I felt attached to, and I did get a lump in the throat at the end.

Carlos had some nice words when we chatted at the end. He brought up something I said in a previous conversation about recognizing I’ve been blessed by God so I want to pass those blessings on. He read 1 Chronicles 29:10-14 David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying…

“Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty. Everything in heaven and on earth is yours and this is your kingdom…riches and honor come from you alone, for you ruler over everything.

Power and might are in your hands and it is at yur discretion that people are made great and given strength..

Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have comes from you, and we give you only what you have already given us.”

This summed up my attitude perfectly.

Who am I, that God would use me in such an amazing way? Trust me dear reader: if He can use me, He can use anyone! CW

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How to understand

From winged creatures covered in eyeballs, to the sun turning black like goat hair and the prostitute drunken with blood... TANIA HARRIS delves into the weird and wonderful book of Revelation...

W

hen I was growing up, Left Behind’s equivalent, A Thief in the Night, didn’t quite boast the same acting prowess as Nicolas Cage, but it was just as frightening, with pilots disappearing from aeroplanes, driver-less cars crashing over bridges and homes suddenly emptied of their children. The haunting scenes of Christians being whisked off to heaven while the rest were left behind sent me back to the altar several times just in case I got the prayer of salvation wrong.

Watching the movie as a teenager, the unfolding events of the apocalypse all seemed quite straightforward. But when I tried to read Revelation - the source of the script - the meaning wasn’t so clear.

I couldn’t get past the winged creatures covered in eyeballs, the sun turning black 16 Christian Woman Summer 2014_15

like goat hair and the prostitute drunken with blood.

The book of Revelation has been a source of controversy and myriads of weird interpretations for practically all of its 2000-year history. It has been used variously to claim that the Pope was the Beast, Henry Kissinger was the Antichrist and the invention of the credit card signalled the end of the world.

Countless predictions have been based on its pages, including the dating of the earth’s final demise (multiple times!)

The events dramatised in Left Behind are just one of the many interpretations surrounding the events of Jesus’ return. For those who want to be in the know, Tim LayHaye’s novels are based on a pre-milliennial, pre-tribulation, dispensationalist

interpretation of Revelation. There’s also futurist, amillennial, historist, mid and post-tribulation, preterist and idealist approaches, plus any combination of them all.

Which makes anyone want to steer clear.

So how do we begin to make sense of this strange and colourful book that was passed down to us from the late 1stC AD via the Apostle John? How can we learn something useful from it that will help us in our walk with Jesus today?

1. Recognise the Genre of Revelation The book of Revelation is a particular genre of writing. Think of the Bible as being like a library with many different categories of books. There’s letters, wisdom collections, narratives, historic

Study.

“Dreams and visions communicate with pictures rather than words. So, objects, animals and even people can be symbolic of something else.� accounts and biographies. We read and interpret each genre differently.

Part of the reason we struggle so much with Revelation is that we are not very familiar with its genre. Almost the entire book is in the form of a dream-vision, one of the most common ways God speaks in the Bible. Dreams and visions occurred in both Old and New Testament times as well as in the history of the church. The Apostle Peter tells us that all who have the Holy Spirit can hear God speak in dreams and visions (Acts 2:17).

But since the Enlightenment of the 1800s, many of us in the West have come to understand that dreams and visions are more likely to be the product of spicy pizza rather than the substance of a divine communique. Typically, those who claim to hear God’s voice in this way can seem a little odd. Therefore we have minimal experience with a book of this type.

2. Understand the Use of Symbolism Dreams and visions communicate with pictures rather than words. So, objects, animals and even people can be symbolic of something else. We see this in some of our most famous bible stories, like in Joseph’s case where sheaves of wheat represent his family, and a herd of skinny cows symbolised a famine. Or for Ezekiel, where a graveyard of bleached bones referred to the death of his nations’ hopes. You need to interpret the symbolism in order to understand the message.

When we apply this understanding to the symbols of Revelation, the message becomes clearer. We see that the lampstands of chapter 1 represent churches, the blood-stained lamb in chapter 5 is symbolic of Jesus and the dragon of chapter 12 represents Satan. The seals and bowls signify judgement.

The wedding supper of the lamb marks God’s reunion with his people. Even numbers are symbolic with plenty of sevens representing God’s perfection, in contrast to six, the number of man. Some symbols we may miss because we don’t know the Greco-Roman culture so well, but a little investigation helps us, for example, with the beast with seven heads well-known in that day as a clear allusion to the Roman empire.

3. Consider the Context of Revelation It’s impossible to understand the general meaning and purpose of Revelation’s message without considering the setting in which it was given. The Apostle John’s prophetic message was delivered to seven churches in Asia Minor (Rev. 1:1-3). While each church had its specific challenges, the most worrying threat was growing persecution from the Roman Empire. The new Christ-followers were under pressure to bow to the emperorcult and to engage in idolatrous and immoral practices. Some had already lost their lives for their faith.

It’s in this light that readers first understood the words of John’s revelation. They were in the midst of a great spiritual battle as the kingdom of God faced off with the kingdom of the world. It was God’s way versus man’s; the self-sacrificial manner of the lamb versus the violent and oppressive ways of the beast. The Spirit was calling them to overcome evil by following the lamb and fighting with his weapons - the sword of God’s word, prayers that filled bowls like incense and the power of their testimony (Rev. 12:11). In the end it is the lamb who

would triumph over the beast! (Rev.17:4) Whatever your theological position of the future, the message of Revelation is a powerful encouragement today as it was to those in the First century. Like the early church, the Spirit exhorts us to follow Jesus wholeheartedly. Whatever hardships we face, we are called to endure faithfully without resorting to the ways of the enemy, because in the end justice will be done, we will be reunited with our saviour, and we will enjoy his presence on a glorious new earth. CW

Tania Harris is an Aussie pastor, speaker and founder of God Conversations, a ministry that equips people to recognise God’s voice. She is the producer and presenter of The Other Side of the Conversation DVD Study Series and the author of eBook ‘The Easy Way to Hear God’s Voice’, available at godconversations.com. You can also find Tania on Facebook and Twitter. Hillsong is her church home in Sydney.

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www.kingsley.edu.au Developing and equipping people to shape their world

www.stmarksrto.org.au Engaging the people of God with Australian society

Join the conversation online: www.christianwomanmag.com 17

Bible College.

“For I know the plans I have you”, declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

I

IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO HAVE YOUR TIME

t’s nearing Christmas and a time of rest and relaxation with family and friends. Perhaps your year has been amazing. Perhaps not. Perhaps it’s time to start thinking about the New-Year that is just around the corner. Are there things you want to change in your life? Of all the times in the year, now is the one where you need to do what His word says and ‘Be still and know that He is God’.

I had a similar moment in time where one decision, literally changed my life...

My journey to Bible College began back in 1997. I had had a radical encounter with God in the October of 1996 and knew that I had to do something. Now. I still remember every moment of the conversation with my mother. She told me about a Bible College in Sydney and I somehow knew that I had to go (Praise God for Christian parents!). It wasn’t an easy decision either.

During this time of decision, I had a job offer. I was to be an ‘au pair’ in London for a very wealthy family. I would have had many perks with this particular job, including lavish holidays to places I had only dreamed about. Having never been overseas at the time, it was tempting. Very tempting. Quite a few of my friends told me I was crazy to give it up for Bible College. Their reasoning seemed plausible, “Do Bible College after you enjoy travelling the world.”

But they didn’t understand. It was my time with Him. Sometimes a decision made can seem ridiculous in the natural. You can justify it until you’re blue in the face as to why you shouldn’t. Why you couldn’t. Why it’s just not the right time.

But I did it anyway.

After reading everything I could get my hands on about this college I rang them and organised an interview.

I still remember walking into the auditorium and feeling like I had come ‘home’. Other students greeted me and I sat in a lecture to absorb the Word. I left that day with my application clutched in my hand knowing that this was my time. I was ready.

So it began in that February 1997. I spent two years absorbing every word and God given moment. Relishing in prophesy’s over my life. Doing the ministry. Loving people.

It was a place where my eyes were opened and I met an abundance of life-long friends who shared the journey with me. It was a time of healing old hurts and moving forward.

It was a time that shaped me to become the person I now am.

I left college with my qualifications in Ministry and began working at the very Bible College that had trained me.

I welcomed new students and was a prayerful shoulder to 18 Christian Woman Summer 2014_15

cry on when life seemed too much for them. I met some incredible teachers and preachers and during this time, I met my now husband. God knew. His timing is perfect and He delights in the details.

God delights in your details too. It’s not a coincidence that you are sitting here reading this article, pondering your own future and the forseeable future of 2015.

So my advice? If you feel like you’re tired. If you need a fresh vision for your life and there’s a twinge in your heart while you read this, then perhaps it’s your time too... CW Nicole Danswan Editor & Publisher ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A BIBLE COLLEGE? Christian Woman partners with many Bible Colleges across Australia and New Zealand. Our heart is to see you live your life fully and wholly for the Lord. If you are considering Bible College in 2015 but don’t know where to start, then perhaps look through these very pages.

Organisations like Kingsley Australia, Australian Institute of Family Counselling, Tabor College Tasmania and Vision College offer many varying degrees and are still accepting enrolments for 2015. Be blessed!

www.findachristianmission.com.au

God’s voice is not silent here Our financial future Helping the Persecuted in the Muslim world

2015

God’s Voice is not silent here A small transmitter is all these exploited women own, but FEBC (Far East Broadcasting Company) is sharing the message of Jesus Christ and reaching the seemingly unreachable...

THE GLOBAL SLAVERY INDEX was recently released showing that India has a huge number of people caught up in the sex slave trade. Women and girls are forced to pay a huge price for being involved in this trade, living at the mercy of people who exploit and mistreat them. Where does their help come from, how can they be redeemed out of this darkness into the life they were really born to live – a life of respect, honour and dignity, which God has ordained for each one of us?

FEBC Australia is working in partnership with its sister organization, FEBA India, using freely given radios and specifically written radio broadcasts to speak to these women, showing them there is another way to live and to fulfil 20 Christian Woman Summer 2014_15

their dreams. Although the scale is huge, things are happening to change the lives of these women and their children with the help of this organization and their dedicated workers. They reach those who seem unreachable, using radio transmission and connection with local church communities to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and his salvation and liberation. “God’s voice is not silent here. It is being heard through impassioned work at the local level and the generous support of Christians, far away in Australia and other places,” says Kevin Keegan, National Director, FEBC Australia.

In the massive city of Kolkota women and girls who have been lured to the city with empty promises of

employment, are displayed like products at a convenience store. “In one area, I saw medium-rise buildings where, on each floor, women were arrayed: the higher the floor, the younger the girls being offered,” Kevin Keegan goes on to say.

FEBC works to reach these women, many of whom have no education, no identity and no resources, as well as the families of the remote north, located around the narrow stretch of India’s geography known as the Siliguri corridor.

The cities of Siliguri and nearby Jalpaiguri are surrounded by Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, the Himalayan foothills and the landlocked Indian state of Sikkim.

Find a Christian Mission Special.

Clockwise from opposite page: Broadcasts reach all ages and challenge the negative messages that people hear in the world around them; Broadcasts by women for women are building self esteem and challenging traditions of slavery and trafficking by sharing God’s love and reinforcing the value of each and every person; The broadcasters also go out into the villages and towns, engaging with listeners, distributing free radios and connecting with local believers

At this cultural and economic nexus impoverished and uneducated families sometimes sell their daughters into ‘marriage’ or ‘service’ in the hope that a better future is possible. FEBC is jamming this signal with a message of hope, love and eternal peace through Jesus who values each person enough to have died that they might live.

Radio technology delivered via short wave, AM, FM and digital means, enables FEBC to participate in a wide range of community development and community building projects, around the world.

Through partnerships with

global and local organizations, they offer humanitarian assistance such as medical, dental and food relief, educational scholarships, homes for the poor, marriage seminars, microenterprise opportunities, and disaster relief, to name a few.

FEBC Australia, through resourcing, equipping and supporting radio ministry in some of the world’s most remote, unreached communities, is able to get close to listeners (literally, getting in their ear) to challenge what society is telling them and connecting them with local believers.

FEBC (Far East Broadcasting Company) is a global media network broadcasting the Gospel of Jesus Christ and cultivating relationships to reach people with the Gospel.

Visit FEBC online: www.febc.org.au Stay connected with us: Facebook: (FEBC Australia) Twitter: (@febcaus) Phone: 1300 720 017 Email: office@febc.org.au

• Taking the gospel to the unreached peoples of Africa • Still 1008 unreached African people groups • More than 1000 workers in 22 countries • Short-term and long-term opportunities to serve

AFRICA INLAND MISSION

Contact Africa Inland Mission

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

“Christ-centred churches among all African peoples”

Australia PO Box 328 Gosford NSW 2250 P: 02 4322 4777 E: director.au@aimint.org W: www.aimint.org/au

New Zealand PO Box 13457 Onehunga, Auckland 1643 P: 09 281 4595.

E: admin.nz@aimint.org W: www.aimint.org/nz

Join the conversation online: www.christianwomanmag.com 21

Our Financial Future

Visit www.crown.org.au to watch a testimony on video by this young woman

“THE FURORE THAT HAS RAGED over the latest Federal Budget makes it clear that our nation’s ‘hip pocket’ syndrome is very much alive,” explains Trevor Owens CEO of Crown Financial Ministries. Trevor is concerned about the financial implications on our society, not just in Australia, but globally. Crown’s mission is to ‘shine the light’ on the principles that are outlined in the Bible to bring freedom to those who want to do business and deal with their finances according to God’s Word. This is not an easy task and Trevor is well aware of this because we are in this world but not of it. In fact, the Bible says more about money than any other subject and all good practices have their origin in the Bible. As George Washington said, “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.” This is the positive and true strategy that Crown Ministry works with.

Trevor maintains, “It would be fair to say that national and personal debt is at an all-time high in Australia, which indicates that most governments and individuals have ignored the biblical warnings about the dangers of nonprudent borrowing. Not only does 22 Find a Christian Mission 2015

excessive debt result in a heavy burden for the borrower but the associated interest payments place limits on governments in providing essential community services and, in the case of individuals, being free to help others with special needs as God has directed in the Bible.”

Trevor Owens is particularly interested in the financial interactions with Generation Y. In the midst of our materialistic Australian society, it is both refreshing and encouraging to find a generation rising up to take their place as good role models of the timeless biblical principles that bring a Godhonouring balance to faith and finance.

Recent media reports claim that Gen Ys have a desire to enter the property market as early as possible.

This calls for the adoption of disciplined spending and saving patterns. When such financial goals are coupled with ‘doing finances God’s way’, unhealthy materialistic thinking and the burden of excessive debt can be avoided. Gen Ys are gradually gleaning the importance of handling finances in the best possible way to avoid losses and heartache. They are seeing that financial stress is one

of the biggest pressures that life can bestow upon them. Gen Ys are learning from mistakes and wrong decisions their parents may have encumbered. These are valuable lessons to be learnt and Gen Ys are walking this journey.

This is where the ‘foundations for life’ Bible-based resources developed by Crown Financial Ministries Australia, come to the fore. The teaching topics cover: • God’s part and our part in Finances • Attitude to Work • Understanding Debt • Seeking Counsel & Mentoring Children • Practising Honesty • Saving, Investing & Giving • Salvation, Contentment & Eternity • Practical Exercises, including Budgeting.

Through a study of these topics, the Holy Spirit brings the ‘change of heart’ required to achieve True Financial Freedom and a closer walk with Jesus.

In mid-2014, thirty-four young adults in the Gen Y age group graduated from the seven session Crown Course run by a Brisbane church. The following

Find a Christian Mission Special.

testimonies, which are typical of others, certainly paint a beautiful picture of lives impacted by the truth of God’s Word.

“In doing the Crown Course, I learned many new things about God’s way of doing finances and other important topics such as work, honesty, seeking wise counsel, saving, giving, contentment and eternal rewards. These biblical truths have really blessed me as I seek to follow Jesus in every facet of my life.” 25 year old female.

“A Course with super content which built each week and re-embedded the core concepts of money and other life issues foundational to a productive relationship with the Lord. It encouraged me to pray about witnessing in my workplace and it was exciting to see how God opened the way for this to happen.” 21 year old male.

“I did Crown to get a better grounding

of God’s word about money and found it invaluable. I had never really considered stewardship, God’s sovereignty over finance, the importance of honesty, or God’s place in my financial plan. I was surprised to learn that God was as interested in my savings and investments as He was in my giving and that my financial behaviour can be worship to Him. The idea of ‘learning contentment’ was pivotal for me. It really transformed my thinking – and beyond finance!” 21 year old male.

While the above emphasises the urgency of this life-changing education for the Y Generation, the Crown teaching has blessed the lives of tens of thousands, from teens through to seniors, over the past decade. ‘Road-testing’ of the new Australianised, user-friendly resources with a range of teaching options, has resulted in top marks from the users.

“Just imagine what a difference

it would make to the cohesiveness of our Nation if people were to adopt the ‘blueprint for living’ that God has provided in the Bible and emulate the servanthood approach of Jesus Christ,” says Trevor. “This is the answer to the hip pocket syndrome that focuses on self-interest and which always breeds discontentment.”

Crown Financial Ministries has served tens of thousands of Australians over the last decade, helping them discover how to achieve true financial freedom and contentment by following God’s procedure manual – the Bible.

For details about Crown Australia visit www.crown.org.au, email crown@crown.org.au or telephone 1300 132 783 for any clarification on the use of the resources and the planning process for introducing the Crown teaching.

For over 50 years African Enterprise has been working in partnership with the local church to bring Hope to millions each year.

Join us and be a part of this exciting evangelistic ministry of Word & Deed taking Jesus to the cities and towns of Africa.

I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

Jeremiah 29:11

www.africanenterprise.com.au

www.mychristianissue.com 23

Along with partners committed to changing the world, Leading the Way is an organization that is focused on setting people free from oppression - those who are living in spiritual darkness, to discover the light of Christ. Their Help the Persecuted Fund is particularly responding to the needs within the Muslim world. By passionately proclaiming uncompromising Truth through creative methods, this international team of experts is uniquely providing hope that is revolutionizing lives at home — and around the world.

Helping the Persecuted in the Muslim world

W

hat would you do if terrorists burned down your home because they knew you were a Christ-follower? If your husband was killed for his faith? If your family disowned you for being a Christian?

Although many of us may never know what it’s like to lose everything for the sake of the Gospel, there are millions who do. This is their daily reality. How can we help?

What if you lived in a culture where saying “Jesus is Lord” could get you tortured or killed?

As a result of recent activity Leading The Way encountered one such man.

His name is Jirjis* (named changed ), a man in his forties who lives in Egypt.

For much of his life, he was a dedicated member of the Muslim Brotherhood.

One day, he and other members of the Brotherhood met to plot the firebombing of a Christian church. That night, Jirjis dreamed that his hands and feet were tied, and a voice said, ‘Do not hurt My church.’ The next day, he told the men he had changed his mind—he wouldn’t help them destroy the church.

24 Find a Christian Mission 2015

The others cursed him, then piled into their vehicles to carry out their plan. On the way to carry out the attack, a traffic accident killed all the conspirators.

Others in the Muslim Brotherhood were outraged that Jirjis had refused to take part in the attack. They beat him, then locked him up without food or water for days. They tortured him.

Because of his dream, Jirjis came to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior.

Although he is growing in his faith, being a Christian and having health problems have made it hard for him to find work. A local church gives him some help, but its resources are limited.”

When Leading The Way learned what Jirjis was going through, he was provided with financial help to cover his rent and living expenses as he seeks to re-establish his life.

Other recent cases through Help The Persecuted include: • Supplying Christian refugee families with mattresses, hygiene kits, and food after their flight from ISIS in Iraq

• Hosting a retreat for persecuted Christians affected by the war in Syria • Providing medical treatment for a North African family that was burned when a terrorist group set fire to their home • Subsidizing business and living expenses for new believers forced from their homes and jobs The first gift distributed through Help The Persecuted was only $100, given to a man who had come to Christ through a Leading The Way broadcast and needed the money to move to another city after experiencing persecution in his hometown. That simple gift may have saved his life.

Leading The Way ministries are penetrating strongholds in the Middle East and North Africa—places where it is dangerous to follow Christ. Our outreach includes: •

Targeted broadcasting in the region through our 24/7 satellite channel THE KINGDOM SAT, Arabic-

Find a Christian Mission Special.

English broadcasting on local radio stations, and solar-powered Navigator audio devices.

•

On-the-ground follow-up teams, connecting with listeners and viewers via Skype, phone, email, SMS, and in-person discipleship meetings.

•

Help The Persecuted, providing direct support to persecuted Christians. Our coordinator and trusted partners live in the region and meet personally with those we help in order to evaluate their needs.

We rejoice to hear that many are

coming to Christ. But conversion is just the beginning of the journey. Life is incredibly difficult for new believers.

Many face rejection by their families, job loss, imprisonment, violence, and death threats.

As the need grows, Leading The Way’s commitment grows. This year, our disbursements to persecuted Christians have increased by more than 200 percent.

Through Help The Persecuted, we’re also providing assistance to Christian refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war and persecution by ISIS. We provide living expenses for believers forced from their homes and jobs, plus medical expenses,

emergency funds, travel help, and pastoral care.

Other recipients of help from Leading The Way include Amira*(name changed), who needed dental work after a beating by family members for becoming a Christian, and Bahrani*(name changed), who needed Bibles, food, and school supplies for the 16 underground churches he pastors in Syria.

We have much to be thankful for here in the West. The freedoms to preach and proclaim the Gospel and to be openly Christian are not available to many of our brothers and sisters around the world.

In 2011, Leading The Way established a special Help The Persecuted fund to respond directly to the urgent physical, financial, and ministerial needs of persecuted believers around the world. Joining our international broadcasting and personal follow-up through THE KINGDOM SAT and the Leading The Way Navigator, Help The Persecuted was a natural addition to Leading The Way’s holistic Gospel outreach to areas of the world where Christians are persecuted.

This Christmas if you would like to join with Leading The Way in bringing the Light of Christ to the parts of the world where it is dangerous to be a Christian, just go to www.ltw.org for more information.

CALLING ALL WHO SUFFER AND ARE PERSECUTED! CALLING ALL INTERCESSORS, COMFORTERS AND ADVOCATES!

Using Isaiah 1-39, Christian analyst Elizabeth Kendal shows what it means to walk by faith in times of uncertainty and escalating hostility.

This is indeed a book for our times; an excellent resource for individuals or small groups.

For more information, including commendations, resources and purchasing options, visit www.turnbackthebattle.com

Unreached? Yet loved by God! When does an unreached people group become reached? When they have the Bible in their own language. Only when people can engage with God’s Word for themselves is true discipleship possible…

Almost 2,000 languages still have no Scripture.

Can you play a part?

To help translate God’s Word, please visit www.wycliffe.org.au or email info_australia@wycliffe.org

www.mychristianissue.com 25

The Missional Power of

GENEROSITY

If I were to ask you, “How much does the Bible talk on the subject of generosity,” what would your answer be? Just a little, a moderate amount, or a lot? If you went with either of those first two options, you’d be way off the mark. In fact, there are more verses on generosity, than on faith, hope and love combined. And there’s a reason for that... BERNI DYMET

I

n the beginning … what?

Well, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) and everything in between, and then … then He gave it all away.

So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.

And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that

has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (Genesis 1:26-31) A pretty generous act, wouldn’t you agree? It turns out that generosity is in the very nature of God – more so than we may think. We of course think of Him as a loving God, but how often do we ever stop to think of Him as a generous God. The God who wants to bless us?

BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING To Abraham, the father of God’s chosen people, the Lord said: I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a bless-

ing. (Genesis 12:2) God’s intention has always been that His blessing in your life, should become a blessing in the lives of the people around you. If God is indeed the God of love, then as we watch Him in action, we discover that His generosity is in fact His love in action.

I was listening to a message from the pastor of my church recently, and he said something quite profound. He said that: you can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving.

Generosity of giving, as things turn out, is one of the powerful ways that God expresses His love. It makes sense when you think of it that way, doesn’t it?

THESE THREE THINGS REMAIN And now faith, hope, and love abide,

Opportunity International Australia Opportunity International Australia enables you to invest in a mother living in poverty so that she can use a small loan to buy an item like a sewing machine and start a small business. For a family in a developing country who can’t afford the basics, a loan as small as $70 can be life changing. With this hand up, a mother can put food on the table, send her children to school and transform her family’s future for generations. Mothers want what is best for their children, and as businesses become successful (98% of Opportunity’s loans are repaid), your help means they can make their dreams for their children come true. Opportunity is motivated by Jesus Christ’s call to love and serve the poor, serving all people regardless of their race, faith, ethnicity and gender. For more information, visit www.opportunity.org.au Phone: 1800 812 164 Email: opinfo@opportunity.org.au Slavic Gospel Association Inc. SGA is an international mission committed to equip national believers in the lands of the former Soviet Union and Central Asia to reach their people with the Gospel, combat the influx of cults, and fill the spiritual void left by communism.Our ministries include provision of Russian language Bibles, New Testaments, and Christian books.

We help sponsor pastors, missionaries and church planters. SGA also assists with financial support for Bible schools, seminaries, prison ministries, orphans outreach, and children’s ministries. Our Compassion Ministry provides urgently needed food, clothing and medications to the poor, elderly and the most needy.

Address: PO Box 396 Noble Park, VIC 3174 Phone/Fax: (03) 9562 3434 Email: sgaaust@bigpond.net.au Website: www: sga.org.au

26 Find a Christian Mission 2015

Find a Christian Mission Special.

these three; and the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor 13:13) It seems to me that generosity is a combination of these three. The old mathematician in me wants to postulate that: Generosity = Faith + Hope + Love Because generosity always involves faith. Generosity is like planting a seed and hoping that something will grow. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t. But as my pastor explained to us the other day, the principle of reaping as you sow, involves multiplication. Sow one kernel of corn, and you will reap thousands. But at the time of planting, it’s very much an act of faith. Yes, generosity definitely involves faith.

And it involves hope too, because there is always a lag time between sowing and reaping. When the farmer plants the corn in the dirt, there’s an agonising period where nothing happens. And then, when finally the little seedling sprouts, there are so many things that can go wrong between that green shoot, and the delivery of many cobs of corn. Yes, generosity definitely involves hope.

Sowing through a generous act of giving towards someone who doesn’t deserve it, someone who hasn’t earned it, someone who really deserves your scorn in fact, is a great act of love. That’s what the greatest act of love in all of history was all about. The Cross of Christ.

Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person— though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while

www.mychristianissue.com 27

Find a Christian Mission Special.

There is a reason that generosity connects the love of God so powerfully with so many people. And that reason, is this, God is a generous God. It is in His nature to bless generously.

we still were sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5:7,8) Yes, generosity definitely involves love.

GENEROSITY IS MISSION How many Christians think that ‘mission’ is beating somebody over the head with their Bible? As though somehow you can shove the truth down their throat and expect them to thank you for it. How many Christians think that by telling the world how far they have strayed from God, they will bring people back to Him? When all along, a simple act of generosity will speak of Christ’s love more powerfully than anything else!

There is a reason that generosity connects the love of God so powerfully with so many people. And that reason, is this, God is a generous God. It is in His nature to bless generously. And each sinner on this earth – you and me included – has been created in God’s image.

Therefore, a simple act of generosity from us to someone who doesn’t know the love of Christ yet, is indeed an act of deep calling unto deep. It’s something that the Holy Spirit uses in such power to speak His truth in a way that you and I never could.

Yep. Anyway you look at it … generosity is mission.

The question for you and me is … So what ya goin’ to do about it?

Berni Dymet is the ceo and Bible teacher of the Australian–based, global media ministry, Christianityworks. Each week he shares the practical love of Jesus with millions of people around the world.

You can receive a free copy of his latest booklet with more practical teaching at christianityworks.com.

Will you walk with us in Nepal?

PRAY

[ receive our regular pray er updates, ask a member of inf to visit your home group / bible study, join a nepal prayer grou p,

start a new one… ]

GIVE

has given you: [ share the gifts god regular giving, financially through a bequest, volunteer one off donation or , use your talents, your skills and time ts to help hobbies and interes funds for inf… ]

A Christian mission serving the physical and spiritual needs of Nepali people www.inf.org

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T [02] 9411 1195

/InternationalNepalFellowship

28 Find a Christian Mission 2015

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E ausoffice@au.inf.org /INFWorldwide

GO

raise

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? s e l ss a H y a d i l Ho

NO WAY!

‘Why not broaden your horizons?’ encourages SANDRA CAVALLO as she explores the challenges of being a single traveller...

H

oliday time is here, which means having fun, relaxation and recharging the batteries are in order.

Now let’s be honest, does this excite you or does it bring a touch of the blues? Sound crazy? Why would something that is so good have the potential for sadness?

For some singles, holidays can heighten the sense of loneliness, especially if most of your friends are in coupledom. Don’t get stuck in a pity party. With a little planning, singleness and holidays can be a harmonious experience. Here are some benefits.

Freedom to travel Travel is one of my passions and as a single woman, I love to explore and have the freedom to go where I want to go.

When there are no commitments to spouses or children, the world is yours for the exploring, so take advantage of the freedom your singleness brings.

Dream big! Where’s a place this year you would love to see? And if things were to change on the single front, one you would find it hard to visit? In 2007 I chose to visit Tunisia in North Africa and Croatia. These were two destinations on my must see list. A trip to North Africa and Europe took some long term planning. So plan ahead.

Suggest your holiday to other friends and see who else might be interested in coming along. And don’t strike out couples. I ended up travelling to Tunisia with my best friend and her husband and had a great experience because we have similar interests and we travel well together. Planning ahead may give time for others to join you.

Having a holiday goal to work towards is a great way to motivate you during the year. Travelling also expands your view and enriches you as a person as you experience other cultures.

Permission to scatter What if you haven’t got anyone to travel with? There are a number of opportunities available. How about going it solo? “Yikes” I hear you say! Before you bail on me, hear me out when I say travelling solo can be a very rewarding experience.

One of the benefits of travelling solo is that it encourages you to meet other people and make new 30 Christian Woman Summer 2014_15

Position.

Holidays are a necessity in life to recharge and reassess. God created rest just as he created work.

Jeremiah 31:25 states, “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”

friendships. That’s not so easy when with will provide a disservice not just to you travel with a friend. It’s also a great you, but also to those around you. opportunity to completely rest up and Schedule times in the year to ensure recharge. This year I travelled to Croatia you’re having times of refreshment. It for five days on my own and plonked doesn’t need to be expensive or long. myself with a good book and journal on I think one of my most memorable the beaches of Dubrovnik. I had some holidays was an impromptu camping quality contemplation time. There was trip to Merimbula with two girlfriends. no one else to focus on except me. When I had only ever camped once in my life, I had enough of me I met some locals in but God blessed us with an amazing site my hotel, chatted and ate out with them. overlooking the Pacific Ocean. He knew I I was able to share about God and felt loved the sea and it would refresh my soul. like I was on a spiritual high. It was bliss.

Ask God to lead you through your If holidaying on your own is not your rest times this year and for his favour to thing, visiting family and friends in other target you. He knows what you need and states or countries can be a great way to he is your provider. Take all your concerns go. about holidays and give them to him.

Organised tour groups are also a Choosing to rest in him takes us to greater fabulous way to meet other people who levels of trust. CW have similar interests to hj you. Consider combining your holiday with a cause such as a mission trip.

There are travel companies that organise short-term mission tours to amazing destinations adding purpose Position to your time away.

It can be exciting and Yourself scary at the same time, but for remember travelling is a great way to fulfil the great Growth commission as we scatter and go into all the world.

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Be proactive about rest Holidays are a necessity in life to recharge and reassess.

God created rest just as he created work. Jeremiah 31:25 states, “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” Not going on holidays because there’s no one to go

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