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Pentec ost Festiva .co.uk l
Be part of the festival... 26th - 31st May 2009 - Central London
...join the Street Teams Sign up from 15th December 2008
“I’ve never before prayed with complete strangers on the street, but the experience of being one of the pray-ers on the street teams leaves me just so excited about the abundant generosity of God!” - Tom Jamieson, 2008 Street Team
For more information and to sign up, go to www.pentecostfestival.co.uk/streetteams 2 winter 08
/winter ’08 Welcome to
/thoughts
magazine
Ok guys, get your winter warmers on! Now is the time that you realise you’ve lost one of your gloves and need to go and buy a new pair, and that it’s not safe to go outside without your beanie hat on because your ears will freeze! It’s time to sit very close to the radiator, with a nice cuppa’ tea and your copy of /thoughts! It is packed with awesome articles, brilliant books, super snaps and maybe magic! We’ll hear from some people on the new FRESH course, read some amazing stories from people’s lives and we have an extract from Irresistible Revolution. Who could want more? So sit back, relax, enjoy… and when you’re finished, pass the magazine to a friend!
Get your own! /thoughts is produced on recycled paper. Please make sure you recycle your copy.
Did someone give you this magazine? If so, then get your own! Turn to page 29 and sign up to receive /thoughts magazines, and you’ll be in with a chance to win Shane Lynch’s new book... Yes, that’s Shane Lynch from BOYZONE! winter 08 3
/thoughts magazine
Exciting times...
Emerging Culture The Church, Tolverne Road, Raynes Park, London, SW20 8RA 020 8781 1734 / thoughts@emergingculture.co.uk
We live in exciting times… and we hope that as you delve into the pages of /thoughts that you will discover people living out their faith in radical ways. People often say that the Church is irrelevant and boring but the life Jesus calls us to live is anything but! As we begin to plan for Pentecost Festival 2009, we find the Church is very much alive and active!
www.emergingculture.co.uk www.sharejesusinternational.com SJI Director Andy Frost: andy@emergingculture.co.uk
Where you find issues of gun crime and violence… there you find the Church striving for reconciliation and peace.
Editing, Advertising & Administration Dot Tyler: dot@emergingculture.co.uk
Where you find issues of ethics, politics and science… there you find the Church thinking, debating and pioneering.
Editors: Lindsey Macfarlane: lindsey@emergingculture.co.uk John Rodgers: john@emergingculture.co.uk
Where you find issues of poverty… there you find the Church challenging structures of injustice and providing practical aid.
Artwork Design: Share Creative: www.sharecreative.co.uk Huw Tyler: huw@sharecreative.co.uk
Where you find music and the arts… there you find the Church demonstrating God’s creativity.
Proof Reading: Jeanne Claridge
Where you find issues of Climate Change and ecology…there you find the Church demonstrating concern and stewardship. Where you find racism… there you find the Church bringing together cultures and celebrating diversity. This is His Church – engage with the words and then join us in engaging with the world!
© Share Jesus International. Charity Number 1089784 All Rights Reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
Andy Frost Director, Share Jesus International
electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval system, without permission in writing from Share Jesus International. Content and opinions of the articles may not necessarily fully
Engage with words, engage with the world! 4 winter winter08 08
reflect those of Share Jesus International
Youtube It’s amazing how someone can now make themselves famous through a little TV screen on a website. In a world that is trying to make itself heard, Youtube seems to be the way of going about it. I love seeing “Star Wars Kid”, “funny accidents” and the latest “movie trailers” but I can’t help thinking that this new found celebrity power could be put to better use. Youtube is such a fantastic tool for Christians use in a way that is really relevant to the world.
Letters from a Sceptic I have just finished reading this by Gregory A. Boyd. He looks at the negative issues his dad had towards Christianity. Gregory, a professor of theology, asks his father to have a chat where “all of their cards would be laid on the table”. Gregory would give his father the opportunity to raise all his objections towards Christianity while Greg would “answer these objections as well as give positive views for the Christian faith”. It is an amazing book and will help any new or non-Christian understand Christianity in a more relevant way.
Written by: Darren Quinell
Salsa Gossip I was having a chat with a friend the other day about Salsa Dancing and I found out that he and his wife had just started a Salsa class. I laughed when he told me and asked why? He said that they wanted to do something together as a couple…this got me thinking. Sometimes we think that Christians should only do Christian things. One of the best ways of telling people about Jesus is by getting stuck in. Though I would not choose Salsa, it’s a great way to get involved in the local community. Have a think about what you could do within your community. winter 08 5
/and Scribble Life was born… In December 2008 a new website will be launched… but before we get down to business, let us start with the story behind the idea. Charles and I became Christians three years ago, aged 18. We were into garage and hip hop, always watching for the next mixtape to arrive in the post. However, becoming Christians brought about a lot of changes in our lives. Some so small that only we knew of them, and some big explosive ones! However, as we had not really come into contact with many Christians before we weren’t even aware that there was such a thing as ‘Christian music’, or that a change even needed to take place in regards to what was playing through our head phones. When we did realise this we decided that if we were going to be Christians, we meant business, which meant out with the old and in with the new. Unfortunately for us after one look around our local Christian book store it looked like rap was definitely OUT! We eventually resigned ourselves to the fact that now we were Christians, it meant we had to start listening to the kind of music that your Nan sings when she’s in the kitchen on her own making roast dinner on a Sunday afternoon. I’m not saying my Nan can’t sing, or that there’s no place for that...‘older style’, shall I say, but for a couple of teenagers from South London 6 winter 08
who were used to Wiley and Kano, it was a big step. Then, one day we came across a CD which was different from the songs that we sang in church. This music had a beat to rival Kanye West and Lil Wayne, but the lyrics were so different. This rapper knew what he was talking about, no repetitive chorus about ‘shankin’ this and ‘moving to’ that, he was talking about Jesus. We could hardly believe our ears. There was more to Christian music than we first thought… and it was good! Since then we have discovered so many different types of music from jazz to hip hop, and country to grime, all with Jesus as their focus. For us, this realisation that we could still be a part of the culture that we had grown up in and still surrounded us, but represent Jesus in what we listened to and how we lived our lives, had a big impact upon the people we are today. For this reason, we wanted to create a place where younger people can access different types of music, books and Bibles which normally would either be too hard to find, or too expensive to get your hands on even if you knew where to go. This is where Scribble Life gets in. We are aiming to offer a wide range of products, to suit your taste and price range. Being students ourselves we understand how hard it is sometimes to afford that latest CD,
as soon as it hits the shops so Scribble Life’s aim is not one of profit making. In fact we aim to make the smallest profit possible in order for this worthwhile material to get out there, flowing through your speakers and onto your bookshelves. We aim to offer young Christians like ourselves cheap, affordable resources, on a website which is so easy to use that you can ring your little brother to log on and make your order as soon as you get wind of a new release!
WE’R E ON
WW W.EM ERGIN GCU LTUR E.CO .UK/ FRES H
Fiona Morton & Charles Barlow Fiona is a student at Goldsmiths University in New Cross, studying Education, Culture and Society and Charles Barlow is at London Metropolitan University studying economics and accounts. Charles enjoys playing football and supports Chelsea and Fiona likes new trainers and her mum’s cooking.
FRES H!
/lifestyle
We also want to provide a platform for up and coming artists and authors to display their work, and help other young Christians in their daily walk with God. In a culture that is so wrapped up in gossip, sex, violence and disrespect, sometimes it’s hard to keep focussed on Jesus and
stand up for what you believe in. By creating this website we hope to enable young Christians from all walks of life to be able to come together and share in something revolutionary; to understand that they are part of a bigger family of Christians, and to be able to stand up knowing that they are not on their own. When we realise all that Jesus has for us and wants us to be, we will have the power to change the world.
Let’s be equipped. Let’s be History Makers. ‘How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?’ Romans 10:14
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/lifestyle /engage
/what do you do? What about you? What are you good at? Steve Price has a look at how we can use our skills and the things we enjoy, for God. When people ask me what I do for a living, they are often intrigued to know how I became a magician. The truth is that I’ve been interested in magic since I was nine years old, and performed for family and friends occasionally. Then at church one Sunday the guy at the front said “Everyone has a gift or talent
that they should use for God”. Now this seemed very easy for everyone else. If you’re good at figures, perhaps there is a charity that could do with an accountant; if you’re musical, then get involved with leading worship; if you’re good at cooking, then you could help out at a homeless shelter. How on earth could someone who enjoys entertaining people possibly use this for God? That’s when I went away and started putting a show together. I use tricks and illusions as a way of getting people’s interest and then I use them to talk about being a Christian. It’s difficult to balance preaching and performing, but I think I strike it pretty well. Every show and every audience is different. Some people ask for something low-key, to help build bridges with their community, others are ready for more challenging material. At the end of the show I want people to leave having had a great time and having something to think about. Over the past few years, I have taken the show to hundreds of churches, and thousands of people. I have performed at several large events including Greenbelt, New Wine, Cheltenham Bible
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Festival and Leading Edge. I’ve just released a DVD called ‘Good News and Shiny Shoes’ which is a bit of a milestone for me. I wanted something that presented the Christian message in a fun and entertaining way and that would last longer than just a performance. People can buy it for themselves or buy it for their friends. So what’s next? Well, I’m currently exploring the possibility of performing in America and I’m always looking for opportunities to perform “in the real world”. I genuinely believe that as a “Christian performer” I have the potential to witness to millions of people. That’s an incredible responsibility. I don’t know if God will open this door for me, but if I don’t knock, I’ll never know. So what about you? What are you good at? How could you use your skills or talents for God? What do you do?
Steve Price Steve Price is professionally crazy. He’s been a full-time illusionist and a member of The Magic Circle for over three years. Contact him at info@ stevepriceillusions.co.uk or www.stevepriceillusions.co.uk See Steve Price at Pentecost 2009! For more info see www.pentecostfestival.co.uk
/lifestyle
/tune into reality radio
over into the mainstream only to deny their faith and Christian roots.
This summer, UK Christian rockers ‘Quench’ proudly released the “Reality Radio EP” as an iTunes exclusive download. Quench, who consist of Jamie Hill (vocals), Mark Cocks (Guitar), Andy Davis (Drums) and Ed Powell (Bass) exploded onto the UK rock scene in 2003 with the release of their award winning debut album “Afterglow”. Their headline tours of the UK and Europe have built them an ever-increasing loyal following, as have their festival performances at Soul Survivor, New Wine, Spring Harvest, Flevo and Greenbelt, where this summer they shared the main stage with Fightstar. Quench’s unique brand of 21st Century rock, with its blistering guitars, harmonyladen hook-lines and high-octane live performances, has been likened to elements of Jimmy Eat World, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Finch and 30 Seconds To Mars.
When looking for a title for the new EP, Quench tried to sum up everything they stand for as a band. ‘Reality’ was the concept that made sense: reality in the music; reality in the lyrics; reality in the performance; and to stand against the twisted concept of ‘reality’ in our 21st Century culture. In a media-dominated world obsessed by ‘Reality TV Shows’ where, ironically ‘fantasy’ is closer to the truth, millions of hopeful wannabes desperately clamber to take the fast track to becoming one of our culture’s new gods: a celebrity. True ‘reality’ is sadly what hits them six months after the show has finished when the phone stops ringing, their CD lies in the bargain bin at Woolworths and they come to terms with the rejection and disillusionment that comes from the fact that they have been cast aside to make room for the next ‘winner’ to emerge from the next generic TV show arriving at the end of the conveyor belt. Reality is also a dangerous concept in some sectors of today’s church. In a world where
For the new EP, Quench were passionate about making a recording that sonically competes with their secular counterparts, so they enlisted the talents of legendary rock producer Joe Gibb (Jane’s Addiction, 3 Colours Red, Funeral For A Friend, Brigade, etc). As a result, “Reality Radio” features four new songs that hit as hard musically as they do lyrically including the incendiary opener “Identity Crisis”, which reveals Quench’s passion to never compromise their identity as Christians when faced by the pressure to compromise to ‘make it big’. It was written as a challenge to those ‘Christian’ bands who crossed
Jesus has the ultimate victory through the cross, and has beaten sin and death, we sometimes struggle to accept the ‘now but not yet’ nature of the Kingdom Of God. Until He comes again, we need to face up to the fact that we live in a fallen world where God has not promised us a fast track to perfect health and material wealth. A world where great men and women of God can still get cancer, lose their jobs and wrestle with depression and yet still say with sincerity “blessed be your name” without painting on fake evangelical smiles. Quench invite you to join them and tune into “Reality Radio” as part of the antidote to fake celebrity culture and Christian music gushing with superficial ‘warm and fluffy’ joy. “Reality Radio” is part of the story of four ordinary guys who have been given a new life and a hope for the future through a relationship with Jesus and who embrace life as it is, not how some American televangelists tell us it should be! When many bands choose to fill their songs with a kind of manufactured designer misery, Quench take the stand for true reality: life can be hard but God is good.
Mark C Mark C plays guitar for a living and records comedy celebrity impersonations for a few wellknown mobile phone companies! He also has a passion for youthwork, loves the Star Wars Movies, Cadburys Chocolate, Starbucks, his cat Ozzy and Deal Or No Deal. For more information about Quench, check out links on www.quenchuk.com or search for them on iTunes. winter 08 9
/the irresistible revolution Shane Claiborne describes an authentic faith rooted in belief, action, and love, inviting us into a movement of the Spirit that begins inside each of us and extends into a broken world.
When Christianity was still safe It’s what always happens to the saints and prophets who are dangerous: we bronze them, we drain them of their passion and life and trap them in stained-glass windows and icons, confining them safely in memories of the past. St. Francis becomes a birdbath, Malcolm X is put on a stamp, and Martin Luther King gets a holiday. And Jesus gets commercialized, whether it’s the plastic night-lights or golden crucifixes. (And now there is a bobbing-head “buddy Jesus”
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for your car and the “Jesus is my homeboy” T-shirt.) it becomes hard to know who Jesus really is, much less to imagine that Jesus ever laughed, cried, or had poop that smelled. I can remember when Christianity was still safe, comfortable, trendy. I grew up in Bible Belt, in East Tennessee, where there’s a church building on nearly every corner. I can’t remember meeting anyone Jewish or Muslim, and I distinctly remember being dissuaded from dating a catholic girl because she “prayed to Mary.” I attended two or three different youth groups, whichever had the best entertainment and drew the largest crowd. Church was a place where there were cute girls, free junk food and cheap snowboarding trips. I discovered a Christianity that entertained me with quirky songs and velcro walls. In middle school I had a sincere “conversion” experience. We took a trip to a large Christian festival with bands, speakers and late-night pranks. One night a short, bald preacherman named Duffy Robbins
gave an invitation to “accept Jesus” and nearly our whole youth group went forward (a new concept for most of us), crying and snotting, hugging people we didn’t know. I was born again. The next year we went to that same festival, and most of us went forward again (it was so good the first time) and got born again, again. In fact, we looked forward to it every year. I must have gotten born again six or eight times, and it was great every time. (I highly recommend it.) But then you start to think there must be more to Christianity, more than just laying your life and sins at the foot of the cross. I came to realise that preachers were telling me to lay my life at the foot of the cross and weren’t giving me anything to pick up. A lot of us were hearing “don’t smoke, don’t drink, don’t sleep around” and naturally started asking, “Okay, well, that was pretty much my life, so what do I do now?” Where were the do’s? And nobody seemed to have much to offer us. Handing out tracts just didn’t seem like the fullness of Christian discipleship, not to mention it just wasn’t as fun as making out at the movies.
/deeper
I was just another believer. I believed all the right stuff – that Jesus is the Son of God, died and rose again. I had become a “believer,” but had no idea what it means to be a follower. People had taught me what Christians believe, but no one had told me how Christians live.
Spiritual Bulimia So as we do in our culture, I thought perhaps I needed to buy more stuff, Christian stuff. Luckily, I found an entire Christian industrial complex ready to help with Christian music, bumper stickers, T-shirts books and even candy (“Testa-mints” …dead serious…mints with a Bible verse attached, candy with a Christian aftertaste). They had lists of bands and the Christian alternatives to them, so I got rid of all my old CD’s. (And I must confess, I was a bit disappointed by the Christian counterfeit. Who could compare to Guns ‘N’ Roses and Vanilla Ice?) And I bought books, devotionals, T-shirts.
I developed a common illness that haunts Western Christianity. I call it spiritual bulimia. Bulimia, of course, is a tragic eating disorder, largely linked to identity and image, where folks consume large amounts of food but vomit it up before it has chance to digest. I developed the spiritual form of it where I did my devotions, read all the new Christian books and saw the Christian movies, and then vomited information up to my friends, small groups and pastors. But it never had the chance to digest. I had gorged myself on all the products of the Christian industrial complex but was spiritually starving to death. I was marked by an over consumptive but malnourished spirituality, suffocated by Christianity but thirsty for God.
Bible I don’t understand that scare me, but the parts I do understand.” I don’t know if you’ve read the Bible, and if you haven’t, I think you may be in a better place than those of us who have read it so much that it has become stale. Maybe this is why Jesus says to the religious folks, “the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you” (Matt. 21:31). For me, it became hard to read the Bible and walk away as if I had just watched a nice movie. Jesus never seemed to do anything normal.
It was Mark Twain who said, “It’s not the parts of the
Shane Claiborne To find out what happens to Shane, changes his life and gives him an intimacy with God that impacted every area of his life, check out the rest of the book, published by Zondervan. He is a founding partner of The Simple Way, a community based in Philadelphia. His mission is ‘to love God, to love people and to follow Jesus.” winter 08 11
design this magazine
Visit us online: www.sharecreative.co.uk Call us for a quote: 020 8288 1966
/lifestyle
/sent to uni Sorrel Wood is challenged by the words of Luke 9:1-6 as she leaves for uni. When Jesus called the twelve together, He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases. It’s the last prayer meeting before I leave for Uni. I look round and see twelve of us have made it tonight. A mixed bunch: different ages, different places on our walk with the Lord, different home situations, but all somehow found the space to squeeze an hour of worship in on a rainy autumn evening in the middle of the week.
No bread, no money Mum and Dad are going to take me to the massive Tesco when they visit. A chance to stock up on tins and stuff, and cram the freezer full of meat ready for the term. No extra tunic I’ve got a new coat, and some new pyjamas. So much to remember; football boots, dance shoes, favourite hoodie, shoes, formal dress, shoes, three pairs of jeans, did I mention shoes? Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them.
He sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
Got my flat sorted, all girls this year thank goodness. Can’t wait to see everyone again. Already the first party invites are surfacing.
The long summer’s over and it’s time to knuckle down to some work. I got my train journey back up to Durham for thirty quid ... bargain.
So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.
That’s when I realise. God is sending me out... away from home. The circumstances feel a million miles away from the setting in Luke’s gospel. We’re so comfortable in the Western World. We have so much stuff. I don’t pray for my daily bread, I pray for low carb best of both crustless Hovis with sesame seeds in. But the responsibility of God’s calling is the same. To stand out from the crowd, and tell my friends the gospel... I think of all the broken people I know at Uni... Still, God wants to use us to heal people everywhere. Go in the peace of Christ, and live a life worthy of the calling you have received. I’m both excited and nervous about this challenge. Hi, I’m Sorrel and I’m a Christian…
He told them, “Take nothing for the journey- no staff, no bag...” Boxes of stuff are already littering my room ready to go: twenty coat hangers, a door wedge, a pink saucepan set, some photos of home, my posters, some blu-tack for the posters, a laundry basket in the shape of a duck...
Sorrel Wood Sorrel Wood first wrote for /thoughts after a writing workshop at Easter People. You could do it too!
winter 08 13
...a life defining moment Hi, I am Ali Johnson. I’m 21 years old, living in Sheffield, and in my third year at Cliff College, studying theology. My life started in the small market town of Knutsford, where I had the privilege of growing up on a farm. There I could roam around and be ‘king of the world’! I could never write about all the things I used to get up to, it would scare my Mum and Dad to death, but my life was shaped by this time because I knew no boundaries. There was nothing to stop me being a boy and I grew up in freedom. It made me want to experience more of the world because I knew it didn’t end there on my farm. The only down side to my life was school, it stopped my fun and ruined the party. So, let’s jump ahead to my 16th birthday. I had been going to church on and off, but that Jesus thing wasn’t really for me. It was all good and nice for other people, but I was ready for fun. I loved football. It’s the most exciting thing when you run through on goal and it’s you and the goalkeeper. It’s a thrill and something I love. It’s also brought me friends and recognition from my mates. But, then something happened ... I was walking to football on November 27th 2002 and as I crossed the road a car hit me at 60mph. That was it, I was changed forever; my boundaries had been blown off. I thought back to the days on the farm where I had no boundaries 14 winter 08
and the world could be discovered and played with. I was a child again. I don’t know how many of you have had one of these experiences: a defining moment in your life when God’s grace shines down so clearly that you mark it as life defining moment? God’s grace has since been a common theme throughout my life. I have been shaped and changed by this thought, that no matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, or how hard I screw up, God still loves me. I’ve made some mistakes in my life and hurt some people, but no matter how far away I go from God, I always know His love is still on offer and will be with me when this world gets too much for me. G K Chesterton once said that the grace of God is “the furious love of God”, and he’s right. God’s love is furious. He is single minded in His stance towards us, He loves us and sent His own son so we can be in relationship with him. My life has had many ups and downs since my 16th Birthday but one thing has stayed strong and true, God’s love for me. It’s reliable and steadfast; it doesn’t move and it’s mine for eternity, and the best thing about this love is … it’s free. It doesn’t cost anything other than your acceptance. You will have to work at it, and it won’t be easy, but His love and grace is yours. TAKE IT!
eal stories of a real God
/reality hits: ali johnson...
reality hit
/reality hits
/reality hits
/reality hits: pamela stewart... ...in sickness and in health Where would you normally expect to hear such words? I’ve heard them most at wedding services, when Bride and Groom exchange their vows of love and commitment for a lifetime together, and all seems well. Recently, in my hospital chaplaincy work, I had a heartbreaking conversation though with a patient in her early twenties, a young girl was trying to come to terms with a life-shattering diagnosis. Not long ago she had married her childhood sweetheart blissfully unaware of how soon her circumstances would change. Neither of them had ever dreamed how soon their vows of commitment to each other would be tested. Although it was evident they were shocked and overwhelmed by the devastating news, it was also evident that their love was such that no disease, no disaster or catastrophe was going to tear them apart! In fact, it had done the exact opposite, brought them closer together and closer to God.
Pamela Stewart Pamela Stewart flits about the Lancashire Red Rose County with fingers in many pies, Hospital Chaplaincy being the most loved but youth work and mentoring new Christians a close second. Never leave white chocolate unattended in her presence!
She held no blame or anger towards God for the onset of this debilitating disease. Despite the tears, there was a beautiful attitude of humble acceptance and deep faith, which I found incredibly moving. She said “If God has allowed this to happen to me, to us, then it must be for a reason. We don’t understand why and we probably never will but we do believe God will give us the strength to cope with our situation.” Her words reminded me of what the Bible says: “God is faithful, He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear” (1 Corinthians 10:13) and “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). In Philippians 4: 12-13, St. Paul had this to say too: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”
Times of sickness and pain are a real test in our personal relationships and also in our relationship with God, but they are also times when we can bring great joy to our heavenly Father’s heart, if they make us draw closer to Him and each other. This is an amazing way to glorify our faith in Jesus and testify of God’s faithfulness. What are your circumstances today? Are you struggling with your situation? Whatever it is I pray in Jesus’ precious name that your faith will remain unchanged and true ….in sickness and in health. Amen.
As a little girl I used to sing a song of commitment to Jesus… ‘I’ve vowed to be true and to change not, whatever may come my way’ and that, of course, includes ‘in sickness and in health’. I am sure you would agree with me that it is much harder to live a life of faith when disease, sickness or some kind of tragedy hits us but isn’t that the very heart of faith? winter 08 15
/integrity ‘Integrity is not a given factor in everyone’s life. It is a result of self-discipline, inner trust, and a decision to be relentlessly honest in all situations of our lives.’ – John Maxwell You see someone you haven’t talked to in a long time, you chat and as you’re about to part ways, you say “we should really meet up for coffee sometime.” What a lovely pleasantry, but what are your intentions? Do you actually mean to follow through and call them? Or, do you ask someone how they are but keep walking on? Do you actually care what their reply might be? Do you have the minutes that they may need to talk if they say ‘well actually not so well, do you have a minute’?” Now, maybe neither of these situations ring true for you, but for many of us such circumstances have sadly become very common occurrences that we rarely question. Have you ever asked yourself what your morals are, or wondered what’s truly right or wrong in your personal character? These are the questions that challenge and check our personal integrity. Integrity deals with character qualities such as honesty, trust, sincerity and being genuine. Proverbs 11:3 in the Bible says, “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” Psalm 25:21 also says that integrity preserves us. These are two important thoughts. Integrity not only 16 winter 08
guides us, but also preserves us. Think about those times when you’re faced with a challenging moral decision – having integrity helps to make the right choice and keeps our character intact. So how do we build personal integrity that not only transforms who we are, but who the church is in the world? This was a much easier question to answer years ago before lawyers, solicitors, court cases and contracts became more than common practice. There was a period of time when our word was our bond, when what we said was a true reflection of what we believed or intended. Simple steps in our daily lives can help us achieve this integrity that we have lost. We need to recognise again the power the spoken word has, and take time to think about all that we say. We need to speak from our heart and mean what we say. God will help us with this if we seek and ask Him. After all, Jesus was a perfect model of integrity. At the same time the world looks at and judges us by our external integrity, God looks at our internal integrity. Proverbs 21:2 says, “All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart.” God always knows what we really mean, what we are really thinking and who we really are. It’s when
we get that kind of integrity right, we walk in true righteousness with God. True integrity like this is hard to find, but there is no person more beautiful than one who walks in integrity. When someone walks with integrity on the inside, integrity on the outside comes naturally. This reminds us again that we need to hold our thoughts captive. It‘s not good enough to simply display integrity on the outside, in fact that’s worse; our hearts, thoughts, words and actions all need to line up in accordance with the truth. We need to work on ourselves from the inside out so that all of these things line up. It sounds like a large task, but if our
Colleen Tyler & Jessica Turner Colleen Tyler is a new immigrant to Cardiff from Canada who is passionate about sharing the gospel and seeing young people grow massively in faith. Jessica Turner works for Saltmine Trust, a charity that seeks to creatively communicate Christ. She strives to see those around her deepen their relationship with Jesus.
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hearts are truly willing, the Holy Spirit promises to guide and help us. How exciting is the thought that God can use us to reach out to the world around us, when we’re walking in personal integrity. How amazing when the church can be a light of truth in this world and we can model the truth that Jesus has laid before us! Titus 2:7 says, “In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.” Let us be challenged, to take steps to build integrity in ourselves. Let us remember to not judge others, their hearts or motives. Instead, let us steadfastly strive towards the goal, standing alongside one another, holding tightly to the truth, marching forward in our world, lovingly seeking to help those around us. “The first key to greatness is to be in reality what we appear to be.” - Socrates
winter 08 17
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/four ways to change the world Turn on the TV. Look on the Internet. The world is not as it should be. How can we respond to images of crushing poverty or oppressive injustice without getting overwhelmed or feeling powerless? Here’s a whistle-stop tour of four ways to begin to piece together a new world, the way God dreams it to be.
1.
In the face of mountains of injustice, the prophets of the Old Testament spoke out. They called on those in power to treat people equally. Today, more than any other time in history, people in power will listen to your voice. What you say matters to key decision-makers, whether politicians or advertising executives; media moguls or supermarket owners. They want your vote, or your money, or your brand loyalty. So they will listen. If you’re on Facebook or Bebo, install our fun campaigning app called SuperBadger, which enables you to badger people with influence. Find out more, plus other ways to use your voice for justice at www.tearfund.org/youthcampaigns
18 winter 08
2.
Your voice also matters to God. By calling out in prayer for change, we experience the power of our new-world-creating voice that echoes the Creator in whose image we are made. We add our voice to the groans of God’s Spirit, yearning for a transformed existence where everybody is valued as equals. Tearfund’s Global Poverty Prayer Week is the 23rd Feb – 1st Mar 09. Visit www.tearfund.org/youth to find out how you can get involved.
3.
Each of us have so many choices to make each day: what to wear, what to eat, what to watch, where to shop, who to talk to, what to buy. We might think these choices are something we make on our own, but the reality is this: every choice connects us to someone else, whether we are aware of it or not. Take your clothes, for example. Though you can’t see them, the fingerprints of those who stitched your shirt, or skirt, or sari are there on your clothes. That person is your global neighbour and the choices we make about what clothes we buy affect their lives. Many garment workers suffer horribly long hours for next-to-no pay. When you next buy something, why not ask the shop assistant if they know how the people who made the item were treated. For more info visit www.tearfund.org/liftthelabel
4.
The poor contribute the least to climate change but suffer the most. Dramatic changes in weather patterns mean that farmers who have had steady crops for decades are now seeing harvests fail and their families starve. There are lots of small practical steps we can take to reduce our carbon footprint. Each of them may not seem like much on their own, but together they add up to make a big difference. You can find 40 practical actions to take with Tearfund’s Carbon Fast. See www.tearfund.org/youthcampaigns for more info. Click on ‘climate change’ on the left-hand menu and the Carbon Fast will be visible as an option underneath.
Matt Valler Matt Valler is the National Youthwork Coordinator for Tearfund: www.tearfund.org/ youth. Matt has the memory of an elephant, capacity to work insanely long hours, an ability to get over excited about theology and make it sound interesting! Matt is a part of the team running the FRESH course! To get regular emails with practical actions you can take against injustice visit www.tearfund.org/activist (11-17s) or www.tearfund.org/uncovered (students).
injustice? ! n i t ge www.tearfund.org/youth winter 08 19
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/peter donnison
Reed Flute Caves The Reed Flute Caves can be found just outside the beautiful city of Guilin in China. The caves get their name from the verdant reeds growing outside with which people make flutes. Inside the 240 metre long water-eroded cave is a spectacular world of various stone pillars and rock formations offering some amazing, never ending reflections in the cave lakes.
20 winter 08
Clent Sunrise This picture was taken looking out over the towns of the West Midlands from the top of the Clent Hills. I got up at 6am on Good Friday morning and watching the sunrise from behind the viewfinder was an amazing, peaceful experience and reminded me of God’s glory in the world He has created.
Peter is a sporty, musical, God loving, law student from Halesowen, West Midlands and is currently studying at Cardiff Uni. He is one of the few Manchester United Supporters actually born in Manchester and his ambition is to be a barrister. Peter is also a huge Blackadder fan and a keen photographer.
A Lifeline for Refugees
My Reason for Hope
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Fleeing severe persecution, hundreds of Eritrean refugees are now struggling to survive in Nairobi, Kenya. Forbidden by law from working and out of options with no friends to phone, many are trapped in poverty and despair. You can be their lifeline. For £15, you can cover a week of food and basic living expenses for a destitute family and help them make a fresh start this Christmas.
In what can often appear to be dark days, Andrew Swift’s book serves as a timely reminder of the hope we have. A hope that is more than just human hope; a hope that will last and that cannot be defeated. This book is a great read and a brilliant gift for anyone. “Christianity is not about doing, it’s about being… I recommend this book as a source of inspiration to you, as you discover who God made you to be.” - Mike Pilavachi
This fantastic DVD is packed with loads of great stuff to help us work out what it means to follow Jesus every day (and not just the five that are spent at festivals like Soul Survivor!) Including worship songs, four talks from Mike Pilavachi and conversations on living the life with the likes of Mike, Ali Martin, Ben Cantelon and Andy Croft. All for less than a tenner – brilliant!
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Give the real Christmas message in style this year with this great clothing label. Download the catalogue for free and get shopping at... www.rockkit.co.uk winter 08 21
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/for...
/cost
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Everybody is talking about the economic crises and even though you may not have tons of money in the bank to have been badly affected by it I am sure you always check the price tags. After all, none of us wants to overspend or be ripped off. We want good quality things without paying too much and that is why we wait for sale stickers to appear and look for bargains. Let me ask you a question … If you are already a Christian, how much did your Christianity cost you? How much is it really worth? And, if you are not a Christian, the question could read, how much would you pay for being a Christian? Anything? What kind of a price tag does one have to put upon Christianity? If so much in the Christian faith is supposedly free, why are churches always asking for money? Even if you’re in church, then you’ve given up part of your
Pete Waugh
22 winter 08
Peter Waugh is a Youth Pastor in Bangor, Northern Ireland, with a passion for writing, God appointed sign posts, Arsenal F.C. and Thai green curries!
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Sunday and how much do you suppose that’s worth? And what about the lifestyle that Christians are to live? What value can we put on that? Is it really worth it? Unfortunately too many look only at these things when they come to consider the cost of being a Christian. In God’s Kingdom what you invest always pays back with huge interest! We shouldn’t forget that being a Christian does cost us some things, but so does everything else in life. Laziness costs. It cost you the enjoyment of getting things done. Lack of vision may cost you your destiny. Indifference costs you not ever being able to see a life change. I look at the men and women I admire, I want their spirituality, their knowledge, their insight, but am I really willing to pay the price they are paying for getting what they have? Let me put it in really simple terms. If you want to excel in dancing, singing, playing an instrument, skiing … you do not just sit there and hope one day it will all become easy. You apply the discipline to the way you live, eat and the way you use your time to make sure that all this happens. When you watch the
dancer dance, the musician play it seems so easy, so natural, you see the freedom not the discipline that they had to put behind the curtain, because there is freedom in discipline. Are you willing to pay the price? If not maybe the question should rather be ‘are you sure you really want this something in the first place?’ You might casually call yourself Christian and think that since Jesus paid the price you don’t have to worry about it. There are some things in the Kingdom of God that are free: Salvation, Grace, Eternal Life … but there are some things we need to buy.
OK, so are you willing to pay a price of maybe getting up a bit earlier to pray, or giving up a bad habit that is hindering your walk with God? No, it does not have to be all about the money…but it is all about the quality of life God wants to give you. As someone said ‘Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skilful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.’ So as you stand before many alternatives every day, always choose quality. Do not be afraid to pay the price. It is worth it!
The Bible says in Revelation: ‘Therefore, I advise you to buy from me gold purified in fire so you may be rich, white clothes to wear so your shameful nakedness won’t show, and ointment to put on your eyes so you may see.’ What is the gold refined by fire? I did a study on this and when the Bible talks about gold it refers most of all to our faith and our character. Faith that moves the unmovable in our lives and character that does the right thing when no one is looking.
Joanna Puslecka Joanna Puslecka is Polish but becoming more English and actually eating curry and Marmite. She loves black olives, Brazilian music and is training History Making leaders around the world. Check out www.history-makers.org winter 08 23
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/less than human
But Sadia’s story proves that, when Christians step out with courage and in faith, it is possible to break that vicious circle.
Sadia (pictured) is just 19 but she has already been through enough to last a lifetime.
Release partner CLAAS has not only given Sadia a safe place to recover from her ordeal: it is also restoring her dignity and self-esteem by providing care, counselling and legal assistance to try to bring her attackers to court. As well as speaking out for Christians’ human rights, Release’s partners in Pakistan are helping women earn a living and educating them to defend their rights. Lifting Christians out of poverty and dependency is a crucial step in helping them to resist exploitation.
She’s smiling now but her recent past was traumatic. Just two years ago, she was pursued by a much older man who wanted to marry her and he would not take ‘no’ for an answer. One day, when Sadia was out shopping, she was dragged into a car. The man’s family forced her at gunpoint to convert to Islam. Threatening to kill her family if she refused, the man married her. Then he raped her – often. After two weeks, Sadia managed to escape to a safe house for girls in similar circumstances run by CLAAS (Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement), a partner of the Christian human rights charity Release International. Sadly, Sadia’s plight is by no means uncommon for Christian women and girls in Pakistan. In fact, to be a woman and a Christian in Pakistan means you are often considered less than human. In a society where Christians generally are secondclass citizens, Christian women and girls can be treated like animals. Poverty and discrimination are their lot and the legal system offers them little protection. Injustices committed against them often go unpunished so they are considered easy targets. It’s a vicious circle.
24 winter 08
‘It is very easy to trap our Christian community,’ says Professor Kaleem Dean whose sewing centre trains and educates women such as Rukhsana (pictured on the front cover of Release magazine opposite). In the long run, education may be a defence against injustices such as the abuse of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws to target poor Christians such as Meena and her family (see the advert opposite). ‘A literate person can stand up for their rights.’
/take action /thoughts magazine is all about engaging with words and engaging with the world. We don’t like to sit back and watch but want to be involved and we want you to be involved too... Sign up using the coupon opposite to find out how you can get involved with Release’s work serving persecuted Christians worldwide
Sadia certainly hopes so. ‘I want to do more study and I want to become a lawyer,’ she says. ‘I want to help people who are in situations like me, especially young girls who are abducted.’ So Sadia is planning to redeem her past by becoming part of the solution to her nation’s problems. Want to join her?
Seren Boyd Seren Boyd is a freelance writer for Release International - www.releaseinternational.org
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winter 08 25
/so unglamorous! Sometimes Jesus’ assignment to ‘love one another’ feels a bit like my job: it’s hard work, not as glamorous as it sounds, and I often feel unrewarded for my efforts. Recently, I’ve been asking friends to share examples of how somebody else ‘loved’ them. Their answers have been amazingly practical and particularly unromantic! They’ve ranged from ‘someone baked me a cake when I was ill’ to ‘my friend drove 100 miles to spend the evening with me when I felt low’, as well as including things like ‘they helped us move house’, and ‘he babysat for us so we could have an evening out’. No grand gestures. No flowers or champagne. And most crucial: no words … they’re all action. St. Paul encourages us ‘to love above everything’. He said ‘let love be your highest goal, but also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives’ (1 Corinthians 14.1). Now, we may know this desire of God’s for us to seek spiritual gifts and we may even use them to build up the Church and each other, but have we actually understood that this all rests in love? We can say ‘I love you’ a thousand times, but what does loving one another actually mean? It amazes 26 winter 08
me how we as individuals as well as ‘the Church’ often continue to get things so badly wrong. Have we become so fixated on climbing ladders, maybe even of our own Christian careers and to reach new heights of supposed ‘holiness’, that we have begun to see ‘loving’ as a mere apprenticeship stage I wonder? Are we so busy seeking the gifts of God’s Holy Spirit that we’ve actually missed Paul’s most important message? And why? Because, let’s face it, loving one another is hard work and maybe we’d all like to skip over it and move on to the next stage? Is it a bit like my first paying job: cleaning toilets. I did it, it was pretty rubbish, but I’ll never have to do it again. It was simply a stepping-stone onto the next thing. Is loving one another too menial and unglamorous for us? Is it worth it only if it’s a romantic grand gesture or said with big words … or only if someone’s watching? It’s fair to say I rely on Wikipedia on a daily basis to top up my knowledge about things that I really should know already. It’s got me out of some sticky situations at work and thankfully helped in last minute preparations for media interviews. However, as we all know, Wikipedia is managed by humans and gets it wrong sometimes. About love, it said: ‘The word love can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure to intense interpersonal attraction’. Can it be then that love is all about how we feel, what
“someone baked me a cake” we sense, and our attitude or our emotional state? No. God didn’t tell us to feel love He told us to go out and do it! Christ didn’t promise to be the perfect sacrifice, He was it! The Wikipedia definition then isn’t necessarily wrong, it just misses the other half of the equation, so this doesn’t mean that we have to feel it first for the action to follow. No, love is tough. Sometimes it’s unnatural: when it means loving someone we don’t like, when we’re tired and disinterested, when we’ve got other more important things to do; when it makes us uncomfortable. But if we don’t love, everything else we do to come closer to Christ is done in vain. It’s the ‘Master’s tool’ of being a child of Christ, not a ‘first stage of growth’, which can be moved on from onto bigger and better things. Paul says ‘If I could speak in any
/engage
language in heaven or on earth, but didn’t love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or clanging symbol’ (1 Corinthians 13:1). So, God is calling us to be unglamorous. Let’s make time for the person who needs an ear. Let’s love the family member that drives us round the bend. Let’s bake more cakes. Let’s commit to meaningful friendships through the good times and bad. Let’s show acts of love even when we’re not thanked … and even when nobody’s watching! Above all, choose a Christian ‘career’ of love. The Bible says of love ‘That Christ laid his life down for you’, so let’s start living a life of love rather than loving where our Christian careers are going. And if you’re stuck, look to the best example of love in practice there has ever, and will ever be … Jesus.
Pip Rodgers Pip Rodgers, is a Press and Communications Manager for an international children’s charity. She lives in Cambridge and spends her time watching films, trying to become a domestic goddess and loves all things Greek!
“my friend drove 100 miles to spend the evening with me when I felt low”
“to love above everything” - Paul winter 08 27
/next time... Pentecost Festival
Find out how you can be involved in the biggest, boldest and best Christian festival in the heart of London! Pentecost weekend will be on the 29th – 31st May 2009 and you are needed! Find out more in the next issue of /thoughts, or check out the website (www.pentecostfestival.co.uk) to see how you can be involved in street teams / events! It’s a fun, exciting, challenging weekend of music, creativity, arts, justice and much more.
CREATIVE DESIGNER MISSION CO-ORDINATOR YOUTHWORKER WEB DEVELOPER COMMUNICATIONS EVENT MANAGER LOGISTICS OFFICER VISIT WWW.EMERGINGCULTURE.CO.UK/INTERNS TO DOWNLOAD AN APPLICATION PACK. FOR MORE INFO ON THIS AND OTHER INTERN OPPORTUNITIES CONTACT EMMA: EMMA@EMERGINGCULTURE.CO.UK / 020 8781 1741
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Are you ready…? Are you up for the challenge…? We want to hear from you, your /thoughts, your passions and your creativity. Send in an article / a poem / a picture / a photo / … It may even be in the next issue of /thoughts!
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Water to Live: In our summer edition Nick Goodwin wrote about how God has inspired him to collect funds to create wells where people have no water. This charity is now called ‘Water to Live’ and if you’ve had difficulty getting in touch with them, contact the EC* Office. So Sorry: In our Autumn edition we didn’t quite get everything right so we’d like to say sorry to Caz Taylor, Ranui Samuels, the Steels, Anne-Marie Yiannis and Carolyn Skinner, and hope they’ll forgive us for the errors we made. We’re sorry we let them down. 28 winter 08
/be a part of this magazine Advertising in /thoughts magazine is a great opportunity to profile your projects or organisation and in doing so, you will be supporting the ongoing work of this free publication.
If you would like information on advertising in /thoughts, please contact Dot on 020 8781 1734 or dot@emergingculture.co.uk
14/11/08
/support ec* Spreading the gospel in fresh and exciting ways is what Emerging Culture is all about. /thoughts magazine is just one project along with regular missions, practical training courses and the Pentecost Festival. We are passionate about equipping a rising generation who want to see Jesus represented in their schools, colleges, universities, workplaces; a generation who will step beyond the ordinary. There are many ways to be a part of this adventure. Sign up to receive more /thoughts and info on what we’re up to, pray for us, come and see us at one of our national events or support us financially.
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/get your own! ...and be in with a chance of winning Shane Lynch’s new book: The Chancer. With thanks to Cannan Press: www.cannanpress.co.uk How did you get this magazine? Did someone give it to you? If you like /thoughts and you would like to have it delivered directly to your door every three months for free, fill in the form below. Why not request several copies and give them to your friends, colleagues, youth group or CU. Name: Address:
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winter 08 29
/interview with Seth Lakeman Seth Lakeman, the West Country born singer and song writer has been credited with bringing folk music to a whole new audience since his 2005 Mercurynominated album, Kitty Jay.
An exclusive interview with Seth Lakeman at his first appearance at Greenbelt 2008 by /thoughts writer Carolyn Skinner.
/t: You’ve been enjoying a pretty successful career, what would you say has been the highlight of it to date?
/thoughts: You’ve just released a new album, ‘Poor Man’s Heaven’. Can you share something of the theme and inspiration behind that?
SL: Probably, playing at the V Festival last year after the Sugababes, in front of 15,000. Young kids in their fashion wellies jumping up and down going nuts while we were playing banjos, fiddles and sweating away as we do. I kind of suddenly thought that folk music and acoustic music is really moving forward, and I think that was probably one of the biggest moments for me.
SETH LAKEMAN: I first started writing ‘Solomon Browne’ about 18 months ago when it was the 25th anniversary of the 1981 Penlee Lifeboat disaster; it inspired me to celebrate those guys and their bravery. Then I researched the coastal themes and stories all around Devon and Cornwall, looked on the internet and travelled the area picking up songs about pirates and heartbroken mariners, some of them made up and some of them true. /t: Are most of the stories in your songs taken from real life, myths, or your own creations? SL: Some are my own creations, but others, like the first record, Kitty Jay, or Freedom Fields are about Dartmoor stories and legends. My imagination runs wild, and as well as that, there’s important stories of bravery and rescue, like Crimson Dawn. I wrote about 22 songs and whittled it down to 11. I’m really proud of how well it did and how well it’s doing.
30 winter 08
/t: If you had the choice between a big festival with the atmosphere of a massive audience, or something that was more intimate and unplugged, what would it be? SL: The thing about what we do is that it translates to both. Last night we played in front of 4,000 people at Arundel Castle. It was a great gig and it was well received, but because of the nature of the way that I write the songs and the fact that they come from a fiddle, a foot stomp and a voice, the smaller gigs work as well. The 50 people gigs in a pub are really nice, intimate settings but, to be honest, you can’t really beat the response like the way we felt last night … big gigs are quite cool! /t: Greenbelt is a place that encourages exploration of Christian spirituality. Is there any
/interview
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/philip yancey soundbites from greenbelt 2008 from carolyn skinner way in which you think you could describe your songs as spiritual – either the lyrics or process or performance? SL: A lot of the songs celebrate people and their achievements, so in that way they have spiritual power to them. I’m celebrating people who died hundreds of years ago but their memories are still very much part of songs, so there’s definitely a spirituality to that, without a doubt. /t: What did you start playing first and how did you get into performing? SL: My parents ran a folk club and my mother was playing fiddle so really early on, at five or six years old, that was embedded in me. I started on the fiddle and just taught myself tunes really - folk tunes: English, Scottish, Irish, traditional, upbeat, energetic tunes. Lots of young people really get into tunes like that because they are fast and furious and quite addictive based around rhythmic dance. I just got into that early on, and then discovered song writing, and started experimenting with the guitar and other bits and pieces. /t: And finally, how would you describe yourself in 3 words? SL: Fun, frantic and feisty!
As I caught Philip Yancey walking across the Greenbelt concourse, sandwich in his hand, I asked him for a quick soundbite for /thoughts magazine. We are all aware that he has achieved a high profile as a speaker and author in recent years, and we, unfortunately, have a tendency to put these people on pedestals, so I asked him how he keeps himself spiritually grounded.
/thoughts: You have achieved a high profile as a speaker and author in recent years. Like it or not, people have, and will, put you on a pedestal. How do you keep yourself spiritually grounded? PHILIP YANCEY: Being a writer gives me more of an advantage, the speaking element of my life is only about 20%, so most of the time I’m in a cage writing and it is a solitary experience. This is positive because it is introspective and self reflective, allowing me keep in check my own spirituality as I go along. /t: Rob Bell’s books have created a fair bit of debate and controversy today, but books such as ‘What’s So Amazing About Grace’, which you wrote in the 90’s, also contained a similar amount of controversial material. How did you feel it was received? PY: Yes, it did address some controversial issues such as Bill Clinton and gay issues, yet I think I was let off quite lightly and the result was that it encouraged courageousness. /t: Philip, we thank you for your own courage, which inspires us to be courageous Christians too!
winter 08 31
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