Issue 13: The Spirit Issue by illumin8

NOVEMBER 2009

The Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Note

A Tuti Fruity Life

The Holy Spirit

4 6

Senzoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Desk

8 10

Double Take Fascin8 Spiritual Realms

Coach Col

14 15

Lifting Your Spirit

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illumin8 - Edition 13- November 2009

Cover designed by: Leanne Rhodes

Dear Reader The Spirit Issue is our first “sequel” and was initially thought of as a follow up to the Body Issue. As so often happens though, the final product has been a bit of a surprise to us! To start off with there's a lot more of a focus on the Holy Spirit than we anticipated. I'm not sure why this came as a surprise to us – I mean the Holy Spirit is most likely the first thing that comes to mind. Senzo, Katy and Veronika have explored various aspects of this mysterious being and these can be found on pages 2, 4 and 6 respectively. Coach Col takes us back to those high school athletics events on page 14 where we screamed ourselves hoarse in an effort to win that elusive Spirit Cup. On page 15 Nicole Barnard has been kind enough to share with us her experience from the past year and how God has lifted her spirit through a great leap of faith. In Spiritual Realms on page 11, I have attempted to clarify some thoughts I've had of Heaven and Hell. Last but certainly not least, we have Double Take by Leanne Rhodes which features an interesting dialogue that I'm sure we'll all relate to at some level.

‘I mean the Holy Spirit is most likely the first thing that comes to mind’ illumin8 - Edition 13- November 2009

On a more personal note, I have really come to a new level of understanding about Romans 8:26 “But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.” Recently a friend of ours was involved in a freak accident and in the last week he's undergone two extensive surgeries. I have found that in my concern, worry and sadness for him, I simply do not have the words to ask God for the healing and strength I know he needs. I have tried, but my prayers just seem empty. And so I have latched onto this verse and in my spirit I just give up those needs which are bigger than words to Jesus who really is the only source of hope in dark times like these. It is a great comfort to know that He understands what I cannot articulate and I know He is answering in some way. From that I have found a level of gratitude which seems to have seated itself somewhere deep inside me and is bringing comfort despite the heaviness in my heart.

‘it is a great comfort to know that He understands what I cannot articulate’ PS There are two books I've been reading the past while which have really brought me new perspectives on some of the deeper issues we live with. The first is Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell which I've referred to in my article. The second is one I've just started: Waking the Dead by John Eldredge. Both deal with deep concepts but in an easy to read way so if you are looking for some thought provoking holiday reading I encourage you to try them.

Much of what is written about and discussed in this issue is confusing or complex. But in grappling with this stuff we learn more about the God we serve. I hope that you will be inspired to think and search and look for fresh understanding. God's goodness transcends all circumstances so wherever you find yourself at the moment, know that He is working for your benefit.

As 2009 draws to a close I wish you a sensationally spirited silly season!

Lucy 1

kindness faithfulness

gent leness

joy peace

goodn ess

patience

illumin8 - Edition 13- November 2009

love

Holy Spirit Article

self-control

Holy Spirit Article illumin8 - Edition 13- November 2009

From Senzo’s Desk He gives life

He empowers

We frst come across the Spirit right in the beginning as He hovers over the formless earth enveloped in darkness and lifelessness. If we then fast forward a few thousand years or maybe few million, depending on your take of the creation story, we fnd that one member of the Trinity, is dead. The Son is dead. He is in a dark and lifeless tomb much like our beloved earth in Genesis 1. He is resurrected from the dead by the Spirit. The good news is that we too are given new life by the Holy Spirit.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8

And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you. Rom 8:11 In Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, you and I have new life. We are reconnected to God. In short, sin separated us from God and the moment we accepted Christ in our lives, the Spirit is alive in us and we are alive because of Him.

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He transforms It is widely believed that Paul (then Saul) witnessed the stoning of Stephen. He was on a rampage to kill as many Christians as He possibly could. Then he encounters Jesus, is totally transformed and ends up writing almost half of the New Testament. (Acts 9) John Newton was a slave trader and he too was totally transformed by encountering Jesus and the power of the Spirit working in him. So much so that he would sit down and ink the ageless words of the hymn Amazing Grace.

Then we come across Peter, who is clearly a down and out fisherman who can’t catch fish. Fast forward 3 – 4 years, he is preaching and 3 000 people are converted. Even later on, he and John walk down the street where the sick and lame are healed by their shadows alone. What happened? Did his shadow wake up one day and say, ‘Well good morning John’s shadow, what shall we do today? Hmm let me see..... ah ha, let’s go heal a few lame and sickly people.’ No, in Acts 2 we read how they waited and obeyed Jesus, then filled with the Holy Spirit they went out empowered. It was only when they allowed the Spirit to work through them that they started to do miracles left, right and centre.

Holy Spirit Article

There are three areas I would like to focus on which I believe the Spirit is involved with and which we need to tap into: He gives life, He transforms and He empowers.

So what?

and trying to stay connected to Him. I think

This is my prayer for us: May we be a

though, there are a few things one must do

generation that lives for the glory of God,

continuously:

that His Name might be known and praised in all the earth and may we be Spirit led people who

• Repent and get right with Jesus.

bring Him fame now and always.

John 21:15 – 25 is a great example of how Well, you might be reading this and thinking

Christ does restore us even when we have

exactly that; maybe even thinking that yes it did

broken His heart.

happen but it will never happen to you. When

• Pray and wait. Prayer is our

three things are true. I have new life and I see

connecting line with God. I’m not

evidence of it in the life I live. I am by no means

talking about a one way prayer list but

the holiest person, in fact I’m far from it, but I

prayer where you spend time with God

do have an ever increasing desire to live life in

conversing, listening and creating space

the Spirit and that, I promise you, is not me or

for Him to be God and to father you. That

my circumstances driving it but the Holy Spirit

is why waiting and patience are important

alive in me. I am able to look back and see the

because there are days when it feels like

transformation that has and continues to take

He is on vacation but I encourage you to

place in my life - from the way I think to the

pray without ceasing, He is most definitely

things I do and don’t and even to what I say and

not on holiday!

don’t say. The doors that I have seen opened in my life just show me, not only how much God

• Seek the Blesser always and not the blessings.Matt 5:16 implores us to

loves me, but also the power He has. God has

do everything for the glory of God. In the

even used something as simple as an SMS that

next Chapter, Jesus continues to hammer

I just decided to send to make a huge impact in

the point home that we must seek first His

someone else’s life. This is a reminder that it is

Kingdom. Seeking God I think is about

not me, but the power of the Holy Spirit at work.

pursuing Him in all we do. Simply seeking to make Him smile.

Again I want to emphasize that I am no holy guy, just a dude trying to live right with God illumin8 - Edition 13- November 2009

Holy Spirit Article

I look in the mirror I see evidence that these

I will help you relax and be more social. I mean you work so hard - why not treat yourself? I am a familiar friend. I have always been around. Remember how your mom and dad would let you sip me from the glass when you were small. They taught you to respect me for I am both fun and dangerous â&#x20AC;&#x201C; much like fire. Your attitude towards me changed a bit in High School. The people you really cared about and others with whom you just wanted to fit saw me as cool, rebellious and adventurous (almost like a forbidden fruit). I made you feel grown up but you didn't know when to stop like a real grown up should, so I made you violently ill. 95 bottles of beer on the wall... At university I was the life of every party and the proverbial rite of passage. Often all of you would go out for the sole reason of getting consumed by my effects. It would make some of you come out of your shells and feel more secure but more often than not you would do things you would never do without me. Some of you would get aggressive; others promiscuous, some of you would forget all your inhibitions at home and stumble though the debauchery. I help you forget your insecurities; I help you feel trouble free â&#x20AC;&#x201C; even if it just lasts till morning. I convince you I truly will help but you always wake feeling worse off afterward. I impair your judgment and rob you of your wisdom. You find yourself in a strange apartment; you don't remember how you drove home after you convinced yourself you were fine to drive; you passed out in the club or made a fool of yourself on the dance floor. You over-reacted and said the most horrible things; your fist pounded and pounded a friend. 75 bottles of beer on the wall... I am not concerned about the bettering of others. All I want you to focus on is yourself and get the instant gratification I offer you. You tell yourself you have to live it up now and I'm the key ingredient. Some of you can control how you use me but the others I love getting my claws into. Once I have you, I don't easily let go. You delude yourself that it's just one of me. My danger lies not in moderation but rather excessiveness. I can be used in celebration or to tear down homes in the most vicious way. 65 bottles of beer on the wall... The church frowns upon me. Even those who have the right heart are made to feel uncomfortable for any reference to me. I understand their weariness (for you humans do not have a good track record in the self control department) but wonder why the same emphasis isn't put on other ingredients that can be just as destructive such as gluttony or gossiping. They never realise that their judgement can do FAR more harm than my effects. But I do love it when you fill yourself with me... I do love it when you rely on me even though my promises are empty. So come, fill yourself with me.

MEANING adj. 1. Being physically filled with alcoholic spirits 2. The presence of the Holy Spirit in your heart and life illumin8 - Edition 13- November 2009

Holy Spirit Article

by Leanne Rhodes

1 Fill yourself with me!

2 Fill yourself with me!

When you allow me to dwell and live in you I bring forth such incredible characteristics â&#x20AC;&#x201C; love, joy peace, patience, self control, goodness and kindness. When you allow me I will give you news eyes to see the world for what it really is. It will be tough because you won't want to do the same things as you used to but at the same time liberating because I will set you free from what is harming you. I am not here to give you a reason to look down on others who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have me but rather I can fill you with compassion and love for them. I see how you are all looking for something; something to fill you; something to give you purpose and happiness. What I fill you with is wholesome, never-ending, pure and part of a master plan. The world really underrates the freedom that comes from wholesomeness. Do you feel wholesomely happy? I will make you want to dance, jump and even run in the rain. But I am not here just for you and your will, desires and purpose. I am here to join you to a family - to give you a place you can be yourself, where you can belong, and to empower you to serve others. In a world so bent on pleasing oneself this might come as quite a shock. The beauty is that once I fill you, your life has meaning and the joy in your heart will not run dry (no empty bottles) for what I fill you with is eternal and not a temporary quick fix.

I will never force myself on you or make you do things you will regret later. But I do love it when you fill yourself with me... I do love it when you rely on me, for my promises are true and I am faithful. So come, fill yourself with me.

illumin8 - Edition 13- November 2009

Holy Spirit Article

I have been around since the beginning of time. I hovered over the water and brought life to a lifeless world. I do the same today. If you invite me I can invigorate, inspire, heal and direct. I am a free gift and won't leave you with empty pockets. I can show you great and wonderful things and lead you down roads that will prosper and not harm you. Some people are scared of me because of they don't understand how I work or they have linked me to people acting in very odd ways in their eyes. Many years ago people actually thought my disciples were drunk when indeed I was working through them. Giving them the power to speak in other languages, perform miracles, speak the very words of God, differentiate between good and bad, dream dreams and see visions - Great, miraculous things. Sometimes the world won't understand what I'm doing but you can trust me. I will not lead you down destructive paths.

Did you know that Guinness (yes the Irish brand known world-wide) started as a means to combat a growing social and health problem in Europe. In the late 1700s the water in Ireland was notoriously undrinkable and the gin and whiskey that it was substituted with was having a devastating effect on society. In this disease-ridden, alcoholic age Christians such as Arthur Guinness as well as monks and various churches, began brewing a healthier alternative to the poisonous water and alcoholic spirits of the time. In the book A search for God and Guinness: A biography of the beer that changed the world you can read about the business journey, social reform and the deep felt faith involved in Guinness.

Did you know: The idea of giving a â&#x20AC;&#x153;toastâ&#x20AC;? started in ancient Rome. They actually dropped a piece of toasted bread into the wine as a wish of good health. 1

The Bible makes many references to alcohol. Go see for yourself: Genesis 9 Proverbs 20:1 Proverbs 23:19 Jeremiah 23:9 Matthew 14:6-12 Matthew 24:48-51 Acts 2:14-21 1 Thess 5:4-8 1 Peter 4:3-5 1 Corin 6:9-11; 19-20

During Prohibition, in the United States, activists hired a scholar to rewrite the Bible, removing references to alcohol.

Bourbon was first produced in 1789 by a Baptist minister and takes its name from its place of origin namely, Bourbon County in Kentucky.

2 3

1. www.fargoweb.com 2. Heath, D.B. Drinking Occasions: Comparative Perspectives on Alcohol and Culture. Philadelphia, PA: Brunner/Mazel, 2000, p. 179 3.Robbins, M.C., and Pollnac, R.B. Drinking patterns and acculturation in rural Buganda. American Anthropologist, 1969, 71, 276-284

Lucy Rip

it hurts. That happened to me this week when I saw those old people at the traffic light. My first reaction was sadness that there are people in that situation. But very quickly that sadness was burnt up in anger. I got so angry that these people are forced onto the streets to survive. The fact that they were old made the injustice of it so much greater. How do these people in their 60’s and 70’s land up standing in the hot sun all day? The whole situation is just wrong. I was smarting with the injustice of it all the as I pulled up into the parking lot when all of a sudden this little thought popped into my head

I know I can’t help them all and so I harden my heart against them. But every now and then, the dejection on the faces of these people will cut right through my self-preservation and it will hit me where illumin8 - Edition 13- November 2009

I sat in car and suddenly I was overcome with remorse. There was a part of me that was thinking, “I can’t wait for the end of the world because these people won’t be suffering 11

anymore” but there was also another part of me that was thinking, “I can’t wait for the end of the world because of how their suffering makes me feel.” I knew in my heart that this is not the attitude Jesus wants to see in me. In addition, wanting the world to end is such a cynical standpoint and it didn’t gel with how I’m programmed. Even as I thought it I rebelled against it. Movement Six: New in Rob Bell’s book Velvet Elvis, has a section called Two Realms in it. Bell uses a variety of verses and passages in the bible to illustrate the fact that for Jesus, heaven and hell were present realities and that

On one hand this made a lot of sense to me. We do have the power to make a difference in the lives of people around us. We can’t solve all the problems of the world individually but by really illumin8 - Edition 13- November 2009

applying ourselves and doing what we can, we are showing God’s heart to the world. On the other hand I didn’t understand the concept at all. For me, sitting in my comfy home, knowing I don’t have to worry about my next meal, having everything I need and then some, the idea of being able to create a little bit of heaven on earth by my choices makes sense. If I am generous and give money to the beggar, I am bringing a little piece of heaven to him as opposed to not helping and leaving him in “hell”. Where I get confused though is here… What about the beggar? What about those people who are born into “hell”? The family living in abject poverty, the girl who survived the Rwandan genocide, the child solider in Africa, those kids in India who are mutilated in order to engender more sympathy? Their choices won’t change their living hell. They are dependent on others to bring them “heaven”. I think the crux of the matter is that we live on earth and it’s not fully heaven and it’s not fully hell. What it is,is our reality and it has elements of both realms.

Take for example spiritual warfare. Heaven is the realm of angels and hell is the realm of demons. If those realms are not future states, but here now, then surely elements of those realms are here to. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 says the following, “We are human but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly ones, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.” For me one of the most important parts of be

this verse is the tense. We use these weapons now. They haven’t been made defunct with time or are being kept in reserve for the eternal battle we’ll be fighting one day when the end of the world arrives. Spiritual warfare is a threat to us now and one we shouldn’t underestimate. A few months ago I wrote about a healing retreat that I went on and the amazing things Jesus did for me. At the end of the weekend we were warned 12

that Satan would try to reclaim the ground we’d given to God over the weekend and we were advised to stand against it and protect ourselves. I didn’t. I was lazy, I was busy and frankly I didn’t think it was that necessary. I’ve realized though that through my lack of diligence I lost the gifts I was given on that weekend. The healing, joy and peace I had have faded. Fortunately recognizing this has given me the power to get those things

back. The devil is relentless but he can be overcome. We have tools we can use, mighty weapons from God that will safeguard our hearts and minds. Simply put these tools are the following:

Tools

“

2 3 4 5 6 7

1 Know God’s Word Pray and Praise Fellowship with others Resist Satan Guard your thought life Make right choices Remember you identity in Jesus

”

The one I struggle with the most is number 7: when we accept Jesus, he makes us new and this means that there are things about us that become true right away. We take on the identity of Christ. We are in Christ. We are holy. We are redeemed. In the words of Jesus, “You are in me and I am in you.” (John 17:21) If we can take hold of this knowledge and really live in it, then we have so much authority in the name of Jesus. A further implication of that is that we become warriors of God and the battle against evil becomes ours.

illumin8 - Edition 13- November 2009

Part of fighting this battle is fighting the hell on earth. It’s working against poverty, depression, loneliness, famine, debt, injustice, despair. It’s doing whatever we can to bring heaven to earth. And in doing so we recognize our part in the bigger picture. To quote Rob Bell again, “The goal isn’t escaping this world but making this world the kind of place God can come to. And God is remaking us into the kind of people who can do this kind of work.” I have no idea what heaven will be like. In Revelations I can read that it will be all pearly gates, golden streets and rivers of life. But let’s face it – Revelations is a confusing book and that could mean something entirely different! What I do know is that heaven on earth is not a Mangwanani Spa day (as luxurious as that is) or a sublime chocolate dessert or an idyllic tour around Italy. Heaven on earth is people like you and me reaching out and doing what we can. There’s a quote by Mother Teresa which sums it up for me, “I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.” If that’s not a reason to make the right choices, then what is?

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illumin8 - Edition 13- November 2009

Not until this year that is... I got to a point where I was overwhelmed with exhaustion from continuously having to fight my thoughts and feelings and accept my life as it was. My only option was to cry out to God from the very depths of my heart. There were things in my life that were slowly but surely 'chipping away at my heart' and I just couldn't take it any more! The only One who could intervene and save me from this dark place, was God.

– Nicole Barnard

Earlier this year I felt more lost than I ever have before. I was desperately searching for answers and months and months went by where being confused, crying and putting up a front were the order of the day. I needed someone to understand what I was feeling, what I was going through, but no one could. I received endless support from my amazing boyfriend, family, and friends but was unable to get rid of my fear, anxiety and guilt. There are countless verses in the bible where we are instructed to cry out to God, but I have never actually done so before.

illumin8 - Edition 13- November 2009

God told me earlier this year that He needed to heal my heart, but that wasn't an easy pill for me to swallow. I was grateful that He wanted to help me deal with certain hurts in my life but I didn't realise how difficult it was going to be. He said to me: “Don't copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2) At first it was as though I was changing, but not for the better. I was in a whirlpool of emotion and often tried to lift my spirits but just couldn't. At the drop of a hat I went back to sad, sad me. One day I was driving home with my dad and was trying to explain to him how I felt. We were flicking through the songs of a new cd I had bought and he said to me that I shouldn't worry, God would give me the answers somehow. Our discussion ended and I put the volume up to hear the next song. As it started, tears began to stream down my cheeks. God was speaking to me through the song, immediately after my dad had said with faith that He would. The words of the song “Stand in the rain” by Superchic[k]s goes like this: She never slows down. She doesn't know why but she knows that when she's all alone, feels like its all coming down She won't turn around The shadows are long and she fears if she cries that first tear, the tears will not stop raining down [CHORUS] So stand in the rain Stand your ground Stand up when it's all crashing down You stand through the pain You won't drown

And one day, what's lost can be found You stand in the rain

“

You stand through the pain You won't drown

She won't make a sound Alone in this fight with herself and the fears whispering if she stands she'll fall down She wants to be found The only way out is through everything she's running from wants to give up and lie down. The Superchic[k]s captured exactly how I was feeling in a few simple lyrics. I was relieved that God knew what I was going through and felt encouraged to stand through the pain. I was lost, but I knew He would help me be found once more. I realised that I needed to take a stand and fight against the busyness, fear, guilt, disappointment and confusion of my circumstances. I was in a dark, unfamiliar battlefield of my mind, heart and spirit and didn't want to be lost and searching for direction anymore. I was ready to give up my passion, the profession God had chosen for me to do. Thankfully I didn't and He made His perfect plan for my life clear to me. I had to step out in faith, make myself completely vulnerable and trust Him with all my heart. With His help I did so, and was blessed with an indescribable sense of peace and my hearts desires. A huge weight was taken off my shoulders and my spirits were lifted.

“

Maybe your circumstances won't change but you will change amidst your circumstances

“

As Louis Giglio says in 'Big Picture God, small picture world', “Maybe your circumstances won't change but you will change amidst your circumstances”, and I can vouch for that! Maybe I had to be in that battlefield in order for God to help my faith grow. Maybe everything happened to ensure that I would turn to God completely and be in a position where I was ready to hear His voice and follow His leading. Dr. Steve Stephens and Pam Vredeveldt mention in their book,'The Wounded Woman' that “there are only two types of people in the world...those who are wounded and those who are liars”. Everyone is fighting some sort of battle, may it be heartache, loneliness, depression, sorrow (and the lists go on) but we are able to win that battle because we have God on our side. We don't have to fight the battle alone as we all try to do. God is ready and waiting to do it on our behalf. Life isn't easy and all of us are going to go through difficult times of testing, but take heart...God is with us! He is able to see the whole picture clearly and has our best interests in mind. He will bring His perfect will to pass in His perfect time. So stand in the rain Stand your ground Stand up when it's all crashing down You stand through the pain You won't drown And one day, what's lost can be found Stand in the rain!

illumin8 - Edition 13- November 2009

“

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? Send you the e-zine subscribed to ? Send you promotions regarding up-coming issues not exceeding 3 a month Where Illumin8 will not disclose your personal information to agents or subcontractors or any other third party unless permission is acquired from the individual in writing. In addition to the disclosures reasonably necessary for the purposes identified elsewhere above, Illumin8 may disclose your personal information to the extent that it is required to do so by law, in connection with any legal proceedings or prospective legal proceedings, and in order to establish, exercise or defend its legal rights. Securing of your data Illumin8 will take reasonable technical and organisational precautions to prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of your personal information. Illumin8 will store all the personal information you provide in a private address book. Cross-border data transfers Information that Illumin8 collects may be stored and processed in and transferred between any of the countries in which Illumin8 operates to enable the use of the information in accordance with this privacy policy. Updating this statement Illumin8 may update this privacy policy by posting a new version on its emails. You should check this page occasionally to ensure you are familiar with any changes. Other websites This e-zine contains links to other websites. Illumin8 is not responsible for the privacy policies or practices of any third party. Contact Illumin8 If you have any questions about this privacy policy or Illumin8's treatment of your personal information, please write to: ? by email to illumin8ezine@gmail.com This privacy statement This privacy statement is based on an original template created by websitecontracts.co.uk and distributed by freenetlaw.com.

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