DEC 2010
Contents 1
2
Editor’s note
Fascin8
11 PLS break the chain
Origins of Christmas things
4 Eternity & the speck with grand dreams
13 14 8 reasons Double why you take: should share your testimony
6 The secret ingredient
Senzo’s desk
10 Hayley’s comment
16 Looking vs feeling
weed eaters
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Cover design: Katy Breytenbach
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This issue is about a few of our favourite things! We've put together a compilation of articles from some of our past issues; a Quality Street collection of articles that touched our hearts and taught us something new about God. The added bonus of this is that we are, in fact, sending you six issues in disguise as one! Each article contains a thumbnail of its original issue's cover as well as link to our website where you can download the full version. Talk about value! When we were deciding on the title 'A few of my favourite things', the words to the song from The Sound of Music inevitably came to mind: Raindrops on rosesonandroses whiskers kittens on kittens Raindrops and onwhiskers Bright copper kettleskettles and warm mittens Bright copper and woolen warm woolen mittens Brown Brown paper packages tied uptied withup strings paper packages with strings These are a few myoffavorite things These areof a few my favorite things ‌ I remember a music book I had from which I learnt to plonk out a basic rendition of this classic. I think the words are forever etched into my memory, even if I do get the order mixed up once in a while! Christmas is one of my favourite times of year. I love the traditions; putting up my tree, painstakingly wrapping gifts, making my own tags, eating Christmas cookies and mince pies! My friends and family always laugh at me at Christmas time because I just get so into it. But as much as I hate to admit it (because I like to think of myself as
a person who remembers what Christmas is really about) sometimes all the excitement really is nothing more than a giant distraction. At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who, 33 years later, was to die on the Cross and rise again three days afterwards. God's gift to us wasn't wrapped up in beautiful paper and tied with 3 different coloured ribbons. It was bound in swaddling clothes and presented in the most unassuming manner. This year, in an effort to keep my focus on the reason for it all, I've rethought the words to that well known song (to be read to the tune of 'My Favourite Things'): Grace from my Saviour and life everlasting Love with no boundaries but justice contrasting My closet friend and the King of all kings These are a few of my favourite things! The illumin8 team wants to thank you for your support in 2010. We wish you a truly blessed Christmas and pray it will be a happy and peaceful time with family and friends. More than anything though we want to encourage you to make sure that this Christmas, the attitude of your heart is one of God's favourite things!
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In fascin8 this month we explore
our favourite Christmas things and discover their origins.
Christmas Trees Christmas trees are an iconic symbol of the festive season adopted by Christians and those of other beliefs alike. The real origin is debated and can be traced back to many cultures and legends. Early Egyptians would bring green palms into their homes on the shortest day of winter, to represent the triumph of life over death. The Romans kept branches during winter through to the beginning of January after which they would exchange them with their friends as a sign of good luck. Christian Romans, in the middles ages, would portray the fall of Adam and Eve in a celebration called the “Paradise Plays”. They would take place at a tree, and portray man's fall from grace but also the promise of salvation. The evergreen tree used was a reminder of paradise but also eternal life.
Christmas Stocking Waking up to a Christmas stocking full of presents was always a delight for my sister and I when we were growing up. I recently discovered that this tradition stems from a 17th century legend. It starts with Nicholas, a much loved Bishop of the city of Myra. He was admired, particularly by children for his generosity and considerate nature. The people in his parish were rather poor and he was known to silently visit the houses in his parish, on Christmas Eve, making sure the children would receive a gift.It was custom that when a women wanted to marry, her father would present gifts (dowry) to the bridegroom and his family. A woman without this would not be able to marry. I guess it's like Labola in reverse. He heard that a certain family's daughters wished to marry but were too poor to pay a dowry. One day, he saw that they had left socks out to dry, so he secretly placed enough money in each to guarantee their dowry.
The first official written description of a “Christmas Tree” was found in a book by John Matthew in 1605. In it a German man described trees being decorated with apples, sweets, foil and roses cut out of paper. Even though Christmas Trees were frowned upon by the religious leaders this practice spread from Germany to Finland, Norway and Denmark. In 1840 the Christmas tree found its way into the mainstream of English culture when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert displayed their own ornamented tree at their palace over Christmas. References: Finn, L. Christmas Stockings. Available: http://mymerrychristmas.com/2005/stockings.shtml Crosby, R. December 25. Available: http://mymerrychristmas.com/2005/december25.shtml Chadwick, H. The Christmas Feast. Available: http://mymerrychristmas.com/2005/feast.shtml Mehra, S. Christmas Cards. Available: http://mymerrychristmas.com/2005/cards.shtml Dacus, J. The Christmas Tree. http://mymerrychristmas.com/2005/christmastree.shtml Jorgense, AS. Christmas Trees decorating. Available: http://mymerrychristmas.com/2005/treedecorating.shtml
Christmas Feast The festive season often brings with it a large degree of indulgence. This is especially seen as family and friends gather on Christmas day for the Christmas feast. The fact that we feast on 25 December is somewhat significant however. We all know that Jesus was not born on that specific day but rather that the date was adopted. Some historians state that this date was selected by the Latin Church to counter the Roman festival of Saturnalia. This festival stretched over a week and was characterised by big dinners, halls embellished with leaves and green trees and indulgence of every pleasure imaginable. The early Christians of the time would often observe the “Mass of Christ”. It was a reflection of the life and deeds of Jesus rather than the celebration of his birth. When Constantine declared the religion of Rome to be Christianity the elements of this festival were adapted to suit a more Christian society.
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A trip down memory lane Some of our favourites from past issues. Visit: www.illumin8.co.za to see more.
Eternity and the speck
with Grand Dreams! By Katy Breytenbach
In comparison to God I am really tiny. With one of His fingers He could squash me like I would a random ant wondering across my path (they always are random don't you think?). The truly amazing thing though is that He hasn't squashed me. In fact He has done the opposite. He has given me freedom to be who He made me to be. Even random ants are not so random in God's eyes because He created all things for a purpose, however big or small they are. I have been struggling recently, having entered the workplace in the last three years, which is maybe something you can relate to. I have this urgency in me that wants to achieve these big things with my life, make a difference and like, obviously,“create world peace�! It's a dream so big inside of me that it feels like it wants to explode even though I have no idea what it is! But life seems to be passing me by like a really fast fish swimming around and around in an extremely small fishbowl. In the rush, and at times monotony, of everyday life it has become so easy to give up and lose hope and sight of my future dreams and the purpose that God has for me.
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There is a song by Switchfoot which resonates deeply in my soul. One of the lines reads as follows: “We were meant to live for so much more, have we lost ourselves?” My focus has become so totally engrossed in just trying to keep up with my own life here on earth that I have turned my gaze away from heaven and lost the plot. Then Ecclesiastes 3:11 delightfully pushes its way into my thoughts:
”Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end.” No wonder I have a dream so big in my heart that it wants to explode. We WERE made for so much more. It is clear from this verse that the God of everything, that was and is and will be, has put something HUGE in our hearts. It's SO BIG that we can't contain it. God has a BIG, neverending dream for me. He loves me so much that He made it possible for me to live forever with Him. He wants to be in a relationship with me so much that He planted eternity in my heart. He let His son die for me so that my sins would be forgiven once and for all so I could be in relationship with Him for all time. Little me! Who sometimes doesn't even know if she still has a point in her rushed and busy life.Who sometimes doubts whether God even hears her prayers!
My worries become so small in light of eternity, I can take a deep breath and my dry, weary bones can come to life and be refreshed because I have been reminded of a greater hope.
So what does this mean? It feels like my life is running away from me and sometimes I would rather just be squashed like an ant! Paul writes to the Ephesians and says "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago." So God created me with desires, dreams, passions and gifts to use on this earth and I have an urgency about it because in light of eternity, my time here is SO short. He made me unique with a unique purpose to fulfill, a purpose that no one else can do. I need to sit back, take a time out and really listen to God. Still my life for an hour ,or however long I can, and ask Him to remind me why I am doing the things I am doing. Where I am is where He wants me to be right now, so am I using what He has given me to glorify Him? Are the dreams and things that I am working towards in this life for me or for something greater? Are they pointing towards something BIG, the creator of the universe, to eternity, or are they pointing to small finite me, a small speck with grand dreams? In Romans 12:12 Paul tells us to be joyful in hope and in Galations 6:9 he tells us not to become weary or give up in doing good because we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. God would not tell us to rejoice if there wasn't a reason to. God would not command us to keep doing good for no reason. He has given us something BIG to look forward to. He's planted His HUGE and awesome dream in our hearts! When I lose hope and feel like my dreams are passing me by, I remember that it's okay to feel like there's something more, because there is! My worries become so small in light of eternity, I can take a deep breath and my dry, weary bones can come to life and be refreshed because I have been reminded of a greater hope. I will live my life being faithful in the small and big things and I can follow the dreams and passions that God placed inside of me before time (although I can't even fully comprehend that!). All of this is possible because I have something SO much BIGGER to look forward to and have someone SO much BIGGER, who exists from eternity to eternity, walking with me every step of the way!
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A few weeks ago I had one of those Saturdays which just seemed to have a never ending list of things that had to be done. I hate them because they seem to steal an entire day of my precious weekend. This particular day was different though because my flat mate had a never ending list as well and since a lot of our things were in the same area we decided to share our woes and do our things together. And so, bright and early we piled into the car and set off on “A Day to Get Things Done�.
On another note, but a related one, I recently watched the first talk in Louis Giglio's Unthinkable series, Unthinkable You. The just of it was that we are all unique and that there will never, ever be another person quite like you. I am the only me that will ever be! I have really been trying to make this knowledge real in my life because so often I feel ordinary. And so when the Flava issue came up, this thought immediately sprang to mind.
We spent the morning running hither and yon, shopping, paying bills, and generally just exhausting ourselves. Lunch time approached with alarming speed and so we headed for Harry's Pancakes for stress decompression and food consumption! When we arrived home later I realized that not only had I managed to tick everything off my list, but that I had actually had a great time doing it. The obvious reason for this was the company of a good friend through it all!
I started thinking about how many flavours there are in the world. Just take a South African classic: boerwors. You would think it's a fairly straight forward thing to make. But combine different meats with a variety of spices and you'll get something new each time. Or think about that greatest of Italian institutions: the pizza! There are endless combinations of toppings, each producing a different end result. And that's before I even get started on desserts! Chocolate mousse, cheesecake, milk tart, ice cream! There is an endless supply of ingredients out there that we can use to create countless combinations with which to tantalize our taste buds!
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Gastronomical Greats When I thought about this in the context of my friends, I realized that we are all different flavours. When we combine our own unique and individual zests the end results can be incredible friendships, much the same way I can combine eggs, sugar, flour and chocolate chips to produce chocolate chip cookie dough. And like that all time favourite, surviving trials and tribulations with our friends will produce something new and even more delightful; while the dough is delicious on its own it is transformed into something entirely new and wonderful once it's been baked at 200째C for 15 minutes! We all have those people in our lives. They are the ones who are there for us through thick and thin and they never fail to pull us out of the quagmire. They are always good for a laugh and they make the dullest activities much more exciting. In short, they bring out the best in us! They are the strawberries to our champagne! When I am in the kitchen though I tend to be a fairly conservative cook. I love to try new recipes but I am not the type to try and create my own. I am not the person who would consider combining chilli and chocolate, although I am more than willing to sample the fruits of someone else's creative flair (once its been declared successful that is)! However I have begun to question whether this traditional approach to food is common in other areas of my life. My cell group recently expanded by a number of new members and one of the ladies is not someone I felt I had particularly much in common with. However in the
last few weeks I have been consistently amazed by the wisdom this individual shares! The energy and fire that she introduces into our group just blow me away and I have had to chastise myself for once again judging to quickly. I have found such a deep appreciation for this woman and dread to think how much more bland my life would be if I didn't have her injecting her special brand of tanginess into it on a weekly basis! Curdling Combinations What happens though when two conflicting flavours get together? If you have ever put lemon juice into a glass of milk, then you will know that some things are just not meant to mix! The Bible tells us that we are to love one another as Jesus has loved us (John 13:34) but this can be incredibly difficult when you come across a personality that flops with yours every time! So what are we to do? Are we supposed to like everyone as well as love them? Personally I don't think it's possible, not under our own strength anyway. What we need to remember though it that just because someone doesn't mix well with you, doesn't mean that they don't mix well with someone else. They are the chocolate to someone else's red wine and you might just be the orange in that situation! What we struggle to comprehend when we are battling it out for space in the roasting pan is that Jesus is not limited by our concept of love. I know that in my own life I experience a variety of different types and intensities of love everyday. What's more is that I have contradictory emotions that fill the space if love is not there: indifference, resentment, frustration, jealousy, even anger. Jesus on the other hand has a love that is pure. It is applied to each of us liberally and continuously. He sees the heart of who we are and there is not a single person who He curdles with! Flop Proof Perfection God could have created us all exactly the same way, like cookies cut from the same dough. Instead He chose to make each and every one of us exceptional. What's more is that His Son, Jesus is the ultimate super food and He compliments our own individual flavours perfectly. He is the not-so-secret ingredient each of us needs to complete the exquisite dish that is our time here on earth! When you think about it, God could also have created one substance that contains all the necessary ingredients to sustain human life. We could have been the cookie cutter people drinking our glass of nutritious sludge every day and surviving quite satisfactorily on that! Instead He has blessed us with a multitude of different taste sensations to explore. So many, in fact, that I'm not even sure a person could work his way through them all in a lifetime! Just as we have been given all of these flavours to enjoy at each meal, so we should explore the personalities of the people we meet. Like food, God has given them to us to enrich our lives, and to show us a physical manifestation of His love. So go out into the world: mix, combine, bake, roast, sieve and experiment! As long as you have the Secret Ingredient as the main constituent you're bound to find a winning combination!
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that we are us dreams or aspirations to be up to the sky and see no ns. We look icken, therefore have with the chicke r heads and say, 'I am a ch nd ou ar ng hi ou ng scratc ha e and in sham eagles flying .’ where I belong is ground level we can do all nquerors and co e ar e w od careful not G not of God. In We need to be t. And if is Not true! And, hrist who strengthens us. hr C gs through C n, or feel things through ord 'all'. You can do all thin ai ag y up and tr w t e ge th to ok th lo ng er re to ov e st u don't have th you feel that yo
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h and are too sed up too muc es m e ve u' yo at ber the story of th eling th ing God, remem If you are still fe ch on oa lth pr ea ap t w ou s hi ink ab d squandering impure to even th leaving home an tattered clothes with pigs, he r te Af n. ed so ne al prodig sorting to living in e one of his slaves. But to God and thus hed living and re is no way back uc e ba er de th er to becom at th d s son...FULLY! In back to his fath been so ba go ve to ha . d u on de yo ci stored him as hi ad at re de re th , er ons th ns fa ke s ic hi , ch m g the ning hi e our own decisi inds. Your instead of shun gh to let us mak to scratch amon m ou r en ou us of s ve al lo w ed by the rene ink that the view from the same way, God always welcome us back. t be transform us m e w I like to th e and if we stray He will ys sa Paul ur thoughts. here others se yo W in e. ns art. No matter se gi e w be t n nt to wha holding t harden your he re n no si ffe transformatio do di of y, lly ns da ta ai to to st e son shame and guilt is voic and I is and how much re you see crim d forgiveness for you. When you hear H ne he heaven of you do W come ve l. u' ia yo nt t te es po ite grace will wel e where you are or wha fin n mercy an in tim ea is y m H er ith ch w ev hi t failure, God se w od s ye at G s sees wound ofession and ning in, know th you back, Jesu on Peter, a fisherman by pr blical times, if, you're drow u as His child. bi yo In e or g. st in re th d no an im e S ng m , le hi at ho ip tc o ck sc ca to ba di is you he Look d be a not n of him fishing ue studying an chickens; you do r ith w there is mentio en't 'good enough' to contin e. So when Jesus called nd ou gr e wer e meant fo se the You do not belong on th father's trad like Peter, you g pigs. You wer He didn't choo in continue your e, to ed d fe am s N ha is u he H ot yo an rpose in cl i, th ther e world of a rabb long in tattered and He has a pu be od hickens' and ra s to change th 'c G le e ip in th e sc r di fo m ve ho ed el a ve the tw ead look ch. the skies; you ha ul men, but inst d build His chur most successf w a rock upon which He coul sa to take for your life. seeing failure, He may have s, Ye . re ilu fa see t you to u He does not hatever - to ge w yo r the skies. – es fo s t se de n s a ca su e ars. de Je ye m s, 3 ar re ok e ye When to w s, it , u th er o weeks, mon think. For Pet le. Fly eagle fly; y you aside for and heal peop than what you t e er or nv m e co , ar ch u prea and for the skies. realise that yo he went on to you were meant t to be Christ in an ; is rm fly hr C e) he m w fis lo na s al ur es e yo Fly (enter From a usel we have if w mite potential That is the dyna es. through our liv
God loves us enough to let us go and when we've gone He looks out every day to the horizon in the hope that we too might come to our senses and know that He shall always welcome us back.
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and dating p u s d nee nd takes a r lives, s u i o m e , k s i de e th, l d attitu that w our fai n f f a t u a s t t h s t h f to houg ealised God ing ou n h old t t a i e I also r l habit. w c f d o e e t n r i u e t t o u ro us nto t clut need a lding o remind can ge o o s h d o t e e o r g, nd a d ph urts. W makin 51) an ason, a n e past h r o m i l s e a i s n c f de for o its (P . They g ound o ur spir lected l r g n o i o t l n i c i x w r e m e e n ren he ut s lutt it elp us rvive t ome o g-de-c h u c s n i n t l ade, be l d a n i e n c m k a w a c e e i l d v t s c ' n n t e a tio s, ring rs w can ncer tribula ivenes ery sp nt erro t at we up co g d v e a r h n r t e o a m a f k e g e o s d t g l n e , lo tria eiv t jud ers, duri choice 've rec y case er wha rrying, ld lett point e e t o m o t h a w t a w d n e s e i m c a e d – on o re s or com at no u ma ss, stop t g path hat yo gazine There w us th t n u a o o y itterne o r h a m b y s w w , l t r r e o a e o o h g m t t n h n sc ,a e sa ir cu an r. sessio hatred d we c rough us in th s bad ha teryea n h h d s n a t a T a e n . y c y e e n a r g o t o aw pa ,s ve ny from thrown armers tos and stubs, can mo ow ma hotos o e w e h p e h b g w y g e t p n e h b i l e t m r u c do ose aze m th -wor can a few nd self es am itch th arn fro n a cringe o d e a t d L r n h i o . t le you t t i i e a e , h d m m e n t r s a d o n o i e u m e yo e xid dm fash , res e've go. Th t made ir, pero nd ha alousy akes w n a a e lave to a e t f j h e s s i h t i l s e o r g s i r b m a n g u b yo ave I'm rom thin air, d e ye lue to rs to h ve on f While at the ace an a l f bad h ver th a o v e p o o e l m i m s s g p o t d i o m r n p i t f e s ho E in at a add art can llow ime OSITIV ed at p e you t isn't hair th hat ap k l P t I've fo i a o d g h h t y i t o n n l years t w g i a I m g h d ) t s w d n o ! i e e a a f e d h s I t m g t a n sta in a any t so ve But mome some can pu that if her ha lso let e head! t l t a u i o a y a s o h r t y i , m w s d , l r t s d nd ve ou ine tha l di me! at all a r happ bowl o (we al '95, I w auty is t o e i a f d n i b f o g o m h to fra k n G i g c o y s c u a o r i r a o b o l t i n e p e es, ing od e som mem cut by od tim make sing fr us an no ill be go s o h a g w g t r n e r i t e r t a n h t u b ge me re t pict the em captu py mo ween, oday's t t p y l e a n b h o a n to of es i photo o seem rd tim d a s h m e albu h th y love, hroug m photo t . l l t s A x u e he n arries ap to t n who c s y p ne hap from o
God can help us renew our spirits (Psalm 51)
Hayls
Article from issue 6
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k a e r PLS bchain the anne by Le
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Article from issue 5
13
by Leanne Rhodes
“Positive life-giving words that help destroy the lies that have taken root in our hearts.”
Did you know that to the human mind,
bad is stronger than good? Before we jump into this new-found term I need to explain a small personal quirk. I have always had an uncanny ability to thirst for more books than what I can physically get through. What I mean is that I love books and have such good intentions to read but when I do, I find myself stuck with the same book for several months, sometimes even years. This tendency is hampering the craving my brain has to absorb the fascinating intricacies of life, the world and everything in it. So on one bright and cheery day I stumbled across the audio book format and haven't looked back since. It's perfect for my work day: It turns out my right brain can design the visual elements I need for work (I'm a graphic designer), while my once starving left brain is now fed by the calming voice of the narrator coming from my speakers. Now typing and listening is almost impossible (I've tried) but designing and listening is the perfect duo. As I explored this new-found solution I stumbled on a great find.
TAKE 1: I was listening to a book the other day by Johan Leher titled “How we decide”. It explores how the brain works when we make decisions, in a scientific yet accessible way. It was here that I came across a psychological phenomenon called “negativity bias”. Did you know that to the human mind, bad is stronger than good? For example in a marriage it takes at least five acts of kindness to compensate for one critical comment. In a study, they noted that people believe a person convicted of murder must perform at least 25 acts of lifesaving heroism in order to redeem him/herself for that one crime. There is no noted rational reason that we treat compliments and criticism so differently – it just seems to be how the brain was built to work.
Cue the book from the beginning...
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TAKE 2: So to a human, a negative comment has a far stronger effect than a positive one. Think about your life - someone could be nice to you the whole day but one negative comment makes the whole experience sour. With this in mind the warnings heeded in the Bible regarding the use and control of the tongue bear that much more weight. When I was at varsity I went to a party with my boyfriend and his school friends – a reunion type occasion. They were all a year older than me so I felt slightly self conscious. Once I relaxed though I started telling them about res and what was happening at varsity. At one point, the guy next to me said, “Why are you even talking? No-one is listening to you.” Now I'm sure he wouldn't even recall that foolish comment but for many years I let this small seed grow. I started to hear and believe things like “You have nothing of value to say; your words are worthless; you are worthless; you could never speak in public; no one will ever listen.“ When I look back now I see how ludicrous those lies really are but the devil uses careless critical words as seeds that become weeds of doubt and fear. This one negative comment, for a long time completely outweighed whatever positive and edifying words family and friends ever said to me. God and others however showed me that I had a calling to speak and to write – to use my words for the glory of God. I now write regularly and even speak in church and at conferences. Have you had a similar experience? Have the critical words of others found roots in your heart? Have you ever been told you're getting podgy, that you're ugly or that you are not strong enough? Weeds, by nature, sprout and grow rapidly to the point that sometimes you don't even remember where the seed came from in the first place. They stifle our growth and ability to live in the freedom we were created to. It is for this reason that you should pray that God reveal to you the source of your conflict. How do you spot what the weeds in your life are? They are the things you believe that go against what God has put in His Word. So if you believe that you are worthless – that totally contradicts God saying that you were wonderfully made and that you are precious in His sight.
Have the critical words of others found roots in your heart?
Have you been the one dishing out the criticism? It is often easier to point out the faults of others than to see your own. Jesus warns against this and the Bible cautions us to guard our mouths. Remember that we all fall short of the glory of God. So instead, feed yourself with God's Word and as a result more life giving words will flow out. Although negative outweighs positive in the human brain you should never underestimate the power of life-giving positive words. They form ideals with strong roots and sturdy stems. So when a measly weed comes your way it has little effect on your growth. It is these words, God's words that become the weed-eaters in our souls; clearing the way for real life, fruit and beauty.
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LOOKING VERSUS by Colin Rip FEELING I have been looking for answers about God and faith for some time now. My method has been to question everything, and I mean everything! From the reason we are on the planet, to whether anything really exists at all. Every question that I have attempted to answer has just brought more questions and with every question I moved further away from any answer. The reason for questioning everything is that I wanted to be able to justify any decision I came to with an explanation. It is as if I am already defending a decision I have not yet taken. I think it has something to do with the fact that I have attempted to make a commitment before, only to once again start with the questioning. I have often asked people who appear to have faith and say they have spoken to God, how it is that they can ever have any doubt after having such a revelation. The only conclusion that I could come too, is that those people had not actually had those experiences and that they did not really have faith. However I have realized that I did not have all the facts before me.
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I had once again mixed up which of our five senses people use to hear God. I thought you would use your ears to hear God but I now understand that you need to feel God in order to listen to him. The reason I say this is because of my own experience recently. Without realizing it, by not questioning everything and just trying to be open to new ideas the strangest thing has happened. I have started to feel the answers.
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Of course the fact that I have people around who offer me unconditional support regardless of what I believe in has also has allowed me to have the opportunity to continue on my own journey without feeling pressured or guilty. My girlfriend is the best example of this. She goes to church almost every Sunday, alone. She wakes up and reads the bible while I sleep. In short she continues alone without ever attempting to take away my freedom of choice. I have realized the need for me to reciprocate that support and at the same time enjoy the benefits which she receives. A good friend of mine, who is always willing to engage me in debate, regardless of the topic, always says that the
difference between us as the human race and the rest of nature is that inherent feeling of right and wrong. We all know that feeling; it has been with us for as long as we can remember. However as we get older that feeling becomes weaker. It is replaced with logic and an ability to justify almost any deed.There is nothing we can do that cannot be justified. Take something which on the face of it, everyone would agree is wrong, Murder. However, not only do we justify murder but we have done it in many different ways, from the death penalty to war to provocation. The point I wish to make is that we all justify wrongs in our lives as rights at some point.What this leads to is a moral void. It is the moral void within myself that I have recently been dealing with. I have become tired of justifying everything. It is within my own void that I have felt God calling me. It has not come in the form of a booming voice from the clouds but in the form of my friends around me and in the exposure to someone like Angus Buchan. In his speech at Loftus, Angus challenged everyone to get off the fence. He did so not in order to get people to join his church or give money or buy his latest DVD but to have people make a decision about right and wrong. I have made the decision to let God make me feel what is right and wrong. The only thing which I am not going to feel anymore is afraid.
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