Devoted issue 12

Dream Girl

SA 2015

Issue 12

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Muscles for

JESUS

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Ed’s Letter

Celebrating

Meet our contributors Paul Nyamuda

Paul is a psychologist, executive coach and motivational speaker. He is known as an expert in leadership and social intelligence. For free leadership resources visit PaulNyamuda.com. (Website: www.corporatelegends.co.za.

E-mail: paul@corporatelegends.co.za)

Christmas and beauty

People, including Christians, celebrate Christmas differently with various traditions and family feasts. For many it is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, even though there are many discussions and disagreements about the exact date He was born.

We will not join the debate about whether or not Christians should celebrate Christmas or not, but would rather focus on the fact that the festive season, which includes Christmas, provides the opportunity to reflect on the past year and to reconnect with loved ones and yourself.

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ecember is the time when most of us are scaling down to relax and to spend time with family and friends. Pastor Johan Terblanche (page 18) reminds us that Christmas provides us with the opportunity to tell others about Jesus Christ and to bring a message of hope.

Our talented writer, Mmathabiso Khalema writes that Christmas is a day of small things (page 20). It is a time of reflection and a time to look for the small things that you can do to reach out to others and to share love with them. Disebo Pesa also reminds us that Christmas symbolises the birth of Jesus, and as the greatest sacrifice, He is reflecting God’s love for us (page 36).

What better way is there than to spend Christmas with your friends and loved ones and be blessed with a meal to celebrate?

And this time we have a special treat for you! I had the opportunity to meet Buddy Valastro in person last year at the Good Food and Wine Show in Johannesburg, and what a lovely person he is! Buddy is, first and foremost, a family man and loves to share his family recipes with others. I searched for recipes from his book and websites to help you make the day even more special. I hope you enjoy this special treat and please remember to let us know what you think.

Devoted is proud to announce Dream Girl SA, a unique empowerment programme that is focused on supporting young girls in their walk with Jesus.

Built on five important pillars (spiritual, business, social responsibility, career choice and beauty and style), this selfoutcome-based programme promises to help young girls to build self-confidence, knowledge, entrepreneurial skills and a

variety of other skills to equip them on their journey to becoming successful young women. Apart from the support that will be provided by experts and qualified persons in their respective fields, the girls will have a lot of fun and will win great prizes while doing it. The Dream Girl SA Facebook page is now up and running and progress will be posted to keep participants informed and connected.

Read more about this great opportunity from page 6 onwards on what the program entails and how you can get involved.

On this topic, our lovely Vicki Fourie shares with our young girls on page 34 (see Victorious with Vicki) her experience when she entered, and won the Miss Deaf SA beauty pageants and how she used the platform to build the kingdom while building her career.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a blessed Christmas and a wonderful new year!

Please drive safely when you go on holiday and we are looking forward to providing you with an even better reading experience in the new year with more educational and informative articles on a wide variety of topics.

Thank you to our loyal readers and our loyal advertisers who are helping us to build the kingdom in this special way by helping others to discover life through the Gospel.

Have a great vacation and God bless!

Mignionette Fair

Mignionette has been part of the Devoted team since it was launched; and is now the deputy editor. She is a member of CRC Johannesburg. Mignionette is also available for translation and editing services, which includes freelance writing and proofreading.

(Website: www.fairtranslation.co.za.

E-mail: fairtranslation1@gmail.com)

Vicki Fourie

Vicki is a former Miss Deaf South Africa and Miss Deaf International 2010 1st Princess. She recently made her debut as stage actress. Currently, she’s a motivational speaker, having spoken at more than 300 schools and functions all over South Africa during the past five years.

Her first book and memoir Viva la Vicki! is now available for purchase. (Website: www.vickifourie.blogspot.com E-mail: vickifourie@yahoo.com)

Johan Terblanche

Pastor Johan Terblanche is from Christ Alone ministries, with the vision: “By the grace of God we aim to evangelise, teach and take care”. Christ Alone ministries is an e-mailbased ministry and non-profitable organisation that offers weekly messages of encouragement, also to ministers encouraging them to stand firm in their God-given calling.

(Website: www.christaloneministries.weebly.com E-mail: christalone@telkomsa.net)

Gillian Lombard

Gillian has been in CRC for 15 years. She has been a marketing consultant for more than 30 years, reaching people in the business environment. Enlightening people of the depth and meaning of the gospel through her writing is her passion. She is also the author of seven Christian books, soon to be published.

(Website: www.sapcor.co.za E-mail: gill@sapcor.co.za)

Penny Ndlovu

Penny is an active, born-again Christian; and has been at CRC Pretoria for four years where she has been serving as an usher for three of the four years. Penny is currently a radio presenter at Impact Radio 103. She aspires to do even bigger and better things in the media industry for the kingdom of God!

Our new strategic partner

Devoted welcomes its new strategic partner, Kingdom Culture and Commerce. This online Christian business directory, celebrating Christian business and culture, is run by Lindy Bouwer (founder and owner).

(Website: www.kingdomculture.co.za E-mail: lindy@elohyim.co.za )

Gerda

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Front cover picture Tereza Troskie-Herbst (Mrs SA 19992000) announces Dream Girl SA. This is the “Olympics of pageantry”, a programme that wants to empower young girls to make a positive contribution to society (see page 6-9).

I n t h i s i s s u e ED’S LETTER Celebrating Christmas and beauty

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MINISTRIES Bikers’ Church

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ANNOUNCEMENT Dream Girl SA

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“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

(Isaiah 7:14)

Credits

INSPIRATION Muscles for Jesus

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ATTITUDE Becoming a world-class leader Your beauty can move mountains Be a bearer of peace and joy

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THEME All about Christmas A day of small things

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CREATIVE AND DESIGN TEAM Annerine Lubbe (Square d’zign studio)

WELLNESS The fat-free trap

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PRINTERS SA Print Group (Bloemfontein)

BACK TO BASICS Baptism in water

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RECIPES For your Christmas table

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DESTINATION Forever beautiful, the Drakensberg and Blyde River Canyon

MANAGING EDITOR Gerda Potgieter E-mail: editor@devotedmag.co.za LANGUAGE EDITOR Mignionette Fair

SALES AND MARKETING Alicia Potgieter Cell: 074 460 4123 E-mail: aliciajorge26@gmail.com sales@devotedmag.co.za WEBSITE DEVELOPER Tony Hendricks

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Contact Details

VICTORIOUS WITH VICKI Walking on fire!

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Editor: Email: editor@devotedmag.co.za

KINGDOM YOUTH Jesus, the gift from God

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Book your advertising space for the next issue, contact Alicia

BUSINESS How to work ten hours less per week

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FAIR FLAIR The greatest gift of all

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Content disclaimer: Devoted is published by DeVine publishers. All rights reserved. While every precaution has been taken to ensure accuracy of information, the editor, publisher, and Devoted magazine cannot accept liability of whatsoever nature arising out of or in connection with the contents of this publication. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Devoted team and remains the sole responsibility of the writers.

Plagiarism disclaimer: It was confirmed by our writers and contributors that no part of the written submissions has been copied from either a book or any other source, including the Internet, except where such sections are clearly shown as quotations and the sources have been correctly identified within the text or in the list of references.

Sales:

Emails: aliciajorge26@gmail.com 074 460 4123

Ministries

Bikers’ Church sharing Jesus with others in a different way

There are so many ministries and denominations – all of them for the purpose of building God’s kingdom. These ministries do outstanding work on so many levels, including reaching out to the communities in which they operate. In this new series we will be putting the spotlight on ministries that make a positive difference across the globe, not only in South Africa. Our first focus is on the Bikers’ Church & Christian Motorcyclists Association (CMA), a ministry with a difference that has made its mark by building the kingdom and making sure that the Word is spread to people in the remotest of areas. We spoke to Ramon Changuion who is the son of René Changuion, the founder of the Bikers’ Church & CMA. What follows is his account of the history of the ministry

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remember when I was growing up my father told me that in the 1970’s people did not have anything good to say about bikers. Even in the early 1980’s it wasn’t popular to be known as a biker or to even ride a motorcycle. Popular movies, where the bikers were the bad guys with lawlessattitudes and the portrayal of bikers’ morals, or rather lack of morals, did not do much to change the image of bikers across the globe.

Movies such as The Wild One starring Marlon Brando, and Mad Max starring Mel Gibson, not only started an interest in the biker “culture”, but also influenced people to label bikers in general. Even today, motorcyclists are often labeled as rebels, non-conformists, lawless, daredevils and adventure seekers.

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So, over the years when bikers would give their lives to Christ and see the need to get plugged into a church to grow in God, the first thing that the traditional church wanted them to do was shave, cut their hair; act in a specific way and put on a suit. In short, the church of the day wanted non-conformists to conform.

Many years ago, the Christian Motorcyclists Association (CMA) started a church with a difference, the now well-known Bikers’ Church. Bikers’ Church started in an office building in Pretoria with a handful of hungry, eager men and woman desiring to love the unloved and help people discover life through the Gospel.

Today we have men and women in the ministry who come from all walks of life, bound together through their love of motorcycles and passion for Jesus. Within Bikers’ Church we believe that we cannot and should not change people; only God can do that. The founders of the ministry worked hard from early on to create an environment where bikers would feel comfortable and so that they could then make a difference in other people’s lives in their own, unique ways.

Bikers’ Church was birthed out of a need to fulfil the great commission. God challenged the founder, Pastor René Changuion, (through the late Pastor Ed Roebert) to not just make converts, but to make disciples: To bring them in, get them to believe, get them

Ministries them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.

Amen.”

The CMA consists of motorcyclists (or bikers as some call them), who make it their business to spread the gospel to people where others may not be willing to go.

Nobody is unreachable and over the years, since its establishment, they have reached a great number of people and won many souls for our Lord and Saviour.

The CMA also accommodate groups of people who use their adventure bikes to explore. These guys go off-road, but are definitely on track! They are men and women who use their bikes to go to remote places to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Their mission is to reach as many people as they can, one heart at a time, as they ride for Jesus Christ.

The CMA offers bikers the opportunity to get involved in a ministry that is an international family of motorcyclists who are making a difference around the world by living what they preach.

Lohan(left) and Hanré Potgieter(right) with Ramon Changuion. to belong and then allow God’s Holy Spirit to show them how to behave.

So, what started as the calling of an individual, grew to a ministry of stature, spreading the gospel and winning souls for the kingdom. Through God’s direction and grace, various Bikers’ Churches are now operating around South Africa. They are situated in Midrand, Vaal Triangle, Kimberley, Welkom, Secunda, Richards Bay, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, Garden Route, Cape Town, the Kalahari and Windhoek in Namibia.

As a non-denominational body of churches, we are accountable to a network of churches called The Christian Network (TCN).

Members of CMA, the outreach arm of Bikers’ Church, can be found at motorcycle

events; rallies, races, track schools and offroad playgrounds. Wherever two wheels and people are... they just love going there!

The members passionately love bikes and bikers! They understand the joy of touring and cruising or hanging out with friends on the highways and byways all over the world.

They believe that half the fun is getting there.

Their mission, even today, is what it was when the ministry first started, namely to see the fulfilment of the Great Commission given by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20: “And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying: All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching

They are sent out to ride with a true purpose that positively impacts people’s lives for eternity. The CMA believes that it’s their calling to share Jesus Christ with others. When necessary they use words, but mostly their actions show their faith. They see leadership training and development of people as a key to being effective, therefore they have several training programmes to equip volunteers. The only qualifications to belong to this ministry are availability and willingness, God will see to the rest.

Run for the Son is an annual event the CMA hosts to raise funds, enabling them to be financially stable. From the proceeds of Run for the Son they are able to support other ministries that have world-changing potential and it funds the printing of Biker Bibles and other ministry tools.

I hope that we have challenged your perspective, to look at bikers / motorcyclists with different eyes. Most bike clubs such as the bikers’ ministries, are well-organised groups of passionate people who just love to ride their motorcycles. They also love to work and give back to communities.

Note from the Editor: Do not miss the next issue of Devoted. We will publish the success story of the wonderful work that the CMA do in spreading the gospel through the Jesus Film Project Ride. You do not want to miss this inspiring story! www.devotedmag.co.za

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Announcement

Dream Girl SA

(presented by Tereza Troskie-Herbst, Mrs. SA 1999 - 2000)

Dream Girl SA

The search for Dream Girl SA 2015 has begun!

Becoming Dream Girl SA in 2015 will allow the winner to enjoy a victorious life in celebrating her inner and outward beauty and to become a conqueror through Him who loves us.

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By participating in Dream Girl SA, the contestants will have the opportunity to grow as well-rounded individuals who make a difference in society. They will experience important social challenges and will develop professional and personal skills to showcase their talents. All contestants will have equal opportunities to participate and to become a role model and promote their platforms.

In the end they will leave the programme as empowered, skilled young women who can make a lasting positive contribution in communities.

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eauty is a blessing and people are automatically drawn to beautiful people, which give them a powerful platform to make a positive difference in society and to be an ambassador for beauty and social upliftment. This is what distinguishes Dream Girl SA from beauty pageants. This exciting event, which is being implemented as an empowerment programme for women, wants to change people’s views about beauty pageants and similar events.

The Dream Girl SA programme is the brainchild of Mrs. Tereza TroskieHerbst, who is no stranger to beauty pageants and upliftment programmes.

A beauty queen herself and winner of various competitions, Tereza now focuses her life and time to pay it forward by empowering other young women to become future leaders (read more about Tereza in our 11th issue). She has first-hand experience on how this platform can actively and successfully be utilised to make a positive and lasting difference in the different communities we serve.

“The idea is to get young girls to improve their confidence levels, have them make appropriate decisions and test their negotiation skills,” says Tereza. “This is also an opportunity for me to motivate girls to realise their dream through sound education.”

Her national media and brand manager, well-known Gavin Prins, calls it the “Olympics of pageantry” and says: “ Tereza is looking for South Africa’s next Dream Girl. The Dream Girl needs to show entrepreneurial and organisational skills while at the same time inspiring those around her with a strong personality, healthy balanced lifestyle and a will to be the country’s next ambassador”.

Dream Girl SA (presented by Tereza Troskie-Herbst,

Mrs. SA 1999 - 2000)

“The Olympics of pageantry” The search for Dream Girl SA 2015 has begun! Becoming Dream Girl SA in 2015 will allow the winner to enjoy a victorious life in celebrating her inner and outward beauty and to become a conqueror through Him who loves us.

Dream Girl SA is a self-outcome-based empowerment programme, built on the following pillars: • • • • •

spiritual growth business acumen social responsibility career choice beauty, style and lifestyle

What you will gain:

• Articles about the winner, as well as the runner-ups in Devoted.

• The winner will grace the front cover of the next December issue of Devoted.

• Self-confidence, knowledge, entrepreneurial and other skills • Cash prizes, holiday get-away, health and skincare products, makeovers, educational workshops to develop skills, … and much more.

Visit the Dream Girl SA and Devoted Facebooks for announcements.

Announcement Dream Girl SA is an upliftment programme. Devoted supports it because it is focused on – • •

embracing beauty to glorify God; striving to empower young women to play an active role in community outreach programmes; • reminding us all that the King desires our beauty, and that we ought to carefully attend to our character and make ourselves spiritually beautiful for that great purpose.

As South Africans, we face several social issues in our day-to-day lives: poverty, hunger, human trafficking, child-headed households, and many others. Through our joint Devoted and Dream Girl projects and initiatives, we are able to help our communities overcome these issues by creating awareness and by reaching out to them. We all have different gifts, but we have to use whatever we have to build God’s kingdom; and to help others discover life through the Gospel. Jointly, and collectively, we can make a difference!

WHY IS THIS PROGRAMME DIFFERENT?

Girls who want to become the 2015 Dream Girl SA cannot enter themselfs, but have to be nominated. This is done through schools or structured organisations that contractually participate with the organisers. This will ensure that participants have what it takes to become an ambassador for this high-profile programme.

Dream Girl SA considers themselves firstly as an empowerment programme for young girls with the aim to create a new class of women.

This programme is unique as it is completely moving away from the aesthetic focus of traditional beauty pageants. The contestants will be trained and informed to become well-spoken, knowledgeable and graceful young women who are passionate about a purpose.

The programme spans over a series of elimination rounds, supported by a number of workshops that were designed to educate and inform the girls on various topics. The focus is on education and empowerment and matters such as leadership, employment opportunities, finances, beauty and wellness in general, entrepreneurial skills, softs skills and community outreach projects form part of the empowering efforts.

The educational focus of Dream Girl 2015 is in line with the different pillars on which the programme is built, which include: • spiritual growth • business acumen • social responsibility • career choice • beauty, style and lifestyle The girls will accumulate points, based on participation in community outreach programmes and other tasks given to them by the organisers.

These accumulated points will be taken into account during the final elimination and judging rounds. The resources provided by Dream Girl SA will be put to use for the winner to enable her to do well as the ambassador of the programme and to positively influence others to do good works in the communities they live in.

Contestants will be supported throughout the entire programme so the journey will be one of positive awareness of their abilities, qualities, skills, talents and power as future mothers and wives.

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR IN THE WINNER?

The judges will look for a focused young woman who meets the below requirements; and with the right qualities that will include, among others, a humble nature, and someone who is presentable and engaging.

The Dream Girl of 2015 participants will have -:

• The right values (Proverbs 19:1; Proverbs 28:20; Luke 16:13; Matthew 6:4). Participants will put their beliefs into practice through participation and the winner will use her crown to open doors to minister to others in unique ways.

• Integrity (Daniel 6:4: Proverbs 2:20 & 21). Actions should show that they live by their moral and ethical principles so that they can act as a role model for their peers.

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• Knowledge (Matthew 24:14). They should be able to use the opportunity to minister to others and to be a witness through speaking at events.

• A caring nature (Philippians 2:4). They should be willing to participate in community outreach programmes and to make a lasting difference in the lives of those less fortunate.

• The ability to manage finances well (Luke 16:11). God will not trust you with true riches if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth.

WHAT IS AT STAKE FOR CONTESTANTS?

Dream Girl SA contestants and winner can look forward to some amazing prizes, which will include a cash prize, a holiday get-away, beauty and health products, and a lot more to be revealed in Devoted and on Facebook as the search progresses.

The pictures and a short bio of all the semi-finalists will be published in the next issues of Devoted to allow the public to vote for their favourite. In this way we ensure that our readers are also in agreement with the winner that will eventually represent not only the programme, but Devoted as well. The winner will grace the front cover of the next December issue and will receive regular free coverage in Devoted to advance her career and to create awareness for the work she does to uplift communities. Articles on the winner as well as the two runnerups will also be published in the December 2015 issue as inspiration to others.

For further information on how you can take advantage of this great opportunity, please visit the Dream Girl SA Facebook page as well as the Devoted Facebook page.

Qualities of a Dream Girl…

(Criteria for selection) • Grade 8 – 12 (14 – 19 yrs old) • Sport/Academic achievements • Leadership qualities • Honesty/Integrity • Good communication skills • Good set of values • A unique look • Well balanced lifestyle • Inspirational abilities • Teaching ability • She is a role model What we want to achieve: • To empower young girls with knowledge, awareness and the skills to improve their lives; • To develop ambassadorial qualities; • To inspire young girls to become self-assured and strong-willed; • To encourage healthy, balanced lifestyles; • To motivate girls to realise their dreams through sound education; • To create entrepreneurs who will make a difference in their communities.

Announcement

Former Dream Girl What Dream Girl meant to me: “In my year of reign I was only a teenager with many hopes and dreams! When I first crossed paths with the Dream Girl programme, I was still struggling to know where I belong in society. Dream Girl opened doors for me; and showed me that I can do anything if I have knowledge. And, I had a hunger for knowledge - not only knowledge that you gain in school, but also from the life outside school!

Dream Girl gave me the platform to build my dreams, and to achieve and be who I was supposed to be and who I am now! Dream Girl had taught me to be humble, appreciative of what I have and be self-independent.

Most of all I have gained self-confidence; and it gave me recognition.�

Doreth Le Roux

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Inspiration

Muscles for

Jesus

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.” (Romans 12:1)

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t is not every day that you come across a person who does what he likes and likes what he does! Eugene Daamen, a specialist in weight loss management, body transformation, sports performance, nutrition and personal training, is such a man.

Eugene is exceptionally passionate about what he does and it is evident when he speaks. His eyes light up and his arms are all over the place when he shares his story of his walk with Jesus, the focus in his life. His body is an example of how you can use and take care of your body in a godly way!

“I was always very physical and liked to do kick-boxing as a youngster. After I lost my first job many years ago, it was my dad who asked me what my real passion in life is,” Eugene said during our interview in Bloemfontein. “It was my dad who taught me the greatest lesson in life: Find your passion (your hobby) and turn it into a job and you will always wake up in the morning wanting to go to work, instead of going to work only because you have to pay the bills.

This is exactly what I did and why I am in this business!”

Eugene is now developing new brands, Muscles for Jesus and Nutrition for Jesus, where he focuses on educating people on how to take care of their bodies, using what God provides – back to basics. He runs his business with a strong ethical hand. Not only is he glorifying God by taking exceptionally good care of his own body, he is equally passionate about helping others do the same.

“People in general are uneducated,

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misinformed and sometimes plainly mislead by an industry that wants them to be unhealthy and overweight. It is all about the money game. It was, and will always be my main purpose to educate people and to provide information to them so they can take the right decisions on how to take care of their bodies properly and in a way that will glorify God.” This man’s passion is just up Devoted’s alley as our team shares this passion for educating people. We wanted to know more about how he deals with the issues of health, weight loss and especially weight management – and Eugene was more than willing to share his exceptional good knowledge and expertise with us. Eugene has read more than 6 000 books on health and nutrition and he has surely equipped himself with enough information and knowledge on the subject to help others in a professional way.

He further empowered himself by doing an online sports performance course which provided him with the necessary skills to educate people.

And it is all about people and God for him: “Yes, I want to run profitable businesses so that I can care for my growing family, but it is my primary passion to help people.

Our bodies are from God and it is our responsibility to take care of it the best we can. I help people do just that.”

But it was not always plain sailing for this man who is now widely known as the “nutritional and fitness guru” of Bloemfontein, who also manages a successful blog on this matter. He had his share of pain and disappointments.

Eugene and daughters

He was born into a multi-lingual family in 1972 with an English speaking father and Afrikaans speaking mother. Eugene attended the Methodist church in Bloemfontein and used both languages at home. He started his career at Telkom SA (the Post Office back then) as a data specialist after he finished his schooling at the Bloemfontein Technical College. But this was a dead-end for him and he could not further his career.

After losing his job, he started his business in body transformation which is different from body building in that good nutrition and taking care of your body, in a godly way, forms the basis. Within a year he lost his business due to his partner’s unethical business practices. He not only lost everything he owned, he lost his wife and in the process his Christian beliefs.

But it was a divine intervention that changed his life. One day God told him to pray that evening – something he had not done for a very, very long time. That night he prayed to God and said to Him: “I cannot change my life without You”. God commanded him to read Romans 12:1 and it was this scripture that motivated him in 2010 to open his current gym. With the help of some friends, he managed to start this business and since then it has grown from strength to strength.

It was again his father who encouraged him to forgive those who had hurt him.

Inspiration Eugene says it made the world’s difference when he finally decided to let go of his bitterness and hate towards those who wronged him. “By forgiving them, my hurt disappeared and I started to focus on the things that are really important. My business started to flourish, I now do what I enjoy and I married the love of my life, Elsie. Our first baby, a little girl, was born this September.

Life is great!”

“It is important to take care of our bodies, because our bodies were created in the image of God,” says Eugene. “The better you take care of it, the better you can enjoy the things you like and the better work you can do for Jesus. A healthy body hosts a healthy mind, as we are reminded in 1 Peter 1:13: ‘Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.’”

Over the years Eugene has helped a great number of people with nutritional and health advice and changed their lives for the better. Some of these people include the likes of Jackie Havenga, Zahia Zingh, Sew Anaar, Minnelize Hollandeer, and Conrad Nagel, former Mister Universe.

Eugene also provides seminars and

talks about nutrition and health and uses the Bible as his reference. He guides his audience through the Bible and is quick to tell you that as long as you eat the foods God gave us to eat in the first place and stay away from, what he calls, man-made food, we will enjoy great health for years to come.

And, we will not gain weight - one of the big challenges of our time.

“It all starts in the kitchen, and the Bible is the number one educational book on nutrition,” says Eugene, “it has all the information that we need to take care of our bodies, minds and souls. What you are is determined by what you put into your mouth. Although we all have access to the Bible, which is the greatest source of information ever, we keep on reading all kinds of books from so-called diet specialists and destroy our health and metabolism in the process. If we just do what God tells us to do in His awesome Book, we will enjoy a much happier and better quality life.”

Eugene ended our interview with a quote he received from his father-in-law, a person who plays an important role in his life: “Those who put everything in God’s hands will see God’s hand in everything that they do.”

Note from the Editor: Devoted has joined forces with Eugene and will bring our readers helpful tips on health, fitness, weight-loss, weight management and body transformation. Our readers can also visit the Muscles for Jesus tab on our website for body sculpting tips, as well as nutritional information under the Nutrition from Jesus tab. www.devotedmag.co.za

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Attitude

Becoming a

World–class Leader

By PAUL NYAMUDA

In your quest to becoming a world-class leader there are certain things that are important. The first is your ability to reflect on your leadership philosophy. Why do you lead the way you do?

It’s important for kingdom-minded people to know what they believe and why and what they don’t believe and why. The starting point is for me to ask you questions that get to the heart of the matter. I would like you to reflect on your childhood and early working years: 1. Make a list of the leaders you followed.

2. What was it about each of these people that inspired you to follow them?

3. What, in your opinion was the prevailing leadership philosophy that impacted you in your upbringing?

4. List the strengths and weaknesses of such a way of thinking?

5. How do you view those in authority?

6. How have your past experiences played a part in developing this view of authority figures?

7. How has your view of authority influenced your approach to leading?

Now that you have reflected on your leadership philosophy, it’s important to decide what type of leader YOU want to be. Decide that you will lead by design and not by default. Leadership is for you, not just for a chosen few.

Warren Bennis said: “We need to move to an era in which leadership is an organisational capability and not an individual characteristic that a few individuals at the top of the organisation have.”

The next stage of this journey is identifying common leadership limitations. I have outlined this below and as you go through the list, make a decision that these eight items will no longer apply to you. These are some of the common leadership gaps that distinguish good leaders from great leaders and legends.

What are some common problems with business leaders today?

• • • • • • • •

Many leaders limit leadership to a particular personality type, usually the charismatic personality.

Many leaders limit leadership to a position.

Many leaders are greatly skilled in a discipline, but ineffective at leading people.

Many leaders are effective in gaining followers, but ineffective in developing leaders.

Many leaders are unable to replace themselves.

Many leaders are blinded by their desire to climb the corporate ladder at all cost.

Many leaders do not have a balanced lifestyle.

Many leaders think in terms of making money in the short-term at the expense of building organisations that last.

Now perhaps you are thinking to yourself, “Paul, I hear what you are saying, but I am doing all the right things, the problem is in my environment.” There is some truth to this. It’s more of a challenge breeding leaders in an environment that is unhealthy with regards to leadership development. If you are leading an organisation or responsible for retaining good talent it’s important to be aware of the signs of an unhealthy leadership environment. If we are to create organisations that breed leaders, we need to uproot the ingredients of unhealthy leadership environments.

What are some signs of an unhealthy leadership environment?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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An environment where people are reprimanded for authenticity (Telling it as it is).

An environment where leaders stay silent or lie about things that matter.

An environment where leaders cannot give reasons for corporate cultural practices.

An environment where leaders fear challenging the status quo.

An environment where leaders are out of touch with customers’ needs and don’t move beyond preserving the inherited institution.

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Attitude 6. An environment where feedback focuses on failure rather than a learning culture being created.

7. An environment where the performance culture is judgmental and not participative and supportive.

8. An environment where leadership goals are continuously unclear, resulting in succumbing to the long entrenched expectations of followers.

9. An environment where leaders are unaware of the quality of their employees, followers and future leaders.

10. An environment where people are discouraged from thinking for themselves.

11. An environment where people do not grow as persons (in skill, in intellect and relationship etc.)

12. An environment where there is an unhealthy preoccupation and reliance on someone else for promotion.

Shifting from mediocre leadership to becoming legendary

Anyone with followers is a leader. But legends are different. I define a legend as a leader who leaves a legacy. Their influence lives on. Legends are great leaders. They stand out because they have that edge that differentiates them. There are a number of key areas in which legends differ from leaders. I have identified seven key dimensions in which legends differ from leaders. Assess yourself and see where you are on the continuum between mediocre leadership and legendary leadership.

From Leaders to Legends Dimension

Average Leaders

Legends

1

Managing relations

Mediocre leaders are always moving ahead, which is necessary for followers. However, it is possible to be a leader and still a manpleaser. One can be a leader and still be manipulated. These people end up winning battles but not the war. They end up being popular for a period, but don’t achieve greatness.

Legends are clear about who they give their best to. They have very clear relational standards and priorities. They are willing to change the nature of their relationships. They are so consumed with their cause that they will not allow themselves to get distracted by high maintenance relationships which don’t take them to their destination. They are able to say no. They are not man-pleasers. You can’t manipulate them. They don’t have a strong need for approval from men.

2

Managing ambiguity

Mediocre leaders will often struggle with ambiguity. We sometimes only see a single dimension in a leader. They are only bold, or they are only intelligent etc.

The mind of a legend works differently. Legends can entertain ambiguity. Legends somehow have multiple dimensions. For example, leaders have a self-effacing humility, whilst at the same time embracing a bulldog tenacity. Legends will often have interesting combinations e.g. great intellect coupled with the ability to learn from a child. Great talent coupled with extraordinary humility. Great humour and ability to laugh at themselves combined with an extraordinary contemplative ability.

3

Managing choices

Mediocre leaders make choices. However, these are not always consistent with their cause. In order to get followers they sometimes compromise their values.

The summation of their legendary status is seen in choices they make. They consistently make choices aligned to their values and vision. This is not compromised. The nature of their wisdom is that they know what to do next. It may involve tough, unpopular choices, but they make them. This ability to make the right decisions when it matters, ends up distinguishing them.

4

Managing time

Mediocre leaders can manage time well, but that does not necessarily mean they are doing the right thing.

Legends manage their purpose. In so doing they manage their time well. This is because their activities and daily habits are aligned to their cause, their vision and values.

5

Managing weakness

Mediocre leaders often try to be great all-rounders. They are often in denial concerning their weaknesses. The result is that they put a lot of effort into being average.

Legends have learned to be honest about their weaknesses with no shame. They put their strengths to work and manage around their weakness. They hire according to their weakness. They understand that we are not called to socialise or do teambuilding along the lines of least resistance. They do not see themselves more highly than they ought to. They can end up attracting the best in the world and they become the greatest cheerleaders.

6

Managing failure

Mediocre leaders are often experts at covering up their failures. They might react by overcompensating for their failures without acknowledging them. Others dwell so much on past failure that they do not embrace their future. Discouragement gets the better of them.

Legends acknowledge failure, but have a way of learning from it and putting it behind them and embracing the future. This type of perseverance is necessary for the shift from leader to legend.

7

Managing learning

Mediocre leaders acquire lots of knowledge but don’t always learn. Learning is the acquisition of knowledge resulting in a change of mind and behaviour. Passion for knowledge is not the same as a passion for learning.

Legends are passionate learners. They do not limit their learning to formal environments, but have multiple sources of learning.

They are extremely inquisitive, and adjust their behaviour based on their findings. They understand that the organisations which are the most competitive are the ones which learn fastest.

Leading a movement over 20 years requires great leadership. If you also desire to be a great leader, what thing, if you were to focus on it wholeheartedly, would have the greatest impact on your leadership development?.............start doing it now!

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Attitude

Your beauty can move mountains for the

By Disebo Pesa

glory of God

Participating in a beauty contest should be done for the purpose of glorifying God. It is yet another platform for Christians to effectively build His kingdom and to win souls. Dream Girl SA, the exciting new endeavour of Devoted, which will help others discover life through the Gospel, promises to become one of the major events on the social calendar for young Christian women.

I

t is all about inner beauty. The first secret is to know that the outer appearance is the outward radiation of the inner strong spirit and soul! There is a special purpose why we were created beautifully - a beautiful person wins the favour of everyone who sees them!

Why is it that a beautiful soul wins people’s hearts? It is because people who reflect God’s kind of beauty are purely kindhearted. When beauty shows up in hopeless situations, people can be pulled up from their distress, because the effect of such beauty will bring hope in their situations.

Each one of us should ask ourselves daily how the influence of our beauty will be the source of love wherever we meet people who are without hope.

The Bible says that Queen Esther’s name means “star”. Throughout this short, yet profound Bible book, we read how God’s hand of providence and protection was evident on behalf of His people, with particular reference to Esther. We read that Esther was not only beautiful on the outside, she was a woman after the heart of God, and gently courageous. Her cousin Mordecai also gave wise counsel. The character of this

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woman resulted in a great deliverance for God’s people. She ultimately pleased and won the king’s favour. This demonstration in the Bible teaches us how the beauty of a woman should serve to fulfil God’s purpose and bring victory everywhere we find ourselves, irrespective of battles in our world.

A woman’s body is the temple of God, made for His glory! A beautiful woman should never forget to shine her beauty in a healing, everlasting way.

As beautiful women of God, we should use our beauty as a conveyor to attract great multitudes into God’s house: those who are attracted to our beauty should ultimately be attracted to the God we serve. Let this beauty fulfil the purpose which is to touch people’s lives now and beyond this lifetime.

Where there is pain, beauty should bring comfort. For the same reason your beauty should shine into your distressed world.

Let God’s beautiful creation have a lasting influence and serve as a powerful embassy to populate His temple.

To wear your beauty purposefully means to have an everlasting impact on people in your daily encounter - let the fruits of your beauty be the increase of God’s sanctuary.

One powerful characteristic of love is to be gentle, this means being beautiful in touching His people. Let your beauty compassionately speak from inside out to connect other people’s souls to your own.

May yours not be worldly beauty, but be beautiful because your fear of the Lord shines deeper and brighter in you. Use your beautiful appearance to lift and carry people who find themselves in the wilderness on the way to their destiny. Wherever you find yourself, find a purpose to serve as a model of grace. All Christians should live as role models and good examples to influence the future generations of women. Christianity should shape the behaviours and attitudes of our communities - to unite our world in practical ways too.

There is no limit to the number of souls a beautiful soul, particularly a woman, can attract to the kingdom of God. Let’s start using our beauty as a weapon to attract souls for the cause of Christ!

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Attitude

Be a bearer of

peace and joy

By Gillian Lombard

Jesus Christ came to restore peace to the world and just knowing that Jesus has removed our sin, gives us peace which the people in the world will never experience unless they accept Jesus into their lives

J

ohn 14:27 states: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, do not be afraid.” When Jesus said this He meant that He leaves us whole, complete and prosperous.

John 16:33 reads: “In Me you have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart I have overcome the world”. It is sometimes difficult to grasp the meaning of this scripture with our limited understanding. We often believe evil has the upper hand, however, Jesus promises us peace and joy in the midst of suffering with His assuring words: “I have conquered the world.”

The longer we walk with Jesus, the closer our fellowship with Him becomes, and the more peace and joy we experience. Surrendering our whole life to Jesus so He alone can rule in us. Submitting to be led and taught by Him and to do His will, is the secret of perfect peace and joy.

Many people fail to receive this peace and joy from Jesus because they don’t fully trust Him. He promises “My peace I give you”. This peace calms our entire world and keeps our hearts and mind at rest, as we keep our focus on Him. We are also commanded to live in peace. A wholehearted surrender to Jesus finds and secures our peace. In this peace we have strength for every task, courage for every struggle, a blessing in every trial and joy of life itself.

Jesus promises us His own joy. If we abide in Him, we are partakers of His joy when we share in His victory and obey His commands. To have Jesus’ peace and joy is to maintain a song in our hearts even while we are cast down by disappointments or difficulties. A deep consciousness of His peace and joy, which is unspeakable, should always reign in our hearts.

Our prayers being answered is a token of our relationship with the Father and being able to trust Him should be our full measure of peace and joy. You can always measure the amount of time you are

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spending in the Word by how much joy you have, because the Bible says in John 1:4, “…these things are written that your joy may be complete.”

In these ways you can be a bearer of this peace and joy in everything you do, and you will experience fullness of life in Christ.

All you have to do is ask, and believe you will have it…

Scriptures to read Philippians 4:7 – “The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guide your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ.”

John 15:10,11 – “If you obey My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

John 16:24 – “Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete.”

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17

Theme

Christmas

All About

By JOHAN TERBLANCHE

Every year, around this time, I receive hundreds of letters in the mail and via e-mail. Most of these letters contain Christmas wishes, while many others give reasons why Christians should not be celebrating Christmas.

N

ow, I must state clearly that I have no desire to enter into endless debates on whether or not we should be celebrating Christmas. However, I wish to reiterate what I have said before regarding this subject. Jesus Christ was not born on 25 December. In fact, it is not at all clear on which date Christ was born. Therefore, Christians should not celebrate the “day” Jesus was born, but should celebrate the “coming” of the Lord. It should also be seen as an opportunity to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ, His coming and His imminent return. Here’s my take on Christmas: In Acts 17:22–23, Paul stood up in front of the city council and said, “I see that in every way you Athenians are very religious. For as

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I walked through your city and looked at the places where you worship, I found an altar on which is written, ‘To an Unknown God.’ That which you worship, then, even though you do not know it, is what I now proclaim to you.”

As I read this scripture, a thought came to mind. We see many religious people or people trapped in various religions today.

We see people worshipping or idolising many things. One such “object” of worship seems to be Christmas or everything associated with Christmas. A phrase I have often heard is that we must get the Christmas spirit or get into the spirit of Christmas. On the other hand, I have heard that we must put Christ back in Christmas.

(Something I have said before as well). But how do you take the most Holy of holies, and place Him into one of the most unholy

events? Paul gives us a hint. He came across an altar made for an unknown God. There are just as many people who are celebrating Christmas without even knowing Christ.

Then Paul did what we should all be doing.

In the midst of these people, even in the presence of this altar, he brought the message of Jesus Christ.

Yes, not everybody knows and understands what Christmas should be about, but during this time we too have an ideal opportunity to tell our world about Jesus Christ. You see, we have an obligation to spread the Good News at all times and in all circumstances. So, in the light of the above, I wish to share the following with you: Jesus has come, but He is also coming again.

While other people celebrate the feast of Christmas, we too can celebrate the coming of Christ.

Theme In Matthew 2:1-2 we read about the wise men who came to see Jesus: “Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the time when Herod was king. Soon afterward, some men who studied the stars came from the East to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the baby born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star when it came up in the east, and we have come to worship him.” Luke also wrote about this event in Luke 2. We see how the angel appeared to the shepherds to proclaim the birth of Christ. And the angels said: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” And the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and

found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:14-16) Today we can also say that we have seen a star. God is giving us countless signs that Jesus Christ can be expected to return soon.

Just look around you, see the earthquakes, the floods, the demise of the world’s economy and you too will realise that Jesus is coming soon. The question we need to ask today is whether or not we’re finding ourselves in a place of worship or whether we’re even serving Him in Spirit and in truth.

Then, like the shepherds, we need to make a decision to go unto Christ, to haste ourselves to His feet.

It is so easy to point a finger, but revival starts with us and in us like Charles Finney said. It is therefore important that we choose to accept and follow Jesus Christ.

But it is as important that we need to go and tell the world about Jesus Christ. We need to speak about His birth and about Him saving us from death on the cross of Calvary, even during this time of worldly celebration, even at Christmas time. Let us use this opportunity, like Paul did, to bring a message of hope, the message of Christ to those serving an unknown God. Let us take the opportunity to tell them about the signs, to tell them about Jesus’ return, so that everyone will get ready, will haste themselves to meet Jesus. For unto us and unto them willing to accept Him “a child is born! A son is given! And he will be our ruler.

He will be called, Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

(Isaiah 9:6)

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Theme

Christmas; A day of small things

By MMATHABISO KHALEMA

The countdown to Christmas has begun, and in my mind, a look back on this amazing year has been triggered. We have been inspired, we have been added to, we have been moved to action and we have grown in leaps and bounds. Lives continue to be impacted, and souls saved by the numbers.

P

astor At Boshoff has delivered an array of greatly inspired sermons and challenges throughout the year. These have ranged from “Following Jesus”; “Prepare for rain”; “Anything can happen”; “Joseph the dreamer, the finisher”; “The name of Jesus”; the 120day Bible reading challenge, all the way to the culmination of the church’s Dreamweek conference hosted for the first time in two cities - Bloemfontein and Pretoria - with the theme being “Unstoppable”.

I am certain that the incredible testimonies which have resulted from these series must be innumerable and could fill up truckloads of books or articles. The individual and corporate strides made have indeed been amazing to say the very least. Puzzling to onlookers yet, as it is proven time and again, all great feats rest on the little things.

For me, one of the teachings that was most memorable was “Making the right moves”. For this teaching, Ps. At displayed a large chess set on stage and demonstrated how life is much like a game of chess - we must always be strategic in making the right moves in order to win. Pastor At joked about how he and his wife would often play chess as newlyweds, and how he, as the

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less-experienced player, would always lose.

He described how he would, more often than not, “conveniently” throw the entire chessboard up in the air when he foresaw defeat - to the frustration of his new wife. The premise of the message was this - in order to win in the game of chess (as in life), one must be strategic and protect the King (the metaphor of one’s relationship with God).

Being a chess enthusiast myself, I was enthralled by the message, and found myself intrigued by the piece on the chessboard which is often overlooked: the pawn. To many, the pawn is the least valuable piece on the board because of its limited style of movement, as well as the low value of points assigned to it. The pawn can only move forward one block at a time. The pawn, however, if it continues to move in this slow and seemingly insignificant, unnoticed and “un-impactful” manner, making no grand movements, can, and many a time does find itself on the other end of the chessboard, with the option of transforming into any piece it chooses. Many times it becomes a queen, and ends up protecting the King from a checkmate situation.

It is exactly like this in the kingdom of God, it is the little things which are used, those things which are deemed foolish, and

unsophisticated. It is those things which are overlooked and disqualified because man, with his natural eye, cannot fathom how the little things will make any difference.

The story of the birth of Jesus is no different. God had always promised that He would come. We wonder at the manifestation of the promise. Everything about the way He came is a puzzle - it’s not like anyone had anticipated - flashing swords and an army of soldiers. No. He chose to come in the form of a baby boy born in obscure settings; a lowly, unknown, virgin girl in an obscure little town in a manger, after being denied accommodation in her hour of desperation. The humility of it. The sheer weakness of it. Christmas is truly the day of small things. Overlooked by Herod because of His unspectacular birth, Jesus survived a nationwide mass male infanticide to one day save the world.

The story of Christmas can be likened to the beautiful story of the Christian Revival Church (CRC) - how it has been built upon the small things - and the momentum it has caught is a result of small actions of faithfulness which, at the time, seemed insignificant and slow. Small actions like washing people’s feet as Jesus did just hours before His crucifixion (Matthews 26:14-39;

Theme Luke 22:24-27; John 13:1-17).

A little research into the custom of foot washing reveals that in those days, the washing of feet was a requirement in every home. The streets were dusty and dirty.

People wore sandals without socks and their feet could become very dirty. Usually at dinner time, the guests would lean back around the table, and the lowest servant in the household was expected to wash the feet of the guests in order to honour them.

On the evening of the last supper in the upper room, there were no servants as it was a private home. Jesus practically depicted, that He, as Lord of all, can choose to lower Himself to do the job of the least important servant. So then we should also follow His example and always be willing to serve one another. During this Christmas time, consider these ideas as little things to add to your gift giving:

• Visit a grandparent, or an elderly person in a retirement home; • Extend an invitation to a lonely or widowed neighbour to share in the Christmas festivities with your loved ones; • Donate a gift pack or lend a hand at the church’s annual children’s party; • Volunteer your time to play with the children at a baby house; • Be generous in your service tip to a breadwinning petrol attendant who is unable to be with his family because of his work obligation; • Organise with your home cell to take gift packs to a hospital ward of your choice for the ill who are far away from their families; • Write a heartfelt letter to your parents, or those who have been guardians to you and had your best interests at heart; honouring them in this small way.

This Christmas, look into your heart, and do small acts of service with great love.

Remember that big doors open on small hinges. May Christ’s love be shed abroad in your hearts this festive season, as you share it with “the least of these”

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21

Health

trap

The fat-free

By Eugene Daamen

Have you ever bought a product that said “fat-free”? Chances are that you have, and let me tell you that there is not such a huge difference between regular and fat-free. People get so caught up in this whole fat-free marketing scheme, that the only people who benefit from these products, are the companies who manufacture them. I have heard people in the supermarket saying “take two of those, it is fat-free”. Is there a slight chance that we might eat an extra serving of these products because it says “fat-free” on the label?

N

obody ever looks at the total calorie or kilojoule content of these products, but why should they? Saturated fats (animal fats) is good for us; and it is known that healthy fats actually improve our health and help us burn fat.

It is hard to understand the concept that fat can actually burn fat.

However, Omega 3, 6 and 9 fats are essential for the human body for everyday living and I can almost guarantee you that most people do not include them in their diet. Come to think of it, I do not think most people even know what they are or in which foods they are present, but more about our good fats a bit later.

So, next time you are at the supermarket and you are thinking of buying four packets of “fat-free” wine gums instead of one because it says “fat-free”, make sure to check the amount of energy that product will provide for your body: you might be shocked.

The notion that fat-free or low fat is the way to go when wanting to lose weight, comes from the fact that fats have twice the amount of energy per gram than protein and carbohydrates. This is the reason why people think it is easy to drop calories when you eliminate all fats from your diet. However, this is not true.

MONOUNSATURATED FATS

HEALTHY FATS TO AID FAT LOSS AND BUILD MUSCLE

Always remember to consume these food sources in moderation when trying to lose weight. Here are five easy ways to use healthy fats in your diet: • Add some almonds to your breakfast cereal or salads.

• Use olive oil or canola oil for cooking purposes.

• Eat more peanut butter.

• Eat fish at least twice per week.

• Snack on low GI fruits and vegetables.

By now we know that low-carb diets are quite effective for losing that extra weight. Low-carb diets work better than low-fat diets, because when following a low-carb diet and adding good dietary fats, you can actually create a more favourable environment for your body to burn stored body fat. Also, by adding these healthy fats, your body will be able to sustain energy levels much better.

It is possible to lose weight and still feel energetic and good.

Let us look at some of these healthy fats and in which foods they can be found.

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These fats can increase your metabolism and also help build muscle.

They are also strong antioxidants and can promote the health of your arteries by increasing healthy HDL cholesterol.

SOURCES: Avocados, hazelnuts, olive oil and almonds.

POLYUNSATURATED FATS

These fats are very important to add to your diet, because the human body cannot produce these. Omega 3 and 6 are the best forms of these healthy fats. Omega 3 fats strengthen the immune system as well as your cardiovascular system. Omega 6 fats have health benefits for your nervous system and your blood cells.

OMEGA 3 SOURCES: Flaxseed oil, linseed oil and canola oil. Add one tablespoon to your protein shake daily to ensure you get Omega 3 into your diet.

OMEGA 6 SOURCES: Safflower oil, corn oil and walnuts.

These tips will help you stay out of the fat-free trap and to feel good in your own skin!

Health

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23

Back to Basics

Baptism

Baptism

in water

By MIGNIONETTE FAIR

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Hosea 4:6 You can’t build a strong house without a strong, basic foundation. Devoted is going back to the basics of Christianity with this new series. We hope to help you build a relationship with God which cannot be shaken and to help you be more effective in reaching your world for Jesus.

Water baptism, meaning full submersion in water, can be a tricky subject to write or talk about. I think that is because there are so many people and churches with different views on the subject, and the one is as adamant as the other that they are right.

And both can quote the Bible back to front on this specific subject – of course always with scriptures that support their cause.

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It can also be a subject that can cause people to take offense. So for the purpose of this article I would like to state upfront that the views in this article are what I believe and what I believe the Bible says about water baptism.

Why should we be baptised in water?

Well, Jesus was baptised in water by John the Baptist just before His ministry began.

In the Gospels we find different accounts of Jesus’ baptism, but they all have a few things in common: • You must be purposeful about getting baptised - Jesus came all the way from Nazareth to be baptised by John. He wasn’t just out taking a stroll or thinking “Maybe today is a good day to be baptised.” No, Jesus always did everything with purpose and on purpose.

• God approves - The Gospels also all mention the fact that as soon as Jesus came up from the water that the heavens opened up and the Spirit descended on Him like a dove and that a voice from heaven said “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” God placed

His stamp of love on Jesus when He was baptised.

• Getting baptised gives us boldness in our faith walk - Interestingly enough, the Gospels also all mention that after He was baptised, Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. It is also worth noting that Jesus withstood all the onslaughts of the devil. And from that time Jesus started preaching in all the synagogues.

In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus gave us our orders: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

In Acts 2 we see Peter telling the people to repent and be baptised. And again in Acts 8 Philip told the eunuch that all he had to do is believe with all his heart and the eunuch answered “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God”. In Romans 6 the Bible says that: “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

Back to Basics Therefore, baptism is an act of obedience (because Jesus told us to) and an act of repentance (because the old nature is dying and the Christ nature will live). John R. Rice said “God’s people should be baptised because God commanded it, not because some church requires it.”

Baptism is an outward expression of an inward decision. It is your testimony to the world that the old person is no longer alive, but that Christ now lives in you. There is a story of a man who used to live a very wild life. He gave his life to Jesus, but his old friends kept coming around, hoping he would fall back into old habits. Eventually, he made sure they got the message – he put a tombstone up in front of his house! This way,

if any of his old friends came along, he could politely point them to the tombstone and say “The person you are looking for is no longer alive”, “The old has passed away; behold, the new has come”! (2 Corinthians 5:17) So what is keeping you from obeying Jesus and laying down your old life? Is it perhaps a negative view of what baptism is all about? Or perhaps it is because of your culture? Or because you think you must first become a perfect Christian before getting baptised? Or that you will have to be a perfect person after getting baptised?

My friend, if Jesus accepted you “warts and all” before you were saved, you can be assured that He will accept you just as you are before and after you get baptised. All

He asks for is obedience: “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice.” (1 Samuel 15:22) Tiaan Moolman, a member in CRC Johannesburg, shared his baptism testimony with Devoted: He says that when he got baptised, it was like a ceiling being lifted off his faith and as if he had full access to all that heaven had to offer.

Getting baptised also changed my whole walk with Jesus…and it will be the same for you! If you have not yet been baptised - what are you waiting for? God will never ask you to do anything that will harm you, or give you something that is not good for you! Take the step of faith and die to that old life and embrace the new life Christ has prepared for those who love Him.

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25

Education

Firm Future Focus

by WIM FOURIE

have travelled to various conventions, events and outreaches, both in South Africa and internationally, but much of YADA’s (Youth Against Drug Abuse) heart remains with the youth of Africa and thus we have set our sights on new horizons for the next decade in South Africa.

In 2014 we launched our Amnesty Campaign, giving those who struggle with addiction the opportunity to escape the cobweb in which they have become entangled; and since inception in local high schools and university campuses, we have seen many young people come forward for assistance. We would like to see Amnesty Week become an annual, national movement from next year, thus aiding those who have lost vision and hope for their lives.

In the next decade, it is our hope to see more youth set free from addiction in South Africa, and to see them stand firm in God, so that many of those who are set free, may be raised up as leaders, allowing them to reach back and snap the cords of bondage in those around them as well.

Part of our focus for the next 10 years is that we are believing God to invade every school, university and community to set the captives free. We will do this by introducing truths to them about their purpose and destiny and equipping thousands to run with our vision as ambassadors that will stand against illicit drug use and distribution.

We will shed light on the real issues and implement early prevention strategies.

As God added to our team, we have seen our influence and reach go beyond where we’ve been before, but one thing I would like to do is voice my gratitude for CRC Pretoria. I want to honour the man of our spiritual house, as well as his family, for their faithfulness in the last 20 years. They have established a place, not only for myself, but for many others too, which shelters us from many potentially destructive attacks, but it has also released a greater vision in us, as a result of the vision in our house.

Within our God-appointed organisation, we have literally pulled out the self-imposed stop signs in the vision and mission of YADA and the Drug Education Agency (DEA). With God on our side, we MUST dream BIG and take BIG steps.

We declare the youth of South Africa free from addiction, free to follow Jesus, and we declare that they will come to know their God in Spirit and in truth.

I

http://yada.org.za For assistance: Men: 082 558 3863 | Ladies: 082 8355 730 E-mail: Men - Wim@YADA.org.za Head Office Ladies - Mads@YADA.org.za

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YADA Testimonial Steven Brooks

In August 2012 I got involved with Youth Against Drug Abuse (YADA) and I started doing recovery coaching sessions with the founder of YADA. I remember, at that time, I wasn’t too focused on where I was heading in life. I didn’t really have any set goals that I wanted to reach and my focus was on destroying my life through an active drug addiction.

In my coaching sessions, I was continually challenged in a way which helped me see things in life from a whole new angle and I was confronted with truths about my life, my purpose and destiny, which I had to address if I wanted to proceed in life in a way that leads to life and success. One of the questions that I was asked, which really challenged me the most, was “how much do I think I am worth in life?”

This question was difficult despite having already invited Jesus into my life and struggling with addiction while having Him in my life.

This was because, at the time, I didn’t think I was worth much, but through proactive recovery coaching interventions with YADA, I realised that I am worth more than I thought. YADA helped me realise this and I was able to set goals for myself which I really worked hard to achieve after finishing my six-month coaching process.

When I started my recovery coaching, I was 19 and had no job. I was finishing my matric and living with my parents. When I finished matric, I had already finished my six months of coaching with YADA, and had set a goal, vision and mission for my life. I was also blessed with a job.

It is now two years later and I am a sales manager within the company, I own a house of which 50% has been paid off already, I own a car in September 2014, I married the love of my life. I have now had to re-assess my vision strategy and set a new goal and vision for myself and my wife for the next five to 10 years.

I would highly recommend that parents and individuals, who are struggling to get ahead in life, and who are unable to break the drug addiction in their life, contact YADA for assistance and intervention.

I have become proactive in YADA and represent YADA in Johannesburg as vision coordinator and I am here to assist you should you require assistance or have any questions.

Don’t wait, strike while the iron is hot.

Blessings Steven@yada.org.za

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Recipes

For your Christmas table “And now I’m honoured to share with you my family’s favourite recipes and to tell you the stories of what makes them so near and dear to our hearts. I hope they might become favorites for your family as well, that they help you create memories to last a lifetime, the same way they’ve done for us Valastro. Bon Appetito.”

-Buddy Valastro, Cooking Italian with the Cake Boss. -

T

he Devoted team recently had the honour to meet Buddy Valastro, better known as the Cake Boss (among others) at the recent Food and Wine show in person.

I bought two of Buddy’s recipe books on Italian cooking and he signed it for me.

I then asked him if I could share the recipes with our readers. Buddy was thrilled with the idea and usually is more than willing to share his talents with the rest of the world, and started a number of projects and reality television programmes to share his baking and cooking talents with the world. He is foremost a family man and runs a number of successful family businesses in the United States. The following three recipes that we share with you below was tested by myself; and after feedback that I received from my family and friends I tweaked some of the ingredients a little bit to give it a “South African” flavour. I hope you like it.

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Recipes

Recipes Lemon-Rosemary Roasted Chicken

by Buddy Valastro

Traditional Turkey

Tiramisu

INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENTS

• 1 big free-range chicken, rinsed inside and out, patted dry • 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided • 1 teaspoon salt, divided • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper • 2 lemons, washed • 2 1/2 teaspoons chopped, dried rosemary • 2 teaspoons butter, softened • 1 large onion, cut in 1/2cm slices • 3/4 cup chicken broth • 1/2 teaspoon ground sage

• 1 big free-range turkey • salt and freshly ground black pepper • 175g unsalted or lightly salted butter

• 2 1/4 cups brewed espresso • 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar • 6 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon coffee liqueur • 4 extra large egg yolks • 250g mascarpone cheese • 2 tablespoons sweet sherry • 1 cup heavy cream • 48 store-bought ladyfingers • 1/2 cup cocoa powder

PREPARATION:

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 350°C. Rub chicken with 1/2 teaspoon oil. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Grate 2 teaspoons peel from the lemons; reserve.

2. Pierce one of the lemons in several places with knife tip or fork; place in chicken’s cavity.

Mix 2 teaspoons rosemary and butter to blend. Carefully loosen skin on breast. Gently smooth butter mixture under the skin. Tie legs with kitchen twine, if desired.

3. Place onion slices in middle of roasting pan and put chicken on top. Place in preheated oven and cook 45 minutes, then tent breast with foil. Continue cooking 30 to 40 minutes longer or until internal temperature reaches 100°C and chicken is golden brown. Baste with pan drippings every 30 minutes.

4. Transfer chicken to cutting board; let rest 10 minutes. Pour pan drippings into liquid measuring cup and remove fat. Squeeze 1 teaspoon juice from second lemon, and add to drippings.

5. Return drippings to roasting pan, or transfer drippings to medium skillet; add any drippings from chicken. Add reserved peel, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, broth and sage, and simmer on medium-high heat. Stir to scrape up browned bits; continue simmering until sauce cooks down to 1 cup. Carve chicken, and serve with sauce.

(Using thick onion slices as a “rack” on which to set the chicken imparts flavour to the drippings.

Clean-up is much easier, as well).

Lemon-Rosemary

Roasted Chicken

For the sauce • 450ml full-cream milk • 1 small onion • 4 cloves • 75-100g fresh white breadcrumbs • freshly grated nutmeg, to taste • 40g butter or 2 tbsp double cream • cayenne pepper, for sprinkling

1. Preheat the oven to 180oC. Check that you have not left the plastic bag of giblets lurking inside the turkey. Put the turkey in a large, deep roasting tin. Season generously all over with salt and pepper and massage the seasoning into the skin.

2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Fold a muslin cloth in four and lower it into the melted butter, pushing it in so that it soaks up virtually all the butter.

3. Lift out the butter-soaked muslin and lay it over the turkey, making sure that it completely covers the breast and upper thighs.

4. Pour about 300ml water into the roasting tin and slide it into the oven. Cook for approximately 3 hours 20 minutes, basting the bird approximately every 30 minutes with the pan juices.

5. Test that the turkey is properly cooked in just the same way as you would a chicken. Pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a skewer. If the juices run clear then the turkey is done. If they are pink, slide it straight back into the oven for a further 15 minutes before testing again and continue to do this until they do run clear.

6. Once it’s done, transfer the turkey to a large serving dish, discard the muslin and leave in a warm place to rest for at least half an hour.

Cover with foil to stop the meat going cold.

7. While the turkey is cooking, make the bread sauce. Pour the milk into a heavy-based saucepan. Stick the four cloves into the onion, add to the milk and bring very, very slowly up to the boil, so that the milk has plenty of time to absorb the flavours of the onion and the cloves.

8. Remove the onion and cloves and stir enough breadcrumbs into the milk to give a thick sauce.

Season to taste with nutmeg and salt. Stir in the butter or cream, adjust the seasoning, then spoon into a warm serving bowl, sprinkle with a little cayenne pepper and place on the table.

If making in advance, leave to cool, then cover with cling film and store in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat thoroughly before serving.

Sprinkle with the cayenne pepper just before serving.

PREPARATION:

1. Put the espresso, 3/4 cup of the sugar, and 1/4 cup of the coffee liqueur into a heavy saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Whisk until the sugar dissolves, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the syrup cool.

2. Put the yolks, marscapone, sweet sherry, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and remaining 1 tablespoon of coffee liqueur in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment and whip on medium speed until light and airy, approximately 7 minutes.

(If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer fitted with the whip attachments.) Transfer the mixture to another bowl and clean and dry the stand mixer bowl and the whip attachment, returning them both to the mixer.

3. Put the cream in the bowl of the stand mixer and whip until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the cream mixture into the sherry mixture.

4. One by one, dip the ladyfingers in the espresso syrup and arrange a layer in the bottom of a 33 x 22cm pan. (3 rows of 7 across the width worked perfectly for each layer) Spoon a layer of cream over the ladyfingers. Sprinkle some cocoa powder on top of the cream. Dip and arrange another layer of ladyfingers over the cream, with the second layer perpendicular to the first. Spoon the remaining cream over the top.

5. Dust the tiramisu with cocoa powder. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days. To serve, use a kitchen spoon to scoop out portions into small bowls or glass dishes.

Tiramisu

(Source: Buddy Valastro)

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Destination

Forever beautiful: the Drakensberg and Blyde River Canyon

When thinking of Mpumalanga and its surroundings, descriptive words such as breathtaking surroundings, beautiful environment, panoramic views, scenic landscape, pristine beauty, and many more come to mind. The truth is, none of these adjectives truly describe the unsurpassed beauty of the Drakensberg and Blyde River Canyon that are situated along the so-called panoramic route. It is an area where one simply cannot put the beauty of it all into words as the experience is part of the magic!

I do not miss out on an opportunity to travel to Mpumalanga and recently had the privilege to visit both the Swadini and the Blyde River Canyon resorts – true nature lovers’ treasure troves! Both are part of the Forever Resorts chain and are situated in the Blyde Canyon area. The resorts are visited frequently by both individuals and families who want to get away from the rat race and re-connect with nature.

The Blyde River Canyon on the Panorama Route, is documented as the third largest in the world and one of South Africa’s scenic wonders. It can be reached from Graskop via the R532 route. It starts at the world-renowned God’s Window, passes the Bourke’s Luck Potholes and ends at the Three Rondavels, which are unusually shaped hillocks.

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Destination The Blyde River Canyon resort, situated at the top of the canyon, consists of a guest house, rustic stone chalets and caravan and camping sites. The brochures claim that the resort offers stunning views of the Lowveld, but it does not even begin to describe the wonderfulness of the views and the peaceful ambiance of the place. The resort also offers the best views of the Three Rondavels; but what impressed me most was the excellent service we received and the cleanliness of the resort. It is clear that it is well managed and after my talk with the manager on site, Johan Besuidenhout, it became clear that the resort is in good hands and that the customer comes first at this resort!

What to do at Blyde River Canyon resort: • • • • • •

Spectacular hiking trails, from fairly easy to those which require a reasonable fitness level; Scenic trips by car; Various recreation facilities such as volley ball, swimming pool, mini-golf, trampolines, horse rides and tennis courts; Restaurant and cocktail bar; Conference facilities; Site seeing of the Mac Mac Waterfalls, Bourke’s Luck Potholes, God’s Window.

The Swadini resort is landlocked by the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve and nestled amongst the Drakensberg peaks on the banks of the Blyde River. It is situated about 35 kilometres from Hoedspruit. The resort offers a wide variety of accommodation, facilities and activities. Guests have a choice of 78 chalets that accommodate four to six people or 180 caravan and camping stands, all with power points and neat ablution facilities.

What to do at Swadini resort:

• Enjoy exclusive boat trips on the Blyde Dam, spot hippo, crocodile and the Tufa waterfall; • Visit Bourke’s Luck Potholes, The Pinnacle, Mac Mac Falls and God’s Window; • The excellent hikes in the area or the facilities at the resort itself; • A 75 kilometre drive will take you to the Orpen gate of the Kruger National Park; • It offers three conference facilities that can accommodate 18 to 200 delegates. All rooms are equipped with modern conference equipment and delegates are sure to experience an enjoyable conference in these breath-taking and natural settings.

Visit: www.foreversa.co.za for more information on these fantastic resorts.

When choosing a place to stay for a holiday, it is always worth the effort to see others’ views on the specific place. Devoted has visited popular websites such as www.tripadvisor.co.za and selected the following reviews of frequent visitors to the Blyde River Canyon and Swadini resorts:

Blyde River Canyon resort

Surprising nice: “It was a nice place. We could see the canyon very clearly and the canyon was close to us. The environment is clean.

The electricity is good. Restaurant is good, with reasonable prices. People and staff there are nice. There are two swimming pools in the resort and one of them provided warm water. I enjoyed the day so much and would highly recommend friends to stay there”.

Pleasant campsite, excellent walking trails: ”Strongly recommend the walking trails. The Leopard trail gives superb views of the Valley and The Three Rondavels. You can then follow another trail back up the hill, following a river. Beautiful. An energetic 3 hour walk, but well worth it.

An ideal base to explore Mpumalanga: “A very picturesque resort situated within perfect distance of all the main Panorama route attractions. The resort is clean, spacious and functional and is ideal as a base to explore Mpumalanga and its attractions. It has a well stocked shop and sparkling pool. We stayed here for 2 nights en-route to the Kruger Park.”

Swadini resort

Visit to the lowveld: “Swadini is located in the spectacular Drakensberg of South Africa’s lowveld. In close vicinity of the Blyderivierspoortdam it makes for unbelievable vistas.”

A timeless classic : “This is one of those destinations which you continue to visit your entire life. The location is perfect, the facilities are great and there’s so many different activities in the surrounding area to keep the whole family busy & entertained. We will probably continue to come here for as long as we are able to”.

PERFECT!!: “I have been staying on a regular basis at Swadini since 1983 and this is truly an amazing resort! Accommodation is great and the service by the friendly staff very efficient!”

AMAZING, Perfect!!!: “We visited Swadini from 13 Feb 2014 - 16 Feb 2014 from the UK. On arrival we found the reception to be clean and the staff very friendly. We stayed in chalet 75 and the chalet was amazing, clean, tidy, beautifully presented and well maintained.

The entire park was very clean, well maintained and the facilities was perfect. All staff were very helpful. We had a stunning view of the bushveld (sic) with Kudu, baboons and other wild animals visiting us each morning right up to our patio.

www.devotedmag.co.za

31

Review

SON

OF SON OF GOD

GOD

The movie, Son of God, is the story of Jesus told through the eyes of John. John is seen living in exile and he is the last surviving apostle. The movie is loosely based on the gospel of John, but it does include parts from the other gospels. The main focus of the film is Jesus’ ministry, the crucifixion and resurrection and the movie depicts the love Jesus had for people beautifully.

Compared to Passion of the Christ, Son of God is not nearly as violent, however, it still brings the absolute horror of the crucifixion across and the anguish of Jesus is felt and seen. They showed how Jesus interacted with people and you get to see Jesus in different ways – as Saviour, but also as Friend, Prince of Peace and Counsellor.

If you are looking for a 100% biblically accurate film, Son of God is probably not the movie you should see. A lot of Jesus’ miracles are portrayed in a way that will make them easier for non-believers to understand – like for instance when Jesus feeds the multitudes, He lifts the basket with the fish and bread to heaven and when it comes down the fish and bread has multiplied. So in a way, some of the

miracles are made to be more “believable” by adding details that takes away the faith component.

Other than that, the movie will make you realise, and appreciate once more what Jesus did for us by dying on the cross and how much God loves us! You will probably end up crying (or at least tear up), so this movie is good for that lazy Saturday afternoon when you just want to curl into a ball and experience God’s love for you all over again.

Director: Christopher Spencer Cast: Diogo Morgado, Roma Downey, Amber Rose Revah, Darwin Shaw, Sebastian Knapp and more Running time: 138 minutes

HIDDEN

RAGE

Joshua, a 17-year-old student, goes to school every day, because he has to. Every day he gets picked on, beat up, and bullied. His teachers aren’t aware of it, security can only react to what they see and his only friend, Stephen, is too afraid to come to his defence.

Rage has a way of hiding itself until it’s too late, and in Joshua, rage is buried deep. There are signs that his rage is trying to escape, but no one sees them. He indulges his anger in the games he plays, the lists that he keeps, and the movies that he watches. Until one day when he gets pushed too far.

Hidden Rage intends to reach out to the youths in today’s culture of violence. Through telling the story of a high school student’s experience and actions, the film deftly explores many of the possible triggers that might cause a person to snap. With an engaging storyline and an exploration of how rage can build inside a person, the film provides a warning

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and demonstration of the consequences of resorting to violence to solve problems.

The film Hidden Rage creates an opportunity for relevant and timely dialogue about the rage and violence prevalent in today’s youth culture.

The film is both entertaining and educational.

Hidden Rage fills a timely need and will act as a starting point for discussion between parents and their children, teachers and their students in schools across the country.

(Information provided by Christian Art Media. DVDs available at Cum Book stores)

Sample Text

Super VAL UE

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33

Victorious with Vicki

Walking on

fire!

By Vicki Fourie

After I finished school in 2007, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I was 18 years old, and I didn’t have a purpose. After my matric farewell, three or four people came up to me; and they all gave me the exact same prophecy: They said that I was going to be like Esther in the Bible – I was going to save and inspire a nation through my beauty.

A

t first, I didn’t quite understand this. I didn’t like looking pretty, and I certainly didn’t like wearing high heels! This prophecy made no sense to me at all.

Soon afterwards, I heard about the Miss Deaf South Africa pageant. Then I realised that Esther also prepared for a pageant for one whole year: the Miss Persia pageant. I took this as a sure sign that I must enter.

The first time I competed in 2008, I didn’t win. I was crowned 1st Princess and Miss Personality, but I didn’t win the official title. I was devastated. I had expected the whole thing to just to work itself out.

I thought that the title would just be delivered to me. I thought that I just had to arrive, that the red carpet would be rolled out and that I could just have a party for the rest of my life.

How wrong I was. I went back home, defeated. A few months went by…

Then God spoke to me again: “Vicki, just try again”.

So I did. I took a few modelling classes, learnt how to sit, walk, answer questions, etc.

Then, in 2009, I competed again. This time around, I won the title of Miss Deaf South Africa.

The next morning, I woke up. It was my first day as the newly crowned Miss Deaf SA. Then it hit me: This day was only the start of a new journey, full of obstacle courses and challenges to be overcome.

Don’t get me wrong. The red carpet was right in front of me, but it was hard work walking on this carpet. At times it felt like I was walking on fire.

Fame looks glamorous, but sometimes it isn’t glamorous at all when you go behind the scenes: • The Miss Deaf SA pageant isn’t as well established and well known as the Miss South Africa pageant. After I won, I didn’t receive any opportunities. I had to create them myself. I also had to get sponsorships myself. I was a full-time Miss Deaf South Africa, and I did not get a monthly salary. I was extremely dependant on sponsorships and donations during the first year of my journey as Miss Deaf SA. • I also had to do marketing myself. I contacted the radio stations, television programmes, newspapers, magazines, etc. It’s now five years later, and I’m still doing it myself.

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• I also competed in two international pageants – Miss Deaf International 2010 (where I was crowned 1st Princess) in Las Vegas and Miss Deaf World 2011 in Prague.

• I wrote countless motivational magazine articles (most of them for free), got my memoir published, became a motivational speaker, actress, and much more.

Five years later, and all I can say is, “What a walk this has been!”

When we receive a word of prophecy, it’s almost like God is whispering potential into our ear. The red carpet is laid out – make no mistake – and you get carte blanche and VIP treatment.

But there are battles along the way. It’s the only way we can become mature.

One thing that has helped me immensely during these past five years is that God gives each and every one of us a special outfit to wear. It’s full of special hidden gadgets and it gives us supernatural strength. This outfit is called the Armour of God. Ever heard of that?

It’s pretty amazing: “Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand... Stand firm then… with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace…” (Ephesians 6:11a, 14a and 15.)

This is why we need God in our lives, so that we can walk on the red carpet of life with supernatural confidence, knowing that we have incredible power within us to take on anything that comes our way. During the past five years, the Lord has been my “partner on the carpet”.

You can decide to make God your VIP partner. He can be the One who goes before you as your Bodyguard, the One who stands beside you as your Friend, and the One who is inside of you, always with you, wherever you go.

Are you ready for this red carpet, rollercoaster journey that lies ahead of you?! Go for it! Become part of the Dream Girl SA journey!

Special note: My second book, an Afrikaans devotional book for teens, is now available in bookstores countrywide. I’ve got one ‘God Lief My’ book to give away! Send an e-mail to editor@ devotedmag.co.za with ‘God Lief My’ in the subject line, and tell us why you want this book. It’s that easy!

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35

Kingdom Youth

Jesus… the gift from God

by Disebo Pesa

Christmas symbolises the birth of Jesus Christ. He is the greatest sacrifice reflecting God’s love! Jesus is the gift from God!

“F

or God so loved the world that He gave us His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”, the Bible declares in John 3:16. What an Omnipotent God! His love teaches us to be louder for what we stand for rather than what we are against. There is no other name that we should glorify and lift higher than the name of Jesus! When we think about Christmas - we think about Jesus. These two names, Jesus and Christmas, go together for the shared purpose of love and sacrifice. With Christmas we celebrate Christ’s birth, which brought an everlasting freedom from the chains that bound people and to erase every sin at the cross. He did just that and

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finished His assignment in the will of God. This is a testament that Christ came to make a greater difference and fulfil His sacrificial commission in the world.

When the Pharisees questioned Jesus, “Who do you think you are?” He answered: “I AM the Great I AM!” The life that Jesus lived was revealed through the lessons He taught in the seven I AM statements.

1. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”

(John 6:35) 2. Then Jesus spoke again, saying “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

3. “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9) 4. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”

(John 10:11) 5. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” (John 11:25) 6. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) 7. “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.” (John 15:1) The more we read, the more we learn that the example of Jesus is selflessness. It is a message to the world that when people are

Kingdom Youth full of love, they change their environments because their love changes the atmosphere.

We feel this warm love within us because God has given us His Only Son to fill our hearts. Through faith, the divine love of God will reach out where nothing else can go to capture men and women for Christ. Love creates a hunger for God! How else can God’s love be proven to us?

Love is active and constantly looking for things to do, people to uplift and lives to change. When a person is full of love, everyone senses that such a person is different. Zechariah 9:12 tells us to be the prisoners of hope! That means we are chained to hope.

On Tuesday, 23 October 2014, Penny Ndlovu went to give hope to the girls at the Hospital School in Pretoria. The theme for the visit was “Giving hope where hope is lost” and below is Penny’s account of the event.

“Tens of thousands of school girls fall pregnant every year because of poor sexual choices or because individuals took advantage of them. This is unfortunately a harsh reality and very prevalent in South Africa. I experienced this first hand when I was asked by a colleague to give a brief, encouraging talk to matric school girls at the Hospital School in Pretoria. At this school, students, some as young as 13 years old, are given the opportunity to carry on learning in a country where expectant school girls are often expelled or shunned away by peers and their family.

“The small establishment does not condone teen pregnancy and remains discreet. However, they offer the pregnant girls an environment where they can learn and study without being judged and to ensure that these young girls do not miss out on education just because they are pregnant. The aim of my talk was not to look at the girls with judgement, but to perhaps try to put myself in their shoes. My aim was to bring hope with the words below: ‘A point to remember is that the upcoming exams are a marker on your journey towards achieving the plan that God has for your life. Each of us has a responsibility to offer God, and the world, our very best! So, it is important that you take your studies very

seriously (not just to get good marks, but also to be the best disciple of Jesus that you can be!)’.

‘Never doubt that God has a plan for your life, because He does. We may never, in our human capacity, figure out how, but His Word promises us that. It’s what I know, it’s what I was taught and it’s what I’ve carried with me until this point in my life.’

“Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to chat to the girls individually, but there was a particular girl that I noticed who seemed very unaware, very unhappy, sort of in her own world and definitely not eager to give a smile. So, I decided to do what I would normally do to try lighten the mood... Take photos! (Because what would the world be without a thousand more selfies, right?)

“So after taking a couple of photos, some serious, some funny, some pulling faces, I caught a glimpse of this particular girl giving a small, yet sweet smile. For some odd reason, it brought joy and a smile to my heart and I thought: ‘If the only reason for my presence here today (besides giving an encouraging word or handing out Bibles) was to see that young girl smile and catch a glimmer of hope for her life, then surely my visit was not in vain’ ”.

Penny also shared her thoughts on the purpose of celebrating Christmas, how she celebrates it and what memories symbolise the passions of the season for her: “Christmas is all about Jesus! It’s easier to celebrate Christmas if you know Jesus.

The more I hear about or read the story, the more thankful I am for His birth and even more grateful for His sacrifice. There is a profound symbolic meaning to the birth of Jesus which goes way beyond the religion of Christianity itself.

Many people see Christmas as a celebration of the actual birth of Jesus based on the Gospel, while others see it as little more than a time for shopping, pleasure and leisure. What most people don’t realise is that the nativity of Jesus is an extremely significant spiritual teaching with an everlasting spiritual message that was hidden by design so it could survive and reach far into the future. That in itself is a powerful thing!

“Christmas is a joyful time of the year. It

makes me think of giving. People tend to be more generous during that time of the year simply because there is so much more joy in the air. Christmas lights are up at shopping centres, Christmas-based advertising in the media and people are getting ready to finish off the year and go on leave to see their families. It’s just a very festive, yet busy time of the year.

“However, between all that hustle and bustle, Christmas should be all about Jesus.

Christmas at home with my family is very special and we make sure that we celebrate it together over lunch with a turkey. I’m not sure how we’ve managed to grasp and hold on to that Westernised tradition, but it is one thing I definitely look forward to.”

In Luke 19:13 the Bible teaches us that Jesus called 10 of His servants, gave them 10 Minas and said to them, “Occupy until I come”. This command tells us that we should consistently strive to be like Jesus. We should keep on changing and touching people in our world in loving ways beyond Christmas.

Nothing can keep the word of God from getting to where it is supposed to go. His grace is sufficient and it always make a way.

Nothing can keep the love of God within us from spreading out into the whole world, because love is a powerful force that breaks every wall that is trying to limit it only to ourselves! The love of God will always point people to Jesus! “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It leads us through the certain into God’s inner sanctuary.” (Hebrews 6:19.)

May you experience God’s love like never before during this festive season.

Jesus… the gift from God www.devotedmag.co.za

37

Business

How to work ten hours less per week

By FERGUS FERGUSON

John D Rockefeller, a man who amassed a fortune, once said: “Those who have leisure time to spend pursuing their passions and dreams experience the real wealth in life.”

L

earning how to lop 10 hours off a typical work week without sacrificing any income is possible and it’s easier and faster to accomplish than most entrepreneurs think with these three steps.

generated, how many contacts are being made with customers each month and how many customers make actual purchases. To harvest such information, use software connected to point-of-sale terminals or cash registers.

Next, launch a marketing and advertising Step One: Fire Extraneous Customers campaign to generate new customer leads to The first rule of any time management system encourage existing customers to buy more and is to utilise the time allotted most efficiently, but to promote the most profitable products or still make the same amount of money. As the services. saying goes; time is money and the thief to be Part of this effort should involve a new most wary of is the one who steals time. So, the way of looking at the business model. Most rather controversial first step is to fire customers entrepreneurs see the future of their companies who tie up sales people with inconsequential in terms of products and services that fill a sales, steal valuable time with constant particular market need or niche. Find the right complaining and waste your accountants’ time merchandise and the customers will come. Build chasing them for their payments. Either get the best resort and it will be booked a year in rid of them or transform them into customers advance. Invent a better mousetrap and it will who proactively feed the bottom line. While make millions. this approach may sound radical, it’s practical Another way to view the marketplace of to only focus on customers who respond with opportunity is to reverse that point of view. profitable transactions.

Instead of looking for the ideal items to Eliminating customers may involve deleting sell, invest in purchasing the loyalty of the dead-end leads from the customer database perfect customer. Rather than chasing market or it may mean sending them to a business share, chase “wallet share” or more profitable that more appropriately matches their purse. customer-based transactions. No matter what Try adjusting the magnets, like discounts a business sells, it’s ultimately the customers and freebies, which are attracting unwanted and how many times they spend money that customers in the first place. generates the profits.

Invest in attracting and retaining good Step Two: Money is a Great Time Saver customers and the profits will be taken care Entrepreneurs who know how to make of automatically. Instead of reinventing the money more efficiently, leverage it to carve wheel, find out who is buying wheels and out more time for themselves. The key to more turn them into steady customers. Sell them a money is to convert unprofitable interactions premium wheel with a wider profit margin. Then into profitable ones. This is a fool-proof formula sell a set of wheels to your customers’ family for saving more hours each day without and friends. compromising productivity or earnings.

Once an expanding customer base is To prepare for profit-boosting initiatives, established, use incentives such as superior gather accounting data and metrics to get a customer service, in-house financing, exclusive clear picture of where your profits are being product lines and preferential customer perks

to inspire them to double their monthly transactions.

Try up-selling customers to premium products. Cross-sell accessories or add-on features to them. Even down-sell to them by offering a more economical version of the product they can’t yet afford so that they don’t take their business elsewhere.

To gain 10 hours each week, it’s necessary to reap 40 hours worth of extra profits per month.

One week is 25 percent of a 4-week month.

So to gain 10 hours per week it’s necessary to increase conversion rates, sales and profits by 25 percent. Do it by attracting more customers, increasing the profit margin by a quarter or by lowering overheads by 25 percent. Get rid of customers who are wasting 25 percent of employee time. Stop discount coupons and giveaways and institute in-house financing to capture extra sales and interest rate revenues.

Step three: Enviable Options Now the business owner has enviable options. One possibility is to close down the business for 10 hours each week, take time off and settle for making the same monthly income that was generated before boosting profits by 25 percent. Another alternative is to leverage that newfound success for progressive changes and forward momentum. You can also maintain the same hours of operation, capture the extra 25 percent in profits and then wisely reinvest those profits in greater timesaving initiatives.

In conclusion, work smarter, not harder with organised systems, cutting-edge technology, innovative advertising campaigns and increased employee training. Put the business into the hands of capable others who can run the store without you and any loss of productivity or income. Then it’s possible to play golf all day every day.

Fergus Ferguson is a franchisee of the global business coaching company – ActionCOACH. He is an accredited business coach who assists business owners to significantly grow their profits and develop their entrepreneurial skills.

Main: +27 12 665 1015 • Mobile: +27 82 650 0867 • Email: fergusferguson@actioncoach.com

Website: http://actioncoach.com/fergusferguson

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Do not miss the opportunity to showcase your business or ministry Advertise in Devoted; the Christian lifestyle magazine with a difference Research and studies show that advertising during ANY economy has a marked effect on customer loyalty. It also enhances the long-term competitive advantage of any business.

HOW CAN YOUR BUSINESS OR ORGANISATION BENEFIT FROM ADVERTISING IN DEVOTED? • • • • • • • • • • •

Position your business as a market leader Increase your brand awareness Educate the market Build a prospective database Strengthen your relationship with existing markets Attract new customers Launch new products Devoted can go where preachers sometimes cannot – right into people’s homes!

It helps you to keep in touch with other churches, congregations and fellow churchgoers We distribute bi-monthly to an estimated more than 20,000 readers We help people discover life through the Gospel and you have a role to play in that

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Magazine advertising offers the most effective advertising option.

Advertisers using Christian lifestyle magazines enjoy a greater range of responses Christian readers have the tendency to establish very strong bonds with their publications of choice Christian readers are loyal and often re-read past issues an average of 2.3 times and pass on the magazine to family and friends It is usually more cost-effective and generates a new, and loyal, customer base

Devoted meets the two most critical elements necessary to carry out a successful print advertising campaign: reaching a focused target audience AND doing it cost-effectively.

Visit our website at www.devotedmag.co.za CALL US NOW TO SECURE YOUR SPACE

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gift

The greatest

of all…

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

T

here are always two sides to the gift-process.

When you give a gift, you want to make that person happy, you want them to feel loved. You definitely do not want them to reject your gift!

And when the person likes the gift, it makes you feel great.

When you receive a gift, you feel grateful, special and you are thankful towards the giver. You definitely don’t want them to think you didn’t like or appreciate the gift! It makes you realise how much the person cares about you, no matter how small or big the gift is.

However, you get some pretty bad gift givers (give begrudgingly) and also some bad gift receivers (ungrateful).

God is probably the best gift giver in the universe. He will never give you something that is bad for you, or that you don’t like and on top of that He has already given us the best gift – Jesus Christ. The Bible says in James 1:17 that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights…”

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God gives us these amazing gifts – not because we deserve it and certainly not because we have earned it. He didn’t forget our birthdays or anniversaries – He gives, because He loved. The word “loved” in John 3:16 shows us that God loved us even when we were still sinners, even when we still rejected Him, even before we were born! He planned to give us these gifts long before we chose accept Him. Now, it is up to us to decide how we are going to accept these gifts.

We can choose to reject God’s gifts or we can choose to gratefully accept them, knowing that we are actually not worthy of receiving them.

We should live with an attitude of gratitude – thankful for every little (or big) gift God sends our way. And He sends many!

Let us be great gift givers and receivers during this festive season – blessing the people in our lives and receiving the blessings of God with a thankful heart. At the end of the day, we are blessed to be a blessing and God “has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3)

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