Direction February 2013 taster

Elim UK app is launched Elim joins the smartphone revolution

Call to ban so-called ‘infidelity services’ Why I take on Ironman challenges It’s just me and God, says Elim mum Pat Cooke Rogers

My baby needed heart surgery

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ALSO Mark & Nita Pugh talk relationships

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‘I’d have crumbled without my faith in Jesus’

av VER Di in SAT re IO fo ctor Ca N rC ,Y l W hr ou ve IT ist th r H

Dating agencies must be brought to book, says Lyndon Bowring

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FEBRUARY 2013 Issue 137 £1.70

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CONTENTS 5

EDITORIAL John Glass Somewhere over the rainbow

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WHY I TAKE IRONMAN CHALLENGE Elim mum Pat Cooke Rogers senses God’s power during gruelling endurance contests

10 NEWS from Elim and the wider church 12 OUT AND ABOUT WITH THE GS John Glass opens his diary 14 ELIM SMARTPHONE APP LAUNCHED The Movement has joined the smartphone revolution with this free Elim UK app 17 WE’RE NOT DESIGNED TO BE ALONE We talk to Mark and Nita Pugh for the lowdown on marriage and relationships 20 DATING AGENCIES GO TOO FAR Elim minister Lyndon Bowring looks at the dating firms offering ‘infidelity services’ 22 I’D HAVE CRUMBLED WITHOUT JESUS How brave Nicola Daniel kept her faith while daughter Caitlin underwent surgery 25 MY SON REALLY IS A GIFT FROM GOD When Sharon Millar prayed for a baby the answer came in a way she couldn’t imagine 26 FINDING MY PATH TO LEADERSHIP If you think you’re too big to serve then you’re too small to lead, says Kevin Peat

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30 BRIDGING THE GENERATION GAP We talk to Youth For Christ Director Gavin Calver ahead of Elim Bible Week 2013 34 2,000 VERSES YOU NEED TO KNOW! Mark Lloydbottom points to the Bible and its principles about handling finance 35 MUSIC REVIEWS with Ian Yates 36 PEOPLE KNOW I FOLLOW CHRIST Recruitment manager Pat Hunt speaks to Janet Whitehead about reaching others 38 GOALKEEPER’S IN SAFE HANDS Everton stopper Tim Howard reveals why he decided to follow Jesus Christ 40 HOW CONDITION AFFECTS BONES Dr Sharon Kane offers advice about osteoporosis and how to ward it off 42 MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN SPAIN The Church can make a difference in the country, says missionary Dave Hodgson 44 REACHING THROUGH INJUSTICE Believers must work for transformation, healing and peace, argues Nigel Tween 45 BOOK REVIEWS with Richard Dodge 49 ANSWERS with Rajinder Buxton 50 AND FINALLY with John Lancaster

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Direction Magazine is the official publication of the Elim Pentecostal Church @elimpentecostal www.elim.org.uk 0845 302 6750

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F I R S T WO R D S

Somewhere over the rainbow When I recently became aware of the statistic that the average person walks the equivalent of three times around the world during their lifetime, it reminded me of the man who said, “My mother is 83 and has been walking five miles every day for the past ten years. We haven’t seen her for ages and haven’t a clue where she is now!”

I have been wondering about the subject of wandering.

The biggest and worst example is found in the Scriptures. When the spies went into Canaan, ten out of the twelve brought back a negative report, with only Caleb and Joshua bringing a message of faith for the future. Because democracy prevailed, around two million people walked round in circles for 40 years – a journey that could have been undertaken in a fraction of the time had things been done differently.

The media has focused recently on the matter of the consecration of women bishops in the Anglican Church. Putting the rights or wrongs of the matter to one side, the frustration of many within that Communion is the apparent inability of the establishment to make decisions, as they appear enmeshed in the twin manacles of both democracy and bureaucracy.

Democracy has its place in the national and local Church, and I tend to agree with Churchill’s statement that it’s the worst form of government, apart from all the rest. But there are times when the Church needs to recognise, listen to and respond to spiritual leadership.

There are several instances in the Bible when God issues a wake-up call to his people: 1 Kings 18:21 says, “How much longer will you waver between two opinions?” and Deuteronomy 1:6 says, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Break camp.”

Jesus challenged his hearers by saying, “Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the

harvest. I am telling you to open your eyes and look at the fields, they are ripe for harvest.’”

Procrastination is not just the thief of time, it also burgles blessing and thwarts opportunity.

Nothing in the world has more urgency today than the need for evangelism – for reaching the lost with the message of salvation. It is unpopular in some circles to use the word ‘unsaved’ or ‘lost’.

The fact is, however, that such words describe mankind’s state outside of Christ.

I enjoy worship, fellowship and listening to teaching, and the Church spends virtually all of its time thus engaged. However, all three of those privileges we will be able to do far better in heaven than we can here. Evangelism can only be done in the here and now.

When you have finished reading this editorial, why not spend a couple of moments thinking of a relative, friend or colleague that you have been ‘thinking about talking to about Jesus’. And note I said ‘Jesus’, not how wonderful your church, worship group or pastor is.

February lies in the shadow of January when it comes to resolutions. But you and I, responding to what God is saying now, could dramatically affect someone else’s future, and even their eternal destiny.

One of the most hauntingly beautiful renditions of ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ was recorded by the late Eva Cassidy, but that’s not where God’s will should be done.

The Lord’s Prayer says, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” In heaven, the will of God is done comprehensively and spontaneously. It will only be accomplished on earth when the Church responds in a similar way.

John Glass General Superintendent Elim Pentecostal Church

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PLUS BALANCING CAREER AND MUSIC MINISTRY

SHADES OF GREY VS BLACK & WHITE Love, marriage and sex the way God made them

WHY GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK

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PLUS RESOLVING TO LIVE OUT YOUR FAITH IN 2013 Elim GS John Glass unpacks fresh teaching for the New Year

SERIOUS4GOD IS GATHERING MOMENTUM Mark Pugh talks about the future for Elim’s young people

SPIRIT HELPED ME STAND AT SCHOOL How NLT member Stuart Blount’s life was changed

THE BIBLE REALLY DOES ADD UP Uncovering the numbers behind the verses

ia ex or an

Call to ban so-called ‘infidelity services’

Dating agencies must be brought to book, says Lyndon Bowring

Why I take on Ironman challenges It’s just me and God, says Elim mum Pat Cooke Rogers

ever y mon th r

My baby needed heart surgery ‘I’d have crumbled without my faith in Jesus’ ALSO Mark & Nita Pugh talk relationships

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Ethics aren’t a fad, argues Emma Greenwood

M Y A HE N A H D R ow T T th I es ER BR e ca R E occ pe O A ult d R K

Top pianist Fabia D’Andrea on leading worship in church

New Sound of Hope for the Movement

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Celebrating the season in the community New movies retell the old, old story How the festive fractions add up

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Elim joins the smartphone revolution

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Elim UK app is launched

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Kissagram girl who kissed a preacher, then married one!

DISPELLING SUICIDE MYTHS

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The little Elim church with a big vision

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PRAYING 24/7 FOR A WHOLE DECADE

The church celebrating 10 years of prayer ministry

Why we need to rethink money Solving the debt headache Tithing isn’t giving God a tip!

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Facing up to the gangs crisis in our major cities

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THE CHURCH IS ‘BEST PLACED TO HELP’

FAITH F FA A IT ITH H & FINA FINANCE FI NANCE NA NCE

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PLUS How Elim minister Dennis Niziol found his real father

STAYING PURE IN A SEX CHARGED WORLD

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Preparing for a future after your own

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7 steps to bring your desires under control – by Colin Dye

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‘I FIRST MET MY DAD WHEN I WAS 60!’

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