Trú Magazine by Sophie Kean

SPRING 2012 £2.50

trú

FOREVER 21

WHERE RELIGION MEETS FASHION ADDISON ROAD’S JENNY SIMMONS: “Christ alone has redeemed brokeness in my life”

FABULOUS MODEST LOOKS

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CONTENTS 5

A note from me

Jenny Simmons: Music, Mothering and Meeting with God

Forever 21: Believing or Deceiving

Make Mine Modest

10 Ways To... Put A Smile On Someoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Face

UK registered charity no. 1105851 Company no. 5171525 Scot charity no. SC039150 NI charity no. XR94639 Company no. NI059154 ROI charity no. CHY 6998 Company no. 426928. The Christian Aid name and logo are trademarks of Christian Aid; Poverty Over is a trademark of Christian Aid. ÂŠ Christian Aid 2012 Printed on 100 per cent recycled paper. F3030E Christian Aid/Heidi Bradner

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance 1 Corinthians 13:7

Patricia Sawie, aged 12, is a determined student and studies hard. Her dream is to one day become president of her country, Sierra Leone in west Africa. The village development committee in her town Gbap, supported by Christian Aid partner the Methodist Church of Sierra Leone, lobbied the government to provide materials for a new school that she and her classmates are now enjoying.

christianaid.org.uk

Image: christianaid.org.uk

A NOTE FROM ME...

told me about the work she does with humanitarian charity World Concern. One thing that Jenny said she loves to do is to encourage people to buy animals and resources in someone’s honour, instead of getting them a birthday or Christmas present. Now I know that World Concern is an American charity, but they do pretty similar stuff to UK based charity Christian Aid. Christian Aid have a service called Present Aid (www.presentaid.org) where you can buy somebody an alternative gift, like a goat for £15 or 10 chicks for £27 (and a lot of other things too!). Now it may seem like a strange gift, but the present doesn’t go to the person you buy it for. It goes to a family or village in one of the poorest countries in the world in honour of that person, to help them have a better life. I know that we’ve missed Christmas for the time being, but we’re only a quarter of the way through the year, so why not think about getting somebody one of these alternative gifts for their birthday.

Welcome to the first edition of Trú magazine, a magazine specifically for us older Christian girls (yes, I’m one too!) showing us that we can still be just like everyone else our age, but still keep on the right path. I can’t believe the first issue is finally out, because it’s been a bumpy ride. It’s been great fun at times, but it’s also been a struggle at others. It’s times like that, however that I remember to look to God, Well that concludes my words of because just like it says in Philippians 4:13 ‘I can wisdom for this issue, but enjoy do everything through Christ, who gives me the magazine, and God bless! strength’ and voila, we made it happen! Now I just can’t wait to get started on the second issue, although that won’t be out for another couple of months, so you’ll have to wait! For this edition, I was fortunate enough to get to chat to Jenny Simmons (lead singer of Christian band Addison Road) and she

Sophie Kean, Editor

Jenny Simmons:

Music, Mothering & Meeting with God Interview by Sophie Kean

Taking a break from recording her new album in the studio, lead singer of Addison Road Jenny Simmons talks to us about her life as a Christian, musician, mum and blogger! Hi Jenny, thanks so much for talking to us today! You’re welcome. Thanks so much for reaching out to me and for thinking of me all the way over there across the pond! First things first, how long have you been a Christian? Well I have believed in God my entire life, but I have been seriously following Christ since I was in about 9th Grade (that’s year 10 for us Brits). I’ll admit there have been seasons where I am more in tune with His spirit and His presence in my life than others – I’ve had seasons of faithfulness and seasons of disobedience and sometimes seasons of lazy nothingness. But I have been fighting for my relationship with Christ since sometime in high school. Were you brought up in a Christian family? Yes, as my mum and dad are both preachers. My mum taught me and my

sisters to read scripture and to actually love it and know it deep in our souls. ..So you went to church often? Not just church. Mum would bring me and my sisters with her to visit the elderly, make hospital visits and even sit in funeral parlours while she helped grieving families plan the services for their loved ones. That sounds like it could be tough at a young age. How did you find it? Sometimes it was costly to our family, but watching her study and live the Christian faith has shaped so much of who I am. I learnt what it meant to not only believe, but to allow God to use me each and every day to make a difference in the world and in people’s journeys. Have you ever had to face any difficult situations in life? Oh my gosh. I’ve had tons of problems and heartaches. I’ve messed up terribly and have walked through pain I didn’t think I could bare under. My little sister had 3 miscarriages and I sat with her during the last one as her body went through the painful process of rejecting the baby. We shed more tears on that bathroom floor that I knew we had. My husband and I have to fight and work very hard to stay married and to love each other well, because there have been months where we felt like we

were on the brink of losing one another whilst facing bills we couldn’t pay or having Addison Road gear being stolen or having our tour vehicle catch fire and blow up, meaning we’d lost everything that we owned. In life, it’s not a matter of having or not having difficulties, the only real question is have you had them yet? They are coming, because that’s what it means to live in a fallen and broken world. We certainly will face and endure pain, the kind of emotional, mental, physical and spiritual pain that caused Jesus Christ to actually sweat blood. How did you deal with those difficulties? I have stared in the face of suffering and evil, and I haven’t done anything to overcome those truly tragic moments. In the darkest moments I had nothing to offer. The night our RV caught fire and exploded I was in Las Vegas, 30 minutes shy of going on stage, and I lost it. I had my 1 year old daughter and realised that everything she owned had just burned. I realised we couldn’t afford to replace our stuff. I realised I was now 1,000 miles from home and didn’t even have underwear, let alone a way to get home. My pastor said something that night over the phone that changed me and defines how I face pain now. She said, “Jenny this is the best place you can possibly be, because now, in the midst of nothingness,

nothing left to offer and no way to fix it, NOW you can finally step back and watch God Be God.” It’s not in my nature to overcome. My nature is to eat ice cream, watch Hugh Grant movies and cry. But Christ, he is an overcomer. And Christ alone has redeemed brokenness in my life. When did you first want to be a singer? Well I’ve been singing in my hair brush for as long as I can remember, but actually I went to university and studied religion and history. I assumed I would pastor people in the same way as I had seen my mum do, but music happened, and it’s exactly where I’m supposed to be. And what would you say your favourite thing is about being in Addison Road? I love meeting people all over the world. People are my favourite things. If you watch too much news or read too many comments on facebook and twitter, you might start believing the world is full of mean people doing terrible things. We see evil in this world all the time. But that’s not everybody, not even most people. I love my job because I get to glimpse the creativity, uniqueness and kindness of people.

..That sounds like a great reason Well, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what corner of the earth you were born in as we people are much the same. We’re all in search of love, meaning, respect, family, food on the table and a roof over our heads. There is more good than evil, more beauty than chaos, more joy than despair. I remind people of that, because they remind me.

both intoxicatingly exciting to think of what might be and insanely scary to stand in the midst of nothingness, alone with your plans in shambles. Then you meet God there. That’s what these songs are about. That place.

You’ve just been in the studio recording your solo album. Can you tell us anything about it? The new album will be out late summer and it’s called The Becoming. I’ve been working on it for about six months now, and it’s deeply personal because it describes a season of my life I’m just getting to the other side of. It seems to be the season that so many people I know and love have been walking – it’s the season of being in-between.

We can’t wait to listen! It sounds like you’re extremely busy with the music side, but at the same time you’ve got your daughter Anniston to look after. How do you manage it all? With lots of help! That old saying “It takes a village to raise a child” is so true for us. Everyone from band mates to grandparents to teenage girls at shows who play with Annie while I sound check make it possible for me. When I am home, I am fully present and available to my daughter. When I’m on the road, I bring her with me and rely on lots of volunteers to help me.

Can you explain that a little more? It’s not being who you were, but also not knowing what comes next or where you are going. The place you find yourself in when plans don’t go as expected, when tragedy hits, when the road and life you thought you would one day have just doesn’t work out… that place where you feel lost. But then you realise that you are in the midst of becoming something new. You have to patiently endure the unknown, knowing there is another side. It’s the process of becoming. It’s

What would you say your favourite thing is about being a mum? I love watching Annie grow and think. Lately she has been giving her baby dolls options, saying to them, “You can either do what I ask you to or you can choose time-out, but it’s your decision”. It tickles me every time, hearing my 3 year old telling her babies what I tell her a million times a day! She loves deeply and could lie in the grass at the park and watch the clouds for hours. Those

are equal parts of my husband and I compelled to share with the world! coming out in her and its so beautiful to watch. Every phase is different – hard I know you’re very passionate in its own way – but all so perfect. about helping other people that may be struggling in other As well as all that, you also have countries, by asking people to buy your blog ‘Cupcakes, Sprinkles products through organisations and other Happy Things’. Can you that benefit the poor. Could you tell our readers a bit about that? tell us more about this? With the blog, I have never ever been Somewhere along the way I got tired of disciplined. And that’s for a reason. seeing Americans with so much money There are many people out there telling waste it on stuff like a T-Shirt with my me I could make money off of it if I band’s name on it or a frisbee or poster focused in on a “niche” or certain group with my face on it. With the evolution of of people or wrote more consistently but for-profit companies like Tom’s came a I have always avoided that because, for great realisation that we could chose to me, blogging is about being able to get spend money on things that benefitted things out of my heart and into words. us and others at the same time. And It’s a place where I can be real and with entire nations suffering from honest and free and spontaneous. poverty, lack of clean water and basic necessities like clean water and shoes, I How often do you blog, and what believe we have to choose, little by little, sort of things do you post? to make a difference where and when Sometimes I write multiple blogs a day we can. What we do with our money or lengthy posts throughout the week. matters. Other seasons, like right now, I have only blogged twice in 2 months. I hate You work with humanitarian that. But life is busy right now and organisation World Concern. there is no reason to run myself in the What sort of thing do you do for ground, so I write when I can write. I them? like it being free that way... I don’t feel World Concern serves some of the the pressure of sponsors and I feel free poorest villages in the world, and helps to let the content go wherever it may go. raise money for their ongoing work in Often I post stories about the people I places like Somalia, Myanmar and Laos. encounter in life. The beauty. The pain. I try to encourage people to buy goats, The funny moments. And of course sheep, pigs and chickens in someone’s the pictures of my daughter that I feel honour instead of a tradition birthday

Words: Sophie Kean. Photograph: JennySimmons.com

or Christmas gift. That sounds like a great idea. We don’t actually have World Concern in the UK, but there is a charity called Christian Aid, that does a similar thing. So for the final question, if there was one change you’d like to see in the world, what would it be? Gosh, it’s honestly hard to pick. Where would I start? Clean water or accessible healthcare, free access to information or the chance to be educated, AIDS medication or a cure to cancer? If I could only change one thing, it would be that we would raise the next generation of children to care and act upon one broken thing in this world. If we could cultivate a mind and heart in the next generation of students that grow up with a sense of responsibility to something beyond their own wealth and happiness we could have lots of professionals who are not just plodding through life fulfilling their own pleasures, but they would also actively be a part of bringing about change and healing in a broken world. That’s truly inspiring. Thanks so much for talking to us! Follow @JennySimmons on twitter or check out her blog at www.JennySimmons.com

It’s not unusual to see a link between religion and fashion these days, with an increase of religious symbols and slogans appearing on clothing and jewellery. You can see it all over, from high street stores with clothing baring the word faith to celebrities wearing rosary beads and crosses as an accessory even if they don’t believe in the religion behind them and even catwalk designers creating pieces based on ideas from traditional religious clothing. In these cases, it’s generally seen as acceptable, so what’s so different about high street store Forever 21? There has been a lot of attention put on Forever 21 recently, as they have started selling tops with religious words and phrases on them, including ‘Jesus loves me’ ‘Enjoy God’ and even passages from the bible like ‘Do to others as you would have them do to you – Luke 6:31’ (Luke 6:31, New International Translation). The Chang family, who own the brand, are hardcore Christians that go to church every morning, but should they be allowed to reflect their faith through the clothing they sell. They’ve always included their faith in the company, as the bible reference John 3:16 has always been printed on the bottom of the stores carrier bags, often going un-noticed by customers, or not seen as a big deal. But the message on the carrier bags is a lot smaller, and a lot more discrete than the slogans seen on the shirts. Some customers feel as though the brand is trying to shove religion down their throats, and that the Chang’s are trying to make their customers adopt their beliefs. Rachel Kane, owner of American blog WTForever21, has compared walking into the store and seeing all the messages on items of clothing to going to church on a Sunday and being forced to start praying. There are many views similar, and they come across strong, but it may be due to the fact that they aren’t accustomed to religious views being presented in their favourite clothing stores. 12

FOREV

BELIEVING... O

VER 21:

Words: Sophie Kean. Photographs: Samuel Horne.

OR DECEIVING?

At the same time as trying to present their views, the brand is also trying to keep themselves relevant to the majority of other fashion trends, in order to keep up with the other brands on the market. However, this starts to contradict the message they are trying to put across as a company, because although they may sell a t-shirt with the words ‘Do unto others as you would have them do to you’ they also sell an extremely similar top with ‘Do what you want’ plastered across it, in an even larger font than the first. Not only that, but they also sell tops that wouldn’t exactly be classed as modest, with low necklines, wide armholes and lace backs, all showing plenty of the wearers skin, including some of the tops that have the religious messages plastered on them. How’s that for hypocrisy? But on the other hand, the choice is down to the customer on what they purchase. The store may be selling tops that contradict each other, but ultimately, the customer only walks out with the one that carries the slogan they believe in. A lot of the time, people are afraid to stand up about their beliefs, but now Forever 21 is giving Christian’s a way of expressing their faith through fashion. Forever 21 could be applauded for their courage to use their clothing as a statement of their beliefs and may be of a small minority that are actually achieving the sales and publicity of these items. All things considered, the intentions of the Chang family are generally honest. They had the opportunity to spread the message of God to a large audience, and they have been relatively successful. The message is out there, and it’s yours for the taking – if you want it to be yours. But that doesn’t mean the sales assistants are there to force you into buying it, it’s completely your choice, as it is with any other clothing which state strong views. Although it may be worth them reflecting on the styles of clothing they’re putting the messages on! 13

S T D E O M E M AKE MIN Is it possible to be a fashionable Christian? 1 Timothy 2:9 states that ‘And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves’ – and some Christians such as the Amish take statements like that literally and still cover their hair and have a very strict dress code. The majority of Christians don’t take on such strict rules, but many Christian girls have been lost in an illusion of what is acceptable, in order to stay fashionable and the younger generation see no limit in their ability to dress the way they want, no matter how much flesh that means they’re showing. In actual fact it seems like the more flesh a person has on show, the more fashionable they’re considered to be. As a result, the words fashion and modesty never seem to find themselves in the same sentence, unless they’re used as contradictions to each other, but does this have to be the case? Is it possible to fit in to current fashion trends and also remain faithful to one’s religion – in this case the Christian faith? For the young Christian lady, with all the usual peer pressures from friends, television and magazines it can be a very confusing time. We’ve taken items from the high street and created some our most favourite modest (but at the same time fashionable) looks...

Words: Sophie Kean. Photographs: Samuel Horne.

Top, £8; Shoes, £4, both Primark. Trousers, £16.75, Forever 21.

Dress, £19.75, Forever 21. Leaf Pendant, £9, Accessorize.

Dress, £24.99, TeezeMe at TKMaxx.

Top, ÂŁ12.99, ModBox at TKMaxx. Trousers, as before.

Top, £5; Jeans, £7, both Primark. Bangle, £4.99, New Look.

Dress, as before.

Top and Shoes, as before. Necklace, ÂŁ3.99, New Look.

10 WAYS TO ... PUT A SMILE ON SOMEONE’S FACE Written by Sophie Kean

It’s always a nice feeling knowing you’ve made someone smile, especially when you know they’re not having the best of days. We all have a bad day of our own once in a while, so we know what it feels like. Here are our top ten ways to put a smile on someone’s face...

Tell them how much God loves them – It’s not unusual for people to feel lonely, and this may also mean that they don’t feel loved. Remind them that the most important person of all loves them unconditionally.

Share a smile – If you see somebody that looks sad, smile at them. This works especially well if you don’t know the person. A simple smile can make all the difference.

Spend quality time listening – It’s all well and good have a great natter with someone, but does it really matter if you don’t listen to them properly? Take in what they’re saying, and if they need it, just be there to listen.

Offer a random compliment – It’s a great feeling to have someone compliment you, even just for something small. Try and brighten somebody’s day by telling them how nice they look, or how much you like their outfit.

Hold the door for someone – Even the small things matter. If you notice someone walking through a door right behind you, don’t just let the door go. Hold it for them so they can walk through too.

Make a surprise phone call – In today’s busy world it’s possible that your 9 ‘til 5 eats up most of your week, and you lose contact with those special people around you. How about you give someone you haven’t spoken to in a while a random phone call, just to see how they’re doing.

Share your umbrella on a rainy day – When you’re out and about, getting drenched in rain is the last thing you want. If you notice somebody walking the same way as you, getting soaked through, then offer to walk with them, sheltering them with your umbrella.

Bake them something – People love receiving a present, especially when it’s homemade. Go crazy and bake a cake or some biscuits to brighten somebody’s day, or even take them to share with the whole office!

Give without expecting to get back – Often people do something nice in order to get something in return. How about doing it for the sake of pure and honest good will? Offer to buy someone lunch, without expecting them to get yours the next day or give someone a compliment without fishing for one in return.

Stand up for your beliefs without flaunting them – It’s important to stand up for your beliefs, because it can often make someone feel more faithful. Don’t go around shouting about them though. There’s no need to force them upon someone, as this could make them feel worse.

Image: H&M.com

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