The Eight O’Clock
News February 2016
I Resolve to... Part of the transition to a new year is the making of resolutions—to change and improve ourselves and our lives. Although it is a well-documented fact that most of us fail to keep our resolutions, we keep making them and resolving to do better! The ancient Babylonians were the first to make New Year’s resolutions 4000 years ago and they made them in mid-March not in January. A huge festival called Akitu was held over twelve days during which they crowned a new king and reaffirmed their loyalty to the reigning king. They made promises to the gods to pay their debts and return any objects that they had borrowed. A similar practice was held in ancient Rome and, in about 46 BC, Julius Caesar tinkered with the calendar and established January 1 as the beginning of the new year. The month was named after the two-faced god Janus who symbolically looked backwards into the previous year and ahead into the future. Today, the making of New Year’s Resolutions is largely a secular practice made to oneself with the focus on self-improvement—this may explain why they are so hard to keep. Perhaps like me, you have resolved to do or not do certain things this year but in the back of your mind, you have the nagging doubt, will I stick to it? Therefore let us be like Paul who after knowing Christ for thirty years, resolved to know Him better (Philippians 3:7-8). In basing our resolutions in scripture, praying about our challenges, meditating upon Him and asking Him for help, we have a sure hope in achieving what we set out to do and that it is in accordance with His perfect will for us. Praying into the scriptures and personalising them is something that will sustain us the whole year round. In Sarah Young’s book, Jesus Today – Experience Hope through His Presence, she writes as Jesus speaking: “I, Myself, go before you and will be with you. So do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. I, your loving Saviour, am also infinite God! I am omnipresent: present everywhere at once. This makes it possible for me to go ahead of you—opening up the way—without ever leaving your side. The promise of My Presence is for all February 2016 Eight O’Clock News
8 am Service, Christ Church, Kenilworth
time. No matter where you go or what circumstances you encounter, I will be with you. This is the basis of your courage and confidence. Though fear and discouragement may sometimes slink into your heart, this is not their rightful home. Your heart is My dwelling place, and those hurtful emotions are not from Me. In fact, My perfect love casts out fear. So check your heart from time to time, to see if fear and discouragement are loitering there. If you discover those unwelcome intruders, ask the Holy Spirit to function as a bouncer and boot them out! Then encourage yourself with My promise to go before you and be with you—and let My perfect Love renew your hope” (Deuteronomy 31:8). Why do we often keep striving in our own limited strength instead of letting go and knowing that He is God who can do infinitely more in our lives than we can ever imagine? Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth (Psalm: 46:10). Let us reaffirm our loyalty to our King of Kings! The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps (Proverbs: 16:9). - Cheryl Anderson
Heard on the radio on 2 January 2016: ‘I have resolved never to make New Year’s resolutions. [Is this possible?]
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Woman of Compassion Anne’s story starts in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe,
Joseph and Grace, live in Christchurch, New Zealand. Andrew who had emigrated to England, lived in Hastings until last year when he tragically died from a heart attack at only 54 years of age. Anne was devastated and continues to grieve her loss, but her firm faith has given her the strength to come to terms with Andrew’s death. She finds herself able to thank God that Andrew was at home, near help when he died and not away on his own in Europe on a motor cycle tour that he was planning. To begin with, Anne attended the 10 am service with her children, but later became a member of the 8 O’ Clock congregation, where she feels at home with the style of service and particularly with the music. Although never having felt called to any leadership role, Anne has participated fully in church life as a member of a number of different home groups and in giving support to the various outreaches of the church. She believes that the teaching received both in these groups and through the excellent preaching at Christ Church, has grown her faith and drawn her to walk more closely with the Lord over the years. She uses Closer to God for her daily readings and finds that they have done just that—and reading the Bible has become a delight to her. Anne is a woman of deep compassion, quick to spot and respond to the needs of those around her. She exercises her ‘love for neighbour’ quietly in many and various thoughtful acts of kindness and care. We are blessed to have her in our midst. - Elizabeth van Lingen
but only at about forty did she discover the actual circumstances of her birth. She learnt that her father had been a young ex-serviceman badly traumatised by his experiences in the trenches during the Great War, and that he, with his young wife, had been among a group of ex-soldiers sent by the British Government to the then Rhodesia, to start a new life away from the stresses of post-war Britain. However, Anne’s father died prematurely and tragically even before he and his wife knew she was pregnant. One can only imagine the despair and fear of the young mother-to-be finding herself widowed and alone in a strange country. She was taken in by ‘Auntie Katie’, a compassionate lady who owned a nursing home and who was eventually awarded an OBE for her work of philanthropy. It so happened that ‘Auntie Katie’s’ brother and his wife were a childless couple desperately wanting a baby of their own, and, when approached, Anne’s mother agreed that to give her up to them for adoption would be in her baby’s best interests, and so Anne became the much-loved daughter of the only parents she ever knew, and Auntie Katie became the aunt whom she remembers very fondly. Anne’s father worked for the oil company, Caltex, and the family New Arrivals moved to South Africa, first to Cape Town and then Johannesburg where, owing to her father’s frequent transfers, she Rebecca Diana Leslie was born at Queen attended no fewer than ten schools before she matriculated. Charlotte’s Hospital Anne’s walk with the Lord started at the tender age of 8, while in London on 10 they were living in Rosebank, Johannesburg, when she felt a keen desire to go to church. Although her parents were not January and weighed churchgoers, they encouraged her and she started attending 3.5 kg (8 lbs). She St Martins-in-the-Veld with school friends. Anne finished school in was ‘a miraculous, 1948, when, like so many other young South Africans, she sailed natural breech away on a Union Castle ship for a delightful, fun-filled holiday spent with family and friends in England. On her return to Cape birth’ (Proud Town she worked for Caltex where she met Peter MacMillan. Grandpa David). They were married in 1958. Peter, an agnostic and not a Here she sits in a churchgoer himself, nevertheless encouraged Anne’s involvement chair for the first in church. To begin with, they lived with Peter’s mother in Fish time! Hoek where Anne attended the Anglican Church. While they were living there, their first two children, Andrew and Sarah, were born Grandma Yve will be and both were baptized at the Anglican Church in St James. In visiting her soon. due course, the family moved to make their home in Constantia, and a third child, Georgina, was born to them. The children were educated at schools in Wynberg, and, as Sarah and Georgina Jesse James were growing up, they were drawn into youth groups at Christ (JJ) Pienaar Church, Kenilworth. Through their involvement, Anne finally was born settled here in the mid-1980s, when David Cook was minister-inon 17 charge. So for nearly 30 years Christ Church has been Anne’s spiritual home. Once the children had left home, Anne and Peter January in moved to Harfield Village, where he died in 1991. Not long London to afterwards, Anne moved to Pinewood Village, where she still Elaine lives. (daughter Only one of Anne’s children, Sarah, still lives in Cape Town. Sarah has four children—Nicki, Daniel, Jacob and Michaela. She of Daphne lives in Pinelands, and runs a very busy pre-school called, Firm Burger) Foundations. Georgina, with her husband and two children, February 2016 Eight O’Clock News
and Jeandre (JD) Pienaar and brother to Jean-Ben (JB). He weighed in at 3.89 kg. Grandma Daphne will be visiting him soon.
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Our Grand Voyage [Genoa to Durban, October/November 2015]
On Friday 23 October we began a 24-hour long tiring plane and
coach journey to reach our cruise ship MSC Sinfonia docked in Genoa Harbour. We flew via Dubai and then on to Milan where we joined a coach to take us to Genoa. Because of the size of Dubai airport and getting there at 2 am we had asked for wheelchair assistance—a wonderful experience. I just sat back and we zoomed past loads of other weary travellers trudging through the vast halls trying to find their next boarding gate. We spent one night in a Genoa hotel (not recommended) where the doors to the shower were so narrow Clive only just managed to squeeze in but impossible for me! We embarked on the Sunday and found a lovely well appointed cabin with balcony waiting for us. The ship had everything anyone could want for a lovely cruise holiday: evening shows in the theatre—we enjoyed the classical concerts, singers with fantastic voices, quiz sessions, lectures, dance lessons, Italian language lessons, deck games, golf, swimming pools, tennis, shuffle board etc. You could do as much or as little as the fancy took you. Plenty of outdoor bars and buffet eating facilities as well as three other restaurants. [We were entitled to eat at two very fancy restaurants so we used one at lunch time and the other in the evening.] Wonderful food and very well presented. We had bought a 'drinks package' before sailing so could have as much wine and other beverages as we wanted, whenever we wanted them. What amazed us on the ship was that the crew was made up of people from 39 different countries and they all worked and lived well together, a highlight in itself—wish the world could emulate their example. Our cabin was positioned midships so we must have walked two kms every day just getting to meals or shows etc—lots of exercise in itself to get rid of all the lovely food. We stopped at various ports for sight seeing: Civitavecchia, Katakolon, a lovely little fishing village in Greece, Heraklion, then went through the Suez Canal—quite an experience. We had to go in convoy with a tug on the starboard side of each ship. Rather unexpectedly we saw that every 200 metres or so there was an army barracks with soldiers armed to the teeth protecting the ships passing through. As we were the first cruise ship in eight years to transit the canal the solders all waved, whistled and shouted, Welcome to Egypt. They were so excited to see us. The next stops were Eilat and Aqaba. Then we continued down the Red Sea heading for the Indian Ocean. It was at this stage that our cabin air conditioning decided to stop working and we sweltered in 40 degree heat—outside on the balcony was like standing in a blast furnace! It took nearly a week for the aircon to come back to normal. As we were going to pass the area where piracy was prevalent we were given strict instructions as to what to do should anything untoward happen. We saw quite a few 'guard' ships patrolling the waters which gave us some comfort and nothing happened. On rounding the Horn of Africa we hit the mother of all storms and Alison disappeared to bed with seasick tablets as the ship rocked and rolled all over the ocean. After a week of nothing in sight except sea—not even another vessel—we arrived at the Seychelles for the day, then Mauritius for two days followed by Reunion for one. Seychelles is a lovely February 2016 Eight O’Clock News
wooded island with lots of rivers; Mauritius was shabby; Reunion a lovely little island—we would rather have had two days there for more sightseeing. We went up the Piton Maido—a 2 200 metre high mountain with amazing views to small communities nestled high in the surrounding mountains and only accessible via a 7-hour hike or by helicopter—no roads! Another two days at sea and we disembarked in Durban Harbour, transferred to King Shaka Airport and flew back to Cape Town. It was a truly wonderful experience which we are glad to have done but are not in a hurry to do again. - Alison & Clive Kempton Jones
Prayer and Panado On Sunday January 10th, I was
rostered to be one of the pray-ers [during communion] at the 9 am service. As prayer ministry did not seem to be offered at the previous two 9 am sevices, I was unsure what I should do. Ev when asked said, ‘just hover’! So at the communion rail, I said to Janet Mills, ‘I am going to stick around in case anyone wants prayer—will you be on standby?’ Janet needed prayer. So we went and prayed for one another in the side chapel. I needed prayer for my leg and foot which had been troubling me for three months and Janet had things which were of concern to her. Then afterwards, someone else saw us and asked if we could pray for her which we did. From that day my leg and foot have been markedly better and with small amounts of panado, I am feeling much encouraged. Janet's requests were answered too. So we just need to accept the offer of prayer and the Lord turns up!
- Christine Milligan
Finding Old Records—and Connections Recently, David Greenfield found a copy of a 1991 UCT
Graduation Ceremony at which he was awarded an M.Phil. But he found another CCK-er:
All Will be Well After a wonderful sermon from Rob on Sunday 20 December the
day just collapsed around us. On leaving the church we managed to get up to the Main Road when the car began to make awful noises. Clive stopped outside Dennekamp to check that he had closed the boot correctly—all fine there. We rattled and banged through Wynberg but eventually stopped in a parking cut-out next to a block of flats just beyond Constantia Road. There Clive found that the right back tyre was completely flat. Out came all the bits and pieces to replace the tyre; fortunately an 'older' jogger stopped and asked if he could help. John was definitely an angel in disguise as there was no way I could have lifted the heavy spare wheel to put the bolts in place. Once the spare wheel (not a biscuit type) was on we thought all would be well but that was not to be. As we took off the noise was horrific, worse than ever. Clive reversed into the cut-out to get the car off the road and there we sat wondering how we were to get home as the car was refusing to move at all. Family and friends were all in church so no help there. We ’phoned through to Fernbridge security and Leonora—second angel—came and collected us and took us home. The rest of Sunday morning Clive attempted to hire a car—not one to be had anywhere in Cape Town because of all the holiday visitors. Neither of us got much sleep on Sunday night wondering how we were going to manage without a car for the Christmas week. Our daughter Jenny, being mentally handicapped, likes a proper routine and gets distressed quickly. We were to have hair cuts and lunch on the Tuesday and wondered how that was going to be organised
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if no car available. Eventually I dozed off and into my head came words from Rob's sermon—quoted from Julian of Norwich—'All will be well. All will be well', and with that God's peace seemed to envelop me and I fell into a proper sleep. On Monday morning Clive phoned Motospot in Bergvliet, who repair Mercedes cars, and spoke to Rudi who told him that he and John had put the 'wrong' bolts on the spare wheel and they had damaged the brakes, hence the terrible noise. Long bolts for original tyres and short ones for the spare—but nowhere in the instruction book is this information to be found! We are not the only ones to find that out apparently. Enter third angel: Terence, who took Clive back to the car, which amazingly was still there and helped him change the bolts. Clive then limped along the main road, with very poor brakes as the brake fluid had almost all run out, to Motospot with Terence behind him—just in case something untoward happened. The car was repaired that day. Rudi, fourth angel, being extremely busy, took a lot of time and trouble having to source a 'backing plate' from a second hand dealer as a new one would have had to come from Germany, managed to do the repairs and returned the car to us on the Monday evening. So in the end 'All was well' and the Kempton-Jones family were able to have a truly wonderful Christmas thanks to the angels who helped us in our time of need. Many thanks to God's special angel, Rob, for those words in his sermon which gave me such comfort at a rather distressing time. God is indeed good … - Alison Kempton Jones
Visiting Robben Island Annie Kirke spent five days on Robben Island with 60 people engaged in integral mission. She spent time visiting Nelson Mandela’s prison cell.
Painting on Garage Door
February 2016 Eight O’Clock News
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on the second occasion it involved a half hour struggle by Peter in the dinghy disentangling a heavy steel anchor with at least three hooking arms. Swimming was delightful in the bluest water I have ever seen, shading from turquoise to deep navy. Unfortunately the Med seems short of fish and to have very little marine life of any sort. Two thunder storms fortunately caught us in port and the days that we visited sea caves and arches were calm and warm. Eight people living in relatively cramped conditions for 14 days may have potential for friction, but a crew of lovely Christian people got on well to the end. Christianity is a faith to be practised according to James and interpersonal relations is a test of this. - Peter Broster [Jane is holding a “Noble Pen” shell she found floating in the sea.]
Sailing in the Ionian Sea After our guided tour of
Turkey Jane and I joined friends from Cape Town and Port Elizabeth (Peter's best man from 47 years ago) and Jane's brother John and his wife Joanna who flew in from America. (They were members of CCK from 1993 to 1996). We were to go sailing among the islands in the Ionian Sea on the west coast of Greece. Jane and I had two days in Athens before the others arrived and saw the ancient sites using the hop-on, hopoff bus. The changing of the guard at the parliament, in their strange skirts, tassles and pom-pommed shoes, was similar to what we had seen in Turkey. The two country's histories are so intermingled although they dislike each other intensely. The Parthenon is slowly being re-assembled while the rest of Greece falls apart. The next day we drove north for five hours to the port of Lefkas where we took possession of our yacht, the Ariadne, a 50-foot, 8-berth beauty. Ken had a skipper’s ticket and he and Mike had sailed before, as had John, which meant that I was the most junior member of the crew (whose average age was 73). It wasn't too bad as Ken made sure that duties were rotated amongst the crew, but flushing the toilet tanks was reserved for yours truly. The yacht required a wind of 10 knots to sail well but every time it crept to near this level and we raised the sails, the Anemoi (Greek wind gods) laughed and dropped the wind speed. So most of the time we motored from island to island. We visited villages and sheltered coves on Lefkada, Kastos, Ithaca, Kefalonia and Zakynthos islands. The docking procedure was the same in most ports. We would drop anchor about 30 m out and then reverse into the quay. This was fine until your anchor chain crossed someone else's and February 2016 Eight O’Clock News
Facebook for the Senior Generation For those of my generation who do not and cannot comprehend why Facebook exists: I am trying to make friends outside of Facebook while applying the same principles. Therefore, every day I walk down the street and tell passersby what I have eaten, how I feel at the moment, what I have done the night before, what I will do later, and with whom. I give them pictures of my family, my dog, and of me gardening, taking things apart in the garage, watering the lawn, standing in front of landmarks, driving around town, having lunch, and doing what anybody and everybody does every day. I also listen to their conversations, give them the "thumbs up" and tell them I like them. And it works just like Facebook—I already have four people following me: two police officers, a private investigator, and a psychiatrist !
- Origin unknown, sent in by Cheryl Anderson
Journey to Preaching In the early seventies, a young qualified nursing sister who, over
the years, had heard God calling her to be a missionary, decided the time was right to prepare herself further for service in the mission field. To this end, Ev Els decided to register at the Bible Institute in Kalk Bay for theological studies. In the academic world Ev’s two great loves are Theology and English and so it was with great excitement that she entered into and dug deep into theology. For various reasons, after her time at BI, God did not lead Ev in the direction she expected to go—into darkest Africa where her nursing experience, theological knowledge and deep love for her Lord Jesus Christ would all be used for the benefit of local inhabitants—but He led her into further nursing and academic studies and developed her gift of teaching. Ev retired from the nursing service as a Sister Tutor and waited on God to reveal to her the next step in her life. Many doors have opened for Ev since her retirement, including an interesting bookkeeping job in Daphne Burger’s firm, and God has used her creative intelligence, her command of the English language and her biblical knowledge in a number of ways. It is interesting tracking her pathway from when she took on the editorship of Eight O’Clock News. This led to her imagining and bringing about the Christ Church Centenary book published in 2007. All she learnt in that exercise led to her being asked to edit other books and theses and her publishing know-how increased dramatically. In the midst of all this Ev was laid extremely low by breast cancer. But that dreaded illness was overcome, creativity developed in a multitude of ways including leading Bible Studies and her faith in her God grew deeper and deeper. Side by side to all this happening in Ev’s life, her involvement at Christ Church also deepened. Towards the end of the last century Ev took on the administrative and pastoral responsibilities of the choir and did this until just a few years ago. She also served on the 8 am Service Team and Pastorate and is integral in the contemplative branch of the spiritual life of Christ Church. Her life was full and active on many fronts and, as far as I know, the preaching skills learnt way back in the Homiletics Class at BI were hardly ever thought about. And then came Rob Taylor… Under Rob’s ministry, Ev was sometimes asked to do the Notices at services and we all enjoyed her fresh and concise delivery generously dotted with humour. Whether this was a testing ground for preaching or not we will never know but in November Rob approached Ev and asked her to preach a sermon in December. As Ev explained during the sermon she gave, this invitation caused her to tremble but it also brought back to her that calling that led her to BI all those years ago—to go out and preach the Word. On 13 December, Ev delivered her first sermon in Christ Church at the 8 am service. She spoke on Luke chapter 1:39-55 of the small but very significant story about the genuine connection between two pregnant women of different generations and how through this story we see God at work in a deeply personal way that also just happened to change the world. In Ev’s inimitable way she brought into focus the characters of the two women and the importance of the Magnificat—“one of the most important prophecies in Scripture”—and also how these two women “pregnant with significance” carried the messenger, John the Baptist, and the Message, God the Son. Mind boggling! Ev’s sermon carried quotes from Judy Everingham’s previous sermon and other sources. I appreciated this quote from Bishop February 2016 Eight O’Clock News
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Tom Wright: ‘God’s Purposes and plans are first revealed in a private meeting between two women on the edge of society.’ The word picture painted by Ev of all that went on between Mary leaving her home to visit Elizabeth and returning for the birth of her baby, was full of colour and interest. And colour also marked the “tapestry” she embroidered in words of the actions of Mary, Elizabeth and God. It was interesting how she arrived at the translation of “mengelmoes” to “tapestry”! We learnt again how Mary’s song, the Magnificat, gloriously spells out all that God had done and will do for His people and also indicates how well Mary, as young as she was, knew God. From this place of involvement in the interaction between Mary, Elizabeth and God, Ev took us into a much larger space where we could become aware of the three-fold coming of Jesus which we remember every Advent. His birth, His second coming on clouds of glory and His in-between comings: Jesus comes to us every day knocking on the doors of our hearts. Judy Everingham’s quote from Paula D’Arcy is inspirational here: God comes to us as our life. And so Ev challenged us to connect our small story with God’s larger story by asking ourselves challenging questions: What is God wanting to birth in us? Do we open doors to rooms in our hearts for Him that we have previously shut to Him? Do we open up what is painful to God? Ev reminded us that Judy had quoted Richard Rohr who says: If we do not allow God to transform our pain, we will transmit it. “God keeps coming”, Ev said, “in that present continuous tense because He wants to walk and talk with us and for us to walk with Him, to invite Him into every corner of our beings, every room, into the warp and woof of our lives”. There were not only challenges in this sermon but also wonderful encouragements to celebrate with Mary the upside-down world which was being inaugurated by Jesus’ incarnation, to rejoice in the gospel, and to be aware of the amazing actions of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. She gave us some thoughtful facts about Jesus, God the Son, including: the only human who knew His mother before He was conceived and that the baby Mary delivered would one day deliver her. The final challenge was to our response to God’s gift of Jesus to us? Like Mary are we able to say an unqualified “Yes” to God? Ev’s own response is in the words of Isaac Watts: Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all. If Ev’s BI lecturer had heard her sermon in December, I think he would have been proud of her. She remembered that he had told her that she preached like a lecturer in a hurry; here her presentation was calm, unhurried, clear and full of life. He also once said to her that she always overestimated the intelligence of her congregation— she was easy to understand and held our attention. Not quite reaching out to those in darkest Africa but nevertheless working on the mission field, leaving us with a desire that this Christmas will give us a deeper experience of the joy of God’s gift to us. Well done, Ev! - Denise Wood (on request from Taryn Galloway)
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Ring Theory When Susan had breast cancer, we heard a lot of lame
remarks, but our favourite came from one of Susan's colleagues. She wanted, she needed, to visit Susan after the surgery, but Susan didn't feel like having visitors, and she said so. Her colleague's response? "This isn't just about you." "It's not?" Susan wondered. "My breast cancer is not about me? It's about you?" The same theme came up again when our friend Katie had a brain aneurysm. She was in intensive care for a long time and finally got out and into a step-down unit. She was no longer covered with tubes and lines and monitors, but she was still in rough shape. A friend came and saw her and then stepped into the hall with Katie's husband, Pat. "I wasn't prepared for this," she told him. "I don't know if I can handle it." This woman loves Katie, and she said what she did because the sight of Katie in this condition moved her so deeply. But it was the wrong thing to say. And it was wrong in the same way Susan's colleague's remark was wrong. Susan has since developed a simple technique to help people avoid this mistake. It works for all kinds of crises: medical, legal, financial, romantic, even existential. She calls it the Ring Theory. Draw a circle. This is the centre ring. In it, put the name of the person at the centre of the current trauma. For Katie's aneurysm, that's Katie. Now draw a larger circle around the first one. In that ring put the name of the person next closest to the trauma. In the case of Katie's aneurysm, that was Katie's husband, Pat. Repeat the process as many times as you need to. In each larger ring put the next closest people. Parents and children before more distant relatives. Intimate friends in smaller rings, less intimate friends in larger ones. When you are done you have a Kvetching Order. One of Susan's patients found it useful to tape it to her refrigerator. Here are the rules. The person in the centre ring can say anything she wants to anyone, anywhere. She can kvetch and complain and whine and moan and curse the heavens and say, "Life is unfair" and "Why me?" That's the one payoff for being in the centre ring. Everyone else can say those things too, but only to people in larger rings. When you are talking to a person in a ring smaller than yours, someone closer to the centre of the crisis, the goal is to help. Listening is often more helpful than talking. But if you're going to open your mouth, ask yourself if what you are about to say is likely to provide comfort and support. If it isn't, don't say it. Don't, for example, give advice. People who are suffering from trauma don't need advice. They need comfort and support. So say, "I'm sorry" or "This must really be hard for you" or "Can I bring you a pot roast?" Don't say, "You should hear what happened to me" or "Here's what I would do if I were you." And don't say, "This is really bringing me down." If you want to scream or cry or complain, if you want to tell someone how shocked you are or how icky you feel, or whine about how it reminds you of all the terrible things that have happened to you lately, that's fine. It's a perfectly normal response. Just do it to someone in a bigger ring. Comfort IN, dump OUT. There was nothing wrong with Katie's friend saying she was not February 2016 Eight O’Clock News
prepared for how horrible Katie looked, or even that she didn't think she could handle it. The mistake was that she said those things to Pat. She dumped IN. Complaining to someone in a smaller ring than yours doesn't do either of you any good. On the other hand, being supportive to her principal caregiver may be the best thing you can do for the patient. Most of us know this. Almost nobody would complain to the patient about how rotten she looks. Almost no one would say that looking at her makes them think of the fragility of life and their own closeness to death. In other words, we know enough not to dump into the centre ring. Ring Theory merely expands that intuition and makes it more concrete: Don't just avoid dumping into the centre ring, avoid dumping into any ring smaller than your own. Remember, you can say whatever you want if you just wait until you're talking to someone in a larger ring than yours. And don't worry. You'll get your turn in the centre ring. You can count on that.
- Susan Silk (Clinical Psychologist)
A Well Dressed Bird Aka Billy the Kilt What the best-dressed African Grey parrots are considering for either the J&B Met or for Burns Nicht! [When asked for his opinion, Billy said, ‘Arrr, pretty boy.’] - Suggested by Liz Michael
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God’s Palms See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands. [Isaiah 49:16] What matters supremely is not the fact that I know God but the larger fact which underlies it—the fact that He knows me. I am graven on the palms of His hands. I am never out of His mind. All my knowledge of Him depends on His sustained initiative in knowing me. I know Him because He first knew me and continues to know me. He knows me as a friend, one who loves me. There is no moment when His eye is off me or His attention distracted from me, and no moment, therefore, when His care falters. This is momentous knowledge. There is unspeakable comfort—the sort of comfort that energizes, not enervates—in knowing that God is constantly taking knowledge of me in love and watching over me for my good.
- JI Packer, Knowing God.
Psalm 115 Demonstrate in your lives My Kingdom authority. It is not for your sake but the sake of the Kingdom that I chose you and called you; Demonstrate in your lives My Kingdom authority; Share My peace with all you live and associate with, intercede for the diverse needs of society, set free those afflicted in mind and spirit, heal the sick and thus prove the love and compassion of Father. Everywhere people seek meaning and ask; ‘Where is God? Can He not speak to me? Is He blind to our needs? Does He not hear the violence of war? Does He not smell the stench of squalor and poverty? Why can I not feel His presence? Why must I walk this journey of life alone? If only He would utter a sound to confirm His presence?’ Some serve the secular god that explains away My miraculous power, denying the existence of God in heaven. Others serve passionately the images of their creative imagination. But the idols they serve cannot relate to the longing in their heart. Come Children of God, step out in faith— It is the Spirit of Christ who leads us. Come those who pray, step out in faith— It is the Spirit of Christ who leads us. Come you who know Him, step out in faith— It is the Spirit of Christ who leads us. God has not forgotten us, He knows the intimate details of each person, He will bless us; He will bless the followers of Christ; He will bless those who intercede for others; He will bless those searching for him, February 2016 Eight O’Clock News
even those with the minutest of faith. I will bless you in your obedience; In the trials and apparent failures of life, I will be with you proving your faith in Me. Everything you put your hand to, it will succeed. You are seated alongside Christ in heaven. Hear His concern for those who do not know and experience His love. Only you can be the witness of His love in these troubled times. After death you will have no further opportunity to share His love. Jesus, from today and for the rest of my (our) life’s journey, I (We) commit to serve You in all that I (we) think, do or say. May Your presence be demonstrated in my (our) life (lives)! References used (in order of use): Psalm 115 Acts 1:8 Matthew 10:1, 7-8 Mark 6:7-13 Luke 9:1-6; 10:1-6 Matthew 10:6 John 4:16; John 20:21 Matthew 6 25 Matthew 10:30-31 Philippians 4:6 1 Peter 5:7 Deuteronomy 12:28 Deuteronomy 28:1-14 1 Peter 1:6-9 James 1:2-5 Ephesians 2:6 – Mike Winfield Editorial Team Tel. e-mail Ev Els
021 696 0336 emichael@iafrica.com
Cheryl Anderson
083 272 1530 canderson@beckman.com