The Eight O’Clock
News July 2014 8 am Service, Christ Church, Richmond Road, Kenilworth
The Joy of the Spirit Philippians 4:2-13 Three Lessons from Paul in how to pursue joy: ① Remember / Recognise: God Himself is full of joy! ② Replace your anxiety with prayer ③ Renew your mind through thankfulness ① Recognise / Remember that God Himself is full of joy: Paul says we are to rejoice “in the Lord” … because God Himself is full of joy. Dallas Willard wrote: “You will not understand God until you understand this about Him: God is the happiest being in the universe.” Joy is at the heart of who God is, and we will never understand the significance of joy in our lives until we understand its importance to God! Yes, Jesus was a “man of sorrows, acquainted with grief” but joy is His basic character. Look at Zephaniah 3:17: The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. The Hebrew words are: He will be elated over you; He will exult over you… or dance, or spin around! In jubilation or with singing. He rejoices over you with singing! Even when you wake up in a bad mood! The reality the Bible tells us is that God rejoices over me even in my weakness, immaturity and sin… just as human parents delight in their infant who sometimes doesn’t know any better than to be a selfish brat, because they are filled with love and can see the potential. God sees our potential as eternal companions who love Him and no other, though He knows we won’t fully realise pure devotion to Him in this life… and so He delights in us. Isaiah 65:19: I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in My people. God delights in you! If we have little joy in our lives we need to ask: how well do we know this joyful God? Recognise that God is joyful—the first step on the road to rejoicing always … ② Replace anxiety with prayer Paul says: Do not be anxious about anything. Easy for him to say? Actually it wasn’t easy—he was chained up in a dungeon when he writes this! Paul is telling us to choose prayer over anxiety, which is like choosing to rejoice in God rather than indulge in self-pity. It’s the choice Habakkuk made: Habakkuk 3:17-18: Though the fig tree does not bud, and July 2014 Eight O’Clock News
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there are no grapes on the vines; though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls; yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour. Paul is saying: turn all your anxiety into prayer and thereby choose to rejoice, because you can trust God! We usually prefer to strategise, plan, try to get control of situations. Paul doesn’t mean we must not react appropriately to circumstances; just don’t let anxiety rule us. I saw a bumper sticker that said “Why pray when you can worry?” Paul is saying the opposite: “why worry when you can pray?” I heard of a British Christian leader who has a card by her bedside which reads: In Christ I am: loved unconditionally, forgiven completely, accepted totally, God’s child eternally. She reads this to herself when she wakes every morning to remind herself of the essence of the Gospel, the good news: it’s the free gift of God! She says we need to “preach the gospel” to ourselves every morning, to remind ourselves daily who we are in Christ, that it’s a free gift and a done deal. It’s not about me or what I may or may not achieve today, nor about what I’m facing today; it’s about being the loved child of God, the one in whom He delights. It’s in the reality and the confidence of our salvation, of being His much-loved child, that we find our joy. But we have to stick close to Him, connected to His Spirit who produces the fruit in our lives. Replace anxiety with joy, because the Kingdom of God to which we belong is not about this world: Romans 14:17: For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ③ Renew your mind through thankfulness Philippians 4:6 … in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Why “with thanksgiving”? Because anxiety and worry and fear blind us to the good things in our lives, the things God is always doing—He’s constantly thinking of you (cf. Psalm 139:17,18) and reminding ourselves of this by focusing on thanksgiving will counter the blindness that anxiety brings. Paul is saying: as you pray, discipline your mind through thanksgiving to remember the goodness of God. If I get anxious over something I can bring it to God with thanksgiving, the antidote to anxiety. WE PURSUE JOY by pursuing God: “remaining” in Christ and His love, contemplating God and His character, which is described by the fruit of the Spirit. - John Hewitson (extract of sermon preached in June. Full text available)
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The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is the biggest, oldest and most prestigious of the international science Olympiads for high schools. It began back in 1959, taking place in a different country every year. For a number of years it was restricted to Eastern Bloc countries, but later opened up to Western countries. I have always had an interest in maths’ competitions and Olympiads for high schools, and followed the early IMOs with great interest. In the 1980s I made many good friends in the IMO community, although participation by apartheid South Africa in the IMO was obviously out of the question. In 1988 Australia hosted the IMO, and their Director, Peter O’Halloran told me that he had been given very clear instructions by the Australian government that he could invite any country he chose, with two exceptions: South Africa and Pinochet’s Chile. At the time I remember looking at the IMO schedule for the next few years (China in 1990, Sweden in 1991, the Soviet Union in 1992—all strong opponents of apartheid) and accepting sadly that South African participation was as far off as ever. That was in 1989, the year in which the world political landscape was restructured at stunning speed. The Berlin Wall came crashing down, and in 1990 Nelson Mandela was released from prison. Through the good offices of Peter O’Halloran I was invited to attend the 1991 IMO in Sweden as an Observer, and the next year I took the first South African IMO team to Moscow (no longer in the USSR, but in Russia). Our first two years in the IMO were tough. We came near the bottom of the rankings. We had bright students (they have all gone on to illustrious careers) but we were not training them well enough. But in our third year we got it right: our team won three medals and came 27th out of 69. We have come 27th twice more, but that remains our highest ranking. Our teams have won 46 medals (1 Gold, 9 Silver and 36 Bronze) and 43 Honorable Mentions. Even at my first IMO in Sweden I was asked “When will South Africa host the IMO?” In those early days it was out of the question: we needed to build up a body of mathematicians and maths teachers with the experience and skills to handle the event. But after 20 years of participation in 20 different countries, it was decided that it was time July 2014 Eight O’Clock News
to repay the world’s hospitality. At the 2011 IMO in Amsterdam I presented a bid to host the 2014 IMO in South Africa. The bid was successful, and UCT was appointed to host the event. So here we are: this month we are hosting teams from a record number of 106 countries, including a record 12 African countries. This is the first IMO held in Africa. Nearly 600 of the world’s top teenage mathematicians will write two fearsomely tough contest papers on Tuesday 8th and Wednesday 9th July, and will then be entertained and shown the sights of Cape Town. It all ends on Saturday 12th July with an Award Ceremony in UCT’s Jameson Hall, followed by a big Farewell Party. On 13th July they leave, we hope, with happy memories and plans to come back some day. - John Webb Director, IMO2014
The Magic/Beauty of Mathematics 1x8+1=9 12 x 8 + 2 = 98 123 x 8 + 3 = 987 1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876 12345 x 8 + 5 =98765 123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654 1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543 12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432 123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321
HAPPY SPECIAL BIRTHDAYS To
Alex Fry (14/7) Cynthia Woudberg (29/7) Holy One of Blessing Your presence Fills creation. You have kept us alive, You have sustained us, You have brought us To this moment. Shehecheyanu, Traditional Hebrew Prayer
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God’s Angels on Our Tour to Turkey and the Greek Islands To celebrate our golden wedding anniversary (only in September!) we decided to do an Insight Vacations tour of Turkey and 6-day cruise of the Greek Islands. We were told that May was the best time of year to go as it would not be too hot. Our dear friend Neil Hodges was to have transported us to and from the airport but sadly he died suddenly in March. Enter our first angel: Pat Holmes—who stepped into the breach and became our taxi driver on both occasions. Clive has had a problem in the past with long haul flights. At night when the crew turn off the lights, lower the oxygen level and turn up the heat, he passes out and appears dead as no pulse can be found! Once oxygen is restored he is fine again. Our doctor advised Clive to tell the crew about his condition, which he did, Enter our second angel: Claire Senior, a Scottish lass crewing on an Ethiad airliner from Johannesburg to Abu Dhabi. Claire immediately gave Clive a huge bottle of water and wanted him to drink it during the night, she also kept the cabin oxygen levels up and the temperature at 22 degrees. No problems for Clive that night. To our surprise and absolute delight two weeks later Claire was once again on the overnight flight from Abu Dhabi to Johannesburg—so again no problems for Clive and no further explanations needed. Our third angel was Rashid Ergener, the tour director for the week long coach tour of Turkey. Rashid has been guiding in Turkey for over 30 years, is a professor at one of Istanbul's universities, so knows the land and its history like the back of his hand. He was a mine of information, balanced in his views and very caring of his passengers. The tour was very intense with miles of walking and climbing hills—which many of us found very tiring, but Rashid was patient and waited for those who struggled. We all had personal ear pieces so could hear Rashid's commentary even if not walking or standing close to him. One of the highlights of this tour, apart from all the wonderful sights in Istanbul, was walking through the old ruined city of Ephesus. We also had the opportunity of visiting or seeing all the places where Paul planted the seven Christian churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation—quite amazing. Of course, today the country is Muslim! A second highlight, although sadly poignant, was when we crossed the Dardanelles by ferry and visited the Lone Pine Cemetery at Gallipoli—where thousands of Australian and New Zealand young men lost their lives in a totally pointless battle during the 1st world war. Attaturk the Turkish leader erected a memorial in 1934 commemorating these men: Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives... You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours... You the Mothers who sent their July 2014 Eight O’Clock News
sons from far away countries wipe away your tears, your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well. On our return to Istanbul, four of us from the land tour were transferred to the port and boarded the Louis Cristal for a 6day cruise of the Greek Islands. What a difference from the very busy land tour to just sit and watch the world glide by as we relaxed on deck or in our cabin. The sea was calm, so clean and blue. The crew on board were fantastic—nothing too much trouble for them. Every evening when we returned to our cabin after dinner we found our towels made/twisted into various animal shapes e.g. elephant and two swans forming a heart, surrounded by balloons—for our anniversary. We visited Crete, Rhodes, Symi, Chios, Santorini and Mykonos—ending up in Athens. After arriving in Athens we had a half-day tour of the city including the Acropolis. Unfortunately at this stage Alison had succumbed to the bug that had been doing the rounds from day one of our trip and was not able to climb all the way up to see the Acropolis but returned to the coach when the weather turned cold. The following morning, after two weeks of amazing touring we retraced our steps back home to South Africa. A truly memorable trip. - Clive and Alison Kempton-Jones
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Rondebosch Common— A Family Focus My grandfather, James Durham, settled for good in Rondebosch when he bought a Victorian house in Bonair Road in 1917. His wife, a daughter of the manse, had been moved on from one parish to the next for years and was delighted eventually to be able to stop somewhere. My mother, Beatrice Mary, was born in that house and so the Common, right on her doorstep, was a lovely playground. When my two brothers and I were born in the 1940s, we also lived close by and naturally gravitated to the wonderful open expanses of the Common. The military, round about the time of the First British Occupation (1795-1803) and the period of the Batavian Administration, used the Common as a camp, hence the name, Camp Ground Road. A place of mists and chill winds in winter, the Common caused troops to suffer terribly from the cold, General Janssen’s own son succumbing to pneumonia there. Two adjacent rectangular groups of pine trees towards the southern end of the Common mark ancient Christian and Muslim burial grounds. However, such sombre thoughts were far from our young minds as we raced on our bikes along the narrow paths, sandy or ironstone by turn, all of them natural water courses in winter. Kite-flying was fun but more exciting were the freeflying model aeroplanes, operated knowledgeably by older boys than ourselves, with their tiny engines powered up on a thimbleful of petrol. Walkers with their dogs abounded, as they do today, crossing and re-crossing the Common’s many favoured routes. The homes of some of our family’s friends— the Chalmers, Doris Syfret, and the Falconers overlooked the Common and somehow made it seem even more a safe and familiar place. Later, graduating as so many of us seemed to do, to Miss Bradshaw’s Rosebank Cub Pack, situated in the elegant substation building near Cottage Motors garage, the Common was the ideal locale for all the tracking, modelling and tentpitching activities which were part of that apprenticeship for scouting proper. Though no longer young, Miss Bradshaw as our Cub Mistress, invested all her endeavours with a kind of hectic verve and most Saturday afternoons was to be seen July 2014 Eight O’Clock News
pedalling her ancient lady’s bicycle across the Common, followed more or less willingly by a stream of small cubs. In those less security-conscious days our parents simply packed us off to to enjoy the fresh air of the Common—much larger then too, before the motorway next to the Red Cross Children’s Hospital lopped off a huge piece of its eastern side. Devil’s Peak and the Eastern Buttresses of Table Mountain offered a superb backdrop to all those early years of recreation on the Common. With its very rare flora and wild life—about which we children knew so little—the Common was God’s special gift to children of Rondebosch and its environs. When I saw Geoff Price’s painting of the Common, showing the pine trees in the centre and behind them, across Park Rd, ‘Ardralla,’ home of my mother’s childhood friends, I knew I should buy it and revel once more in the memories of those far -off days on the lovely Rondebosch Common. - Neil Veitch
A Dream Come True It was the words contemplative and Israel that caught my eye in Christ Church Matters… and my heart skipped a beat! After thought, lots of prayer and with Neil’s blessing, I left for Israel four months later on a pilgrimage that has deepened and strengthened my faith in ways that are difficult to explain! Our group of 35 was led by Rob and Sue Taylor, together with co-leaders, their son Paul and daughter in law, Burn—a very special young couple. We broke up into smaller groups to ensure no one got lost or left behind. I loved being in John and Sue McPetrie’s group—we had such fun together! Every day I woke up with a sense of wonder and joy and my heart was filled to overflowing with gratitude for actually being in the Holy Land! Memories come flooding back—a prayer of thanksgiving on the promenade in Netanya looking out at the blue Mediterranean; Caesarea, Nazareth Village and then to Mount Carmel where we had a picnic lunch and reflected on Elijah and how God heard his prayer to triumph over the prophets of Baal. Imagine the spiritual warfare that took place there! Galilee—a part of my heart is still there. I was so aware of God’s omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence! So allpowerful, all-knowing and ever-present! And then the Shepherd’s Fields… they made me think of Psalm 23: The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul… Jerusalem! A city like no other I have ever seen! I was very aware of its ancient past, the religious tensions, the economic busyness everywhere and all the political differences. The
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spiritual awareness of the Christians, Jews and Moslems all come together here! I remember the crenellated walls of the old city at Jerusalem’s core, also the pale golden colour of the sandstone which was everywhere! Looking into the ruins of the Pool of Bethesda, I thought of the lame man Jesus healed and how Jesus still heals today. Jehovah Rapha—the God who heals, yesterday, today and tomorrow. Our walk on The Mount of Beatitudes in the heat: finding little spots of shade along the way to stop and ponder the blessings of consolation and promises of the justice of Jesus. The stillness and majesty of Masada, overlooking the Dead Sea, where the mass suicide of the Jewish zealots happened, left me at a loss for words. We spent time in The Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus restored to us everything that was lost in the Garden of Eden; Jericho, The Mount of Temptation—exploring the monastery and walking through the narrow passages leading into cool caves where we could sit and pray. I could go on and on—Nazareth, Tiberius, Tabgha, David’s Citadel, Bethlehem, the Steps of The Temple, the Western Wall, the Mount of Olives, Via Dolorosa and The Garden Tomb !!! Our last day was in Petra, a remote city that is one of the great archaeological treasures in the world. Awesome, unique, multicoloured sandstone with high mountains. We walked down the long and narrow gorge or As-Siq, hemmed in by 80 m high cliffs, taking in the bizarre looking geological formations and water channels cut into the colourful rocks. Suddenly, one’s breath is taken away by the pride and joy of Petra, the most beautiful monument there—The Treasury! Looking back, the quiet times we had with appropriate readings, the messages (short sermons) given to us by Rob and communion, meant the most to me. It’s not about Israel, it’s about God! It was so good to stop, find a quiet spot and be still amidst the people around us. This made the contemplative in our Pilgrimage mean so much and more to me than I had ever hoped for. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for making my Israel Pilgrimage possible! - Helen Ziegenhardt Veitch
Joseph of Arimathea Often when we think of the Easter Story, we forget the difficult time, Joseph of Arimathea had—firstly, he had to go through the harrowing events of the Crucifixion, during the course of which it became clear to his fellow members of the Sanhedrin that he was a supporter of Jesus. Then he had to go to Pontius Pilate and ask if he could have Jesus’ body. And then he had to place him in his tomb. Harrowing. And then he had to tell his wife! “Vot?” She cried, “ You haff given the family tomb to a stranger?” “Don’t vorry”, he replied, “It’s just for the weekend!” - Origin unknown, sent in by John McPetrie July 2014 Eight O’Clock News
Jewish Proverbs *If the rich could hire other people to die for them, the poor could make a wonderful living. *The wise man, even when he holds his tongue, says more than the fool when he speaks. *What you don't see with your eyes, don't invent with your mouth. *One of life’s greatest mysteries is how the boy who wasn’t good enough to marry your daughter can be the father of the smartest grandchild in the world. *One old friend is better than two new ones. *A wise man hears one word and understands two. *Don't be so humble—you are not that great. - Golda Meir (1898-1978) to a visiting diplomat. - Origin unknown, sent in by M Thompson, EL
Creations from Paper Clips
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Falling Upward: A spirituality for the two halves of life
Women’s Silent Retreat
(Richard Rohr) What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? What would that be like? Richard Rohr quotes Mary Oliver at the beginning of his book. Being new to CCK and How can we seek to live out our life a little nearer to our Creator? wanting to experience all that Is our aim only to establish our own identity, to find our partner, to God may have for me, I have an occupation and to be successful? These are narcissistic signed up. endeavours, warns Rohr, and though they are significant to the The venue was beautiful and first half of our lives, we can explore other values in the second peaceful, the food was half. outstanding and the bed was comfortable. Rohr takes us on a journey through what he describes as Having got past all that, what were the real benefits necessary suffering, challenges, mistakes, loss of control and of the weekend? broader horizons. These may be subtle or major. In an atmosphere of being open to God we listened A person fond of reading might in their more mature years, find to the input of our leaders, being directed to focus poetry satisfying; or a writer might be enthralled with the Old King on God and how to allow Him to speak to us in James version of the Bible and read it for inspiration before an different ways. episode of creative writing. We would like to find something new, The theme of the weekend was Desire and something arresting as we labour through our senior years. We Discernment—examining our desires and seeking don’t need to be old to do this, for Rohr says that a young child God’s wisdom to discern the best from the merely with a zest for life, might swiftly progress to this stage. Amid the good. paradoxes so loved by Rohr, we find the passage in Matthew 11: Silence did not mean isolation and agony, but an At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and opportunity to spend uninterrupted time with God, earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and to appreciate His creation, to rest and unwind. learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this There was the opportunity to take part or not in the was Your good pleasure.” activities provided and we enjoyed sometimes There is an exquisite shift to our thinking where we leave off the hilarious fellowship when invited to do so. rational and instead of the question, Why does God allow Many thanks to all those who made it a very special suffering?, we participate with the crucified suffering Lord. We weekend. identify with Him on the cross and experience suffering—there is Show me Your ways, O Lord, no need of ‘why’. The paradox as stated in the title: Falling Upward, is that having and teach me Your paths. acquired our identity in the first place we are called on to give this Lead me in Your truth and guide me, up and reach for new territory. And only in falling can we rise— for You are the God of my salvation, bounce up to new spiritual heights, only to fall again, perhaps And my hope is in You all the day long. even to greater depths. Psalm 25: 4-5 And for me personally, has it changed anything? I now look for - Jenni McMaster the nuances and patterns in living, and hopefully am not so concerned with dogmatic questions; the borders of things have Christine shifted. I welcome what I seek and what God sends my way and forward to a growing experience of drawing closer to God, Milligan’s look an experience with what is, it seems, an elusive maturity; for just Grand- as I think I’ve attained it to some degree, I lose it. Rohr is a Franciscan priest who has written stirring triplets Richard books, several of which we have in the Resource Centre. Born 21/2/14 Charlotte Brown introduced me to them and Duncan McLea, to my third son Rob Taylor and John Atkinson have all assured me that most of Derek and his it is good stuff (my words). [More books by Rohr in Resource Centre—pop in for a browse.] partner,
Silence for so many hours?
Elizabeth Burson. They are Benjamin, Jocelyn (a girl) and Colin and July 2014 Eight O’Clock News
- Theresa Keay
though they were born six weeks’ prematurely, praise God, they are doing well and I am hoping to visit them in Los Angeles in August/September. The photograph was taken on Father’s Day.
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Memories of The Great War
Communion Set from WWI
Cheryl Anderson sent in the poem below with these
Jim Michael
comments: I remain intrigued by the poetry of the 12 major WW1 poets, all serving soldiers. The story of the ‘war poets’ is also the story of the awakening to the full horror of what the 20th Century came to know as The Great War. Wilfred Owen said, ‘My subject is War—and the pity of War’.
has this communion set which was used by his uncle, Baptist Army Chaplain William Cramb Charteris MC, in Europe during WW1. It opens into a chalice and paten from which he gave communion to scores of soldiers during his chaplaincy service. Jim has left this set in his will to the Royal Army Chaplains’ Museum in the UK where the Military Cross awarded to the Rev Charteris is already on display. At nearly-95, Jim is too frail to attend church but loves to hear and read about the people and happenings at CCK.
The Soldier If I should die, think only this of me: That there’s some corner of a foreign field That is for ever England. There shall be in that rich earth a richer dust concealed; A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam, A body of England’s, breathing English air, Washed by the rivers, blest by the suns of home. And think, this heart, all evil shed away, A pulse in the eternal mind, no less Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given; Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day; And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness, In hearts at peace, under an English heaven. - Rupert Chawner Brooke 1914
In the Gramadoelas... We took 23 hours in all to get to Marakele National Park, where we are presently enjoying the company of the Hewitsons. First night we experienced freezing temperatures at Britstown, next night at Lichtenburg, and third night at Marakele. Arrived here and found a site right in front of the waterhole and found three rhino dozing in front of our site. Since then, numerous animals have paraded past our site—impala, tsessebe, rhino, zebra, kudu, wildebeest, ostriches etc. The rhino walk right past our campsite, as you will see from the photograph of me watching a mother, her calf, and a male. The ostriches stalk around camp, looking July 2014 Eight O’Clock News
for something to steal and downed four of my uncooked potatoes and almost got away with our braai sausages, but Willie chased her with a stout stick and she dropped them for him. John, Di, and Josh joined us yesterday evening and we had a celebratory braai together. Tomorrow morning (1 July) we all depart for Anglicans Ablaze, where we hope to meet up with some of you. Thereafter, we are off to Botswana and are really looking forward to join with Jean and Patrick Swan, who will accompany us through Botswana and a bit of Namibia—yay! - Margie and Willie Hare
O LORD ! You are within all things, but not enclosed. You are outside all things, but not excluded. You are above all things, but not aloof. You are below all things, but not debased. Your centre is everywhere. You have no circumference. Your fullness is everywhere. - St Bonaventure, an early disciple of St Francis. In Brian McLaren’s Naked Spirituality
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Community News Items Rod and Sally Palmer have just returned from four weeks in Europe—Veteran hockey tournament, cruise in the Adriatic Sea… Here is an extract from Sally’s email: Over the centuries there must have been many battles fought on the Adriatic Sea, but I guarantee none fiercer or involving more different nationalities than the daily battles fought on the MSC Fantasia for possession of a sun lounger! There are 3900 passengers on board, and there aren't 3900 sun loungers. So you learn early on that you can't lie around in bed reading and get up for a leisurely breakfast. So here I am, sitting in the early morning sun and watching as we sail past Greek islands on a sea that looks more like a lake. Berkeley and Pam Maytham went to Italy before settling in London for the English summer. Said Pam of Italy: Such a beautiful part of the world with wonderful views of olive groves, vineyards and hilltop villages for as far as the eye can see. Our villa was deep in the countryside and one evening, when we were walking home from a restaurant nearby, we were surrounded by fireflies—simply magical. We managed to explore Florence, Sienna, St Gimignano and a few smaller villages, all equally interesting and historic. One of my favourites was Volterra which is famous for its pure white alabaster which is mined nearby. The day we visited that village was market day and we had such fun buying local foods to make up a picnic. Cheeses are quite, quite superior. We were sad to fly back to London but keen to return to our little flat we call home. Ev Els attended her first Seniors’ Movie afternoon in June. The film, An Affair to Remember, was the main reason for attending—her long-time favourite and soooo romantic. Compliments to the hostesses for the décor, scrumptious tea and genteel serving—Cynthia Woudberg, Wendy Willcox, Sally Bresler, Marion Thompson, Anna Maydon and Gill Stubbings. Jennifer Taylor is off to the UK for two months and upon her return has agreed to help Vivienne Saycell revive The Old Ducks page. Jen says there are lovely stories to be told from the Wednesday service. Di Hoffa has just returned from the UK. In an email, she said: I am nervous to tell you how much I enjoyed my holiday in the UK because a certain person might ask me to put it in writing! Denise Wibberley completed a successful polar swim on 16 June: This year was the warmest I have ever felt, Clifton 16°C It was colder to stand on the sand! The camaraderie was exceptional. Can’t wait for next year . Denise sent in this photograph of Janet Mackay and grandson, Liam, enjoying hot dogs after Janet’s swim. July 2014 Eight O’Clock News
Messages from God Open your hands and your heart to receive this day as a precious gift from Me. I begin each day with a sunrise, announcing My radiant Presence. By the time you rise from your bed, I have already prepared the way before you. I eagerly await your first conscious thought. I rejoice when you glance My way. Bring me the gift of thanksgiving, which opens your heart to rich communion with Me. Because I am God, from whom all blessings flow, thankfulness is the best way to draw near Me. Sing praise songs to Me; tell of My wondrous works. Remember that I take great delight in you; I rejoice over you with singing. (Psalm 118:24; Psalm 95:2, Zephaniah 3:17)
I speak to you continually.
My nature is to communicate, though not always in words. I fling glorious sunsets across the sky, day after day after day. I speak in the faces and voices of loved ones. I caress you with a gentle breeze that refreshes and delights you. I speak softly in the depths of your spirit, where I have taken up residence. You can find Me in each moment, when you have eyes that see and ears that hear. Ask My Spirit to sharpen your spiritual eyesight and hearing. I rejoice each time you discover My Presence. Practice looking and listening for Me during quiet intervals. Gradually you will find Me in more and more of your moments. You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me above all else. - Extracts from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young Sent in by Wendy Gunn
Thought for the Road When human beings enter into the joyful celebration of the glory of God and the goodness of God’s gift of life, normal prose breaks into poetry, normal voices break into song, normal postures break into dancing, and people don’t simply become more religious—they become alive. You can feel this dynamic in the ancient Hebrew Psalms: The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy And I will give thanks to Him in song. Psalm 28:7, NIV
- Extract from Brian McLaren’s Naked Spirituality Editorial Team Tel.
e-mail**
Ev Els
021 696 0336 emichael@iafrica.com
Cheryl Anderson
083 272 1530 canderson@beckman.com