Connecting Sydney Christadelphian Young People

Guys

August 07

The way girls thinkWhat goes on in the mind of a girl? Why are they so hard to understand? Why are they so different from guys? Karlie Pogson gives you some tips on how to speak their language.

As research for this article I asked a few guys why they would want to read an article with this title, and most

said they wouldn’t. Not to be discouraged, I decided to give you a few pointers on how to deal with girls, rather than an essay on feelings. So here goes…

1. Understand her language Women and men seem to speak a different language. The fact that the individual words are the same makes it very confusing because neither side realises they are speaking different languages. Us girls don’t like to say outright what we think, and believe that if you understand what we really mean, then you think we are worth the effort. I’ll translate a few common phrases into guy speech:

“We never go out” translates as “I feel like going out and doing something together. We always have such a fun time, and I love being with you. What do you think? Would you take me out to dinner? It has been a few days since we went out.” “Everyone ignores me” translates as “Today, I am feeling ignored and unacknowledged. I feel as though nobody sees me. Of course I’m sure some people see me, but they don’t seem to care about me. I suppose I am also disappointed that you have been so busy lately. I really do appreciate how hard you are working and sometimes I start to feel like I am not important to you. I am afraid your work is more important than me. Would you give me a hug and tell me how special I am to you?” “You don’t love me anymore” translates as

“Today I am feeling as though you don’t love me. I am afraid that I have pushed you away. I know you really do love me; you do so much for me. Today I am just feeling a little insecure. Would you reassure me of your love and tell me those three magic words, I love you. When you do that it feels so good.” It is important to remember that you are not being blamed or criticised when you hear things like this. Dramatic phrases are not to be taken literally, they are just the way women express feelings more fully.

2. Don’t always find a solution I talked to girls as research for this article too, and this was one of the main things we came up with. Don’t fi nd us a solution. Let me explain. When a girl comes to you upset, what she wants from you is understanding and acceptance that she is feeling this way. Think of yourself not as her Fix-it man, but as her source of strength. The problem is not impossible for her, but she needs to regain her strength before she can tackle it, and you can do that for her simply by listening and hugging. What you need to do is offer unconditional support, and don’t consider listening a different kind of solution. You may even feel that she is getting worse, but as she feels more and more supported when she is down, she will begin to trust the relationship and be able to deal with her ups and downs. Girls always go up and down emotionally. But with support her loving nature will shine through - even when she’s down.

3. Give what she needs, not what you need Different people have different emotional

needs, and men and women in general want different things. It is easy to give what you want, and then to feel unappreciated because she still feels unloved. While men generally want to receive trust, acceptance, appreciation, admiration, approval and encouragement, women usually want different things. Try instead to show her caring, understanding, respect, devotion, validation and reassurance. This is obviously a generalised and simplifi ed overview and every person is different. The important point is that while you may feel unloved, she may feel she is giving you love, and while you may be giving love, she may feel unloved. Learning to give love in the way she needs to receive (and same goes for girls if any read this) will save

lots of unnecessary painfulness. Ok, that’s about it from me, hopefully I helped somewhat in explaining the enigma of girls everywhere. If you want to know more I got most of my material from “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” by John Gray, so check it out.

Karlie Pogson

“The problem is not impossible for her, but she needs to regain her

strength before she can tackle it, and you can do that for her simply by

listening and hugging.”

when she is down, she will begin to trust the relationship and be able to deal with her ups

Jeremiah is a character in the Bible that I didn’t know much about before I wrote this article. Despite the fact that there are two whole books

about his life, Jeremiah and Lamentations, I hardly knew anything about him. But the more I read about Jeremiah, the more he inspires me. The two most inspiring things that I found out about Jeremiah were: 1. The fact that he was only young, but preached what he knew was right, even to the highest of priests and the King of Jerusalem and; 2. Jeremiah didn’t give up in sending God’s message. In fact, for over 40 years he told the people the same things over and over again. He cared about

the people and wanted them to be saved. Jeremiah was a man chosen by God to be a prophet at a young age, as told in Jeremiah 1:4-5. “Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctifi ed you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.’” Jeremiah was a well-educated man who

would have attended university to become a priest. He also came from a leading

religious family of Israel. God spoke through Jeremiah to warn the people

of Jerusalem that if they didn’t repent of their sins and obey the words of the Lord, God would allow the Babylonians to come and destroy the city. When Jeremiah was informed of his tasks, he didn’t think he was old enough, or even capable enough of doing the things God was requiring of him. As he had said in Jeremiah 1:6 “Behold, I cannot speak for I am a

youth”. Jeremiah’s age wasn’t an issue with God. Everything Jeremiah preached was right in God’s sight, showing he was more capable than he had fi rst thought. God had chosen Jeremiah for a reason. He was a very practical man in the way he preached. He was always using some form of action to help communicate his beliefs (as we can see in chapters 18 and 19 especially). But Jeremiah’s work for God was not all easy. The words he spoke for God offended the people and high priests. The people of Jerusalem believed that they were acceptable and special to God and hated being told that what they were doing was wrong. His family abandoned him, the people rejected him, and the king even had him thrown into prison. Still, he continued to be persistent with his words and demonstrations. Jeremiah was determined to save the people of Jerusalem from the Babylonians. As we already know, most of the people chose not to listen to the message that God had sent. In Jeremiah 32 we are told that this lead to the fall of Jerusalem. Jeremiah had been trying SO hard to tell the people that this would happen for over 40 years! From this fact alone, we can learn a lot about his character. He would have been a caring, and thoughtful person, who was enthusiastic for God and determined to keep trying to send God’s message. Thinking about Jeremiah, I wish I could be more like him. Maybe we all need to be more persistent with our friends. Share with them God’s word and don’t give up. Even if no one wants to listen, we will have pleased God. The other thing we can learn from him is that age is not the issue. We as God’s youth should stand up for our beliefs. God will be with us! Sam Collins

boldness of youth

The

Jeremiah was a young man who thought he had nothing to offer, but

God used him as a witness to his nation.

What is the fi rst thing you notice about a boy?I fi rst notice appearance and dress sense. I don’t think that means I’m superfi cial, just that I have eyes. I notice how clean and neat they are and how happy they look. I notice whether they seem comfortable or awkward, who they are hanging out with and how they treat the people around them.

Wow, that’s quite a fi rst impression. What don’t you understand or what annoys you about guys?Guys don’t annoy me, but I don’t understand their general lack of hygiene. Ew. I think maybe boys don’t notice or don’t care if they smell bad or haven’t washed their hair in over a month. But I think it’s a kind of impoliteness…sorry.

No problem. Sorry for moving. If you were a guy for a day what would you do?I’d eat like a pig and play heaps of sport with other guys. I’d also just hang out with guys to fi nd out what they talk about.

What would the best thing about being a guy?The best thing would be that the world is your toilet. Also not having to wax, shave or pluck anything would be great.

What do you think is the most common misconception boys have about girls? Haha… It would have to be the myth that we are some kind of freaks and don’t sweat, fart, burp or go to the toilet. We are not genetic marvels; we come with the good, bad and the ugly too.

What’s the best thing about being a girl?The best thing would be being able to talk about your feelings freely. Girls also have a lot less pressure than guys as far as getting a career and providing for a family goes.

What do you think is a girl’s responsibility in a relationship?As a girl, I think I have a variety of responsibilities. Biblically, I’m meant to be his companion. I think this means that I should be someone to keep him company, someone he can rely on, depend on and fi nd friendship with. Also, I think that I should make sure that I don’t restrict him from doing guy things. I should love and support him and look out for his best interests and as I should do for everyone, I should put him before myself.

How do you think guys’ best complement girls?I think that boys balance out girls’ emotional nature and bring much needed rationality in times of trouble.

*(List wasn’t “found” , it was plagiarised) **(List wasn’t “old” it was Chrissy’s) ***(article is the opinion of only one girl, and is by no means representative of every girl that ever lived…sorry.)

When Tim Mogg found* an old** list of questions on the ground at Lakemba Ecclesial Hall he made some slight modifi cations and came up with the defi nitive*** answers to the questions you have been asking yourself since pre-school when you realized that Mary-Jane, Lulu and Jennifer were ‘different’. Christine Lawrie reveals...

What girls think What girls think about guys...about guys...

boldness of youth

Who are you

refl ecting?

Hey Pete, check out this email, how hot is this chick”, “Yeah man, spot on she’s fi ne…”

“I’ve got a better one, I’ll fl ick it to ya in a sec.” How seriously do we take the hope that God has placed in us through His son when we’re around our friends, peers and colleagues? 1 Corinthians 1:18 says “For the Word of the cross is foolishness to those being lost, but to us being saved, it is the power of God.” If we want to think seriously about being an example to those around us we need to think even more seriously about just how much our faith and our beliefs mean to us in a practical sense. Are we ashamed of what we believe? Are we embarrassed that we may be considered foolish? Or are we confi dent in our God and his power? In what direction are we headed? In 1 Corinthians 5:9 Paul talks about a letter he has written telling the people

“not to keep company with sexually immoral people’ but he says, ‘I did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, with the covetous or extortioners or idolators, since then you would need to go out of the world!’ Paul is telling us that it’s ok to come into to contact with people in the world, people who live without the hope of the Lord. Otherwise, Paul says, we would have to leave the world altogether because it is impossible not to have contact with those who don’t believe. When we do keep company with unbelievers at school or work or uni, I think there’s a second question that some of us have asked ourselves at least once in our lives. Is it better to be thought a geek or a kook or a freak because of what they see as limitations in following Christ, or can we show everyone that being a Christian doesn’t mean you have to give up anything, that you don’t have to be different at

Do you laugh with your mates at a rude joke or inappropriate story? Being a Christian means showing the example of Jesus in our lives everyday.

Who are you

reflecting?

all. We question whether we have to be different. “Can’t we just fit in and be a ‘cool Christian?’” Well what does the Bible say about it? One quote we know well which sheds some light is Romans 12:2, “And be not conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is the good and pleasing and perfect will of God”. Also worth mentioning are again words of the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:17 where in talking about being in partnership with unbelieving people we read “Because of this, “come out from among them and be separated,” says the Lord, “and do not touch the unclean thing, and I will receive you”. So God wants us to be separate. He wants us to be different. So how do we show people the importance of what we believe when we have to be so different? When there are so many things we just can’t or shouldn’t do? How do we be a leader when we’re the last person that the people we meet would want to follow? I think James has the answer when he says something very thought provoking about our lives and our sins. “Anyone who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” It’s not about not doing the wrong thing, its all about doing the right thing. It is very difficult

for us to be a leader by the things we don’t do, because no one likes to miss out on anything. So whilst it’s vitally important that we don’t do the wrong thing, we can however have a much bigger impact on our friends, our classmates or our colleagues by doing the good we know we “ought to do”. Are we fun to be around, do we build people up? When things go bad, do we stay positive? Are we patient and polite with people that are rude or unkind? How do we handle things when they don’t go our way? “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.” If we’re always having a good time, and are confident in our faith through thick and thin, then people will take notice. If what we claim to believe in isn’t enough to affect the way we live, would you be interested in it? If on the other hand people can see in us a faith and a hope so genuine that we can seriously improve the way we live, then that’s something everyone would be stoked to learn about. So next time someone sends you a rude email at work, or you get treated badly by someone, or things don’t go your way and it all falls in a heap, ask yourself, can people see your relationship with God in the way you behave? Is this the makings of another terrible day at school/work/uni or is it the perfect opportunity to manifest another one of the incredible characteristics of our awesome God?!

Jono Russell

“If what we claim to believe in isn’t enough

to affect the way we live, would you be

interested in it?”

“If... people can see in us a faith and a hope so genuine that we can seriously improve the way we live, then that’s something everyone would be stoked to learn about.”

WG: Seeks taller, intelligent, thoughtful, more spiritual guy, must be trustworthy, not muscly but toned, 20 to 24 years old.

SL: Claims she has no idea what she wants, waiting for the

right guy to show her.

GP: Mother of four seeks prayerful, caring man, good values, Children OK,

must look like Ken Pooley. View to long term relationship.

SG: 17 year-old girl searching for tall, dark, stranger. Big nose is fi ne, must smell good, affectionate but not clingy.

ST: Seeks anyone who is interested.

RE: Seeks guy with own friends, open about God, able to read moods.

JC: 16 year-old girl looking for a funny, compassionate romantic guy, must be

musical and taller, being rich would be a bonus. Over 21s need not apply.

DP: Want to track down tall, dark, but not lanky boy.

LM: Requires honest, spiritual man, who can talk about the Bible, and show leadership.

ED: On the hunt for a guy who can show emotion, corteous, well mannered,

parents must like him, sporty, doesn’t mind being beaten in sports and games,

working towards kingdom.

AO: Seeks taller… that’s it SO: Nice, funny, humorous, tall, dark, handsome.

GO: Looking for really tall, hippy, with mullet. Must wear aviators.

JE: Seeks gentleman with priorities sorted out, taller, nice

eyes, NOT blonde.

Guess the Girl...Personals… We all know that SCYP is a great place to meet new people. Now is

the time to stop messing about and get effi cient about the whole process.

I am not a big fan of exhorting. You only have to ask my wife how difficult I find it to do a talk. I’m probably giving away too many of my secrets but I have a very unique

style of preparing my exhortations. Weeks ahead of time I will think to myself, “this time, I will get right into this talk, I have heaps of time to really nut out some good ideas. I really want to say something that will mean something to someone, encourage people, to help them in some way”. Around a week before the exhortation I think to myself, “yep... I still have time to get something done, I really should put pen to paper soon”. A few days later I sit down with a big bag of chips, bottle of coke, Bible, pen and paper in front of me, a little bit of Christian music on in the background for inspiration, and just think. A couple of hours later, with the last chip gone, I will probably have a few dot points written down with some weird squiggles and smilie faces drawn along side to make the page look more full. The day before I’m supposed to present the exhortation, a twinge of panic comes over me and I will get to work trying not to think about how great life will be when it’s all over. I get grumpy and usually sit up very late trying to finish the talk off in a last ditch hope that I might be a little help to someone and not a total disappointment to God. The point of saying all that isn’t to show how bad I am at preparing talks but rather to make the point that not everyone feels comfortable exhorting. Some people find it extremely difficult for a whole bunch of reasons and then there are others that are scared stiff at the thought of being in front of a crowd of eager Christadelphians. Hopefully if anyone is thinking about getting baptised but is putting it off because they think they will have to do certain thing like exhort or pray or chair a Sunday morning then I want this to put your mind at ease. I guess because these are the people we see the most on a Sunday morning we think they are the important jobs, but it’s just not the case. No one should feel like these are the most important things that are done at your ecclesia and as such should not feel obligated to do them. We all have different abilities and interests, that’s the beauty of how we

Finding your talent

were made by our awesome God and there are plenty of ways to serve God and each other using those interests and abilities. I don’t consider myself old (others might), but I have really missed the technological age. These new fangled laptop thingies and data projectors I find difficult to figure out but some of you guys probably love that stuff and there are plenty of opportunities to incorporate these things into the day to day running of your ecclesia. How about lawn mowing? Every hall has a bit of grass and a garden to look after. Maybe you like a coffee and a chat and could go and visit some of the oldies or the sick and give some of your time and company. You could get involved in Sunday school and have some fun with the little kids. Music is something that can really set the mood or create atmosphere and is usually something everyone loves so if you can play get involved that way. There is just so many ways to be a part of your ecclesia and they are all important.

Something a little different that some of the Charlestown young guys run is a “Spiritual Surfers” night once a month when the guys open the hall up for anyone who enjoys a paddle and wants to praise God for his amazing creation. If anyone out there is worried about getting baptised because of what they feel obligated to do afterwards then hopefully this might clear things up. It’s nice to take the burden off those who seem to be asked all the time to exhort and speak. But if it’s truly something that you will worry and stress about or don’t feel ready to do then don’t, but DO something! Get involved! The most important thing is that you become part of your wider family and that can be done in so many ways, the sky is the limit.

Joel Latta

If the thought of giving a talk in front of people makes you break out in sweat, don’t worry! God gives different gifts to different people, and they are all equally as valuable to Him.

We all have different abilities and interests, that’s the beauty of how we were made by our awesome God and there are plenty of ways to serve God and each other using those interests and abilities.

Guess the Girl...

As we travelled along in the van, Bro Francisco gestured to the mountain range on the left and on the right. He said “Don’t go into the

mountains on the left is the MILF (Muslim Liberation army) on the right is the NPA ( New Peoples Liberation Army)”. We were travelling to a fraternal gathering at Kili Kili (which means armpit) about fi ve hours from the airport at the north of the Island of Mindanao. There had been hijackings on this road so we were careful to travel in a convoy of vans and with other Filipinos so we were not too conspicuous. Mindanao is the island to the south of the Philippine mainland. Compared to the rest of the Philippines it is fertile, mountainous and also cooler. The majority Muslim population on Mindanao like it too, so much that they would like to secede from the existing government and establish their own state. The Kili Kili ecclesial hall is a substantial building with kitchen and dining area for well over a 100 people It’s in a side street in a rural Muslim dominated village. The word “Christadelphian” is ingenuously spelt out in small manicured shrubs in the garden on the street. Painted over the platform in the hall are the words “Enduring through hardship” which is not just empty words as some of their members have been shot and killed by snipers in the days when insurgents used to come close to the village. Being the start of their long Summer break, it was a very festive occasion as well as a spiritual one. We had some studies on”The Last Days”, Sunday School presentations and prize giving and many fatted goats met their doom. So it was a very happy time including the immersion of 12 of their young people. It is a

great chance for all the young people and brethren and sisters to get together and relax and worship and discuss the word of God in a life that is often hard and full of uncertainties. What really stands out about Kili Kili is a very vibrant group of young people. They seem to be able to tap into the local community and especially through discussions at the local high school many young people are attending the meetings or have become brothers or sisters. They have their own CYC group and organise Bible classes and outings. Jonnifer Natividad was a young guy who had an incredibly sunny disposition and a great sense of humor (or at least he seemed to be the butt of all the jokes). He was enthusiastically involved in everything and especially preparing some of the young people for baptism. I was determined to fi nd out about him, so one night we sat down with him at the fraternal and had a meal together and talked. Jonnifer is paid 100 peso ($2.70 ) per day for back breaking work through all sorts of weather, yet he enthusiastically involves himself in the meeting and especially the young people. No excuses, no self pity and he comes to the meeting despite falling out of favour with his supervisor, because it’s where he belongs. These guys are genuinely enthusiastic for the Kingdom. Even though they have a strong and close knit young people’s group, life is very hard. The threat of violence from militants is not far away and personal grief through sickness and a feeling of helplessness through massive unemployment affects everyone. For them “Even so Come Lord Jesus” is real .

David Carroll

Persevering for God in the Phillipines

The Vine 10

Ecclesial Profile...Canberra

There are defi nitely bonuses to being part of such a small ecclesia. We’ve grown to know and love each other really well,

and it is certainly noticeable when someone is missing! But we have no desire to keep it that way, and pray always that more Canberrans will appreciate God’s promises and join us in worshipping Him. In the meantime, Christ’s words are comforting: “Do not fear, little fl ock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom” (Luke 12:32). Though we also love having regular visitors from Sydney! We meet for Sunday School and the Memorial Meeting each Sunday at a local community centre, and for Bible class each Thursday night at the Schlegels’ place. Our young peoples Sunday School class has been discussing the commandments of Christ and how we can apply

Canberra the ecclesia, like Canberra the city, is a small, close-knit group that is constantly changing. Unlike Canberra the city, our

meetings feature neither political stunts nor fi reworks.

these in our lives, whilst at Bible Class we’ve been studying 2 Timothy, which reminds us as young people to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1). We organise many more activities together, including plenty of social and spiritual gatherings for the young people. Earlier this year, we ran a stall at the Royal Canberra Show, where we introduced ourselves and our beliefs to thousands of Canberrans over a three-day weekend. God willing, we will be doing this again next February, and we would again appreciate some extra help from Sydney to make this a success! Most of our young people make the trip to SCYP each month – so if you see a friendly face that looks like it’s just endured a three hour car trip complete with Dave Philp’s nonsensical ramblings, it’s probably one of us! We hope to see you down in Canberra soon – perhaps on your way to the snow or the south coast – and please pack an exhort!

Belinda Philp

ramblings, it’s probably one of us! We hope to ramblings, it’s probably one of us! We hope to see you down in Canberra soon – perhaps on your way to the snow or the south coast – and please pack an exhort!

Belinda Philp

Phillipines

The NSW Christadelphian Support Service

It is a private and confidential service for YOUPhone: 0407 558 819 (24 hours)

Email: youthsupport@caring4u.org.au

www.caring4u.org.au/cssyouth

SCYPFEST

Julia Thompson and Peter GastonAndrew Errington and Beth NutterEmily Burgess and Steven Watson

Heard it on the...Grapevine

The NSW Christadelphian Support Service

It is a private and confi dential service for YOUPhone: 0407 558 819 (24 hours)

Email: youthsupport@caring4u.org.au

www.caring4u.org.au/cssyouth

GrapevineBaptisms

The Vine is published every two months by the Sydney Christadelphian Young People

Editorial Team: Jenny Galbraith, Tim Mogg, Jenni Sawell, Katie Shields

Masthead design: Alisa Thompson

Layout: Jenny Galbraith

thevine@scyp.net

Cover photography: Samee Lapham

Contributors: Karlie Pogson, Chris Pooley, James Hillhouse, Luke Shields, Chrissy Lawrie, Sam Collins, Joel Latta, Naomi Dennes, Leah Hillhouse, Belinda Philp, Susie O’Toole, Jess Russell, Jono Russell, David Carroll

The Vine is published to the glory of our Heavenly Father, through whom all things are made possible.

Opinions expressed in The Vine are the authors’ and not necessarily held by the Editorial Team.

Engagements

WeddingsJulia Thompson and Peter GastonAndrew Errington and Beth NutterEmily Burgess and Steven Watson

Tim Harris and Naomi DaviesCharlotte Burgess and Ben Hern

Carmel Mansfi eld

There’s nothing to lose by being baptised. It shows that you are committing your life to God. It’s not the end of the journey, it’s the beginning. By getting baptised, you begin your walk towards the kingdom with your fellow believers. That really inspired me to get baptised. The prospect of the kingdom was also a huge infl uence for me. The Kingdom will be freedom. No worries, no pain, no war, only happiness. When you look around at the world today it’s hard to imagine that there could be an escape from all the tumult, but there is. All we have to do to be part of this wonderful Kingdom is believe, be baptised, and live a righteous life. Not much to ask, but so much to receive. It’s such a relief to think about the Kingdom when you’re down in the dumps, or worried about things that are happening around you. This world is going downhill at the moment, with all the immoral values such as murder, lies, hate, and ignorance of

God’s Word. It may seem the world has a lot to offer, such as money, fame and success, but in the big picture these things are insignifi cant. When Christ returns to the earth, he will not be judging people on how much money they have, or how famous they are, or how successful their work is, he will be judging people on how righteous they have been in their life. So in the big picture, the only thing that matters most is your relationship with God. This can be built and strengthened every day by reading the Bible, doing as Jesus would do in your every day life, preaching and talking about the message to others, and most importantly, praying regularly. These will not only build your relationship with God, it will make you feel better about yourself and your attitude

to life. Why do I love God? He provides everything for us. He provides us with a home, everyday things such as food and water, and more importantly, a great family of believers. I know he is with me everywhere I go, which gives me an awesome sense of security. There’s no better person to have on your side. He is the almighty creator! He can do

anything! I know every day that he cares for me and guides my feet. Even though it may seem sometimes that he may not be saying what you want to hear, or he doesn’t seem to be listening at all, he actually is. He is always there, so never stop praying, and never stop believing, because His Word is the Truth.

Capturing theKingdom

I decided to get baptised for many reasons. I learnt that being baptised meant that you became part of the worldwide Christadelphian family, a huge support network

full of people I could relate to and talk to about our faith.

“For He will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.” (Psalm 27:5)

by Suzie O’Toole

Reviews

After giving his life to Christ at the age

of 12, American Paul Wright felt his calling was to make music

for God. For anyone who likes the positive and relaxed sounds

of Jack Johnson and Shawn McDonald, Sunrise to Sunset is an awesome album all about summer, sun, surf, and a desire to have a more practical walk with God every day from sunrise to sunset.

The title track also reminds us of God’s amazing grace, giving us a fresh start every sunrise and sunset. The album is described as a feel-good blend of acoustic pop and hip-hop and having the constant sounds of his acoustic guitar in the songs makes it a great CD for the car. The album’s fi rst single “Take This Life” has such powerful lyrics that you actually spend more time thinking about your own spiritual life than the music being played. For example: “Forgive me for the words I spoke before they ever left my throat, my heart would rather rebel than obey-take this life, make it yours / do what’s right, oh Lord / you got to take this, take this life.” Words like these make me think how often we really give full control to God and allow

Him to work in our lives rather then just asking for His help every now and again. Continuing the personal and confessional theme the song “Come Around” is about certain people and material things that can become a distraction from the path toward God, and how diffi cult it is to overcome these struggles. “No please don’t come around / you always bring me down whenever you come around, I need some friends to help me when I’m struggling.” Although the album contains a lot of

this intense and serious song writing Paul Wright also reveals his relaxed and carefree side as a surfer and traveller. “I Can Feel Your Love” is a track thanking God for the simple pleasures found in a summer day, barbeque get-togethers, good friends, and His creation. Paul also reveals a sense of humor with a track in the middle of the album “Burrito Boy,” speaking about his love of Mexican food - so much so that he “fell in love” with the girl who prepared his meal at the Burrito Boy taco shack. Sunrise to Sunset is a great easy listening album that constantly keeps you thinking about your spiritual life with God and Jesus Christ.

Leah Hillhouse

Paul Wright: Sunrise to Sunset

“Words like these make me think how often we really give full control to God and allow Him to work in our lives rather then just asking for His help every now and again.”

Were Women

Equal?Created

With confl icting messages about the place of women in the world, and a seemingly male dominated Bible, there comes a time in many

women’s lives when they realise, deep down, they have a huge fear God actually sees women as second-class citizens. They cling to Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”, but the doubts that have been niggling away at their minds for many years surface and they have to face the question: does God love women as much as he loves men? Were women created equal? To answer this question, we need to go back to the Garden of Eden. Genesis tells the story of how God fi rst creates Adam, and then allowed him to come to the realisation that something was missing: man needed a partner spiritually and intellectually equal to him in all ways (Genesis 2:19-20). Genesis 1:27 says “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them”. Both males and

females were created in God’s own image. Males are not the complete image of God, but women equally share in it too. When sin enters the Garden, God says something very interesting to Eve: “your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you”. So this was clearly a different relationship from what Adam and Eve had previously experienced in the Garden of Eden, before sin entered the world. God was not condoning this situation, He was foreseeing the effect sin would have on mankind. It is because of humans’ sin that there is such inequality between the sexes. When sin entered the world, so did pride and the thirst for power and dominance. Some men cruelly used the strength God had given them to oppress and subdue women all throughout history up to our present day. Some women today are living far worse lives than women who lived thousands of years ago. Men and women obviously have some different roles, as

women have been given the beautiful gift of motherhood, a small taste of creation, but nowhere in the Bible does God degrade women or put them below the status of men. Even when men oppressed women, He ensured they would be protected and not taken advantage of through His Law. We know the law was not perfect because humans are not perfect. But as Jesus said in Mark 10, because of humans’ sin He gave them laws to protect people in a fallen and sinful world. Despite the sinfulness of mankind, God still managed to use many women to orchestrate His purpose and complete His work on the earth. We should never think God sees women differently to men. When as women we doubt our worth in the eyes of God, remember how Jesus treated women. One of the most amazing incidents of Jesus’ ministry that displays so much of his character was his interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well. At that time women were second-class citizens, and a Jewish man would never talk to a woman he didn’t know, let alone a

Samaritan woman. But when Jesus saw the Samaritan woman he didn’t see a second-class citizen who was below him and not worthy of his time, not important enough to even acknowledge. He saw

her fi rst and foremost as a child of God. He spoke to her as he would speak to anyone else. He didn’t care about the social conventions of the day, the culturally imbedded notion that women were to be seen and not heard. He just saw a child of God who had gone so far down the wrong path, that only the gentle words of the Son of God himself could lead her back. Because of the words of this woman a whole town believed. We must look at the world through the eyes of God, and not the eyes of mankind. God loves women just as much as He loves men. When Christ came he set the world free from the heavy loads humans had put on themselves. He set us free from the prejudices of class, race and gender. We are one in Christ! And remember, in the Kingdom, the perfection which existed in the Garden of Eden will be restored, and “no longer will there be any curse” (Rev 22:3).

Jenny Galbraith

When Christ came he set the world free from the heavy loads humans had put on themselves. He set us free from the prejudices of class, race and gender. We are one in Christ!

B and J from whoop whoop: seek nice girls who can share self, able to talk, care about them, must have talents “Coz guys like girls with talents”, occupation doesn’t matter, beautiful to them, must be able to stand up for themselves. Must have spiritual mind and be willing to live in rural setting.

CD: Seeks 5’10” girl, sandy blonde hair, tanned and athletic, who knows

how to have a good time, MUST enjoy long walks on moonlit beaches, pina

coladas, and dancing in the rain. Must be able to cook, clean, do accounts.

CP: Seeks golden blonde, tanned and athletic female companion, for fun times

with view to marriage. MUST enjoy long walks on moonlit beaches, pina

coladas, and dancing in the rain. Duties include cooking, cleaning, accounting.

CL: Seeks14-20, shorter, cooking an advantage, calm, honest, funny.

JG: Questions the existence of a girl who knows how to think about thinking, good sense of humour, and has “that certain something”, talking a lot is OK, no crying, pleads for someone to prove him wrong.

BP: Seeks shorter girl

PG: Willing to pursue a woman who isn’t afraid to tell him he is wrong, and

doesn’t care about meaningless ‘stuff’, must be stranger and pilgrim in this land,

brunette, not tall.

SB: Wants an organised woman, must know fi lms and be a mix of the best qualities and attributes of Sienna Miller, Natalie Portman, Mischa Barton and Oprah Winfrey.

TM: Seeks beautiful younger woman. Must be excited about God and look forward to the Kngdom.

Guess the Guy... Personals… We all know that SCYP is a great place to meet new people. Now is the time to stop messing about and get effi cient about the whole process.

might start feeling a little depressed, putting themselves down, feeling left out or worthless; but these things can lead to bigger things like social withdrawal, fl irting around, crazy dieting or unemployment. We’ve all heard of the drastic places these small steps can take people – severe eating disorders, promiscuity or self-mutilation – all because of who we think we are and what we think we look like. The fact is that we were all created in the image of God just like Eve. Now we’ve all heard it said that true beauty is on the inside, that we should let our ‘true colours’ shine through and that God doesn’t look on the outside but searches the heart, right? So why don’t we believe it? While God is telling us that our bodies are the temple of the living God, why are we so concerned about how big our butt is, or how big her nose is, or the shape of our tummy, or how skinny her legs are? See, we love to compare ourselves to other people around us, but we forget that we were all built differently. Some people were built to play limbo and others were built to climb mountains. God made us all different and he doesn’t expect us to all look the same. God says in 1 Peter 3: “It’s not about your hairstyle, your jewellery or what you wear. What I want is the hidden person on the inside, that jewel of unfading beauty.” See, our society tells us that what

we look like is so important, but God wants us to free our minds of that and focus on becoming a beautiful person on the inside. Now, body image is defi nitely

something I have wrestled with myself, so what I’m saying here is not a lecture. Almost every woman in your ecclesia and every girl in your youth group has probably struggled with this at some point, so we need to try and fi nd some way of dealing with it. I’m not asking you not to wear make up or dye your hair. I’m not asking you not to eat healthily or exercise. What I’m asking you to do is not to let these things rule your life. Don’t make them the focus of who you are or who your friends are. Make friends with people no matter what they look like or how cool they are. Tell your friends that you love the way they show Jesus to you because these are the special jewels that never get wrinkles and never get pimples. The Bible says to love those around you as you would love your self. So I’m asking you to make friends with the mirror. To love your friends and yourself for who you really are – the unfading supermodel on the inside, the beauty queen who is created in the image of God.

Naomi Dennes

“While God is telling us that our bodies are the temple of the living God, why are we so concerned about how big our butt is, or how big her nose is, or the shape of our tummy, or how skinny her legs are?”

“Some people were built to play limbo and others were built to climb

mountains. God made us all diff erent and he doesn’t expect us to all look

the same.”

In the image of God

woman! Our opinion of how our body should look is told us through our culture – our friends, the things we read and watch, the people we see around us. In our culture, this puts a real lot of pressure on us. Whether we admit to it or not here is a fact: SO many women struggle with their self image – whether they are young, old, fat, skinny, blonde, brunette, hairy, smooth-skinned, white or tanned. The distressing part of this is that this kind of low self esteem can lead people to do all sorts of damaging things. People

I don’t know what Eve looked like when she was created – all the bible says is that she was created in the image of

God. I think as girls and women we often think about our appearance way too much. The media screams at us the need to be ‘beautiful’ or ‘sexy’ or ‘elegant’ or ‘pretty’ – whatever that means. The idea of a ‘beautiful’ body has change so much over time. Renaissance artists painted pictures of ‘beautiful’ women who were rolly and robust – quite different to the popular twenty-fi rst century notion of the ‘beautiful’

In the image of God

When God created Eve,what do you think shelooked like? Was she tall? Short? Fat? Skinny blonde, brunette, hairy, smooth-skinned, white, tanned, full lips, long lashes, long fl owing locks or a neat bob?

Resting in

What is the fi rst thing you notice about a girl? I fi rst notice a girl’s smile and eyes, and body language. I think that you can tell heaps about a person, just from those three things. Not that fi rst impressions are always 100% correct, but until I actually get to know a girl, those fi rst impressions are all I have to go on.

What annoys you most about girls? When they don’t know how or refuse to accept compliments.

What is something that you don’t understand about the female species? I don’t understand why they have to go to the bathroom in packs. Are girls toilets nicer than the guys? Why all the socializing? I mean, guys feel the need to go so they do, but girls feel the need to announce the fact and send out printed invitations… I don’t get it, and I think it’s kind of weird.

What’s the best thing about girls? Girls are good fun. They offer a unique alternative to my male, logic based view of the world. They also make better dancing partners than boys. And they fi ll out the upper half of a choir nicely.

If you were a girl for a day what would you do? Probably something stereotypically lame… like eat chocolate for breakfast and complain that it was going straight to my thighs OR… I’d shave my legs and go to bed in silk sheets. Now there’s a secret fantasy that’s not so secret anymore. Actually if I really was a girl for a day I’d probably end up doing the grocery shopping and cooking dinner.

What’s the best thing about being a guy? The best thing would be not having to focus on looking good all the time. I like and readily admit to not knowing anything about waxing, plucking, fashion, makeup, fake tan…and… whatever. The girls can keep it. Not to say that I don’t enjoy the end result. Keep up the good work, girls.

What do you think is the most common misconception girls have about boys? I think that too many girls think that boys are only attracted to girls in a physical way. It’s true that guys are attracted to what a girl looks like, but there is heaps more to it than that. The visual side of things may grab a guy’s attention, but it’s what a girl is actually like that makes a guy like a girl. It’s like cleaning … let’s say… a bowl. If you pretty up the outside of the bowl, but neglect to make the inside interesting guys ARE actually smart enough to realize the inside is still dirty. The majority of guys don’t just want a pretty bowl/girl… or girlbowl, they actually care about the inside. And the few guys that don’t care are pretty shallow, and not worth your time.

How do you think guys best compliment girls? The best way is to notice a new haircut or colour, or what they are wearing, and comment appreciatively and respectfully.

socializing? I mean, guys feel the need to go so they do, but girls feel the need to announce the fact and send out printed invitations… I don’t get it, and I think

Girls are good fun. They offer a unique alternative to my male, logic based view of the world. They also make better dancing

in silk sheets. Now there’s a secret fantasy that’s not so secret anymore. Actually if I really was a girl for a day I’d probably end

The best thing would be not having to focus on looking good all the time. I like and readily admit to not knowing anything about waxing, plucking, fashion, makeup, fake tan…and… whatever. The girls can keep it. Not to say that I don’t enjoy the end result. Keep up the good

What do you think is the most common misconception girls have

I think that too many girls think that boys are only attracted to girls in a physical way. It’s true that guys are attracted to what a girl looks like, but there is heaps more to it than that. The visual side of things may grab a guy’s attention, but it’s what a girl is actually like that makes a guy like a girl. It’s like cleaning … let’s say… a bowl. If you pretty up the outside of the bowl, but neglect to make the inside interesting guys ARE actually smart enough to realize the inside is still dirty. The majority of guys don’t just want a pretty bowl/girl… or girlbowl, they actually care about the inside. And the few guys that don’t care are pretty shallow, and not worth your time.

The best way is to notice a new haircut or colour, or what they are wearing, and

In the tradition of trashy girly magazines, and at the risk of lowering the standard of this fi ne publication, Chrissy Lawrie springs a pop-quiz on Tim Mogg about girls and what it means to be a guy.

What guys think What guys think about girls... about girls...

Resting in

I am sure we can all think of someone that continually has bad things happen to them. In the time of

Christ this would have been the Widow of Nain. In Luke 7 we are introduced to a widow who has lost not only her husband but has now just lost her only child. We are told that she commands the sympathy of many as her son’s coffin is carried through the town. As this was happening Christ saw her and his heart also felt compassion for the widow. He spoke only two simple words to her: “weep not”. Now surely these were words which the widow had heard countless times before, and despite the good intent of the orator I can only think that they had previously offered the widow little more then empty, shallow and futile comfort. So what was so different about the words when Christ uttered them? Christ followed his sympathetic plea with a miracle. He placed his hands on the coffin and commanded the boy to arise. With that the boy arose and the widow’s sorrow

was turned to joy. Like the Widow of Nain we all have sorrow, we all grieve and at times we may all think that things just couldn’t get any worse. But again, like the widow, we all have the ability to rest within the comforting arms of our Heavenly Father. We may not be the recipient of a direct

and obvious miracle like the Widow of Nain but we are promised a similar outcome in the future. The miracle of the resurrection of the widow’s son emphasizes the power which Christ has to save. In Christ’s own resurrection we all may be saved and may all escape the holds of

death. “He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” So what do we learn from the Widow’s story? Simply we are not as those “without hope”. Whilst sometimes life may seem particularly dark we have been given the gift of Christ, in whom there is a light to guide all who believe.

Jessica Russell

Like the widow, we all have the ability to rest within the comforting arms of our Heavenly

Father.

his armsAt her darkest moment the Widow of Nain found hope of the resurrection through Jesus Christ.

What are guys

thinking?

men don’t cry’, is that guys face the daily challenge of asserting themselves as the alpha male and in control of their life. Society often conveys that guys seek to be the dominant partner in a relationship, the trendsetter amongst their group of friends and have the best and fastest car. Both guys and girls like to be in control of themselves or a situation. From a male perspective, guys do not seek nor want sole responsibility whether it is in the workplace or in relationships. However this is not to say that guys prefer to be dominated by their boss, parents or girlfriend, rather guys prefer guidance and direction which will enable the formation of an equal partnership that will facilitate theirs and others needs. The issue of control is a spiritual one in which many guys feel strongly about. Many guys feel strongly about letting God take control of your life and letting him guide and direct you through the good and bad times. Romans 8 gives a vivid insight into the necessity to let God, and not your own desires, have control over your life as it records in verse 8 and 9, “Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you”. Guys are often perceived as superficial and shallow as it is thought that we place significant value on physical appearance. This is difficult to confirm or refute, as it is hard to achieve an accurate answer for the personality of every guy due to differing levels of maturity and experience. There is no doubt however that it is not a totally true comment. It is definitely true to say that the male mind is attracted to things that look good whether it be an enticing food buffet, a suped up car or a girl. However this is not to say that we want what we are naturally attracted to and as guys broaden their experience they learn that what they are attracted to is not always best for them. An obvious component of this is our attraction to girls. A girl could look a

certain way that could naturally attract the attention of guys. Most guys understand that girls have a lot of power over them for this reason. However guys do not let this superficial attraction determine their relationship as it is a very shallow aspect. Rather, guys seek for something much deeper and spiritual. A couple of SCYP classes ago, Shane Kirkwood highlighted that a workmate discontinued his relationship with his fiancée as he felt they were unequally yoked. Guys really seek for bonding on both an emotional and spiritual level. This is why God gave us this excellent guidance through Paul in 2 Corithinians 2:14: “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers”. Guys feel strongly that they should seek for a partner that they have an emotional connection with and one that will assist them in their walk towards the Kingdom. Ultimately if you were to determine the

way guys should and want to act you would have to look no further then our master and friend Jesus. Jesus always upheld his desire to serve his father first and place others before himself. Hebrews 12:2-3 records, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Chris Pooley, James Hillhouse and Luke Shields

Guys feel strongly that they should seek for a partner that they have an emotional connection with and one

that will assist them in their walk towards the Kingdom.

What are guys

thinking?

Guys and the way they think have often been placed into a box by society which has created a

stereotypical and simple personality for all males. It has often been said that no man can understand the vast complexities of the female mind; however guys venture heavily from the social stereotypes and have their own set of intricacies. Society has emblazoned the phrase ‘real men don’t cry’ into the mind of every male and it has become a stereotypical way to describe the male emotional state. To an extent this stereotype is true as generally speaking guys do not want their emotions to impair their judgment and perceive crying as losing control. However, the real issue is not whether guys cry or not, but rather that with this stereotype comes the impression that guys have no emotions and generally speaking, don’t care. It is generally true to say that guys prefer their emotions to compliment their logic and state of mind rather then allowing their emotions to influence their judgment,

however this does not mean that we are absent of emotions. This is clear in the relationships that males share with each other. Guys value their mates very highly and these friendships are formed by strong emotional attachments. Guy relationships are formed similar to that of a boyfriend and girlfriend as we see in our mates someone we can share our anxieties and feelings with. An excellent example of the strong emotional bond that can form between two guys is seen through the love between David and Jonathan. These two men had a deep emotional attachment which saw them discuss everything and share their feelings and anxieties. 1 Samuel 18:1 says, “The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul”. In Samuel 2 1:26 David describes the affinity formed between him and Jonathan, writing, “Your love to me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women”. Enveloped in the stereotype that ‘real

Forget the stereotypes, look past the cliches, and understand what guys are really like.

Connecting Sydney Christadelphian Young People

Girls

August 07