Issue 10: The Numbers Issue

34583 32 1

illumin8 - Edition 10 - May 2009

Talking about

the trinityA ta

le o

f fo

rgiv

enes

s

This month’stestimony

Interesting facts about

numbers in the Bible

page 10

page 2

Designed by: Leanne Rhodes

that makesit work1

1 =13

The story in the last Flashlight is absolutely amazing… Wow!!!!

I'm glad I'm on the illumin8 list. I love what you are doing because it really lifts your spirits.

I would just like to share that God has a definite plan and purpose for us all and once you have opened up your heart for Him, He will never let go! I have given my heart more than once because I was never ever sure, because of downfalls, whether I was saved or not.

thI started a “healing” course on Sunday the 19 April. A birthday present to myself! It is all about getting that inner healing for all my 37 years of hurt! I come to the understanding from only one day of the course (still 7 to go!) that Jesus has started a journey with me, and yes I am a reborn Christian and yes I still have my ups and my very, very downs, but God will complete what He only has started! He is the starter and finisher of our lives! He wants to heal every one of us! Isn't He an awesome and incredible God?

I sat there yesterday and all these thoughts came into my mind which I know come from the Holy Spirit. Nothing that we as humans can do, can save us, only Jesus and His light is drawing us closer and closer to GOD (ABBA Father)! We don't deserve any of this, but He loves us so much, He wants and longs for a closer than we can imagine relationship with Him! He wants to be our Morningstar, our every thought and word!

I truly know that it wasn't of my own good or anything but through God's love for me that He is drawing me closer! Isn't he wonderful? He really is Grace, Love, Mercy, Life, Love! God's Love and Blessings be with you!

FromDenise

From Lebogang

illumin8 - Edition 10 - May 2009 Designed by: Leanne Rhodes1

love numbers and I love maths! I studied engineering and in my first and second years I had a three hour maths prac Ievery week. I always had to prepare for it the day before,

but somehow it was never as tiresome as having to prepare for a chemistry prac, or (my worst nightmare) a machine drawing prac! In fact, when I moved into my third year and no longer had maths pracs, I actually missed them!

I love maths because there is always an answer! If you go about it properly and think carefully, the problem will always work itself out! Of course there have been many occasions when I have made a mistake and then tried to force the mess I made into a solution! Most of the time this is because I was overanalyzing the problem (maths in my experience is actually quite straightforward; you just have to approach it from the right direction). At these times I would get my test or exam back, inevitably covered in red scribbling, and I would think, “What was I doing? It's so obvious! How did I not see this?”

To me, God is a bit like a maths problem. He always has an answer, even if we are suffering a fair amount of frustration because we can't see it at the time. In fact, it's not so much that He always has an answer, so much as He IS the answer! And if we come from the direction that He is the Truth, then we'll get to that answer so much faster. Read One that makes it work on page 3 for more!

Secondly, God is fairly straight forward. At my wedding recently my dad ended his speech by saying “God is love”. It's a simple statement with tremendous repercussions and meanings. Sort of like the theories you use to solve a Calculus problem. If you look for God's love in your life, you will find it! The things God asks from us are usually straightforward to, especially considering that He provides us with the ways to work them out in our lives. It's usually us who make a mess of it and struggle to find the solution. In hindsight, we see that the solution was there all along, right in front of us, and we can't believe how we missed it at the time. Forgiveness is one of those things. In 70 x 7 on page 5 Leanne shares how we can get so snarled up in guilt and shame that we lose sight of the answer Jesus provides.

Like the maths problems that plagued my test scores, I have made numerous messes in my life. Mostly these occur when I get myself tangled up in what us illumin8 girls call The Busyness Web. I take on so much and think I need to do so many things that I exhaust myself. Inevitably the first casualty of this habit is the time I spend with Jesus. Before long I find myself demotivated, stressed, uninspired, angry and irritable. Leanne provides a solution to this in this issue's Double Take “Rest Stop 7” on page 13 I know what she's asking sounds impossible, but I'm personally going to try and incorporate it!

Our Testify this month is by Russell Seaborne, a fellow number lover! He is in the fortunate position to be working with numbers (its something I dream of!) and has an interesting story to share. One of our readers, Ashley Nadar also submitted some number puzzles to get those grey cells working. So we've resurrected Stimul8, which we featured in our first ever illumin8 – The Brain Issue.

Finally, I am sad to inform you that Hayley Brett, whom we all love from Hayley's Comment, has left the illumin8 team. While she remains an avid fan, she is doing the valiant job of educating our nation's learners and it's not leaving much space for anything else in her life at the moment. However, that leaves an opening and Senzo Mishele is going to be filling it! Senzo has written a few articles for illumin8 in the past but from now on you can expect to see his byline more regularly. 1(3)=1 on page 16 is an article I co-wrote with him, with some serious help from the Holy Spirit!

That's all from me folks. As we go into this new phase of our country's history, and the year marches on, my prayer for you is this…that you may you find your answers!

illumin8 - Edition 10 - May 2009 Designed by: Mari Schoeman2

Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the

boat, and he had compassion on them and healed

their sick. That evening the disciples came to him

and said, “This is a remote place, and it's already

getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go

to the villages and buy food for themselves.” But

Jesus said, “That isn't necessary—you feed them.”

“But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!”

they answered. “Bring them here,” he said. Then

he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus

took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward

heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the

loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the

disciples, who distributed it to the people. They all

ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the

disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers.

About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all

the women and children!

Matthew 14:14-21

'm sure most people have read that passage before. The question is: what do you think about it? Is it fact; Ithe recounting of something that really happened

and could happen again today? Or is it a story, a twisting of the truth to make a point?

You will find that there are people on both sides of the fence on this one. Most people who believe is it true, will be children because children haven't encountered logic and ratio's yet. They are the ones who will wholeheartedly and unhesitatingly believe that it is possible. The others will be mostly those who have left childhood innocence behind them and discovered the vast volume of information available to us to help us figure out what is really true and what is not.

I was listening to U2 yesterday and in City of Blinding Lights, Bono sings the following words:

The more you see the less you know The less you find out as you go

I knew much more then than I do now

To me this is the perfect illustration of the information age we find ourselves in. The more there is to read, to

explore, to discover; the more confused and lost we can get. That is of course, unless you have something you are certain of, something you know to be true and that you can measure all other information against.

I recently got married and in the last few weeks of living with my new husband I have discovered a number of things that I knew, but didn't really know, if you know what I mean! One of these is his love for the National Geographic and History Channels. His favourite shows are ones about evolution and the bible.

I don't know if anyone remembers when the Da Vinci Code came out? There was suddenly a whole host of programs being aired about the Judas Gospel, the fact that Mary Magdalene and Jesus had a child, and the various other theories raised in Dan Brown's book. When I saw the adverts for these programs, the


message that was portrayed was one which said “Watch this show and you WILL have the answers to all these questions.” But when I actually sat down to watch them, I found that every single one failed to come to a conclusion.

I found this incredibly irritating. The adverts in particular planted a seed of doubt (more like a young sampling actually) about the authenticity of who Jesus was, with a few well chosen sound bites from academics. Having done that, absolutely no conclusion was reached on the theory in question, leaving me with a whole host of half truths and snippets of information to mull over.

Controversial bible theories aside, what about the shows that are scientifically based? My husband is incredibly interested in evolution and as I have learnt recently, there is no shortage of programs about that on DSTV either! Initially my response to these programs was one of fear and defensiveness because I didn't want my faith to be undermined by what I watched. Nor did I want these shows to plant seeds of doubt in the mind of my husband. But I realized pretty quickly that sitting in defensive and stony silence whenever we watched one of these is not a solution either.

I am a firm believer in the fact that science and faith complement each other. In my mind, science is the way through which God reveals the majesty of His creation to us. In addition, there are incredibly smart people out there who have been gifted by God to be able to unlock these mysteries. My thinking is that if God gave us the ability to discover this stuff, then surely He intends us to discover it! Somewhere along the line though I had become one of those people who felt that I had to blindly accept what the bible told me and steadfastly refuse to entertain other paths of thought. I had become narrow minded and it shocked me.

Then I stumbled across a quote by C.S.Lewis which reads, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” That completely flipped my thought processes upside down.

I realized, firstly, that Jesus does not want mindless followers. He does not want us to give up our minds and stop thinking

when we give our lives to him. What we do need to do though is to remember what Jesus has taught us, take what we know to be the truth and measure everything else against that.

While it cannot be denied that most of the shows and programs on TV are produced by a secular world, that tries to deny Jesus' place, that does not necessarily mean they have no value. I am not saying we should now accept everything we hear or are told without question. What I am suggesting is that we ground ourselves firmly in the truth and filter what we see and hear through that. Some of it will turn out to be utter rubbish, but who knows what God will reveal to you if you are open to it?

The bottom line is that there is a truth about everything. Jesus says in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth and the light.” Whether you believe it or not, that doesn't affect the value of the truth. We need to view the world through the eyes of faith, looking for the lessons Jesus is teaching us, seeking out his guidance, using what we learn to deepen our trust in him.

To get back to the story of the 5000… is it true? Did it really happen? Well, if you look at it from a purely logical and mathematical view, then no it absolutely did not happen! It's impossible. But if you look at it through the eyes of faith, through the knowledge that Jesus, the man who was central in the story, was endowed with the power of God – then suddenly it is quite plausible. The powerful number here is not the 5 loaves or the 2 fish. It is the ONE man who multiplied them.

In the City of Blinding Lights, Bono goes on to say:

Time… time Won't leave me as I am

But time won't take the boy out of this man

We all grow up. Learning and expanding our minds is an important and exciting part of all that. But don't let knowledge rob you of faith, rather use knowledge to learn more about the truth. Observe the world through the Son of Man, not only because you know the truth that he is risen, but because everything else looks different as a result.

illumin8 - Edition 10 - May 2009 4

Have you ever come to a place where you are so appalled with your actions that you wish you could hide in a corner and never show your face again? A place where the bitterness of the consequences fills you to your core? Have you ever hurt someone so badly that you wish you could fix it but know that the damage you have caused has made lasting scars? I have and I invite you to join me on my tale of a journey towards forgiveness.

My whole life I have tried to be the best, do my best and considered myself a nice person. Throughout high school I was labelled an achiever and a good girl. Although I tried very hard get away from that image in varsity I soon discovered I actually liked being the good girl. I enjoy spreading joy and living a life aimed at treating people with kindness and encouraging them to do their best. I have recently realised that I have a streak of perfectionism in me that pushes me to want that quality in myself all the time – failure just isn't an option. With this inside it is incredibly difficult to accept that my “good intentions” could be leading me down a very dangerous path. If something is hard to see, such as your true motives, then you would rather not see it.

A year ago my actions led to my heart being broken and torn into 1000's of pieces and left two people very close to my heart in the middle of the mess I had created. After coming clean, making drastic but needed decisions, speaking the truth and making a promise to not go down that road again at any cost, my life started again and I could feel the healing begin as I drew near to God. I asked the forgiveness of those involved and then asked God my Father to forgive me over and over. Yet I carried this responsibility and guilt for the damage I had caused with me every day. Let me tell you: for someone who deep down wants to be perfect to have to look in the mirror and see yourself so pitifully flawed is a devastating experience! I have carried this deep sorrow and regret with me for many months and then this year something changed... I started to see the truth before me.

I grew up as a Christian so you can say I have “known” Jesus all my life. Yet for some reason I always felt a distance between us, like I could relate better to God the Father than Jesus. I also always thanked him for dying on the cross but never really understood how much of a big deal it actually was. I have realised that the WHOLE point of Jesus coming was to forgive. Somehow the huge importance of that seems lost to the world. Forgiveness is everything – our only chance. When you are in the dark depths of guilt: what Jesus did really matters! It is your lifeline to cling to as you make your way back into the light.

So I received his forgiveness but because of my high standards I just couldn't find it in me to forgive myself. I believed the God had forgiven me but I didn't deserve it, and that I deserved to punish myself especially since everything was going well in my life but falling apart in one of the affected parties.

By Leanne Rhodes


How could I allow myself to be happy when I had caused so much destruction?

In the New Testament we find Peter asking Jesus how many times one should forgive someone who has wronged you. He asked, “Perhaps 7 times?” Jesus responded rather 70 x 7 times. He then went on to tell the disciples a parable to explain his point better. He describes the kingdom of heaven as a King who wanted the debt owed to him by his servants to be repaid. He called forth a servant and when he couldn't pay the king ordered the man and his family to be auctioned to the slave market. The slave begged for mercy and the king showed him compassion and erased his debt. The servant was no sooner out the room when a fellow servant who owed him money begged him to give him a chance to pay it back. The first servant showed no compassion and had the second servant thrown in jail. The other servants saw this and told the king. He summoned the first servant and said (Matthew 18:21-33 Message) 'You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn't you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?' The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. And that's exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn't forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy.”

This passage has a clear message. That just as your Father in heaven forgives you over and over so too you should forgive those who wrong you. When it comes to my story, being the one in need of forgiveness I see this passage as an answer to freedom. Apart from being forgiven by those I have wronged I realised that I needed to forgive myself. God, the king, had shown me mercy when I crawled to him from the depths of my shame, who was I to think that I couldn't forgive myself? Was I above God? I was reminded that when I gave my life to God I was bought at a price so in fact I no longer belonged to myself. Not only did I need to receive God's forgiveness but I needed to show myself mercy and compassion. I belong to God now and I have no right to punish or hurt myself. The consequences of sin are enough and the whole point of Jesus dying for our sins is lost if we can't be free of our guilt and shame. I realised that God's mercies are new every morning and that we can start a fresh knowing we are forgiven. He showed me that because we are His we are children of the light and need not grovel in the dark any longer.

It may take a long time for those you hurt to forgive you but once you have repented and asked for forgiveness that is something only they can find in their hearts to do. If you are in need of forgiveness and have lived in shame long enough I encourage you to make things right with those you have hurt. If you have been hurt don't hold on to the resentment and pain but look to the King, follow His example. If you can't forgive yourself... let go and realise that ALL fall short and accept God's grace and forgiveness without holding onto your mistakes. Forgiveness makes you want to run outside in the rain and dance and spin in circles on the grass! It is the greatest gift to give and the most liberating one to receive. So forgive 70 x 7 times - therein lies true freedom.

“Forgiveness makes you want

to run outside in the rain and

dance and spin in circles on

the grass! It is the greatest

gift to give and the most

liberating one to receive. “


The 12 Apostles

Lucy Rip

If you're like me, at some stage you have driven past the 12 Apostles in Cape Town and wondered what the names of the 12 were, only to discover that after Peter, John and Matthew, you were a little unsure!

To prevent further perplexity while on holiday in the Cape, I decided to try and find out a bit more about them. Aside from James, brother of John, the New Testament does not tell us what happened to the others. The information summarised here is from a variety of articles that used ancient traditions as a source. Circumstantial evidence is strong but much of it is speculation.

To start off with, I discovered that a disciple is not necessarily an apostle. “Disciple” means “learner” or

“follower” whereas “apostle” means “someone who was sent out”. So basically, when Jesus ascended

into heaven, the 12 disciples became apostles because there were no longer following him but

rather going out to spread his gospel. There were other apostles, such as Paul, who were not disciples as they were not followers of Jesus when he was on earth.

So…the 12 disciples who became the 12 apostles were:

Brothers

Brothers

Friends

Simon who is also Peter!Originally from: Bethsaida in GalileeSon of BarjonaRenamed Peter, which means “the rock”, by JesusMinistry after the Ascension: Preached in Jerusalem on the Day of PentecostFocused primarily on JewsMark's gospel is based on Peter's teachingDied: Peter's death was foretold by Jesus in John 21:18-19. He was crucified in 67 AD, apparently head down at his own request. It is claimed that St Peter's in Rome is built over his grave.

JamesOriginally from:

Bethsaida in Galilee

Son of Zebedee

Known as James the Greater to

distinguish him from the other James!

Ministry after the Ascension:

In Jerusalem and modern day Israel

Died:

Was the first apostle to be killed. He

was beheaded with a sword on the

command of Herod in 44 AD

JohnOriginally from: Bethsaida in GalileeSon of Zebedee Ministry after the Ascension: Jerusalem and EphesusAuthored the Gospel of John, three Epistles and the book of RevelationsDied: Was banished to an island during the reign of Nero or Domitian but was later freed and was the only apostle to die of natural causes. He passed away in AD 100

AndrewOriginally from:


Son of Barjona

Was the first disciple to follow Jesus,

having previously been a disciple of

John the Baptist


Southern Greece and what is now the

Ukraine and Russia

Founded a church in Constantinople

Is the Patron saint of Russia

Died:

Was mercilessly whipped and then

crucified after he refused to participate

in heathen god sacrificing. He hung

on a cross for two days before

praising God, proclaiming the Gospel

and dying.

In the Spotlight:

illumin8 - Edition 10 - May 2009 Designed by: Wanja Focaraccio7

Simon who is also Peter!Originally from: Bethsaida in GalileeSon of BarjonaRenamed Peter, which means “the rock”, by JesusMinistry after the Ascension: Preached in Jerusalem on the Day of PentecostFocused primarily on JewsMark's gospel is based on Peter's teachingDied: Peter's death was foretold by Jesus in John 21:18-19. He was crucified in 67 AD, apparently head down at his own request. It is claimed that St Peter's in Rome is built over his grave.

PhilipOriginally from:



Modern day Turkey

Died: Philip and Bartholomew healed the

wife of a Roman proconsul in

Hieropolis, after which the women

became a Christian. When her

husband found out he condemned

both men to death. Philip was

crucified at the age of 87.

JamesKnown as James the Less due to his smaller stature and to distinguish him from John's brother James.Ministry after the Ascension: Palestine and EgyptDied: Martyred in Egypt

SimonKnown as “Simon the Zealot” or “Simon the Cananaean”Ministry after the Ascension: Possibly in EgyptPersia with JudeDied: Uncertain, but he may have been crucified or hacked to death in Persia

Thomas

Originally from:

Galilee

Known as Doubting Thomas because

he did not believe Jesus had risen

until he had felt the holes in his hands

for himself.


India

Died:

Speared to death in modern day

Madras

Matthew

Originally from:

Rome

Was a Roman tax collector before

becoming a disciple of Jesus


Uncertain but thought to be in

Ethopia or Persia

Attributed with authoring the

Gospel of Matthew

Died:

Nothing definite is known but is

speculated that he suffered

martyrdom in the area of his

missionary work

Bartholomew

Originally from:

Galilee


Armenia, India, Egypt, Ethiopia

and Arabia

Died:

He was condemned to die with

Philip in Hieropolis but for some

reason was taken off the cross

and dismissed while Philip was

left to die. He met a cruel and

violent death by being skinned

alive and then beheaded in either

modern day Baku on the Caspian

Sea, or in India in 68 AD.

JudeNot be confused with Jesus' half

brother Jude.


Assyria

Joined Simon the Zealot in

missionary work in Persia

Died:

Some traditions hold that he was

beaten to death by pagan priests

in Persia

MathiasReplaced Judas Iscariot as an apostle after Judas hung himself following Christ's crucifixion. Very little is known about him, save for a mention in Acts when he is chosen as the twelfth disciple.

Friends

Brothers and cousins of Jesus


Reference:Available: http://www.neverendingword.com/index_files/ProfileoftheTwelveApostles.htm Accessed: 17 April 2009Available: http://www.ccel.org/bible/phillips/CN500APOSTLES%20FATE.htm Accessed: 17 April 2009


ecently the Zimbabwe government issued a banknote worth trillions of dollars. Whatever Rone feels about the situation in that country,

this is a sign that all is not well there; the economy is in fatal decline.

As I was driving back home across country, the air was suddenly full of white butterflies. They were travelling across the road as if they had a secret destination. As I drove along, the swarm diminished and then grew again. The swarm continued for about twenty kilometres, and only then the last stragglers disappeared. I had no way of counting them, but at any time, there must have hundreds in front of me. And what about the ones I didn't see: the ones that were still off the road, that already flown over, or were still approaching the road? The numbers escalated in

air from my lawn, and the doves were so full of food that they gave up eating and they just watched all these insects flying away. Tomorrow the doves will be hungry, but tomorrow they will find more food. They don't have to catch the termites and store them in the deep-freeze.

Jesus said, “So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:31-33, NIV).

God invented the trillions. There is nothing He can't do. Just trust Him.

my mind until they seemed like trillions, like Zimbabwe dollars.

But these butterflies were not a symbol of death, they were a symbol of life. All over the countryside, eggs had been laid, they had hatched into caterpillars, they had grown, spun themselves in cocoons, and then emerged as adults. Now these butterflies that I saw were going to lay more eggs and repeat the cycle. It is a cycle of life, it is part of the intricate web of ecology, where little things like butterflies and caterpillars are important.

And over all of this is the loving hand of God. The Creator sees all that He has made, and it is very good (Genesis 1.31). It reminds me of a rainy day. A swarm of termites, so-called flying ants, were rising into the

By David Bertram


hardeasy

medium

There are 5 ships in a port.

1. The Greek ship leaves at six and carries coffee.2. The ship in the middle has a black chimney.3. The English ship leaves at nine.4. The French ship with a blue chimney is to the left of a ship that carries coffee.5. To the right of the ship carrying cocoa is a ship going to Marseille.6. The Brazilian ship is heading for Manila.7. Next to the ship carrying rice is a ship with a green

chimney.8. A ship going to Genoa leaves at five.9. The Spanish ship leaves at seven and is to the right of the ship going to Marseille.10. The ship with a red chimney goes to Hamburg.11. Next to the ship leaving at seven is a ship with a

white chimney.12. The ship on the border carries corn.13. The ship with a black chimney leaves at eight.14. The ship carrying corn is anchored next to the ship carrying rice.15. The ship to Hamburg leaves at six.

Which ship goes to Port Said? Which ship carries tea?

Number puzzle

Submitted by Ashley Nadar

www.websudoku.com


FAITH LEAP

Charting a new course

!By Russell Seaborne

I decided on my field of study based on the fact that there was a need for Chartered Accountants in business at the time I started university. I was in the fortunate position that I could have studied anything really but at that stage of my life, although saved, I did not have a relationship with God, so there was little prayer or input from leaders as to the decision. I felt that I received confirmation though in that I applied and received a bursary from Price Waterhouse Coopers on the first try. Four years later, I started with PWC, all set and on my way to becoming a CA.

At that stage, I found myself in a good place, in a healthy local church, involved, married and all those other great things that come from serving a God who delights in you. The greatest challenge for me was to find the balance between a healthy spiritual and work life. Little did I know that this life is one life which is always lived out to His Glory! Towards the end of my second year of articles I was preparing for only one more year, two more exams (after failing the first one twice I was confident, having studied diligently, that I would make it this time around) and then qualifying as a CA. Then, totally out of the blue I received and unexpected SMS from the lead elder at our church. He asked me 'if the Lord has ever stirred me towards working full time in His household'. I responded quickly, before I could argue why I shouldn't, with my heart racing, my hands shaking a bit, that 'I have considered it'.

At the time of the SMS, the church had a full time account, but a month later she was diagnosed with breast cancer ad had to resign to undergo radiation treatment. She has fully recovered now with the cancer being successfully prayed away but God opened the door for me

. After that I had to put things in place to tell my bosses at PWC that I intended to resign from my article contract. They didn't understand how I could stop just short of one year, but the more I told them of this God I serve, that nothing I do is without Him smiling down on me and that He will look

out for and after me, they softened and realized that nothing was going to

convince me to stay.

Since then I have had a year and a half of doing what I love

(working with numbers) in a place that I love (the local

church) with the people that I love (my brothers

and sisters in Christ)! God truly has been

involved in my life, urging me on

where I did not think it was

possible to go!

illumin8 - Edition 10 - May 2009 Designed by: Wanja Focaraccio12

There's always something to do; always something to say; always somewhere to be…always something! Can I have just one moment to catch my breath; one moment to collect my thoughts? The hamster wheel turns and turns... where it stops, nobody knows. I run harder and harder but go no further. What's the point of anything if I just have to do it all over again tomorrow? Is survival overrated? I don't really believe that but my mind, my body and my soul is weary. I am so sick of this rat raced routine! Life is just spinning and spinning. With this kind of momentum how do I hit PAUSE? Up ahead I see a sign ... it's a sign I seemed to have missed every time I've driven on this familiar road. As I draw nearer I start to see it more clearly. It says “Rest Stop 7”. Rest...that sounds good.

By Leanne Rhodes

Meaning: “Rest Stop 7” is a mental and physical state you need to escape to once a week in order to recharge, reassess and realign your focus on God.


The pace of the world seems set in supersonic speed full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations and demands and all this causes a huge amount of stress. Now, not all stress is bad. It is a natural built in response that can motivate a person to perform under pressure and escape danger. However, when a person has a prolonged exposure to stress, it can have an adverse effect on body, mind and soul.

Did you know that your body doesn't differentiate between physical and psychological stress? According to helpguide.org, this means that “when you're stressed over a busy schedule, an argument with a friend, a traffic jam, or a mountain of bills, your body reacts just as strongly as if you were facing a life-or-death situation. If you have a lot of responsibilities and worries, your emergency stress response may be “on” most of the time.” An excessively stressed state can disrupt nearly every system in your body. “It can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute to infertility, and speed up the aging process. Long-term stress can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.” The effects ripple further to impinge on your family, friends and social life. Our bodies are simply not designed to cope well with excessive stress over a long period of time.

I will never forget a crazy time I had in my final year of varsity. We had a group project midyear which was our first major industry driven assignment. After a really bumpy start and struggling to get a concept with which the lecturers were satisfied we went into “emergency mode” with stress levels hitting what felt like a 9 on the stressometer . After plan “A” and “B” and “C” produced unsatisfactory results we resorted to working nonstop from Wednesday to Friday's presentation without an hour of sleep. I also found myself irritable and the smallest tasks seemed to take me far longer than normal. I won't even mention the physical strain it took on my body. After the presentation I vowed never to do that to myself again. In hindsight I have trouble believing that stress pushed us to do something so ludicrous.

TAKE 1


This is where Rest Stop 7 comes in. Rest Stop 7 is a place you need to visit every week in order to recharge, realign and reassess. thWhen God created the universeHe chose to make the 7 day a time of rest not because He was tired, a human condition, but rather to cease exertion and take the time to

reflect on His creation and enjoy it. He also used it as an example to us. By sanctifying it and proclaiming it holy He made a commandment that all humanity should honour

it and consequently Him through it. It always amazes me how we will follow 9 of the 10 commandments but easily ignore this one. When last did you take a day of rest?

As our designer, He knew far before the medical experts that rest is vital to the functioning of our incredible bodies. If God had left an operation manual you would see

rest right up there with eating and breathing. Medical experts now know that rest and relaxation gives the heart a break by slowing the heart rate, reduces blood pressure,

slows the rate of breathing which reduces the need for oxygen, increases blood flow to the muscles and decreases muscle tension. As a result many of us experience

more energy, better sleep, enhanced immunity, increased concentration, better problem-solving abilities, greater efficiency, smoother emotions (less anger, crying, 2 anxiety, and frustration) and less headaches and pain. It seems God knows what we need before we even do and by commanding us to rest I believe He is protecting us

from ourselves and the ill effects of stress.

I have realised that wearing ourselves out with activities is selfish. Think about it. . If you are to be His instrument don't you think you are better off working optimally -

not near empty? Anything less than your best is just not worthy of the God we serve. He wants our all and has equipped us with enough to do that. It is

for this reason that I truly believe He gives each and everyone one of us exactly the right amount of time to do what He wants us to do; and if we are

feeling overwhelmed it means there is something on our plate that He doesn't intend us to do right now. Sometimes the greatest enemy of

greatness isn't evil but good. We can cram our lives with good and completely miss the point of life.

We need to learn that we can say “no” to some things, to work hard but also to prioritise rest in our lives and focus on God. Be still and

know... know that the world will not fall apart if you stop for a moment! When you stop you start to get a broader perspective on life as opposed to the stresses right in front of you. As you realign

your focus back to God you realise that He is big enough to handle anything life throws at you. He promises to carry your burdens, to refresh your weary spirit and fill your heart with peace.

TAKE 2

References:

1. Understanding Stress [O] Available: Accessed: 2 April 2009

2. Benefits of Relaxation: An elixir for body, mind & spirit! [O] Available:

Accessed: 2 April 2009

http://heartofhealing.net/relaxation-wellness/benefits-of-relaxation/

xx3


(3)1 =1

1 2 3

1Senzo: For centuries, the concept of the Trinity has

caused headaches amongst the Church. It is not

an easy concept to grasp or explain and so I'm

not going to even attempt to explain it.

Senzo: Part of my understanding of the different roles of

the Trinity comes from Philipians 2:1-18.

Lucy: I agree, but I did have an interesting thought

though… if you took Maths at school, you'll know

that 1 to the power of three is still 1. One to the

power of anything is still one! While I don't

understand why this is, it does give a good

analogy for the Holy Trinity.

The Shack really opened this up for me. It's a

book that has been generating a lot of talk in the

past year or so and is written by an American,

William Young. It takes a new and different

approach to the Trinity. It examines the different

characters of the Trinity (Jesus, Pappa = God

and Sureya = Holy Spirit) as completely separate

beings with unique roles that add up to a

complete picture. You may not agree with the

descriptions from your own experience, but while

I was reading it, I found myself longing for them

to be true descriptions because they sounded so

fulfilling. It describes the kind of communion with

God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit that I wish I had in

my life.

In all Jesus did, and said, He continually

portrayed the message 'for the glory of the

Father.' The Father's response is to say that

every knee shall bow and every tongue must

confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and guess

what? When that happens, it happens to the

glory of the Father. The Holy Spirit, alive in us,

continually prompts us to worship and praise the

Father and the Son. Now here is the

connection… These three by being selfless and

exalting one another, they know that when that

happens they too get exalted. The Father knows

that if the Son is exalted so is He and so is the

Spirit.

Looking at this at face value, it seems egotistical

of God but I like to think that it is more a case of

God saying that in all we do we must remember

that He is God and He is the One most supreme;

not us. Philippians 2 displays this beautifully in

that though Jesus was God, He didn't consider

equality with God something to be grasped but

made Himself a servant and in doing so, God

glorified Him.

Lucy: But that's exactly it! The Trinity share this

relationship in which each is selfless and serving,

and yet the outcome is the glory of God. The

three separate beings have one purpose, and

they achieve it naturally and effortlessly because

it's what they exist to do.

Philippians 2:1-18 (NLT)

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross....

To be continued on next page

1-2-3 in one

1 2 3

illumin8 - Edition 10 - May 2009 Designed by: Katy Breytenbach16

Philippians 2:1-18 (NLT) continued...Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ's return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.

perfect unity

1 2 33 in 1

1GOD

Senzo: The Trinity represents perfect unity. It is a

perfect model of oneness, even though there are

three parts to it! I always find it amazing that

when Jesus was about to die on the cross, and

endure the most excruciating and humiliating

death, He didn't pray that the pain might be

lessened nor for an easier death. No; instead He

prayed for His Disciples to be one. He then

continued to pray for you and I; the Church (His

Bride) to be one and to be united. Surely we

must see that unity is a most powerful asset in

any community.

Lucy: I agree, we should all be aiming for unity. Unity between each other and unity with the Trinity. I've recently realised that we shouldn't

settle for knowing one aspect of the Trinity

because each part has something unique and

different to add to our relationship with God, and

if we don't try to understand that, then we are

really missing out.

Senzo: As well as unity and perfect communion in the

Trinity, there is agreement. South Africa has a

horrible history of division. Division not simply of

point of views, beliefs and culture but racial, class

and even geographical.

Imagine if we could have that agreement and

unity with each other. What we'd land up with is a

South Africa that is one. A country that is united

and not scarred by the past but hopeful for the

future. A country where the alien is welcomed

and not beaten. Imagine our South Africa as a

place where none go without but love compels all

to act and compassion moves us to see Christ in

each other. United against poverty, HIV/Aids,

unemployment, corruption, racism and the lack of

the knowledge of Christ. God the Father, God

the Son and God the Holy Spirit are our example.

Senzo: Absolutely!

There's only 1 you in the whole universe. You

only have 1 life to live, no dress rehearsals and

definitely no undo button.

You first have to be the change you want to see

in this country. Look to the three in one as your

great example. When He wanted to teach us

how to love, He loved first. When He wanted us

to forgive, He forgave first. When He wanted us

to live for the glory of God, He glorified first. May

your one life, to the power of the Three, be a life

that will leave testimonies behind, for the glory of

our Father who is in Heaven!

Lucy: It's a great picture Senzo. It seems so

impossible though, but then I guess we have to

rely on God and not on ourselves. We have to be

the instruments of change, but we need to

always remember that it's only through God that

sustainable change is possible.


Designed by: Katy Breytenbach

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