illumin8 - Issue 23 - August 2011 Cover designed by: Katy Breytenbach

Idols of sand 3

Self control 5

Ctrl Alt Delete 6

8 tests of self control 9

Changing lenses 10

Autopilot 12

Giving God control 7

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The first night came and after the talk, we got into groups to discuss questions. ‘Does anyone have anything

to say before we begin?’ To my delight, some guy (with his quiet and hopeful girlfriend by his side) raised his

voice and began to ask something. I realise now that he wasn’t actually requiring any response from me or the

people in my group at all. He had come to make a statement. He didn’t understand why Jesus had to die in

order for us to receive eternal life; it just didn’t make sense to him. I opened it up to the table desperately trying

to help him see why Jesus had to be the ultimate perfect sacrifice for our sins and that He couldn’t do that without dying first. But alas, he left at the end of the evening saying his question was answered, but I wasn’t

convinced. I never saw him again.

Katy Breytenbach

I was sitting with God the other day and randomly I started thinking

of this one incident which happened while I was still at University.

There’s this course that my church ran - Alpha - and I was leading a group. This course is one that’s aimed specifcally at people who aren’t Christian and have questions or who are new to the faith. So there was a lot of praying (this is probably

Every now and then, I’ve remembered this incident, I don’t remember what his name is or even what he looks like, just that he had come with questions and I had failed to lead him to the answers that brought peace. And as I was sitting on my bed thinking of this, and also thinking of so many other people whose faith isn’t solid because of doubts/reservations they have, I saw this amazing picture and knew that I had to pray for him then and there. I can only trust that God has started shedding the blinds that have been covering his eyes and the fear of letting go which has been gripping his heart for who knows how long.

an understatement, it was more like pleading) involved on my side, ‘Jesus, please give me a group that’s not too crazy/challenging … please?’

I don’t remember what his name is or even what he looks like, just that he had come with questions and I had failed to lead him to the answers that brought peace.

Designed by: Katy Breytenbachillumin8 - Issue 23 - August 2011

I saw a man standing in a desert and all around him were these huge statues/idols

made from sand. But the wind was blowing all around them and the idols were slowly

disintegrating as the sand was whirling in the air, making it hard to see. The man

turned his face downwards covering his eyes with his arm so that the sand wouldn’t

blind him. Then I saw another man, a big guy, appearing from the sandy haze and

he was walking towards the man covering his eyes. As he got to the man, he pulled

As I sat thinking about that Alpha guy who had left with the same question on his

mind, it was humbling to realise that his walk with the Lord was out of my control – I

couldn’t make him understand anything. I had to stop worrying that we had turned

him away and I had to relinquish control to God, even all these years later, and trust

that He was/is working in this guy’s heart. Praying for him from the insight that the

Holy Spirit gave me through this picture gave me peace and allowed me to give up

control. And I learnt something awesome in the process. That as we allow what we

him up and embraced him, but it was – for lack of a better way to describe this – a solid ‘man hug’ (no shame/pride involved), as if they were long lost brothers or best friends. They excitedly started talking to each other and catching up on lost time, all the while walking away from the idols which were still disintegrating swiftly

around them. As they got further away, with arms over each other’s shoulders,

a robe appeared on the man who came to embrace the other one, and a crown

too. They kept on chatting though as if nothing had changed until I couldn’t see

them anymore.

think gives us our security – those idols made of sand are different for each one

of us – to be blown away, Jesus comes to us as a loyal friend first and takes us

by the hand. And before we know it, we are walking comfortably in the presence

of a King. A King who is easy to talk to and has all the answers and Who, if we

can just learn to give the reigns to Him, becomes the answer to our questions

and the way that we live our lives.

...it was humbling to realise that his walk with the Lord was out of my control – I couldn’t make him understand anything.

(NIV)

illumin8 - Issue 23 - August 2011

CON TROLCON TROLSELFSELF

going with Him, we will find a new

kind of strength to draw on – one

that at first feels new to us, but as it

grows will help guide us through

every difficult situation.

Being truly self-controlled is about

living a lifestyle of saying, 'Not my

will, but Yours be done’ and finding

that on the other side of that lies life

as we never thought possible! Let's

stop trying to be better, and rather

be awesome as we begin to fully

understand who we belong to and

what it means to give ourselves over to Him.

By Scott Ferriera

Photo by: Kolby Schne

lli's. www.flickr.comWhen the B

ible speaks of being

self-controlled,

it is within the con

text of a bigger pic

ture...

s believers, we are required

to live differently. We are to

be self-controlled; Aappreciating the pleasures of this

world in moderation and as the Lord

intended. The Bible makes numerous

references to this fact, and it is

something that is generally

understood in Christian circles. While

the theory is relatively simple,

actually putting it into practice is a

different animal. If we took a second

to think, I have no doubt that we

could all list a number of areas in our

current lifestyles that we so wish

were different.

From what it says in His word, we

should be! Due to the work that

Christ did on the cross, the power of

sin is broken over our lives. Sin,

being a broad term for anything that

is not in alignment with God's will

and plan for our lives, can range

from the obvious (poor eating habits,

chasing or misusing money and

sexual immorality) to the not so

obvious (which is a discussion for

another time). Possibly, the reason

that we struggle with the same

issues week after week is that our

focus is wrong. The emphasis in

popular Christian culture, I believe, is

on behaving well. If we have our life

in order by attending church once a

week and not sleeping around, then

we are doing okay.

When the Bible speaks of being self-

controlled, it is within the context of

a bigger picture. The goal is not self-

control and mastering each and

every area of our lives so that we can

get a pat on the back. The reason

that we need to be self-controlled, is

the very same reason we came to

this faith in the first place –to bring

us to the realisation that our lives

are not about us.

Being in control of yourself, being in

true control of yourself will only

come when you begin to understand

that this story is not about you. We

are called to greatness in Him, and

therefore are in ourselves great!

When that realisation sets in of who

we are in Christ and where

Why then, do we not get it r

ight?

illumin8 - Issue 23 - August 2011 Designed by: Mari Schoeman

we are

By David Bertram

I was standing on a rock beside a small river. About a metre below my feet, the stream rushed through

a narrow gap formed by rocks, the one I was standing on, and other one on the other side of the river. I wanted to cross the river, and this seemed the best place, where the flow was constricted by these rocks. So I stepped back to improve my

momentum, then lunged forward and jumped over the river to the rock on the other side. This took place many years ago,

when I was a young teenager. The reason I have never forgotten it is that I did not jump hard enough, and got very wet! But the

point is that I began with a step backwards.

Ctrl-Alt-Delete doesn't seem to work with modern computers. It used to be a stand-by procedure when one's computer 'hung' and nothing would make it work properly. The only solution was to press Control, Alt and Delete together. This forced the computer to switch off and start again. As it rebooted, it dealt with the problem that had caused it to 'hang', and it became meekly obedient to the normal keyboard and mouse commands.

Ctrl-Alt-Delete is a backward step. It is an erasing, forcing a new start. At our Theological College we were given a lecture or two on Marxism, to alert us to its dangers. One of its tenets was that the bourgeois society was so corrupt that it needed to wiped out and

erased completely, so that it could be replaced entirely by the proletariat of the workers. (Please forgive my faulty memory if I have got that wrong!)

Jesus was not a Marxist, even though some aspects of Marxism seemed to be based on His teachings. Jesus did not believe applying 'Ctrl-Alt-Delete' to people or society. For Jesus, people are so valuable and so important that He willingly died on the cross for all of us.

But there is a time for 'Ctrl-Alt-Delete'. Paul describes it in Romans 6:3-9 (NIV):

Don't you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves

to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

In John's Gospel, it is put more simply (see John 3:3): 'No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.'

A Christian is a person who has made a new start, and is now a member of God's kingdom and God's family. This begins with repentance, when we take a step backwards. We hand over our previous lives to God, and thus die to them. Then he gives us new life, his life, which is a different order of existence, belonging to heaven, and is never-ending. The modern martyr Jim Elliot put it like this: 'He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose'. There is no comparison between the flawed and mortal life which ends, and the heavenly life which we begin to live here on earth. It is the way to the fullness of life promised by Jesus.

The only way to heaven is the cross of Christ, and the Ctrl-Alt-Delete (or backward step) of true repentance. Have you pressed the button?

illumin8 - Issue 23 - August 2011 Designed by: Wanja Foccaracio

Tales of a South African living in Cambridge

UNITED NATIONS OF NICCI

By Nicci Martin

ControlOne of the things that surprised me most when we first moved to Cambridge was the number of buses everywhere. We actually live very close to the central bus station, so this later started making more sense to me, but seriously … they are everywhere! The public transport system here in the UK is really good, as I'm sure you've heard before, with bus stops left, right and centre as well as trains and cabs if needed. We don't have a car with us here, but have been managing quite well by making use of the transport options available to us. We have also actually been cycling to places nearby and getting some exercise in the process, which is just an added bonus. The buses have been extremely helpful though, especially when I have had to travel far for supply teaching, but can also be really scary at times. I often feel as though I don't know where I'm going or which stop I should get off at. The bus timetables are also so confusing if one hasn't used them before, but they are starting to make more sense to me now. I regularly doubt that I've read the times correctly and get a bit worked up because I'm scared I've missed my bus, but actually I haven't. The stress doesn't stop once I get onto the bus though because then I still have to signal to the bus driver which bus stop I need to

get off at, but sometimes I'm not sure how that stop looks exactly …

drama, drama, drama!

GIVING GOD “I often feel as though I don't know where I'm going or which stop I should get off at. The bus timetables are also so confusing if one hasn't used them before...”

illumin8 - Issue 23 - August 2011 Designed by: Leanne Rhodes

After a few months in Cambridge I am feeling more confident about which buses to take and where the stops are, but have thankfully been getting work closer to home so don't have to take them as often anymore. I have been able to cycle or walk to school which has been a welcome change because I have control over my daily comings and goings (and don't have to rely on anyone else). It's amazing how much calmer I've become because of it. I must admit that being in control, in the sense of getting myself to and from work without having to rely on buses and their schedules, is also not always an easy task. Sometimes it's tiring, or the weather is rainy and windy, and tiny bugs often fly into my eyes (which sting badly and have almost caused me to fall off my bike many times) but I still insist on doing it for some reason. I like not having to rely on buses, their drivers and their timetables because their times don't always suit me and I often feel as though they're wasting my time.

I think, in a way, my relationship with God can often be like this too. Maybe you can also relate to this?

I am all for trusting God as the 'bus driver' in my life, who will help me get to the right destination safely, when I want Him or need Him to be. But sometimes I'm scared of where He wants to lead me. Sometimes I'm not sure if I'll be able to do what He wants me to do. Sometimes I lose faith momentarily and try to take control of the situation myself. By doing so I might get off at the 'wrong' stop on occasion, the one God hadn't originally intended for my life, but I just sometimes cheekily think I know better than He does or can't be bothered to wait for Him and His timing. God is amazing at being patient with me though. He always allows me to make my own choices, may they be the right or wrong ones, but He always stays with me and supports me. He wants me to be able to learn from decisions and turn to Him in the process.

He gives us all the free will to choose whether we want Him to be a part of our lives of not. The great news is, He is always ready and waiting for us to hop on board with Him whenever we are ready to. He wants us to allow Him to be with us and help us get on the right course. He will guide us through the traffic jams, through the storms and through the unexpected wonderful or painful times in our lives too.

Let's take up the challenge of giving God the control in our lives and not be so quick to try and control everything ourselves. All aboard?

“I am all for trusting God as the 'bus driver' in my life, who will help me get to the right destination safely, when I want Him or need Him to be. But sometimes I'm scared of where He wants to lead me. Sometimes I'm not sure if I'll be able to do what He wants me to do. Sometimes I lose faith momentarily and try to take control of the situation myself.”

Designed by: Leanne Rhodes

illumin8 - Issue 23 - August 2011 Designed by: Louise van der Westhuizen

illumin8 - Issue 23 - August 2011

illumin8 - Issue 23 - August 2011 Designed by: Rachelle Vermaak

.

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