TOGETHER We Serve 2021-01_clone

TOGETHER WE SERVE Volume 36 No 2 September 2019 Mundijong

League Committee Jantina vandenDolder President Sharon DenBoer General Deputy Ann Amoraal Minutes Secretary Marian Hamelink Correspondence Secretary Melissa Bosveld Treasurer Bank Acc: BSB 036-032 a/c # 315888 Westpac League Representatives Albany M Schoof, M Witten Armadale A Amoraal, K Visser Baldivis D Louw, J Dekker, M Bosveld Bunbury J vandenDolder, M vanderVeen Byford T Visser Darling Downs C Versluis, A Gunnink Kelmscott S den Boer, H Postmus, N Dorgelo Melville M Hamelink Mt Nasura H Kleyn, E de Jager, P vanderLaan Mundijong M vanderVeen, L de Jager Rockingham J Lambers Southern River K Jarian, S Heerema West Albany R Vermeulen(G), H Vermeulen Correspondence Address: Sr M Hamelink 23 Timber Ridge Retreat Leeming WA, 6149 Email: [email protected] Editorial Committee: Mundijong 2019 Contact Persons: M vanderVeen, L deJager Editorial Address: League of the Free Reformed Women’s Bible Study Societies PO Box 709, Armadale WA, 6992 2

Commitment… From the new President’s pen I am thankful for this opportunity to introduce myself as new president to the people who give the Women’s League its purpose: her members. I am taking over the banner from Ingrid who has held the pen and chair for six years. I was present at the meeting where she was chosen to be president. As a new league representative, I was intrigued by how willing and humble she took on her role as president. She has been a model to me and I thank her for her patience, wisdom and time during the six years of serving in the League. I am a mother of four adult children, married almost 30 years to Eric. As the last children reached high school age, I decided to work towards a second purpose in life. TAFE studies to become a teacher assistant, rolled over into university studies to become a teacher. Now I am the year 3/4 teacher at our school in Capel. I had no intentions to become the president, but God works with a well-thought-out plan. He uses everything we do for his Kingdom and gives us the opportunities and willingness to use what He gives us for His glory. I believe that, while my studies served to prepare me for teaching, it also prepared me to serve God in ways I could not imagine before. After years of business with studies and two years of teaching a need for a new commitment arose in me. As a representative of the Bunbury church, I attended the representative meeting in September 2018 and was asked to be put on the election list for president. Have I done it before? No! Can I do it? Yes, I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13. Do I have to learn a lot? Yes! Do I have support? Yes. I do not have to do it alone. The League committee and representatives are the people who keep the wheels turning. I see this position and commitment as an opportunity to grow, spiritually and mentally. We are very blessed to have opportunities to grow in our church circles. To be able to practise leadership, public speaking and decision making skills in a safe, non-competitive and loving environment is a privilege, one can only find 3

where not one-self but God is the focus of life. It is a blessing to work in God’s Kingdom. From my work field, I want to share the following: As a primary school teacher, I have to teach all subjects. People in the secular world design many of the resources used in teaching. It takes careful observation to test these resources against God’s Word to ensure a clear Christian message. But sometimes it shines a light, God’s grace, shared into the world. Recently, I stumbled on the ABCDE of happiness. A Health lesson about changing bad moods into good moods. In a nutshell, it looked like this. It is what the world teaches children to help them to be happy. A = Active, go for a walk B = Belong C = Commit to something new D =Do something for another person E = Express gratitude Can we apply this in a Christian manner? I think when we look closely, we will notice that the ABCDE of happiness aligns with what the Lord God wants from us during our life on earth. It is not the world that designed this. The Lord designed it for His holy children, and we can find it back in the Bible. The ABCDE of holy happiness, in a nutshell, looks like this: A = Being active outside connects you to God, Creator of Heaven and Earth B = Belong and be actively part of the church community in which God has placed you. C = Commit to doing Kingdom’s work where God has placed you. D =Serve your neighbour. E = Thank the Lord always, be specific in expressing gratitude to the Giver of all. Lord God gives the ABCDE of happiness into the hearts of worldly people to use to increase their happiness. How much more can we, children of the Father, apply the ABCDE of holy happiness, with His Helper the Holy Spirit? God calls us to 4

rejoice always in Him; an active activity that will require energy and work and commitment. With this message, I would like to end “the first pen” I have ever used. Use the ABCDE of holy happiness to be happy in His Kingdom, where God places you. It is your purpose; the reason God has created you. It gives you much to be thankful for. Likewise, we will be thankful for the upcoming League Day, a day to enjoy company, comfort and wisdom in His Kingdom. In sisterly love, Jantina van den Dolder Hospitality I was going to start this article by telling you all about burning the turkey on the first Christmas dinner I hosted and about setting a towel on fire just before our elders knocked on our door for our annual home visit. My plan was to encourage everyone to relax a little about hosting because you don’t have to have it all together before you offer hospitality. But then I started doing some research. Let me share what I learned. We are all familiar with the Biblical command to offer hospitality. We think of 1 Peter 4:9: “Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.” Or of Romans 12:13 where Paul is writing about living lives of sacrifice and using our gifts for service, and he includes in his list “distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” However, it is interesting to take a step back to see what hospitality actually meant in biblical times. There are many examples in the OT where great hospitality was shown. We think of Abraham and Sarah when the angels came, of Abigail who showed much more 5

careful hospitality to David than her husband showed, of the Shunamite woman who even had a room built for Elisha after he had become a frequent dinner guest when he was passing through the area. All these point to the necessity of hospitality in those times – in providing for the traveller, those who were away from home and in need of food and a safe place to sleep. We should note that most examples of hospitality in the Old Testament were in the context of living in the Promised Land where the traveller was not, for example, a Philistine or an Amorite, but a fellow Israelite – a fellow believer. In the New Testament, the focus is often on showing hospitality so that the spread of the gospel would not be hindered. Hospitality was offered to the apostles as they travelled, as well as to fellow Christians who travelled due to persecution. Jesus also spoke of hospitality. Matt 10:42 records Jesus’s words: “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” And when he speaks of the Son of Man returning and separating the goats from the sheep, he says he will say to those who inherit the kingdom: “for I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in”, which he further explains with “inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” Showing love and hospitality to our fellow believers, whether they are strangers or not, is an integral part of our Christian life and shows our love to Jesus; not only that, but it is expected of us by Jesus. In our church culture, hospitality is often seen as a personal, individualistic responsibility; it has to do with ‘entertaining’ relatives and friends, often with the assumption that the favour will be returned. But the original meaning of the word ‘hospitality’ – that is, the word translated from the Greek in the NT – means ‘love of strangers’. The biblical definition could therefore be kindness shown to those outside our normal circle of acquaintance. It is worthwhile to think about whether we are thinking inside of these parameters when we ‘think’ we are offering hospitality. 6

So what should our hospitality look like? Opening our homes, showing love and seeing to the needs of those who are not closest to us. Looking out for the ‘widow, orphan and alien’, which could include those in our church who do not have family or are lonely or have few friends. It can include other believers visiting our local church, or people visiting our church because they are interested in learning more about the gospel. Have them experience some of God’s love through us. From a practical point of view, don’t make the hosting about providing the perfect meal with matching fabric napkins, or about showcasing an immaculate house. Make your hosting about showing love to your guest. When we focus on how our house looks or how perfect the meal has to be, we are focusing on ourselves and revealing our pride. Instead focus on the love we can show our guest through our care of them, our compassionate conversation and comfortable fellowship. It doesn’t have to all be perfect, just genuine and God-honouring. At the same time, acknowledge that when we live a life of service to God there is sacrifice involved. Hosting is not always easy; it can be uncomfortable. But a command is a command, whether it pushes us out of our comfort zone or not. And God will bless others through it, and along the way you will also find that you have been blessed by it. So just start. Do it. Invite someone in your church community who seems isolated. Yes, even if you’re young and they’re senior. Remember, it doesn’t all have to be perfect, just warm and selfless. Although, I would still recommend that you try not to burn the turkey. Rosemarie Pol 7

Knowledge in Hosea: Reflections from a mum ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.’ (Hosea 4:6) It’s a very well known verse. One often quoted to highlight the importance of knowing God, His Word and the doctrines of our church. And rightly so too. In the book of Hosea, we hear God rebuking His people for departing from His ways. God uses a powerful analogy when He commands Hosea to take a ‘wife of whoredom,’ and in doing so accuses His people of spiritual adultery. Their sins are great: idolatry, greed, hypocrisy, ingratitude, murder, adultery and more.1 And the root of their sin? God tell us that they had forsaken Him.2 They rejected knowledge and so rejected Him. They forgot the law of their God. Consequently, there was ‘no faithfulness or steadfast love… in the land.’3 Instead, they ‘cherish whoredom, wine and new wine, which take away their understanding.’4 I studied the book of Hosea recently and reflected on the messages for me, as a child of God and a mother living here and now, in the year 2019. Do I value knowledge in my home? In a world where an abundance of information is readily available, what kind of knowledge do I value? The newest trends and fashions for my home or wardrobe? The latest updates from Facebook friends? Appealing recipes, another exercise regime or more wellness information? In a materialistic and wealthy society, it is easy for us to be like the Israelites who, in a time of prosperity forgot their God.5 What are we idolising or seeking our happiness in that is taking our understanding away from God? And what message does this send to our children who observe, study and so often imitate us? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.6 ‘His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence.’7 1 Hosea 1:2, 2:5,7,11,13 & 4:2 2 Hosea 2:2 3 Hosea 4:1 4 Hosea 4:10 5 Hosea 13:5 6 Proverbs 1:7a 7 2 Peter 1:3 8

‘Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commands, and live. Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.’8 The knowledge we seek and value in our homes, needs to be knowledge of God. Knowledge about who He is. What He has done for us. How He wants us to live. Knowledge that comes from His Holy Word. The knowledge that promotes life, godly living and obedience to Him. Is this knowledge a priority in in my home and in your home? As we enjoy time outdoors, do we instruct our children about their Creator? Do Psalms and godly music fill our hearts and homes? When disciplining, do we take the time to teach about God’s grace, as well as His justice? Is obedience to His Word, based on a love for God and for the authority He has provided, a priority in our homes? Even more importantly, maybe even most importantly, do we model what ‘valuing’ knowledge looks like? Do our children see us wanting to attend church and Bible study club, doing personal devotions and having a desire to grow in the knowledge of God? In Hosea the Hebrew word for knowledge refers to knowing another in the context of a deep, intimate and close relationship. The Israelites still knew how to sacrifice and to burn offerings to God, but it was the obedience and faithfulness arising out of a love and thankfulness to God that was missing. They had the ‘head knowledge’ but where were their hearts? ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise.’9 Our children need to see that service of God involves our hearts too. It doesn’t mean that our hearts dictate our service. Our feelings and emotions are not always truthful. We need to read and study God’s Word and let our feelings, emotions and thoughts be determined by the truth of His Word. 8 Proverbs 4:b & 5 9 Deuteronomy 6:5-7 9

And they will. When we read the Bible story of Joseph, how can we not be moved to speak of God’s providence? When we tell our kids the story of David and Goliath, how can we not express ‘how powerful and strong is our God?!’ When we come across stories of God’s people who sin and rebel time and again, how can we not voice with thankfulness that we serve a God of mercy and justice? God’s Word is to be in our hearts. Knowing His Word, the Psalms and our confessions is crucial and we need to be busy learning, studying, meditating and memorizing, showing our children what a relationship lived closely to the Lord looks like. Showing, as we go about our days, that we desire to know Him deeply. It’s not an easy task that we’ve been given here. We’re sinful mothers, parenting sinful children in a fallen world. And yet, thankfully, His Word does not come without promises and hope. ‘Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, that He may come and rain righteousness upon you.’10 ‘But I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and besides me there is no Saviour.’11 Hosea came to the people with messages of God’s wrath and judgement. Behind these cries, we can hear the love and grief of a Fatherly God. Time and again, God commanded His people to soften their hearts, to flee from their sin and to seek Him. He reminded them of His covenant, of His faithfulness and of His deeds in the past. He, the God of Israel who is also the God of us and our children, is a God of love who has promised life and blessings to those who seek Him. As we go about our days, fulfilling our tasks as mothers, let us take great comfort in and strength from His promises and love. Natika Ballast 10 Hosea 10:12 11 Hosea 13:4 10

As soon as they are able to understand. Devotions with little children. When our children are baptized, we confess that although they have no knowledge of God and the riches of the Gospel, they too are members of the covenant. We also promise “…as father and mother to instruct our children in this doctrine, as soon as they are able to understand…” (Form for Baptism). The Bible is full of texts highlighting the importance of instructing our children in the ways of the Lord (Duet 6:7; Psalm 78:4-7). While this instruction is primarily the responsibility of the fathers, we mothers as helpers to our husbands also have a duty to teach our children in God’s ways. We also live in a time when generally, we as mothers are able to stay home with our young children, and we have more of an opportunity to spend time teaching our children. “As soon as they are able to understand” implies that we begin instructing our children well before they reach school age. Secular educational experts all agree that the first five years are the most important years of a child’s education. While children are entering classrooms earlier and earlier, waiting until they go to school is too late. Instructing our children in the ways of the LORD is not the responsibility of the school. Yes, our schools can and do assist us in our task, but the ultimate responsibility is with us as parents who said “I do” at the front of church, and this responsibility starts when our children are born. (Deut 6:6-7) Think of the godly example of Jochebed and Hannah. Both these mothers had only a very short time with their sons, Moses and Samuel. The Bible tells us that Moses went to live with Pharaoh’s daughter when he was weaned, and Samuel went to live in the tabernacle with Eli at the same age (typically age 3 or 4). Isn’t it amazing that Moses doesn’t become like the pagan Egyptians? And isn’t it a wonder that Samuel doesn’t become like Eli’s wicked sons, Hophni and Phineas? Of course this is God’s work, but it is clear that He used 11

the faithful service of Jochebed and Hannah in the formative years of the lives of Moses and Samuel. As mothers, we have a vital role in teaching our very young children – but what does this all involve? Robert Wolgemuth, in his book The Most Important Place on Earth writes that we don’t just have the task of teaching our children right from wrong, but we also need to teach them about who God is. This means teaching them the Bible stories. This means teaching them to sing Psalms. This means teaching them to pray. It means doing devotions with our very young children. While we can and should spend time teaching our children these things on the go throughout the day, there is great value in spending time in more ‘formal’ devotions. We often underestimate what our young children are capable of knowing and understanding, but at the same time it is not easy to sit little children down and teach them about the Bible! The toddler in the high chair wants nothing more than to be free and run around. The three-year-old sitting on the booster seat would rather spend the time daydreaming about other things. Then as mothers we have the responsibility to try to make the Bible passage understandable and relatable for them! While there is no perfect formula or right way to do devotions with little children, practical experience and various books on the subject shows that there are some ways we can make devotions easier on parents and children alike. Timing is everything. Finding a time that works for us and our children is important. Equally important is making devotions a routine. The Bible teaches us that we must discipline our children (Prov 22:15). This means training them in and expecting appropriate behaviour. Teaching our children what it means to be reverent in the presence of a holy God is fundamental to giving God glory in all that we do (Heb 12:10). For example this starts with having our little ones fold his/her hands and pray before their first solids. They might not understand what they are doing, but we are teaching them that God is holy and when we pray to Him or listen to His Word, reverent behaviour is needed. Having little children sit still and quietly from a young age also prepares them for sitting in church long before they are in church! Of course we have to be realistic as an 12

eighteen month old will probably find it impossible to sit quietly for half an hour. Start small and work from there. Instructing our children in the Word of God is critical! (Ps 78:5-7) It’s often hard to find a suitable children’s Bible that meets all our criteria but adapting stories to make them suitable and relatable can be a good way to go. It is preferable to choose a story Bible that simply retells the story. Douglas Wilson in his book Standing on the Promises writes that moralism (using the Bible stories to primarily teach behaviour) is dangerous. For example, if all our children gain from the story of God providing water from the rock in the wilderness (Ex 17:1-7) is that they should not complain like the Israelites, we have missed an opportunity to teach them about a God who is Almighty, while still being longsuffering. This is one thing to bear in mind with some of the devotional books currently available for little children. Many of them use cute stories to teach children to be nice to one another, not to lie or pilfer biscuits from the pantry. But if used instead of teaching children the Bible stories, there is no teaching about who God is and what He has done for us. The Bible and its stories are all about telling us who God is and what Christ has done for us. We can then glorify our God through singing with our children. (Ps 118:5) Children seem to derive great joy from music and it is amazing how many psalms and hymns a toddler can learn. What a great way to praise the LORD together! Also important to our life as children of God is prayer. It’s not just a ‘nice to have’, it’s a scriptural requirement as we can see in Jeremiah 10:25. As mothers we have the opportunity to model how to pray to our children. Teaching our children the Lord’s Prayer can be a good place to start as it gives us a foundation for how all our prayers should be formulated. Telling our children what we are going to pray for allows them to think about why we are praying and as our children grow older we can ask them to give suggestions for prayer points. Little children learn through repetition. Going over the Bible story again later during the day, or better yet, having them tell Dad about the story when he is 13

home helps to reinforce the message. It can be easy to become disappointed when it seems like they aren’t learning much. But we will have the opportunity to go through the Bible many times in their younger years and each opportunity should be thoroughly exploited! Our children all have different abilities so work with them – as mother you know them best! At times it seems rather complicated and a lot of hard work. Wouldn’t it be better to leave it to the ‘experts’ when they go to school? It’s easy to be like Jeremiah who said when God called him to be a prophet “Ah Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth” (or uneducated, not a good reader, better with older kids… the list for why we feel inadequate is endless!) (Jeremiah 1:6). The fact is that God has placed us with our particular children, and He also equips us with all that we need to teach them. Rev C Bouwman writes in his book The Privilege of Parenting that we are baptized with the same Holy Spirit as our children, and He will help us in our task. We are also not the first to be faced with the task of teaching little children. Many of us also have the benefit of being raised in Christian homes and can remember practices/habits from our own childhood. As younger mothers we are also surrounded by older women who have in the past had the privilege of teaching little ones and can offer support and advice (Titus 2:4). Then there is the most important part: prayer. Quite simply, no matter how hard we work or how much effort we put in as mothers, we can’t save our children or change their hearts. While this might seem disheartening, it is in fact a great comfort! We are called to do the best we can, and God will do the rest. He promises to bless our broken efforts and work faith in the hearts of our children (Prov 22:6). So let’s encourage each other to pray faithfully. Pray that God will equip us to teach our children and bless the time we have together with them. Pray that God will use us in the lives of our children like He used Jochebed and Hannah in the lives of Moses and Samuel. Pray that the Holy Spirit will work faith in the hearts of our children. Pray that our children will not just have knowledge, but that learning more about God will cause them to love God and fear Him. Let us pray; and be confident that God will bless. Bryony de Jonge 14

Music in the Family Hmmmm…music in the family? That phrase brings back fond memories; it makes me think of the fantastic music CDs that were played over and over (and over!) in our house while I was growing up. Those dramatic story CDs were about the life of composers … and set to the world’s best loved classical music – what a fun-filled musical adventure! And my little brothers loved some other CDs we had, just cute, soothing, tinkly music for little ears. That was all great fun…but I’m learning now, more and more, how important it is to shape a child’s outlook at music. Now why is it so important? Is playing, or not playing, a certain kind of music so important in our homes? Do we all really need to think hard about music?? Our weak, sinful, human nature needs guidance. When we were young, we especially needed guidance in everything. Here lies the important task of the parents (and grandparents!). When we raise our children and grandchildren, we also guide them in all areas of life: we teach them how to clean and tidy the house, we teach them how to talk nicely, we provide them with good books to read so they learn and read the right thing, we talk to them and guide them in accordance with God’s Word so as not to promote worldly ideas or thinking (Deut 6:1-9). Music must come under this umbrella as well. In fact, our children really need guidance in the music field, and especially when they are young! Let’s think about it, there is music almost everywhere we go: in the car, in Church, in the shops, on CDs and DVDs etc….and is it all good? Is it all God-pleasing? What music do we want our children listening to? Well, we must analyse music then, too, through eyes of faith, and then teach our children that there is acceptable music, and there is inadmissible music. And so, we must show our children and grandchildren the way that will best serve God and each other. Simply put: we must promote God-pleasing music. An easy, 15

very effective way to do this is: PLAY music that is God- pleasing! Promote and encourage Psalm singing, Psalm CDs, Baroque and Classical music into our homes! Sing and play our precious Genevan Tunes, explore the beauty of Bach, discover the happiness of Handel, the vibrancy of Vivaldi and the magic of Mozart! (just to name a few of the best ). Start today! You will never regret it, and neither will your children. I’d really like to especially promote Bach and Handel. Why? Because their music is extra special. A long time ago, The Reformation brought changes: in the Church, in the Schools, in Science, and it also brought vast improvements to music! The great many musicians that arose during the Reformation era were highly influenced by the Reformation’s gospel-centred theology. Bach and Handel had a strong love for God, and a love for music, so their clever minds compelled them to write music to the glory of God. This music then, is so beautiful, so harmonious, so nicely structured and humble, and therefore, God glorifying. Music that is written to the glory of God will humbly and reverently reflect who God is: the God of beauty, harmony, order and life. This is the music we want to have in our homes! And it goes without saying that we play and listen to the Psalms in our homes. Let’s sing Psalms with our children, play psalm music in our lounges and in the car! Let’s not just leave the Psalms for Church on Sundays only, but every day of the week; make the LORD our “strength and song” (Ex 15:2). Our children will learn how precious and meaningful our heritage is in the Genevan tunes. Now, imagine with this music playing in our homes, in its beauty and simplicity, how nice for the children; what a peaceful, atmosphere for them to play in. It makes such a difference, and children respond to that. It must be made clear that one can’t expect that playing Psalms and Classical music to your children will guarantee their love of it. No, even then, our children could shrug at it later, but we seriously must train them! Imagine we don’t! Imagine, that apart from Church, our children only hear music that the world promotes – boppy, rock and pop music that is blaring anti-social, anti-God, man- centred/self-centred messages. Is this good for our children? Will this music create a nice, calm play-time atmosphere? Will this help them love God more? 16

We must be aware, that if we don’t warn our children of the ways of the world, they will probably run right along with it. Our children must learn that some things are inadmissible and can’t be considered part of a truly Biblical worldview. Prof. Schilder once pointed out that pop/rock music can even make one unable to appreciate good music; completely spoiling one’s musical taste. “May God bless us in our task of teaching and guiding our children and grandchildren in the way closest to God; a way that speaks God’s language, not the language of the world”. When parents have such a prayer, there is hope for the future of our families. So, let’s keep the boppy, pop kid’s fun music to a bare minimum, and refresh our children’s musical taste with something really worth listening to. Our time, including our children’s time, is not our own, it’s God’s, so let’s use it to His Glory. Hopefully this makes your job easier! A few music CD ideas below…please try and explore the musical wonderland below A great investment! • “Sing to the LORD” The children of Asaph … and more at http://www.inhpubl.net/ip/ip.htm (Canadian Reformed Publishers) • Psalms CDs by Kent Dykstra at ProEcclesia • “With Songs of Praise” by Frank Ezinga - http://www.frankezinga.com/my-store/ • OP SHOPS have a great selection of Bach/Handel/Mozart… $2 each! • Baby Einstein CDs – this is such cute music for little ears! (http://www.babyeinstein.com.au/products/04-05_audio.shtml) • Classical Kids CDs – these are fantastic! http://www.childrensgroup.com/product.php?mode=cat&cid=classic_eng Hanna Bruning 1. Alvin J. Schmidt, How Christianity Changed the World 2. W. Meijer, Christ in the Family 17

Our Value in Christ Have you ever had the thought, “I really don’t like myself?” Or, “I wish I was like…?” Are you often seeking the approval of other people? Or are you behaving in a certain way to fit in with your group of friends? I am sure many of us have had these thoughts or behaviours from time to time. But have you considered where these thoughts come from? God created you in His image. He created you as a unique individual. There has never been, nor will there ever be another person exactly like you! Isn’t that just amazing! Psalm 139:13-16 reveals God’s marvellous creation of us personally. “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skilfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.” It is vital that we accept ourselves and learn to be happy with who God made us to be. We have no need to wish we look like – or are someone else. God created us to be who we are. If we go around copying and trying to be like somebody else, it takes away from the diversity, creativity and uniqueness that God intended. We have to be ourselves and dare to be different. We need to be secure in who God made us to be, and then go out and be our best in our service to God. This ties in very closely with our sense of value and self-worth. How do we view ourselves? Are we letting others determine our worth and value? Are we believing lies about ourselves and determining our value from those lies? Or are we letting our value be determined by how God views us? Our sense of value cannot be based on how somebody else treats us, or their opinion of us. Nor on our own achievements or lack of achievements. Nor on how 18

popular we are. That can only lead to insecurity and depression, for all those things are changeable and we can never measure up to ourselves or others. Our sense of value is based solely on the fact that we are a child of the Most High! We are God’s cherished possession and treasure! Read Romans 5:8 “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” What greater love is there than this! We are chosen by God, fully justified, adopted and are being sanctified by God, through Christ who carried our punishment. So our value is not based on what we do, but on what Christ has done for us! Not on how we view ourselves or how others view us, but on how God views us, through Christ. Be secure in Him. He loves us and we are precious to Him. So next time you feel you are not worth anything, or your anxiety creeps up because you are worried by what others think of you, or you are trying to gain approval of those around you…remember the truth of God’s Word. God loves me and I am safe and secure in Him. Embrace His incredible love for you and let His Grace to you sink in. Remember your identity in Christ. Then you will not have to compare yourself to others. In fact, you will not need to focus on “self” at all. Instead you will become channels of His love to others. Sue Byl Poems By Helen Steiner Rice Often we stand at life’s crossroads In this changing world, and view what we think is the end, may God’s unchanging love but God has a much bigger vision surround and bless you daily in abundance from above. and He tells us it’s only a bend. Love one another Never dread tomorrow and help those in need, or what the future brings, just pray for strength and courage regardless of colour, And trust God in all things. race, church or creed. 19

Going on a Guilt Trip? Guilt: it’s a word we, as wives and mothers, are all too familiar with! It’s that awful feeling of not being good enough, not doing enough, being too much of all the wrong things and not enough of the right things. It has the potential to cripple us, haunt us and drive us crazy. There’s probably not a mother out there who hasn’t experienced it. We lay awake at nights, obsessing over our failures, determining to be better tomorrow. And on those days that you don’t feel guilty, in comes the guilt for not feeling guilty! Psalm 37: 3 tells us to “Trust in the Lord and do good”, but in our day to day lives we often get this verse backward. We put the “doing good” before the “trusting God”. Our focus centres on what we’re doing and trusting in God becomes something of an afterthought. We attempt to fulfil our tasks in the family and in the church as if it’s all up to us. And that’s when guilt steps in, because when we put “doing good” first, nothing good we do is ever good enough. So what’s a tired, guilt ridden, fearful Mum to do? First, let’s take a look at 2 Corinthians 7:10 where it says, “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” Here Paul is talking about two types of guilt. One is the right kind; the other is not. The right kind of grief (guilt over sin) should lead us to repentance. If repentance is a turning away from sin to our Saviour, then the right kind of guilt involves actual sin. But often our guilt is a lingering feeling that isn't rooted in any particular sin. It simply hangs over us like a dark cloud. This guilt is the wrong kind of guilt, a guilt rooted in a desire for perfection. It comes from our own expectations of ourselves. We have some idea or picture of what kind of wife/mother we should be. And when we don’t live up to this picture, we succumb to guilt. It comes from a society around us who constantly tells us what a “good mum” looks like. Family and church members let us know when we are doing things wrong. When we don’t measure up to all these messages, we begin to feel guilty. Why? Because someone else isn’t happy with the way we are doing things and pleasing others becomes more important than pleasing God. Both paths are destructive; both lead to guilt trips and both leave us feeling defeated and inadequate.

And, surprisingly, that’s right where God wants to meet us...the place where we admit our powerlessness and our need for Him. For the reality is that every mother fails to image God perfectly in her mothering. You see, there are no perfect kids and no perfect mothers. No matter what we read in blogs, see in magazines and learn in books, there are sinful kids and sinful mums and dads. The only thing greater than both is the grace of God. The God who says “there is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). The Gospel changes how we view our failures. God has delivered the Christian mother “from the power of darkness and transferred her to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom she has redemption and the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13, 14). God loves us, not because we are good wives/mothers but because we are His precious children. He loves us not because we’ve mastered the skills of parenting but because He has. It’s divine grace that will transform our parenting, not guilt. It’s grace that will keep us going when we’re exhausted and worn out. It’s grace that will conquer our feelings of inadequacy and remind us of God’s love for us in Christ. God has demonstrated the fullness of His love for us through the cross of His Son, even while we were still sinners. By grace we are freed to look at our responsibilities and our opportunities through eyes of faith and to trust in Him. We trust that God hears the cry of the needy, that He exalts the humble and that He rewards the faithful (Psalm 34:17; James 4:10; Matthew 25:21). He has promised us His presence. And so the answer to this guilt that hangs over us is to claim the righteousness of Christ. It reminds us that Christ is all we need. We can be assured that while we may not do it all perfectly on any given day, our guilt is not the final word. The next time you’re confronted with condemning thoughts, choose to turn your mind from everything I am not to everything I am – all because of the God of Grace. Place your trust in Him and He will infuse your doing good with peace, joy and hope. Bronwyn de Jonge 21

Suffering I imagine most of us, if not all of us, would do our best to avoid suffering. It is an experience we do not find pleasant. It is an experience we probably would not choose to hear on the day we profess our faith. After all, this is a day of joy and celebration. Many of us would still be in our teens at that stage of life and, if you are like me, quickly push aside those first words of 1 Peter 5:10, 11: “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion for ever and ever. Amen”. They hardly seem relevant, especially to us who have grown up with so many privileges. This tends to make us believe that we are entitled to a life free of suffering and we are going to do everything we can to make this happen. In addition, we often start off with a superficial knowledge of the Bible: “God blesses us if we love Him, serve Him and obey Him and curses us if we don’t”. We have Deuteronomy 28 to prove it. We also have the books of Judges, Kings and Chronicles, which reinforce this thought. So all we need to do is love the Lord, serve Him and obey Him and life should be a bed of roses. I love the Lord. I have responded to His promise to me of being His child. I want to obey Him. There are also other voices speaking to us: “You can make life happen; you can become whatever you choose; just make the right choices; you can have whatever you set your heart on”. You get the impression you can just about make heaven on earth. So we start off as a young adult. Reality soon sets in for most of us. We don’t get the grades we desire. The jobs we so diligently applied for slip through our fingers. We lose a much-needed job. Money is so tight, even with an income, it is impossible to make ends meet. How do we make good friends? Life without friends seems bleak. We cannot find a life partner. We would love to have children. We are married and have children and grieve our perceived loss of freedom. Our children are often sick. We lose a child. A close friend dies. Relationships become difficult. We mourn the loss of our dreams as we see them go up in smoke. A son or daughter turns his/her back to the Lord. Our bodies break down. A husband dies. The list goes on and on, full of small everyday happenings 22

and huge bombshells. We start to realize why our marriage solemnization form calls this life a vale of tears. Our disappointments, our losses, our failures and our frustrations cause pain within us. They are a source of suffering. We need not deny our pain and the many reasons why we are hurting. In fact, it may start us on the road to healing when we voice all that we miss and have lost. We may be able to voice it within the family circle, among a few close friends, or within a support group. Above all, we may direct our grief to our heavenly Father. Many a psalm and a prayer has been born from the womb of suffering. We have a High Priest who weeps with us. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). In turning to God I am taking the step of acknowledging that there is purpose to our suffering. I realize that my loving Father is in control. He is almighty so He could have directed my path in another way. I know it is not because He hates me because He sent His infinitely beloved Son to die for undeserving me. I can only come to the conclusion that He only has good in mind for me (Rom.8:28). And so I pray, “Lord, this that you are sending my way does not feel good. My feelings tell me how I am hit but they do not tell me the big picture. It hurts but I believe you. I trust you. Do not let Satan sway me. He so knows how to attack me when I am down”. I can suffer with hope. I read my Bible. I find in Psalm 73 that even in Old Testament times the faithful often suffered and the wicked seemed to have it all. I learn that the promised blessing points more to a spiritual reality and to eternity, than a perfect physical one right now. I read texts such as Romans 5: 1-5, 2 Corinthians 14: 17 and James 2-4 and discover that difficulties are a tool that God uses to make us more beautiful on the pathway to perfection. 23

Yes, suffering has purpose. I have gleaned some reasons from two authors which I will briefly summarize. Suffering can: 1) lead to a greater dependency on God as many believers testify 2) have the potential for growth, greater understanding and new insights 3) help us discover the depths of God’s comfort 4) prepare us for eternal joy (2 Cor.4:17) 5) help me see that God is my only solid foundation – not people, or health or money or circumstances 6) create in me a greater empathy for others Parents can already start showing children in the little things of life that they’re okay with loss, pain and imperfection. We soothe our children when they hurt themselves but we do not overreact as if something terrible has happened. We are disappointed when we forget the cake we have put into the oven but we are not devastated. Yes, we accept that we are responsible but we also accept that perfection is not in the here and now. When I lose my glasses I can get angry, frustrated and cranky or I can make a fun game out of it with the finder rewarded in the centre of a family hug! Children learn so much from our reactions. “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Cor.4: 17,18) For some further reading: 1) An article by Randy Alcorn dated October 9, 2018 from the desiringGod website. 2) Recovering From LOSSES in Life by H.N. Wright Mary Terpstra 24

God’s Care God’s care comes in many forms. He cares enough to break your bones in order to capture your heart. I wish your care was always easy, predictable, safe – a cool drink a soft pillow – but You are too wise, too loving, too committed to your work of transforming grace. So your gracious care comes to me in uncomfortable forms: the redeeming care of disappointment, the unexpected trial, suffering, loss. These things don’t tell me You’re cold-hearted, absent, uninvolved. No, each is a sign of zealous grace, redeeming love. I struggle to grasp how much You care, so I struggle to rest in that care. You care enough to give me what I need, not what I want. You care enough to break my bones in order to recapture my heart. For further study and encouragement: Psalm 51 (especially verse 8) Verse 8 says “Make me to hear joy and gladness, That the bones which You have broken may rejoice.” Taken from “New Morning Mercies” by Paul David Tripp 25

What Are You Thinking? Of the estimated 4200 religions in the world, I daresay ours calls people to use their mind the most. Why do we fence the Supper Table? Should we apply discipline now? How do we engage in the political arena? What is meant by elect and reprobate? You get the idea. Our faith forces us to think about issues carefully and critically. Do we still know how? Tim Challies writes that we have a ‘diminished ability to think deeply, to cultivate concentration and to be engaged in deliberate, thoughtful conversation.’ Challies’ ideas are no doubt supported by Mark Bauerlein who wrote the book The Dumbest Generation. So why is it that our ability to think deeply is on a downward trend? Why are millennials publicly declared as the dumbest generation? The answers to these questions are incredibly multifaceted. Perhaps the work of Daniel Kahneman can provide one possible insight. Kahneman uses the terms System One and System Two to describe human thinking. System One is very busy. It is where our fast, every day decisions are made. I’ll quickly put another load of washing on before I go out. I’ll turn the heat down now, so I don’t burn the chicken. I’ll change the sheets today while it is sunny. Better pay that bill before I forget. When a decision or action is not intuitive or instinctive, System One ‘hands it over’ to System Two where rational thinking takes place. System Two is slow, requires effort and involves complex thinking. By nature, we avoid System Two when we can. Approximately 95% of our thinking is done in System One while System Two is in a comfortable low-effort mode in the background. Take this classic problem as an example: A bat and a ball cost $1.10, but the bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? When this question was posed to people on the street, most people immediately answered with ’10 cents.’ Wrong. That’s System One for you. It operates quickly with no voluntary control. This can sometimes lead to error. 26

Are we spending less time in System Two than we used to? Perhaps. The digital age certainly has a lot to answer for. It had big promises of a sharper, more aware, intellectually sophisticated generation. Unfortunately, that enlightenment never came. The digital age has given our already lazy System Two even less reason to be activated. We have an enormous amount of information at our fingertips diminishing the need to think deeply or critically. Sometimes we are even tricked into thinking we are using System Two because of the intellectual (Google generated) titbit we could contribute. When we need to come up with ideas, we have different Facebook pages, Instagram and Pinterest boards to explore. These pages can be beneficial; however, we are absorbing someone else’s creativity rather than activating System Two and generating our own. What about when it comes to Bible Study or discussions about important issues with your friends or family? Are your conversations a string of System One musings where you give emotional and sometimes irrational or poorly though out responses? Or do you take a step back and take time to think deeply and carefully? How do you know if you are thinking deeply? Deep thinking often involves some confusion. Should we sell and shift house now? When do we give our son a smart phone? What course should I study at University? How should I engage with an excommunicated member? When considering questions such as these, your brain enters confusion or dissonance, forcing System Two to be active. Thinking deeply also involves reflection rather than reflex, consideration of alternatives rather than only seeing one option, suspended judgement rather than rapid emotional responses. How much time do you spend in System Two? By the way, the answer is five cents. Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. USA: Straus and Giroux. Esther Minchin 27

Book Review The Sermon on the Mount Kingdom Life in a Fallen World by Sinclair B. Ferguson I’ve recently come across a great little book and want to share it with you. The title was appealing but it was the author’s name that made me open and read it. And I wasn’t disappointed. It may be a small book but it sure has a big message. In fact, it’s a real gem. First published in 1987, it’s still readily available on Amazon. According to Wikipedia, Sinclair Ferguson, was born in 1948 and is a Scottish Theologian known in Reformed Christian circles for his teaching, writing and editorial work. Having heard some of his lectures from the annual Ligonier conferences where he is often guest speaker, his very evident deep love and reverence for God, as well as his pastoral style of teaching make him very easy to listen to and read. In the preface, he asks this question: “When so many sermons have been preached on this teaching of Jesus [the Sermon on the Mount] and many books written, why then add to their number?” His answer is simple: “The Sermon on the Mount speaks with extraordinary power and relevance to Christians today. In these pages I have tried to let it speak in a way that shows this power. The Sermon underscores something that marked the whole of Jesus’ ministry. He stands before us as Saviour and Lord, Redeemer and Teacher. We can never divide Jesus in two and take Him in half measure. It is all or nothing. The ‘forgiven’ life and the ‘holy’ life are, in Jesus’ view, two sides of the same coin. In our time we have lost that balance and mixture, we need to recover it, and recognise that in the kingdom of God what we believe and how we live are 28