soteriaLifestyle Worth Living

soteriamag.co.uk

Apr / May 2010FREE!• Problem Pages • Competition • Reviews • And Much More...

Soteria is an independent Christian Youth Lifestyle magazine with two aims.

If you are a Christian we want to help you understand the Bible by offering practical everyday Bible guided advice.

If you haven’t made a decision about Jesus, we want you to see what being a Christian is all about!

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Soteria is freely available to anyone. If you would like to subscribe to the magazine for yourself, or for a church or youth group then you can now do so writing to the address below, or on our website.

CONTACT

Write to:Soteria Magazine

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RedruthCornwall

TR15 3PN

or e-mail us:editorial@soteriamag.co.uk

DONATIONS

If you would like to support us in our work, Soteria welcomes donations. You can give in cash (if you know members of the team), by cheque made payable to “Soteria Magazine” or by setting up a standing order with your bank.

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Rob

Whooosssshhh! There goes Easter! Yes we’re heading towards summer already, but it feels like I haven’t long taken down the Christmas tree! Well Soteria’s back, a little later than planned, and we’ve got a full issue for you this time, I’ve had difficulty fitting everything in!

We’ve decided to look at something that none of us can avoid, Family. Whether we like it or not most of us have some form of family! So how do we live with them and get the most out of being with them and give the most too them?

On some pages you will find little yellow boxes with stories of not-so-functional families in the Bible. The important point of all these is that God had a plan, he could use them. Believe me, if God could use some of this lot, then He can certainly use you and your family to change the world, no matter how good / bad they are!

So until next time - Happy Families!

Families... you can’t really live with them, and you most certainly can’t live without them. All families face discord and tension at times. It’s only natural!

Probably the biggest challenge to face families today, is the uncertainty relating to the aftermath of the infamous credit crunch. No-one’s job is guaranteed and the burden placed on the family can be huge. Parents with all the will in the world can struggle to spend enough time with the family, or face the worry of trying to make ends meet. So living up to an expectation of mum, dad and 2.4 children living in a nice house, running a decent car and looking forward to a holiday abroad for many adults, teens and children may seem a million miles away.

In the UK the family unit may consist of same sex couples, may harbour bereavement or divorce, or split families. So what is the ideal, and can we ever live up to it?

You could be forgiven for thinking that in the Bible, all families were perfect and the guidelines laid out for family life were adhered to. However, too often the tales of infidelity, betrayal and the daft things people did feature in the Bible. Abraham, for example, was an amazing man used by God in many different ways, but his stupidity beggars belief! (Genesis 15 & 16).

Abraham was married to Sarah, but he had affair with his servant Hagar who had a son named Ishmael. Without being bogged down with the detail, a lot of needless heartache was endured, because Abraham and Sarah failed to fully trust God and follow in His ways. However, God was willing to forgive the mistakes and Abraham

was trusted by God to do what was required of him.

So what is the approach that we need to take? We can point the finger at those around us who may not live up to our expectations. We may even find ourselves living in a non-conventional or dysfunctional family. However, it is much better if we make the most of our own situations, asking God for guidance as to how we should live our own lives. We can also take responsibility for our own actions, for example, by making an effort to make sure that a solid relationship (even marriage) comes before starting a family.

And it doesn’t stop there! Fathers are encouraged not to frustrate their children, but children are expected to respect their parents. Children are not simply expected to obey their parents for the duration of their childhood, but honour them for their lifetime. In essence, God is not trying to set a precedent or expectation that can never be fulfilled, but to show us how we can live in harmony within the family unit. The Bible is still relevant even in 2010 in our own unique situation!

If we’re going to look at dysfunctional families in the Bible then we don’t need to go much further than the first few chapters. Adam and Eve give us examples of a husband not taking responsibility and a wife shifting the blame. When we get to the first generation we see jealousy, revenge and of course the first ever script for an interrogation in CSI Israel.

Through it all, God had a plan.

We are all bombarded continually by the media and peer pressure. We are keen to fit in, and not be singled out for not wearing the right trainers... How critical is it if you can’t get the designer clothes you so desperately want? Is your life really going to be worthless if you cannot get your favourite football team’s strip, or latest game for the PS3?

It isn’t wrong to want decent clothes. If Lydia was not trading in expensive purple cloth, would she have been able to support the early church in the way that she did. (Acts 16vs14-16). The Bible does not sideline people who buy and sell expensive things. However, we need to remember that the love of money leads to all kinds of evil. What lengths are we willing to go to?

Pester power can be a toy seller’s best friend! Wearing mum down with endless moans and groans and even a temper tantrum thrown in may seem amusing. But before you ask, consider the following...

Be Content

• Am I in need of it, or do I just want it? Will my life really be incomplete without it?

• Could I opt for a cheaper brand?• Is there a less expensive way of buying

it, (i.e. shop around, legal download versus CD)?

• What can I put towards it? Could I sell some old stuff, or put some work in around the house? Am I able to work part time?

• What impact will my demands have on the family budget? Is it a choice between putting petrol in the family car or a new i-pod, for example?

• Do I need to put things in perspective? Should I be content that I live in a good home, have food on the table, and have running water?

• Will this item make me proud and encourage me to belittle anyone around me?

• What does God think about it? Will this item enhance my life as a Christian, or become a barrier between me and God?

• What else could I use the money for? Maybe supporting a Christian mission, or paying for driving lessons that could ultimately benefit myself and others.

Jesus always wanted people to be content with what they had. Jesus wants us to not worry about food, clothing or shelter, but to put our lives into perspective by considering the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 6). So let us concern ourselves first with what is eternal and lasting. Maybe some things are just not worth the hassle after all!

It’s Christmas, you rush downstairs eager to rip some wrap. Your pile doesn’t seem quite as big as your younger siblings. You open a wooly jumper knitted by Granny, a CD and a pair of socks. The younger members of your family seem to have done rather better. They’ve got the most expensive toys off the shelves! Do you a) sell them into slavery and pretend they were attacked by the big dog next door or b) Thank Granny

for the time she put into your jumper?Most of us probably would feel like a), but actually do b). If only someone had told Joseph’s brothers this! Despite the family problems God used them for His purpose.

In the DRAGONS’ DEN...

Our friends at Imagination Games have given us a copy of two different board games to give away. Check out our review of

Scabs ‘n’ Guts and Beat The Parents on Page 12.

Each of these games is on sale at a well known Supermarket for £14.97. So head towww.soteriamag.co.uk

armed with the answer to this question to be in with your chance of winning.

Who invented the scissors?

This question is taken from the adult selection of Beat The Parents. The competition closes on 10th June 2010 at 23:59. Entries after this time will not count!

Hi, we’re from Soteria Magazine and we’re looking for a £5 investment (per month) for a 0% share in the company...

Soteria wouldn’t last 5 minutes being interrogated by Theo, Peter and the other dragons, especially not Deborah, she’s scary! We don’t have a sound financial footing, we are a non-profit organisation, so if Theo were to give some of his children’s inheritance to us he would get nothing back, at least not in this life.

Why do I mention this? Well one question I am asked more than any other is how is Soteria funded? The truth is at the moment we only just manage to scrape together enough money for each print run. However God has always provided in one way or another. Sometimes it’s

looked desperate, but when it comes to paying the bill the money is there!

Perhaps you could prayerfully consider if you

or your church could help us?

We only need 30 people to give £5 a month to sustain the magazine

as it is.

We currently print 500 magazines, receive around 20,000 unique users to the Soteria Magazine website every month and run another website to record and encourage worship in the Cornwall area. All this with no advertising budget and no paid workers. Join us as we seek to fulfill the vision that God has given us and help spread the Good News of the Gospel!If you would like to setup a standing order then

please contact us for details. You can use a credit or debit card for a one-off donation through

our website too, look for the donate button.

What Christian influences were around at the time of your early Christian life?

There was the Baptist Church, and the Christian Youth Club that I attended. I also had three Christian friends in my work place. In addition I had another close friend in the Methodist Church.

Did your acceptance of Jesus come slowly or more suddenly like Paul going to Damascus?

I’d been going to Sunday School since I was three years old so already knew a lot of Bible stories. As a teenager I went to a ‘crusade’, and there I heard the gospel of Jesus and how it was personally relevant to me. So I was aware of the need to believe in Jesus for quite a long time but it took a tragedy in my life to realise that I needed God actively in my life. I needed to put myself in God’s hands. I needed Him to sort out the things in my

life that I couldn’t sort.

Did your family accept your faith?

Well…’Yes’ and ‘No’. Although both my Mum and Dad had gone along to Church as children themselves, my Mum only liked to do a bit of singing. I remember her once saying “These things [Christianity] are all right so long as you don’t take them too seriously!” My problem with that was that I believe there is no point to it all if you don’t take it seriously. Just singing hymns and attending Church is not enough, it’s got to be real and practical!

What was the effect your faith had over the household?

Well, they didn’t discourage me from attending Christian activities. I remember there was some opposition to some of my actions as a Christian, tithing my money for example. However they were delighted when I

began seeing a devoted Christian girl, and married her. However it was not until my Mum’s last few days before she died that she said to the evangelist who was talking with her about the effect of my constant belief, and she then believed herself. So I guess I gave her an awareness of spiritual things at the very least.

How easy or hard on you was it having parents that did not share your belief?

I felt isolated emotionally and spiritually. It was difficult but God gave me the strength to carry on. Mum and Dad were always there to support me as parents with the usual things, but not really from a spiritual point of view.

How easy or hard on you was it having siblings that did not share your belief?

My brother was sent to Church at an

early age same as me, but he’s a very different character to me and that meant we had clashes and differences of opinion. It’s only now that he seems to be softening to Christian things, which of course is a very good thing.

Was anyone in your extended family a believer?

A few of my Aunts believed and my Uncle Jim was a devout Anglican, although he was not really very big on talking about such things, he was a very private man.

What lasting effect has this period had on your faith?

I think it really made me appreciate fellowship and it developed in me a lasting strength of belief in Jesus.

You now have a devout-Christian wife and children who believe. What is it like

The Lone ChristianDespite its title this article has nothing to do with masks, horses or silver bullets. This is about surviving as a “fish-out-water”, a Christian that is surrounded by people who don’t believe the same as you. I’ve practically grown up inside the Baptist Church and raised by two Godly parents. So I thought it best to have a chat with someone who did grow up

in that situation.

blog.soteriamag.co.uk

The Lone Christian THE BEST LAID PLANS OF MICE...

And what have men got to do with anything? Well there are some things that can’t really be predicted despite every bit of technology we have at our disposal! The weather is one, and when a child is going to emerge into the world is another.

My wife was due to go for an elective c-section on the 11th March. Everything was prepared, people to look after the kids, transport to the hospital. Everythi-ing was going to be nice and relaxed...

Five days before we had some friends around to play Uno, they left our home around 11:30pm, (this is an early evening for them!) by 12:15 I was sat in the hospital delivery suite. My new baby girl seemed to be determined to come and join us out in the world.

Clearly this isn’t the right place to air what happened over night and the next day, but four days before she was meant to arrive baby Abigail blinked in the light of this strange place we call home.

With our plans totally out of the window I had to deal with my two boys while my wife recovered in hospital with our new baby.

So babies are unpredictable, we already know that! What I haven’t said is that originally I was meant to be away with one of my kids that weekend in Plymouth “Sleeping With The Sharks” at the Ma-rine Aquarium, I decided not to go after setting up the possibility of attending. I don’t know why, it just didn’t feel right to go. God knows His plans for us, to prosper us and not to harm us, even when we think we know better!

being surrounded by people who share your faith, compared to that time of being on your own?

Well it’s a time of great benefit and support. I take great pride, not false pride, but rather I’m very pleased to know my children have asked the Lord into their lives, and seeing them active in serving, ministry, song and leading worship services. It’s quite a different life for me now compared to then and it’s great!

What would you like say to encourage young Christians today who are “Lone Christians”?

Keep plodding on! Find support and encouragement where you can. Seek out a solid, older Christian who could be like a spiritual Father or Mother to you, or even better find a Christian married couple to help guide you as there is a great need for spiritual parenting. Read the Bible a lot, pray a lot, and finally stand strong in the Lord.

In the Bible the firstborn son got a lot of inheritance privileges called a ‘Birthright’, but this becomes difficult when you have twin boys! According to tradition Jacob and Esau fought in the womb. At birth it was Esau who emerged first but with Jacob grabbing hold of his heel, and his name literally means that. By the time they were grown their father, Isaac (son of Abraham), was an old man with failing eyesight. Jacob managed to buy Esau’s birthright for a meal and then tricked his father into

blessing him rather than his brother. Sneaky, but despite this deception God still used him!

Yep, it’s hard being a teenager, Rob Parsons (director of Care For The Family) believes that it’s much harder now than at any time in the past. There are pressures everywhere both from outside the family unit and inside it. Your parent(s) expect you to do well in school and you have more examinations in your young lives than many of them have ever had!

Financial pressures squeeze the family too, as you grow older you may be expected to get a job and shoulder some of your own costs. Then there’s a whole world of drink, drugs, guys/girls and entertainment out there which can seem so enticing. On top of all that if you go to church you are probably expected to be involved with the youth group and to show your face at some of the services, and the smaller your church, often the greater the expectation is.

With all this pressure, how do we keep our heads? Is it even possible to do everything that is expected of you without being burnt out at 16?

The family is meant to support each other. We sometimes don’t manage that very well. Of course it’s everyone else’s fault that they don’t ‘get’ you. They have no idea what you’re going through and when you try to talk to them your parents start ranting and raving at you about the state of your room or some inconsequential matter.

Hang on a minute though is it all their fault? I know when I was a teenager often the problems were mine and so were the escalations. I was the first one to start shouting like I was out of control. In my defence as a teenager the chang-es in your body aren’t only the obvious things that are happening. There’s a mental rewiring going on too, making you jumpy and much more prone to irrational or emotional outbursts.

Our parents should at the very least want the best for you and love you. Siblings though, that’s another matter entirely, especially if they are teenagers too. Siblings fight, verbally and physically. To most outsiders you may appear to be the perfect family, you and I know that appearances can be very deceptive. Again this can all be put down to changes within us, especially if you want a cop-out excuse!

We have to take some responsibility for our own actions. We cannot simply blame biology. Part of what makes us different to animals is that we have a conscience, an inner check and balance that can be used to reign in our errant thoughts and feelings. This is part of self control and it needs to be worked on from the earliest possible moments in childhood. It’s part of what parental discipline should be all about.

In the book of Proverbs we find a suggestion that parents should “Train up a child in the way that they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it.” (22v6). It’s hidden amongst many other pearls of wisdom and it’s a good bit of advice for parents. Discipline is only part of it though, reward can be just as, if not more, powerful!

The way that you have been brought up to this point in your life will already have had a great impact on how you live your life. There will be things you are not comfortable doing because of something you have been taught. Some of these will be right and good, some may be wrong and ill-conceived. Some things are learned consciously and some subconsciously, adding to your existing nature and personality to make you who you are today and who you will grow into tomorrow!

There is other important advice in the Bible for parents. Yes there is stuff about discipline and

Families, there’s nothing you can do about them. They come in all shapes and sizes, some are functional and others not so much. As a teenager so many things around you and inside you are changing, and there are so many pressures, family life can become tough. How do you keep it all in balance and what advice can the Bible give us?

parents love to rattle that out. “Spare the rod, spoil the child” is (inaccurately)based on Proverbs 13v24 which says you don’t love your

child if you aren’t prepared to discipline them. This of course echoes God’s love for us as He disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12v9-11) for their own good.

Another passage about parental responsibility to their children is one of my favourites. “Do not exasperate your children, instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” (Eph 6v4) In context it’s written to Fathers, it was their role not just to discipline the kids but to teach them the ways of God. This also shows that parents need to be fair in their expectations of their children. If they set targets too high or keep moving them then it leads to exasperation - an excellent word that just sound like some one getting fed up and blowing a raspberry at the whole idea!

So parents have responsibility to their children and they also find it tough. These days spanking is frowned upon and they have the frustration of Supernanny’s ‘naughty step’ but that really doesn’t work with teenagers! Here comes the hard part, we as sons and daughters also have a job to do to make family life more harmonious.

“Honour your Father and your Mother” is something first comes up in Exodus 20v12. It’s important, it’s one of the 10 Commandments, and one of the most forgotten. We all remember not to murder, you manage to not murder in the literal sense every day. Do you remember to honour your parents though? Paul repeats this before the ‘exasperation’ verse (Eph 6v1-3). He explains that this is a commandment which is the first with a promise “that you may live long in the land.” You should “Obey your parents” too, there is the conditional addition of “in the Lord.” In other words they shouldn’t be asking you to do things that are plain wrong.

This duty of honouring continues through life,

you don’t grow out of it at 16,18 or even 21. So your parents still have a duty to respect your grandparents. So if you hear them moaning about having Gran over for Christmas this is something you may want to remind them about.

The good news is it does get easier. As you grow up, in most cases, siblings get along better.Especially if there is space between them, rather than tripping over each other on the way to the breakfast table. Your brothers and sisters are truly going to be the people who know you best. They’ve been through much of what you have. Their experiences and their upbringing means that you will probably have many similar ideas and philosophies about life.

For now it is important to learn self-control. This is one part of the fruit of the Spirit, and yes it takes time and a denying of self to grow mature. No-one said it would be easy.

Some tips to help:

1. Control Your Tongue. Answering back doesn’t show respect to anyone. Turning a conversation into a slanging match benefits no-one. Hurtful things are often uttered in the heat of the moment and can take a lifetime to mend.

2. Control Your Habits. Dirty laundry is never fun, it’s even worse if your smelly socks have to be excavated from your bedroom. Put your laundry out and / or keep your room tidy! Remember that other people might want to use the toilet, or have a shower, so don’t hog the bathroom!

3. Respect The Rules. If your parents set rules then do try to keep them. Believe it or not they are normally there for your own good, or at the very least for your parents sanity. If there are rules you feel are unreasonable see if you can CALMLY negotiate!

4. Say Thanks. A good way of giving respect is to thank your parents for what they do. They are not running a free B&B and Taxi service for you, parents have their own lives too. A little thankyou, a bunch of flowers or some peace and quiet at the weekends will go a long way!

A

QMy dad recently walked out. I’m not really sure why, but I know my parents had been

arguing for a while. My mum says that he’s never coming back, and that she is looking to divorce him. I feel so alone at times. I cannot see my dad as he has gone, although I am still able to contact him. My mum gets too upset when I try to talk. Please help,Confused (15 years old)

I’m sorry to hear of your problem. You need to remember that even if your parents no longer have

feelings for each other, they still love you. What is making it hard for you is that you are not able to talk this through and make sense of the situation that you find yourself in. This is probably very raw for your mum at the moment as she is struggling to come to terms with this herself.

Your dad may feel that he cannot make contact with you at home as he may not want to be involved in any confrontation. You could try to send him an e-mail or text and agree to meet somewhere neutral like a cafe or the park. If you decide to do this you should tell your mum where you are going and who you are seeing. She may not be too happy at what you are doing, but she should allow you to maintain a positive relationship with your dad.

You could also approach a teacher or someone like a pastor or youth leader that you may know. Explain to them what has happened and that you would like to be directed to a counsellor or someone who is able to support you. P

RO

BL

EM

Q +

ACan you identify these jumbled women from the

Bible?

A Rash!

Aargh!

Bad Hero

Sabbath, eh?

Soil

Daily

Bite Heals

Habitat

Threes

ANAGRAMSSarah, Hagar, Deborah, Bathsheba, Lois, Lydia, Elisa-beth, Tabitha, Esther.

What happens when your kids let you down? Eli, the old priest in the temple that looked after Samuel, had 2 sons, also priests. They treated the sacrifices to the Lord with contempt, and slept with the temple servant girls. Eli tried to tell them off but they would not listen to the ‘old man’. A prophecy was given that his sons would die on the same die, ending Eli’s family. In fact his sons died in battle, when Eli heard the news he fell over in

shock and broke his neck. God had a plan, Samuel was ready

to take on the role!

QI live with my mum who is too ill to work. I find myself doing so much of the housework, that I

find it difficult to attend school, and do stuff that my friends are doing.

I also have to do more personal care for her too. I find it all very embarrassing, and I feel that I could be missing out on so much. What can I do?Frustrated (Aged 12)

By law you must attend school. As admirable as it is to care for your

mum, she could be fined or even face jail if you skip school.

You seem very young to be taking on great responsibility, including personal care that causes you embarrassment. The first thing you need to do is explain to your mum exactly how you feel. Her self-

respect has probably stopped her from seeking help sooner outside the family home. Ask her to approach her GP to discuss options of home help. Do you live alone with your mum? You could suggest to your mum that trusted family members and friends of the family

could take a turn with some of the housework too.

Also, try to agree a regular evening, or half day at least at the weekend,

where you can mix with your friend. Time when you are not working in school or

taking on the role of a carer. You are not a machine, and it is good to

take time out from schoolwork, housework and for you,

carework.

A

PR

OB

LE

M Q

+A

It can be hard to find a game that everyone in the family can play, but we think we’ve found a couple that are great fun no matter what your age, from Imagination Games.

The first is Scabs ‘n’ Guts which may not be the most appealingly named game we’ve ever come across! This is a ‘meducational’ game which combines general knowledge of the human body, fascinating facts and some health education questions to help entertain and educate kids and teens.

I know I said that anybody of any age can play it, and I stick by that. Some questions will be simple for everybody, but others will challenge even the adults, unless you come from a family of doctors!

The board mechanics are fairly simple, you must travel from the start to the finish, however in order to move you must answer a question. The colour of the square you are on usually determines the category of question and if you answer correctly the card will tell you how many squares you may move.

I played this with some friends, all of whom almost qualify as adults and even we struggled with some of the questions. It’s fun and gross in equal measure, and you may just end up learning about our fascinating human body as well!

The other game is Beat The Parents. This game is designed to be kids vs parents and will provide more of a challenge for all, especially if you think Dover is in Switzerland as someone that I played with did! In this game you move one space for every question

you get right with a maximum of 3 questions per turn. The adults and children get different sets of questions, and on top of this there are some wild-cards which are weighted in favour of one team or the other depending on the card chosen.

This game was also a lot of fun. It might not be a game you would play all the time, but it makes a nice change from Monopoly. The trivia will tax both groups and there is a good chance that the kids could win!

Most of the time parents want the best for their children, but some go to extremes. Some push them hard at school work, others are pushed into sports or music. There’s nothing wrong with these activities of course, but sometimes parents go over the top. James and John’s Mother wanted more for her sons, so she went to Jesus to ask if her sons could be seated on the right and left of Him (positions of great power) in his Kingdom? Jesus had to explain the situation, before telling all

the disciples that whoever wants to be great must be a servant.God had a plan, and His son was not exempt!

Losing a parent can be devastating in the same way that putting your hand in a bonfire might hurt, a bit of a no-brainer really. Unfortunately it is something almost all of us have to face at some point in our lives, for some it may not happen until you are well into your fifties, for others it may happen in your teens or earlier. In

my case I was 14 years old. Prior to this my life was pretty average, but then my mum got sick and everything changed.

It all started in the summer of 1999. My mum started complaining of pains in her stomach and for ages the doctors kept saying it was indigestion and sending her home. Until one day she saw a different doctor who told her to go home, pack a bag and go straight to hospital. That was the last time she ever went home. After that it took a few weeks to diagnose her with cancer and then, six weeks after going to hospital she was gone!

Thus ended a whole chapter of my life and a new one began. So, how did I feel? Bizarrely the first reaction was relief, it was so horrible to see her suffering that by the end I was begging God to take her. Aside from that I felt bland, completely numb, I just couldn’t grasp the fact that she was gone. All too soon those emotions faded to be replaced by complete agony. Never before had I experienced such pain that I felt I would die, because how could someone be in this much pain and survive?

To those of you who have never been through it, I know it sounds melodramatic but that is genuinely how it felt. There was also anger, anger at everyone and everything; anger at people happily getting on with their lives, anger at God for taking my mum away and irrational as it sounds, I was even angry at my mum for leaving me. At first I kept it all bottled up inside, not talking to anyone about it. This was one of the worst things I could have done, the strain of keeping it all in nearly led me to have a breakdown.

Eventually though, I started to talk and let it out. At first it didn’t seem to change anything but gradually, as the weeks and months went by the pain lessened The tears grew less frequent and didn’t last as long. Slowly but surely I started to move on with my life, actually living as opposed to just going through the motions and I started to feel pleasure in things again.

I would be lying if I said that the pain ever goes away completely. There will always be that pang of sadness and a slight longing for what could (should) have been, but it shapes you and makes you stronger. I would not be the person I am today without having gone through what I have.

To those of you who are going through something similar, pay no attention to those who tell you to “get over it” (unfortunately there are plenty of these people around, well meaning or not). This isn’t a bout of flu to be “got over” and there is no fixed time period for grief. Eventually with support you will learn to come to terms with what has happened and be able to move on with your life. Also when that time comes, don’t be afraid to let go. Letting go doesn’t mean that you don’t care about them any more, it just means that you are getting on with your life. Nothing would pain your lost loved one more than if you spent the rest of your life grieving for them.

Wholeso

me Family Activities

Now for a little practical help. We have

been writing about relating to those in

your family. So without sounding too Ned

Flanders about it, here are seven ideas of

positive, relationship-building activities

you can do with both your parents and

siblings.

Doing the chores around the house is never fun. However if obtaining good relations with your parents is the main goal then helping them out with everything that has to be done will only please them. Plus they’ll then have more time and energy to spend with you!

Practical Household Help

Listen To Music Music “can tame a savage beast”. If we make

a conscious decision to sit down together to listen to music, stresses between people can be relieved. Family time should not be spent proving that your music is the best. Scripture reminds us that we should look not only to our own interests but also the interests of others. Let’s learn to hear the good in other people’s music styles even when it is not to our taste.

Read The BibleHere’s one my family were keen on when I was growing up. After eating the main meal together we’d remain seated at the table. Washing-up, homework and playing with toys were all on hold while we read a few passages together. We were all encouraged to express our opinion on what the passage means.

Wholeso

me Family Activities This can be a dangerous thing if egos are allowed to get in the way. However if everyone keeps in mind that “it is only a game”, and everyone takes winning and losing in good spirits this can act as a great and yet simple way to strengthen family bonds.

Playing A Game

Planning An Upcoming EventFamily events happen all the time. If you are not

usually involved with planning at these you can easily feel excluded. However I’d bet that while you’re sitting

there feeling uninvited, the ones who are planning it are sitting there wondering why you’re not volunteering. Never be afraid to ask to join in, I dare say they’ll be interested in you when you show taking an interest.

Go For A Family WalkIs this the dullest idea I have ever written? No! A vigorous walk of at least half a mile which leaves you just slightly out of breath releases endorphins into the blood and gives good exercise to your heart. Endorphins are chemical agents that when released help you feel relaxed. Walking with your family will also give everyone a chance to talk with fewer distractions.

Why not take some food and make it a picnic?

Pray TogetherThis is possibly the greatest of the seven points of this article. Pray together. If you are fortunate enough to live with a Christian family then don’t take that company for granted and take every opportunity to pray together. It may not seem very cool, but it is very spiritually strengthening and will help you all to trust each other deeper.

He suffered in your place and paid the price for the wrong things that you have done. You can accept Jesus as your Avatar,

to stand in your place and take the punishment your sins require.

Forget 3D this is Glorious Reality!

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