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JANEY LEE GRACE:HOW GOD HELD ON TO MESEE PAGE 3

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Neurosurgeon stuns scientific world with his revelations

A top neurosurgeon has stunned the scientific world by claiming he has proof that heaven exists.For years Dr Eben Alexander, a respected academic, dismissed near-death revelations of God and heaven, saying they were explained by the way the human brain is wired.But then in 2008 Dr Alexander contracted bacterial meningitis. The deadly infection

soaked his brain and sent him into a deep coma lasting seven days. In the days that followed his life was slipping away, but Dr Alexander says that he was living intensely in his mind.He claims he journeyed beyond this world and encountered an angelic being who guided him into the deepest realms of super-physical exist-ence. There he met, and spoke with, the Divine source of the universe itself.Dr Alexander’s story is not a fantasy. Before he

underwent his journey, he could not reconcile his knowledge of neuroscience with any belief in heaven, God, or the soul. Today he is a doctor who believes that true health can be achieved only when we realize that God and the soul are real and that death is not the end of personal existence but only a transition.

See story on page 7

Dr Eben Alexander...experienced a spiritual journey during a seven-day coma

proof of heaven

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Julie Etchingham is one of the best-known faces of TV news in Britain – and it all started at her faith-based secondary school.

Julie, 43, has been fronting the ITN news since 2008, presenting the evening news with Alastair Stewart and the 10pm news with Mark Austin. As such, she’s one of Britain’s highest-profile journalists, and, she says, it all started at her Catholic school back in the 1970s. “I was at English Martyrs Comprehensive in Leicester,” she says. “And that’s where my journalistic career began.

“I’d always been an avid diary-writer, and when my mum suggested I might want to become a journalist, it was like a light-bulb go-ing on.“But there weren’t any journalists in our family, so I wasn’t sure how to go about getting into the media. Then when I was in the Lower Sixth, Radio Leicester asked my school if a group of pupils would like to make a programme about Lent and preparing for Easter. So that was my first experience of broadcasting – and it sprang directly from the fact that I was a Christian.”After that, Julie helped out on the station’s Sunday morning faith and news programme, ‘tea-making and phone bashing, that sort of

thing,’ and, she says, the seeds for life as a professional broadcaster took a firm hold. “Then I went to Cambridge and worked on Radio Cambridge’s student programme, so that was more great experience,” she says.As well as radio, another bedrock in her student days was the Catholic chaplaincy. “I had a wonderful time at Cambridge, and I made some wonderful friends who I’m still very close to, and the chaplaincy was where I met many of them.” After graduating, Julie joined the BBC trainee scheme, working on Midlands Today. From there she moved to Newsround (where she met her husband, TV producer Nick Gardner) and

then Breakfast News before moving to Sky in 2002, and then to ITN five years ago. Her qualities as a presenter were noticed early in her career, but, she says, she’s always been acutely aware of the importance of keeping a foot firmly in the world of reporting.She is also one of a handful of broadcasters who, as a Christian, are not embarrassed to discuss her faith. “Religion is an important part of my home life,” she says. “If you have a faith, you are bound to be influenced by it. Would that ever show itself on air? I don’t think so. “The key place where my faith influences me is in how I hope to handle people.” Although she

neWSreaDer’S faITh IS her anChor In LIfe

Julie etchingham on the world of Tv and as an ordinary mum

JANEy LEE GRACE is best known for being Steve Wright’s co-presenter on the popular BBC Radio Two afternoon show, as well as her own Saturday morning programme. However, she is also a very talented actress, singer and writer and her bestselling books Imperfectly Natural Woman and Imperfectly Natural Home, offer help to live life the natural way.A regular church-goer since her teens, Janey says, “I went through times of disillusionment, and there were periods when I didn’t set foot in church or think about it from one year to the next. But the funny thing is, I reckon it wasn’t all up to me. “I believe God held onto me and found ways of bringing me back into the fold.

“One aspect of faith that I do highly recommend is prayer. There have been numerous studies that suggest that people who pray are healthier and live longer. “You may equate this with meditation and of course the act of quieting your mind will reap great rewards, but prayer is slightly different in that often, but not always, it is petitionary. “There is a theory that everyone prays at some point in their life, even if it’s only a crisis ‘Lord, help me!’ prayer. Incredibly, more often than not, prayers are answered, not necessarily in the way we’ve asked , but answered nevertheless.“A few years ago I was going through a

difficult time and I couldn’t even find the words to form a prayer that might help. A spiritual counsellor I went to see showed me that in faith, as with any other aspect of life; we are all at a different stage of our journey. “She helped me to find a way to use visualisation as a way to talk to God and find the peace I so desired. Although I was quite disillusioned with Christianity generally, I went twice a week to St Albans Cathedral and it really helped to soak up the ‘atmosphere. “When I had given my soul time to recuperate, I was ready to pray again, ready to participate, be part of a church and to offer my contribution.”

Janey Lee Grace began her career as a backing singer for George Michael and Wham!, Kim Wilde and Boy George, and went on to have her own top ten hit as Cola Boy with Seven Ways To Love. She has presented shows for Virgin Radio, BBC London and Radio 1. She wrote the best-selling book Imperfectly Natural Woman – getting life right the natural way and has a thriving forum on her website at www.imperfectlynatural.com. She also appears regularly on The Wright Stuff on Five. Janey is a graduate in Performing Arts, and still writes songs and plays the occasional acoustic live gig.

how prayer helps BBC presenterJaney Lee Grace in her busy life

THE SON Winter 2012 Page 3

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believes religion ‘is not a work thing’, she laments that ours is a ‘very secular’ media, and that ‘Christians can be discriminated against’, before carefully steering the conversation on to the joys of our multi-cultural age.Being a Christian doesn’t set her apart, says Julie. “It’s just what I am. We have Muslims in the newsroom, we have Catholics, we have people of many different faiths and of none, and I think it’s good to have a wide representation of faith positions. “You need to have Christians in a journalistic set-up, just as you need to have people from all walks of life...a good newsroom thrives on having as many different backgrounds as possible represented within it.

While her professional life has gone from strength to strength – in 2010 she was named Presenter of the Year in the Royal Television Society Awards, the first woman ever to receive the accolade – it’s her private life that grounds her and makes her the success she is. Her two children, she says, are the centre of her world. On days when she’s not presenting the news at ITN, she’s an ordinary mum at the gates of her local primary school. “That’s where I’m grounded, that’s where my friends are, and that’s really the centre of my world,” she says of her parish, and the school her boys attend. “Raising children forces you to reflect on why you’re a Christian, and on why your faith matters and on what you want to pass on to your children. It’s a time to look at your faith all over again, from a new viewpoint, and that brings new insights.And with that, she heads off to present News At Ten...calmly, of course.

ORDINARy MUM

Natwivity looks set to be the most successful social media project linked to a Christian festival.

The Facebook and Twitter project, which marks the Advent season to tell the Christmas story in the form of tweets, got off to a flying start in its first few days.

The joint project between Share Creative and Tearfund saw record numbers of hits on www.tearfund.org homepage over the weekend of December 1 and 2.

Most tweets have received 25-30 retweets, with the opening announcement being retweeted 170 times: “It’s been an incredible start to the Christmas season, and one of the most successful social media projects we’ve ever been part of,’ says Andrew McCracken, Tearfund’s UK Director. ‘I’m very excited that Natwivity, which has been immensely popular over the last three years as well, is this year brought to life by some beautiful images that we’ve collected from around the world. We hope and pray that the messages and pictures inspire people to use Advent to pray, reflect and wait for the promises of God revealed to us in Christ.”

Natwivity is the brainchild of Huw Tyler of Share Creative, who developed the project and has been running it since its inception in 2009. Huw joined Tearfund’s staff last year, and has brought together the resources and inspiration of both organisations to create a storytelling project that is bigger than ever.

“I’m pleased that this continues to be one of the most widely shared seasonal social media projects,” says Huw. “The inclusion of photos brings a new realism and we hope that people will once again find connection with this amazing story, beyond the school nativity and mantelpiece figurines.”

Follow Natwivity on Twitter: @Natwivity Facebook: www.facebook.com/natwivity

Pweparing for Chwistmas with Natwivity

Page 4 THE SON Winter 2012

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There’s always been tension between scientists and theologians, particularly

when it comes to issues such as heaven and Creation.It is interesting, therefore, to report the experiences of neurosurgeon Dr Eben Alexander who has hit headlines around the world after writing about his journey into the spiritual world while in a seven-day coma.Dr Alexander has shared his journey into the after world in his best-selling book called ‘Proof of Heaven.’A non-believer before his dramatic journey, Dr Alexander not only acknowledges that God exists, but is convinced that he met God during his near-death experience.Cynics have inevitably tried to pour cold water on his claims, but there is no doubt that his powerful personal testimony is already causing people to think twice before dismissing notions of eternal life.Elsewhere in this issue we report on the thoughts and views of the eminent professor and theologian the Revd Dr John Polkinghorne.As the chair of some of the Government’s top scientific committees – including the Human Genetics Commission – he had great influence.For many years he was professor of mathematical physics at Cambridge University, during which time he worked in the same department as Stephen Hawking. He has also been involved in debates with outspoken atheist Richard Dawkins.As a leading scientist with a strong Christian faith he believes science and religion are necessary if we are to make sense of the world in which we live.He explains why he continues to believe in God in these days when many are pleased to proclaim their own atheistic faith.And he maintains that atheists like Hawking and Dawkins are more interested in winning an argument than establishing the truth.He maintains that the question of the existence of God is the single most important question we face about the nature of reality.He suggests that God is the ultimate answer to the great question “why is there something rather than nothing?”His views bring refreshing clarity to some of the questions which have challenged the brightest minds throughout history.

WEMBLEy STADIUM was overtaken by a wave of prayer and praise when over 32,000 gathered for the National Day of Prayer and Worship in September.Tens of thousands more were able to join the day through live broadcasts and streams via GOD TV, Revelation TV, OHTV, Premier Radio and UCB.During one of the key moments of the day, as 300 young Christians in red hoodies were being commissioned to carry on the baton of prayer into the next generation, a Mexican wave of united prayer engulfed the whole stadium as tens of thousands were believing for a new wave of revival to hit the UK.

The day carried the theme of the Lord’s Prayer and began with a time of thanksgiving for the fulfilment of a 17 year old Wembley vision, the Diamond Jubilee, the Olympics, More Than Gold and for Government.Then many key leaders from different denominations and organisations took to the stage to lead prayers for the nation and unity.Later Samaritan’s Purse UK Executive Director Simon Barrington prayed for the world’s neediest children, after a touching performance by a children’s choir, while Tearfund’s Matthew Frost then led a time of prayer for the one billion people going hungry all over the globe.There was such a wave of praise and worship throughout the day from a wide variety of

artists including Remanente, Sound of Wales, Tim Hughes, Noel Robinson, Matt Redman, Guvna B, Hillsong, LZ7, Graham Kendrick, Lara Martin, and the NDOP Mass Choir.Prayers were also said for the global church and more locally for some very new and exciting community prayer and outreach initiatives in the UK including Neighbourhood Prayer Network, Hope 2014 and Crossing London - Mission 2013.That carnival atmosphere combined with the fantastic weather even greeted the thousands pouring into the stadium along Wembley Way with bright and colourful exhibitions and market stalls. Before the day began, in an unprecedented display of unity, 1050 leaders gathered in the Bobby Moore Suite for a lunch reception.

Jonathan Oloyede, the NDOP Convener gave a mandate for everyone to take the baton of prayer back to their streets, towns, cities and stadiums. He urged all Christians across the British Isles to join the dots in prayer and mission.NDOP organisers are hoping that Wembley 2012 will be a catalyst to help regional gatherings of prayer emerge in the months to come as well as support other stadium events.To facilitate this, NDOP is producing a number of resources including a Legacy DVD coming out soon, and in partnership with Neighbourhood Prayer Network, a Wembley legacy book now available called ‘Neighbours, Transform Your Street’. For more information go to: www.neighbourhoodprayer.net

WemBLey prayS

TRANSFORMING STREETS

FOR THE DEVOUT, there never has been any question — prayer has the power to heal. Now, more and more medical research from leading hospitals and universities across the United States has shown conclusively that a belief in God really is good for you, and can make you healthier, happier, and induce you to live longer to boot.“Studies have shown prayer can prevent people from getting sick, and when they do get sick, prayer can help them get better faster,” said

Dr Harold G. Koenig, director of the Centre for Spirituality, Theology and Heath at Duke University in North Carolina.An exhaustive analysis of more than 1,500 reputable medical studies “indicates people who are more religious and pray more have better mental and physical health,” said Dr Koenig. “And out of 125 studies that looked at the link between health and regular worship, 85 showed regular churchgoers live longer.”Dr Koenig, the author of several authoritative books on faith and healing, says a striking study

published in the Southern Medical Journal last year demonstrated that prayer has a remarkable effect on patients with hearing and visual deficiencies. After prayer sessions, “They showed significant improvements based on audio and visual tests,” he said.“The benefits of devout religious practice, particularly involvement in a faith community and religious commitment, are that people cope better. “In general, they cope with stress better, they experience greater well-being because they

PRAYER HAS THE POWER TO HEAL – AND THAT’S OFFICIAL!

VOICE OF

THE SON Winter 2012 Page 5

MIRACLE MANA MECHANIC who was crushed beneath a truck had an ‘out of body experience’ where he saw himself being tended to by eight-foot-tall Angels. Bruce Van Natta, 42, from Wisconsin, USA, says he only recovered from catastrophic near-fatal injuries because of divine intervention.The self employed mechanic was looking for the source of an oil leak beneath a jacked up logging lorry, when the jack collapsed, and the full weight of the 4.5 tonne axle fell on top of him.In the moments after the collapse Bruce had the presence of mind to call out ‘Lord help me’ twice.But with the left side of his midriff crushed to the thickness of just one inch, Bruce suffered terrible injuries.However, despite the horrific extent of his injuries, and the fact that he was medically dead for some time following the accident, Bruce confounded doctors by making a full recovery.He claims that that his survival is down to a series of supernatural interventions, which began when he lost consciousness beneath the truck.

It was at that point that he experienced an extraordinary sensation.He said: “My spirit left my body and went up in the roof of the garage. My spirit was up there looking down, at perfect peace. “I realised there was a huge angel on either side of my body.” Bruce says that the angels were about eight feet tall, very muscular, dressed in white robes.“There was a light shining off both of them, they were identical in appearance, like matching bookends.“The robes were tight enough that I could see muscles bulging out of their shoulders, backs, and arms.”The angels had their arms positioned under the truck, angled toward Bruce’s body.Bruce watched them tend to him until paramedics arrived some 30 to 40 minutes later. When they arrived he had no pulse.It was more than two hours before Bruce received medical attention at a local hospital. The emergency room doctors on duty who examined Bruce’s initial CT scan got into a vigorous disagreement because the scan indicated that Bruce should be dead.With his superior mesenteric artery severed in two places, and other arteries and veins cut, he should have bled to death within minutes. In addition to the severed arteries and veins,

his pancreas and spleen were crushed, two vertebrae were broken, and most of his small intestine obliterated.What stunned the doctors is that he still registered a weak blood pressure and his heart was still beating.Dr McKenna, the chief resident in the trauma department told Bruce later: “We were looking at the CT scans of a dead person. You were dead; but your eyes were open and

your heart was pounding like a 20-year-old man running a marathon.”Doctors were so certain he would die within hours, they opened Bruce up and repaired the major arteries, attempting nothing more. They decided to wait four hours, believing he would die within that timeframe. They ultimately waited another 12 hours before any further intervention, they were so certain he would die. But his heart kept beating.Next they placed Bruce into an induced coma. Eventually, he endured five surgeries over the next 12 months. After that, he had a year and a half of rehab.Bruce credits his wife’s prayers for his miraculous survival. “When she first got the news, she got down on her knees and

said, ‘Lord, I can’t deal with this. I need your help. If Bruce can’t be the man he wants to be, then take him. But if he can be who he wants to be, then please save him.’”“She only took her Bible into the hospital and never left my side for three weeks except to go to the bathroom,” he says. “It was touch and go for a long time. There was miracle after miracle. God healed my spleen and my pancreas.”When Bruce came out of the coma he got some bad news. “They only expected me to live one year because I didn’t have enough small intestines,” he says. While the average small intestine is 20 feet in length, Bruce only had three feet remaining – and that small portion was not functioning properly.

“They told me they could only feed me intravenously for a year and then I would die,” he notes. His weight dropped from 185 to 124 pounds and he began to have the look of a concentration camp victim.But when a man named Bruce Carlson heard about Bruce Van Natta’s medical case from a prayer chain, God woke Carlson up two mornings in a row with a special assignment: buy a plane ticket and fly from New York to Wisconsin to pray for Bruce’s healing.Carlson argued with God about the $900 plane ticket. “I wasn’t looking for this,” Carlson notes.“He showed up at the hospital and prayed for me,” Bruce recalls. Carlson placed his right hand on Bruce’s forehead, and then he prayed a bold prayer:“Lord, I add my prayers to all the other prayers for Bruce. In the name of Jesus, I command you small intestine to grow back right now.”Instantly, Bruce felt an “electric shock” and heard a snap. “An electricity, the power of God, came right out of his hand and went into my intestines. I could feel them rolling around,” Bruce said.“It felt like a snake came uncoiled inside my stomach.”“I felt something cylindrical rolling around and moving inside my stomach.”

Doctors later confirmed, through x-rays and CT scans, that the small intestine had more than doubled in length.And not only did the intestine grow back, it worked perfectly. His pancreas and spleen also rejuvenated themselves.Sometime following the accident, Bruce left his business and entered full-time Christian work. Bruce authored a book about his miracle, “Saved by Angels” (Destiny Image) and is working on a new book that will come out soon.He formed Sweet Bread Ministries, a non-denominational, evangelistic ministry dedicated to bringing people of all backgrounds into a closer, more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.“I’m in great health now,” Bruce says. “God is real and He is still doing miracles today.”

mechanic sees angels as he survives near fatal injuries after being crushed by a truck

EXTRAORDINARy SENSATION

INTRAVENOUSLy

INTESTINE DOUBLED IN LENGTHBruce Van Natta

have more hope, they’re more optimistic, they experience less depression, less anxiety, and are less likely commit suicide.” He added: “They have stronger immune systems, lower blood pressure, and probably better cardiovascular functioning.”The proof of the power of prayer is overwhelming, says researcher and writer Tom Knox, a one-time atheist who became a regular worshipper after doing in-depth study of the medical benefits of faith. “What I discovered astonished me. Over the

past 30 years a growing, and largely unnoticed, body of scientific work shows religious belief is medically, socially, and psychologically beneficial.”Study after study backs up the benefits of having faith, especially in prolonging life.In 2006, population researchers at the University of Texas discovered that the more often you go to church, the longer you live. “Religious attendance is associated with adult mortality in a graded fashion,” said Knox. “There is a seven-year difference in life

expectancy between those who never attend church and those who attend weekly.”Prayer intercession also has been shown to have a positive impact across a wide range of diseases and disorders.A massive 12-month study from a Kansas City hospital showed patients admitted with heart trouble did better when somebody was praying for them. Amazingly, the patients were not told people were praying for them. Volunteers from a local church were given the first name of a patient on a piece of paper and

asked to pray for that person. Those patients had fewer complications than those who weren’t prayed for. Researchers said they did not have a scientific explanation for the outcome.In a study of nearly 92,000 people in Maryland, people who attended church once or more a week had 50 per cent fewer deaths from coronary artery disease, 56 per cent fewer deaths from emphysema, 74 per cent fewer deaths from cirrhosis, and 53 per cent fewer suicides.Concluded Knox: “Atheists can sneer at faith all they like, but they can’t assume science is on their side.”

PRAYER HAS THE POWER TO HEAL – AND THAT’S OFFICIAL!

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THE SON Winter 2012 Page 7

AS A LEADING neuro-surgeon with more than 25 years’ experience, Dr Eben Alexander had dismissed near-death revelations of God and heaven as explainable by the hard wiring of the human brain. But in November 2008, at the age of 54, Dr Alexander contracted an extremely rare and deadly form of meningitis and fell into a deep coma.During the seven days the doctors spent trying to revive him, Dr Alexander claims that he had a near-death experience -- during which he visited heaven and met God. He says that he battled back from the brink of death, and that in the process, he was transformed with a new sense of faith, wonder and purpose -- and a desire to share with people what he had seen beyond the body and beyond the Earth.Originally he intended to present his experiences as a scientific paper, but then felt compelled to write a book ‘Proof of Heaven’ that recounts his experiences. He knew full well that he was gambling his professional reputation by writing it, but his hope is that his expertise will be enough to persuade skeptics, particularly medical skeptics, as he used to be, to open their minds to an after-world.The book was published recently in the USA and is now available in the UK as well as on Amazon. It is already set to be a best seller.Dr Alexander’s extraordinary experiences have led to huge media interest and he has appeared on a number of top American chat shows, including a recent appearance as the only guest on an hour long special of the Oprah Winfrey Show.The following is an edited excerpt from Oprah’s re-cent ‘Super Soul Sunday’ interview with Dr Alexander.

Oprah: You go into detail in this book, Proof of Heaven, of your meeting God and experiencing literally an out-of-body existence, an out-of-the-universe experience. Let’s begin with the headache.DrAlexander: Well, it was like being struck by a freight train at 4.30 in the morning, November 10, 2008. I woke up and had severe back pain. That was the first thing I noticed. I tried to get into a warm bath, thinking that might help, and it didn’t.Oprah: So when your wife said to you, ‘I think we should maybe go to the hospital,’ you said, ‘Absolutely not.’ By the time you were admitted into the hospital hours later, were you conscious?Dr Alexander: No, I don’t remember any of that at all. Because meningitis is such an efficient way to mimic death, it wiped out my neocortex, the part of the brain that makes us human -- where consciousness and memory and emotions, language, visual, auditory, all of our experiences are put together. That was all gone. At best they gave me a 10 percent chance of survival when I got to the ER. My survival was down to about two per cent at the week’s end, with no chance of recovery.Oprah: If I asked you before this experience, ‘Do you believe in God?’, what would’ve been your answer?Dr Alexander: I would’ve said no. There was no way to explain it based on my neuro- scientific career.Although Dr Alexander had built a successful career and had a loving family, he still had questions about his biological parents.

Prior to 2008, he tracked down his birth mother... only to learn that she did not want to meet him. After that, says Dr Alexander, he experienced a deep sadness that threatened to derail everything in his life.Oprah: You grew up feeling loved and appreciated, but when your biological mother said she didn’t want to see you, you went into a sinkhole.

Dr Alexander: It was absolutely devastating, because of the memory of feeling as if I was being thrown away. My adoptive father – a renowned neurosurgeon – would tell me, ‘You can’t possibly remember anything that happened when you were weeks old.’ But he was wrong. Because I later came to realize it was such a deep

and powerful memory, it shaped everything about my knowing of this world and how I related to this world.Oprah: I just got that in a way like never before. And that is why this is a good thing we’re sharing here right now. That is why every mother or father who has to give up a child for adoption should explain to the child why. Even though it’s a baby. So they know the difference between being wanted and not wanted.Dr Alexander: Right.Oprah: You say on page 8 of Proof of Heaven that “All of consciousness is brain based. If you don’t have a working brain, you can’t be conscious.” So, let’s talk about what that experience was like. Can you take us on that [near-death] journey?Dr Alexander: Initially

I was in this sort of vague, foggy, murky underground. It was kind of a hideous place. Oprah: Do you remember being afraid?Dr Alexander: Well, initially, there was no memory of anything better. So it seemed okay.Oprah: Because you didn’t have a memory of a self or a family?

Dr Alexander: Right, I was just awareness. Just a piece of awareness.Oprah: This is fantastic, I love this!Dr Alexander: Then I was rescued by this spinning white light. And as it got closer, it expanded.Oprah: This sounds as crazy as it can be, but: It opened you up to another dimension?Dr Alexander: It did. Totally different.

Oprah: So now you’re going into another dimension where you met a guide -- a woman who led you on a journey on the wings of a giant butterfly, into another world of inexplicable beauty. Did you recognize her?Dr Alexander: No. She was very beautiful. And she was looking at me with the most loving smile.Oprah: What is the message you received? Tell us that.Dr Alexander: “You are loved, deeply cherished, forever. There is nothing you have to fear. You will always be loved, and there’s nothing that you can do wrong.”Oprah: So what we all want to know is, did you see God?Dr Alexander: Yes.Oprah: What’s he look like? Is it a he?Dr Alexander: Well, to answer your question briefly, no, God has no gender. In fact, I did not use the word ‘God’ in my writing for months, because the power and the awe of the all-loving, all-powerful deity is beyond any words at all.Oprah: I’ve always thought that there are, or could possibly be, as many dimensions as we are. You see and experience the realms based upon how you lived. Is there any validity to that?Dr Alexander: I think there’s a lot to that. I mean, the differences come as our brain acts as a filter or veil to affect our memories as we come back into this life. And in fact, I would say that newborns are still very freshly from that realm.Oprah: I have always said that! I say they come in trailing the breath of the angels. Now I ask you today: Do you believe in God?Dr Alexander: Absolutely have no doubt whatsoever... and know the eternity of our souls. It’s the only thing that makes sense.For more information visit www.lifebeyonddeath.net

‘The power and the awe of the all-loving, all-powerful deity is beyond any words at all....’

Top neurosurgeon who claims to have seen heaven tells Oprah Winfrey:

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Dr Alexander in discussion with Oprah Winfrey

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Big Ben’sBig Ben’s

IT’S noah Joke!IT’S BILLED as a Biblical epic, but a Christian screenwriter in Hollywood who has had a chance to read the script for ‘Noah’ – which is due to be released in 2013 – says there’s a good chance that the movie, which is still in production, will be far from the truth of the Gospel.

“If you were expecting a Biblically faithful retelling of the story of the greatest mariner in history and a tale of redemption and obedience to God, you’ll be sorely disappointed,” Brian Godawa recently wrote in his analysis of an undated script he was able to get his hands on as a movie industry insider.Godawa told the Christian Post that he is not 100

per cent sure that the copy of the script written by Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel that he read has since been changed to reflect a more accurate portrayal of what’s written in the Bible, but chances aren’t good that is the case.In fact, he fears the movie’s Noah – played by Russell Crowe – will be depicted more like an ‘environmentalist wacko.’“Noah paints the primeval world of Genesis 6 as scorched arid desert, dry cracked earth, and a gray gloomy sky that gives no rain – and all this, caused by man’s ‘disrespect’ for the environment,” Godawa wrote in his analysis. “In short, an anachronistic doomsday scenario of ancient global warming. How Neolithic man was able to cause such anthropogenic catastrophic climate change without the ‘evil’ carbon emissions of modern industrial revolution is not explained.”Apparently, Noah and his family also seek to ‘avoid the crowds and live off the land. He is this kind of rural shaman, and vegan hippy-like gatherer of herbs,’ according to Godawa’s analysis of the script. “Noah explains that his family ‘studies the world,’ ‘healing it as best we can,’ like a kind of environmentalist scientist,” he writes.

He said that as a screenwriter of films like

To End All Wars and Alleged which deal with faith, and author of the novel, Noah Primeval, which is about what led up to the Great Flood, he is especially conscious of ‘issues relating to the intersection of Hollywood and the Bible.’Although Noah may fail as a hit among Christians, Godawa said he is encouraged to see movie studios appreciating the value of making movies from stories in the Bible.

“Right now there are a bunch of Bible movies being developed all around town. A couple of David and Goliath movies are being developed. There are some others as well,” he said. “It’s not just about Bible bashing or fundamentalism. It’s that these are really fascinating spiritual stories and they are worth remaking now that we have the higher value production values.”However, Godawa also sees a Hollywood that is easily prone to stray from the Word.“The downside is that because so many in Hollywood really are not devoted believers in the Bible, they misinterpret it and reinterpret it according to their own usually humanistic paradigm. This means they will twist it to make it say the opposite because they don’t believe the Bible,” he explained.

ACTRESS Jen Lilley, who stars in one of America’s longest-running soap operas has decided to quit the show and start a new chapter in her life – with the help of Jesus Christ.Lilley recently announced that she would leave General Hospital – which has been screened on daytime TV in the USA for nearly 50 years.She had taken over the role of Maxie Jones from leading across Kirsten Storms, who was forced off screen due to illness.Lilley recalls in an interview with Christian Post that she used the grace of God to overcome the obstacles that came her way when she first joined the cast.“It was definitely a really scary and challenging experience. Kirsten Storms was one of the top

five soap actresses,” said Lilley. “At the end of the day we know that our battle is not against flesh and blood. You kind of have to hold your head high and have grace.”As Lilley departs from the show, she said that she is trusting God to provide her with her next role.

“I’m actually really excited to be leaving General Hospital because I know God orders my steps, and this only means He has a new adventure for me,” the actress shared. “I pursue God on a daily basis, I’m not stepping into oblivion.”Still, the Hollywood actress from Virginia admits that being a Christian in her industry is not easy. Lilley recalled having to reconsider a recent audition for a major motion picture

SPIRITUAL STORIES

REALLy EXCITED

Leading actress quits starring role in top soap opera – and trusts God to provide her next job

The giant set for the new film Noah

THE SON Winter 2012 Page 9

Big Ben’sBig Ben’s

IT’S noah Joke!“They want to tell the story about the Bible that they think everyone wants to see. They are interpreting it through their own worldview. It’s not necessarily a malicious thing,” he continued. “I don’t expect Aronofsky to be true to this biblical message because he probably doesn’t really believe it. He’s just going to use it to communicate his own [message]. He’s already told us that when he said this is all about environmentalism.”In addition to not really embracing Aronofsky’s creative licence with the Bible in regards to the environment, Godawa notes that there’s a problem with his interpretation morally.“I have to say that the movie script for Noah is deeply anti-Biblical in its moral vision,” he stated. “While the Bible commands mankind to ‘work and keep’ the garden of earth as its stewards, the sin that brought about the judgment of the Flood was not violence against the environment as depicted in the script, it was violence against God and his image in man. That’s no minor difference.”In his quite detailed and long analysis of the script,

Godawa concludes by making a harsh prediction about the possibility of success for the movie.“All in all, the script for Noah is an uninteresting and unbiblical waste of a 150 million dollars that will ruin for decades the possibility of making a really great and entertaining movie of this Bible hero beloved by billions of religious believers, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim,” he wrote.

“This movie will be rejected by millions of devoted Bible readers worldwide because once again it subverts their own sacred narrative with a political agenda of pagan earth religion that is offensive to their faith. “In a very real sense it engages in the very sin of the primeval history in Genesis: A denial of the image of God in man.”

Bible hero played by top star russell Crowe to be portrayed as an environmental ‘wacko’

studio because it conflicted with her values as a follower of Jesus Christ.“I remember reading the script and being like, ‘I can’t do this as a Christian for a lot of reasons. One being that it is a horror movie,” she said. “I like psychological thrillers but when it’s demonic, there’s no uplifting message.”The actress who donates half of her income to charity said she once thought about being a kindergarten teacher and is looking to write a children’s book among other things.No matter what her next big venture turns out to be, the actress spoke about making her Christian faith a priority. After witnessing her brother overcome spina bifida while her mother prayed for him in her womb, Lilley said her baby brother was delivered still-born and had stopped breathing for an estimated 11 to 15 minutes after

being wrapped in his umbilical cord.However, her mother laid hands on the baby saying, “Be healed in Jesus name,” which the actress said brought her little brother back to life immediately. Although the doctors said he would have learning disabilities and other health complications, her mother maintained that God would not heal halfway.

Today, Lilley’s brother Ryan is a healthy 17-year-old young man who is athletic and at the top of his class.“Regardless of whether I can prove it, I can’t deny the power of Jesus Christ,” Lilley said with authority. “I can’t deny he raised my brother from the dead. I can’t deny when you say things in the name of Jesus, things happen.”

REJECTED By MILLIONS

HEALTHy yOUNG MAN

Leading actress quits starring role in top soap opera – and trusts God to provide her next job

BITeS

Russell Crowe - starring as Noah

Page 10 THE SON Winter 2012

“There are a significant number of practising scientists who hold the Christian faith. I would say we are a minority - but we’re a significant mi-nority. I think we’re probably more numerous than the out-and-out atheist component. “A lot of people in the scientific world are both wistful and wary about religion. They’re wistful about religion, because they can see that science doesn’t tell you everything, and that religion offers, if you like, a broader - a deeper view of the world. They’re wary of religion, because they think that faith means shutting your eyes, gritting your teeth, believing six impossible things before breakfast, because some unchallengeable authority says that’s what you’ve got to do.

“But of course, they don’t want to commit intellectual suicide. And of course, neither do I. So, what I’m always trying to do, if I have the opportunity with my friends, is to show them that just as I have motivations for my scientific beliefs, I have motivations for my religious

beliefs. They’re different kinds of motivations. Not all my friends will think that my religious motivations are adequate. But they are certainly there. And they need to be taken into account.“Somebody like Stephen Hawking has a very high public profile. I mean, he wrote a book, The God Delusion, which I don’t think is a very good

book: it has more assertion than argument in it. But nevertheless it has sold a million and a half copies, which is a fantastic sale for a book of that kind. So yes, they have a high profile and I wish that we religious believers could rival them a little bit in that respect - but we haven’t succeeded in doing that. “I can think of at least one Nobel Prize-winner, for example, who is a Christian and would certainly say that - but wouldn’t be standing up in public all the time and shouting it out.”

He said that he has great respect for Stephen Hawking and that they worked together in the same department at Cambridge for a number of years.“He is certainly a very, very important scientist. But when he comes to talk about philosophical or theological issues, I have to frankly say, that he’s really rather naïve. And his picture of God as the Creator, and the meaning of the doctrine of Creation is: how things began. Who lit the blue touchpaper of the Big Bang to start it all off? And that’s not what creation is about. Creation is about why is there something, rather than nothing? God is as much the Creator today, as God was 13.7 billion years ago, when the Big Bang happened.

“Only God exists without requiring something else to cause God to exist. But all creatures don’t have that ability. And so I believe that the fact that the world persists, the fact that you and I live our lives, is because God holds that world in being.“It’s perhaps rather an elusive idea to think about. But I think it is undoubtedly an important question to ask: why is there something rather than nothing? And I think that, as I say, the doctrine of creation is the most satisfying answer to it.”

Turning to Richard Dawkins, the widely acknowledged leader of the so-called ‘New Atheism,’ Dr Polkinghorne said: “One of my objections to what Richard has to say is that he’s very polemical. He’s trying to win an argument rather than to seek the truth, it seems to me. And in doing that he likes to set up straw men.

“So, for him a typical religious believer is some very sweet-minded person who’s so sure the world is 6.000 years old and that’s all they’ll say about it. Now that is a soft target. And I think it’s unworthy of someone like Richard to treat that as if it were a typical religious believer. “He knows there are lots of people of integrity, and of scientific gifts, who are religious believers, who are not committing intellectual suicide in doing that, who have arguments and evidence in

support of their faith, but he just refuses to take us seriously. “Sometimes, he dismisses

Leading scientist and theologian dismisses views of high-profile atheists Hawking and Dawkins

A LEADING SCIENTIST who was knighted by the Queen for his service to the nation in chairing important

scientific committees has made a CD about his Christian faith. Rev Dr John Polkingthorne left the

world of scientific study to be ordained as an Anglican priest at the age of 52.

In an interview with Canon John Young of York Courses he talks about his encounters with high profile atheists

Stephen Hawking and Richard Dawkins. His discussion with Canon Young is recorded on a CD

called Hawking, Dawkins and God. Here are extracts from their discussion.

Richard Dawkins... ‘gives science a bad name’

INTELLECTUAL SUICIDE

TRyING TO WIN ARGUMENT

SERVICES were held across the world in 2012 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic in April 1912.Tales of heroism and tragedy were recalled as thousands of people gathered at locations on both sides of the Atlantic.One true Titanic hero was a man called John Harper, who was born into a Christian family in Scotland on May 29 1872.It was on the last Sunday of March 1886, when he was thirteen years old that he received Jesus as the Lord of his life. He began to preach about four years later at the ripe old age of 17 years by going down to the streets of his village and pouring out his soul in earnest entreaty for men to be reconciled to God.As John Harper’s life unfolded, one thing was apparent...he was consumed by the Word of God. When asked by various ministers what his doctrine consisted of, he was known to reply ‘The Word of God!’ After five or six years of toiling on street corners preaching the gospel and working in the mill

True hero of the Titanic died leading others to Christ...Stephen Hawking...’rather naïve’

THE SON Winter 2012 Page 11

us as cloth-heads, which I deeply resent. And when there are some people who, like, say for example, the philosopher, Michael Ruse, who’s not a believer but is sympathetic to religion, he says he can’t believe that they really mean what they say. Well, they do mean what they say. And Richard should have the courtesy to recognise that.”John Young referred to an article by journalist and broadcaster Howard Jacobson who wrote: ‘The fact that so many of mankind’s best thinkers, artists and even scientists have believed in God is not itself a reason to believe. But it should prevent our thinking that God is for the uneducated and gullible. And it certainly cannot be that we were all fools until Richard Dawkins came along.’Dr Polkinghorne replied: “I certainly would agree with that. I mean, just to take an example – of Augustine, a very influential fourth-century Christian figure, who was one of the great thinkers in the later ancient world. And Thomas Aquinas, one of the founding figures of Roman Catholic theological thinking, was one of the foremost thinkers in the Middle Ages. There have been people of the greatest intellectual distinction, and the greatest intellectual integrity, who have been Christian believers.

“And I do have quite a lot of friends in the scientific world, who are not themselves believers, but who are frankly fed up with Richard Dawkins. They think his opinionated, hectoring tone of voice gives science a bad name. And they wish he would shut up.”Dr Polkinghorne said that he found his debates with Richard Dawkins very frustrating. “If you’re going to have a debate or a discussion with somebody you don’t agree with, there has to be some give and take in it. Of course, you’re

not going to convert the other person, any more than they are going to convert you, but you have to be prepared to say: ‘well, you have a point there.’ In other words, to respond, and to to-and-fro. I found that we could never do that. I mean, if you said ‘yes’, he simply shouted ‘no’. And, perhaps I’m doing him an injustice, but that was my particular experience.“I believe I have reasons for my religious belief. I believe there are evidential reasons. And when Richard Dawkins shouts from the rooftops that religious believers believe, either without evidence or even, he sometimes says, against the evidence, I think that is just fantastically wrong. It is a lie.

“The idea that religious people just shut their eyes to the way the world is, is just not true. We are not called to commit intellectual suicide - we are called to love the Lord our God with our minds, as well as with everything else, and I think that Richard is just wilfully disregarding the facts of religion - and that’s typical of his polemical style: that he will make these outrageous statements as if everybody knows that’s true, when in fact they are false.”As a Christian priest, Dr Polkinghorne said that he did not think it was possible to prove the existence of God. “There are all sorts of propositions which we know aren’t sensible and aren’t true, which can’t be established – their philosophy can’t be established by argument. Similarly, I think there are things we know are true whose truth cannot be unequivocally established by argument. I think we have very good reason, very good motivations for believing in the existence of God. But, in life - in religious belief, and in life generally - we live by faith and not by sight.

“We have to commit ourselves. Committing yourself isn’t just a leap in the dark; it’s a leap into the light, as far as you can do it. But you have to accept it involves a certain risk. A risk that is inescapable, it seems to me, to our limited human minds and abilities.“We have intutive skills - we have tacit skills, which we can’t express in all detail. In one sense, doing science is like riding a bicycle. We can ride a bicycle. We don’t know quite how

we do it, and if we start to think how we do it, we will fall off the bicycle. So intuition is an important thing. And of course it obviously plays an important role in religious search for truth as well. “For more information about the Hawking, Dawkins and God CD visit www.yorkcourses.co.uk or contact them on 01904 466516

Leading scientist and theologian dismisses views of high-profile atheists Hawking and Dawkins

Revd Dr John Polkinghorne...worked with Stephen Hawking and debated with Richard Dawkins

FED UP WITH DAWKINS

OUTRAGEOUS STATEMENTS

during the day, Harper was taken in by Rev. E. A. Carter of Baptist Pioneer Mission in London. This set Harper free to devote his whole time of energy to the work so dear to his heart. John Harper started his own church in September 1896 with just 25 members but it had grown to over 500 members when he left 13 years later. During this time he had married, but was widowed shortly after. However brief the marriage, God did bless John Harper with a beautiful little girl named Nana.

Ironically, John Harper almost drowned several times during his life. When he was two and a half years of age, he almost drowned when he fell into a well but was resuscitated by his mother. At the age of twenty-six, he was swept out to sea by a reverse current and barely survived, and at thirty-two he faced death on a leaking ship in the Mediterranean. Perhaps, God used these experiences to prepare this servant for what he faced next.It was the night of April 14, 1912. The RMS Titanic sailed swiftly on the bitterly cold ocean waters heading unknowingly into the pages of

history. On board this luxurious ocean liner were many rich and famous people. At the time of the ship’s launch, it was the world’s largest man-made moveable object. At 11.40 p.m. on that fateful night, an iceberg scraped the ship’s starboard side, showering the decks with ice and ripping open six watertight compartments. The sea poured in.On board the ship that night was John Harper and his much-beloved six-year-old daughter Nana. According to documented reports, as soon as it was apparent that the ship was going to sink, John Harper immediately took his daughter to a lifeboat. It is reasonable to assume that this widowed preacher could have easily got on board this boat to safety; however, it never seems to have crossed his mind. He bent down and kissed his precious little girl; looking into her eyes he told her that she would see him again some day. The flares going off in the dark sky above reflected the tears on his face as he turned and headed towards the crowd of desperate humanity on the sinking ocean liner. As the rear of the huge ship began to lurch

upwards, it was reported that Harper was seen making his way up the deck yelling ‘Women, children and unsaved into the lifeboats!’ It was only minutes later that the Titanic began to rumble deep within. Most people thought it was an explosion; actually the gargantuan ship was literally breaking in half. At this point, many people jumped off the decks and into the icy, dark waters below. John Harper was one of these people.

That night 1528 people went into the frigid waters. John Harper was seen swimming frantically to people in the water leading them to Jesus before the hypothermia became fatal. He swam up to one young man who had climbed on a piece of debris. Rev. Harper asked him between breaths, ‘Are you saved?’ The young man replied that he was not.Harper then tried to lead him to Christ only to have the young man who was near shock, reply ‘no.’ John Harper then took off his life jacket and threw it to the man and said ‘Here then, you need this more than I do...’ and swam away to other people. A few minutes later Harper swam

back to the young man and succeeded in leading him to salvation. Of the 1528 people who went into the water that night, six were rescued by the lifeboats. One of them was this young man on the debris. Four years later, at a survivors meeting, this young man stood up and in tears recounted how John Harper had led him to Christ. Mr. Harper had tried to swim back to help other people, yet because of the intense cold, had grown too weak to swim. His last words before going under in the frigid waters were ‘Believe on the Name of the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.’ While other people were trying to buy their way onto the lifeboats and selfishly trying to save their own lives, John Harper gave up his life so that others could be saved.“Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends...” John Harper was truly the hero of the Titanic!Sources for this article: The Titanic’s Last Hero by Moody Press 1997, Scriptures are quoted from the King James Bible.

True hero of the Titanic died leading others to Christ...

LEAKING SHIPSWIMMING FRANTICALLy

Jesus Culture With Martin Smith - Live From New YorkThe collaboration of Jesus Culture and Smith has here produced one of Christian music’s finest moments and the gathering at New York’s Nassau Veterans Coliseum will surely go down in worship music history. In fact, the way the audience take up the singing at the close of ‘Majesty’, taking over as the band leaves off, is possibly the most effecting moment of all in an album brimming with emotion and passion. ‘Live In New York’ brings together new and old songs from both Smith’s and Jesus Culture’s worship catalogues. New songs such as ‘Fire Never Sleeps’,

‘Waiting Here For You’ and ‘Song Of Solomon’ first heard on Smith’s ‘God’s Great Dance Floor’ EPs take on a new power and resonance in this setting while the Delirious? classic ‘Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble’ completely sidesteps any problems of over familiarity. Jesus Culture’s Kim Walker-Smith is in fine voice, her gutsy contralto bringing passion and power to One Sonic Society’s ‘Walk With Me’ and Bryan & Katie Torwalt’s ‘Holy Spirit’ while the Chris Quilala songs ‘Alleluia’ and ‘Oh How I Love You’ are both memorable.

Page 12 THE SON Winter 2012

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Britt Nicole - GoldDespite the title, ‘Gold’ isn’t a compilation of past hits, yet it is another near perfect pop offering brimming with positivity from the nyoung hitmaker. If Britt is new to your ears, then imagine the pop sensibilities of a young Kylie or Girls Aloud, and add the vocal versatility of Jessie J. She can do sensitive songs about life’s struggles such as ‘Stand’ with poise and gumption, as well as delivering the disco floor fillers like ‘Amazing Life’ with style and vivacity. The style and content certainly appeals to teen and pre-teen girls, but there’s also a maturity and quali-ty that can be appreciated by older listeners. The music production is spot on: powerful beats, potent bass lines and a tasteful use of a huge range of synth sounds and effects; plus some dubstep styled beeps, scratches and vocal effects in ‘Breakthrough’. This is faith filled pop with an infectious youthful smile.

Chip Kendall - Holy FreaksThe US-born, Stockport-based singer and rapper delivers a full length album that has the passion and audio surprises to make for a thrilling cutting edge musical ride. Several of the songs here grew out of the various projects the musicianary is involved with at the moment. ‘Evolution’ came out of Chip’s many visits into schools with a scientist and deejay Galactus Jack. ‘Answers’ was inspired by Chip’s visit to East India with Compassion International earlier this year, while ‘The Old Rugged Cross’ is an electro blast rearrangement of the hymn oldie which carries much of the same power that thebandwithnoname’s ‘Amazing Grace’ once encapsulated. There are a staggering seven different producers involved in ‘Holy Freaks’ but it still mysteriously contains a certain musical coherence as Chip merges rock and hip-hop, electro and dubstep and good old fashioned songwriting craft. Chip speaks, raps and sings with an authority that few other figures seem able to muster.

MercyMe - The Hurt And The HealerAfter their ‘I Can Only Imagine’ megahit, the band fronted by Bart Millard went through something of a dull patch but in more recent times have bounced back with some of the strongest material of their entire career. Bart said about this album that it ‘is a celebration of that moment when two worlds collide: the deep need for healing and the God who provides it.’ The opening track ‘You Better Know’ is one of several gems here. Over some nicely distorted guitar, the song deftly portrays the struggle we have in allowing God to keep in

control (‘You’d think I know by now who’s running the show/And what really matters/But I keep picking a fight with letting go/And keep getting hammered’). The title track is possibly the best song of all and elegantly portrays the moment when revelation finally surges through or, as Bart sings, ‘When grace is ushered in for good/And all our scars are understood.’ Undoubtedly, ‘The Hurt & The Healer’ is one of the standout albums of the year and everyone, including producers Brown Bannister and Dan Muckala, should be proud of having created such an uplifting, and potentially heart-changing, set of songs.

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Toby Mac - Eye On ItCharting at the top of the American Billboard Hot 200 chart, Toby’s popularity since dc Talk went their separate ways in 2001 shows not the slightest sign of abating. What is also clear from this album is that most of Mr McKeehan’s hip-hop leanings have disappeared to make way for an electro-tinged set of positive pop songs, crammed full of fat synth parts and more hooks than an infant school cloakroom. The title track is a particular gem, a high energy, rave-tinged stadium rocker made for punching the air while the opener ‘Me Without You’ is in the same mould as Owl City and equally catchy as Adam Young’s best work. Another absolute standout is the fast-paced ‘Unstoppable’ where Blanca Callahan from Group 1 Crew adds her soulful tones to produce a mesmerising duet. Lyrics make their spiritual points with precision with ‘Forgiveness’ reminding us of the hard truth that, for believers, forgiveness is a necessity not an option. There are a couple of misfires. We have the fifth instalment of the TruDog chronicles on ‘Mac Daddy’ but with Toby’s son no longer a little boy the cuteness factor is lost. Also, one play may suggest that ‘Eye On It’ contains too many slow songs (though after the creep-up-on-you appeal of ‘City On Our Knees’ on Toby’s ‘Tonight’ set it’s possible that in time ‘Family’ will win me over too). Overall, I’m certain there are tracks here that will connect - musically and spiritually - with people wherever they are heard, and with radio stations around the world guaranteed to play ‘Eye On It’ that’s a lot of people.

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‘BLaDe rUnner’ oSCar pUTS In WInnInG performanCeSSOUTH AFRICAN athlete Oscar Pistorius became a global star be-cause of his performances in the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics – and the committed Christian gives God the glory for his success. The first double-amputee to compete in an Olympic Games, he reached the semi-finals of the 400 metres and was also a member of the South African 4x400 metres relay team.He carried the flag and led the South African team at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Paralympics, where he entered the men’s 100 metres, 200 metres and 400 metres races in the T44 classification, and in the T42–T46 4x100 metres relay.

He won gold medals in the men’s 400 metre race in a Paralympic record time of 46.68 seconds and in the 4 x 100 metres relay in a world record time of 41.78 seconds. He also took a silver in the 200 metres race, having set a world record of 21.30 seconds in the semi-final.Eleven races on the Olympic track had resulted in two Paralympic gold medals, Paralympic silver, two world records, a Paralympic record, an Olympic individual semi-final and an

Olympic final. Oscar deemed his summer ‘a dream come true.’Accepting Christ in his heart ‘more or less before I could remember,’ the star says that God is the most important person in the world to him.Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius was born in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa, with fibular hemimelia, a congenital absence of the fibula in both legs. The fibula runs between the knee and ankle, beside the tibia. His parents gave in to doctors’ recommendations that his lower legs should be amputated. So, at 11 months his legs were amputated just below the knee. At 13 months he was fitted with prostheses and at 17 months he was walking. He may have had no legs since infancy but Pistorius has never been disabled.His mother Sheila, a devout Christian, who raised her son Oscar as a Christian, wrote a letter to her son before the operation with a message he could read later.‘The real loser is never the person who crosses the finishing line last,’ she said. ‘The real loser is the person who sits on the side. The person who does not even try to compete.’Indeed, Pistorius seems to have been born with a zeal for competition.

When Pistorius was just 17 months old, she wrote him another letter that said: ‘Feet cannot earn a good salary or give us a compassionate and loving heart.’Pistorius is the middle child of his family. He has an older brother, Carl, and a younger sister, Aimée. Before he could even walk, or be labelled, Shiela was already laying the foundation for her son to be not a charity case, but a champion.

“My mother used to tell us in the mornings, ‘Carl put on your shoes, Oscar you put on your legs.’ So I grew up not really thinking I had a disability. I grew up thinking I just had different shoes,” says Pistorius.Sheila would instruct her youngest son whenever Carl climbed up into a tree, that she expected him to climb that tree also. It was not smooth sailing for Pistorius as a child. His parents divorced when he was six. He attended Constantia Kloof Primary and Pretoria Boys High School where he played rugby, water polo, tennis and wrestled. He credits his mother with having a profound impact on his life. Sheila died at the age of 42, when Pistorius was just 15 years old, from an

allergic reaction to medication given her during surgery. The date she was born and the date she died are tattooed on the inside of his arm. He says a silent prayer to her before every race.Another tattoo with words that mean a lot to Pistorius is the one emblazoned across his left shoulder. It is the bible verse for 1 Corinthians 9:26-27. It reads: ‘Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.’He lives to glorify God: “God is the most important person in the world to me. If I’m on the right patch spiritually, it helps with everything else.”He is a truly amazing athlete and an amazing person. This is what he says: “You are not disabled by the disabilities you have. You are able by the abilities you have.” He also says: “I don’t see myself as disabled. I just don’t have lower legs.”He says he needs Christ in his life: “Because he is the reason for my success and the one that takes me from strength to strength. Christ makes all the difference. He aids me in my struggles and makes my glories that much greater.”Oscar Pistorius knows all about challenges. He’s been facing them and overcoming them all his life. And, he knows better than to try and do it by his own strength. As Pistorius recently tweeted: “Sometimes you have to take a step back from life and ask God to take control of your choices and emotions. Not always easy but have faith.”

GOLD MEDALS

GOLD MEDALS

Oscar Pistorius became the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics when he represented South Africa in the 400 metres and the 4x400 metres relay

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THE SON Winter 2012 Page 15

SPURS and England forward Jermain Defoe appears to be having his prayers answered as his renaissance at the London club has continued.The 30-year-old has had no trouble finding the net this season and silenced his critics who thought the striker would leave White Hart Lane in the summer.But the devout Christian’s return to goal-scoring could well be the result of praying for help in raising his game, as Defoe gets on his knees every day.

He said in an interview with journalists: “I pray every day. In the mornings and, before I go to bed. I think it’s important to pray not just when things are going bad.“When things are going bad, it’s easy to pray and ask God to help you out, but it’s also important to pray when things are going well and show your appreciation.“I think my faith is important.

Being young as well, sometimes it’s difficult, but I’ve got a good family behind me as well.The talented target man added: “Without God there is nothing basically. I have been blessed and try to do everything to the best of my ability. Obviously it is not the main

point of discussion in the dressing room but I look round and see a lot of players praying.“Jesus Christ is far more important to me than football because at the end of the day I have been blessed and if I had not been blessed I would not be a footballer.”

‘I PRAy EVERy DAy’

JermainDefoe celebrates scoring for Spurs

ENGLAND and Aston Villa striker, Darren Bent has revealed that his faith in God helped him deal with his Euro 2012 injury heartache and other career and personal setbacks.The former Ipswich, Charlton, Tottenham and Sunderland player missed out on Euro 2012 after an ankle ligament injury.The Tooting-born star recovered in mid May, but England Manager, Roy Hodgson, felt that the 28 year-old wouldn’t be fit enough to last a major tournament.Writing on Aston Villa’s website, Bent said: “I’ve been through some hard times here at Villa and at Spurs, and missing out on major tournaments with England too. It has been difficult, but I’m a believer that good things come to those who wait and I believe if I am patient and I have faith then more good things will happen to me in my life and career.”Capped 13 times by England, Bent came to Christianity through his grandmother. “My grandma got me into religion because she used to carry me to church every Sunday,” Bent recalls. “I read the Bible every day before I get up. You’ve got to have faith!“It is a personal choice... I have got my faith and it is important to me.” Taking his Bible everywhere he goes, and going to church whenever he can, Bent’s more than happy to help the church: “Although it can be hard with Sunday games, whenever my Grandma needs me to do something for the church - to go along to an event or sign something - then I’m more than happy to do that.”Teetotaller Bent is in no doubt that he and his family get their strength from their faith: “It’s always been a support for me. I know in my household and with my family it’s a big part of our lives and what we do.’His teammates are respectful of his beliefs too. “I don’t get any stick for my faith in the dressing room,” said Darren, “I think the lads realise it is a personal choice of mine, and they respect that. A lot of footballers have now got tattoos with hands praying and stuff like that, which can be a bit clichéd, but I have got my faith and it is important to me.”

Darren’s strong faith

Why prayer is important fortop striker Jermain Defoe

Darren Bent in action for Aston Villa

fanS GeT The meSSaGePremiership stars who celebrate their faithEVERTON midfielder Steven Pienaar makes no secret of his belief in God.The former South Africa captain hit the headlines last season when he scored a late equaliser against Manchester United and celebrated by pulling up his shirt to reveal the words ‘God is great’. It was a gesture which he has done on more than one occasion.God was certainly kept in the footballing spotlight during 2012, particularly after Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest during a televised FA Cup match against Tottenham.It led to the Sun newspaper publishing a front page

with the headline ‘God is in control.’The news in the summer that Aston Villa skipper Stilyan Petrov had been diagnosed with leukaemia also got football fans thinking about God.Prayers were uttered for both men across the world as soccer lovers from Britain to Brazil stood with the two stricken heroes.

Pienaar has experienced God’s greatness in his own life growing up in Westbury - a dangerous township on the edge of Johannesburg, where gang violence, drug dealing and shooting were rife, he used to watch television on the floor rather than the couch, in case he got shot.He told an interviewer: “One thing that sticks in my mind is watching television on the floor. “We had a couch, but I wasn’t allowed on it, because you never knew when a bullet was going to come flying in through the window. “If you were on the floor, you were below the level of the glass and safe. If you were on the couch you were taking your life in your hands, and there were stories of people who had been hit by stray bullets.” He also lost his best friend

due to the violence there; but God protected him from the daily dangers he faced and his mothers’ influence, hard work and faith saw him become a star who is ready to acknowledge his gratitude to God.

Former football bad boy Kieran Richardson once dubbed ‘baby Bentley’ by ex-manager Roy Keane because of his love for fast cars, says God saved him from himself.The ex-Manchester United and Sunderland star ‚who signed for Fulham in August 2012, found God in 2007 but only went public with his faith when he revealed a T-shirt with the words ‘I belong to Jesus’ after scoring against Wolverhampton Wanderers in December last year.

Capped eight times by England, the versatile left sided player shared his testimony for the first time at a church in Durham while he was on Sunderland’s books and talked about how unhappy he was with living the ‘good life.’

Synonymous with football’s ‘bling’ culture, partying and looking good eventually came before his football.He told an interviewer: “Five years ago all I cared about was

going out, clothing and looking good. I wasn’t happy. Now I have Jesus Christ in my life and I feel good in my heart.”He admitted: “I started thinking about money rather than football. I’d go out with my friends after a game to nightclubs, get drunk and meet women. I did that for a very long time.”But meeting Natalie Suliman, now his wife, proved to be a turning point in his life.“After a while I asked her: ‘Do you want to come on holiday to Barbados?’ She said ‘I’ll come to Barbados if you go to church.’”Richardson who was by then at Sunderland, agreed, and it was during that visit that he gave his life to Christ. “It felt so special. It was a crazy feeling.”

“My life changed. It didn’t change straight away. It was a gradual thing; It has been a gradual process. My faith is so strong now, the way I look at life is completely different.“People need to know if they feel they can’t talk to anyone, the church is here for them. The main thing is having a relation-ship with God.”

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Christ changed kieran’s life

BLING CULTURE

Kieran Richardson reveals his faith after scoring for Sunderland against Wolves last season

Steven Pienaar celebrates after scoring against Manchester United

STRONG FAITH

Tough tackling Steven Pienaar in action against Aston Villa

God is great for Steven pienaar

Real Madrid star Kaka was one of the first players to reveal his faith

GOD’S GREATNESS

A ChriStiAn charity started by professional footballers Linvoy Primus and Darren Moore is providing a range of community, educational and overseas programmes using football as a platform to build relationships with young people and their familiesA team of two full time staff members and over 250 enthusiastic Christian Faith & Football volunteers in Portsmouth, Plymouth, Barnsley and Farnborough faithfully serve their respective communities by delivering our programmes. Christian professional footballers, including Barnsley’s Bobby hassell and Aberdeen’s rory Fallon support the work. For more information visit www.faithandfootball.org.uk

Faith & Football flourishing

Page 16 THE SON Winter 2012

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Darren Bent’s strong faith – see page 15