An Interview with Martin Smith

Let’s talk about sexAngels & Demons

Fantastic prizes to be won

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www.emergingculture.co.uk

Bothered about poverty right here in the UK?

Wondering how to bea radical disciple and keep your career?

The Eden Network is a missional

movement passionate to see

forgotten places become places of hope.

We recruit teams of people to relocate

into England’s toughest urban communities

taking their light into dark places

letting it shine for the long haul.

Through running activities for local young people and their

families, by being a great friend and neighbour and simply by

holding down a normal job Eden teams live as salt and light

sharing the good news of the Gospel through their daily lives.

Could you bring hope to a kid just getting involved with a gang

or to a single mum with an alcohol problem?

The Bible says that ‘the Word became flesh and blood

and moved into the neighbourhood.’ John 1:14

Eden takes its example straight from the master.

He was prepared to get his hands dirty

… are you?

Email us for

an information pack

thoughts@eden-network.org

www.eden-network.org

This Autumn issue of /thoughts is packed full

of great articles and interviews from people like Martin

Smith, Siku, Phillippa Hanna and more. Make sure you have a good read

and let us know what you think. Better yet, why not send us some of your

own work for the /afterthoughts blog?

Keep in touch with Emerging Culture... Why not find out how our FRESH leadership

course is going, or to find out where the team are speaking - go to

www.emergingculture.co.uk. Even better… why not go to the Chatter

section to become one of our Facebook and Twitter friends.

If you’re off to uni, we hope you have an amazing time

and wish you all the best in whatever

you’re doing!

/thoughtsWelcome to

magazine

Get your own!Did someone give you this magazine?

If so, then get your own! Turn to page 30 and sign up

to receive /thoughts magazines, and be entered into a

brilliant prize draw from Emerging Culture.

/autumn ’09

WWW.eMerGINGCULtUre.CO.UK

MOBILISE MISSION JUSTICE

5,4,3,2,1... arGh!

The tension was mounting, my knees were shaking. They

were counting down… 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… argh! All of a sudden

I’m swooshing down a zip wire at a million miles an hour,

over a river and through the trees.

Another countdown, but this time I’m prepared, my water

gun is full and ready for action… 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. There are

about 40 of us all in a field having a massive water fight;

needless to say, I was so wet by the end I looked like I’d

been swimming fully clothed.

There’s no countdown this time, instead there’s a

lemon costume! You may have seen us at Soul Survivor

where loads of the Emerging Culture team and friends

wandered around looking like a lemon; big yellow

jumper, green leggings and a yellow hat. Oh yes, we

looked awesome! (Check out some photos on the

website, www.emergingculture.co.uk/summer)

These are just a few of the many great stories of the

Emerging Culture team this summer. Whether we were

making badges on the Soul Survivor stand, speaking at

events, doing missions or generally hanging out, Emerging

Culture’s summer of 2009 was one to remember.

As we look to the next year, with FRESH (our leadership

course for 15-21 year olds), more /thoughts magazines,

missions and events, we are really blessed to have a

couple of additions to the Emerging Culture team. You

can meet one of them (James) on page 20. So with a

growing team, more interns and a new intake of

FRESH-ers, we are looking forward to a great year.

I’ve been with Emerging Culture for a year now and I

have seen God do some really awesome and amazing

things through the team, from chatting to people about

the fact that God exists and wants a relationship with

them, to equipping young people throughout the UK

for leadership, to seeing people become Christians and

getting involved with local churches everywhere. We are

poised and ready for this next year, expecting that God

will do amazing things, and continue to show people who

He is and what He’s about.

Are you ready for the next year? What are you expecting?

How does God feature in it? God really wants to be a

major part of your life and all the aspects of it. Whether

you believe in God or not, He is so interested in

everything you do, from your coursework, to your social

life, to your family. Why not take some time out to think

about what this means, and how it could impact your life.

I hope you have a great year this year and that we can

continue on the Emerging Culture adventure together.

Keep in touch and let us know about what you’re up to.

See you next time!

Dot Tyler

eMerGING CULtUre

Bring Conkers out of the woods

and back into fashion.

Summer may seem like a distant memory, but Autumn

is back with its rich colour and style. So why not get

together with your mates, enjoy the crispy air, and a

game of conkers in the park.

Running After You

Ben Cantelon

Woah-oah, Woh-oh-oh! We

love it! This is Ben’s debut

full-length album. In Ben’s

words: ‘Running After You

links in with the idea of being desperate to follow and connect

with God’. This is a fantastic album with songs that are

great, both at worship events and in your bedroom.

Fireworks

This bonfire night, get online to find your

nearest firework display and head out with

your family and friends armed with scarves,

hats and sparklers for a night to remember.

Don’t forget to treat yourself to a scrummy

toffee apples or some chewy treacle sweets.

What is your fave firework?!

Catherine Wheel

Roman Candle

Rocket

Sparklers (ok so not a firework but essential we think!)

Tell us your favourite on the Emerging Culture Blog!

WWW.eMerGINGCULtUre.CO.UK/BLOG

See page 30

6

5 guys, 17 years, 15 albums, loads of tours, thousands of gigs and it’s all coming to a close. /thoughts got to chat with Martin Smith about his past with Delirious? and his future without.

makers and Delirious? is only a framework and the God

who is in us lives on, so hopefully we’re all going to go on

to bigger and better things. Who knows, Delirious? may

play again in the future but watch this space.

/t: Do you think that your relationship with God has

changed as a result of making the decision

to stop Delirious?

MS: Undoubtedly. I think it’s about surrender. I think it’s

about saying that life’s not just a brand or a band; there

are other things that are more important; family and

ultimately God. It’s God we serve, not a band. I think it’s

good to put things in their right place. It’s been a step

of discovery for all of us in this last year about having

to have more faith in God and not just in what we do.

There were nights where we could go out on stage and

do what we do with our eyes closed, but there is a sense

now of going back to Sunday School and learning what

it is to live again.

/t: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

MS: I’d like to be involved in lots of people’s lives,

particularly up-and-coming musicians, worship leaders

and artists. I would love to be a part of their discovery

and spend time with them in the studio, recording and

hanging out. I could see more of that happening, and

hopefully more songs and more music. I don’t really

/thoughts: What are you guys up to at the moment?

Martin Smith: We’re in Hershey, Pennsylvania right

now for another Joyce Meyer concert. So we start tonight

if we can stay awake, I’m feeling a bit jet-lagged! It’s

actually a very short trip, we got here last night and we’re

back in the UK in 3 days.

/t: What is your best memory of Delirious?

MS: The camaraderie. It has been amazing and really

extraordinary, for 5 guys to stick together over so many

years and be friends and brothers. It doesn’t mean that

everything’s been perfect but it means we’ve stuck

it out, which has been great, and even though we’re

ending together on 29th November, we know that the

relationships are good and that means that the future

can have anything in it. As long as the relationships are

good, that’s the main thing.

/t: So, do you think that you guys will all stay in touch?

MS: Well yeah, we’re all still in the same church, so

there’s no getting away from each other! I think that a

couple of the guys might move to America for a stint and

do some stuff there, which I think would be great. That’ll

all unfold in time but for now we’re focused on ending

this season really well because it’s really important to

hand on what God gave us and to do that well.

/t: A bit of a standard question; what are your reasons

for stopping Delirious?

MS: I guess there are many reasons. It’s been 17 fantastic

years, but it’s been a lot of time away, a lot of time on the

road and there’s been a price for that. We’ve all got kids

and I for one felt that it was time for me to be at home

more in this next season. I’ve got 6 small kids at home and

there comes a time when it’s more important for me to be

a dad. Everything’s good, but they’re just wise decisions.

/t: Are you sad to be leaving behind such a massive

part of your life?

MS: Yeah, of course. We love it. It’s been an

extraordinary and very unique part of my life, and I don’t

think there’ll be anything like it again in that sense. We

weren’t just a band, we were family, we were definitely

all for one and one for all, so I think that, yeah of course

it’s sad. We’ve been singing for years about being history

AN INTERVIEW WITH MARTIN SMITH

7

know how to answer that yet because I’m not in that

season yet but I’m sure it will unravel.

/t: Over the last few years, you have become a person

of influence, you have become a leader, how are you

planning to use this over the next few years?

MS: The Royal National Lifeboat Institute has a great

slogan and it says “Train one and save many”. I think

that’s part of the future. It’s all about finding people who

will carry on that legacy of pioneering music. As well as

that, I’ve got lots more music to make but alongside that,

I want to spend time with people and mentor people.

You can get lost along on the journey, but I’m excited

about the next step, and my wife being involved in

everything, it’s going to be good.

/t: What would you like to be remembered for?

MS: I think, hopefully that I put God first.

See page 30

8

Alien Abduction & Bogeymen /lifestyle

Carrie is the Training Programme Manager for ALOVE

UK, The Salvation Army for a new generation, and

runs Essential1, a gap year programme. She lives in

Wimbledon with her husband and likes to daydream!

Carrie Knuckey

Fear is a funny word. It can mean so many different things, from a fear of being different, to a fear of being alone, or a fear of not having enough, a fear of not being enough, or even a fear of the bogeyman…

I have a vivid imagination which, although it keeps me

amused, it also leaves me susceptible to being over-

ridden by fear of the most ridiculous things at times.

No jokes, I once got stuck upside down between the

wall and my bed while I was checking for

Doberman dogs hiding under the

bed; another time when half way

through driving home one night,

the car doors started opening

whilst the lights flashed and

the car beeped seemingly

uncontrollably… I was

utterly convinced that I

was being abducted

by aliens. It’s funny

now looking

back on these

situations,

but the

reality for many people is that fear can grip us to such

an extent that it starts to strangle us. This may be fear

of failing, or fear of being unloved, even fear of being

noticed or quite literally fear of the bogeyman.

Whatever fear it is, it isn’t truth. It may have come from

horrible experiences in life, or from believing lies, or

quite simply from an overactive imagination. Whatever

it comes from, it is not from God and it prevents us from

living in all that God intends for us.

Once we get trapped in fear it’s very hard to get out of

it. So what do we do? The first step is to call it what it

is. In my late teens I genuinely had a fear that an alien

inhabited my teddy bear! I had to recognise that this was

simply a fear and nothing else - it clearly wasn’t truth.

Then we have to give our fear to God. When I fear that

nobody likes me or that I’m a failure, I need to give this

to God and trust that He loves me unconditionally. Get

Biblical! Hold onto a few verses that speak truth to you

and stick them on your wall or in your pocket. The Psalms

are a great place to look for these verses.

Finally, face your fear full on. I used to hate public

speaking; when I had to give a presentation at school,

half way through the inevitable would happen and I

would choke up - in front of all my classmates I would

be completely speechless. After school, somehow I kept

finding myself in situations where I had to speak in front

of random groups of people; instead of letting fear rob

me of these opportunities I forced myself to do it. Bit by

bit I learnt to control my fear; now I find public speaking

part of my job and can manage to do it without wanting

the ground to swallow me up.

Through conversations with other people I found that I

wasn’t the only one that had spent half my life struggling

with fear. Most people I know have at least one fear that

they really struggle with, whether it’s the ridiculous fears

of aliens in teddy bears, to the painful fears of not being

loved, they exist.

Don’t let fear stop you from all that God has intended

you to be - choose to live in freedom.

9

Pod is Head of Communications at UCCF. He enjoys

loud guitar music and Pro-Evolution Soccer on the

PS2! For more information on getting stuck into

CUs or if you need advice on what to do at uni, visit

www.uccf.org.uk/freshers

The idiots’ guide to starting uni /engage Pod Bhogal

If you’re heading off to university then a whole bundle of changes await you. All of a sudden, you’ll find you have new friends, a new routine, new freedom and new responsibilities.

The first thing to do at uni is move into halls. The people you’re

living with will be the first ones you should get to know.

The next stop is the Freshers’ Fair. Go along and you’ll

be amazed because whatever your niche is, whether it’s

chess or lacrosse, cheerleading or juggling, you will find

like-minded people at the Freshers’ Fair. Join clubs and

societies, get involved, and meet new people. If you’ve

always thought about surfing but have never had the

time; if you’ve always wanted to have a go at wine-

tasting but have not been able to afford it, now is the

time for that to all change.

There are some warnings... make sure you decide beforehand

how much you’re going to spend. Money has been wasted

on membership of the Tofu Appreciation Society on a

realisation at the second meeting that you hate tofu. It

may be quite true that you want to try your hand at skiing,

develop an interest in theatre and make a commitment to

your course society, but you won’t have time to do them all. A

better idea is to choose a few and then get stuck in properly.

Student life presents an almost endless list of challenges,

from finding your first lecture room to finding friends, to

managing your student loan and studying the idiots’ guide

to microwave cooking. There’s a lot to get your head around!

UCAS is a distant memory, your bags are packed and the

excitement is mounting; but there’s still one nagging

doubt about this whole university thing: “What if I don’t

make any friends and have an entirely miserable, lonely

time?” It’s true it may take time to settle in, and it may

take time to form the kind of deep relationships that

you’re used to, but you will make friends. Indeed, by the

end of university, there will be at least one or two people

who will continue as close friends for the rest of your life.

Finally there’s your course. Make sure that in your first

week, you get your timetable, work out where your

lectures are and get yourself over to the bookshop to get

all your text books for the year.

For Christians there are added challenges: finding a

church, finding other Christians at university and not

abusing new-found freedoms. But don’t think of life as a

Christian at university an ongoing struggle to survive in

an unknown environment. For help getting stuck in; find

out what’s going on with the CU in Freshers’ Week and

pop along to an event.

Whatever you do, enjoy Uni, it will change your life!

11

Philippa Hanna is based in the lovely Sheffield and

she bounced into the music scene in 2007.

Her latest album Taste is available to buy now,

alternatively check out page 30 to be in with a

chance of winning a copy.

“You’ll be a star one day” /lifestyle

As a full-time singer-songwriter I feel truly blessed to be doing my dream job. Music has been my life-long passion. However, it’s been a real roller-coaster ride getting to this point.

Even going back as far as my toddler bath-times, making

up songs about wash products, I’ve been passionate

about music. But like many young people my dream has

often felt desperately out of reach. It can be devastating

to have a deep sense of destiny about something, yet to

hit brick walls with every attempt to reach your goals.

I was born into a very musical, completely non-religious

family. My earliest memory is of seeing Dad on stage,

holding the audience in the palm of his hand with a

breath-taking vocal talent. I don’t remember making the

decision that I wanted to be a singer too, it just seemed

to be inside me from the start. I recall gathering the

family up to hear me belt out ‘’The Greatest Love of All’

when I was barely out of nappies. They were so excited!

People began to say things like, “you were born to do

this”, and “you’re going to be a star one day”, and I always

believed them. But as I hit those glorious teen years

things got tough.

As I tried to find my place in school I made huge

compromises in order to make friends. I went ‘off the

rails’ and became a self-confessed ‘bad girl’. It had its fun

moments but after a while I realised I was squandering

precious opportunities and causing myself and my family

a lot of hurt.

My music dream was always there

beneath the drama. I saw it as my

shot at redemption in the big

wide world. But as I left school

I realised ‘making it’ wasn’t

going to be that easy. I

spent years working

on projects with a

string of producers. I

did backing vocals on

pop records and sang

in smoky pubs where

people brushed past

me mid-song to get

to the bar. I secured a

publishing deal for my songs at the age of eighteen. But

I struggled to find a ‘niche’ as a writer or the necessary

confidence to be myself, something that an artist needs

the most!

It all changed when some of my friends started chatting

to me about God and Jesus. I met these friends through

music but knew there was something different about

them. I gradually became more open to what they had to

say and decided to give the God thing a go.

After years of feeling lost, I became inspired and realised

that I’m loved regardless of talent or success. Now I sing

and write songs to share God’s life-transforming power

and I pray that my music impacts people’s hearts to

discover it for themselves. What I’ve learned is that when

we give our lives and our gifts back to God He can work

through us in ways we never dreamed!

Philippa Hanna

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Untitled-1 1 21/9/09 16:09:07

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13

Sarah is an intern with Share Creative. As well as

being a graphic designer she loves creativity in the

form of music and books. She’s also quite partial to

tea and polka dots and spent a lot of her university

days eating cheese toasties.

Sarah BurnettYou are not a robot /creative

We have been made in the image of God - the ultimate

Designer, Musician, Artist and Writer. Even if you

would never call yourself ‘creative’, you’ve been given

an imagination, a mind capable of coming up with

incredible ideas and inventing new things. Robots are

blank, just given instructions and left to get on with it.

Your head has been filled with a richness of potential.

How are you going to make the most of it?

14

Steven is the student worker at St Thomas’ Church

Philadelphia in Sheffield.

www.becomestudentchurch.co.uk

He loves business, people, wine and travelling! He is

also engaged to be married!

Get out more! /engage Steven Cotton

If you’re young, a Christian and wanting to keep on loving Jesus then you should never go to a club. Even if you intend to stay sober, the alcohol will grab and grip you, take over your mind and poison your blood stream.

In addition it is impossible to spend an evening in a club

without finding yourself in a compromising and indecent

situation with a member of the opposite sex. You will

become an alcoholic and maybe even pregnant by the

end of the night.

Is that view a little extreme? Do you find yourself

disagreeing with it? If I’m honest I find it quite funny.

Maybe I shouldn’t, but as a student worker I’m just

imagining the look of disdain and the mass exodus that

such a speech would cause.

The question that I’ve been thinking through is: should

Christians go clubbing? Clubs and bars can be some of

the darkest places our generation hang out. People have

described clubs as the devil’s playground. This may seem

dramatic but let’s be honest, if you want to drink a lot,

enjoy other mind altering substances and find easy sex,

clubs are the places to go.

From a different perspective clubs are also the places

where you’ll find some of the loneliest, isolated,

dissatisfied and desperate people our generation has to

offer. Not everybody in a club is in that state but having

done a fair bit of club mission I can assure you that clubs

do attract people who are struggling with life a fair bit.

So what do we do? Do we leave people to just get on

with life and distance ourselves from their reality? Do we

create more Christian subcultures to detach us from the

things in life that aren’t pleasant? I’m not convinced that

is the best approach.

Disclaimer: If you find clubs too difficult then I can fully

appreciate why you should steer clear. If it’s not your

sort of thing then that’s all good, but more importantly

if relating to the opposite sex and drink is a big issue that

is stretched to the limit in those places then just don’t

make life harder for yourself. It’s not worth the feeling

you’ll have the morning after.

I want to talk to those of us who are pretty keen on

going out for a bit of a dance with mates and find club

culture easy to connect with. If you’re that sort of person

then I’m sure you’ll appreciate that not everything

you’ll find in a club is sordid, evil and challenging to

your relationship with Jesus. Maybe you love the music,

perhaps you love dancing and appreciate spending time

with friends.

For you, I’d say go for it and have fun. My perspective is

that God loves every person in that building and He is

especially keen on showing some love to the ones who

are in a mess. Maybe He’s given you a love for music and

dancing for a reason.

This comment may get me into trouble but I would love

to see more Christians going clubbing. I’d love to see

more of us hanging out in the places where the normal

world plays. If we’re called to be salt and light then

what’s the point in us hanging out in a salt factory or a

light shop?

Theology b Theology, Music & Worship b Theology & Counselling b CertHE DipHE BA Hons b Postgraduate Degrees MA MTh MPhil PhD b Open Learning

London School of Theology b Green Lane b Northwood b HA6 2UWt 01923 456000 e enquiries@lst.ac.uk w www.lst.ac.uk Registered Charity No. 312778

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www.wordlive.orgOn your PC • MP3 Player • Mobile/PDA • Visual meditations Podcasts • Creative prayer • Group studies • Worship songs

16

The Bible never tries to prove the existence of God. It would be like a math textbook proving that 1+1=2, or a historian trying to show that there was such a thing as the past - there would be no point.

Does God Exist? /deeper

seems to be present in every civilization we have ever

discovered. Often the explanations provided for these

facts are so ridiculous that they call into question the

worldview itself (like the ways atheists try to explain

Jesus’ empty tomb). Denying the existence of God

creates many more problems than it solves.

The Biblical perspective, on the other hand, accounts

for the unbelief of other people in terms of sin. Look

at Paul’s argument in Romans 1:18–20: For the wrath of

God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and

unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness

suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is

plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His

invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine

nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation

of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are

without excuse.

To the Bible writers, God’s existence is foundational,

essential, and startlingly obvious. So anyone who does

not believe in God, the psalmist says, is quite simply a

fool. Lots of clever people since then have come up with

ways of proving God’s existence, and some of these can

be useful. But it is interesting that - in a book spanning

two thousand years of history and with stories about

all sorts of people who don’t believe in Him - the Bible

never presents an argument for God’s existence. It is so

obvious, it doesn’t need to be argued for.

Many people today think the opposite. Lots of people

believe that non-belief in God is the default view, and

science has removed the need to add God into the

picture. People take it for granted that God doesn’t

exist, and if you say He does, they will want you to prove

it scientifically. If you ask them to prove scientifically

what they believe, of course, they are very unlikely to be

able to - but mostly, they will not see this as a problem,

because it seems that the majority agree with them.

There are two problems with this. One, the majority

is often dangerously wrong. The majority of German

officers in the 1930s agreed with persecuting Jews; the

majority of nineteenth-century Europeans thought

black people were second-class citizens; the majority of

medieval scientists thought the world was flat. But also,

lots of beliefs we hold - often, the most important ones! -

are just not provable scientifically.

Take the statement: “For something to be true, it must

be provable scientifically.” Can that statement be proved

scientifically? Can you do an experiment in a lab to

demonstrate that it is true? Or how about, “My daughter

loves me”? How can that very important statement ever

be proven? The fact is, we believe things because they

make sense of the world as we see it, not because some

outside authority (like scientific proof) says they are true.

So the real question is: How does belief or non-belief in

God make sense of the world around us?

You see, every view of the world has to provide an

explanation for every fact there is. People who do not

believe in God still have to account for beauty, the fact

that the world came into being in the first place, the

occurrence of miracles, the awareness in people that

there is such a thing as evil, the existence of things like

conscience and emotions, and the sense of God that

17

Andrew is a Youth and Children’s Worker for a

church in Eastbourne. He enjoys running training

programmes and taking seminars all over the world.

He is married to Rachel and is also the author of

God Stories.

Andrew Wilson

People don’t believe in God because they suppress the

truth. They want to be independent of God, without

accountability for their actions, and so they don’t

want there to be a God. As Thomas Nagel, professor

of philosophy and law at New York University, wrote

recently, “It isn’t just that I don’t believe in God and,

naturally, hope that I’m right in my belief. It’s that I hope

that there is no God! I don’t want there to be a God; I

don’t want the universe to be like that.”

It is simply foolishness and sin that lead people to

deny that God exists. The Bible never argues for God’s

existence, but titles it as the foundation stone of all

thinking and living, because God’s character is so

clearly evident in creation. From morality to mercy, from

miracles to mountains, God’s existence is displayed in all

things. Only the fool denies it.

• Servethepoor• Playfootballwith anorphan• Beabigbrother orsister• Letyourlife countforGod

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19

Answer with Authority /deeper

OK. You’re at work/college/the pub/elsewhere (delete as applicable) and someone says to you: “You go to church, that means you believe in heaven and hell, don’t you?” or “You’re a Christian, does that mean you are against abortion?” or “As a Christian, what do you think about the conflict in Afghanistan?”

Piers is Director of Evangelism at Cliff College,

Derbyshire (www.cliffcollege.ac.uk). He likes

Cornershop’s new album and would like to buy an

old Vespa.

Or maybe you’re firing the questions at yourself: “Does it

really matter if I drink too much tonight?” or “How much

money should I spend on myself and how much should I

give to my church?” or “Why am I so rubbish?” This is a bit

of a random selection of questions but how you answer

them indicates an answer to another question, namely

‘What authority has the Bible got in how I see the world/

others/myself?’

That is a vital question for people living as people who

follow Jesus today. If the Bible has authority in our lives

then we will have a reference point when we are making

moral or ethical or lifestyle choices. Without a reference

point, we’re making choices based on our own limited

understanding. It’s as though we’re at sea, being blown

about by the prevailing wind, sometimes getting it right,

and other times getting it hopelessly wrong.

At the end of the day, what we base our choices and

decisions on is all about authority; whether we see

ourselves as being the one who makes the rules, or

submitting to the rules which have been made by the

One who made us.

I know authority is not a popular word. But Christians

choose to submit to the authority of the author. If you

notice, the clue is in the word authority. The authority of

the Bible is not a cold, legalistic authority, but one which

comes from the heart of the Author, a God who longs for

us to avoid falling into holes or traps and instead wants us

to walk safely along a path that has been laid out for us.

The only way we can know anything about God, the

Bible and the reference point for our choices is because

God chooses to reveal it. This revelation is a mark of love,

a generous act, which is made for all people, everywhere.

God shows His love in so many ways, and one of those

ways is through inspiring people to write the words

of the Bible. When Christians choose to submit to the

Bible they’re not submitting to other people’s thoughts

or opinions, they’re submitting to the thoughts and

guidance of the Creator of the universe. The Bible says

that, ‘prophets, though humans, spoke from God as

they were carried along by the Holy Spirit’. It is God who

is speaking through people; the Author of all things,

writing His story for everyone to read.

Next time you’re asked a question about... well just about

anything, stop and think where your answer is coming

from. Unless you can answer with confidence that God’s

Word is not being compromised, then perhaps you need

to think about where you’re submitting your authority.

Piers Lane

20

James is the brand new local youthwork

co-ordinator at Emerging Culture. He loves going to

the cinema and eating chinese food. He is looking

forward to seeing the lives of people he works with

changed as they get to know Jesus.

Last year I did a gap year with Ichthus Christian Fellowship

which was great. I loved every moment of it. I laughed, I

cried and it changed my life. I was supposed to go back to

Scotland at the end of this year but God seemed to have

other ideas. Whenever I thought about home or about my

future I kept having this strong sense and pull to stay in

London. A week before I was supposed to leave the course

and go on holiday for a month my lecturer invited me

to his house for tea. “James” he said, “I don’t think you’re

ready to go home yet. I think you need to stay in London

for longer and get some more training.”

My heart sank; I had made all the arrangements and I was

all set to go home. I knew my lecturer was right, he was

only confirming the quiet voice in the back of my mind.

The reality of this new decision wasn’t just a shock to my

system but a total nightmare. I was moving out of the

halls I was staying in, I had no job and no money.

At this point I did what any rational normal human being

would do…I panicked. I had two weeks to go and I had

nothing, and I needed the answers! So I prayed and

prayed and then prayed some more. Something had to

change in my situation and I was certain the only one

that could change my situation was God. The next day

after I prayed my heart out I felt like I should check my

emails, so I did. In my inbox was an e-mail from a friend

of mine who knew I was looking for a job in London, he

had sent me the application for Emerging Culture.

I emailed Dot on the off chance that the job might still be

open for application. I filled out the form, sent it off and

an hour later I got a phone call. They were asking me to

come for an interview.

Two weeks later I was in a job and I had a flat. There are

loads more miracles in this story, of how I got to and

from Heathrow and Central London and how I got to

my interview. All of this has shown me that God really

provides and He always answers prayer; it might not be

straight away but he will answer and meet our needs.

Have you ever been in one of those situations where everything just seems impossible? You know the kind of situation; no money, no work and nowhere to stay.

James Palmer

Reality Hits:God Provides… Doesn’t He?

21

Pete leads ‘Onelife’ with his wife Sarah, an organisation

committed to raising up transformational leaders and

also works at St Andrews, Chorleywood. When he’s

not busy with all that, he plays plenty of sport and gets

away to Cornwall as much as possible!

Pete Wynter

We are becoming more and more aware of people’s

situations all around the world; we’re buying more

Fairtrade and recycling more than ever. This need to

speak and act about injustice isn’t new, God’s been

speaking about it for millennia, unfortunately we haven’t

always heard.

In our day, the Church is being challenged to be at the

centre of the world’s response to injustice, and that’s exactly

where it should be. If Christians don’t get hold of this issue

and become pioneering in bringing transformation, the

Church will increasingly slip down the slide of irrelevance in

a world that desperately needs change.

I remember someone droning on about injustice, the

plight of the poor and environmental issues when I was

in youth group. It didn’t grab me or change me and all

I really wanted to do was write the next worship song

or go to the next big event. I couldn’t see how it related

to my desire to encounter God and change the world I

lived in.

I still encounter too many Christians who are busy playing

church or so immersed in our culture that they have no

time to live a life characterised by justice. It can’t be an

optional extra to our faith; it has to be central because it’s

all to do with loving God and loving our neighbour – even

the neighbours we don’t find easy to love. What’s more

I’ve found that my desire to encounter God has been met

in the midst of the poor, where His power at work in me

has chipped away at transforming communities.

How can you let justice flow in your life? Get active while

making sure you are cultivating a deeper relationship

with God. Don’t just stand for justice, stand also for

righteousness – that’s what will mark Christians out as

different to the countless others who do good but don’t

carry the message of the Kingdom, and at the end of the

day it is God’s Kingdom breaking in that will bring lasting

and eternal change.

It’s time for all of us to fulfil the words in the Bible (Amos)

‘let justice flow’. A daily choice to live a different way. A

daily choice to get out of our own worlds for a few minutes

and spend ourselves for the sake of those around us

who struggle in their worlds. A daily choice that doesn’t

throw the odd bit of charity in someone’s direction, but

grows a lifestyle committed to building true equality of

relationship with countless forgotten people who need to

encounter the grace and love of God.

Don’t stand back now, wake up and make the daily

choice. Talk to someone, find out the needs in your area,

get information on the internet, open

your Bible, pray and let justice flow!

The Justice generation is on the move. More than ever before people are responding to the increasing needs of a world we all know is not perfect.

Irrelevant Injustice? /engage

22

Chris Frost

Chris loves cheese burgers, Starbucks’ frappuccinos

and using different accents in shops to make his

wife Jo laugh. He currently works for Gateway

Church in Leeds.

I had only been a Christian for a year. There was nothing that had qualified me for what I was about to witness, I’ll never forget it.

“Can you see it? Can you see it?” my friend hushed

excitedly with eyes wide open after a time of prayer. “Up

there...its...there’s... an angel!” Following several sceptical

seconds of trying to match my eye-line to where his

finger pointed (this guy had a history of practical jokes),

suddenly I saw it. It was high in the sky, but I could

clearly see a large bright angel running round and round

throwing something invisible out from a pot under

its arm. I looked away and back again over and over in

disbelief yet it remained there for well over 30 minutes.

It was so encouraging for me to see that Jesus was

already on with answering our prayers using an angel

and it has been a continual encouragement to pray for

several years now.

I was slightly hesitant about retelling the story above, in

fact I think it is the first time I have told any more than a few

people. Will people think I’m a Looney tune? Or worse, some

sort of self-appointed, super-spiritual Star Wars figure?

Often in our Western and materialistic world-view,

suggestions that things exist that we can’t prove or feel

are laughed at. The term ‘Angels and Demons’ is reserved

for a fictional thriller featuring Tom Hanks; fun but fake.

Are angels real? The Bible resounds: yes. It says that

angels were created by God; they continually praise

Him, and are used to do some of His works. Angelical

interaction with humans is also Biblical; take a look at

characters like Mary, Philip, Cornelius, Peter, Paul and

even Jesus himself to see what they do.

Recently I stumbled on a pile of books about angels

in my local bookshop, detailing how to use them for

guidance or healing. I had to restrain myself from

jumping up and down on these books that are a

distraction and distortion of truth. It’s vital that we keep

Jesus our focus; it’s Him that can guide and heal and it’s

Him that we should long for, not angels.

It’s important that we can think clearly about demons

too. These are Biblical too; we learn that they were once

angels but sinned against God and now partner with the

Devil against the work of God. Where God uses angels

to speak His word, demons try to twist it. Where God

uses angels to strengthen faith, demons try to weaken it.

Demonic activity is normally more subtle than foaming

mouths and red eyes so it’s important we are ready to

stand strong by soaking ourselves in truth and keeping

our relationship with Jesus tight. Remember also that

demons are limited by God’s control, have limited power, and

all Christians have the authority to command them to leave.

It’s encouraging to remember that greater than the

threat of demons, even greater than the assurance of

angelic protection, we can know that Jesus is always with

us, right by our side.

Angels and Demons /engage

www.wordlive.orgOn your PC • MP3 Player • Mobile/PDA • Visual meditations Podcasts • Creative prayer • Group studies • Worship songs

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24

Crying, for men, has always been looked upon as a soft option. Instead of letting the tears flow, biting your bottom lip and making sure you do not embarrass yourself by doing the ‘womanly thing’ is priority.

Big Boys Don’t Cry /engage

From an early age most boys are told to stop crying and

to grow up. From a young age, crying has been frowned

upon: it’s not what ‘real men’ do.

Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson has written a couple of

articles slating men for crying. He said: “Men are very

confused at the moment, it is simply not normal for a

man to cry.” He is not happy that men are seen to be

crying in public, and calls for this ridiculous

behaviour to stop.

Why is it that men are embarrassed about crying? Do we

not want to appear weak? Well, consider this: crying is

not a sign of weakness, but of strength.

At the age of 15 my life was to change forever. I was given

the dream opportunity to have a two-week football trial

with a professional club. Things were going really well

until the third day; the first team players and I were lying

on the playing field recovering from some sprinting

when it happened. The player coach came up to me

and grabbed my testicles. He did not say anything and

neither did the players who saw this. I was totally

confused and angry so I just told him to

**** off and at the end of the training

session got changed without getting a

shower and never went back, pretending

to my friends that I failed the trial.

The anger from this incident continued to

build up for the next ten years and would

manifest itself whenever I played football

or rugby. As I continued carrying this hurt

around I was determined that no one was

going to hurt me again and that I was

never going to cry about it or tell anyone

what happened.

25

Baz leads a church in Sheffield and has written two

books - ‘Dead Men Walking’ and ‘Cut to the Chase’.

To find out more about Baz and to read a bit more

visit www.crossrhythms.co.uk

If you have more questions following reading this

article, get in touch with the Emerging Culture

office - team@emergingculture.co.uk

Baz Gasgoine

When I was 17 I thought I was in love and when the girl

of my dreams ended our relationship at a party, I was

devastated. So I got drunk, went to the bathroom and

began punching the bathroom wall and crying. Angry

and drunk I left the party thinking ‘everyone is out to get

what they can to make them happy no matter who they

hurt’ and I was exactly the same.

Deciding that life stinks I took an overdose of pills and

drink and ended up in hospital having my stomach

pumped. After I discharged myself, I tried to get on with

life and do the manly thing - fill my life with stuff rather

than facing the problems head on. However the anger

now had other ingredients to add to the mix: depression,

isolation, misunderstanding and embarrassment. All

blended together making one mixed up man.

Six months later God ambushed my life in an amazing

way. I discovered Jesus was real, not a myth, and His life,

death and resurrection could and would turn my whole

life upside down as I began to follow Him. I continued

journeying with God in my new life but was never sure if

He was interested in the areas of my life that really hurt.

So I didn’t tell anyone what happened when I was 15.

This went on until I was 26 at a conference in Sheffield.

During this conference God amazed me again. One of

the conference team came to me and said “when you

were 15 you were sexually interfered with, and God

wants to heal you of the pain that this caused.” I tried to

show no emotion and just said “I’m sorry you’re wrong.”

He humbly apologised and left. ‘What the hell was

that?’ I thought. ‘Who’s been talking to him?’ The next

day he came up to me again, saying the same thing and

apologising for any discomfort this may be causing me

but urging me to talk to someone I trust as this could be

the beginning of knowing real freedom and healing.

That night I decided to take a risk and tell my mate

Steve what had happened when I was 15. Thoughts of

rejection were spinning around my head. After what

seemed an age I told him and his wife. I sat there waiting

for him to reply. The silence was deafening. Steve came

over to me and hugged me. Something broke and the

floodgates opened. I cried like a little lost child, weeping

uncontrollably. Tears and snot began to run loosely out

onto his shirt but he still hugged me. A huge dam had

burst and there was no turning back.

In the Bible we read that ‘Jesus wept’ when he heard

about his close friend Lazarus’ death. The dictionary says

weeping means to: cry, sob, moan, lament, wail, bawl,

blubber, snivel, and whimper. To express intense, usually

painful, emotions by shedding tears.

As men we find it difficult to express openly the pain we

feel and allow ourselves to be vulnerable. We need to

realise that crying brings healing from things that have

caused us so much pain.

‘There is a time to cry and a time to laugh. There is a time to

be sad and a time to dance.’ Ecclesiastes 3 verse 4

Why not begin to allow yourself the time for tears and

laughter as you begin to allow yourself to break the lie:

‘big boys don’t cry’!

WORD

GOT WHAT IT TAKES?'I said, "Here I am, send me' ISAIAH 6:8

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Are you one of those people who’s always sticking their hand in the air, volunteering, saying ‘pick me, pick me’ a bit like the donkey in Shrek? Are you saying to God, ‘Send me’? Before you do, check out these three key ‘Cs’ for leading and succeeding for God: 1) Commitment: Real leaders don’t quit; even if they want to. Have you ever started tidying your room, and it gets messier before it gets better? It’d be easy to give up halfway through, thinking you’d failed, but that’d be a disaster! Just like leadership, you have to see it through to the end to get good results, to see the tidy room. You can’t quit halfway through, even if it gets tough. With God’s strength, you’ll be able to handle the demands of people, pressures and problems that come your way

2) Creativity: Just before the birth of Jesus a Roman poet called Horace wrote: ‘Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant’ - which can be put simply as, problems unlock creativity. Wise leaders look for a solution to every problem, then act on it. 3) Compassion: What moves you? What gets you excited? If you’re going to lead, you need to love - and you can’t always pick and choosewho you’ll be leading. So before you say ‘Lord, send me’, ask yourself; are you ready, and do you have what it takes?

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28

Genetik Revolution. The band was meant to be part of the

Hope ’08 stuff going on, so it was only supposed to be for

six months. During that time The Message said that they

really wanted a third band to help going into schools so

we became Twelve24.

/t: How did you become a Christian?

C: It started when I saw a change in my sister; she’d

become a Christian. She seemed so peaceful and I thought

‘there’s something different about her, what is it?’ I wanted

to be peaceful; I wanted to be a better person.

She told me that she had met Jesus. When she told me

this I’d thought I’d check it out. I had experienced church

when I was younger but thought it was boring and that’s

probably why I wasn’t interested in church or Christianity.

When I went to her church I was blown away, people were

jumping around and clapping. I thought, “WOAH what’s

going on?” but at the same time I loved it. When you

love someone you put your whole heart into it and these

people clearly loved Jesus. I kept going back until I

really understood why they love Jesus. And one day,

when I was 19 I gave my life to Jesus. I realised that

this is what I wanted and needed.

/t: How did this affect your life?

C: It wasn’t an easy process for me. It wasn’t as though,

one day I was doing all these crazy things, and the next

day I’m not going to do them anymore; it was a massive

change for me. If you were raised to do one thing, or

follow a culture that does something, it’s very difficult to

change. I had to learn how to live the life of a Christian.

Did I make mistakes? Yes! I’m still making mistakes but

God is teaching me loads.

/t: What is the best aspect of your job?

C: Going into schools! It’s so cool getting to meet

so many people. It’s not about the fame of people

recognizing you, but it’s about them remembering who

you represent, and that’s Jesus. Often we go into schools

and they don’t understand why we’re Christians, they

think we’re too cool to believe in Jesus but I love being

able to show them that Jesus is cool and changes lives.

/t: Who influences you to do what you do?

C: Can I be really cheesy and say Jesus? The first person

is Jesus, because of the change He makes in my life. After

Him, I also look up to my pastor back home in Milton

Keynes and my pastor here in Manchester. People who

are close to me really influence my life because I get to

see the way they live their lives.

We caught up with Christina, a member of the hip-hop/R&B band, Twelve24. Want to know more? www.twelve24.co.uk

10 minutes with Christina Otoo-Anakwa /interview

/thoughts: What do you do?

Christina: I work for a Christian organisation called The

Message Trust and we go into schools, communities and prisons

and teach about Christianity. I’m part of a band called Twelve24.

/t: How did Twelve24 start?

C: I was on a training course in Manchester called Genetik.

When the course was coming to

an end the Message asked

us to apply to be in

a band called

29

Carina is heading up release:potential, the youth

stream of Release International. She loves shoes, the

colour coral and she has just got engaged!

Carina Morton

Me and my boyfriend made a decision not to get involved physically in our relationship. I know, we’re really, really great and really, really holy, but can I let you in on something? It is not easy. It’s not easy at all.

Let’s talk about sex /lifestyle

When we began our relationship the ‘holding-hands

stage’ was great, it gave me butterflies to be close to him.

The hand-holding slowly progressed to hugging...which

in turn became longer hugging which soon became

kissing and then... STOP! Brakes on. God says no. I mean,

kissing is fine as long as it’s not long kisses right? And

hugging is cool if you don’t get too close right? ... Right?

Wrong. We’d already started crossing boundaries that

weren’t supposed to be explored yet, and they weren’t

easy to pull back from. Have you ever driven at 60mph

and then tried to stop quickly? It’s uncomfortable. So we

decided we had to pull-up and take a good look at how

our actions were affecting our relationship.

It’s easy to think you’re emotionally closer to someone

than you really are because of physical closeness and

we didn’t want to get those two things confused. “If this

is the man I’m supposed to be with” I thought “I need

to know that this relationship goes deeper and further

than just physical intimacy”. Thankfully God had been

speaking to him about the same thing so we were able to

share our thoughts openly and honestly.

When we were speaking about our decision my

boyfriend put it like this “It’s like fasting, each time we

feel the urge to be close physically we need to pray and

ask God for the strength to resist temptation”. I liked

that. I feel like I’m storing up little treasures each time I

don’t give in to what I want. In Song of Songs it says “Do

not arouse or awaken love until it so desires”, this basically

means don’t “see-how-far-you-can-get-before-you’re-

tempted”. Don’t start something that cannot be finished.

God’s plan was always for sexual union to be within the

protection and safety of marriage. Not because ‘it’s the

rules’ but because it’s the best way. The plan was for it to

be enjoyed by two people who intend to be with each

other for life, to share such an intimate connection that

would bring them even closer to each other.

God loves sex! I mean for real, He designed it. He designed

it to be pleasurable and enjoyed and anticipated and

treasured by a man and wife. It’s not a dirty word, or a

subject that should be avoided; it’s amazing.

I’d love to be able to kiss and hug my boyfriend all the

time, but I know that would be starting something that

could not be finished and that would not be honouring

the God who brought us to each other in the first place.

So now when we walk together down the street and

he gently nudges me or my hand brushes past his, it’s

electric. It’s a reassurance that this time of abstaining will

reap rewards later.

/thoughts magazineeMerGING CULtUre

The Church, Tolverne Road, Raynes Park, London, SW20 8RA

020 8781 1734 / thoughts@emergingculture.co.uk

WWW.eMerGINGCULtUre.CO.UK

Editor:

Dot Tyler: dot@emergingculture.co.uk

Assistant Editor:

Lindsey Macfarlane: lindsey@emergingculture.co.uk

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Share Creative: www.sharecreative.co.uk

Advertising:

For advertising opportunities for your organisation

or project contact Dot on 020 8781 1734.

/thoughts founders

Andy Frost: andy@emergingculture.co.uk

Huw Tyler: huw@sharecreative.co.uk

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WIN!

Printed on FSC accredited paper. Please recycle your copy or give it to a friend.

Youthwork the conference is a Spring Harvest event, in collaboration with ALOVE (The Salvation Army), Oasis, schoolswork.co.uk, Soul Survivor, Youth for Christ and Youthwork Magazine and delivered by Essential Event Management.

Inspirational speakers include Jim Wallis, Maeve Sherlock, Jill Garrett, Jason Gardner, Pete Greig, Jenny Baker, Ruth Valerio, Ruth Hassall, Rachel Gardner and Worship from Ben Cantelon and Vicky Beeching.

20-22 November 2009Eastbourne

knowing the word knowing the world

youthworkconference.co,uk

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Think again!

Think there’s nothing you can do about

HIV and AIDS?

Why not do something impactful with your churchor youth group in the run-up to World AIDS Day

(December 1st). Order your FREE resources –including challenges, games, Bible notes and much

more – at www.positiveimpact.org.ukEngland & Wales Charity No 1001349 Scottish Charity No SC039251

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