NOVEMBER 2019
BEAR GRYLLS
his riskiest adventure yet HOW JESUS’ WORDS ARE MISUNDERSTOOD
INSIGHTS FOR RELUCTANT LEADERS
A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE ON THE WORLD TODAY
IN THIS ISSUE
NOVEMBER 2019
BEAR GRYLLS HIS RISKIEST ADVENTURE YET Writing a book about God PAGE 32
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WHAT IN THE WORLD TREACHEROUS WATERS Helping your child make the most of Year 12 12 YOUR SAY Social media gives advice on Year 12 56 HOW TO REMEMBER THEM On this year’s Remembrance Day 4 6
20 FRIENDSHIP, A
PRICELESS GIFT Billions of dollars cannot buy it 26 GO HEALTHY FOR GOOD Health news for every body 44 7 TOP TIPS FOR DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE They don’t have to ruin your day 52 INSIGHTS FOR RELUCTANT LEADERS How to take charge . . . wisely
WELLBEING
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NEEDS TO FIGHT OBESITY FOR THE SAKE OF THE NEXT
FAITH
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38 THE IMPORTANCE OF A
COMMA Have Jesus’ words on the cross been misunderstood?
SCIENCE & TECH
50 THE CUTTING EDGE What’s happening
in research, engineering, science and technology?
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62 CROSSWORD & SUDOKU Have you been paying
attention?
28 GOD’S AMAZING GIFT You can live forever!
FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA 2
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FROM THE EDITOR Thanks to social researcher and author Brene Brown (and Netflix), I’ve been alerted to an historic speech by Theodore Roosevelt (US president, 1901– 1909). Dubbed the “Man in the Arena”, Roosevelt’s words were, in part, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming . . . who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. . . .” Wow! Powerful words. So much of what is touted as “inspirational” or “motivational” seems to neglect the tough realities of life. But not Teddy Roosevelt. And not this month’s Signs of the Times. So, whether you’re facing the challenge of parenting a child through Year 12 (page 6), weight loss (page 14), dealing with difficult people (page 44) or an unexpected leadership position (page 52), know that life is full of challenges. Know that victory sometimes looks like defeat—think Jesus on the cross, for example (page 38), “marred by dust and sweat and blood”. Dare greatly. Dare to serve. Dare to love.
Kent KENT KINGSTON Editor
VOL 134 NO 11 ISSN 1038-9733 EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER Brad Kemp EDITOR Kent Kingston ASSISTANT EDITOR Daniel Kuberek COPYEDITOR Tracey Bridcutt GRAPHIC DESIGN Nerise McQuillan Theodora Amuimuia PHONE +61 2 9847 2222 EMAIL info@signsofthetimes.org.au WEBSITE signsofthetimes.org.au ADDRESS Adventist Media PO Box 1115, Wahroonga New South Wales 2076 SUBSCRIPTIONS Kelli Geelan PHONE +61 3 5965 6300 Australia, $A26; New Zealand, $NZ26; South Pacific countries, $A41; Other countries $A51 Published since 1886, Signs of the Times is printed 11 times a year by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and is registered as a periodical. Seventh-day Adventist Church (SPD) Limited ABN 59 093 117 689 NOTE The inclusion of a person or their image within does not imply their endorsement of the Seventh-day Adventist Church or its beliefs. Unless otherwise stated, Bible verses are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, Anglicised. Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc®. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton. All rights reserved worldwide. COVER PHOTO: Supplied—beargrylls.com
@Kent_SignsMag NOVEMBER 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES
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Treacherous WATERS Don’t believe the hype or the “make-or-break” myth. Yes, Year 12 is hard—for students and parents. But thousands survive, and even thrive, each and every year.
S
o, how do parents of a Year 12 student help them navigate this long-anticipated and often dreaded year? It’s hard to believe sometimes that your son or daughter, who you tearfully or gleefully accompanied
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into school on their first day, is now heading into their last year of high school. Where did those years go? How can you cope with the reality of a child who is growing up so fast and will soon be choosing a career? These are probably some of the
MONKEYBUSINESSIMAGES—GETTY IMAGES
BY DENISE NELSON
overwhelming thoughts racing through parents’ minds as their children face Year 12. I guess they might be wondering how they will relate to and support their children, considering it is one of the most stress-filled years of high school.
Well, as a mother who has experienced this, and as a teacher of Year 12 students, I hope I can provide you with some insights and useful advice to help you navigate the treacherous waters of Year 12, so that both you and your child can feel less stressed. NOVEMBER 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES
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ELL B EING
THIS GENERATION
needs to fight OBESITY
t x e n e h t f o e k a s e h for t 14
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BY SUVI MAHONEN
NOVEMBER 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES
MOTORTION—GETTY IMAGES
So you think you’re ready to make a baby? There are some weighty issues that need to be considered first.
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BEAR GRYLLS:
his riskiest adventure yet
The man who climbed Everest at 23 is now ready to take on a new challenge: being a little more public about his faith and writing a book about God. BY PETER STANFORD
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little bit apprehensive,” he confesses. “Faith is a really intimate subject. And a difficult subject. I could have not done a book on faith,” he muses, “and it would be a lot safer.” It’s a curious word to use, suggesting he feels he may be making himself a target by coming out as a believer in our secular, sceptical times. “In the words of C S Lewis, when the children in Narnia ask if Aslan [the Christ-like figure] is safe, the reply comes: ‘safe, no way, but he’s good.’ I’m not sure if I have the exact words, but for me it sums up the journey of faith.” He has never wanted to be categorised by faith in his public and professional life, he explains, in case it somehow causes viewers to see him as too holy or pious. “I have been asked to be patron of Christian organisations, and I always feel bad saying no, but I say no because I just don’t want that label.” The book began as something he had written for his family. “I have three boys,” he says in reference to Jesse, 16, Marmaduke, 13, and Huckleberry, 10, raised by Grylls and his wife, Shara. “Faith has been a quiet but powerful part of our family and their lives growing up. And if I were ever not around, which will happen one day, here [in the book] are my thoughts.” Presumably higher-than-usual odds of not being around to see his young family reach adulthood are part and parcel of being an adventurer? “Well, maybe,” he replies,
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ear Grylls selects which projects to take on, he explains, by going for the riskiest. That may explain why this former SAS serviceman and adventurer climbed Everest at 23, circumnavigated the British Isles on a jet-ski and made an unassisted crossing of the Atlantic in an open inflatable boat, before switching to front extreme endurance TV shows such as Born Survivor, Wild Weekend and The Island. His newest venture, he insists, is part of the same pattern of pushing himself to the very limit, though at first glance it looks like a curious departure from the norm. The man who, in a celebrated episode of Born Survivor, emptied out the guts of a dead camel in the Sahara and then sheltered inside its carcass, is publishing a book about God. Soul Fuel, which he describes as “a daily devotional”, contains 365 reflections to carry readers through the year and give “strength to a failing body”. That Grylls has a private faith has been known since he invited Barack Obama to say a prayer with him at the end of filming a headline-grabbing episode of Running Wild in 2015, when he took the then-US president trekking in Alaska. But a daily devotional? Grylls—often pictured walking through fire in advertisements for his TV series—looks uncharacteristically sheepish. “This is the only press I’m going to do on this, because half of me is a little bit self-conscious, and a
but he doesn’t want to be distracted from his main point about the book’s genesis. “Here are my thoughts on what will help you live an empowered, light-filled existence.” How it went from family keepsake to main street bookshops brings us back to Obama. “So many people ask me about praying with
generally don’t want religion, but they like community and kindness. That stuff transcends borders and cultures.” Grylls grew up on the Isle of Wight, where his Royal-Marine-
“
Faith has been a quiet but powerful part of our family . . .
Obama. It was an off-camera moment at the end of it, but I thought, here is a man who I could see had the weight of the world on his shoulders, and it just felt natural at the end of our journey.” In a YouTube clip that went viral, Grylls asks the Lord to “bless and protect” the then-president’s “work and family” before both men say “Amen”. Today, his voice trails away as he remembers the moment. “People
Commando-turned-Tory-MP father, Sir Michael, took him as a boy climbing sea cliffs. What formal religion there was in his childhood came at Eton in the school chapel, and he didn’t like it. “Everything was liturgical and cassocks and Latin,” he recalls, “and NOVEMBER 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES
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TOP TIPS FOR DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE
PATRICKHEAGNEY—GETTY IMAGES
They get on our nerves and some days it seems they’re everywhere! But before you let others’ annoying behaviour ruin your day, check out these tips. BY VICTOR PARACHIN
NOVEMBER 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES
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FUN
CROSSWORD Hint: 10 down
BENJAMIN DAVIES—UNSPLASH
How closely have you been reading? Each keyword in this puzzle is also contained within this edition of Signs of the Times. Happy digging!
EDUCATION.COM
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CROSSWORD CLUES
ACROSS 4 Official who represents a monarch 7 French palace built in 1634; UNESCO World Heritage site 8 Care for a person who has limited chance of recovery 10 A roof made of straw 12 Writing style similar to natural flow of speech 13 Disease whose symptoms include chest-pain after eating DOWN 1 Distance around a circle 2 Character joined by three bears in 19th Century tale 3 To make stronger and more solid 5 Object that is surgically inserted into the body 6 A title used when addressing a Frenchman 9 Disease that affects movement and includes tremors 10 River in South London 11 First name of titular character in the classic 1884 Mark Twain novel
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