Signs of the Times - December 2019

DECEMBER 2019

s a m t s i Chr

THE

INVASION HOW TO BE GOOD . . .

AND ANGRY

COLD CONCRETE homeless for a night

A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE ON THE WORLD TODAY

IN THIS ISSUE

DECEMBER 2019

THE CHRISTMAS INVASION

Jesus’ arrival changed everything PAGE 32

12 CURRENT

WHAT IN THE WORLD BRAVE ENOUGH TO LISTEN Who’s going to stand up against domestic violence?

12 5 REASONS THE WORLD NEEDS TO WAKE UP ON RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION 16 YOUR SAY Religious freedom 24 COLD CONCRETE Homeless for a night 4 6

WELLBEING

18 HOW TO BE GOOD . . .

18 30 GO HEALTHY FOR GOOD Health news for every

body 60 RECIPE

Chocolate beetroot

squares

FAITH

38 EXPECTATIONS

The hope of Jesus’ return 44 THE SUICIDE PLANT The consequences of disobedience

SCIENCE & TECH

50 THE CUTTING EDGE What’s happening

AND ANGRY It’s not necessarily a negative emotion

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA 2

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in research, engineering, science and technology? /SIGNSMAG

CULTURE

52 YOU ARE OWNED . . .

AND THAT’S NOT A BAD THING Woody, Buzz, Forky and the God who claims us as His own 58 SHARE THE CHRISTMAS STORY Time to start a new family tradition?

FUN

62 CROSSWORD & SUDOKU Have you been paying

attention?

FROM THE EDITOR “Peace on earth, goodwill to all.” What the angels sang that night in Bethlehem was more than a sweet, heavenly blessing—it was a shout of revolution.

But the central paradox—the miracle—of Christmas is that the revolution did not arrive with street protests, political coups or the clatter of automatic weapons. No, the revolution could not be televised; the revolution was a helpless Baby.

But like a small piece of code inserted into a computer network behind enemy lines, that one Child grew and His influence began to seep through the world, travelling through relational streams, saturating human hearts and then blossoming into action in unexpected places and in unexpected ways.

There is much in this world that, like Jesus’ Christmas invasion, defies easy explanation; that operates counter-intuitively; that requires us to hold back our assumptions and prejudices. Sometimes evil lurks where we never expected it—the scourge of domestic violence in apparently happy families highlights this grim reality (page 6). But sometimes truth and beauty are found at the grotty margins of human experience—Jacob Ugljesa’s night on the streets is one example (page 24).

Open your eyes. Open your heart. And don’t forget to expect the unexpected.

Happy Christmas.

Kent KENT KINGSTON Editor

VOL 134 NO 12 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/New Zealand, $A26; 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: PeopleImages

@Kent_SignsMag DECEMBER 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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WHAT IN THE WORLD RAMPANT RACISM A study of 4600 state school students in NSW and Victoria has revealed one in three students report having experienced racial discrimination by schoolmates.

The Australian National University and Western Sydney University survey showed 20 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children experienced racial discrimination from teachers and 44 per cent of Eastern Asian pupils reported racial insults.—The Guardian

CLOWNING AROUND NEW ZEALAND

An Auckland man hired a clown to accompany him to his redundancy meeting. After receiving an “ominous” email from his employer, he was advised by HR to bring a support person along. The man spent approximately $200 and said the clown displayed “professionalism at its finest”, making balloon animals and miming tears when the man was made redundant.—BBC 4

SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • DECEMBER 2019

DJ_MUN—PIXABAY, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, JONATHAN BORBA—UNSPLASH, FRANK CONE—PEXELS, FREEPIK

AUSTRALIA

CHRISTMAS Aussies will collectively spend around

$25 billion on CHRISTMAS

FEMALE FRENZY EUROPE

—Finder.com.au

$50

0

00 $2

Women from the Polish town of Miejsce Odrzánski have been offered a reward to birth a son after a decade of female-only births. The mayor of the commune of Cisek, Rajmund Frischko, said the next boy born will receive a nice gift and an oak tree named after him. Debates as to the reason for the male-drought have gone between diet, Polish legend and mere coincidence.

—The New York Times

A 2018 survey reported one third of New Zealanders doing Christmas shopping were INTENDING TO SPEND

between $200 and $500 on gifts.—NZ Herald

43% of Aussies PLAN TO DONATE for Christmas.

—Finder.com.au

STRIKING SWEDEN EUROPE

Sweden has experienced six times the number of lightning strikes in 2019 as it did two years ago. More than 210,000 lightning strikes occurred this year, up from a mere 34,931 in 2017.

Meteorologists are attributing the increase to warmer weather, with the worst strikes occurring in the northern part of the country.—The Local

$122 PER PERSON Aussies will spend around $122 per person ON FOOD.

—Finder.com.au

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BRAVE

ENOUGH TO

LISTEN Yes, it’s uncomfortable to think about domestic violence, let alone confront it. But the alternative is unthinkable.

RAPIDEYE—GETTY IMAGES

BY NIGEL BYNG

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here’s a saying that if it’s too good to be true then it usually is. But what if it’s too bad to be true?

What if something is so shockingly horrendous that it makes you stop thinking about anything else for a while? Does that mean it’s a lie as well? The numbers associated with domestic violence are quite staggering and when my own sister revealed what she had been experiencing in her 20 years of marriage, it brought the reality of this menace right to my doorstep.

incorrigible behaviour

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or most public spaces. The global #MeToo movement has kept the public aware of what’s happening, and victims have a very public platform to cry out for help.

when your neighbour’s house is on fire . . .

The signs were promising that we were making progress as a society.

But when I read recently that 85 per cent of Australian women have been sexually harassed, and 40 per cent of women continue to experience violence from their partner while temporarily separated, I realised that not nearly enough has changed. That every week a woman somewhere in Australia is murdered by her current or former partner, should be a reality check on our senses. All is not well in our communities. If there is now so much awareness, why are there still so many victims?

HIGHWAYSTARZ-PHOTOGRAPHY—GETTY IMAGES

My sister’s statement, that it’s the scars you can’t see which take the longest to heal, shattered my image of her happy marriage. I remember feeling angry and helpless at the same time as I listened to her story. My sister was being systematically dehumanised and terrorised by someone I trusted—living in daily fear of her life. It angered and confused me. Why hadn’t she said anything?

Why hadn’t she left this man who I considered a big brother? Why didn’t she call the police?

There was a time when sexual harassment was just simply accepted as “locker room talk” and boys being boys, but such behaviour nurtured a culture that desensitised men to the humiliation and fear that many women felt. Thankfully, as a society there has been a change in the dynamics, and misogynistic, loutish behaviour is for the most part no longer tolerated in the workplace

“

Every week, a woman somewhere in Australia is murdered by her current or former partner . . .

You see, it’s in the home where the problem mostly goes unchecked.

Coupled with the fact that many of us do not wish to intervene in “other people’s business”, a climate is created where abusers feel empowered. The secretive nature of the crime means the police cannot act until a report is made. The menace isn’t always overt threats or acts of aggression as was the case with my sister. Not all victims of domestic violence have visible scars, but if there are, taking the approach that it’s none of your concern is not the best way to handle things.

No-one would stand idly by and watch their neighbours’ house burn to the ground. Yet in cases of abuse many choose to turn away for fear of recrimination and in most cases just plain ignorance about what to do. But if the statistics represent even the slightest modicum of truth, then speaking up can be lifesaving. And if

we’re seeking to live out a Christian commitment, we need reminding that we are our “brother’s keeper”, even if that brother is the annoying, aggressive, unfriendly neighbour.

In situations where one has a good relationship with the victim or even the perpetrator, thoughtful and measured intervention is the first course of action. It won’t be easy.

My sister had colleagues, friends and even fellow church members verbally and physically threatened when they attempted to intervene. But intervene you must, as this will have an immediate effect on the situation, allowing the victim time to assess the situation and hopefully recognise there is help available.

If there is evidence that a crime has been committed, notifying the police is very important. Their very involvement can reduce the probability of further incidents, allow for DECEMBER 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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is for you to seek immediate help and make plans to leave. Then contact local police about getting a restraining order. Having said that, there are usually circumstances that influence such a decision. You may have kids; you may think you have nowhere to go; you may be worried about your abuser following you and inflicting further abuse, and of course, there

closer monitoring of the situation, ensure the safety of the victim, and of course impact the outcome of any potential criminal investigation.

when they say something, we must do something

If you are a survivor of domestic violence, or you are currently living in an abusive relationship, my advice

HOMELESSNESS

Domestic violence is the leading reason for homelessness amongst women and their kids.—AIHW

INDIGENOUS

Family violence accounts for 32x more hospitalisations amongst Indigenous Australians.—Hall and Partners Open Mind

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Every two minutes, Australian police deal with a domestic violence incident.—ABC

DOMESTIC

LGBT+

FREEPIK, FLATICON

92% of women who identify as LGBT+ have been sexually harassed.—AHRC

10

DISABILITY

9 in 10 disabled women have been sexually harassed.—AHRC SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • DECEMBER 2019

are the financial burdens that come with such a move. These are all valid concerns, but your first step begins with making the decision to seek help. (Contact details at end.)

Domestic violence has no place in our society. When the numbers cry murder and the abused among us feel like there is no haven for them, we are failing miserably. The most

vulnerable are the ones we should be protecting. It takes courage to defy a lifetime of abuse, and for those who are too afraid to speak up for themselves, we should at least be brave enough to listen. When they say something, we must do something.

Contact Lifeline to talk through your situation and find specialist services in your area. Call 13 11 14 (Australia) or 0800 543 354 (New Zealand).

CHILDREN

There are higher rates of social and emotional problems in children with a domestically abused parent.—Department of Social Services

EMOTIONAL

1 in 3 young people don’t consider controlling behaviour to be a form of violence.—Hall and Partners Open Mind

ONLINE

1 in 3 women have experienced online sexual harassment.—AHRC

VIOLENCE

MEN

1 in 6 men have been emotionally abused by their current or former partners.—AIHW

WORKPLACE

According to a survey by White Ribbon, 1 in 2 employees said sexist jokes in a workplace are acceptable.—White Ribbon Australia DECEMBER 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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5 REASONS

THE WORLD NEEDS A WAKE-UP CALL ON

In various parts of the globe, believers face the daily threat of death. Here are some of the conflicts that don’t always make the news.

BY MISHA KETCHELL 12

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ANANKKML—GETTY IMAGES

n o i t u c e s r e religious p

A

ll over the world, people—and whole communities—are suffering from persecution purely because of their religion or beliefs.

This kind of violence—including attempts to annihilate whole religious groups—is on the rise.

In the past five years alone, there have been two mass atrocities that meet the United Nations’ legal definition of genocide.

So, let’s shine a light on just five of those dark corners where acts of violence based on religion or belief are a daily reality.

1) Daesh’s reign of terror

In 2014, Daesh (Islamic State, ISIS, ISIL) attacked religious Yazidi and Christian minority groups in Iraq in an attempt to destroy them and establish a purely Islamic state.

Daesh’s campaign of terror involved murder, kidnapping, people trafficking, rape, sexual slavery and the destruction of cultural heritage.

2) the Rohingya crisis

In 2016, atrocities perpetrated by the Myanmar military against the Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state reached the level of genocide, resulting in more than 700,000 people forcibly displaced to Bangladesh.

An independent, international fact-finding mission reported that “the nature, scale and organisation of the operations” suggested a level of pre-planning and design on the part of the Tatmadaw (military) leadership”. The atrocities reinforced the

vision of the commander-in-chief, senior-general Min Aung Hlaing, who sought a solution to what he referred to as “The Bengali problem”.

By that he meant the Rohingya Muslims who for decades have been referred to as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

3) Christians in Nigeria

In Nigeria’s Middle Belt, Christians farmers have been slaughtered

by Fulani herdsmen, attacks that have claimed hundreds of lives.

Meanwhile, in northern Nigeria, the extreme Islamist group Boko Haram continues to terrorise the region and kill anyone who does not agree with their perverted ideology.

4) oppression in China

An estimated one million Uighur Muslims have been detained in so-called “re-education camps”, which are designed to strip them of their religious and ethnic identity and replace it with absolute loyalty to the state. Also in China, members of Falun Gong (a spiritual meditation movement) are imprisoned and many of them subsequently disappear without a trace.

5) persecution in Pakistan

In Pakistan, religious minorities, including Christians and the Muslim minority Ahmadi group, are subjected to severe discrimination that often translates into acts of violence perpetrated with impunity. For example, a Christian couple, Shahzad DECEMBER 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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more focus on criminal prosecutions and Shama Masih, were beaten and would help deter crime and human burnt alive by a mob for allegedly rights violations. desecrating the Qur’an.

The Anglican bishop of Truro There have been instances of in the UK, Philip Mounstephen, Christian and Hindu girls and published a report in July 2019 on women being abducted and then forced to convert to Islam and marry, his government’s response to the persecution of Christians around while religious minorities suspected of blasphemy have been attacked and the world. The report says more should be done to obtain reliable murdered by angry mobs. information about the situation of But even the justice system is not persecuted communities. It calls on able to provide victims with a fair trial or redress. For example, a Chris- the UK government to strengthen its response to tian woman, persecution Asia Bibi, spent and champion nine years on international death row after efforts that being accused combat impuof blasphemy.

Her conviction nity for mass . . . there are many was ultimately atrocities based more facing death overturned after on religion or an international belief. While on accusations of outcry, but there the recommenblasphemy. are many more dations were facing death on written with the accusations of UK in mind, blasphemy. these are valid recommendations that could be adopted by other states as well.

So, what needs to be done?

As Tariq Ahmad—who sits in the States and civil society representaUK’s House of Lords—has emphatives must unite behind the common aim of addressing this neglected sised, “Our biggest challenge is not issue. Any action plan needs to when we stand up for our own rights address the different types of atrociand beliefs. The real test is when we stand up for the rights and beliefs of ties perpetrated in different parts of others.” the world and improve human rights by adjusting them to international Misha Ketchell is editor and executive director of The standards. Introducing mechanisms Conversation, where this article first appeared. He was previously a journalist for The Age and The Big to strengthen implementation and Issue, and a reporter for the ABC. This article has oversight would be key. Also, placing been re-published under Creative Commons License.

“

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RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION: THE FACTS 1. Persecution on the grounds of religion or belief is a worldwide phenomenon. Three quarters of the world’s population live in countries that have either restrictions on the right to religion or belief, or a high level of social hostility involving religion or belief. However, these countries represent just one quarter of the world’s nations.

2. Believers of all kinds face violence or discrimination in various parts of the world: Tamil Hindus face hostility in Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka, atheists are subject to the death penalty in a number of Muslim-majority nations, Christians in Communist China must choose between tightly controlled official churches or “underground” unregistered groups, and Muslims have been forcibly converted to Christianity by armed “anti-balaka” groups in the Central African Republic, who are also accused of burning or burying alive women believed to be “witches”.

ROUTE55, APPLEUZR—GETTY IMAGES, FREEPIK

3. Despite Christians comprising about 30 per cent of the world’s population, about 80 per cent of religious persecution is directed at Christians, making them the most likely group to be persecuted.

4. The worst persecutors of religious minority groups—in terms of severity and scale—are governments or extremist groups with hardline Islamic ideologies and Communist totalitarian states, with North Korea consistently topping the list of the most repressive regimes.

Sources/more information:

• Bishop of Truro’s Independent Review for the Foreign Secretary of FCO Support for Persecuted Christians—Interim Report, May 2019.

• Interim report of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, 2017, United Nations.

• World Watch List, Open Doors.

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Your

SAY

There is all the freedom that is needed now.—Jinniya McIver

What should be done to protect religious freedom?

Freedom to worship God is free. So is death.

Remember Christ’s words: ”A seed must first fall to the ground and die, to shoot again and grow into a new plant.—Clary Cornwall

To protect religious freedom we need to respect everyone’s religious beliefs...

We can agree to our differences without without conflict.—Tolo Pereira

Establish a bill of rights and include religious freedom in it.—Gabriel Ontanu

Nothing at all.

Better protect human rights for all, and that will protect religious people.

—David Geelan

Be better Christians. People won’t be interested in shutting people down who show genuine care, kindness, generosity, and concern within the community.

—Rebecca Wats

join the conversation facebook-SignsMag 16

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WHO IS IN CONTROL?

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W

ELL B EING

Good

HOW TO BE

RAPIDEYE—GETTY IMAGES

. . . AND ANGRY

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Toxic anger can destroy friendships and tear families apart. But that doesn’t mean anger can’t be managed well or even harnessed for good.

BY OMAR MIRANDA

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A

gghhhhh, I’m gonna kill you!”

I heard my son screaming at the top of his lungs. I knew that he’d be coming in shortly to give me an incident report—and that his sister wouldn’t be far behind. Funny things like these happen many times a day in any household with kids— or people, for that matter—but anger is no joke. It happens to all of us.

First, let’s define anger. Anger is a morally neutral, but emotionally charged, response of protective preservation. In other words, when we get angry, it is our way of protecting ourselves and those we care about from some situation we’ve encountered.

Morally neutral? The Bible contains a number of warnings about anger, for example:  “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires” (James 1:19,20).  “An angry person stirs up conflict, and a hot-tempered person commits many sins” (Proverbs 29:22).  “Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered” (Proverbs 22:24).

These verses seem to paint a negative picture of anger, but did you know there are two kinds of anger? Yes, there’s the bad kind that can be an unhealthy and destructive emotional reaction to perceived hurt,

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frustration or personal attack. But there’s also the good kind that motivates us to correct attitudes, behaviours or injustices that we perceive as wrong. Even Jesus got angry, but He didn’t sin. He was good and angry.

the furious four

From what I’ve seen over the years, there are four types of angry people:  Spewers: They feel that anger is necessary and are aggressive both verbally and, sometimes, physically. They don’t have a problem getting angry and showing their anger. In fact, anger is the main way they express themselves.  Stuffers: They feel that anger is wrong, so they stuff their emotions down deep.

These people can be very passive in the way they interact with others, thinking that others’ ideas, feelings and rights should be more important than their own.  Leakers: They feel that showing anger is wrong, but they have a problem completely hiding their anger. These are the people we sometimes call “passive­ ­aggressive”. They shoot little stinging verbal and behavioural darts at you and say things like “Oh, just kidding” or “What? I didn’t mean it like that! Don’t be so sensitive!” Yet you can be sure they meant every word.

PEOPLEIMAGES—GETTY IMAGES

 Schedulers: They recognise that anger can be a normal, good emotion. They recognise it for what it is and take steps to kindly, respectfully and consistently inform and communicate the true problem. They seek to build respectful, healthy and happy relationships with others.

Ineffective anger management has been shown to affect many aspects of life. Physically, individuals can suffer from migraines, increased risks of heart attack, high blood pressure and even cancer. Issues with insecurity, broken relationships, spirituality and higher incidences of mental health issues can also occur if anger is not dealt with in a healthy manner.

That’s the bad news. However, there are things we can do about it!

three ways to stay free from toxic anger

God has a three-step method for learning to effectively manage anger, found in James 1:19,20, which says, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” Let’s break it down: STEP 1 BE QUICK TO LISTEN

Our immediate response to others, circumstances and our anger is to be “receptive listeners” not “reflex reactors”. The key question that we need to ask ourselves is: What is this anger telling me?

STEP 2 BE SLOW TO SPEAK

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mouths off, we need to “think before we speak”. The key question we need to ask ourselves is: What must I do to prevent a knee-jerk reaction?

STEP 3 BE SLOW TO ANGER

Our life-changing response to anger begins when we replace reaction with reflection. We should take time to think and, if possible, pray about the things that upset us.

The key question that we need to ask ourselves is: What root issue is behind this anger?

where the rubber meets the road

It is possible to be good and angry. The only way to do that, though, is to learn to deal with our anger responsibly. Everybody deals with conflict, but not everybody deals with it well. I’m sure you’ve watched your share of reality TV, haven’t you? The airwaves are, unfortunately, littered with examples of people who don’t know how to manage conflict effectively. So, I’d like to discuss ways we can: STEP 1 FIND THE RIGHT TIME

It sounds silly, but you may need to schedule your conflicts. Don’t ever try to solve issues when hungry, angry, lonely, tired or sick (HALTS for short).

STEP 2 SET THE SCENE

If appropriate, agree to some

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simple ground rules (eg, everybody gets to speak uninterrupted, no name-calling, no blaming, people can take a break if upset, etc). Make sure that others understand that the conflict, not the person, is the problem and that you’re trying to solve the problem because you care about having a better, more respectful relationship with that person. Emphasise that you’re presenting only your perception of the problem. Be calm, be patient, have respect.

STEP 3 GATHER INFORMATION

Remember, listening is not agreement. Here you are only trying to identify the underlying interests, needs and concerns. Ask for the other person’s viewpoint and confirm that you respect their opinion and need their cooperation to solve the problem. Try to understand their motivations and goals and how your actions may be affecting these.

Also, try to understand the conflict in objective terms: is it affecting family relationships, disrupting family cohesiveness, etc? Be sure to leave personalities out of the discussion. Listening can help you see the conflict from the other person’s point of view. In other words, seek first to

Info

understand, then to be understood.

Identify issues clearly and concisely. Don’t lay blame on the other person or try to tell them what their emotions and motivations are.

Instead, take ownership of your emotions, decisions and actions by using “I”-statements: “I’m feeling frustrated because . . .”, “When that happened, I decided to . . .” Use active listening skills, such as good body language (leaning forward slightly, making good eye contact, lowering your voice and slowing down the speed of your speech).

possible solutions and be open to all ideas, including ones you never considered before.

STEP 6 NEGOTIATE A SOLUTION

By this stage the conflict may be resolved. Both sides may better understand the position of the other and a mutually satisfactory solution may be clear to all.

STEP 4 AGREE ON THE PROBLEM

Often different underlying needs, interests and goals can cause people to perceive problems very differently. You’ll need to agree to the problems that you’re trying to solve before you’ll find a mutually acceptable solution.

Sometimes different people will see different but interlocking problems—if you can’t reach a common perception of the problem then, at the very least, you need to understand what the other person sees as the problem.

In the midst of this process, you may also have uncovered real differences between your positions.

This is where a technique such as win-win negotiation can be useful in finding a solution that, at least to some extent, satisfies everyone.

Let’s show others in our community that there’s a better, happier, healthier way to live. Let’s seek to live our lives good . . . and angry.

Omar Miranda is a healthcare professional, regular writer and proud parent. He lives with his family in Georgia, USA. The original version of this article appeared on the Insight magazine website. Used with permission.

FREEPIK

STEP 5 BRAINSTORM POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

If everyone is going to feel satisfied with the resolution, it will help if everyone has had fair input in generating solutions. Brainstorm

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COLD CONCRETE

Sleeping on the streets gave me a tiny insight into the soul-destroying reality of homelessness.

BY JACOB UGLJESA

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“

. . . most people who live on the street don’t stay there because they want to.

work (and I was very thankful to wake up early this day). It was the most unproductive, useless work day of my life—I was a mess from no sleep and I felt emotionally low.

Everyone I spoke to noticed how unhappy I was. With just one night on the street I realised how negatively it had affected me.

My one night of sleeping rough made me realise that most people who live on the street don’t stay there because they want to. It’s a life that drags a person down, degrading them and depressing them into the darkest depths. I could escape it, knowing it was a one-off experience with a home waiting for me. Many cannot escape homelessness. They

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wo nights. Two cities. Two weeks apart. Two experiences that taught me the value of humanity.

The first night was in early August. Toowoomba is a regional city on a mountain range, so it’s windy and cold in the winter, when temperatures can drop below zero. Each year the Basement Soup Kitchen runs an event where people sleep on the street for a night. It’s done to educate those doing the “sleep out” about the reality of homelessness, but also to raise money to help keep their projects going.

With a backpack swag supplied by the organisers and a bag of things to keep me going for the night, I joined a group of 150 others sleeping on the street that night. Throughout the night we moved around the town at numerous times. While we thought a carpark would make a good spot to get some sleep, the police arrived to move us on. We finally stopped for the night at the train station; it was about 1 am when we laid our heads down, trying to sleep. Bright city lights, cars driving past and noisy passers-by do not make for a comfortable night’s sleep.

It was cold, but it wasn’t because of the chilly wind—it was the concrete. It seemed to draw out the heat from my body. Though I was thankful for my swag, I was still very exposed to the cold night. I tossed and turned on that merciless concrete, trying to spread out the pain evenly on both sides of my body.

I had to leave by 6 am to get to

may suffer from mental illness and feel they have no ability to leave because they see no better option. It is a dark place and it is made darker by the feeling of isolation.

The second night happened a few weeks later on the Gold Coast where I was staying for a work convention.

After the evening’s session had finished I went for a walk down the main street. That’s when I saw him, a homeless man sitting in the gap between two stores. He had a garbage bag of items and a small blanket laid out on the pavement as a bed. I was wearing a jacket and long pants, but still cold; he was dressed in only a T-shirt and shorts. Something inside me said, “Give this guy your jacket;

you’ve got at least three more in your apartment.”

And I did nothing. I’m still ashamed to think about it and even more ashamed to write it down. I did nothing. I rationalised it away in my mind in the moment with something like: He wouldn’t really want my jacket. Really, I know now I’d fallen prey to my selfish tendencies; my cold, concrete heart. I’d turned away from a person in need when I had the ability to do something in that moment. How does this happen? How do we become so insensitive to the needs of those aching around us? While they suffer, how are we able to tell ourselves, It’s not my problem?

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our dark world, be about anything This is why I truly admire Jesus. different?

Here is a person who grew up and In his hit classic Man in the lived in the most dangerous part of the planet: the Middle East. He grew Mirror, Michael Jackson sings of seeing kids in the street with up in the impoverished backwater not enough to eat, some all alone town of Nazareth. He even at one without a home. But he just turns time said that birds and foxes have the collar up on his favourite winter more established homes than He coat. It’s so easy to become cynical did. He understood the lowest and cold to the point of human needs of those suffering. Yet around us, preHe never said of others in pain, tending not to “Not my probsee them. People with scarred and lem.” He spoke broken hearts, often about Christmas often nowhere to go giving to those becomes about and no place in need. He to be, these are even said that getting more the people who God prioritised stuff and giving need the gift of and loved the love and support poor despite more stuff to all year around. many saying people who have So that’s why in His day that he sings, “I’m the poor were too much stuff starting with rejected by already. the man in the God—has that mirror, I’m attitude really asking him to changed since change his ways, then? and no message could have been any Christmas often becomes about clearer, if you wanna make the world getting more stuff and giving more a better place take a look at yourself stuff to people who have too much and make a change.” Maybe the best stuff already. Hopefully the irony gift I could give to the world is to isn’t lost on you. Because Jesus gave take a hard look in the mirror, ask up everything, not to help those God to crack my cold concrete heart who had everything, but to lift up and then reach out to those hurting those who were broken, oppressed around me. and needy. Why should Christmas, a day to celebrate the entrance of Jacob Ugljesa is a pastor at the Glenvale Adventist this radical and beautiful Person into Church in Toowoomba, Queensland.

“

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A Christchurch study has found that broadspectrum micronutrient supplements (vitamins and minerals) were almost twice as effective as medications for kids with ADHD. Ninety children received either the supplements, medications or a placebo. After a year, 80 per cent of those who stayed on the micronutrients were “much” or “very much” improved, compared to 40 per cent of those using psychiatric medications, and 23 per cent on no treatment.—University of Canterbury 30

SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • DECEMBER 2019

A University of Queensland global study has concluded that women who begin menopause before 50 years of age have up to twice the risk of heart attack, angina or stroke than average.

Factors correlated with both early menopause and heart disease include smoking, obesity and lower levels of education.—UQ/The Lancet Public Health

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Queensland researchers have made a major breakthrough in finding a cure for cancer. They used CRISPR gene-editing technology to treat mice with cervical cancer tumours and got a 100 per cent survival rate. CRISPR technology adds extra DNA into the targeted gene. Because the cancer must have the correct DNA sequence in the gene in order to replicate, once it has been edited, the cancer dies.

The research team hope to launch human trials of the gene therapy in the next five years.—ABC

SIDE-SLEEPING BEST

A University of Auckland-led study has found that women who sleep on their back during the last few weeks of pregnancy have a smaller baby than those who sleep on their sides. The effect is equivalent to smoking 10 cigarettes daily. The same research team also found back-sleeping in the last three months of pregnancy raised the risk of stillbirth two-to-three times.

But don’t worry if you go to sleep lying on your side and wake up on your back.

Researchers say that this is common— just settle back to sleep on your most comfortable side.—The Lancet

HOLD THE VODKA “Life expectancy goes up when alcohol consumption goes down” is the message from the World Health Organization (WHO) after releasing their latest report on alcohol policy in Russia.

Russians used to be such heavy drinkers that one in two working-age men would die prematurely of alcohol abuse.

After strict alcohol laws were enacted in 2003, alcohol consumption fell 43 per cent in 13 years. There was a simultaneous drop of almost 40 per cent in all-cause mortality, resulting in an historic high in life expectancy of 68 years for men and 78 years for women.—UN News

HAPPY & HEALTHY

Looking on the bright side of life appears to protect against cardiovascular disease and death. Researchers examined data from 230,000 people and found that, compared to the least optimistic, the most optimistic people were 35 per cent less likely to have a heart attack or stroke, and were 14 per cent less likely to die for any reason. It may be that optimists may have better health habits and coping skills, whereas pessimism triggers more inflammation and impairs metabolism.—Reuters Dr Nerida McKibben, a New Zealand-born obstetrician and gynaecological surgeon, passionately enables people to achieve their greatest health potential. Wanting everyone to live life to the fullest, she integrates wholistic principles into medical treatments and procedures. For more, go to www.hop.ec/gohealthyforgood DECEMBER 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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s a m t s Chri

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INVASION

The season of giving marks a turning point in the great cosmic battle for our planet . . . and our hearts.

BY KENT KINGSTON

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. . . In God’s upsidedown kingdom, victory sometimes looks strangely like defeat.

torn out of a larger book. Sure, it’s an arresting tale, but what’s with the excited angels and shepherds?

Without context, it makes no sense.

We need to grasp the Story, as Eldredge puts it; “a great battle to fight, and someone to fight for us.”

The Bible explains this great battle. “War broke out in heaven,” Revelation 12:7, 8 tells us. “Michael [possibly an archangel or Jesus Himself ] and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient snake called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.”

Even if you’re only vaguely

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hey’re singing carols. Putting up fairy lights and mistletoe and fake snowflakes. The stores are full of Crosby, tinsel and Bublé. Yes, Santa’s on his way and, somehow, the list of what’s in his enormous red sack of gifts has appeared on my credit card statement. I know: I’ve checked it—twice!

But pause those jingling sleighbells for a moment, if you can, and think: Christmas—what’s it supposed to be about again? Your Christian friends will rush to tell you, no doubt, that “Jesus is the Reason for the Season!”

Well, yes, the birth of Jesus Christ is especially remembered at Christmas time, but the question remains: Why is the birth of a baby nearly 2000 years ago such a big deal?

Counsellor and author John Eldredge writes in his 2004 book, Epic, that every human heart has a deep hunger for meaning, which is expressed in the way we are drawn to stories. “All of these stories borrow from the Story. From Reality,” he writes. “We hear echoes of it through our lives. . . . A great battle to fight, and someone to fight for us. . . .

Look, wouldn’t it make sense that if we ever did find the secret of our lives, the secret to the universe, it would come to us first as a story?

Story is the very nature of reality.

Like the missing parts of a novel, it would explain those pages we are holding . . .”

Taken in isolation, the Christmas story is like reading a clutch of pages

biblically literate, you’ll probably start connecting the dots here. “That ancient snake called the devil” is, of course, the same serpent that deceived Eve and Adam. That infamous fruit incident in the Garden of Eden was how Earth became the battleground for the war that began in heaven.

While much of the Bible is devoted to recording the all-toohuman happenings of history, we get glimpses now and then of a larger reality behind the scenes. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,” the apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 6:12, “but against the . . . the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

In the Old Testament book of Job, we see a man’s suffering explained by

this spiritual controversy. “Then the Lord asked Satan, ‘Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.’

“Satan replied to the Lord, ‘Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. You have always put a wall of protection around him. . . . You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!’ “‘All right, you may test him,’ the Lord said to Satan” (Job 1:8–12, NLT*).

Thus begins an ordeal of grief, loss and confusion that I hope I never come close to experiencing—Job has his children, his possessions and his DECEMBER 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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health ripped away. But we understand through this story that while there is no earthly reason for Job’s misery, there is a larger game afoot; a war raging that he cannot see, even though his heart is the battleground.

God’s very character is at issue here. If I am to devote my life totally to this God, I want to know what kind of Person He is. In the story of Job, we see God relinquishing power so that His methods can be tested.

What’s astounding about God is when He again holds back His power; when He steps down from His throne; when He is born as the helpless Baby we remember at Christmas time. And not just any baby, but one born in humble circumstances whose life trajectory continued to go down, down, down . . .

“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to,” wrote the apostle Paul, referring to Jesus.

“Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the . . . position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself . . . and died a criminal’s death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6–8).

Yes, the God of infinity broke into human history not with a thundering invasion from the heavens, but with first-time-mum’s cry and a gush of bloody amniotic fluid. God’s campaign to win back Earth was launched in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger.

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Yes, the prophets had long foretold that a Messiah would come on a rescue mission. But no-one expected the plot-twist: that the great God of the universe would come in humility and love. That instead of smashing the enemy, He would say, “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44).

In God’s upside-down kingdom, victory sometimes looks strangely like defeat. With a final cry and a gush of bloody pericardial fluid, Jesus proclaimed His triumph as He died on the cross: “It is finished!” (John 19:30–34).

How had He won? At first, His followers didn’t recognise His victory—they scattered. It was only later, encountering the resurrected Jesus and piecing together ancient

comes from the Good News so prophecies, that His early followers that you will be fully prepared. In began to understand the power of addition to all of these, hold up the His sacrificial death; the grip of shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows sin and condemnation had been broken. “In this way, he disarmed the of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the spiritual rulers and authorities. He Spirit, which is the word of God” shamed them publicly by his victory (Ephesians 6:13–17). over them on the cross,” wrote the How did apostle Paul in John Eldredge Colossians 2:15. put it? “A great But Paul battle to fight, doesn’t stop there; and someone he explains the to fight for implications of us.” That is the Jesus’ victorious Story; there death to the early . . . there is a war is a war going Christians: “You going on—on both on—on both have died with a cosmic and Christ, and he a cosmic and a a personal has set you free level—in which from the spiritual personal level— we are participowers of this in which we are world” (verse 20). pants, like it or Those who will not. But we do participants . . . accept the power have Someone of Christ’s death to fight for us. and resurrection That Baby in a for themselves, manger was a are themselves empowered and given conquering warrior using not earthly new life, claiming back the ground weapons, but much more powerful from sin and the devil. forces: love, truth and peace.

Paul uses battle language, making Can you feel a Christmas carol it clear that although the war has coming on? “Glory to God in the been effectively won, the enemy is highest! Peace on earth and goodwill not going quietly: “Therefore, put on to all!” every piece of God’s armour so you Kingston is editor of Signs of the Times. He lives will be able to resist the enemy in the Kent with his family in NSW’s Lake Macquarie region. time of evil. . . . Stand your ground, * Bible verses marked NLT are used with permission from Holy Bible, New Living Translation, © 2015 by putting on the belt of truth and the Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, Carol Stream, Illinois. body armour of God’s righteousness.

For shoes, put on the peace that

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EXPECT Looking forward to Jesus’ coming changes not only our view of the future, but the way we live today.

BY ADELINA ALEXE

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. . . one day the flow of time will no longer carry us away from each other . . .

my motives. I look forward to Jesus’ second coming because:

it will bring me back my loved ones

Like my grandfather and my grandmother whose homestead housed some of my best childhood memories. Or like the grandmother I never met because she died when my mother was three. Or the uncle who died in his thirties after prolonged paralysis, or the twin babies in our church—my first close encounter with the anguish of death. I am grateful for the greatest gift many of these people gave me: their faith in Christ and, through this, the assurance that we will meet again. “For the Lord

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his summer, the splendid turquoise waters of Moraine Lake and the exquisite Maligne Lake are awaiting me. If you’ve been to Banff and Jasper in Alberta, Canada, you’ll understand my elation. If you haven’t, a quick web-search will clarify. I’ve been thinking about this trip for years, but now I’ve finally made concrete plans. I know what lies in my future and I’m counting the days till my departure.

In anticipation of my arrival at Moraine Lake, I often imagine what it will be like, conscious that the beauty to be discovered will exceed my expectations. This joy has been so constant in my life recently that it caused me to contemplate the power of expectation. And while I know that my visit to Banff will engrain lasting memories, the upcoming trip makes me think of a much weightier expectation I hold: the second coming of Jesus.

Interestingly, Jesus seems to have always been a much-expected Person.

Before His first coming as a Baby in a manger, people awaited His arrival for millennia, scrutinising Messiah prophecies and searching for signs of the time. After Christ’s public ascension to heaven (Acts 1:9–11), humans once again have been expecting His coming for centuries, this time not to be sacrificed for “the sins of many . . . but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28).

Why do we wait for this event? Well, everyone has their own set of reasons and I will happily reflect on a few of

himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord for ever” (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17).

I will no longer dislike farewells

Death is not the only thing that separates people, and like many in this highly interconnected age, I have travelled and lived in several countries. This means frequent meetings and frequent good-byes, all in the context of an uncertain tomorrow.

I still cannot tell whether I would trade the broad horizons of my unsettled life for a stability with a more limited circle of friends and family.

What I do know is that I treasure the Bible’s assurance that one day the flow of time will no longer carry us away from each other, but will be a channel for ever-higher accomplishments unmarred by any kind of loss and separations (Revelation 21).

I will not fear danger anymore

As Frodo says in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, “It’s a dangerous business . . . going out your door.”

I love travelling and discovering new corners of nature and unique cultural customs, but often I have DECEMBER 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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to consider safety measures. I look forward to a time, after Jesus comes back, when I will be able to travel everywhere without concern. Iceland gave me a foretaste of this last summer. Sure, the country has unpredictable weather, but wise planning should keep one out of harm’s way. Aside from this, though, the crime rate is practically at zero and there are no wild animals to threaten tourists’ safety. I drove day and night without fear, and I felt freer than ever before. For this preview of unfading freedom and beauty, Iceland will forever remain a precious memory.

evil will be permanently destroyed

Fear and evil were born twins. When the danger of evil emerged, fear began its own parasitic existence. An unseen world of evil powers has been constantly at work since before the creation of our world, seeking to destroy everything that is good and pure and noble.

But “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels” He will “overthrow [evil] with the breath of his mouth and destroy [it] by the splendor of his coming,” giving relief to the afflicted and eradicating fear forever (2 Thessalonians 1:7; 2:8). The impermanence will 42

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be replaced by permanence and the ugly clash of good and evil will be displaced by an endless life of unbroken joy.

death will no longer exist

If God will put an end to evil, He will also put an end to death—probably the most distressing manifestation of sin. Not only will we live forever, but we will live the only kind of life worth living forever. An immortal body will bear us into an eternity without decay and ruin. It is incredible to think that some people, those who will be alive at Christ’s return—maybe you and me—will never taste death.

Equally amazing is the fact that Christ will resurrect those who believed in Him and grant them eternal life in a body that is not subject to age, sickness and decay. “Listen, I tell you a mystery:” wrote the apostle Paul, “we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. . . . then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory’” (1 Corinthians 15:51–54).

I will live with Jesus

As much as I value all of the above, they are shadowed by the top reason why I look forward to Jesus’ second coming: the prospect of meeting Him and spending time in His presence. This is why one of my favorite Bible verses is His beautiful promise of comfort: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. . . . My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:1–3). I cherish dwelling with Jesus over all of the above because all of the above are possible thanks to Him. And if Jesus promises me an endless life without loss, fear, separation, suffering, or death—a life full of joy and love and abundance, then He is someone in whose presence I will be the happiest I could ever be.

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the future in our present

It’s fascinating how much an upcoming experience can alter one’s life. As I imagine what it will be like to stand on the shore of Moraine Lake, I feel like in some way I am already there. The certainty of a future event allows us to live that event mentally—over and over again—before it takes place in reality. It also affects how we live the present, like carving out time for preparations.

You may have experienced this while you prepared for the birth of your baby, or your wedding day, or some other highly anticipated event. Just as my trip to Banff changes my present, so is my anticipation of Jesus’ return influencing how I live before this event. It gives me purpose, joy and a deep desire to be more like the only God who has ever made such incredible promises.

Adelina Alexe is a Systematic Theology student at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. She loves God and enjoys nature, arts and meaningful conversations DECEMBER 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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the suicide plant

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BY DANIEL KUBEREK

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CGOODWIN—WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Touching the Dendrocnide moroides plant has driven people to pain-induced insanity. How can a harmless-looking plant be so evil?

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. . . like being electrocuted and baptised with acid—at the same time . . .

gympie gympie. Merely brushing against the plant’s leaf will stab your body with countless microscopic needle-like hairs. The pain allegedly feels like being electrocuted and baptised with acid—at the same time.

There’s no cure; trying to remove the tiny hairs is nigh-on impossible, and even attempting this feat could break the needles, causing even greater pain. There’ve been reports that excruciating pain from the moonlighter plant can last for months and, in some case, years.

You’d have to be an idiot to even approach this plant, right? Even though the plant’s intentions are fundamentally evil, it has one trick up its sleeve to entice passers-by. It spawns a beautiful red berry hanging off its stems, tantalisingly swaying in the wind and capturing people’s

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y brother and I were thrashing through the bush en-route to a peak overlooking Airlie Beach in far North Queensland. A short hike that was only meant to be 800 metres seemed to go on forever.

We stopped every person returning from the lookout to enquire about how much longer it would take for us to get there. “Oh just another 10 minutes,” they would all say. Another 10 minutes and another passer-by, the cycle seemed to repeat itself. We were driven to our destination by sheer force of optimism.

The steep incline and muddied tracks also made for good opportunity for my brother to educate me about some of the local flora.

“There’s a plant in Queensland that, when you touch it, the pain is so bad that you want to kill yourself,” he told me. “There’s a story that one man used it as toilet paper, and he committed suicide because he couldn’t bear the pain.”

Thoughts of the suicide plant, as it is known, remained etched in my mind as we reached the lookout, took some photos and then descended the mountain. Having no idea how the plant looked, I began questioning whether every plant we passed was the infamous suicide plant. “Look man, it has a massive leaf and is covered in tiny hairs,” my brother told me.

“You’ll know when you see it.”

Dendrocnide moroides is the scientific Latin name for the plant that has also been called the stinging brush, moonlighter and even the

attention. Even in Australia where pretty much all of nature is out to murder you, some people have fallen into the trap of attempting to wrangle the moonlighter plant to reach its berry.

Can you believe that earth’s downfall also started with a tantalising plant? In this case it was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Adam and Eve, the original humans who God had created to enjoy earth, were given the blessing of chilling in the Garden of Eden; an idyllic and lush setting filled with heaps of awesome trees, plants and animals.

But just like a very clear sign saying “Do Not Touch”, God told Adam and Eve, “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die” (Genesis 2:17).

Fair enough, right? The instructions were clear as day. Most Christians have deduced that the forbidden fruit was an apple, leading to a man’s larynx colloquially being called an Adam’s apple. Notable rabbis have speculated that it was a grape, while others claim that it was a fig; based on the later reference to Adam and Eve covering themselves with fig leaves. In this humble writer’s opinion, the fruit was a date: it’d have to take the best fruit in the world to convince someone to trigger the downfall of humankind.

But it wasn’t the fruit alone that tipped Eve over the edge; but rather Satan in disguise as a serpent, planting seeds of doubt: “You will not certainly die” (Genesis 3:4). The harmless-looking plant, combined with Eve’s uncertainty about the validity of God’s initial command to stay away, led her to disobey. She took the fruit and ate it, and shared some with her husband, Adam.

It wasn’t the plant that caused sin, it was Adam and Eve disobeying God. Just like many locals in Queensland know to give the moonlighter plant a wide berth because of its toxicity, earth’s original caretakers knew that approaching the tree was a major no-no. And even worse than the unbearable suffering caused by the moonlighter plant is a whole planet now wracked with selfishness, sin and decay, “groaning as in the pains of childbirth” (Romans 8:22)—a result of the choice made in the Garden that day.

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“

That’s how sin works. We get suckered into thinking that we can break God’s commandments and it’ll be fine, but there are always consequences. It hurts us and the people around us. The world is filled with so many broken families as a result of infidelity. That’s why the Bible outlines in the 10 commandments, “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). It later expands on this concept and says, “anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28).

Allowing doubt to creep into our minds about whether God wants the best for us or not is a trap. That trap can be harmful and destructive for 48

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ourselves and our families.

Ultimately, because God knows what’s best for us, He tells us to stay away from certain things. He outlines these in the Bible, not because He wants us to experience major FOMO, but because He knows what can happen when we indulge. Just like how an inconspicuous-looking plant can drive people to insanity from pain.

If there’s someone you can trust that knows what He’s doing, surely it’s the Creator of the universe.

Daniel Kuberek is assistant editor of Signs of the Times and lives in Sydney. While he’s now wary of the moonlighter plant, he’s not afraid to go off the beaten track in search of great moonlit photos.

STEVE CREITZ—GOODSALT

We get suckered into thinking that we can break God’s commandments and it’ll be fine . . .

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THE CUTTING EDGE

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The “Bolawrap” device fires a tether at suspects’ legs to immobilise them. Police are testing the Bolawrap along with other non-lethal restraint devices.—New Daily

RAPID DNA DNA analysis from suspects or crime scenes can take weeks or months to process.

Controversial new rapid DNA machines can achieve this in around 90 minutes, though the accuracy of the machines is the subject of debate.—LA Times

ROBO TRAFFIC COP

SRI is developing a robotic attachment to police cars, deployed when pulling someone over. Officers are able to talk to drivers through a screen, scan ID cards and registration papers and print expiation notices. The robot aims to decrease dangerous interactions between officers and motorists.—SRI

SATISFACTION FROM TOOLS A new research paper co-authored by Dakota McCoy has revealed crows enjoy creating and using tools in the same way that humans receive satisfaction from crosswords. Tests included setting a task for a crow to extract meat from a small tube with only a small twig branch. The New Caledonian crow was able to successfully break off a small twig to extract the food.—New Harvard Gazette

STRIPED FOR A REASON A new study in PLOS ONE has found that zebras have stripes for a reason—they stop insect bites.

Researchers from Japan painted black stripes on livestock and found that it decreased fly bites by more than half. The American cattle industry loses $2.2 billion each year due to fly bites, as cows can be more stressed, eat less and sleep less. Researchers believe the black stripes confuse flying insects’ motion sensors.—The Guardian DECEMBER 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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OWNED

. . . and that s’ not a bad thing The trajectory of the Toy Story franchise tells us something about the direction of our culture’s soul.

BY MARK HADLEY

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the individual dream as a right.

Yet Disney’s creative drive to make his “dreams come true” was always held within a greater framework. He was a devoted Congregationalist, a brand of Christianity that traditionally holds strongly to the Bible as the only way of knowing God. Disney firmly believed that, though we should strive to be everything we can be, we do that best when we connect with our Creator: “Whatever success I have had in bringing clean, informative entertainment to people of all ages, I attribute in great part to my Congregational upbringing and my lifelong habit of prayer,” he is quoted as saying on The Magic in Pixels website.

The man, the magic, the moustache.

Walt Disney, 1901–1966.

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, SUPPLIED

T

hree decades of writing scripts and reviewing children’s films has shown me that there is a glacial shift in entertainment underway.

And nowhere is it more evident than in the movies produced by market-leader, Disney.

Today, The Walt Disney Company controls the four most significant production houses for children’s storylines: Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Marvel Entertainment and Lucasfilm (thereby acquiring the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises).

The result has been a domination of the family entertainment market.

In 2018, Walt Disney had more titles in the top 10 highest-grossing films than any other production company.

Worldwide, Disney’s movie and music business generated revenue of $14.7 billion, up from $12.3 billion in 2017. Add to that Disney’s revenue of $2.3 billion in retail and other sales, plus $4.5 billion in licensing, publishing and games, and you start to get a picture of just how invested we are in its storylines. Which begs the question: What have we got for our money?

From the very beginning, Disney has been a company with a vision of how the world ought to be. The production company’s trademark “be all you can be” philosophy has its roots in founder Walt Disney’s own inherent optimism and determination to succeed. From Pinocchio’s wish to be “a real boy” to Merida’s determination to “be free”, Disney’s characters have always championed

Yet, the entertainment the Disney company is producing now is drifting from the idea that we might require guidance from anything other than our own hearts. Take the Toy Story movies as an illustration.

ANDY’S TOYS

In 1995, the Toy Story characters found their chief joy in “belonging”. First and foremost, they were Andy’s toys. He was the god of their bedroom universe and they couldn’t think of anything better than bringing him joy. Woody was threatened by the arrival of Buzz Lightyear and conspired to see him gone, but that’s only because Woody feared that more of his owner’s love for the newcomer meant less for himself: Woody: I’m lost, Andy is gone, they’re gonna move into their house in two days and it’s all your fault!

Buzz: My—my fault?! If you hadn’t pushed me out of the window in the first place . . .

Woody: Oh yeah?! Well if you hadn’t shown up inside your stupid little cardboard spaceship and taken away everything that was important to me . . .

Yet by the end of the movie, our cowboy hero comes to the conclusion that there is room in his owner’s heart for all of them, and they can please him together.

This togetherness became the theme for 1999’s Toy Story 2. Woody falls into the hands of a toy collector and the rest of Andy’s toys set out to save him. Meantime Woody is confronted with two possible futures, one in which he is played with and suffers the usual trials of a toy’s life; the other where he’s kept in pristine condition, but disconnected from his purpose.

For Woody, the choice is obvious: Woody: Japan? No, no, no, no, no, I can’t go to Japan!

Jessie: Ha, ha, ha. . . .What do you mean?

Woody: I have to get back to my owner Andy! Look, look, look, see! (points to the name Andy on the bottom of his boot).

Woody isn’t ashamed to be a toy, or to find his pleasure in pleasing someone else, because he’s always known that’s what he was made for.

He and the rest of the toys take joy from belonging to someone.

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However, a great deal changes in the following 11 years. Happiness and Andy begin to separate in 2010’s Toy Story 3, as Andy prepares to go to college and no longer needs toys. Once again, Woody and the gang face two futures: either going up into an attic with the Christmas decorations, or ending up at the dump and falling into a fiery furnace. But instead, the toys opt for a third option: rather than ascending or descending they’ll find themselves a new owner and keep playing. There’s lots to be said about other spiritual parallels here, but one thing remains constant: our hero’s purpose is found in belonging to someone else, a prospect only the villain thinks is a bad thing: Lotso: No owners means no worries. We don’t need owners at Sunnyside, we own ourselves. We’re masters of our own destiny.

Yet by the time Toy Story 4 arrives, the villain’s philosophy has become the hero’s hope. The 2019 world sees belonging to someone else and finding your meaning in their happiness to be undesirable.

Woody goes on a road trip with his new owner Bonnie, only to discovers his owner’s affections are fickle, and not something you can trust your future to. Eventually Woody heeds the advice of a good friend and chooses to find his own meaning. Having done his time pleasing someone else, Woody decides it’s now time to please himself.

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in the Disney catalogue because its episodes are all “life lesson” scripts.

You can’t help wondering, though, where Disney hopes kids will apply this wisdom. Are they supposed to apply it to their relationships with other kids? Or maybe their parents?

Hopefully not their marriages . . .

One thing’s for certain, though: being “owned” is no longer a viable option. As he watches his old life pull away from the parking lot, we’re

mind. . . . [and to] love your neighbour as yourself ” (Matthew 22:37, 38).

It’s not surprising, though, that children’s films should be taking this glacial path away from God as the One who legitimately owns us and gives our lives purpose, or that the world’s largest producer of family entertainment might encourage them along it. We forget at our peril that children’s films are written by adults, and this world has been walking away from God for quite some time. But if there is one baby step believers could help their families take back towards our Creator, it would be to remind them that they do not exist for the sake of their own stories. Buzz Lightyear only became complete when he finally realised he belonged to someone else and that he existed for their joy, before he could experience the personal joy he was designed for all along.

Mark Hadley is a film reviewer and cultural critic. He lives with his family in Sydney, Australia.

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led to believe that Woody has made the brave choice in not building his life’s meaning on serving anyone, unless it’s himself.

It’s hard to truly know where Walt Disney stood with God. He was certainly a man with faults.

His biographies talk about the perfectionism he demanded from his staff and the workaholism that adversely affected his family. Yet I suspect even he’d be surprised at the distance his company has placed between children and something greater than themselves.

However, the Bible views that perspective as the one we need the most. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”—“fear” in this sense meaning awestruck reverence.

The greatest secrets of happiness the Scriptures contain are to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your

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THE CHRISTMAS STORY

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housands of Aussies and Kiwis love carol-singing events at parks and ovals on a balmy December evening. But what’s also emerging as a family Christmas tradition is a walk through a live re-enactment of the events surrounding Jesus’ birth, put on in various outdoor venues by church theatre groups. Some are local events as humble as a Bethlehem stable; others are more ambitious, with professional-standard music and costumes, and other attractions running alongside the nativity play, such as night markets, camel rides and jumping castles. Many of these are under the “Road to Bethlehem” banner.

Perth

Although these events are usually free, the high demand means that tickets may need to be booked to manage audience numbers at each session of the community theatre experience. Check the map to see if there’s a “Road to Bethlehem” or similar event near you.

Henderson College, 804-816 Cowra Ave, Irymple Facebook.com/rtbmildura

9–11 Dec

Livingston Adventist Church, 297 Fraser Rd North Entrance, Canning Vale roadtobethlehem.org.au

Adelaide Hills

* Although Road to Bethlehem events have been held previously in Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide, they are not planned for 2019.

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8–23 Dec

Lutheran Church, Main Street, Lobethal lightsoflobethal.com.au

Melbourne

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12–14 Dec

Mildura

9–12 Dec

Edinburgh College, 33-61 Edinburgh Road, Lilydale melbourne.roadtobethlehem.org

Townsville

18–22 Dec

Strand Park, Townsville stableonthestrand.com.au

Lake Macquarie

15–17 Dec

Hillview Adventist Church, 2 Gimberts Rd, Morisset Facebook.com/aStableDoor

Central Coast 12–14 Dec

Canberra Christian School, 64a Ainsworth Street, Mawson Facebook.com/RTBCanberra

Central Coast Adventist School, Penrose Crs, Erina Facebook.com/RoadTo BethlehemCentralCoast

Tauranga

15–18 Dec

Tauranga Adventist School, 19 Moffat Rd, Bethlehem (yes, really) Facebook.com/RTBTauranga

Christchurch 16–18 Dec

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Canberra

15–17 Dec

Christchurch Adventist School, 15 Grants Rd, Papanui roadtobethlehem.co.nz DECEMBER 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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W

ELL B EING

CHOCOLATE BEETROOT SQUARES INGREDIENTS

1 ¼ cups almond meal ¼ cup cacao powder ½ teaspoon baking powder 2 eggs, lightly beaten ¹⁄³ cup honey 2 teaspoons olive oil ¾ cup grated beetroot

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2.

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Place almond meal, cacao and baking powder into a large bowl.

Combine remaining ingredients and fold liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Mix well.

Pour mixture into a greased and lined 15cm x 25cm loaf tin.

Bake in a moderate oven, 180°C, for 30 minutes.

Cut into 12 squares.

Per serve: Energy (kJ) 597; Cal 143; Protein (g) 3.6; Fat (g) 9.8; Saturated fat (g) 1.2; Carbohydrate (g) 10.0; Sugars (g) 9.4; Fibre (g) 1.8; Sodium (mg) 36; Potassium (mg) 177; Calcium (mg) 31; Iron (mg) 0.9.

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METHOD

TIPS

is gluten This cake awesome free and an nie br moist ow alternative. as ed warm Great serv a dessert.

Recipe courtesy of Sanitarium Health Food Company. Visit sanitarium.com.au or sanitarium.co.nz and subscribe to Recipe of the Week for a delicious plant-powered recipe in your inbox each week.

DECEMBER 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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FUN

CROSSWORD Hint: 3 down

NATALIAMARC—GETTY IMAGES

How closely have you been reading? Each keyword in this puzzle is also contained within this edition of Signs of the Times.

Happy digging!

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CROSSWORD CLUES

ACROSS 4 Language used in ancient Rome 6 A small quantity of a desirable product 7 Getting involved 10 The holy book of Islam 11 Hollywood entertainment company named after its founder 12 A garden described in the biblical book Genesis 14 Radio frequencies

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6 DOWN 1 A state on Myanmar’s west coast 2 A Protestant denomination that is reformed and independently-run 3 A Christmas decoration made of thin strips 5 Regional city 125 km west of Brisbane 8 Brass instrument with three valves 9 Main protagonist of Lord of the Rings 13 Contains vocal cords

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SOLUTIONS AVAILABLE ONLINE SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU DECEMBER 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES & DIPLOMAS Associate Degree in Theological Studies Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Teaching (Birth - 12 years) Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Teaching (Secondary) Bachelor of Business Bachelor of Ministry and Theology Bachelor of Nursing Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Teaching Bachelor of Theology Diploma of General Studies VOCATIONAL EDUCATION & TRAINING Certificate III in Outdoor Recreation Diploma of Outdoor Recreation POSTGRADUATE DEGREES COURSE WORK Graduate Certificate in Lifestyle Medicine Graduate Diploma in Lifestyle Medicine Graduate Diploma of Ministry and Theology Master of Education Master of Nursing Master of Teaching (Primary) Master of Teaching (Secondary) Master of Leadership and Management RESEARCH Doctor of Philosophy (PHD) Master of Philosophy Get your qualification in a nurturing environment at Avondale.

To find out more about our face-to-face and distance education courses or to apply online, visit avondale.edu.au phone +61 2 4980 2377 or email study@avondale.edu.au