GENEROSITY THAT COMES FULL CIRCLE
LOCAL OP SHOP HELPS AT HOME AND ABROAD
Can you believe it’s December already? Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like this year has flown by. I don’t feel ready to think about presents or cooking or decorating trees or singing carols (even though carols have been played in the shops since at least November). But I’m sure it’ll work out, one way or another — sometimes a simple Christmas is best.
People often complain about the consumeristic aspects of Christmas, noting — legitimately, really — that the true reason for the season has been obscured by a frenzy of gifting, eating and holidaying. Of course, it’s great to be able to share food and fellowship with friends and family. They’re a huge blessing. But without Jesus at the heart of our Christmas season, we can miss out on the biggest blessing of all.
In this issue of The Upside, we’ve got a Christmas craft for your kids (pages 14 and 15), some Christmas recipe inspiration and a competition (page 13). There’s also a feature about how you can make a difference with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency this Christmas (page 3). We hope it inspires you to think about what you can do to share the blessings you’ve had in your life with others and radiate God’s love, which is a particularly beautiful thing to think about at this time of year.
Have a safe, happy and blessed Christmas and New Year. We’ll see you again in February!
Adele Nash
As a child, Christmas was always exciting for me. I remember well the joy of creating a gift for my mum or dad: gluing shells and pasta to a frame, and wrapping it up in paper I had decorated myself. I was practically shaking with excitement as I watched them open the gift. They’d given me so much and now it was my turn. As a parent, a grandparent, aunty or uncle, a neighbour or a friend, you might be in a position to enjoy watching others open their gifts with excitement this Christmas.
But there are always two sides to giving: the giver and the receiver; the gift and its value; the intention of the gift and the appreciation it generates.
In fact, it is through receiving that we become givers, and it is through giving that we enable others to bring generosity full circle.
Blais’s life is an example of generosity that has come full circle. Blais is a cocoa farmer in the Solomon Islands. He grew up in poverty and his mother died while he was still young. As a husband and a father, Blais struggled to provide for his family.
The cocoa market in the Solomon Islands has suffered from poor reputation due to low produce quality. Discounted pricing, despite the rapid growth of the craft chocolate market, has seen small-scale farmers earn low incomes.
But Blais’s life changed when he participated in training from the Adventist Development and Relief Agency’s Soul Cocoa project. Working with ADRA, he learnt techniques to improve the process of fermenting and drying the cocoa beans. The practical training helped him improve the quality of his beans and he was able to attract a higher price for his produce.
Blais can now provide for his family.
But Blais wanted more. He wanted others in his community to benefit from his newfound skills, so he taught them what he learnt. He also helped form a community savings group to cover school fees and other expenses for community members in need. “I don’t want anyone to be left behind,” he says. “I want everyone to grow and improve together.”
Like Blais, many of us are often compelled to be generous with what we have. But generosity needs to be intentional. During last year’s Christmas season, Australians spent an estimated $9.8 billion* on gifts, with a high percentage of spending from credit card use. In December of last year, Australians collectively borrowed a record $28 billion* through credit cards. Many overspent and started the year with an average of $1666** in credit card debt.
And what’s more, our giving can unintentionally cause others harm. Some of the gifts we give have often been made by underpaid workers in sweatshops, and when the gifts we give or receive are unwanted and unused, they contribute to landfill and pollution.
It may be time we found other ways to be generous with what we have.
Supporting ADRA’s Christmas Appeal is a way you can continue to be generous without causing harm. In fact, this kind of generosity is transformational.
This Christmas, why not buy a life-changing gift and partner with ADRA to help people and communities in need thrive not only at Christmas, but all year through? You can choose from many and varied options: a $2 exercise book for a young student in Malawi; a $10 hot meal for an Australian doing it tough; a $45 beehives for a woman in Africa to produce honey and earn a living; a $125 wheelbarrow for a cocoa farmer in the Pacific to multiply their yields. Gifts range from $2 to $14,000 and you can purchase yours today at adra.org.au/gifts
As you are compelled by love to see others thrive this Christmas, you will enable generosity to come full circle.
— Beth Morrow (Avondale College Communication Student who recently completed an internship at ADRA Australia)
* https://www.finder.com.au/press-release-jan-2017-post-christmas-debt-hangover-tipped-to-hit397-million
** https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/managing-your-money/budgeting/spending/australiaschristmas-spending
There’s a small island in Vanuatu called Lelepa. Located off the northwest coast of the island of Efate, Lelepa is best known for Fels Cave, which has attracted tourists to the island for decades. Lelepa also has a strong Presbyterian presence amongst its small population. So what would it be like if you stepped out of a comfort zone and joined another Christian denomination?
For Albert Solomon Peter, this was something he experienced personally. And it resulted in some tough times for him and his family — including suffering an arson attack on their house and the chiefs of the island removing the privilege of Albert’s chiefly title. However, it also saw his family grow closer together — ultimately resulting in them changing their church attendance to the same denomination as Albert.
“I come from a very strong Presbyterian background,” says Albert. “My ancestors were all pioneers of the church and my father was one of the leading elders. My mum was a leader of women’s ministry. I grew up in Sunday school and led youth in my community.” But, he adds, “I never really understood the Bible.”
Although Albert is now a Bible worker here in Australia, working in the Newcastle region, he says he grew up in a culture that was very superstitious. “People on Lelepa are into witchcraft and communicate with the dead. Even in the Presbyterian Church, you still have that fear,” he says.
His start on a journey to better understanding the Bible came one day when he was 19. He worked in the hotel in town and was strolling through the market when he saw some Seventh-day Adventists running a seminar about the book of Revelation. “They were talking about the state of the dead,” says Albert. “I sat and listened for the whole night! I came to understand that it’s like people are asleep when they’re dead — there’s no way to communicate with them. It was like something left me — something that hounded me my whole life. I felt free and I finally understood why Jesus said, ‘If you know the truth, the truth will set you free.’”
Learning more about the Seventh-day Adventist faith, Albert discovered that Saturday was the Sabbath. He became an Adventist and was baptised. He says, “When I was converted and started to share my faith with my family, I was blessed to have them support me in my belief.”
Sadly, the local community was less supportive. “I had a lot of persecution in the community when I started sharing my faith,” Albert says. “They took our land and burned my house. They physically abused me and my parents.”
“I’m the oldest in my family,” says Albert. “When I was going through all of this pain, my whole family felt sorry for me because it was too much. They decided to become Adventists just to share the burden with me. Because of the persecution I faced, my whole family — including my grandfather — became Adventists. But when my grandfather and father died, no-one in the community came to their funerals.”
Although Albert had support from his family, the problems with the local community continued. The chiefs removed the family’s privileges, including Albert’s chiefly title. They ordained someone else to be the chief of the land his family owned.
But things change, and when Albert returned to Vanuatu recently, he had to go to court to try to get the chiefly right back. He won the court case and one of the court’s decisions was that he should be ordained as a chief.
“When I was ordained as a chief, many people in the village — including the chiefs and the Presbyterian pastor — were scared I would chase them out and persecute them in return,” says Albert. “But in my speech after my ordination, I said that, as a chief, you’re leading people, and have to make sure that they’re happy and that their interests are protected.”
For Albert, his faith and belief in God makes him not want to get revenge for any of the treatment he and his family experienced. “I won’t take anyone’s land and reassured people about that,” says Albert. “They went home and got food prepared, and then we had a big reconciliation ceremony to say sorry for what they’d done to my family because of the church. From the children to the elders of the island, there’s so much happiness just because of that speech. Money cannot buy happiness, but what will make us happy is to be united as one family. That’s what God wants for each of us — unity.”
“They took our land and burned my house. They physically abused me and my parents.”
For the first time in 18 years, the Presbyterian community joined with the Seventh-day Adventist community on the island. “We had lost those 18 years, but on 17 July, people were so excited to be together,” says Albert. “It restored the relationships. People freely come to church. They’re not scared.”
(continued over page)
Over the 18 years of division, the Adventist Church went through trials and challenges, but grew tremendously. There are more than 100 members now. In the middle of the year, a group of Year 11 students and staff from Tweed Valley Adventist College from northern New South Wales visited the island to work on the church building as a service project. The TVAC team put a roof on the building. The community is now able to meet and fellowship together in the church building.
“It’s like everything was perfectly on time,” says Albert. “But that’s God’s timing. He has a sense of humour.”
— Adele NashIt’s been a busy year for the Tweed Valley Adventist Op Shop.
In the wake of devastating floods following Cyclone Debbie earlier this year, the shop team was quick to move into action. “Our op shop assisted when the floods hit our local are in March,” says Pam Wood, Operation Manager of the shop. “Record floods left many people unprepared and in need of assistance. We were most grateful that we had access and availability of volunteers, as well as goods, and were able to assist where possible.”
One woman was unable to move out of her house because her driveway was inundated with debris, which had accumulated during the flood. SES volunteers were unable to help as they were overwhelmed, so the local council advised her to call the op shop. “Thankfully we were able to access the help of Kingscliff Adventist Church and some ARISE students,” says Pam.
“It’s very easy for people to become overwhelmed and fall into depression when disasters like this occur because they feel helpless and alone. If they feel help isn’t coming, they can become very despondent and this can be dangerous for them,” Pam adds. “Thankfully our op shop, along with other community members and government agencies, could assist those in need.”
The reach of the Tweed Valley Adventist Op Shop extends beyond their local community too — it’s even extended to Vanuatu. In the middle of this year, students from Tweed Valley Adventist College and volunteers from the op shop set off on the journey to Vanuatu. They were moved by the needs of a community that had been devastated by Cyclone Pam — the worst cyclone to hit the South Pacific in known history. A remote village was the one most in need. They had no roof on their community centre and needed a generator so their medical centre could be used 24 hours a day.
The op shop provided funds for the materials and equipment used for this endeavour. Students and volunteers, along with members of the local community, worked together to make it happen. The materials were sent over in a shipping container, and had to be unloaded onto a barge, then taken to the island before being unloaded again by hand and carried up the beach.
On top of this, the Tweed Valley Adventist Op Shop was also invited to assit with the “God’s Closet” program this year. The program is run by the Inverell Adventist Church, and involves providing children’s clothing free-of-charge for those in need. A register is set up and the clothing supplied by the op shop is distributed, with the local church pastors John Lang and Jack Ryder following it up. There are a number of other volunteers involved as well.
Pam says, “When a follow-up visit was arranged to see if we could be of any further assistance, 11 people asked for prayer and six asked for Bible studies.”
Want to find out more about what the op shop does or want some information about how you can run similar programs? Or would you like to volunteer there? Contact the shop on (07) 5523 2442
— Pam Wood
But that’s God’s timing. He has a sense of humour.
The Newcastle Samoan Church Plant at Booragul, under the leadership of Pastor Talai Mohr, recently ran a communitybased Bible study series called “Choose Life.” It was held over the four weekends in August in the Newcastle suburb of Hamilton South. The presentations were delivered by Dr Erika Puni, focusing on the Samoan community in Newcastle. By the end of the month, nine members of the church plant’s growing congregation were baptised and another two committed to continuing studying the Bible.
In September, the church was further blessed following the “Choose Life” series, as they spent time together as a church family in a retreat camp at the beautiful town of Norah Head as a follow-up to the series. The retreat was called “Visualise and Bloom — A Time
for New Beginnings,” and the focus was on nurturing and discipling others, particularly the new church members.
The highlight of the camp was a baptism in the sea of four young people who chose Jesus as their best friend and Saviour.
The Samoan Church Plant feel blessed by the 13 new people added to their church community, and how they can see that God is guiding them to serve Him in the church and local community to make a wonderful difference. Some of their community work includes running a food pantry, which has been a great resource for people facing challenges with food insecurity.
— Eseta Taala-SoaikaIt can be tough being a young person in the more remote parts of the country, but it’s always good when you get time to socialise with others and meet new people. For young Seventh-day Adventists in the west of northern New South Wales, a recent “Western Youth Muster” gave them the opportunity to do just this. Young people met in Quirindi — coming from as far away as Moree — for the day on the first weekend in November.
The Muster was a well-attended fullday event, with special presentations, lunch, music and an evening concert. David Leo, a Theology student from Avondale College of Higher Education in Cooranbong, was the guest speaker for the Muster. He was joined by The Promise, a singing group from the college who ran a community concert in the evening (called “Songs of Ascent”). Country musician Daniel Higgins was also involved in the Muster.
talk about the Bible and explore spiritual concepts. At the end of David’s morning presentation, he asked for people to respond if they wanted to be baptised and 10 said that they did.
Pastor Daron Pratt, Director of Children’s and Family Ministries for the Seventhday Adventist Church in Northern New South Wales, says, “There were leaders organised for each group of young people at the Muster. Darren and Rebecca Cheers did a wonderful job of organising the Muster weekend with their team. It’s awesome to see local people supporting their communities.”
Pastor Rick Hergenhan, Director of Youth Ministries for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Northern New South Wales, provided assistance to the Cheers in
organising the Muster, supplying them with whatever resources they needed to make it happen. He has worked hard with Pastor Michael Chapman to grow, equip and encourage local leaders.
“We’ve looked at each region in our conference and worked to develop leaders in each one,” he says. “Darren has stepped up to take that role on out west and has been doing a great job.”
Empowering local people helps to provide more events tailored to unique needs of regions. “At this stage of life, having good social interactions — especially with other like-minded people — is very important,” says Rick. Daron adds, “A lot of young people are isolated and could be one of only a couple of young people in their church. This way, they can see the church is bigger than themselves and they contribute to it.”
— Adele Nash Top Right: Baptismal candidates from left to right (front row) — Elvan, John Junior, Falevaai, Sonya and Pastor Talai Mohr. Theology students from Avondale College of Higher Education who helped out with the baptism. From left to right (back row) — Fomai, Tema, Apelu and Asovale. Right middle: Four of the baptismal candidates (next to Pastor Talai Mohr) out of the nine were from the Methodist Church. The one on the far right is from the Booragul community who came through the church’s food pantry ministry.How do you save tonnes of sheets from being sent to landfill each week? Well, you send them to medical missions throughout the South Pacific and orphanages in Africa of course!
What a great idea, but how did it all start? Good question. It all started when a Port Macquarie woman Susan Shelton heard of this waste of sheets that were deemed unusable anymore by hotels, motels, hospitals, etc, and were being sent to waste, which ends up in landfill. Susan started looking into this and soon realised that there was often very little wrong with the sheets — they just needed a little attention to give them years more useful life.
Susan and her husband Russell are members of the Port Macquarie Adventist Church, and know a number of medical missions in the South Pacific Region that their church supports financially. They followed up with these missions to see if the sheets would be a welcome help, and soon found out that there were 58 medical missions who would be very happy to receive the sheets.
These medical missions are located in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga and Papua New Guinea. To add to that number, the Sheltons discovered that one of their daughter’s churches in the Wollongong area supported a charity called Books for Zim, which supports orphanages in Zimbabwe, and they would also be grateful to receive sheets for the kids there.
So here was all this need, and here were all these sheets that could be repaired and sent on to needy people, but what was the next step? Susan spoke to Grant Faatoia, owner of the South Pacific Laundry in Uralla Road in Port Macquarie, to see if he would be willing to give her sheets that would otherwise go to waste. He was delighted to help and told her she could have whatever she needed. Grant said it cost him about $1100 per tonne to send things to landfill, so it was a win-win situation for them both.
And yes, they did have a little laugh knowing that the sheets were coming from South Pacific Laundry and were going to help people in the South Pacific!
The next step was Susan putting together a band of helpers — men and women who meet on the first Sunday of each month at the Port Macquarie Adventist Church. There are regularly 15 or so helpers. They bring along their sewing machines, irons and ironing boards, and spend the morning doing repairs, and pressing and folding approximately 350 to 500 sheets.
These are then transported either to Sydney to the South Pacific Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, where they are loaded into containers that are sent to Adopt-a-Clinic program teams; or to Wollongong for transport to the orphanages in Zimbabwe.
What an amazing outcome for a commodity that was just being sent to waste!
It did intrigue me as to how Susan heard about the sheets in the first place though, as it’s not something that had ever occurred to me. The answer was simple: “My son-inlaw has a relative who works at the laundry who was talking about all the wastage!”
So, from that comment came this fantastic idea that helps so many, thanks to a woman thinking outside the box and gathering a group of helpers to do good for one another.
— Heather Knobbs
“I struggled to find a park anywhere near the church”
Ourimbah Adventist Church might only be small, but in September they sent out the word that they would hold a Spring Festival in their activity centre and it turned out to be an unforgettable event!
Church member Ken Boehm says, “Being one of the oldest in the church, I was informed that all that was required was for me to be at the hall at 3.30pm. Upon arriving, I struggled to find a park anywhere near the church hall. But I was guided to the hall, and on entry, there on the screen were the words ‘HAPPY 80th BIRTHDAY KEN!’”
Under the screen stood the community violin students and their teacher Elizabeth Blajet — the group regularly uses the church facilities. They began to play Happy Birthday and gave an encore as Ken walked in.
Looking around, Ken noticed that most of the Adventist churches on the Central Coast were represented, with friends from the years there.
The group also included other retired missionaries from Cooranbong, including Captain John Bryant. “Outside of my family, I have spent much of my life with John,” says Ken. “This is because of our work flying in Papua New Guinea from project to project on the mission plane.”
There were also a number of people from Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands there, along with relatives of Ken’s. The evening was compered by the talented Dr Narko Tutuo, with some input from Ray’s brothers Ray and Dan. Special items were shared, including a solo by Dr Tutuo, a euphonium item from Luke Waylor, a trio from Sky, Holly and
In October, Hillview Adventist Church’s kids were given an Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) collection container and a challenge — to fill the container with coins and then see how far the money would go.
They were told that Australian money would stretch so far in Australia, but when sent by ADRA to other countries, it would stretch a LOT further and could do so many more things.
On Saturday, 4 November, the Hillview kids returned their filled containers and then laid out all the coins along a strip of crepe paper stretched along the church foyer. The total length of all the coins collected was more than 58 metres — and more coins kept coming in! In total, the value of the money raised by the kids was $490.
Button Bayeta, and skits by a number of the children.
This special Spring Festival was followed by a presentation about Ken’s life — tracing his journey from his birth in Papua New Guinea, through to his mother passing away from Malaria, visiting Ourimbah at the age of five, years of mission service and a final return to Ourimbah — before a cake-cutting ceremony.
Celebrating the life of a special member of the church, as well as enjoying an afternoon of beautiful music and presentations from talented churchgoers, was a great time of community building for Ourimbah.
— Ken Boehm/The UpsideThe church’s ADRA leaders Sue Blyde and Sonya Rankin came up with the idea, and were delighted with its outcome. As most church members missed getting to see the collected coins lined up, a video of it was shared at the church on the following Saturday.
Well done, Hillview kids! The church is looking forward to seeing how far that money will go and what it can do in helping other kids in countries where ADRA is working.
— Alvin Christian“The total length of all the coins collected was more than 58 metres!”
For students at Avondale School’s Toronto Campus, a dream came true when ABC News anchor Johanna Nicholson became an interviewee on the school’s news program, Toronto Campus News. The students were on an excursion to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Ultimo as part of their studies, which heavily integrates English outcomes from the school curriculum.
Grace Lord, a Year 5 student and one of the TCN anchors who has been employed at TCN for the past two years, says, “Interviewing Johanna was a definite highlight for me. She was so sweet and easy to talk with. I got her autograph!”
“We wanted to know when Johanna knew that she wanted a career in journalism,” adds Jonathan Robins-Lilikakis (Year 6). “She shared a drawing from her Primary School days that showed at age nine, she had aspirations to read the news because it was a glamorous and low-stress job.”
Teacher and TCN producer Andrea Thompson stressed how inspirational the ABC excursion had been for her students.
Identified as being at the forefront of 21st Century learning, the students collaboratively produce editions of the news for distribution on the school’s website. Each student has multiple roles that they fulfill as part of their responsibilities for Toronto Campus News.
After 15 years of Road to Bethlehem heralding the commencement of the Christmas season on the Central Coast, the RTB committee has seen that there is an opportunity for the event to be reimagined and refreshed. Sadly, this means that the event will not run in 2017, which will enable the team to invest all their energies into planning and developing the event for 2018 — and beyond.
RTB has been held at the Central Coast Adventist School campus and is a well-loved community event. The event is a unique community Christmas event that offers a variety of opportunities, including:
• The drama presentation where the first Christmas story is shared
• Enjoying entertainment provided by a range of local musical acts
• Browsing retail stalls to pick up Christmas gifts
• Taking the kids to enjoy activities like face-painting, craft, the Pinnacle Challenge, the Christmas Village and much more
They apply for jobs and attend an interview to decide who will become news anchors, camera people, video editors and work with various behind-the-scenes roles. Students are also paid in TCN Dollars for their work and taught financial literacy as part of the program.
— Andrea“While the decision to take a break in 2017 was difficult and was not made lightly, the team are excited about the event in 2018 and the opportunities it will bring,” says event director Brenton Luchow. “It’s a great opportunity for Road to Bethlehem to explore new, fresh ways of engaging with our Central Coast community.”
The committee knows that many in the community will feel a “sense of loss” this year without RTB kicking off their Christmas season. “But we hope you understand our aim is to spend the time and energy on planning for next year,” says Brenton. “Please make sure you mark the dates into your 2018 calendar!”
— Brenton Luchow/The UpsidePastor Tom Evans is the President of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Northern New South Wales, a role he took on near the beginning of this year. Born in Texas, USA, Tom is a fifth-generation Adventist on his mother’s side of the family and 1/8 Chickasaw Indian on his dad’s side. His wife Mara is originally from Brazil, and she and Tom moved to Australia with their two boys — Lukas (14) and Andre (12) — while their grown girls still live in Texas. Tom is passionate about investing in others.
Have you always been a Christian?
I decided to be baptised when I was 10 years old while attending camp meeting. I was able to attend Adventist schools, and enjoyed studying the Bible and involvement in my local church. When I was 20, I had a faith crisis when I transitioned from a “borrowed faith” (my parents) to a personalised faith of my own. It was a bit of a bumpy transition, but it helped me firmly establish my faith.
How did God guide you into ministry?
I had a teacher in Year 6 who told every student at the end of the year what she thought they would be when they grew up. When she came to me, I impulsively stated that I would be a veterinarian. She kindly disagreed and told me she believed I would be a pastor. I also had a high school Bible teacher who was instrumental in influencing me toward God and ministry.
What led you to this role in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Northern New South Wales?
The simple answer is God’s leading. I believe God uses open and closed doors as one way to communicate with us. We had some clear indicators that this was where God was leading. It is an exciting adventure when you’re exactly where God wants you to be!
What dreams do you have for what the Seventh-day Adventist Church can do in this region?
It’s great to join a team that already has a lot of amazing ministry happening. I’m excited about the vision that is already in place. The motto “We invest in others” perfectly aligns with
my greatest passion in ministry. I love helping others discover and live out the calling God has on their life. My dream is to help create a culture of evangelism in NNSW. We must be united in the mission and reaching people for Jesus. Let’s create an environment where young people flourish. Hundreds and even thousands of people can be reached over the next several years. Let’s join in an adventure with God to finish His work.
What keeps you inspired in ministry?
Staying balanced. If I’m behind a desk all day, I’ll lose my passion. Yes, there are essential aspects of administration that need to take place. I like to stay fresh and on the front lines. Visiting churches, meeting members, hearing of how God is working and seeing it first-hand keep me inspired. Ideally, I like to have someone with me that I am mentoring (or my family as much as possible) when I travel throughout the conference.
What advice do you have for anyone in leadership — whether it’s on a small or large scale? Keep your relationship with Jesus thriving daily. The Fruit of the Spirit should become more and more evident in our lives as we walk with Jesus. Spending time with Him is the only way to become more like Him.
What would be one unique thing about you that many people wouldn’t realise?
I can spit a watermelon seed a very long way — close to world record distance!
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Keeping your workouts interesting and varied is not only great for avoiding boredom, but your body always looks for the path of least resistance. This means that changing it up regularly keeps you from plateauing. Here’s another way to create a workout at home (or anywhere!).
AMRAP stands for “As Many Rounds As Possible” within a specified amount of time (for example, 20 minutes). Before you begin, choose three to five exercises and the amount of repetitions you will do of each.
Have your equipment ready, then start your timer. Repeat each exercise with a set amount of reps as many times as possible before the time is up. Stop if you need to rest, but try to keep breaks to a minimum, especially if your workout is less than 20 minutes. Aim to have the least amount of rest periods and for no more than 45 seconds each if necessary.
1 2
15 reps
No doubt you’ll be sweating before you know it and will get a great workout done! Enjoy!
3 4
10 reps
Here’s an example workout: 30 reps
High Knees
15 reps
Plank Knees UpWe don’t (usually) get snow for Christmas here in Australia, but these cupcakes are a fun alternative to a heavy Christmas pudding. Plus you can get your kids involved in decorating the chocolate trees!
Ingredients
– 12 cupcakes made from a packet mix, prepared according to instructions and cooled
– 1 tub of pre-made frosting
1 x 290g packet of white chocolate melts
1 x 290g packet of dark chocolate melts
– Sprinkles, hundreds and thousands, sugar stars, silver or coloured cachous and other items for decoration
Share your favourite Christmas recipe for a chance to win a prize pack from The Upside
Post your recipe and photos on the North New South Wales Conference Facebook page
— facebook.com/NNSWconference or email them to northpoint@adventist.org.au
Entries close December 31. Winners will be notified by email on 5 January 2018. The winning recipe will be posted on the North New
BY DR DARREN MORTON
I have never been an overly optimistic person and always thought that people who look on the bright side all the time are just not being realistic. So when it was decided that I should be the one to review Live More Happy, I wondered if it was some sort of a hint or maybe they just wanting a “realistic” approach. I was hoping that it was not just all about laughing and clapping your hands but could give me some solid evidence as to why “I should Live More Happy” — and this book did not disappoint.
This is Darren Morton’s second book about the strategies for boosting emotional wellbeing and becoming happier — and as such, is largely an expanded and deeper version of his previous Seven Secrets for Feeling Fantastic. In the intervening 10 years, his research has found that people who put the content of this book into practice experience a 30 per cent reduction in depressive symptoms, anxiety and stress, and a 20 per cent improvement in their mental health and vitality, so I decided to give it a go.
From the very first page, I was hooked. Who would have thought that learning about the scientific research done into the human brain could be so interesting? By using nicknames for the various parts of the brain and personal anecdotes to explain the brain’s workings, Darren has written a scientifically based book that everyone can enjoy. While the book reads lightly, there are also comprehensive references at the end of each chapter for those who want to check the evidence.
Even just reading Live More Happy brings a smile to your face. I found myself laughing out loud in various chapters, so I could feel it doing me good already. And the handy acronyms and application exercises help you focus on the different aspects of your life that you could change. With the New Year fast approaching and everyone planning their resolutions, Live More Happy makes a great Christmas present for yourself or a friend, as we can all do with a bit more happiness in our lives.
— Sonia Knight, Resources Manager, Adventist Media Network50% OFF Cards (excludes boxed sets)
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WHAT YOU NEED:
1 cup flour
¾ cup salt
½ cup water mixed with 2 tablespoons white paint
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Metal spoon (so it can be cleaned easily)
Rolling pin
Cookie cutters
Doily, lace or flat, textured object
Skewer
Ribbon or string
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Make a dough by mixing flour, salt, water and paint mix.
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Knead the dough until it’s nice and smooth. If it’s still sticky, add a little more flour.
When you think of stars at Christmas time, what do you think of? Do you think of the star that was the angels singing? Or the star the wise men followed? It would have been a beautiful star that stood out from the rest. Here’s a star that will be beautiful and stand out — and when you look at it, you might remember the joy of the night Jesus was born!
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On
When faced with loss, we usually go through various stages of grieving. Grief is described as a “keen mental suffering or distress over affliction or loss; sharp sorrow; painful regret.”2 How we grieve will be determined by the nature of the loss (i.e. whether we are expected to survive or if the loss is a result of a terminal illness and we are facing death).
Place
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Elizabeth Kubler-Ross in the late 1969s outlined five stages of grieving as denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Her work has been useful to many, especially to those suffering from terminal illness.
Arlene Taylor, on the other hand, in her Grief Recovery Pyramid of three stages of grieving as of shock, distress and acceptance. Her model is designed to help survivors work through loss episodes and move successfully through the grief recovery process.3
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By Michelle Villis, AmeliaThe grieving process cannot be hurried. Healthy grieving is based on an assumption that feelings are best accepted and expressed.4 When we short-circuit the process or sweep our grief “under the carpet” by adopting one of the grief avoidance patterns (such as postponing, displacing, replacing, minimising and somaticising), this affects our health on almost every level.
Some of the more common consequences of adopting grief-avoidance patterns are:
• Deterioration in relationships with friends and family
• Symptoms of chronic physical illness (either real or imagined)
• Symptoms of chronic depression, sleeping difficulties and low self-esteem
• Symptoms of chronic anxiety, agitation, restlessness and difficulty concentrating5
Research shows that those who go through the grieving process with the right attitude find new appreciation for life and a commitment to significantly improve their personal life.6
The spiritual dimension — relying on God while grieving — has been a source of comfort to many. They have found out that “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”7
It is appropriate to say that confronting one’s grief and the pain inherent in the experience is not always an easy task. However, for healing to occur, it is a task that must be done.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”1
