Challenge the Good News Paper
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TM THE GOOD NEWS PAPER No. 415 SSEEINGEEING TTHEHE LLIGHTIGHT AAMIDMID SSUFFERINGUFFERING Losing a child rocks your world, your marriage and your belief in God to its core, as well-known Christian singer songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman can testify, but he determined it would only make him stronger. teven says that as a child he “grew up in a was the reality of having a relationship with Jesus relatively happy home”, although his parents that meant the most to me. ‘This is a good day,’ I fought often and his father “carried a heavy thought. Sload of shame and anger” that he sometimes “What God did in my heart that day in a small took out on Steven and his older brother Herbie. Kentucky church when I was just an eight year The atmosphere at home changed profoundly, old little boy was eternally signifi cant in my life.” however, when Steven was seven years old and his SUCCESSFUL CAREER parents and brother committed their lives to Christ The other defi ning infl uence in Steven’s life was during a gospel revival at their church. music. Steven’s dad ran a music store and taught Steven, himself, didn’t respond at the time but the guitar, so even before he was eight, Steven was later that year, seeing the change in his parents, he reading music and song writing. was challenged by the Scripture where Jesus says, He and Herbie would perform together as the “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone Chapman Brothers – he on guitar and Herbie will open the door, I will come in.” singing. “I don’t remember anything else the pastor “I have been fascinated with the whole idea of said,” Steven shares, “but this was very clear to song writing for as long as I can remember,” he me. I could sense Jesus knocking at the door of recalls with a smile. “It was how I found my voice.” my heart. I had seen a change happen in my family Steven’s fi rst album, First Hand, was released in so when I heard this. It was what God used to ask, 1987, topping at number 2 on the Contemporary ‘Will you invite me in?’ Christian Music (CCM) chart. Steven recalls the day in his autobiographical He maintained consistent success over the next book Between Heaven and the Real World: My 30 years, winning fi ve Grammy awards and 58 Story: “I knelt down and prayed while the con- Dove Awards in various categories (more than ABOVE: gregation continued singing… I was happy just to any other artist to date) with 19 more albums, 10 Musician know I was on my way to heaven. I didn’t have a of which went gold or platinum. Steven Curtis lot of deep, dark sins to confess, so my conversion THE ACCIDENT Chapman. experience wasn’t as dramatic as some. ’Am I sup- In October, 1984, Steven married Mary Beth and INSET: The posed to cry?’ I wondered aloud. ‘I don’t feel like together they had three children, Emily, Caleb, and extended crying. I feel like smiling!’ Will. They later felt called by God to adopt two little Chapman “It wasn’t fear of hell or even a strong desire girls from China, whom they named Shaohannah family in a to go to heaven that motivated me to respond. It Hope and Stevey Joy. photo from ● Turn to page 2 Facebook. Fun for Kids PPagesages 55,6,7,6,7 THERE IS HOPE FOR HYPOCRITES BY CHRIS BRENNAN ItIt makes us mad when we see examples myself looking for the short cuts when it is the BACK of ppolice who are supposed to be guardians, long road that needs to be walked. PAGE HYPOCRISY just caughtcau in corruption or carelessness, and then But here is the good news for a hypocrite makes us mad doesn’t theret are examples of hypocritical clergy, like me. Jesus said: “I have not come to call the it? Politicians speaking preaching and standing for morality while righteous, but sinners.” of tightened belts, while living out the worst kinds of immorality. No hypocrite Himself, Jesus lived a life consistent endorsing payments for HypocrisyHyp rightly makes us angry. We hate with His beliefs, and no mere talker, He gave His life themselves. hypocrites.hypoc Hypocrisy makes us cynical. Hypocrisy so that hypocrites and sinners might be saved. There is the hypocrisy off makesmake us distrustful. Jesus said of Himself: “For even the Son of Man some media fi gures speaking I hate the hypocrisy that I see in those around did not come to be served, but to serve, and to of truth and objectivity, while at the same time me, and the damage that it does... but there is a give His life as a ransom for many.” advancing a personal or political agenda with kind that I hate even more. I hate the hypocrisy Is that a get out of jail free card for hypocrites? OONN TTHEHE inaccurate or selective reporting. that l see in myself. By no means, rather it is the certainty of our There is the hypocrisy of some doctors I hate it but sadly, I’ll hypocritically point out judgment, while at the same time an o er of mercy BBALLALL supposedly committed to the Hippocratic Oath, the failures in others much more quickly than I’ll for those who would recognise their guilt and turn MMAYAAYA MMOOREOORE while at the same time advocating killing. confront it in myself. I hate hypocrisy, but I fi nd away from their hypocritical, self-justifying ways. ● 2 Challenge Edition 415 Jesus in jeans: a SSeeingeeing tthehe llightight aamidmid 21stC parable SStevteveenn ssaidaid thethe hardesthardest songsong toto IF Jesus had chosen to come to fancy our pplaylay afterfter hhisis ddaughter’saughter’s ddeatheath earth in modern times, some of phone ssufferinguffering was his hit asCinderi nhisde hitrel lCa.ella. His parables may have been a or tablet, bit diff erent. He used stories and unless it is charged, it is useless. pictures that the people could That is how much we need Jesus. He readily identify with from what they doesn’t just enhance our lives like a saw around them. pretty cover or phone jewel. Without For instance, maybe John 15:1-8, Him we really can do NOTHING. It instead of being about vinedressing, all starts with plugging into Him. would have sounded something like Without the power of God fl owing this: through our lives, all the potential “I am the true power source, and and talent within us lies dormant. my Father is the IT manager. He The Bible says we are “dead in our disconnects every device plugged sins”. into me that malfunctions, while However, fi lled with the “power” every device that does run, He of God, the darkness in people’s updates so that it can function even lives is replaced by light and they more optimally. You are already have purpose and understand why virus free because of the word I have they were created. They are useful in spoken to you. Remain connected to society and to God’s Kingdom. me, as I also remain attached to you. The more we use our devices, the No device can run without charge; more they need charging. Many ● From page 1 could hear me and scream until my voice was almost gone. it must be connected to the power. people say they are too busy to “It sure didn’t and doesn’t make sense. But I never felt Neither can you process data unless spend time praying, reading their In 2004, Steven fl ew back to China with strict orders like God abandoned us.” you remain in me. Bible and being quiet before God, from his wife: “Don’t even look at any orphan babies.” THE AFTERMATH “I am the power source, you are but the truth is busyness is not a But within seven months, another little girl was added In all the grief and trauma that followed, Steven and his the devices. If you remain plugged virtue and often we just need to sit to the family, Maria Sue. “This little one just grabbed my family refused to blame God for the tragic loss of Maria. into me, you will process much data; still, spending time with God, being heart,” Steven explains. His heart would break just a few Steven says that at the time, his prayers were simple and apart from me you can do nothing. recharged. years later over that little girl when on May 21st, 2008, she desperate. “God, I’m going to trust You. I have nothing If you do not remain in me, you are Reading the Bible to learn God’s was killed in a tragic accident. else.” like a device that is at 0% battery perspective on our self and our Maria and two of her sisters were playing in the back- Steven turned back to music to help him channel his and useless; such devices are thrown world is like getting regular software yard when older brother Will pulled his SUV slowly into pain. He wrote numerous songs about his little daughter away and recycled. If you remain updates. The Bible also provides the driveway. Maria took off running towards the car, and released an album in November, 2009, called, ‘Beauty plugged into me and my updates us with anti-virus software so that eager to greet her brother, ignoring the warning screams will Rise,’ in memory of her.