Challenge the Good News Paper

WWW.CHALLENGENEWS.ORG.AU TM No. 402 THE GOOD NEWS PAPER UUNWANTEDNWANTED AANDND UUNNAMEDNNAMED YYETET UUNASHAMEDNASHAMED Australian wife, mother, writer, and international speaker Christine Caine has come through the challenges of her life to be unstoppable, undaunted and unashamed. hristine Caine may have happening to you,” Christine says. ministry in her mid-20s, and that suffered sexual abuse, aban- “When it happens over a long period was when she began to deal with her donment from her biological of time, you then begin to think it’s own dark past, in order to help lead parents and a bout of cancer happening because of who you are. others to the light. but nothing will hold her “So I grew up feeling a lot of rejec- “The pain of recovery was great,” Cback from life. tion, shame, insecurity, Christine admits. “We have to In her latest book Una- fear, and anger. Over the undergo a process of restora- shamed, released last year, years I’ve had to fi ght to tion to have the wounds of Christine shares that her The truth renew my mind to a place our soul healed, and to allow fi rst experience of shame where I understand at Jesus to touch those dark came in the form of rac- [about my the core of my being that places.” ism from her kindergarten Jesus is trustworthy,” Little did she know she peers because she was identity] she says. would become the director “God created me intentionally. I was not an accident,” says Christine raised in a Greek family. never Her family were always of nationwide youth minis- Enduring sexual abuse regular church goers and try Youth Alive. age was; all had been a lie. She was gave His only begotten son to die from several men as a really Christine grew up with Later, she and her husband Nick not the daughter of Greek Orthodox for us. child cemented this feeling a strong God-conscious- founded Equip & Empower Min- immigrants. She was “unnamed “My birth certifi cate might say I inside her. changed ness, which developed istries, started the A21 Campaign #2508”, as she found out once she am unnamed, but God says before “Nobody talked about into a personal relation- to prevent human traffi cking, and got a hold of her real birth certifi cate. I was even formed in my mother’s that stuff [40 years ago]. ship with Jesus in her founded Propel Women to “hon- The social worker report said she womb He had named me. You walked in the shame early 20s. our the calling of every woman, was “unwanted”. “God created me intentionally. I of it, and you buried it,” she told “When you’re abused, you shut empower her to lead, equip her for Unwanted, unnamed, yet surpris- was not an accident. Even before I Today’s Christian Women. down and think you’re used goods. sucChristicess, and develop a sense ingly fi ne, because she explains, “My got to the planet He planned for me “When you’re fi rst abused, you’re You think God could never really do of God-given purpose”. life is built on the fi rm foundation of to be here, He planned good works filled with shame about what is anything with your life,” Christine Then, at age 33, Christine found Jesus Christ”. for me to do when I got here. My admits. “It certainly has been the out she had been adopted. “Even though all the facts about knowledge of my circumstances fi ght of my life to get to the place of In an instant, her entire life’s my life changed, the truth really have changed, but the truth never trusting God to redeem the broken foundation was shaken. Who she never changed and the truth is that has.” PAGE pieces of my past for his glory.” was, where she was from, who her I have a Heavenly Father, and He 10 Christine started to serve in youth family was, what her cultural herit- loves you and me so much that He ● Turn to page 2 HEROIN PLAYBOY FINDS THE GOOD STUFF avid Twivey grew up a typical ‘poor rich invested in some real estate, and found an kid’ who had it all fi nancially and yet escape from the depression and rejection of felt a spiritual and emotional emptiness his childhood by drinking champagne and EXSATANISTEXSATANIST Dthat drove him to alcohol and heroin. smoking drugs with an elite group of rich It was only when he had tried all money could friends from school. buy and blown it all that he was fi nally ready to “They were happy, they enjoyed life,” fi nd true riches. David says. “Money was never an issue. Fast BACK David’s parents and grandparents were very cars, girls – it was all there. But I knew I was PAGE wealthy, owning hotels and real estate invest- heading for disaster.” ments in western Sydney. He remembers a David had always believed there was a privileged early childhood: gambling on his God. grandad’s lap, surfi ng at their holiday house, “I went forward at the Billy Graham Cru- catching lobsters, and being a junior life saver. sade in the late ‘60s but didn’t understand However, he also remembers that his parents surrendering to the Lordship of Christ,” he were very focused on making money and climb- admits. “I wanted a magic pill to come from ing the social ladder, so at 11 David was sent to David Twivey and his wife Beth. God to lift me out of my problems.” The King’s School, an elite military boarding By 1974 David’s partying lifestyle had school in Western Sydney that specialised in I could see no future.” used up all his liquidity. For his 21st birthday BBETHANY’SETHANY’S punitive discipline. After high school, while he was studying eco- that year his parents gave him a one-way train “It was a hellish culture of hard discipline and nomics at New South Wales University, David’s ticket to Perth, plus a guarantee of a job in BBAACCKK I did not respond well to it,” David confesses. “I grandmother died and left him a lot of money. Dampier 1500 km to the north. even tried to overdose on aspirin at 11 because He bought a fancy Alpha Romeo sports car, ● Turn to page 2 2 Edition 402 FFAMILYAMILY MATTERSMATTERS David HHeroineroin pplayboylayboy ffindsinds Twivey BY ALAN BAILEY see to it that we feel pain. The pain in his of parting, of sickness, of eventual o ce in f the family is society’s basic unit bereavement. Some people recognise Townsville and is as old as the human race, this problem about love and so tthehe ggoodood sstufftuff why is it such a mixed blessing? determine never to lose their hearts Why haven’t we mastered the art to anyone. But this will not help in the ● From page 1 expensive, costing him $2000 a Iof living together, of relating well? long run. We were meant to love and day by 1982. Is the family just another instance of be loved. Life is harder without love Although “it felt like I was being “To get that money I started something that is hard to live with than it is with it. sent off to boarding school again”, selling off my properties. I and hard to live without?hout? THE FAMILY THATT LASTS the job as a ship ping offi cer at a was living for today and in THE STRUGGLE There is a family that fulfi ls the mining company turned out to be a a fantasy that everything Probably the mainn dreamdrea of all families. role David enjoyed and excelled in. would be alright.” cause of all our It is the family of Yet every night he would drink It wasn’t long before relationship God.G He is Father; all his himself into oblivion. David had lost every- problems is our childrench are brothers “It was pretty horrendous,” David thing and was so des- own nature – andan sisters who will admits. “It was sort of an accepted perate for cash that he our hearts. All enjoy untainted, thing in a mining town that you hocked his mother’s of us struggle unending love drank heavily – as long as you could jewellery when his against selfi shness, together for eternity. work during the day.” parents were away covetousness, angerr HeH has planned it that After a few years, David tried to on holiday. and undisciplined way.w Our families on escape his alcoholism by returning to On their use of our tongues. earthea are just a pale Sydney, and from there he followed a return, his par- Of course, we will all picture of what He has in mind. school friend to Sri Lanka. ents charged him claim that we were provoked, that THE WAY IN But his problems followed him. with theft and, after three nights in a great experience.” circumstances or other people caused Many have already gone to their “Sri Lanka is where I got into her- lock up, the judge asked David if he David’s father also came to Christ us to do what we did. Whatever the eternal home. Others here in this oin. I started up a restaurant on the wanted to go to rehab, to the Salva- about six months later, but was still reason for our lapse into aggressive life experience what it is like to be in beach, met [actress] Dita Cobb and tion Army, and he agreed.

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