Cost: FREE A quarterly electronic Christian magazine. Please purchase gifts or donate online to help support this ministry: www.spagmag.com Single Person Approved by God - Voice of the - Should You Pray Martyrs: Asia for a Spouse? Bibi Acquitted - God’s Will for Your Wait - DIDUNO: Kristallnacht - Fiction: The Old Woman - How to Deal with Toxic Family Members Biblically - Domestic Violence and the Church - Part Three (Final); - Quirky Valentine’s Day Ads Regular Segments: ☬ Letters to Lou ☬ Puzzle Page ☬ Open Doors ☬ ☬ Tantalising Trivia ☬ DIDUNO ☬ Creation Ministries ☬ Kooky Corner ☬ ☬ Kristie’s Kitchen ☬ Words of Wisdom ☬ Rest Ministries ☬ A free quarterly, online magazine for all Christian adults, with a focus on singles. Issue No. 15 Dec 2018 - Feb 2019 ~ Single Person Approved by God ~ Contents Contents How to Deal with Toxic Superhero Status Anti-Semitism, ‘Perverted Bridges for Peace: Blessing Why Seeking Justice is The Day I Saved Christmas Family Members Biblically and Absurd’ Brings Blessing Central to the Gospel What if Your Success is Life Lessons: A Life Domestic Violence and the Fiction - Short Story: Does Androgyny Presage God’s Will for Your Wait Anonymous? Changed Church: Part 3 (Final) The Old Woman Disaster? Or When Harry Thinks He’s Sally, is the End Nigh? How Can a Good God Allow Compromised Churches Should You Pray for a The Message of a Martyr: Quirky Valentine’s Day Ads us to Suffer? Denying the Uniqueness of Spouse? The Legacy of Christ Rev Haik Hovsepian Pakistan: Asia Bibi Creation Ministries: Inspirational People: Acquitted Dragonfly Design Tips Dr Mary Edwards Walker Why Christians have Hope Up Close and Personal with Spaghetti to the rescue Kristallnacht for the Church in Iraq Wildlife: Grey Goshawk Mary had Loads of This Jesus Feature: Does the Bible Tell Disappointments at Christians to Judge Not? Christmas A Love Poem Diduno: Christmas and Modern Missionaries: PNG No Crime? Almost! Adventures ~ Life in Transition ~ 2 ~ Issue 15 Dec 2018 - Feb 2019 ~ 2 ~ Single Person Approved by God ~ Editor’s Letter SPAG Magazine Staff and Contact Details Vicki Nunn: Editor, Journalist, layout designer, graphic artist Joseph Kolapudi: Journalist Welcome to the fifteenth issue of Lori Yanez: Journalist SPAG! Liz Gill: Journalist (Modern Missionaries) We have a new segment in SPAG Magazine beginning with this Michael Hannett: Journalist issue. More and more today, the Christian heritage of many nations is being mocked, criticised, and even forgotten. In some instances, Kristie: Chef the Christian foundations of our societies are being deliberately omitted from history books and from school and university Lou: SPAG Counsellor (anonymous) courses. Diduno is an Australian website which shares fascinating Contact us: stories about the Christian foundations of Australia. Their very first Mail: PO Box 9772, Frenchville, Qld 4701, Australia article in SPAG Magazine is “Kristallnacht” which can be found on Email: [email protected] Page 29, and they’ve also shared “Christmas and No Crime? Phone: (+61) 042 44 33 772 Almost,” which can be found on page 77. You might like to check WebSPAG address: (Single www.spagmag.com Person Approved by God) is a free quarterly, online out Diduno’s website at: www.diduno.info. I’d like to send out a magazine for adult Christians, with a focus on singles. While it is based welcome and thank you to Diduno for joining SPAG Magazine. in Australia, it is an international, inter-denominational publication We farewell Liz Gill as our Modern Missionary writer as she aimed at encouraging, challenging and inspiring all believers, with returns to Australia after her time as a nurse in Papua New Guinea. articles suitable for all. Her final article is on page 79. Liz has been sharing some of her Another of our aims is to provide Church leaders and married adventures and different experiences there for the last year or so, couples with some insight into the problems and needs of the singles in and I’ve found her stories of the PNG people and culture quite their congregation who can sometimes feel overlooked or even fascinating. Thank you so much Liz! Your contribution to SPAG unwanted in their church. Our greatest aim is to bring praise and Magazine is much appreciated. Liz has hinted, that she may still be honour God through this ministry. back with us in the future, in a different capacity - so stay tuned! SUBMISSIONS: Our feature article in this issue is from Answers in Genesis who Please feel free to write to SPAG via our email: ask us a very pertinent question for today’s society: Does the Bible [email protected]. Ensure you title your email with the relevant really say that we shouldn’t judge others? (page 56) This is our first section of SPAG or address it to the Editor. You may feel compelled to article from Answers in Genesis, so I send out a big thank you to respond to an article, or you may like to submit an article1 or photo1 of AiG for their contribution. your own for consideration. Perhaps you have a question for Lou, In this issue, Joseph Kolapudi talks about super-heroes on page SPAG's Counsellor. 17 which is a strong theme in western culture as most of us have Please note that any item or photo for publication must be your own grown up with ‘superheroes’ on radio, in comics, tv shows and original work and not copied from elsewhere.1 movies etc. Did you daydream about having a super-power? ADVERTISING: Flying was one of my top choices, probably because I used to often If you would like to promote your business or major Christian have scary dreams about volcanoes and tsunamis, and flying in my activity in SPAG, please contact the Editor, Vicki Nunn on email: dreams allowed me to rescue people. Sadly I never dreamed that I [email protected] or phone (+61) 042 44 33 772. You can find had the one super-power which I think would make a real more information about advertising costs on SPAG's website (link difference in this world: unconditional love, but hey - we already here.). have a ‘superhero’ with that ability in Jesus, and His love is Community or non-profit groups are advertised free, though we supernatural! cannot guarantee that there will always be sufficient space, and you As I write this letter, I’m reminded once again that Christmas must allow a minimum of 2 months notification before publication of will soon be here. For many of us, Christmas isn’t the ‘most the relevant issue. wonderful time of the year’ for various reasons, one of which may ------------------------------------------ 1. By submitting your letter, item or article for inclusion in SPAG, you personally accept all legal be due and unhealthy or abusive family. On page 8, Brittany Ann responsibility for your submission, and acknowledge that you have not extracted nor copied written or shares how we can Biblically deal with toxic family members. photographic or other material from elsewhere that does not belong to you or whose copyright is owned by another. You hereby accept all legal responsibility and exempt SPAG and anyone associated with this magazine Ruth Lindsay shares her third and final article on domestic from any and all legal consequences and responsibilities. By submitting your letter, item or article you are violence and the church (page 38), and I truly appreciate the terrific giving your complete approval for SPAG Magazine and anyone associated with it, to freely use it in SPAG Magazine or on our website, agreeing that use of said item will be without charge and that you waive all work she’s done on this topic - thanks Ruth - quite an eye-opener. financial compensations for said item. SPAG agrees not to share your personal details or your contribution with This blockbuster issue will provide you with great reading, and any other organisation or person not associated with it which is part of our Privacy Policy. topics which I pray you’ll be chatting to God about - are you up to Singles: we understand that you may feel invisible, overlooked or the challenge? even unwanted in the church. Be assured that your needs, concerns Please accept our very best wishes for Christmas and the New and problems are real. You are not alone, but are part of a vast Year from the SPAG Magazine team. family of brothers and sisters. God sees you and your struggles: He Warm regards knows you and He loves you. The articles here are written to encourage, challenge and inspire you, whether single or married. Vicki Nunn, ~Please feel free to share this magazine with Christian friends and family.~ SPAG Editor 3 ~ Issue 15 Dec 2018 - Feb 2019 ~ 3 ~ Single Person Approved by God ~ Letters to Lou Letter 1 – Unhappily Married to a Nag You are the reason I emphasise strongly the Dear Lou importance of going through weeks of pre-marital I married my wife about 12 months after I met counselling. After twelve months of knowing each her, but she is not the woman I thought I was other you are married. You are only beginning to marrying. We've been together almost 40 years in a know the other person, and hopefully time spent very ugly marriage. She is a terrible nag and with your marriage celebrant would have picked up constantly criticizes me, but not at church because significant issues you would encounter in your she fakes being nice. Nobody at our church knows proposed marriage. By the way, this level of how horrible she is and I think they all believe she's counselling is applicable to first, second, or third the sweet, loving person she puts on.