TM THE GOOD NEWS PAPER No. 437 au.challenge.news SAVED FROM AN Spencer Nicholls EARLY GRAVE and his family. ooking at Spencer Nicholls walked right off the pier into the today, a happily married father freezing water. of three and a board member He would have drowned if not for of a successful addiction recov- the fact that he suddenly saw ‘an Lery centre in Western Australia, it’s unbelievably bright light’ that led almost impossible to imagine him him to shore. at 17, unconscious on the fl oor of a A few years later, he was a pas- public toilet foaming at the mouth senger in a stolen car being driven and close to death after yet another by a friend who was high from sniff - heroin overdose. ing petrol. The blonde 45-year-old is boyish Travelling at more than 100kmh and irrepressibly joyful. He is an in the middle of winter, the car shot absolute Duracell bunny of a man around a corner, skidded, spun on when he speaks to crowds about the icy road, clipped another vehicle his work, hopping and bouncing on and flipped, catapulting Spencer stage like he has hidden springs in through the windscreen, into the air his shoes. and head fi rst into a fi eld turned to Yet 30 years ago that is exactly rock by ice. where Spencer was – passed out Spencer blacked out. When he on the fi lthy fl oor of a public toi- opened his eyes, the first thing let. Hopelessly addicted to heroin, he realised was that his head was cocaine, alcohol and promiscuity by underground. The next thing he the time he hit his early teens, he was realised was that against all odds, destined for an early grave. he was not dead. Ironically the person who rescued Yet even with all these near him and called the ambulance that misses, he could not break free from night was his drug dealer – who him- his addictions. As it turned out, he self had gone to the toilet to shoot up could do nothing to help himself. some drugs. But God could. Spencer is a living That wasn’t the only time Spencer testimony of that because today, almost died. When he was 13, he the former heroin and crack cocaine was high on LSD at a beach party in addict is a pastor in one of Perth’s his hometown of Kent in the United largest churches. Kingdom. Seeing ‘pretty things’ in “I think I was born with that pro- the distance, he followed them – and pensity to addiction,” Spencer told Challenge. “Once I started taking drugs and the story of the prodigal son (Luke BACK alcohol and got involved with the sex 15: 11-32). PAGE scene I just couldn’t stop.” “Everyone else turned their backs It wasn’t that he didn’t try to kick to him but somehow something I know I know you his addictions. He went to several about that story touched a nerve rehab centres and would stay clean in me, gripped me. As I heard it I BY DR. VICTOR KULIGIN for a while. But invariably the old thought to myself: ‘I’m the son, I’m habits would resurface and before the son.’” DO you know Brad Pitt? The question is trickier than you might think. long he would be back to square one. The story of the prodigal son is Some people will immediately answer yes, but if I asked instead, “Do you Finally he was sent to a hospital about a young man who demands an know Brad Pitt personally?” then most of them would have to say no. You that was part rehab centre, part early inheritance from his father and see, you may “know” Brad Pitt in the sense of knowing something about asylum. “We could hear the screams leaves home with it. Before long, he him, without really knowing him personally and having a relationship with coming from the asylum,” Spencer squanders all of it on fast and loose him. remembers. “It was a way to scare living and has to go back to his father Similarly, I could ask, “Do you know God?” those of us in rehab that we could to beg for forgiveness. The father, How you reply to this question may be the most important thing you ever become like that if we didn’t get who in the story represents God, answer. Once again, it all depends on what I mean by “know.” RACE & FAITH clean.” shows his son great mercy instead of How can we know God? BENJAMIN WATSON It was there that Spencer met the anger, and welcomes him back with Typically, people use the word “revelation” to label this topic of knowing man who would change his life – open arms and a big party. God. The Bible teaches that there are two categories of revelation—two an old village chaplain who visited After the service, Spencer ways to know God. regularly. approached the chaplain who told First, there is revelation about God that is clear to all people—what we “It was mandatory for the patients him to kneel down that night and call general revelation. W: challengenews.online to attend his talks even though we simply say “God if you’re real, show The other kind is special revelation—knowledge about God only certain F: challengenews didn’t want to,” Spencer chuckles. yourself to me”. people have received. You can’t know this information unless someone expressly tells it to you. T: @challengegoodn “The day that I was there, he read G Turn to page 3 G Turn to page 2 2 Challenge • Edition 437 Hope is still alive When life feels meaningless BY ALAN BAILEY BY RICK LEWERS QUOTES ON MEANINGLESSNESS THERE IF is a force in you are person who would like some stark honesty about Words without actions are meaningless, but actions the universe called life, Ecclesiastes in the Bible is the book for you. If you look without words are confusing. - Anonymous entropy. It means that around your world confronted by its confusing nature and I would rather die a meaningful death than to live a everything wears out, almost accidentally respond with a despairing sigh, then meaningless life. – Corazon Aquino all energies are slowly Ecclesiastes is the book for you. It is a disturbing read and winding down, nothing deliberately so. Its sigh is the sigh captured in the words, So many people walk around with a meaningless life. lasts forever. We live “meaningless, meaningless, all is meaningless.” This book is They seem half-asleep, even when they’re busy doing with this day after day. an analysis of life designed to help a person consider life, things they think are important. This is because they’re Our rubbish bins fi ll lived under the sun, without God. chasing the wrong things. - Morrie Schwartz up, appliances die now The writer of Ecclesiastes is an observer, an investigator, Man cannot stand a meaningless life. - Carl Jung and then, and the car is a philosopher whose thoughts take him honestly into God alone can deliver us from a life of meaningless becoming old and tired, the dark and meaningless implications of life lived under activities. - T. B. Joshua needing replacement. the sun where God is absent. The writer is ancient but But think how it go in its refusal to acknowledge His signifi cantly contemporary. If you met him today you might posing eternal questions. Here is what he says, “The more aff ects our bodies. Day by day we authority. Because God is shut out of fi nd him on the sidewalk observing the protestations of words that are spoken, the more smoke there is in the air. age and draw away from youth and our lives and out of our reckoning, the individualist. He’d be among the press asking questions And who is any better off ? And who knows what’s best for vigour, slowly making our way to age trouble follows. The Bible points out of leadership while watching the falling markets and us as we live out our meagre smoke-and-shadow lives? And and its limitations. Recent months that things will get worse toward listening to the gasps of the money lovers. He’s one of who can tell any of us the next chapter of our lives?” have brought us a loud alarm. The the end of history. The times will us, so you would inevitably catch a glimpse of him at the They are great questions and our answers either bring a virus. It has changed our world and be diffi cult and hope will seem to crematorium or grave side or dining at table with those meaningless sigh or purposeful joy to living. done untold damage. There seems disappear completely. dividing up inheritances. He’s not a single issue writer but I learnt, this week, that George Bernard Shaw, the famous to be added to this a wave of natural But there is a way that leads to a an observer of life where God is neglected or dismissed. 19th century atheist, put his mind to these very questions disasters, deep divisions among place where entropy does not exist. He’s not looking for a soap box to preach some narrow and it is worth hearing his conclusions: “Man’s life is brief people of the same country, violent It is God’s plan to usher in a kingdom passion, nor is he looking to unite with others to make his and powerless.