The Y wishes you a holy
& peaceful festive |
The Y wishes you a holy
& peaceful festive |
Editorial
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The Y-Link has reached its 21st monthly anniversary. At 21 it’s time to grow up and be transformed. So the Y-Link has decided to change from its present format, to become more age-friendly. From January 2000 it will appear as the Yag-Link for Young Adult groups; as the Syg-Link for Senior Youth groups, and the Jyg-Link, for Junior Youth groups. In this way it hopes to be more relevant to all its youthful readers. The Year of the Father has just concluded. Have you been to confession this year at all? If not, can we really say that we have you returned to "our Father’s house"? Anyway it’s not too late! Advent is a good time to do so! It’s time to Prepare! 20 days to Christmas. Are you ready? Nevermind being Y2K ready! Are You GW compliant? What’s that? Complying to God’s Way! |
By the way, whose millenium is it? The only reason why it is 2000 is that the date was calculated in what is now known as the 6th Century A.D. (Anno Domini – year of Our Lord), by a Spanish historian, and despite having to work from very limited archives, he amazingly managed to determine how long it had been since Jesus had been born in Bethlehem, to within an error margin of 4-7 years. For those who don’t believe that the Incarnation of God among us is the most important event of history, there is no great purpose of celebrating. For them it really should be just a banal accident of history. It is ironic that those for whom Jesus means little, will nevertheless be partying to excess, while perhaps those for whom Jesus is Lord will be distracted by a whole lot of non-religious hype.
One thing is certain, even though the end of the world could happen anytime, there is no evidence pointing to the possibility of it being more likely at this point of history. Instead of an ending, there is hopefully a new beginning, a springtime. There is no reason for committing suicide out of fear of the End of the world! Reflect on what Jesus says to us in Luke 21:5-11. |
| Games for the holiday gatherings:
Good for any group size. Divide your group into any number of teams. Give each team a new (mini) bar of soap. Provide buckets filled with water- enough buckets so that one person from each team has access to one. On "GO" have teams race to shrink their bars of soap without breaking them. Team members will need to take turns furiously "washing their hands" to shrink the soap. If a bar of soap breaks, the team is disqualified. Call time after five minutes. The team with the smallest bar of soap wins. Take this a step further and add a brief study of Psalm 50 "Create in me a pure heart, O God; wash me clean of my iniquities…" Broom Ride You need three or four brooms approximately the same size. Have three teams each line up behind a designated line with their broom. When you say "ride," each team must stay behind the line and put as many players as possible on its broomstick. Then players must "ride" the broom to a chosen end point. The riders must return to the starting line if anyone falls off the broom. If not all the players can fit on the broom at once, one person must run back on the broom to get the other players. |
Steal The Treasure Players sit in a circle. One blindfolded person sits in the middle, with their treasure (keys, rattle) in front of them and their stick (rolled up newspaper) in hand. A thief is chosen from the circle to attempt to snatch the treasure, without making any noise to alert the guard in the middle. If the thief is swatted by the newspaper stick, (s)he must return to the circle. If the thief succeeds in stealing the treasure, (s)he becomes the new guard. Before the game create a list of one or two syllable words. Clear a large space on the wall and form 2 teams. Have each team choose a representative to start the game. Explain to kids that you'll show their selected team members a word that they must convey to their team. Tell the kids that they must convey the word in only one way: by using their heads as imaginary pencils to spell the words on the wall. Play several rounds so each team member gets a turn at writing on the wall. The team that's able to guess the correct answers in the shortest amount of time wins. Stick Spinning Get a broomstick and have a member of the group hold the bottom to his/her chin. Now, looking at the tip of the stick have him/her spin as fast as possible, keeping eyes on the tip. After they seem quite dizzy, tell them to drop the broomstick and step over it. It's hilarious, you have got to try it! If you're doing a camp-out or something at night, try "star" spinning - focusing on a star instead. Instead of stepping over a stick, ask them walk 10 meters or so. Toe Fencing If set to music, this game looks like a new kind of dance. All players pair off and lock hands and try to tap the top of one of their partner's feet with their own feet. Players hop around trying to avoid being stomped on. After being tapped 3 times, that player is out and the winning partner challenges another winner. The game continues till only one player is left. |
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It is hoped that the youth will be conspicuous by their participation! All are encouraged to visit all eight designated Jubilee Parishes on the afternoons of the first Sunday of every month between February and September, from 13h30 to 17h30. Look out for posters in your parish which provide further details! Although we had made over 100 phone calls and sent out e.mail reminders to over 50 contacts, only 28 persons from 10 different parishes attended the DYF meeting on Saturday 27/11. We were a bit disappointed, especially since food-wise we had catered for a minimum of 60 people. We missed the rest of you but had a useful formative and informative day nevertheless. Benjamin and Isabelle are polishing their command of the English language and picking up a few other vernacular words, and for the time being doing the ground work for the building up of local scouting leaders and groups in the parishes which have expressed an interest and are able to find some (young) adults who are ready to commit themselves to undergo the training necessary before being commissioned to run scouting in their parishes. The article in the Diocesan News two months ago may have mislead some readers into thinking that the project plans to start up something new and separate from local South African scouting. The idea of scouting in parishes has existed for a long time and was very strong in the 60s and 70s, but has faded unfortunately in practically all the parishes which had a scouting base. Secondly, the intention is to have our parish-based troops affiliated to the Scouting Association of South Africa, and training and accreditation will be dependant on the existing structures of scouting in S.Africa. Isabelle and Benjamin will be responsible mainly for coordinating and supporting the groups at the beginning. |
Tefsa – Looking for bursaries in tertiary level? The SACBC (Southern African Bishops’ Conference) had since 1976 a Bursary Scheme known as the EAS (Educational Assistance Scheme). It was made possible through the help of kind donors in Europe. And in the past 23 years thousands of young people around S.Africa have been able to further their high schooling and tertiary education despite all the obstacles that existed in the days of apartheid. Unfortunately, due to what are seen now as other priority needs around the world, the source of funding which used to come from Europe has dried up, and from 2000, no more funds are available. Fortunately though, the Government has recently launched a new students’ loan program which is run by TEFSA (Tertiary Education Fund of South Africa). It is accessible by second year students who have successfully completed their first year especially in the field of health, science, technology commerce and engineering, in the form of a loan which needs to be paid back in time, though if you do very well in your results, up to 40% of the loan gets converted into a bursary. To find out more about TEFSA, go to the Financial Aid Bureau at your tertiary institution early in the year. Could we please SPEND ONE DAY IN PEACE, JANUARY 1st, 2000?! Some of us share a dream that for 24 hours, no guns will be fired anywhere on earth, including on television. What if: for 24 hours, whosoever was at still war in December 1999, could agree that for one whole day, no guns would be fired. The silence would be golden. What if: the television programmers of the world agreed NOT to air any program containing even a single scene of violence? This "One DAY of Perfect PEACE" campaign is gaining momentum. Can you help spread this wish so that the dream might become a reality? This is a 'thought-wave campaign' and the more people who grasp this, the more it may become reality. |
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YES weekends are still being run, and the Joburg Y.E.S. branch still exists. Those who would like to plan one or more YES weekends in their parish in the year 2000, contact Manny de Freitas at 082-4117928. The Chiro Youth Movement proposes a 10 week residential training program for youth volunteers, animators,… from the 1st Feb to the 7th April 2000. It will be run at the Koinoinia Conference Centre near Pietermaritzburg. The total cost of the course is R6,600 but is being subsidized so that participants will only need to pay R3,300 = 50% of the cost! We hope to send two mature young adults from Joburg, who will be able on their return to serve in youth ministry for at least the remainder of 2000! Candidates who are over 20 and under 30 years of age, who have completed matric, are already committed to some youth ministry, and who are able to be away for the whole duration of the course, can apply to Fr Francois to be considered for sponsoring onto the course. Forms available from the Youth Office also. Requires URGENT attention! |
16th December – Peace Rally – Regina Mundi Organised by SACC (South African Council of Churches) Bring banners, posters for peace, T-shirts to identify yourselves by, etc. The plan is to meet at the entrance to Baragwanath Hospital and walk from there to Regina Mundi (= approximately 3 kms) where a peace rally will be run from 11h00 onwards. Celebrations of the millenium! Can you celebrate without booze and drugs? If you can’t you shouldn’t be reading this Y-Link!… This is the last copy of the Youth Department’s monthly newsletter in this A3 format – it is 21 months old and has grown up; it hopes to assume greater responsibility and relevance – So look out for a Yag-Link (Yellow), a sYg-Link (Green) and a jYg-Link (Blue)! Every month of the year 2K, in A4 format and in separate colours for instant recognition… |
Some Youth Experiences, Movements and Programs which the Youth Dept. is keen to promote: YES (Youth Encounter Spirit), Antioch, TEC (Teen Encounter Christ), Choice, Bana ba Maria, Chiro, Scouts & Guides, Masolenyane, CLG, Faith Adventure camps, Choirs’ Musical events, sport tournaments, drama, Annual Diocesan Youth Conference, Vuselela, Youth Alive, Retreats, Alpha, Novel Prayer services, Bible study groups, … And for those preparing for marriage – Catholic Engaged Encounter! "We'd rather have a second car than a second child!?" - What do you think? Is this not the unfortunate attitude caused by the mental viruses called Materialism and Individualism which we warned about in November last issue of the Y-Link?: "The 18 – 30 age group is the most reproductive but the least productive section of society!" - Do you agree? "Sex outside of marriage is not sinful! It’s only a sin if you have unprotected sex." That’s what most of the media are proclaiming. And the only behaviour change encouragement given, is not about saving sex for marriage, but about making sure one always has a condom ready. How tragic. Even committed Christians have been lulled into a false sense of security and their consciences have been brainwashed out of their heads. All promiscuity used to be considered a sin; the news is that it still is a sin. But beyond being just a sin which jeopardizes your eternal salvation in life hereafter, illegitimate sex is suicidal in this life! First came Yizo Yizo – Now it’s Jika Jika, Foreplay and Love-Life! Is sex for-play!? Simply a risky game?! As for me, I’d rather be part of Sexy Fidelity PTY (LTD). Did you do anything for World Aids Day? |
Some Essentials for a brilliant parish youth scene: - Every teenager must know the names of all the others of her or his age group! This seems so obvious, but sometimes this essential is not even achieved. - The youth group needs to play, pray and graft together. - The group needs a special corner of the parish facilities which is really youth-friendly & easily accessible. - The group needs to recruit a sponsor couple or some young adults to coach them from the sideline. - The group needs to be visible in the parish life – so it should organize at least one "youth mass" a month, if not each weekend. - Parents need to be involved. Questions for discussion: (In your groups or in letters to the Y-link!)
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| Events / Projects being considered for
2000: - Interparish Religious Knowledge quizz - Poster competition on prolife issues or on jubilee 2000 or on Jesus the teenager. - Retreats programs - Youth choir and parish folk group hymn exchanges End of century "stock taking"!: There seems to be an endless string of top 100 (pop tunes; toys, inventions, sports people, historical figures…) lists in the media Is there any youth group or movement who would like to nominate a name or two for the Johannesburg top ten parish youth animators of the year? Or for a Johannesburg Young catholic of the year award! |
Where is God? A couple had two little boys, ages 8 and 10, who were excessively mischievous. They were always getting into trouble and their parents knew that, if any mischief occurred in their town, their sons were probably involved. They boys' mother heard that a clergyman in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys. The clergyman agreed, but asked to see them individually. So the mother sent her 8-year-old first, in the morning, with the older boy to see the clergyman in the afternoon. The clergyman, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is God?". The boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response, sitting there with his mouth hanging open, wide-eyed. So the clergyman repeated the question in an even sterner tone, "Where is God!!?" Again the boy made no attempt to answer. So the clergyman raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face and bellowed, "WHERE IS GOD!?" The boy screamed and bolted from the room, ran directly home and hid in his closet, slamming the door behind him. When his older brother found him in the closet, he asked, "What happened?" The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied, "We are in BIG trouble this time, dude. God is missing - and they think WE did it!" |
Johannesburg Diocese Jubilee Prayer: The Spirit of the Lord is upon us; God has anointed us and sent us to bring good news to the poor, liberty to captives and to the blind new sight. We have been commissioned to set the downtrodden free, And to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour! Lord, we proclaim again these words in this Jubilee year, Knowing that this prophecy is not yet fulfilled. The mission that Jesus entrusted to his disciples two thousand years ago Continues to demand the response and energy of today's disciples. We pray for your grace to enable us to continue your mission And be the instruments of Your Kingdom in our diocese At this historical faith moment of our history. Amen. |
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Programme for 2000 Please read the full page notice of Youth events included in this Y-Link. Note especially the date for the annual youth conference in March… Booking forms are being sent to all the parishes before Christmas. Only first 100 participants booked can be accommodated. Please fill into your diaries straight away the major events planned at diocesan level, before passing on this Y-Link to someone else. Please encourage your parish priest to attend the special meeting on the 09/02 at the Cathedral - Remember, priests do bleed when you cut them… Be good to your pp. He not just the guy up there who looks awesome in those robes; He can be a good friend. Have you ever held a birthday or anniversary party for your pp? I have heard lots of stories from both sides of the sanctuary rails. PPs have shared with me how let down they have felt by youth groups in their parish… Young people have shared how they feel the priest considers them too irresponsible to allow them into the swimming pool, which they simply lock up, instead of teaching the young people to swim! Obviously more dialogue is needed across the altar rails. Also keep in mind the Nominations for WYD2000 in Rome – August 2000. |
Some of the Diocesan Youth Department Plans for 2000 are: 10-12 March – Diocesan Youth Leaders and Animators’ Conference at Bosco Youth Centre. Theme: R100 per participant. Target - Yags Space for 100, with a maximum of 3 from any single parish. Bookings close on the 29th February! Faith Adventure Camps at Bosco (= a Mini-Outward-Bound experience with a spiritual focus) for a maximum of 25 participants per weekend, for those between 15 and 21 years of age. Ideal for post-confirmation teens looking for a challenging inter-active experience. Target – Sygs. This is not for the faint-hearted! Lots of outdoor activities, walks, team exercises, canoeing, prayer times, discussion, reflection moments, a night in the open air, orientation challenges… Bookings are open for the following 4 weekends: (Must book at least a fortnight in advance) - 24-26 March; 23-25 June; 22-24 September; 20-22 October 16/04 – Palm Sunday afternoon 14h30 –17h00 = World Youth Day! (Prayer service and a show with a message at the Cathedral, and some inter-group activities. Target – Sygs. Purpose: Prepare for Easter Triduum – stimulate ideas to use in parish/school over Easter celebrations. |
16/06 – National Youth Day – Positive Action Day in own Parish/Region. Nothing will be planned by youth department – Youth groups are encouraged to organise activities for themselves. (All) 16-18 June – Youth Pilgrimage to Ngome – Cost: R350 per person, space for 50. Closing date for bookings and payment of deposits [R150] is the 1st June. (Yags and Sygs) 24/09 – Heritage day – Diocesan Youth Day at Bosco from 09h00 – 17h00. It will include games, a prayer service and Youth Group Talent Parade. Something for the whole family also! (All) Diocesan Youth Forum (DYF) Meetings – Mainly for parish youth coordinators and youth movement animators in youth groups, sodalities, altar servers... Sessions will be held quarterly at Diocesan Hall, Cathedral Place on the following Saturdays from 11h00-16h00: (Includes training in Youth Ministry, planning of youth events, and dissemination of information of relevance!) Dates: 19 February; 20 May; 26 August; 18 November (Yags/Sygs) |
DID YOU KNOW? - In Xmas, the X takes Christ out of Christmas. - Father Christmas coming through the chimney originates from the Laplands where in winter only a chimney like opening peaks out from under the snow , this serves as a front door & chimney for the houses that are snowed under. So one can say that Father Christmas is a front door person instead. - Christmas trees started in the 16th century when a man, riding on his horse through a forest on his way home, saw the light of the moon reflected on the green pine trees covered with snow. Back home, to explain what he had seen, he took a small pine tree & decorated it with candles. This was so beautiful that every household started to place similar trees in their homes. Later with the idea of the Jesse tree, the Christmas tree was decorated with symbols of love, hope, joy, fun & peace, it ever since then advanced to what we know it as now. |
As advertised in the November S-Link (for those who get it) , the South region hosted a pick-nick for the 4th of December 99 at Heidelburg Kloof, where + 15 parishes , stretching from Toekomsrus in the West to as far as Alrapark & Geluksdal in the Far East were present. This was the bomb. We thank GOD & all his people for the blessed time we had down there, CU next year guys . *All young people are strongly encouraged to participate in the Diocesan 8-parish pilgrimage First Sunday afternoon (13h30 – 18h30) of each month from February to September * Nominations for the WYD (09-21 August) in Rome close on 29/02/99 (Yags) A finalists selection parade will be held on the 18/03. 32 finalists will have a series of team-building and spiritual preparation sessions from April – July. * 09/02 – 09h30 to 12h30: Meeting for priests and religious and youth animators, concerning the youth scene in the diocese and in the parishes. * Easter Experience at Bosco – 20-23 April (Sygs and Yags) * Y-Link monthly newsletter to continue in 3 separate age-related editions– please help with circulating it and passing it on! For any further info and for bookings contact the Youth Office: 402-0757 or fax – 402-6406 or e.mail – catyouth@icon.co.za |
Defining youth – Yags, Sygs and Jygs!
Who are the youth?
This is a question which is constantly being raised by parish priests, youth coordinators and young people themselves. This notice attempts to give general guidelines. For the most part it simply repeats directives about categories of youth groups issued several times in the past from the Bishop himself and from his vicars:
In general, the following 3 youth categories are to be kept in mind:
Junior Youth Groups – 12 – 15 = pre-confirmation (The "Jygs")
Senior Youth Groups – 16 – 21 = post-confirmation (The "Sygs")
Young Adults Groups – 21 – 30 = post-matric… (The "Yags")
We urge that these be adhered to for the sake of clarity and better understanding.
We also challenge the Yags to assist the Sygs in running their group; and the Sygs to assist the Jygs in theirs, without "taking control", but in a coaching capacity, from the "sideline".
Obviously these groupings are not completely exclusive and there can be quite a bit of overlapping in some parishes, but when events are organised at regional or diocesan level, these categories will be kept in mind and activities will be targeted at one of these age levels, unless it is publicised as an open or family event, like the annual Diocesan Youth Day.
Another factor to observe, is that although youth groups wish to have the major say in how to run their own affairs, no youth group which claims to be a Catholic Parish Youth Group should exclude the presence and assistance of an adult / parent from their meetings and activities. In fact, the contrary would apply: no youth group should operate without the assistance of an adult animator, preferably appointed to this role by the Parish Priest or PPC, much in the same way as catechists and ministers of the eucharist are appointed.
A note about Young Adult Groups
Once a young person has completed secondary education, his/her focus of interest shifts, and having been very dependent on parents, now he/she begins to assume personal responsibility. While at school, options are still wide open; once out of school, fundamental life options need to be made without delay. That is why a new set of peers is needed, for by remaining with one’s juniors, a young-adult’s growth is retarded. At present there exists certain "Youth Groups" which consist mainly of 20-35 year olds, and members feel indignant when it is suggested that they really should consider themselves to be a Young Adults Group. This ought not to be!
The Youth Department of the Diocese continues to support Yags and to be available to them. But we recommend that Yags be able to do lots more for themselves, and not only for themselves, but actually assume responsibility for the other youth groups in their parish. And so a Yag group is considered as a resource group rather than a category requiring assistance!
Yag groups are not established in opposition to or in competition with the youth group. Members of the youth group should naturally progress / graduate into the Yag group, when the time comes for them to leave school, find work, get engaged, …
A note about children’s groups:
Children up to 12 years of age tend to be still very much confined to their home environment. However the primary school children can also benefit from belonging to groups, and it is desirable that where possible, certain groups activities be organized for this age group at parish level.
Watch out: the ultimate Y2K BUG is threatening! Bug 2000!
Should you, or any computer which has been in contact with yours, or that has sent you an e.mail message recently, after having visited the yahoo website in the past month, it is possible, if not probable that you have become infected by the Bug2000 virus.
Please warn all the other e.correspondents whose addresses you have recorded in your address book so that this deadly virus might be stopped. And tell all your friends, relatives and neighbours about it too. If your system has already crashed, then circulate this message by fax. This is really the most dangerous virus known to date. There does not exist any anti-dote whatsoever as yet to it. As soon as it has invaded your system, although it has been known to take up to six months to do so, it will begin reformatting your hard-drive, thereby wiping out everything saved on it.
As it progresses, this virus slows down the performance of your computer. You will find it more and more difficult to complete your print-jobs. Some of the icons will fade away. Word will fail to open to full screen. You will be incapable of surfing the net and your modem will begin to go on the blink.
After another week, your screen will refuse to display any resolutions beyond 640x480 in 16 colours.
The space bar and "Enter" key will stop functioning correctly. The left and right clicks on your mouse will swop position.. Regularly your cursor will disappear and will only be retrieved by switching your computer off. Whenever you open several windows together, your PC will slowdown to frustrating speeds.
Again, whenever you press the F1 key, the subsequent operations will slow down further, and in place of the usual "help" display, a virtual being of tokoloshe appearance will appear and try to communicate with you. If after an hours work on Word or Excel you still have not save your document on floppy disk, your screen will turn to a gorgeous blue filled with numbers and letters composing incomprehensible texts which will serve to warn you of the chaos reigning within your PC. Again your cursor will probably cease to react to your mouse. You will then start to lose not only what was on the hard drive, but any documents saved on diskettes stored within proximity of your computer.
Within hours you will notice how the virus will cause your alarm clock to gain an hour on the correct time. This virus will even make your spouse snore the whole night long. It will cause the telephone to ring just when you are in the shower.. When you walk about in your bare feet, it will cause you to knock your toes against obstacles. It will even change the temperature dial in your fridge, provoking your milk to go sour and your ice-creams to melt. Then it will proceed to de-magnetize the code on your credit card; it will un-tune your video recorder and scratch every second CD in your collection.
It will steal away your time and will transform your dog into a cat. It will listen to the messages on your telephone recorder and delete all messages. It will pour liquid soap into your fish tank. It will prevent your m-net decoder from functioning on the first and third Saturday of each month.. It will drink all your beers every Friday evening and smoke all your cigarettes on Sunday morning. It will reveal your dirty socks anytime you have visitors to your home, will put super-glue on your contact lenses and will squeeze toothpaste into your shampoo jar.
It will eventually date your mate behind your back and will book a week’s holiday on your credit card. Furthermore, apart from leaving the toilet seat up, Bug2000 can cause pimples and horrible rashes. Be warned! This virus is devious and malicious. In fact it is extremely dangerous and violent. The effects listed above are only the beginning. So be prudent; very very prudent!
If you have the slightest suspicion, even if your PC is still not showing any of the above symptoms, then reformat your hard drive, disconnect it completely from your computer, bury it on a full moon night in your garden and hire a sangoma to repeat the following phrase all night over the spot: "Bug2000 – you’re done for…" During this time don’t forget to slaughter a hen, splash it’s blood all over yourself, and run around shouting: "I’m the king of all idiots"!
| A Dictionary of newly
coined words: 1.AQUADEXTROUS (ak wa deks’ trus) adj. Possessing the ability to turn the bathtub faucet on and off with your toes. 2. CARPERPETUATION (kar’ pur pet u a shun) n. The act, when vacuuming, of running over a string or a piece of lint at least a dozen times, reaching over and picking it up, examining it, then putting it back down to give the vacuum one more chance. 3. DISCONFECT (dis kon fekt’) v. To sterilize the piece of candy you dropped on the floor by blowing on it, assuming this will somehow ‘remove’ all the germs. 4. ELBONICS (el bon’ iks) n. The actions of two people maneuvering for one armrest in a movie theater. 5. FRUST (frust) n. The small line of debris that refuses to be swept onto the dust pan and keeps backing a person across the room until he finally decides to give up and sweep it under the rug. 6. LACTOMANGULATION (lak’ to man gyu lay’ shun) n. Manhandling the ‘open here’ spout on a milk container so badly that one has to resort to the ‘illegal’ side. 7. PEPPIER (pehp ee ay’) n. The waiter at a fancy restaurant whose sole purpose seems to be walking around asking diners if they want ground pepper. 8. PHONESIA (fo nee’ zhuh) n. The affliction of dialing a phone number and forgetting whom you were calling just as they answer. 9. PUPKUS (pup’ kus) n. The moist residue left on a window after a dog presses its nose to it. 10. TELECRASTINATION (tel e kras tin ay’ shun) n. The act of always letting the phone ring at least twice before you pick it up, even when you’re only six inches away. |
I'm not shouting "I am saved." Rather I'm whispering: "I get lost sometimes That is why I chose this way." When I say I am a Christian I don't speak of this with pride. I'm confessing that I stumble and need someone to be my guide. When I say I am a Christian I'm not trying to be strong. I'm professing that I am weak and pray for strength to carry on. When I say I am a Christian I'm not bragging of success. I'm admitting I have failed and cannot ever pay the debt When I say I am a Christian I'm not claiming to be perfect. My flaws are too visible but God believes I'm worth it. When I say I am a Christian I still feel the sting of pain. I have my share of heartaches which is why I seek HIS name. When I say I am a Christian I do not wish to judge. I have no authority I only know I'm loved. Unknown |
Tim Begg, an artist and poet who has had a strong conversion experience in his life, is keen to share his love for God with young people through his art and poetry. He would gladly respond to any invitation from youth and other groups in parishes to a session where he would display his art and share his poems. Here follows one of his poems. He can be contacted through his promoter Tom Jasiukowicz @ 789-3298 or 787-6229.
In inaccessible light,
Still hidden from sight
Far away o’er celestial seas:
Ah – Pure, undefiled bliss –
The end of this,
The burden of life’s transcient dream.
Like dark stormclouds blowing in the wind,
This dismal hour of evil will fade,
And the dawn will break on us again:
A new immortal day!
When Light shines then reckoning
Shall surely be made
At the triumphant return of the Lord.
He will ride upon chariots,
Striking the nations
Bringing judgement to bare on us all.
Come that final day,
When this world passes away,
Like a shadow across the sun;
Becomes a memory, a fantasy,
Scattered when the Morning Light comes.
For then shall Truth’s victory be regained,
And every wrong shall receive its due.
And the time of evil’s dark domain
And tyranny is through!
Christ shall come as a Victor
To vanquish His foes,
And establish His eternal reign
With His enemies fallen,
Then shall all His chosen
See true justice prevail once again.
But, before that bright morn,
Eternity’s dawn,
There’s still so much that’s yet to be done:
For those who would enter in,
The prize to win, life’s grueling race must still be run.
While the battle still rages fierce and loud,
Our Master’s solemn warning sounds:
That his hand opposes the haughty and proud,
But Grace for the humble may be found.
Then let those He has called
Continue to toil,
For He has promised that He will reward
All whose lives have been poured out,
Who loved and have laboured,
And joyfully served in the Name of their Lord.
(Tim Begg)
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A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
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Guest of Honor: Jesus Christ Date: Every day. Traditionally December 25, but He's always around, so the date is flexible.. Time: Whenever you're ready. Please don't be too late though, or you'll miss out on all the fun. Place: In your heart. He'll meet you there. Listen carefully. You'll hear Him knock! Attire: Come as you are. Even rags are okay, as he'll be washing our clothes anyway. He promised something about new white robes and crowns - for everyone who perseveres through thick and thin. Tickets: Admission is free. He's already paid for everyone. You wouldn't have been able to afford it ... it cost him everything he had! Refreshments: New wine, bread and a far-out drink He calls "living water". This will be followed by a supper, that promises to be out of this world! Gift Suggestions: Your heart. He's one of those people who already has everything else. He's very generous in return though - just wait until you see what He has for you! Entertainment: Joy, Peace, Truth, Light, Life, Love, Real Happiness, Communion with God, Forgiveness, Miracles, Healing, Power, Eternity in Paradise, and much more! All rated "A" so bring your family and friends. R.S.V.P. Very Important! He must know ahead, so he can reserve a spot for you at the table. Hope To See You There! |
Accepts you as you are
Believes in "you"
Calls you just to say "HI"
Doesn't give up on you
Envisions the whole of you even the unfinished parts
Forgives your mistakes
Gives unconditionally
Helps you
Invites you over
Just "likes to be" with you
Keeps you close at heart
Loves you for who you are
Makes a difference in your life
Never Judges
Offers support
Picks you up
Quietens your fears
Raises your spirits
Says nice things about you
Tells you the truth when you need to hear it
Understands you
Values you
Walks beside you
Xplains things you don't understand
Yells when you won't listen
Zaps you back to reality
uth Department 
