Living Real Magazine - Fall 2009

A PUBLICATION OF LIVING REAL LLC • LIVINGREALMAG.COM • FALL 2009

LIVINGREALMAG.COM • VOL.1 2009

THE

ISSUE!

SANDWICHES& SALVATIONHow a Chance Encounter ChangedThe Life of a Local Waitress

LIVING IT OUTON CAMPUSStudents Doing More Than Just Talking About Their Faith

TAKE OFFTHE MASKFinding Freedom in Being the Real You

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NOVEMBEr 2009 • Living ReaL 1

Contents NOVEMBER 2009 • VOLUME 1

02 Welcome to Living Real: Take Off the Mask!Living an authentic life by Melanie Shull04 Adrianna’s Story A waitress finds a new life by Amanda Thompson08 Living Real on Campus Tips for living real on campus by Joeli Mulligan10 The Day I Grew Up Forgiving after childhood abuse by Murfi Lockhart12 @ Your Home: Gardening on a Budgetby Barbara Lawson

13 Cooking with Kristine by Kristine Hoskins14 Going Deeper: raising the Standard by Dr. Wayne J. Edwards18 The Lighter Side: The Purpose of Dirty Laundry by Cheri Nettles19 Word Studies: 1 John by Melanie Shull 20 Book Review: “The Shack” by Angela Brown

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08 10 12

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2 Living ReaL • NOVEMBEr 2009

Greetings!

ThAnk you from the bottom of my heart for choosing “Living REAL”. This is a brand new magazine designed to bring you truth! The goal of “Living REAL” is to encourage

you in your every day life and challenge you to live a life that’s real. The main ingredient that the world is missing today is authenticity. People are searching for truth and for those who know how to live it- not just speak it.

What prevents us from living real? Many of us get up in the morning, look in the mirror, and begin applying our “fake-up”. We put on the masks that we’ve collected over the years to hide who we really are and then we walk out to face the world. What are we covering up? What are we hiding from? We wear masks to cover up things like anger, guilt, shame, hurts, even bitterness and unforgiveness.

Throughout the following pages you will meet some “real” people like Adrianna, Dan and Lara, Murfi, and some uSC campus students. you will discover that “living real” is possible with God’s help, even in the midst of the most difficult of circumstances. you may see a reflection that resembles some of your own life. you will also be challenged in the “Going Deeper” section in an article by Dr. Wayne Edwards. you’ll view life in a fun way with Cherie nettles in an excerpt from her devotional book. These stories and articles will hopefully guide you to the only book that has helped them with the removal of their masks and land you where real truth exists- the Bible, God’s Word. If you have never started a journey with Jesus Christ, I pray that “LR” will be the spiritual GPS that will lead you to begin an incredible life journey with him and challenge you to go deeper in your walk with Jesus Christ.

“Jesus said to them (his disciples), “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. no man comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) My prayer is that this magazine will help to focus your heart, soul, and mind, on real truth, which produces real faith, and gives us real hope!

Go ahead. Turn the page!

Living to Serve,

MelanieMelanie C. Shull President of “Living REAL”www.livingrealmag.com

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� ank you Living Real for strengthening our families & community!

Real life. Real faith.

Real people.



Four years ago, Adrianna was working at a local grocery store ringing up purchases

in a never-ending line of nameless faces.But one customer called her by name, breaking the mo-notonous spell of her day.“he read my name tag and called me by name. he actu-ally stopped to talk to me,” said Adrianna.Six months later, Adrianna, now working for a different grocery story chain, saw the stranger again.“I remembered his face,” she said.Adrianna and the stranger engaged in friendly banter, speaking to each other on quick grocery runs.But what the stranger, and most of the rest of the world, could not see in Adrianna was a dark life of shady allies, strip clubs, drugs and abuse.When Adrianna was eighteen, she left home for the first time and moved in with an abusive boyfriend.“I left before I even graduated from high school,” she said.her boyfriend was a bouncer at a local strip club and it was not long before she was pulled into the line of work. Adrianna started as a door girl, eventually stripping to fuel an ever-growing drug addiction. Adrianna was living what she calls, her “rock star life.”“no bills. no friends. I did whatever I wanted to do.”Adrianna eventually split with her boyfriend, moved strip clubs and met Adam.*Adam patroned the club and in their first meeting, the pair sneaked into an ally behind the club and smoked away all their problems in a cloud of eutopic drugs.After just two months of dating, the couple moved in together and Adrianna became pregnant. The pregnancy was terminated and an ever growing void began growing in Adrianna.

During the relationship, on Adam’s advice, Adrianna changed jobs and began working at a local sandwich shop.

Dan and Lara frequented the restaurant with their new-born, Abigail.

Adrianna remembered Dan’s face. he was the stranger from the grocery store.

The couple made a point to speak to Adrianna every time they ate.

“There was never an agenda. It was never ‘Do you know the Lord?’ Do you go to church?’ I just wanted to get to know her better,” said Lara.

If Dan and Lara noticed Adrianna was having a particu-larly terrible day, the couple would immediately begin praying for the young waitress.

“you know how some people will tell you they will pray for you and you never know if they really do? We wanted to start praying for Adrianna before ever telling her we were praying for her,” said Lara.

The couple was different to Adrianna.

“They laughed at my jokes, even the ones I had no busi-ness telling…they were different. I could be myself with them,” she said.

over time, Lara found that Adrianna loved to scrap book and paint and in an effort to get to know the young wait-ress better, Lara invited Adrianna to a local business to paint pottery.

“I don’t know why I went the first time. I just knew I needed to go with her…it was so crazy that I was thinking about these people, this family, all the time,” said Adrianna.

It was in these regular pottery sessions, the two women began to share their stories. Lara learned of the strip clubs, abuse and drugs. And Adrianna, in turn, learned from Lara’s life story as well.

Adrianna’s StoryBy Amanda Thompson

It really was as simple as calling her by name.


“That is part of the process,” said Lara. “If people don’t see that you have been delivered from something, how can they know he can deliver [them]?”“I prayed that God would give me eyes to see her as he sees her. And all I could see was the woman at the well,” said Lara, referencing John 4:1-26.“I love her. I don’t love all the stuff that happened to her, but I love her,” Lara continued.In one pottery session, Lara recalls Adrianna asking, “Why are you so happy all the time? I’m not happy ever.” And in that question, Adrianna’s heart began to open to hope.on november 5, 2007, the two women ate dinner out together.“We just sat and talked. Shut the place down,” said Adrianna. In their conversation Adrianna told Lara there was some-thing she saw in her that she wanted. Lara had been praying that God would be evident to Adrianna in her life. She prayed that through every interaction, Adrianna would see more of his love. When the conversation shifted to the hope that Jesus could bring, Adrianna knew this is what was missing in her life.Adrianna told Lara, “I want that. I am ready. But I don’t know how.”

And that night, Adrianna was forever changed. Lara is quick to point out that the relationship with Adrianna took time to develop.“This was years in the making, an investment in a life because we care about her,” she said.“It took a long time,” Adrianna adds. “Dan had been in my life for four years.”But both ladies are quick to note that God was continually working throughout the four years to woo Adrianna. And for Lara, God used the process to teach and mold her.“Evangelism took on a whole other meaning for me, not just an agenda,” she said. “Let go of an agenda of saving people. We don’t do it. The holy Spirit does it.”“Let’s allow God to show us how to love people the way he intended,” Lara continued.Looking back on her short twenty-three years, Adrianna is still amazed at her own salvation story.“It has been such a journey,” she said. “Look at what God can do.” •LR•

*name changed

“This was years in the making, an investment

in a life because we care about her.”

▶above: Abigail, Dan & Lara Gopp


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Living Real on CampusBy Joeli Mulligan

If you have spent any time under the shadow of a steeple, you have heard the phrase “the salt of the earth” and sung “This Little Light of Mine”, but, when

the rubber meets the road and real life demands real faith, what exactly does “the salt of the earth” look like? And what, exactly, is the best way to “let your light shine”? Every person of faith must answer these questions and on college campuses across the midlands, students are doing so by putting genuine faith into action.

The overriding theme of students attempting to live their faith on campus is relationship, relationship, rela-tionship – with Jesus Christ and with the people they regularly come into contact with. When asked to define “living real” they point to being open, but not pushy, making their faith work in the real world and being themselves – as different as that makes them from the rest of the crowd.

First and foremost, college students want a genuine, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. They are inten-tional about being in prayer and Bible study and encour-age each other to remember that Christianity is all about a Person. According to Matthew 6:33, when we “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” everything else in life will fall into its proper place. Believing college students are taking that verse to heart and look to God for every-thing from major life decisions to guidance on this week’s Chemistry test. Charity Pippin, a freshman biology major at uSC, remarked, “I was really stressed about Chemistry. Finally I just realized that I have to depend on God for ev-erything. I stopped, prayed about it and was reminded of (an online study help) and thought, ‘Why haven’t I come here before?’” In big and small things, students “living real” are students focused on living in Christ.

These same students are also focused on developing authentic relationships with the people that cross their paths everyday. And that does not just mean people of like thinking. Erin Loo, a sophomore at uSC, says that it is important for people to know that you really care about them and are not just trying to “Christianize” them. That’s where “being yourself ” comes into play. Anne Crane, a freshman at uSC, is rooming with a student of another faith. She found herself constantly analyzing and worrying about every little move she made in their room when a friend reminded her that it was just as important for her roommate to see her under stress and reacting to everyday situations as it was for Anne to be a “perfect” witness. Life can be tough – even for people who have put their trust in Jesus. Allowing others to see how you handle the ups and downs that everyone faces is what living real is all about. Being yourself and making your devotion to Christ central to everything you do gives people a chance to see what faith looks like when it jumps off the page and into life.

of course, believers on campus want to meet other people of faith and make choices to get plugged into local churches and ministries that are important to them, but they also know that it is essential to be “in the world” if they are going to make a difference for Christ. having “friends in the faith” is important for support and ac-countability, but getting involved in intramural sports, sororities, fraternities, musical ensembles and other cam-pus organizations allows Christian students to let their light shine in potentially otherwise dark places. It also insures that they don’t lose touch with reality and chal-lenges them to make their faith their own. As uSC senior Misti Bailey notes, “you have to practice what you preach. how you live will either prove you to be a hypocrite or will support everything that you’ve said about your faith.”

The bottom line for students who want to be real people with real faith in real life is this: get as close to Christ as you can – remembering that faith is not a destination, but a journey with Jesus, be yourself and extend grace to the people around you that don’t know God like you do. If you are looking for ways to get involved in orga-nized Christian ministry, outreach and fellowship on campus, check out The Baptist Collegiate Ministry’s Facebook Group: Columbia South Carolina BCM. you can also search for detailed infor-mation about all religious life at the university of South Carolina at www.carolinafaith.com. •LR•

living real on campus

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joeli mulliganchristian dramatist, speaker & singer


Tips for Living Real on Campus

Pray for a real burden for the people around you - far from God or not - and ask the Holy Spirit to open the hearts of your friends and acquaintances to His movement in their lives.

Host a Bible study in your dorm or apartment complex.

Be positive and polite to the people around you: hold doors, say “thank you” to bus drivers, wait staff and the like, who make a living serving others.

Make the Bible a part of everyday life: post scripture on your white board, use Biblical support and quota-tions in papers when you can and most importantly, live it.

Pray before your meal in public and be intentional about reaching out to other people on campus. Don’t just head for your “usual spot” in the cafeteria or your favorite restaurant.

Invite people to attend church or cam-pus ministry meeting and events with you.

Be a good student. remember, professors need Christ too!

Engage people in spiritual discussions: seek ways to bring Jesus into conversations and look for how your faith applies to class topics.

Ask your Christian friends to hold you accountable to hang out with people besides them. Purposing to get involved gives you an opportunity to take the light of Christ all over your campus.

Be available: take prayer requests and follow up, be a sounding board or take a walk with someone. Just being there can make all the diff erence in the world and you never know how God will use you.

Be an example... if you talk the talk, walk the walk.

Be yourself! remember God is an everyday God with a very real interest in everyday people! He doesn’t expect perfection and your most valuable witness is how you walk through real life.

Adapted from “28 Real Ways to Share Your Faith on Campus” by the South Carolina Baptist Convention with contributions from the Baptist Collegiate Ministry Women’s Bible study at the University of South Carolina.

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“I was a 6-year old, emotionally, for about 40 years.”


The Day i grew UpBy Murfi Lockhart

Do you remember the day you grew up? I do! It was the day I forgave the man who molested me. I was a 6-year old, emotionally, for about 40 years.

As an adult who was molested as a child, I tended to be suspended emotionally. I would react as a six-year old, especially when a man would raise his voice in anger or I felt cornered. The wall would come down, the darkness would surround me, and I would look for an escape route. I would leave the situation physically if I could, or if not, I would emotion-ally check out. I felt justified to feel this way. This way of life was part of me because of what was done to me as a child. This was forced on me. It was not my choice. I was the victim. I hid quite well behind that word. I wore it as a uniform. I walked in it. It was a lifestyle.

I did not discuss what happened to me for many years. I suppressed it for about twelve years. The night I realized these daydreams were reality, I told my mother, who wanted to support me, but in her own way denied it happened because it took place on her watch. I never blamed her, and she knew that. The person to blame was the molester. I would plot against him, wanting to see the day of his demise. he was the one who deserved to know the pain, the shame, and the guilt. I deserved to live a life free of those things. however, I learned to live with them quite comfortably. They were like a family to me. When you live with anguish most of your life, it is hard to leave that place.

God was preparing me to live in freedom. he wanted me to move from an arrested six year old, emotionally, to a woman who could see her molester as a human being. God showed me that he loved him as much as he loved me. At first, that realization was very foreign. how could God love someone that depraved? Jesus died for him. he wanted him to be free of those shackles of sin. And what was my sin – the sin of unforgiveness, holding on to the haunting past. I had to let it go for good. I had to forgive him. I had to! I had to grow up emotionally to be the woman, God intended me to be, not a frightened six-year old.

Does forgiving him mean he should not face the consequences of his actions? By no means! he was arrested and he served 3 ½ years in prison.

As for me, I am living in freedom. Forgiveness is a noun, but for me forgiveness is a verb, it requires action. Do not wait decades like me; forgive those who have done wrong to you. The only person your unforgiveness hurts is you, my friend! Begin the process with God’s help and you too can live in the light and grace of our heavenly father. •LR•

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murfi lockhartministry assistant @ sc baptist convention


gardening on a BudgetBy Barbara Lawson

nowadays, everyone is looking for a way to save money. We want more out of a dollar so we stretch it as far as it will go. When I look back at

what I planted this summer, I realized that I didn’t spend what I had in years past. I was more creative by using some of what I already had. When it comes to gardening, there are simple ways to cut costs and still enjoy beautiful plants and yards.

over the years I have been buying hardy plants that will grow in all seasons. As they have multiplied, I have sepa-rated them to use in various containers, as well as, shared them with friends. This also creates a sense of continuity. The plants that I did purchase were used in containers or in areas that were focal points. The advantage of using containers is their portability. you can plop a splash of color by placing containers on each side of a sidewalk, a path, border steps or an entry way. If you don’t want to plant a large border of annuals, you could put a few containers in that spot instead. If your containers do not match, try painting them the same color. not only does this save money, it requires less time and preparation.

When it comes to deciding what to plant, options are limitless. A good recipe to keep in mind when combining plants is to use a tall thriller, a bushy filler, and a trail-ing spiller. you should consider the texture and color of foliage as well. For example, use a small tree or shrub for an anchor plant (thriller) which can be used year round. next, add another saver by using ground covers to spill over (spiller). Then when spring arrives, all you need to add or replace are the annuals (filler). When the next growing season rolls around, you don’t have to start with an empty container.

The key to successful container gardening is good potting soil. Do not use bagged top soil or garden soil. It will harden and not absorb moisture. use a good potting soil mixture. When replanting a container, stretch your potting soil. As you remove last season’s annuals, loosen the soil around the plants with your gardening tool. The roots of the old plants will remove enough soil to create space for your new plants. you do not need to remove all of the soil from your container each time you replant unless it has a pest problem or will not maintain moisture when watering. If the soil is replaced, recycle it in your yard.

When selecting your plants, choose healthy plants. The root development is very important. Start with plants that have had enough room to grow. If the root system is hard and busting out of its temporary home, it will never grow to its full potential. Some plants are treated with a growth inhibitor to keep them growing in the small cell packs to give them a longer shelf life. This deters the growth for several weeks. Consider buying the next size up. Gently loosen the root ball before planting. Plant preferences for sun or shade should be consistent for each plant growing in the same container.

Finally, add additional slow release fertilizer each season when reusing soil, as well as, fertilizing on a regular basis. Annuals crave fertilizer during their grow-ing season. Feed them to experience their best perfor-mance, and don’t forget to water them on a regular basis. Remember, all of creation points to the Creator and renders him glory! •LR•

@ your home

barbara lawsonhomemaker & lover of dogs

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Sweet Corn Muffinsi n g R e D i e n T S

½ cup butter2/3 cup sugar¼ cup honey2 eggs½ teaspoon salt1 ½ cups all purpose flour¾ cup cornmeal½ teaspoon baking powder½ cup milk

D i R e C T i o n SPreheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream together butter,

sugar, honey, eggs, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate container, mix flour, cornmeal, and baking powder and blend thoroughly. Alternatively add the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan and fill each cup with batter. Bake 20-25 minutes or until muffins are brown on top.

Yield- 12 muffins

Double-Herb Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

i n g R e D i e n T S1 (5 ½ pound) roasting chicken3 tablespoons fresh or 1 tablespoon dried

oregano, divided2 garlic cloves, minced8 fresh basil leaves, or 1 teaspoon driedCooking spray2 cups cut up potatoes, about 1 -2 inch cubes¼ teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon pepperdried basil (optional)

D i R e C T i o n SPreheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove and discard

giblets and neck from chicken. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Trim excess fat from chicken. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by in-serting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat.

Combine ½ tsp dried oregano (2 tablespoons fresh), dried basil (if using), and garlic cloves. Rub seasoning mixture under loosened chicken skin and drumsticks. If using fresh basil, carefully place fresh leaves under the loosened skin. Tie the ends of the legs with a cord. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under chicken.

Place chicken, breast side up, in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan sprayed with cooking spray. Pierce skin several times with a meat fork. Arrange potatoes around chick-en. Coat the chicken and potatoes with cooking spray. Sprinkle the chicken and potatoes with the remaining oregano, salt, and pepper.

Bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees, but do not remove chicken from oven. Bake an additional 45 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted in the meatiest part reads 180 degrees. Remove chicken from pan, and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Serve with roasted potatoes. Yield – 8 servings

cooking with kristine

kristine hoskinsweekday preschool director

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Raising theStandardBy Dr. Wayne J. Edwards

Centuries before Jesus Christ came to this earth, the proph-

ets preached against the spiritual corruption, religious formalism and material prosperity of God’s people. Like a mirror of our own age, the people of Israel totally dis-regarded their responsibility to set a higher standard of righteousness in their lives. God would tolerate their wickedness for a season, and then his hand of discipline, and outright judgment would fall.

There was a time in Israel’s history when the people of God became extremely immoral and rebellious, thinking God had abandoned them. As a result of their disobedi-ence to God’s will and God’s ways, they had been captives of the nation of Babylon for many years, and they longed to return to their beloved homeland of Israel and to wor-ship again in Jerusalem. king Cyrus conquered Babylon, and the Jews saw this as a sign from God that he was go-ing to set them free and send them home. But when that freedom was delayed, the Jews began to question God’s concern for them, and rather than accept responsibility for their own sin, they began to blame God for allowing them to be taken captive. They became even more rebel-lious against God, thinking he had abandoned them, rather than them abandoning him.

God called the prophet Isaiah to tell the people of Israel that it was not God’s lack of desire or power to save them that had caused them to remain in their bondage; but their sin had separated them from God, and was causing them to feel as though he had abandoned them. Isaiah

told them, if they would repent of their sins and turn back to God, the holy Spirit would raise up the standard within them, and he (the Standard) would set them free. That is the central message of Isaiah 59, speaking pro-phetically of the second coming of Jesus Christ upon this earth, to rule and to reign as king of kings and Lord of Lords for 1000 years.

In Isaiah 59:1-8, God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah said “Behold the Lord’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear; But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that He will not hear.”

The hebrew people were so angry with God for allow-ing them to be held captive that they were committing every vile and wicked sin known to man. In verse 3, the prophet said they sacrificed their first-born children to the god of Moloch and killed the prophets whom God sent to warn them of the consequences of their rebellious

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behavior. Verse 4 says they perverted the justice system so they could get rid of certain people. no one demanded or even expected the truth to be told in a court case. They confused the courts with false testimony and legal wrangling that only brought more confusion and mis-trust. Verse 5 says they spent all their time devising ways to catch someone in a trap, and they laughed when their trap took a person’s life. There was absolutely no respect for human life as being the most expressive gift of God’s creative power. Verses 6-8 say their works were evil and were meant to mislead or cheat each other –like selling woven spider-webs for silk. Their every thought was of iniquity and they looked for things to destroy. And to add insult to injury, they trained their children to follow their evil ways. And yet they wondered why God would not hear their prayers, deliver them from their captors and return them to their homeland.

But the prophet Isaiah called the people together to hear the Word of God. And in no uncer-tain terms, Isaiah assured them that the problem was not with God, but with the people of God. he said there was no shortness in God’s arms that he could not deliver them; there was nothing wrong with God’s ears that pre-vented him from hearing their prayers. But it was their gross, vile and wicked sin that separated him from them and was causing him to turn his face from them.

I believe we would all agree that the church is in the same condition today as the nation of Israel was in the days of Isaiah. I know many pastors, as well as many laymen, who are crying out for God to intervene and to deliver us from our own iniquities. I have been in prayer meetings where some of God’s most respected saints have cried out for God’s supernatural power to be released upon this nation, and against the powers of darkness and the forces of evil. But it is as though the ceilings are of brass and the heavens of steel, for either our prayers were not heard or, for some reason they were not an-swered in the ways we had asked them to be. And we are left to wonder why! has God abandoned us? Does he not care about the circumstances of our lives? has our faith in him been in vain?

Folks, I want to remind you that we do not live in that nice, neat, comfortable, Christian society that we have all dreamed about. Actually, we live in a very pagan society that is not much different from the Babylonian empire

in terms of its sinful influence and wicked behavior. And the fact is that it is very easy for us, as Christians, to forget about who we are, why we are here, and just blend in with the acceptable sins of our society. In other words, it is easier for us to just go with the flow and be acceptable by the people than it is to remain true to the standards God has established for his people and suffer the persecution.

So, in the name of neighborliness we acquiesce to their way of life. We listen to their music or attend their places of entertainment. After all, there’s nothing wrong with having a little fun, and quite frankly, we sort of envy the fellowship they are having with their friends. Then perhaps we compromise on a business deal to make a larger profit, because that is just the way it is done today. or, we cheat on our income taxes or fudge on our expense account – everybody does it. We flirt with lust and im-

morality, even allowing it in our homes through television, maga-zines, movies and other kinds of media – after all, everybody’s watching it today, and if we don’t we won’t be able to join the con-versations at school or at work.

We begin to rationalize this sin or justify that sin, and before long there is no visible difference be-tween the lifestyles of the believer and that of the unbeliever – not

because the society has changed and pressured us into conformity, but because we allowed society to change us, rather than us changing society. Rather than allowing the increasing pressure from our sinful culture to cause us to turn more toward our Savior and away from the world, we have allowed our sinful culture to pressure us into confor-mity with its values. And in so doing, we have allowed the standard of our Lord to fall into disgrace. And again, I say, the saddest part of it all is that there is no great cry from God’s people that that standard be raised again.

I know the pressures upon Christians today are severe, and the battle to remain true to our calling is hard. But it is in the midst of the battle that the standard needs to be raised higher so that others who are struggling also can see it and have hope. When one of us falls, as we are all prone to do at some point and in some way, that should not cause the rest of us to follow that same path, or point fingers of judgment upon those who do. What it should do is to cause us to reach down in the pits of that sin and raise up that standard even higher, so that our fellow soldiers can see it and continue the march.

I’m sure we have all been affected by those believers

“after all, there’s nothing wrong with having a little fun, and quite frankly, we sort of envy the fellow-ship they are having with

their friends.”


who have fallen into sin – Presidents, pastors, parents, professionals and other personal friends; folks we believed in and trusted in and often confided in. And the destruc-tion of their folly is far and wide. But, when a fellow soldier falls, rather than the rest of the “unit” wallowing in their disgrace, we must take heed, lest we too fall into an even greater sin. And rather than being defeated over it, we should raise up the standard in our own lives, even at the very point of their defeat.

For example, when a husband or wife cheats on their mates, or their marriage breaks down, we should raise the standard of our own marriage by being faithful to our own vows to our spouses, while we pray for those who have fallen. or, when a friend lies, or steals or cheats, or they get involved in some immoral activity, we should raise the standards of our own walk with the Lord, and pray for those who have fallen.

If God seems far away today, I can assure you that he is not the one who moved. he is still the same God he was when he moved your heart to accept his Son as your Savior, however many years ago that was. his love for you is still the same today as it was way back then; it’s never changed and it never will. But it is your unconfessed sin that is keeping God at a distance from your heart. In Psalm 66:18, David said, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.”

There is one thing God cannot do – he cannot overlook sin! he can forgive it, cleanse it, even blot it out and forget it, if it is covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. If God is reminding you of that sin of compromise in your life right now, he is not doing that to condemn you, but to forgive you and to cleanse you of all unrighteousness. That feeling of guilt is not God’s hand of judgment. It’s God’s way of telling you that he loves you and that he wants to free you from the condemnation of that sin, if you will only confess it – agree with him that it is hindering your fellowship, your walk and your witness.

In Isaiah 59:12, the prophet Isaiah led the people in their prayer of confession and repentance: “For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them.” In verse 13 we see the sins of the heart and the tongue – “In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.” In verse 14 we see that, not only had they lied to each other, but they had also lied to the Lord – “And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.”

now, we must understand how difficult this time of confession and repentance was for the hebrews. After all, they had rationalized and justified their sin for years. or, they had excused it by blaming others, or even God for their behavior. But the day of reckoning had come. God was holding up the mirror of his Word and allowing his people to see the wickedness of their own heart and soul; it was time for true confessions.

Sometimes we are prone to carry the guilt of our sins for a long time, waiting for someone to come along and absolve us of our responsibility, or at least say they under-stand why we sinned the way we did. But when someone points out our sin, or we get caught in the act of sin, and we are forced to finally confess up, it’s like we opened our heart and let go of all that built up frustration, guilt, bitterness, resentment, anger and hostility that we had been holding on to for years, and the release is wonderful.

But if we do not genuinely repent of that sin, the guilt will soon return, and the consequences will be even greater than before. Being sorry that we committed a sin is not genuine repentance, and neither is being sorry we got caught in sin, or that we hurt others by our sin. True repentance starts when we see how our sins have hurt the heart of God, and separated us from him. Then, when we confess ThAT sin, in addition to the sin(s) we have com-mitted against him, and we truly turn away from that sin and surrender our heart to him, then, it can be said that we have genuinely repented. And the most glorious truth that we could ever know is that once God has forgiven us of our sins, he will cleanse us of all our unrighteousness (1 John 1:9) – it is “just-as-if-I’d-never-sinned”– and God will never, never, never, no never bring that sin to our memory again.

In Isaiah 59:16-21, the Bible tells us how God will one day restore his people to himself; a pattern of how he wants to restore all sinners to himself today. In verse 16, Isaiah said, God “saw that there was no man, and won-dered that there was no intercessor.” God could not even find one man who stood for justice or cried out unto God in prayer for the people of Israel.

What a shame! The people of Israel – God’s chosen people, stripped of their pride, their heritage, their bless-ings, even their very freedom; being held in bondage, and worked as slaves for a pagan people. yet God could not find one man who was crying out unto God for his forgiveness, or one man who would dare to lead the people to cry out unto God. Where were their spiritual leaders? Where were those godly fathers and mothers who had been told how to raise their children and to pass down the heritage of their faith in God?

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But rather than destroy his corrupted people, God put on the armor of war himself, and prepared to do battle FoR hIS PEoPLE. The last part of verse 16 reads: “There-fore His arm brought salvation unto Him (or for Him), and His own righteousness sustained Him.” And in verses 19-20 we read “So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from trans-gression in Jacob, saith the Lord.” (Emphasis added)

Isaiah is writing of that day, during the time of the Great Tribulation, when it appears the nation of Israel is doomed, and it is about to be destroyed. All of the armies of the world will be gathered there in the Valley of Megiddo to war against Israel over who is going to rule the world. There will not be one man on earth who can do anything to stop it – no peace treaty will be able to settle it; no peace accord can avoid it; no price can be paid to keep it from happening. When it appears that Israel is all but defeated, the sky is going to open up, and out of heaven’s glory will ride the one who was called Faithful and True, whose name is called the Word of God. Riding behind him are all the armies of heaven, and on him is a name written: king of kings and Lord of Lords.

Isaiah is speaking of that day when God will raise up a standard against all the evil of the world, even since the day of Adam. Isaiah is speaking of the second coming of Jesus Christ upon this earth, when he will, to para-phrase the song “rule the world with truth and grace, and make the nations prove, the glories of His righteous-ness, and the wonders of His love. No more will sin and sorrow reign, nor will thorns infest the ground. He will remove the plague of sin, far as that curse is found.”

We may think we are in such a terrible condition today that there is no way out, and the enemy is upon us just like a flood. But our way out is up, and all we need to do is to turn to Jesus, and he will raise that standard within us; that is the indwelling presence of the holy Spirit, who will guide us, protect us, keep us and perfect us until Jesus comes and takes us home to be with him forever. And from my point of view, that day is very soon! •LR•

Adapted from: Raising The Standard: One Pastor’s plea for a Return of Righteousness to the Church, © 2005 by Wayne J. Edwards

dr. wayne j. edwardspastor & author


oh! I know every woman in the world just said, “Hey girl! I know the purpose of dirty clothes - it’s to keep me busy twenty-four-seven!” Well, yes that

is one theory. It is one of those unexplained phenome-nons how a person can spend an entire day doing laundry and then go to bed that night, wake up the next morning (a mere eight hour later - or even less for many of you) and the laundry basket is full again! I’ve always known there was a Tooth-fairy, but now that I’m a wife and the mother of two teenagers - I’m certain there is also a Dirty-Laundry Fairy! Except she comes every night and usually only to mothers, and she never leaves money - just dirty clothes. But I’ll truly have to admit I’m thankful today for dirty laundry.

God blessed me with a younger sister. Well, I do wish she weighed more and was older, but I’ll keep her just like she is. When she was twenty-years-old, she spent her summers entertaining in a small town theme park. She was a singer and had the time of her life. They performed all day, and had fun all night. Late one night as she headed towards her bedroom, she realized she had forgotten

to turn her tights and undergarments for the costumes in to the

laundry area, so she had dirty clothes.

knowing her first show

was at ten o’clock

the next morning and laundry services would not be in until then, she decided she would need to wash the undergar-ments herself. She grabbed the small town phone book and looked up “coin laundry”.

At 1:00AM she walked into the laundry mat. She wasn’t alone. There was a sole man to the right folding laundry. She was a little nervous, but thought, “he’s older than me. I think I could outrun him.” She put her laundry in the washer, inserted the coins and sat down. The man ap-proached her and said, “Please don’t be afraid, but could I ask you something?” Deedle, being too trusting, (for better or worse) looked and replied, “Sure!” The man then began to witness to her.

At about 1:30AM that evening in a coin laundry mat in a small town in north Carolina, my sister, on her knees, accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior. Quite often we believe we get caught up in the everyday mundane tasks, and we don’t see how God can use us. Do you trust that as believers, God had given us every place that our feet tread? The book of Ecclesiastes teaches us there is a purpose and time for everything.

So, today do you have a pile of dirty laundry? Then go do it! It certainly is probably not your favorite task, but do it as unto the Lord. Probably the greatest ministry you’ve been given is to the people that wear those clothes. one day there will be no more laundry. our bodies will be new and glorified. our garments will be as fine linen washed white as snow by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. But until then - the task is yours! Press on because you never know who’s dirty laundry God will send your way to tell them about what Tide can’t do, but he can - wash them white as snow! Dear God, thank you for the tasks you’ve called me to in life. May I do them to your glory. Amen. •LR•

Excerpt from: A Month of Miracles © 2008 New Hope Publisherscherienettles.net

the lighter side

The Purpose of DirtyLaundryBy Cherie Nettles

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cherie nettleschristian comedienne, author & speaker


I would like to challenge you to read 1 John in the Word of God, the Bible. If you have never committed your life to Jesus Christ, or even if you have been a

Christian for a long time, read this very encouraging book which will share with you the love Jesus has for you and what it means to live “real” for him every day.here are some ideas to help you study this short book of the Bible:· Always pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you un-derstand what you are reading.

· Read a chapter, or portion of a chapter, and ask yourself:

1. “What is this passage saying?”

2. “What is this passage saying to me?”

3. “How can I apply this truth to my life?”

Journal your thoughts as you study this book of the Bible. Ask God to reveal to you areas in your life that need at-tention; heart issues that need healing- anger, unforgive-ness, a bitter spirit, a bad habit, any other sins that he brings to your mind- and ask him to forgive you and to help you to change.If you have never asked Jesus to come into your life and you would like to, you can pray this prayer of salvation and he will come to live inside of you and create in you a clean heart! you will be a new creation- old things will be passed, and a new life will begin. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Pray something like this:

Dear Jesus,

I know I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. I confess to you my sins and ask you to come into my heart. I believe you are the Son of God, that You came to this earth, died on the cross for my sins, were buried, and You arose on the third day to conquer sin, death and the grave. Please come into my heart and cleanse me from sin. Make me a brand new person with a clean heart so I can live my life for You. I know that one day I will live with You in heaven. Help me to live real for You until then! Thank you, Jesus. Amen.

If you prayed to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I would love to hear from you so I can pray for you and encourage you further if you would like. Go to www.livingrealmag.com and email me there. Remember, Jesus desires more than anything to have a personal relation-ship with you! •LR•

word studies©

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melanie shullsinger, songwriter, author & speaker

Word StudiesBy Melanie Shull


next issue:· Living Real On Campus:

Find out where USC College students worship together and hang out!

· Going Deeper: “visions of Blue Jeans Danced in My Head!”

· Living Real Stories: “Mr. Fowler Lives Real in His Social

Studies’ Classroom”“From Breakfast at McDonald’s

to a Heavenly Feast”· Book Reviews

· Christian Music and Artists

· Plus a whole lot more!

•LR•

The ShackBy Angela Brown

The Shack, by William P. young, is an intriguing blend of well written fiction and biblical truth. The reader is drawn in through the horrific tragedy that consumes Mackenzie’s mind and life. When Mackenzie receives a mysterious note and accepts an invitation from Papa, he is then cata-pulted into an adventure that is a magnificent explanation of a true love relationship with God. The journey that Mackenzie finds himself on reveals a beautiful illustra-tion of the intricate workings in our lives by the Father, Son, and holy Spirit, who make up the Trinity. The consequences of our choices, and the separation that sin creates in that intimate relationship with God, is revealed through this tender story. Although all life experiences are different, the reader can easily insert him or herself into the situation and experience the one and only personal and loving God, our Father, our Papa. •LR•

Note: The reader is reminded that this is a book of fiction, and not to take everything literally.

Book Review is written by Angela Brown of West Columbia, S.C. Angela is a 5th grade teacher at Saxegotha Elementary School in Lexington District One.

book review

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editor & PublisherMelanie [email protected]

art Director Will [email protected]

Design/LayoutGenesis Creativewww.gencreative.com

Contributing WritersAngela Brown Dr. Wayne J. EdwardsAmanda Thompsonkristine hoskinsBarbara LawsonMurfi LockhartJoeli MulliganCheri nettles

Cover PhotographyAnastasia Bobrova (front) Luca Moi (rear)

advertising(803) 603-1735 [email protected]

editorial office1117 Blakely CourtW. Columbia, SC 29170(803) 603-1735www.livingrealmag.orgCopyright ©2009 Living real, LLC. All rights reserved. reproduction in whole or in part without the permission of Living real, LLC is prohibited.

Printed in South Carolina.

When you have finished with this magazine please live real and pass it on or recycle it.

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Living Real Magazine - Fall 2009