Written by: Solveig McCormick
Where on earth shall I start in order to extoll this wonderful December 2024 issue?
Ever since I first discovered JOY! several years ago, (haven’t counted), I have been having withdrawal symptoms every month when it is due. I start checking magazine shelves in every store long before it arrives. The most reliable stockist is the Engen 24 hour stop on the corner of Main Road and Protea Road in Newlands, Cape Town. All the staff there are unabashed Christian folk, and they all smile, all the time.
I love the wonderfully written, well researched articles; accompanied by beautiful artwork.
Where do I start?
The word search has captured me. I find myself trying to place the word origins in the Bible, in my memory. The lady who creates them is wonderful. In a previous issue there was a spell error in the puzzle that tested me, but when I found the word after a good hunt, what a triumph it was! In this issue, I found four words that were surely unintentionally there, as they were not listed. I wonder how often that happens?
The Bible knowledge test is a real test and while I regularly need to refer to the answers, when I have worked through it, I realise that when next I am reading in my nightly study, I will come across the references in due course.
The letters page is insightful. Other readers’ comments are fascinating. So many readers make really insightful comments. There is value on absolutely every page. I used to buy two issues so that I could share with a friend. Then had to stop for budget protection. That friend is as dependent on a JOY! fix as I am, and is as anxious every month to take it home to read, as soon as I can part with it.
Gillian Fraser’s articles are always on the mark, and her lovely smile makes me smile in return. Her article titled “Building a World View” is a really good read. Sometimes I struggle to relinquish the copies I share with my friend.
Paul Daniel’s “Who is Jesus Christ of Nazareth?” captivated me even though I have been a Bible reader all my life and have never not believed. It is a truly insightful exposition of the many ways people might interpret the Son of the Living God, the promised Messiah and Saviour of the faithful. It had never occurred to me that there would be so many different personal interpretations of “Yehoshua” the one who saves.
I loved the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Once I Googled a question: “When was Jesus really born?” The answer started by going back to exactly when Zechariah served in the temple, and the fact that Mary visited Elizabeth who was at the time six months expectant; and Mary had been visited by Gabriel. Then research regarding the census that led Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, further narrowed down the date. The big bright star that stayed in the sky for a goodly while, was apparently a line-up of planets that occurs towards the end of September or early October every two thousand years or so. This happened in my lifetime, possibly approaching thirty years ago. ( I can’t remember the dates but at the time we counted back 2000 odd years to a few years (two or three) B.C.) That date more or less coincides with the Feast of the Tabernacles, when the Son of God came to abide with us, or to tabernacle – share a tent with us. The attack on Israel on October 7th, shocked me rigid. Did the Gazans plan it this way?
Several issues have contained articles on the value of theology. I am not able to enter a Bible training college but I can continue reading and re-reading; my well-thumbed Bible. The characters become more and more familiar as time goes by. Sometimes I could weep when the people are described as having forgotten their Gracious Heavenly Father, who made Himself so lovingly available through the time period when the Torah was recorded. How fickle we humans are!
I always enjoy Gordon Claasen’s short pieces. And continuing onwards I loved Brittany McCormick’s several articles that have appeared. I am tickled by our shared surnames. My surname is a marriage name but I too was born very premature in an emergency situation. Neither my mother nor I, were expected to survive. Coincidentally I once served as Matron in a home for adult Cerebral Palsied. There were fifty-six patients, each one absolutely uniquely affected by birth trauma. What a life changing experience that was! All the patients were intensely aware of the goodness of God. I mourned when I moved on in life, to another job. I had burned out and needed a change. Brittany has been really blessed to grow to adulthood in the loving care of her parents.
I could go on and on. Hopefully this letter will help to express my joy each time JOY! is available on the shelves. Thank you for always giving me something to joyfully anticipate.
The December issue of JOY! Magazine is now on sale nationwide! Pick up your copy from any leading supermarket, or read a digital version of this issue here: https://joygifts.co.za/product/joy-magazine-december-issue-2024/
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Date published: 03/12/2024
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