The question I'm made to provoke

"Why did you choose to do that?"

That's the question. The one question I pray people will ask of my actions. To be posed with genuine wonderment - not disdain and offence.

Mrs Wicks taught me in year 9 Newtons third law that 'for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction'. I'm sure I'm not the first person to say that surely this expands past physics and enters the realm of relationships. As far as I see it, the core of a relationship is two people acting and reacting to each other in a positive or a negative way. All such interactions carry a potential to bring the two independents closer together or further apart. When a relationship is characterised by a positive closeness, trust is generated - and trust leads to open ears. Trust leads to an openness or inquiry of the actions of another. 

It is my prayer that when I act, that my action may create a reaction in the 'other' that embraces an inquiry, asking "why did you choose to do that?". Paul has helped me think about how to amplify the chance of this happening : sculpting my choices around what I know about the 'other'. In 1 Corinthians 10 he writes:

31So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God,33just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.

It is my choices that ultimately reveals my convictions - whether I'm being watched by others or just by God. And when it comes to relating to others, the volume dial of my convictions is turned up all the more when my choices are made for their good. Paul encourages the Corinthians to limit their choices - to give up their freedoms - to more sharply communicate a genuine love that paves the way towards their salvation.

Please God, help me live a life that sharpens others inquiry into the good news of Jesus! And may I be ready to speak of my Lord who humbled Himself beyond human capacity - giving up His position in Heaven to become a man to die on the cross to bring us into favour with God (Philippians 2:6-11).

Rest best - post 2 of 5

Following on from my last intro post for this post series on 'Rest best', I'm going to tackle my reflections on what 'creation' has to do with work and rest. This lands us way back in the Garden of Eden at the very beginning of the bible, at the very beginning of the world. This is where God - the creator, revealed to Adam - the created being who resembled the whole of humanity, what his work is.

In this story of creation God speaks different parts of the world into existence, one day at a time over seven days. On the sixth day there's a climax and completion of Gods creating acts: God creates man. In Genesis 1:28-30 on the sixth day after creating man, God instructs them to: be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it; to rule every creature that crawls on the earth. They are given their 'work' and everything they need to fulfil this 'work', but there is still one day of 'the seven days of creation' left. On the seventh day, God rests from His creating work. Genesis 2:3 reads 'God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it He rested from His work of creation'. As creation ‘worked’ in obedience to God, He rested from it and in it. He rested from it as his creating acts were finished, and rested in it as it revealed his glory.

"Hold on - what do you mean by that glory bit?" you may ask. Well, I think of God's glory as the very 'Godness' of God or the substance of God. God perfectly expresses that through His words, and when there is perfect obedience to His words we see something of Him in it... as in this uncorrupted scene at day 7 of the creation narrative. He spoke and it was so. The idea of God's glory being expressed by perfect obedience to His word reminds me of something - if you're not catching my drift stick a metaphorical sticky note right HERE & i'll fill you in later (hint: Phillipians 2:8, & 2 Corinthians 4:6). God resting IN His creation in this way also means His creation rested IN Him - resting in knowledge of its creators character.

But it's not all unicorns & rainbows forever. As you may know this story continues and just sentences later is followed by the tragic climactic conflict that most of the bible is bent on resolving : sin. Lets pick this up next post...

Rest Best - post 1 of 5

Watch the broad skies pepper undulating gossips; smell the trees that slowly meander home; hear the timeless stories of the tumbling hills. Breathe. In the words of Dr Seuss: ‘It’s wider there, in the wide open air’. There is something so vastly refreshing to me about breathing in the good country air after I’ve been caged in the smog for too long. Something so restful. 

My recent reflections, however, have challenged me to think that simply stopping to breathe in the country air isn’t all there is to rest. I’ve realized that resting well isn’t just about a ‘vacation’ from the routines of life. It is true that as we rest we step away temporarily from what we do; but in the season of ‘rest’ we also step towards things that recharge and freshen up our perspective for the season of ‘work’. It’s not just recharging the batteries but resetting the GPS! We live in a world that strives to work in order to rest: to flog overtime and accrue annual leave in order to go on the overseas adventure. I hope my recent musings on this topic will help you appreciate the opposite of this scenario: striving to rest well in order to work well. Please keep in mind that these are my thoughts and reflections, not authoritative teaching. My hope is that reading these posts will launch you into a journey of your own pondering, & my prayer is that God will reveal a glimpse of Himself to you as you consider some of His word scattered amongst my thoughts.

I'm going to divide my thoughts over the next 4 posts -
- How 'creation' helps me think about work & rest
- How 'the fall' helps me think about work & rest
- How Jesus helps me think about work & rest
- My journey of resting best

In the mean time, start your journey of pondering: How is your work and rest different? Can you do both at the same time? What do you rest from? What do you rest in?

RECIPES: Getting your YO on - making, baking & faking with yoghurt

Creamy white cold stuff packed with healthiness and versatility this side of the fall: unbelievable! Let me introduce you to the world of making, baking, and faking with yoghurt... for just over $1 a litre! These secrets have saved me loads of money and shopping trips, I hope you find this useful too!!!

MAKING IT (using a yoghurt maker)

Mix 1 1/2 tablespoons of a easy-yo plain or greek yoghurt sachet mix with 1 1/2 cups of full cream milk powder. Fill yoghurt maker with room temp water & shake. Sit in chamber of boiled water for up to 24 hours.
Note: disregard the instructions on the easy-yo sachets. They are 98% milk powder & so allowing the yoghurt to sit longer ensures the cultures multiply sufficiently through the added milk powder. Seal part used sachet & store in fridge for the next batch. Apparently there are many ways to make yoghurt without a yoghurt maker using a thermos / slow cooker / etc, best to consult google if you're interested.

BAKING IT

Savory muffins
Whisk: 2 eggs, 1 cup yoghurt, 1 teaspoon of wholgrain mustard. Stir in 1 cup grated cheese, 1 cup veggies*, 1 1/2 cups self raising flour. Divide into muffin tin & bake 180 for 25-30 minutes.
*pre-cooked onion / bacon / spinach, tin corn, chopped capsicum, herbs, spring onions, grated carrot, whatever is in the fridge! 

Sweet muffins / loaf / cake
Whisk: 2 eggs, 1/2 cup oil or melted butter, 1 cup yoghurt, 1 teaspoon vanilla essence. Gently stir in 1/2 cup brown or white sugar and 1-2 cups of fruit / choc chips / stuff*, 1 1/2 cups self raising flour. Bake 180 for 35-40 minutes for loaf or 25-30 minutes for muffins.
*oats / almond meal / dessicated coconut
my favorites combos: lime & coconut... cinnamon, oat & banana... raspberry, almond meal and white chocolate.

FAKING IT

Pizza bases
Mix 1 cup yoghurt with a pinch of salt and enough self raising flour to make like dough. Knead for 5-10 minutes on floured surface. Roll out like base, top with pizza toppings and put into hot oven for 20-30 minutes.

Hollandaise sauce
Beat 1 cup yoghurt, 3 egg yolks, 2 teaspoons of lemons juice and heat over double boiler for 15 mins stirring frequently until thickened. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of dijon mustard, a pinch of pepper and 1 tablespoon of fresh dill or parsley.

Phillidelphia
Strain yoghurt for 4 or more hours over muslin / in yoghurt strainer to separate whey. This product is also known as yoghurt cheese or labne. Use baked in cheesecakes / spread on sandwiches / turn it into icing or dips.

Panna Cotta
Soak 2 teaspoons of gelatin in a little cold water. Warm 1 cup milk over stove, when boiling add 2-4 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla essence, and gelatin mix. Let cool to room temp and gradually mix in 1 cup of yoghurt. Mix well, pour into molds and refrigerate for 4+ hours.

AND SOME OF MY OTHER FAVES...

Maple dip
Mix 1/2 cup of yoghurt with 2 teaspoons of maple syrup. Delicious as a 'dip' for fruits or french toast soldiers, or to spread over pancakes.

Garlic sauce
Combine 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 cup of yoghurt and 1-2 crushed garlic cloves

In quiches / omelettes / fritters / ontop of pizza / substitute for white sauce in lasagne / mixed with melted chocolate as fondant / in smoothies / frozen / in curries... pretty much with and in everything you can think of.

BOOK REVIEW: 'Women of the word' by Jen Wilkin

In her excellent book ‘Women of the Word’, Jen Wilkins sets out to establish what the bible is as Gods complete revelation of Himself, and how to therefore approach it. The main thrust of her book is dedicated to equipping readers with a set of practical principles to hold to when reading Gods word to result in deeper understanding of Gods revelation of Himself.  These overlapping principles are: to study with purpose, perspective, patience, process and prayer. I'll provide a quick outline of each of these now -

Studying with purpose points to understanding the creation-fall-redemption-restoration ‘metanarrative’ of scripture, and considering how the passage fits into this.

In her chapter on studying with perspective, Jen assures readers that

1.     The bible is in no way diminished by being designated as literature

2.     Your ability to understand the Bible will be greatly enhanced if you treat it as such.
She therefore affirms and outlines the basic interpretation principles of highschool English as we approach Gods word.  That is, examining the context, style & reason the passage was written.

 Jen humbly & helpfully highlights the importance of patience as a learner: encouraging the reader to embrace the feeling of being challenged and lost as it ‘is actually a sign that our understanding is being challenged and that learning is about to take place’ (p 79).  Patience of circumstances and Gods work are also elaborated on in this chapter.

The process of how to go about understanding a passage is also broken down into Comprehension (What does it say?), interpretation (what does it mean?), & application (how should it change me?).  Jen delivers several strategies to seep out answers at each of these steps.  For me personally, this chapter compelled me to utilise an english dictionary even for simple words like ‘honor’, as well utilising the tool of paraphrasing verses to enhance my learning.

Overarching all of these principles is Jens encouragement to pray – before, during, and after the study. She helpfully fleshes out things you may be praying at these times.

Jen also includes a working example of pulling all of these principles together from a passage in James, as well as a helpful chapter written specifically to women who are teachers of Gods word in bible study settings.

I would highly recommend this book as a tool to equip women to engage with their bibles better – both for quiet times and participating in bible studies / one to one bible reading interactions. As a gifted teacher, Jens book is more about equipping readers with ‘how to learn’ rather than ‘what to think’. I am scripturally convinced of Jens approach to Gods word and I’m so grateful for her encouragements impassioning and equipping Christian women on their life long learning journeys of renewing their minds through scripture - by healthily increasing ‘bible literacy’.  This is a short and snappy book to be knocked over within a couple of hours and to be used as a resource for years.  The way this read could change your bible reading approach and effectiveness is invaluable! If you’ve ever struggled with the why / what / how of daily bible reading this is definitely for you... and if you know of people that need some direction in this then have a read so you can recommend this book to others!

And a quick note on who this book is NOT written for: People looking for guidance on teaching Gods word in illiterate or cross cultural contexts. You also won't find applications on what it means to teach Gods word in informal settings. It's also NOT a book for men, haha - a shame really, as the principles are genderless!

The verdict: 5 outta 5!

Available in hardcopy at Koorong

Spoiler alert : sometimes it's better to be spoiled!

It’s been a big Sunday morning & we’re all ready for a quiet movie.  Well, Mum is & I know the kids never put up a fight to a bit of screen time!!  After the ritual of a passionate debate, a well-watched movie is chosen again: ‘Inside Out’.  In the process, something that struck me this time was my 4 year olds response to my 2 year olds cry of ‘no not that movie, it has the scary clown bit’.  He said that ‘because we know the ending and that they’re all ok, we don’t need to be scared’.  This advice seemed to convince my 2 year old that it was a good idea to watch the movie. I loved the logic: knowing the end (of the movie) changes how we experience emotions (fear) in the present.  How true is this for the way we trust Gods promises of the end, changing how we experience the present - not with fear of what is coming, but praise of what has / will be…

1 Peter 1:3-4

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

In the words of 1 Thessalonians ‘let us encourage one another about these things’ (1 Thes 4:18).

Welcome home Granny

A poem penned to remember my dear old Granny who passed away earlier this month...

My Granny’s button box

My Granny has a button box,

Nestled on a shelf,

With precious treasures from times gone by

Jumbled within itself.

Sunday best, pearled finery,

Maternity and uniform dress,

Sturdy khaki dungarees,

A hand stitched woolen vest.

Threads once worn were cast away,

Captive to frays of time.

Buttons dwindled in aging decay -

Ne’er to lock another eye. 

And now, alas, the box is not.

Faded buttons are re-sewn near,

Though fabric and now box are lost,

Her thread has not ended here.

For God finds what is lost in past,

He will restore every wisp -

Box and buttons remade to last,

Forever safe in His grip.

My Granny was a button box,

Nestled on a shelf,

Now God eternally clothes her

In glory from Christ Himself.

Granny, while we are at home in the body we are away from you – and when we are at home with the Lord, there you also shall be. Every Wednesday you prayed for your Grandchildren to know the riches of God’s eternal grace. I praise God that He answered your prayers and that I share this confidence with you. I rejoice knowing for certain that you have moved to Gods eternal dwelling.

2 Cor 5:1-7

For we know that if our temporary, earthly dwelling is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands. Indeed, we groan in this body, desiring to put on our dwelling from heaven, since, when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. Indeed, we groan while we are in this tent, burdened as we are, because we do not want to be unclothed but clothed, so that mortality may be swallowed up by life. And the One who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment. So, we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.