Whose job is it?

Last night we had a church member's meeting.  It went well and was encouraging.  We covered a lot of ground really.  One of the usual chestnuts came up 'Some of the older people can't hear when they sit in the one place in the church where the preaching doesn't reach!'  Suggestion:  Move.  And don't get me wrong I love the older people in my church but sometimes I think the need to sit in the only place you can't hear the sermon comes with being old and in church.  Oh and the music is too loud - turn the volume down then.  (Note to self:  Remember this in 30 years time when ears don't work!)

Anyway, swiftly moving on.  We were able to Praise God for the 3 meetings we have held at church for adults with learning disabilities.  We have another service in December and next year we hope to hold them every 6 weeks on Sunday afternoons.  It is great but it didn't start in a vacumn.  For years members of our church have been working with and alongside a local charity which supports adults with learning disabilities.  The ground had been well ploughed..  It is also a joint venture between us and another church in town.

In the past our churches weren't particularly known for working together.  And this is just one of the ways we are, hurray.  Another way, is the course for young people interested in the Bible, Jesus etc.  Our 2 churches plus another one from a different town are working together to do this.  We have had 2 Sunday nights when the church has had a lot of young people come along.  Tea is provided by one of the churches.  The young people have been known by one or other of the churches for a long time.  Some have been coming from their early years (eg, being brought up in Church families) and some come along to the various youth clubs.

We don't know the outcome of any of these meetings BUT it is wonderful to be a part of it.  In my case, that means making a cake and just being there to help as and when.  Lots of Christians are involved and each with a job to do.  If only we could get this all the time:  it isn't exclusively our work.  Not one of us can do it without other Christians helping.  I 100% believe that God has a work for each believer to do but it doesn't depend on individuals.  None of us are indispensable as Christians.  It is God that makes what we do grow.

So let us get out there, look around and see what God has for us to do, work together and leave the results to Him.

A Book a Day keeps the cobwebs away.

We are a family of words.  And lots of them (I kissed the Blarney Stone twice, so I don't know what you expect really.)  Our youngest daughter risks disinheritance by proclaiming that she 'doesn't like reading' but we are willing to forgive her because she is very cute.  Our eldest daughter is a reader.  She loves reading, and will do so anywhere.  She even has books in her bed!

Many years ago we started a family tradition!  Well my husband did, as a way to keep the girls calm whilst I made tea.  He read them a book with Chapters - "Jack Fox Detective".  He has fond memories of this from childhood.  His original copy had gone the way of many of his toys and books but his dad managed to track down a copy for him.  Real life detective work.  :)

It was the first of many books we have read our children.  Occasionally (at the grand old ages of 8 and 10) they declare they are too old for this nightly ritual* but most times they beg for 'just one more Chapter'.  My husband and I take it in turns to choose the book.  I have read the whole 'Little House on the Prairie'series to them and am now plowing my way through the 'Anne' books (although our local 2nd handbook shop has discourteously sold the next one to someone else!)  In order to restore the balance he reads 'Paddington Bear', 'Swallows and Amazons', 'Dr DooLittle' and the like.  He also, sneaks a 'Narnia' book in on a Sunday afternoon!  I never enjoyed them as a child but am finding them surprisingly interesting; perhaps the fact that I am half asleep helps.  Sadly, we haven't keep a precise list of all the books we have read so with time we are forgetting some.

We have only given up on one book and that was after about 4 chapters.  It was the literary equivalent of watching paint dry and that was with my husband condensing the words!  So I am afraid to say 'Swiss Family Robinson' doesn't get a recommendation from this family.

And this is a book I want to read because I think it is cool that we aren't the only family to have done this.
http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Promise-Father-Books-Shared/dp/0446583774

* Our nightly ritual/routine goes something like this and happens about 5 times a week:

We have always believed in getting our children nice and calm just before bed.  It has adapted and evolved over the years but the essentials of it stay the same.  We have tea at about 5.30pm.  This is followed by 'jobs' - each family member has something that needs to be done.  The girls then go and get themselves ready for bed.  About 6.30 pm we are all ready to pile on the sofa and snuggle up ready for story time.  Each child goes with a parent and we take turns.  Then the reading begins.  Occasionally, the non-reading parent has been known to 'rest their eyes'.  We follow story time by Bible Time which of late the children have been more involved in as it got a bit stale for a while.  After this the children go to bed with kisses, cuddles, 'what to dream of' and we sing 'The Lord bless you and keep you.'  We shut the bedroom door and about 75% of the time the girls go straight to sleep.

It works for us.  And there have been days when our family life has been so fraught that this little routine has been the only good part.  So we stick to it.  And plan to for as long as we are able.

So if you have any good Chapter books then please let me know.  Answers on a postcard please or alternatively bung them in the comments section.

Lest we forget.

Yesterday was the 10th Anniversary of September 11th.  Yesterday, a decade ago an atrocity was perpetrated against innocent people by other members of the human race.  Yesterday, 10 years ago just under 3,000 people were killed in one foul swoop.  This doesn't take into account those injured by the events of this day.  It doesn't touch on those who have suffered psychological trauma as a result of that terrible day.  The children who lost parents or spouses who lost partners are not covered either.




We must never forget those people and their families.




A few weeks later as a response, on 7th October 2001, a war was started in Afghanistan.  It still goes on.  


Figures as to how many people have been killed during this war are difficult to work out.  However, figures could be as high as 47, 000; Military and Civilian combined. 




We must never forget those people and their families.




Iraq then came back in the radar of the world's superpowers.  Inspections for 'Weapons of Mass Destruction' were hindered in Iraq.  So on the 20th March 2003 Iraq was invaded by the US and UK.  No such weapons were found, the WMD programmes had been abandoned by the Iraqi government. 


Figures for deaths during the Iraqi war are extremely high.  As many as 111, 937 Civilians have been killed in Iraq.  The number of Military is nearly 6,000.


On top of the number of people killed are the numbers of those injured; both physically, psychologically or both.




We must never forget those people and their families.




This one event has led to a lot of deaths.  It doesn't matter to me whether the people who have died are from one of the 115 nations on that dreadful day, from Iraq or Afghanistan.  Innocent people are no longer with us.  As a Christian this kind of event and the subsequent wars need to make me focus on my attitudes to others.  Jesus tells us that we must love our neighbours.  Sometimes they will look like me and sometimes they will not.  I cannot think wrong of a person just because of the country they are from.  Jesus loves all people everywhere.


I didn't agree with these wars but I also firmly believe that once you invade another country you have to stay until the end.  I didn't agree with these wars but I will support the Military and their families.  (Well those that are doing their job within International Laws anyway!!)


Anyway, these are my thoughts.  Well, except Guantanamo Bay and you don't want to get me started on that!

• I have gleaned information for this blog post from Wikipedia pages and http://nymag.com/news/articles/wtc/1year/numbers.htm
• This post doesn't take into consideration the number of Taliban or Insurgents that have been killed or captured.

Fancy a Blackberry?

I don't mean the phone version either!  In fact, I have to confess I don't really know what it is or looks like.  But that is not the purpose of this little blog.  The purpose of this blog is to show-off if I am being brutally honest. :)

This morning we got up early (nothing new about that in my house) and went out to find some good old-fashioned blackberries.  You know, the deep black-purple kind that grow in abundance in hedges.  We live near the country so it was obviously going to be a doddle.  Except it wasn't.  Thankfully, after risking life and limb, fighting off over-playful dogs, and stopping our youngest daughter from overreaching across a large precipice we managed to find some.  Enough to make a pie anyway.

Recently, I have stumbled across this blog: http://mennonitegirlscancook.blogspot.com/.  It is in my Google-Reader and most days it comes up with delicious looking recipes which I want to try.  One which tempted me enough to make it was a Blackberry Pie recipe, hence the Blackberry finding expedition.

I came home; made the pastry and as is usual when I do that something didn't quite go well.  So I did what I always do and managed to squash and squeeze the pastry into a flan dish.  Who will know once the filling is put on it??  The blackberries were washed and the custard made.  The pie was ready to put together which I duly did.

So after over an hour in the oven and constantly checking on my pie, I am pleased to say that I was pleased with the finished look and, more importantly, the taste.

So for just a little boast some photos for you.

Getting into a pickle.

I used to make a lot of jams and chutneys.  Then we moved and our garden is a great deal larger but doesn't have half the fruit trees as our last one.  In fact, we have one pear tree that will produce 3 tiny fruit this year!  Our last (relatively small) garden boasted a plum tree, an eating apple tree, 2 cooking apple trees and elderberry tree!  We were near to good supplies of blackberries.  Each year my husband grew tomatoes which never ripened so we were able to make green tomato chutney.  For years, we rarely had to buy jam or chutney!  

Our move here meant I stopped making supplies for various reasons, some of which were the lack of fruit-producing trees in the garden.  So for 3 years nothing has been pickled or jammed from my kitchen.

However, this year I have made 3 jars of green tomato pickle as well as 5 ordinary jars and 1 large jar of rhubarb and sultana chutney!  I have loads of blackcurrants in the freezer and none of us are keen on the taste so I am planning on making some jam.  A friend has a large supply of apples which could easily be chutneyed.  My problem:  is a lack of jars to put the stuff in.

I have had a wonderful time making this stuff and it is good to be back in the home-producing business again. :)

Just some of the finished products, they wont last long in my house!

Spray on Shoes

I love the film 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs'.  My favourite line is just after Flint Lockwood shows the class his invention, his wonderful solution to the problem of untied shoelaces - Spray on Shoes.  Unfortunately, he hadn't worked out how to get them off!!

It has become a metaphor in our house to take responsibility for our own actions.  Life will throw lots of stuff at us and, likewise we will throw stuff at others in our home and outside.  I have noticed in my life that it is easy to blame others or circumstances.

• No friends - 'People just don't talk to me'.  
• Lack of Happiness -  'I need something else to fulfill me then I will be happy!'  
• Lack of status - 'I just didn't have the opportunities others had.'  

I could go on but as I get older I know that a lot of what happens in life can be affected by my attitude to it.  I have to take responsibility, get up and do things.

Nobody is going to give me qualifications on a plate and that is why a few years ago I went out and got some.  I endeavour to study for more.

Nobody is going to invent a magic-pill to get me on a plane.  I will have to pray lots and trust God if I want to do that. And I have to do that if I want to go to other countries for holidays and mission trips.

Nobody can force me to be a more positive person.  Only I can do that by trusting God, counting my blessings and experience the wonder of the world around me.

Nobody is going to find friends for me and bring them around to my house so they can bask in my marvelous presence.  I need to get out there and make friends of the incredible people I already know.  I need to pick up that phone, write that text or email.

I can't blame the way I am on the fact I am a Pastor's wife, a Pastor's child, the 2nd oldest in my famiily, being short or wearing glasses.  God created me.  He gave me a brain and I must use it creatively to live here and now, in the moment in which I am.  I am not good at that; I still believe that if I run hard enough I will run away from my own feet.  However, I can't, they aren't that bad and if I work with the gifts God has given I will get kind of used to them.

Disclaimer:  I am well aware that sometimes life brings up stuff that no amount of the right attitude can sort out and I am not referring to those things in this post.  I am talking of the things that we can do something about.

Wise Women and my Great Auntie

Sarah at Emerging Mummy has written this post recently.  It got me thinking about my Great Auntie.  In her latter days we would occasionally visit her in her retirement flat in the South of England.  Her life story is largely unknown to me now, and if I did know I have forgotten.  She was a formidable lady and not to be messed with.  If she didn't agree with you then you would know about it but she loved God and people.

I know that after the death of her father she lived with various relatives and was split up from her siblings.  Her sister, my Nanny ended up in Ireland but Auntie stayed in England and eventually trained as a Nurse and Midwife.  Around the age of 55 she left the comforts of these shores to serve her God in Pakistan; in a School that now boasts its own website!  In 1974, she started a 20 year stint that only came to an end because of her heart problems.  She was a long way from hospitals and didn't want to be a burden to others when she got her pace-maker.  She returned to the UK and served God for a further 10 years here.

When she died my mum cleared out her flat and found a very long hand-written description of one of her journeys home.  (It was hard to read as unlike her sister, my Nanny, her writing was not that clear!)  She travelled overland from Pakistan via the Kyber Pass to Kabel ; Kandahar; the Iranian Border; Tehran; Ankara and Istanbul through Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Italy then onto Paris, Calais and across to Folkstone.  She landed in the UK during a train strike!  Mum thinks this journey was made around 1977 when she was nearly 60 years old!  The last words in her account were "It was good to get here - although sometimes I felt I was in a dream - I thank God for His overruling care and love through it all."

My Great Auntie is no longer here to ask questions about her further adventures, and when she was here I didn't know the extent of what she had done and wasn't interested.  I need to draw inspiration from her and learn to serve God and people in the same way.  I need to stand up to my many fears and take some of her courage.  She prayed faithfully and read her bible like her life depended on it (which it did!).

Thanks Sarah for causing me to think of this remarkable lady.