It was still lovely to be out walking by the sea :o)
Here are some pictures:
Looking from one end of the beach...
To the other...
Friday, October 22, 2010
A walk on the beach
It's very windy here today, so I thought I'd take my morning walk on the beach on the other side of The Nut (Godfrey's Beach), unfortunately it was just as windy (if not more so) than on 'my' side (Tatlow's Beach).
It was still lovely to be out walking by the sea :o)
Here are some pictures:
Looking from one end of the beach...
To the other...
It was still lovely to be out walking by the sea :o)
Here are some pictures:
Looking from one end of the beach...
To the other...
banana choc chip muffins.....
.....that almost weren't!
This morning I thought I would make some banana choc chip muffins to use up the 3 over ripe bananas that I had. This little story is about how NOT to make the muffins:
I have a large kitchen in my new place here and I love it...but I can now see the benefits of having a kitchen with a small workspace.
I prepared my ingredients...dry in one bowl, wet in another and bananas mashed on a plate.
I mixed them together and put them in the pre heated oven. I started to clean up the main work area I had used and wash the equipment and utensils...turned to the side work bench area...and there were the mashed bananas still sitting on the plate!!...hmmmm...what to do!!!
I could just throw the bananas out, and make them choc chip muffins instead, but I don't like to waste food. So I quickly removed the muffins from the oven (they had already started to cook and rise by this time), spooned them out of the muffin pans and back into the bowl, added the mashed bananas and did a quick stir around (by this time the choc chips had heated up, so when I stirred them they melted through the mixture and I ended up with chocolate muffins instead), put them back in the oven and hoped they would still be OK.
Well they turned out good...although I don't recommend this method of making them...here's a picture of them...and they tasted just as good too! I ate one just to make sure :o)
This morning I thought I would make some banana choc chip muffins to use up the 3 over ripe bananas that I had. This little story is about how NOT to make the muffins:
I have a large kitchen in my new place here and I love it...but I can now see the benefits of having a kitchen with a small workspace.
I prepared my ingredients...dry in one bowl, wet in another and bananas mashed on a plate.
I mixed them together and put them in the pre heated oven. I started to clean up the main work area I had used and wash the equipment and utensils...turned to the side work bench area...and there were the mashed bananas still sitting on the plate!!...hmmmm...what to do!!!
I could just throw the bananas out, and make them choc chip muffins instead, but I don't like to waste food. So I quickly removed the muffins from the oven (they had already started to cook and rise by this time), spooned them out of the muffin pans and back into the bowl, added the mashed bananas and did a quick stir around (by this time the choc chips had heated up, so when I stirred them they melted through the mixture and I ended up with chocolate muffins instead), put them back in the oven and hoped they would still be OK.
Well they turned out good...although I don't recommend this method of making them...here's a picture of them...and they tasted just as good too! I ate one just to make sure :o)
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Seeds of the Kingdom devotional
Camp Hope
“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Colossians 1:13-14, NIV
Along with millions of others around the world I have been glued to the television screen as I watched the first of the Chilean miners emerging from the darkness of their prison, 700 metres below the ground. The sight of these men, for whom there seemed to have been no hope of rescue, has had the world fighting back the tears of emotion and joy, as these remarkable scenes unfolded before our very eyes. These were moments of extraordinary drama, as their families greeted the men who had been totally incapable of rescuing themselves. As they emerged from their rescue capsule, into the glaring floodlights of media publicity, they were hugged by the President of Chile.
These were amazing pictures which will become part of unforgettable world history. Never before have so many men been rescued from being so long underground. These were men who, after 69 days in their prison of rock, had been rescued from certain death and given another chance of life. It was as if they had been born again. As I watched these dramatic scenes developing through the Chilean night, I was deeply impacted by the living parable that was unfolding before my very eyes.
Man’s condition was so like that of the trapped Chilean miners. Since the fall of man, the whole of the human race has lived out its spiritual existence in the darkness of a prison, from which there was no possibility of escape. There was nothing the miners could do to effect their own rescue. All they could do was wait – first to be found alive, and then to be rescued. Those dramatic pictures that eventually emerged, of men surviving in the blackest of black holes, perfectly illustrated the condition of fallen man, existing, but without hope.
The miners were totally dependent on rescue from above. It took over two months to drill a hole wide enough for a rescue capsule to descend through the rock to the darkness of their prison. Then we saw the first miners enter the rescue capsule, one at a time, and be lifted from ‘the dominion of darkness’ into the light of freedom at the top of the San Jose (Saint Joseph) mine, now renamed by the Chilean authorities, and the world’s media, as Camp Hope.
Joseph was the man whom God chose to rescue the Children of Israel from death by famine. His brothers condemned him to death, but God raised him up to the highest position in the land, and through him Israel and his family were saved. Joseph became the picture of ‘Hope’ for God’s people, and Jesus became the picture of ‘Hope’ for the whole of humanity.
Isaiah prophesied that ‘the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned’ (Matthew 4:16). Man was incapable of rescuing himself from his self-imposed darkness. Like the miners, he had to wait for rescue from above. And when that moment came, it wasn’t the world’s media who were watching in awe, but the angelic host who gave ‘glory to God in the highest’ as they sang their praises and gave the good news to the Shepherds of Bethlehem.
The President of Chile waited at the surface for the first rescued miners to step out of the capsule. But the President of Heaven, Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, ‘manned the rescue capsule’ Himself and stepped down to earth to show man the way of escape.
Joseph’s brothers tried to kill him and mankind did kill Jesus. But the cross of despair was renamed Camp Hope when God raised Him up on resurrection morning! The rescue capsule to take man from the realm of darkness to the Kingdom of Light can, like it was for the miners, only be entered one at a time. To choose to be rescued is a personal decision, but, as the writer of the Hebrews so accurately expressed it, ‘How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?’(Hebrews 2:3)
The miners were ‘living in darkness, in the land of the shadow of death’. Today they have been given a chance to live a new life, freed from their underground prison. One of them expressed it so powerfully when he said, ‘We were with God and the devil underground – and God won!’ All of humanity outside of Christ is ‘living in darkness, in the land of the shadow of death’. God gave man a way of escape, so ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts’ (Hebrews 4:7). Just as there was great joy on the surface of the mine with the rescue of each and every miner, Jesus said ‘there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels over one sinner who repents’ (Luke 15:10). What an amazing rescue! What a Saviour! Hallelujah!
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the amazing rescue of the Chilean miners and for the new life they now have to look forward to. But thank you even more, for your amazing rescue of mankind and that there is a way back to God from the darkness of sin. Help me never to forget what Jesus did for me on the cross, when the hill of Calvary became Camp Hope for lost humanity. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Colossians 1:13-14, NIV
Along with millions of others around the world I have been glued to the television screen as I watched the first of the Chilean miners emerging from the darkness of their prison, 700 metres below the ground. The sight of these men, for whom there seemed to have been no hope of rescue, has had the world fighting back the tears of emotion and joy, as these remarkable scenes unfolded before our very eyes. These were moments of extraordinary drama, as their families greeted the men who had been totally incapable of rescuing themselves. As they emerged from their rescue capsule, into the glaring floodlights of media publicity, they were hugged by the President of Chile.
These were amazing pictures which will become part of unforgettable world history. Never before have so many men been rescued from being so long underground. These were men who, after 69 days in their prison of rock, had been rescued from certain death and given another chance of life. It was as if they had been born again. As I watched these dramatic scenes developing through the Chilean night, I was deeply impacted by the living parable that was unfolding before my very eyes.
Man’s condition was so like that of the trapped Chilean miners. Since the fall of man, the whole of the human race has lived out its spiritual existence in the darkness of a prison, from which there was no possibility of escape. There was nothing the miners could do to effect their own rescue. All they could do was wait – first to be found alive, and then to be rescued. Those dramatic pictures that eventually emerged, of men surviving in the blackest of black holes, perfectly illustrated the condition of fallen man, existing, but without hope.
The miners were totally dependent on rescue from above. It took over two months to drill a hole wide enough for a rescue capsule to descend through the rock to the darkness of their prison. Then we saw the first miners enter the rescue capsule, one at a time, and be lifted from ‘the dominion of darkness’ into the light of freedom at the top of the San Jose (Saint Joseph) mine, now renamed by the Chilean authorities, and the world’s media, as Camp Hope.
Joseph was the man whom God chose to rescue the Children of Israel from death by famine. His brothers condemned him to death, but God raised him up to the highest position in the land, and through him Israel and his family were saved. Joseph became the picture of ‘Hope’ for God’s people, and Jesus became the picture of ‘Hope’ for the whole of humanity.
Isaiah prophesied that ‘the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned’ (Matthew 4:16). Man was incapable of rescuing himself from his self-imposed darkness. Like the miners, he had to wait for rescue from above. And when that moment came, it wasn’t the world’s media who were watching in awe, but the angelic host who gave ‘glory to God in the highest’ as they sang their praises and gave the good news to the Shepherds of Bethlehem.
The President of Chile waited at the surface for the first rescued miners to step out of the capsule. But the President of Heaven, Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, ‘manned the rescue capsule’ Himself and stepped down to earth to show man the way of escape.
Joseph’s brothers tried to kill him and mankind did kill Jesus. But the cross of despair was renamed Camp Hope when God raised Him up on resurrection morning! The rescue capsule to take man from the realm of darkness to the Kingdom of Light can, like it was for the miners, only be entered one at a time. To choose to be rescued is a personal decision, but, as the writer of the Hebrews so accurately expressed it, ‘How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?’(Hebrews 2:3)
The miners were ‘living in darkness, in the land of the shadow of death’. Today they have been given a chance to live a new life, freed from their underground prison. One of them expressed it so powerfully when he said, ‘We were with God and the devil underground – and God won!’ All of humanity outside of Christ is ‘living in darkness, in the land of the shadow of death’. God gave man a way of escape, so ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts’ (Hebrews 4:7). Just as there was great joy on the surface of the mine with the rescue of each and every miner, Jesus said ‘there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels over one sinner who repents’ (Luke 15:10). What an amazing rescue! What a Saviour! Hallelujah!
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the amazing rescue of the Chilean miners and for the new life they now have to look forward to. But thank you even more, for your amazing rescue of mankind and that there is a way back to God from the darkness of sin. Help me never to forget what Jesus did for me on the cross, when the hill of Calvary became Camp Hope for lost humanity. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Seeds of the Kingdom devotional
Out of the Pit!
"He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand."
Psalm 40:2 , NIV
As Peter said in yesterday’s Seed, we all take great delight in watching the rescue of the Chilean miners and are amazed at the miracle of lives saved.
As I watched the footage of the miners being brought to the surface I considered their journey to freedom. It certainly wasn’t a pleasant one! Locked into a capsule the width of a bicycle wheel, they were transported through fifteen to twenty minutes of utter darkness and solitude with no certainty of reaching the surface. Each man before entering the capsule had to make a choice to do so. Yet, it is such a simple choice! Why on earth would you not choose to be rescued from darkness and fear to a place of light and freedom? Surely an uncomfortable transition is well worth it!
This Scripture reminds us that God longs to rescue us out of our slimy pits; pits of fear, rebellion, self-pity, controlling behaviour and more! Yet for some of us we refuse to be rescued. Maybe this is because we feel it will cost us too much or it is a fearful thing to do. Maybe we think we should be able to dig out of the pit alone and want to be independent of God in certain areas of our lives. The reasons for refusal can be many, yet it is this refusal that prevents us from finding freedom.
As we remember the amazing events of “Camp Hope” we should all remember that there is hope for each and every one of us until the end of time. For God will never stop wanting to rescue us. However, hope becomes reality through action, so let us actually start to make the journeys we need to make in our own lives and allow God to rescue us, no matter how uncomfortable that journey may be.
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for safe rescue of the miners in Chile and pray that you will bring healing to each one as they come to terms with what they have endured. Help us not to refuse the rescuing you wish to fulfil in our lives. We want to be rescued from our pits and are willing to make the journey with you, safe in the knowledge of your unfailing love. Amen.
"He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand."
Psalm 40:2 , NIV
As Peter said in yesterday’s Seed, we all take great delight in watching the rescue of the Chilean miners and are amazed at the miracle of lives saved.
As I watched the footage of the miners being brought to the surface I considered their journey to freedom. It certainly wasn’t a pleasant one! Locked into a capsule the width of a bicycle wheel, they were transported through fifteen to twenty minutes of utter darkness and solitude with no certainty of reaching the surface. Each man before entering the capsule had to make a choice to do so. Yet, it is such a simple choice! Why on earth would you not choose to be rescued from darkness and fear to a place of light and freedom? Surely an uncomfortable transition is well worth it!
This Scripture reminds us that God longs to rescue us out of our slimy pits; pits of fear, rebellion, self-pity, controlling behaviour and more! Yet for some of us we refuse to be rescued. Maybe this is because we feel it will cost us too much or it is a fearful thing to do. Maybe we think we should be able to dig out of the pit alone and want to be independent of God in certain areas of our lives. The reasons for refusal can be many, yet it is this refusal that prevents us from finding freedom.
As we remember the amazing events of “Camp Hope” we should all remember that there is hope for each and every one of us until the end of time. For God will never stop wanting to rescue us. However, hope becomes reality through action, so let us actually start to make the journeys we need to make in our own lives and allow God to rescue us, no matter how uncomfortable that journey may be.
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for safe rescue of the miners in Chile and pray that you will bring healing to each one as they come to terms with what they have endured. Help us not to refuse the rescuing you wish to fulfil in our lives. We want to be rescued from our pits and are willing to make the journey with you, safe in the knowledge of your unfailing love. Amen.
He's Waiting!
The Lord gave me this poem the other morning while I was eating breakfast:
He's Waiting!
Sometimes we cannot see the end
Of trials and troubles that He sends.
But does He?
Or is it our free will,
That causes us to struggle still?
If we would quiet our troubled hearts,
And listen to what He imparts;
Would our trials and struggles last,
Continue on and hold us fast?
Or would we know He's in control,
And rest in Him and quiet our soul.
He longs to bless our troubled way.
Give Him control of each new day!
(Lynda Helen Kay 2010)
He's Waiting!
Sometimes we cannot see the end
Of trials and troubles that He sends.
But does He?
Or is it our free will,
That causes us to struggle still?
If we would quiet our troubled hearts,
And listen to what He imparts;
Would our trials and struggles last,
Continue on and hold us fast?
Or would we know He's in control,
And rest in Him and quiet our soul.
He longs to bless our troubled way.
Give Him control of each new day!
(Lynda Helen Kay 2010)
Friday, October 15, 2010
Photos
Because you all seem to like pictures...here are a few...
Shells I collected on my last beach walk
High tide in the bay
Over the rooftops to the hills
Sunset over Stanley
Stormy weather in the bay
Shells I collected on my last beach walk
High tide in the bay
Over the rooftops to the hills
Sunset over Stanley
Stormy weather in the bay
simple things
Today for lunch I had a fried egg (from my friend Narelle's chickens), with tomato, and alfalfa and fenugreek sprouts (made in the sprout maker my son Jefferson gave me) on sourdough rye bread (baked fresh each day at the local Providore 24 village store).
I have some beetroot/redbeet cooking that came from my friend Ursula's garden (I love the smell of beetroot cooking...so fresh and earthy), and this afternoon I am going to make a coconut slice (the recipe from my sister in law Lyn) with lemon icing (using the lemons from my friend Fay's tree)!!
Just simple things, but so much to be thankful for....family, friends and good food!
I have some beetroot/redbeet cooking that came from my friend Ursula's garden (I love the smell of beetroot cooking...so fresh and earthy), and this afternoon I am going to make a coconut slice (the recipe from my sister in law Lyn) with lemon icing (using the lemons from my friend Fay's tree)!!
Just simple things, but so much to be thankful for....family, friends and good food!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Devotional from Dr Stanley's In Touch Ministries
October 8, 2010
Looking for Fruit
GALATIANS 5:16-26
As believers, we all want the fruit of the Spirit, but how can we know if we truly have it? Even unbelievers can display these qualities when conditions are positive. This nine-fold fruit of the Spirit is not what we do, but who we are, and it is primarily on display in Christians when circumstances are unfavorable. Two characteristics help us recognize these traits in our lives.
Fruitful believers are not controlled by their environment. Everyone experiences trials and pain, but those who are filled with the Spirit do not lose His fruit because of their situations. They keep their joy even when difficulties overwhelm. If someone speaks harshly, they respond with kindness. Because the Holy Spirit is in control, He is free to produce His fruit no matter what the circumstances are. Even though such believers may feel pain, anger, or a desire for revenge, they choose to trust the Lord to protect them and direct the outcome.
Fruitful Christians recover quickly after a fall. These believers are not perfect, but they are sensitive to the Spirit's conviction and are quick to return to the Lord in repentance. In fact, they are actually grateful for the correction and praise God, not only for revealing their weakness but also for drawing them back to obedience.
No one produces these amazing qualities in himself. Trying harder to be godly will never work. Character transformation occurs when we submit to God, giving Him complete control of our lives. Only then will the Spirit be free to produce fruit that remains even in the deepest, darkest storms.
Looking for Fruit
GALATIANS 5:16-26
As believers, we all want the fruit of the Spirit, but how can we know if we truly have it? Even unbelievers can display these qualities when conditions are positive. This nine-fold fruit of the Spirit is not what we do, but who we are, and it is primarily on display in Christians when circumstances are unfavorable. Two characteristics help us recognize these traits in our lives.
Fruitful believers are not controlled by their environment. Everyone experiences trials and pain, but those who are filled with the Spirit do not lose His fruit because of their situations. They keep their joy even when difficulties overwhelm. If someone speaks harshly, they respond with kindness. Because the Holy Spirit is in control, He is free to produce His fruit no matter what the circumstances are. Even though such believers may feel pain, anger, or a desire for revenge, they choose to trust the Lord to protect them and direct the outcome.
Fruitful Christians recover quickly after a fall. These believers are not perfect, but they are sensitive to the Spirit's conviction and are quick to return to the Lord in repentance. In fact, they are actually grateful for the correction and praise God, not only for revealing their weakness but also for drawing them back to obedience.
No one produces these amazing qualities in himself. Trying harder to be godly will never work. Character transformation occurs when we submit to God, giving Him complete control of our lives. Only then will the Spirit be free to produce fruit that remains even in the deepest, darkest storms.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
A walk on the beach
This morning I went for my first walk along the beach. I started from my place at the base of The Nut
I had the whole beach to myself except for a lady I passed walking her dog...and these 2 birds.
When I had walked for half an hour (and still not come to the end of the beach), I turned around and walked back home again. It was so lovely and peaceful :o)
I had the whole beach to myself except for a lady I passed walking her dog...and these 2 birds.
When I had walked for half an hour (and still not come to the end of the beach), I turned around and walked back home again. It was so lovely and peaceful :o)
Friday, October 8, 2010
I'm home!
Well, my country roads have taken me home to the little seaside town of Stanley on the northwest coast of Tasmania. Here are some photos of the view from my balcony :o)
Pretty good eh!!!!!
Pretty good eh!!!!!
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