Little winter luxuries

SOUP DE LOOP

Soup is the most basic of hearty peasant fare yet, for me, its one of winter's luxuries. It doesn't cost a lot of money - its value lies more in its rarity, being seasonal, than in its net worth - but I feel very comforted, very spoiled and very..rich..when I eat it. And thats as good a definition of luxury as any. Speaking of luxury,  have you noticed the rising obsession with it? A few decades back, only film stars and shipping tycoons touted brands like Louis Vuitton and Hermes. Today, every second blogger has a luxury handbag collection worth insuring. Luxury is 'in'.

Psychologists say that this trend is not so much spawned by the desire for better quality as it is by the desire to feel good. In other words, my sense of self-worth motivates purchase decisions more strongly than the credentials of the product itself. If I think I'm worth it, I buy up. Whether that's true or not, the whole 'luxe' concept is certainly very personal; one man's luxury is another man's ho-hum. Like my soup. Scrummy soup on a rainy winter's day makes me feel good, therefore I count it as a luxury.

I'm not against luxury. Sure, sometimes its obsessive and repulsive in its sheer weirdness..but I happen to think that, within reason, its a healthy and affirming thing. I like what one commentator wrote "Luxury is what rewards us individually for who we are". I use luxury to reward myself, to celebrate life and to make the everyday, special. And that's why most of my luxuries are small ones. Like a scented candle. Like a bunch of roses. Like a hot shower. Like an early night. Like a bowl of soup. By the way, the secret to a truly scrummy soup is to make it with homemade stock, so here's a recipe for that (you're welcome).

how to make soup stock

In case you hadn't figured it out yet, winter is one of my favourite seasons (my other favourites are spring, summer and autumn :) and one of the main reasons is that I eagerly anticipate winter's little luxuries every year. Enjoy this video in which I share my top 3 little winter luxuries..and do tell me what yours are, I can always make room for a little more luxury in my winter life.

adventure # 16: the family of God

Hello dear friends and fellow adventurers

This week I'm continuing my discussion on the church and what it means to the Lord.

Monday

Today, watch the video. Here it is for your convenience.

Tuesday

Read John 1: 1-4 and Hebrews 1: 1-4. Spend some time considering that God is a family. What does this tell you about the nature of God? What does this tell you about the way God wired humanity?

Wednesday

Read John 20: 17. Can you hear the thrill in Jesus' voice as he announces that his Father is your Father too? 

Thursday

Allow this song performed by Phil Wickham to speak loudly to you. 

Friday

Read Romans 8: 16 and Ephesians 2: 19. What do these passages mean to you? 

Saturday

Spend some quality time this morning with the Lord - ask him to speak to you about his family and how he wants you to relate to them. 

Sunday

Go to church and this week, look at the people around you with new eyes. 

Until we meet again next time, Avante!

A sense of winter

    

A SENSE OF PLACE

I have 150 000 different ways to describe the sea. That's because I live next to the sea and every         morning it challenges me to a duel - a duel of words. Honestly, I can't eat my Jungle Oats until I've     satisfied my inner critic that the words I've selected to describe the tint, the timbre and the tang of       the ocean are all suitably surprising and in every way, spot-on. And who, I might ask, gets to hear       these ozone-flecked odes? That's right..nobody. But I do it anyway because I'm addicted to trying       to describe places. A friend and fellow writer once told me that she writes because "I have stories       I want to tell". I then confessed that I write because "I have places I want to describe". 

I'm occasionally asked to coach at writing workshops. I almost always teach about how to evoke,       what is known in literary circles as, 'a sense of place'. Its not that hard if you remember to call upon   your 5 senses - touch, taste, hearing, vision and smell. A novice writer can leap from 'pretty               pathetic' to 'shows promise' after just 10 minutes of tender coaching in the art of                                   somathesthesia..that's 'bodily sensation' to you and I..learning to write for the senses. What did the     door feel like..rough, smooth, cold and foreboding? What did her hair smell like..cherries, cold           chips, wind-swept heather? 

A SENSE OF WINTER

Inspired by a little book called How To Be Chic In The Winter by Fiona Ferris, I decided to use the same technique - evoking the 5 senses - to make life both meaningful and delightful this winter. For myself. And then I had the thought that I shouldn't really keep all that good stuff away from you and..voila..Winterise went public and video #1 in the series was born - a sense of winter. Here's how I am interpreting a sense of winter in my home and life..I'd love to hear your ideas. 

   

adventure # 15: I didn't know I was disobeying God

Hello dear friends and fellow adventurers

I experienced 19 years of back-slidden misery, all because I didn't realise that I was disobeying God. In this week's adventure I speak about that time and what caused it. I hope you'll find it helpful.

Monday

Watch the video. Here it is for your convenience. 

Tuesday

Re-read Chapters 8, 9 and 10 of  my book

Wednesday

Click on this Scripture link Hebrews 10: 25 to read a few different versions. Think deeply about what it is saying. 

Thursday 

Enjoy this prayer song for the Church and use it to recommit yourself to the Bride of Christ. 

Friday

“More than the Jewish People have kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath has kept the Jews.” – Ahad Ha’am

This refers to the Jews retaining their cultural identity through the weekly Friday night family meal..but the same can be said of us Christians..its not so much that we 'keep' Church but that Church 'keeps' us. Being immersed and committed to a local church is the main way in which you will retain your identity as a child of God in this world. But this Friday why don't you take a special time out at the end of your week to slow down, gather with family and draw near to God. Make sure all your cooking and housework is done before sunset on Friday evening..then dim the lights, light candles and enjoy a lovely meal with your family. No TV. No cell-phones or computer. After supper, listen to worship music together and spend time committing the worries or anxieties of the week to the Lord. Have an early night. 

Saturday

Blank out the whole Saturday morning to continue your 'Sabbath' experience with the Lord. Wake up naturally, make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and go back to bed with it. Pray, worship, read the Bible, write in your journal. Once you feel refreshed, restored and revived, end your 'Sabbath' experience by enjoying a brunch or late breakfast somewhere nice and taking a leisurely stroll in Nature. 

Sunday

Go to church and give thanks for it.

Next week I'm continuing on this topic of local Church and all that it means to the Lord. I  hope to see you then and look forward to your Comments. Avante! 

adventure # 14: what does the Bible say about angels?

Hello dear friends and fellow adventurers

I know some of you love hearing about all my personal experiences while others of you 'bear with me' until I get to the Bible stuff. So, if you fall into that latter category, thank you for waiting so patiently for this adventure.

Monday

Watch the video. Here it is for your convenience. 

Tuesday

Get to know the basic Biblical evidence for the existence and nature of angels. Angels are seen from one end of the Bible to the other. In fact, the Bible contains 196 verses about angels (103 in the OT and 93 in the NT), and 34 books of the OT refer to angels, including our earliest books (e.g. Job, Genesis). Angels are servants of humans (Hebrews 1:14). The Hebrew word for angel is mal’ach, and the Greek term is angelos. Both words mean “messenger” (In fact, both are sometimes used for human messengers; cf. 1 Kings 19:2; Lk. 7:24; 9:52). Angels are also spoken of as “holy ones” (Ps. 89:5, 7), and they exist in “hosts” or “armies” (Ps. 89:6, 8; 1 Sam. 1:11; 17:45). They are also called “sons of God” (Job 1:6; 38:7; Genesis 6: 2) 

Wednesday

Discover what the Bible says angels look like. Angels can be mistaken as humans, because they sometimes manifest in a human-like appearance (Gen. 18:2, 16, 22; 19:1, 5, 10, 12, 15, 16; Judg. 13:6; Mark 16:5; Luke 24:4). Hebrews tells us, “Some have entertained angels without knowing it” (Heb. 13:2).

While folk religion depicts humanlike angels as winged creatures, we never see this form of angel depicted in Scripture. In Daniel 9: 21 and Revelation 14: 6 we read of angels flying but not necessarily having wings.  The seraphim (Isaiah. 6:2) and cherubim (Exodus. 25:20) have wings. These are non-humanlike creatures, not necessarily angels. Angels can also appear in a glorious form. Regarding one of the angels at the tomb of Jesus, Matthew records, “His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men” (Mt. 28:3-4). Paul writes that Satan (a fallen angel) can appear to be breathtakingly beautiful (2 Cor. 11:14)

Thursday

Discover what the Bible says about angels revealing themselves to men. Angels walked and talked with Abraham and they even ate with him (Genesis 18). They employ genuine, physical bodies at times for revelatory purposes (Genesis 19: 1, 5; Exodus 3: 2; 1 Chronicles 16: 20). Interestingly, they usually appear as males although in places like Zechariah 5: 9, we do see evidence of angels appearing as, or being, female as well. Angels are often first thought to be humans and are then later recognised as being angels. Angels also often appear in dreams and visions (Matthew 1: 20; Isaiah 6: 1-8). Sometimes the appearance of an angel can evoke fear in people so they often preface their message by saying "fear not" (Luke 2: 8-14). 

Friday

Spend some time today thinking back over your life. Is there a time when you suspect an angel was involved in helping you in any way? If so, thank the angels and the Lord for this assistance. 

Saturday 

One thing we for sure have in common with the angels is - we love to worship God. Enjoy this time of worship with the angels. 

Sunday

You know what I'm going to say, don't you?

Lots of love and blessings. Until next time

Avante. 

adventure # 13: varieties of angels

Hello dear friends and fellow adventurers

When I began editing my angel video, the one about my personal encounters with angels, I realised that it was far too long for just one video - so I split it into two parts. Last week I uploaded Part 1 and this week is Part 2. This week's video therefore has a rather abrupt introduction, or should I say, no introduction at all! So please excuse me for that.

So here are my suggestions for how we can immerse ourselves in the topic of angels this week.

Monday

Watch the video. Here it is for your convenience.

Video

Tuesday

Read and meditate upon the following Scripture. 

Exodus 23:20

“See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.” -Exodus 23:20

It is here that the Lord promises the Israelites that they would be guided and kept in their way through the wilderness to the Promised Land of Canaan. This was no ordinary angel either. This was the Angel of the Lord, an Old Testament manifestation of Christ Himself. In verse 21, the Lord declares, “My Name Is In Him”. This promise was connected with the rule that they the Israelites must be obedient to the angel God sent before them.

Wednesday

Hebrews 1:14

“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”-Hebrews 1:14

Angels are sent by God to protect us and help us inherit His full kingdom. The Bible tells us that angels are His servants, carrying out His will and work for our good. We know from this verse from Hebrews that angels are ministering spirits, sent to serve those who are going to receive salvation. By definition, salivation is deliverance from sin and its consequences brought about by faith in Jesus Christ. Angels ultimately assist in our deliverance from sin, or eternal death. The gift of God is eternal life.

Thursday

Angels in human form?

Angels often take human form. This happens throughout the Scriptures, one of the most famous stories being that of the three strangers who visited Abraham and Sarah, to predict the birth of their son and to let Abraham know that they were traveling on to Sodom and would possibly have to destroy the city for its wickedness.

In contemporary accounts of angelic assistance, it’s quite common for someone to meet another “person” who helps them in some extraordinary way and then simply disappears. For evidence of this type, read the books or visit the web site of Joan Wester Anderson, who has made a career out of tracking and collecting people’s stories of angelic encounter.

Occasionally, an angel takes the form of an animal. According to standard Christian, Jewish, and Muslim belief, an angel can take any form it wishes, but often this spiritual helper will come to us looking and acting like another human being. The reason for this is obvious; I won’t run from an ordinary-looking person who is trying to help me, but I might run if some spiritual presence approaches me, because it’s difficult to understand what’s happening with a spiritual presence. I may think it’s a ghost, or even something evil. If it’s a balding man wearing a Chicago Bulls sweatshirt and who is pleasant and helpful, I’m much more likely to accept the help.

Friday

If you're really interested in the subject of angels you might want to download this book by Joan Wester Anderson, a Catholic believer who has made the study of angels something of a speciality. I haven't actually read the whole book myself yet..I've only glance through it. I think I'll read it this week and we can share notes later. 

Where Angels Walk

Saturday

Continue reading Where Angels Walk

Sunday

Go to church. Ask God to make you aware of angelic activity during the service. 

Until next time,

Avante